Draco would never have thought four months ago that he would be laying on Ginevra Weasley's sofa eating popcorn and applesauce and drinking muggle whiskey after making dinner for her and Lovegood on a Friday night.

He shook his head confused about the turn of the tides. Somehow over four months' time, Ginny had gone from the girl on the door step to one of his best mates. Several times he had found himself wandering over to Ginny's flat in the past few weeks between leaving the office and heading home just because he missed her. His feelings for the girl grew each day. The Slytherin Sex God of Yesteryear found himself being a very devoted non-boyfriend to a girl who already had a boyfriend (abusive though he may be). He found himself visiting her and spending more and more time in her flat and she in his.

Often when he came over, she was still on the pitch in Holyhead. The quidditch season began shortly after they "remet" and he did more traveling for Malfoy Incorporated with their complicated venture into the muggle world. The easiest way to see each other was to just wait in their flats.

While he waited, he would entertain himself with Luna and start dinner for the three of them. The first time he met her, he had accidentally called Luna, "Looney" to which Ginny immediately elbowed him hard in the side. Since then, she'd grown on him with her bizarre mythical animals, soft voice and lucid thoughts. Luna was far more intelligent than people gave her credit for. That girl had a mind made for plotting and scheming and a knack for emotions and feelings. She always seemed to know what Draco needed before he needed it.

Like today. Today, he'd wandered over to their flat with a brown bag full of groceries and was greeted at the door by a barefoot Luna and her black pet kneazle, Doctor Beauregard.

"He indicated that you needed to be let in and he, let out," she said and she let the kneazle down to crawl around Draco's feet.

"Hi Lu," he said with a chuckle, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hello Draco. Come on in," she said stepping out of the doorway and making room for him. "I was just about to order something to eat."

"Don't. I was thinking about making something."

"Not for us silly. For the good Doctor," she indicated to Beauregard who was still weaving his way in and out of Draco's legs. "I cleaned the kitchen for you and preheated the oven. I will be in the floo ordering a few treats. Gin should be here soon. Call loudly for dinner. I think there are more wrackspurts than usual in the air."

"Ok, Lu," he chuckled accustomed to her odd comments. Draco entertained himself in the clean –as promised- kitchen preparing a pancetta pasta dish and a chocolate mousse which both girls loved. Draco enjoyed cooking. Mostly, anything domestic made him feel like a house elf, but cooking was different. Cooking was potion making that could be eaten. He loved the art of it paired with the intricacy and exactness. Plus, you could eat it.

As he was nearing the ends of his cooking preparation, he heard a pop followed by the sounds of shoes being removed, indicating that Ginny was home. He heard cooing to Beauregard as confirmation. Ginny followed her nose to the kitchen.

"Draco, hey!" she called. Not surprised to see him in the kitchen. Luna was a god awful cook so the smell of food, meant that Draco was over. She gave him a quick hug from behind and pulled herself onto the island. She grabbed a banana to snack on while she watched Draco work.

Sitting her banana on her knee, she tied her still damp hair back into a messy bun on top of her head then set to work on her snack. He turned around to look at Ginny. She looked cozy with a large jumper and sweatpants that he may have left at her place after a night of heavy drinking. All in all, she looked adorable. He watched as she all but inhaled the banana, causing him to think inappropriate thoughts about the girl who was supposed to be his best mate.

"How was practice?" he asked to distract himself.

"Practice was practice," she replied with a shrug finishing off her banana. Draco made a face of disgust to cover the flare of lust that surged through him.

"The speed that you Weasleys eat never ceases to repulse me."

"Shut it, Malfoy."

"If you'd shut it, the cost of your groceries wouldn't be so high. Grab some plates and set the table."

After a delicious dinner, they settled in front of the muggle telly to watch a horror film and pig out which is where they currently found themselves; stuffed and stretched out. Draco had taken up residence on the right side of the couch and Ginny the left. Luna had gone into her bedroom immediately after dinner. She was eyeball deep in research for the editing of Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them with Scamander and had frequently been pulling all nighters. So very rare was the occasion that she just relaxed with them.

"I can't believe I'm watching this nonsense." Ginny hated horror films especially Night of the Living Dead. Especially after Draco forced her to watch it three weekends in a row.

"It's not nonsense. It's a classic." He stated

"How would you know? You're not a muggle."

"Yeah but I know a good film when I see it."

"Whatever Malfoy," she said giving him a shove. He shoved her back and heard a hiss. He didn't recall shoving her hard enough for her to wince. He turned and looked at her only to see that she was avoiding his gaze. He reached for her and cupped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

She tried to pull away but he held her steady. The area above her eyelids glimmered a bit as though she applied some sort of cosmetic product. Rare was the occasion that Ginny wore make up. Unless she had a Harpies appearance or a date with Potter, she couldn't be bothered with it. She certainly wouldn't apply it after a run of the mill practice.

