Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Thanks for the great response to my last two chapters. Your reviews keep me going. I hope you all like this one as well. I have a lot to live up to.
Chapter Six
I Share My World With No One Else
Ginny led Draco up the two flights of stairs to his bedroom. She watched as he expertly made his way around. He definitely needed to be here. Draco felt her watching him and turned around. "I can hear you breathing," he stated.
Ginny blushed. She was glad he couldn't see her. "Sorry. I'm just amazed at how well you move around."
Draco ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Yeah, well, I do know where everything is in this house. I'm just glad the ministry didn't move anything."
"Will you be ok? I need to go and freshen up before dinner," Ginny said.
"I'll be fine. Where will you be?"
"I found a room that leads up to the owlery. I think I'll be staying there."
"Mum's old room. Nice choice. If I need you, I will shout for you," Draco joked.
Ginny laughed. "Alright. I'll be back in half an hour." She went to reach for him but thought better of it. They may have been lovers before but now they weren't. She didn't want to overstep any boundaries. "Well, see you later," she said nervously.
Draco shrugged and made his way cautiously to another door. She guessed it was the bathroom and stayed to make sure he was all right. When she heard the shower turn on, she left the room, made her way back down the stairs, and down the hallway to the bedroom she had napped in. She walked over to one of the doors and opened it. Inside was a huge walk-in closet with many expensive dresses and robes. Most were made out of silk with a few velvet ones for the winter months. She ran her hand delicately through all the dresses, wondering how much they must have cost. She sighed, left the closet, and shut the door. She stretched her body, tired from lack of sleep. After tonight's dinner, she was going to excuse herself and get some much-needed rest.
She walked to the door and saw Severus with a towel in his hand. She cleared her throat and he turned to her. "Yes, Ginny, do you need something?" he asked.
"Um, I was just wondering where the bathroom was," she stuttered. "We just got here a little bit ago and I haven't found it yet."
Severus laughed but quickly covered it up. "Well, you see, at the end of this hallway, there is another one. It's kind of hidden." He walked to the wall, where Ginny was sure it ended, and disappeared to the right. Ginny stood there, her mouth hanging open. Just then, Severus appeared again. He motioned for her to do the same.
Ginny carefully walked towards the wall and looked off to the right. Sure enough, there was another hallway. "What the," she started.
"Just one of the many mysteries of Malfoy Manor," he joked. "There are two bathrooms down that hall. I'll use the one at the end so you can have the one that's two doors down on the left. Everything you need should be there."
"Thank you, Severus."
"My pleasure," he stated. Then, he rounded the hidden corner and was gone from sight. Ginny walked that way, as well, and saw him enter a door at the end of the hallway. She counted two doors and entered.
Inside was the largest bathroom she had ever seen. It was all done in black and white. White marble tiles ran the length of the floor and the walls. The tub, which could have easily fit five people, was black marble as well as the sink and toilet. The faucets looked as though they were made of gold. There were black and white towels in the closet. Any type of shampoo and shower gel could be found. She chose some then went to the tub. She turned on the water and adjusted the temperature to her liking. As the tub filled, she stripped out of her clothes. She placed them on top of the toilet, folded neatly so they could be worn again. The water filled and she shut off the tap. She pulled her hair up onto the top of her head before she slipped into the warm water and sighed. This was what she needed. She could feel the tension just seep away from her aching muscles. Ginny had been soaking for a while when she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she called out.
"It's me," came Severus' voice. "You've been in there for a while now. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Just freshening up. I'll be out in a few minutes." Ginny stood up and reached for a towel. She quickly dried off, wrapped another towel around her, and opened the door just a crack. She smiled up at her old professor. "See, I'm fine."
Severus looked down at her and quickly away. Even though the door wasn't fully open, he could tell that she was only wearing a towel. "Um, yes, I see," he replied while not looking at her.
Ginny smiled at his awkwardness. "Could you do me a huge favor?" she asked him.
"What would that be?" he asked.
"Could you go and check on Draco? I told him I would be back for him in a half hour and I feel like I've been in here for too long." Boy, she sounded like a dumb chick in her mind. She shook her head of that thought. She wasn't playing the ex professor, she just wanted to make sure that Draco was ok.
"Of course. We shall meet you down in the pallor," he replied and he quickly turned away and walked down the hallway.
Ginny shut the door, leaned back against it, and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe that Draco would come back into her life like this. She shook her head and walked back over to her clothes. She wished that she had some more clothes here but she didn't count on the ministry sticking their big noses into Draco's business so soon. She sighed and pulled on her old clothes. She would worry about what to wear tomorrow. She kept her hair up and stuck her wand through it. She made her way down the stairs and turned into the pallor. The two men were sitting at the small dining table softly conversing. Ginny couldn't make out what they were saying but she didn't really care. She walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.
Draco turned his head in her direction. "I think Ginny's here," he smirked.
"You are quite right," Severus replied, nearly choking on his drink when he tried to hold back a laugh. "What gave it away?"
"I can smell her," Draco responded this time causing Snape to actually spit out his wine in laughter.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Ginny stated as she placed a napkin on her lap. Severus poured some wine for her and she took a sip. Just then, the dinner appeared on the table. Steaming vegetables, roasted chicken, and piping hot breads. Ginny hadn't eaten so well in years. Well, not like this since she attended Hogwarts. All conversation stopped as the three ate as though they were starving. Manners were thrown out the window as they ignored their utensils and ate with their hands. After a while, and some sweet desserts of strawberries and cream or chocolate mousse, the three retired to the sitting room.
Draco held onto the arm of Ginny as they made their way over to the couch. Draco felt behind him, sat down, then propped his feet up along its length. Severus looked down at him. "Draco, are you manners that far gone that you would not offer a seat to the young lady?"
Draco scoffed. "Young lady? Where? If you tell me there is a young lady present in this very room, than I shall remove my feet from their spot and offer her the very best. As it is, there is no lady here so I shall keep my feet where they are." Draco placed his hands on his stomach and laughed.
Ginny rolled her eyes because she knew he was only joking. "Well, be that as it may," she started. "I see only one gentleman here. Severus, would you kindly get us some after dinner drinks?"
Severus laughed. He had never laughed so much in his entire life. Then he walked over to a cabinet and brought out a crystal decanter with some sort of amber liquid inside. He poured some into three glasses and handed them out. "Now, children, let's not fight and spoil a wonderful dinner."
Ginny and Draco both started laughing as Ginny made her way over to one of the high backed chairs next to the fireplace. She swirled her glass, taking sips every now and then. The combination of the fire and the whiskey was truly draining her. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and listened to their conversation. If she weren't so sleepy, she would have been more interested in what they were saying as they were talking about potions.
Severus and Draco talked for hours about potions and time spent at Hogwarts. It was a nice change from the days of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Suddenly, there was a soft thud. Severus looked over at the fireplace and saw that Ginny had fallen asleep. The glass in her hand had rolled out and landed softly on the carpeted floor. "Looks like Ginny has fallen asleep," he stated.
Draco closed his eyes and sighed. "What should we do? We can't very well let her sleep in a chair or on the floor." Draco turned his head to the sound of Snape's voice. "Could you take her up to her room? She's using mother's old room right next to the owlery."
Severus sighed, stood up, and stretched. "I suppose I could. I will be right back to help you to your room."
Draco waved him off. "Take your time, old man," he joked. "I'm just going to enjoy my drink and the warmth of the fire."
Severus walked over to Ginny and gently lifted her into his arms. That one small movement caused her to shift and put her arms around Snape's neck. He stiffened a little but then recovered quickly as he walked out of the room. He cautiously made his way up the stairs and down the hall to her room. He was thankful that she had left the door open as he nudged it with his foot.
Severus walked over to the bed and gently pulled her wand, setting her hair to freely tumble down her shoulders. He flicked the wand, causing the covers on the bed to fold down. Then, he laid her on the bed, took off her shoes, and stepped back. The whole time he was doing this, she had managed to stay fast asleep. He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed. He knew that she couldn't very well sleep in all her clothes but he also couldn't bring himself to take them off. Ginny was no longer his student but she was still so very young. She may have become a woman but he would always see her as a child. Frustrated, Severus stormed over to the walk in closet and pulled open the doors. He searched for a while through the many dresses until he found Narcissa's old night ware. He pulled out a red silk nightgown, looked at it, and then threw it back into the drawer. All of these gowns were silk and very clingy. He couldn't find one thing that would be suitable for sleeping in. Then he remembered that Draco had some old t-shirts in his room. Using Ginny's wand, he summoned one to the room. It was an all black t-shirt that was big enough to cover most of the sleeping girl. Severus then went back over to the bed. He summoned up all his courage and slowly slid her jeans off. He was careful not to look long at any part of her as he folded her jeans and placed them on a nearby chair. Then, he carefully lifted her to a sitting position so he could remove her top. As he removed it, he noticed that she hadn't put her bra back on. He nearly dropped her but steadied himself. With his free hand, he put Draco's shirt on her and quickly settled it around her. After laying her back down, he pulled up the covers.
Severus turned to the fireplace and lit it for warmth. Then, he placed her wand on the nightstand and quickly walked back to the door. He turned back to the sleeping girl, one hand on the door and the other hand resting on the doorjamb. He shook his head as he closed the door and walked back down the hallway. He descended the stairs and looked into the sitting room. Absurd thoughts of what he would like to do to Ginny were running through his brain. He kept shaking his head to try and rid himself of these thoughts as he looked in on Draco. He was totally oblivious to the sexual tension Severus was feeling and he was thankful for small favors. He decided that he needed to do something to keep his mind occupied.
Snape entered the room. "Well, Draco, I think I will retire for the night as well. I need to get some sleep so I can start fresh with trying to figure out how to help you."
Draco turned to his direction. "No problem. I think I'm going to stay down here tonight. I really don't want to move right now."
"I can come and check on you in a few hours if you'd like?"
"Nah, I'll be fine. You go and get some rest. Is Ginny alright?"
Draco's question startled Severus but only for a heartbeat. "Oh, yeah, she's fine. She was asleep the whole time. I took one of your old t-shirts for her to wear so she would be comfortable."
"And you just had to dress her didn't you? You old horny dog," Draco laughed.
Severus laughed back, uncomfortably. "You know me, Draco. I am an old man and probably couldn't get it up even if a vela walked into the room."
"True, true," Draco said as his laughing died down. "Well, goodnight. Wake me tomorrow for breakfast."
"Goodnight, Draco." Severus left the room and quickly made his way up to where he was going to stay. He didn't realize that he had chosen the room directly across from hers and he put his head on the door. He would have banged it against the door if he knew that it wouldn't wake her up. He quietly slipped into his room and lit the fireplace using some matches he had found next to the hearth. He then stripped out of his robe, leaving only his boxers on, and crawled in under the covers. He tried his hardest to get to sleep but a certain part of his anatomy was keeping him wide-awake. It seemed like hours had passed before he finally succumbed to his desires and helped himself to fall asleep… all the while thinking of a certain redhead that was fast asleep in the other room.
A/N: I hope you like this chapter. I know it's been a long time coming but I am trying. I still don't really like this chapter but it was a necessary evil to write. I hope to get more interesting in the next few chapters. Let me know what you think about the twist in this chapter. Much love goes out to all my wonderful readers and reviewers. Keep them coming.