Draco sucked in a breath as he realized why her eyes glimmered; glamour charms. The effect of what little after dinner whiskey he consumed dissipated in an instant. Ginny noticed the look of recognition and tried to pull away from Draco. Before she could, he shifted their positions with practiced ease and straddled her hips.

"Draco, no… Please, stop. Don't do this… Please let me go," she shouted but he held her down and began forcefully removing her jumper. 'Draco, stop it! Let go of me."

Her eyes began to well with tears but he didn't relent. He wrestled her out of her jumper, exposing a camisole and nude bra straps. He held the struggling Ginny down and reached for the nearest wand –her wand- on the coffee table. Her wand's core yearned to reject Draco, recognizing its owner's distress. Draco held firm.

"Finite Incantatem," he yelled waving the wand over Ginny's body. At the sound of his voice, Ginny stopped struggling realizing she had lost as Draco held her forearms in his hands.

He stared at her, mouth agape. Ginny was black and blue, everywhere. What was once luminous freckled skin was marred by deep color changing bruises. Draco stared at her unblinking. Her now unmasked eyes were puffy and slightly purple. But the marks there were significantly less fresh than the ones on her arms. Angry purple hand prints stood out against porcelain skin. He could only imagine what she looked like in the areas that her sweat pants were covering. He released one of her arms and hesitantly pushed up her camisole.

Draco stood abruptly rushing from the sofa, tripping over Beauregard and Ginny's disregarded duffle in an effort to get down the hall to the loo. He made it just in time to empty the conglomerate of whiskey, snacks and pasta into the basin. Ingested food from the last hour revealed itself in the water. After Draco emptied the entire contents of his stomach, he pulled himself from the floor and closed the toilet. He sat on the closed lid and flushed before holding his head in his hands.

A warm cloth was pushed into his hands as another small hand rubbed circles on the center of his back. He looked up into large knowing blue eyes.

"It was bad," Luna said simply with a sad smile. He nodded and rested his head on her stomach as she continued to rub soft circles, soothing him. The thought of Ginny all battered and bruised literally made him sick. He almost couldn't believe it and for her to cover it meant it was definitely not quidditch. This was the work of Harry Potter. He could see his finger prints for God's sake. Draco continued to lean against Luna, needing the quiet peace that she somehow provided even when he heard the sound of footsteps padding quietly down the hall.

'Draco," Ginny whispered. He closed his eyes before she entered so that he wouldn't have to look at her. He shook his head 'no', and continued to breathe deeply against his best mates' roommate. "Draco, we have to talk about this." Ginny was almost begging.

"I can't. I can't talk about this."

"But we have to." He sat up and looked at her as Luna slid out of the bathroom and out of the fray. This was an issue that Draco and Ginny needed to work out alone.

"What are we going to talk about? How you lied and said Potter stopped? Or how it's actually gotten worse? Much worse!"… Oh I know. Or how about we talk about how you hid it? Did you think I was stupid, that I wouldn't fucking notice that your entire fucking body is fucking battered? I don't even want to know what you look like in the places I can't see!" She winced every time he swore.

"It's not like that…" she began.

"It's not like what?! You lied to us, Ginevra. God look at you! He is out of control and you are just allowing it."

"It was an accident. He came home drunk the other day and I accidentally spooked him in the dark…" he cut her off.

"Do you even hear yourself? And then what? He proceeded to wail on you because he thought you were a robber? Save it, Weasley. This was not an accident" he said standing from the toilet and grabbing her wrist. "Look at your body. He is breaking you!"

"Draco, honest…" Tears were streaming down her face as she pleaded with him, trying to explain.

"I don't want to hear it. This is the last time Ginevra." His clear grey eyes were hard as stone as he looked at her. "If you come home looking like this again, I swear to God I'm going to kill him."

"Draco, please. Please listen to me. It was an accident. Please believe me." She cried, looking down, tears blocking her vision. He pulled her up by her wrists again forcing her to look at him.

"I'm serious, Weasley. I can't take this anymore. I have been nothing but a friend to you. I don't judge you when you come home with questionable bruises that I know are not from quidditch. You are the best chaser Holyhead has seen in a millennia so I know you are not running into that many bludgers. I don't mention it when you can barely sit down some days. I apply the cheering charms to Luna when she's so bloody sad and worried about you that she can barely leave the bed in the morning. But this…" he said gesturing to her body. "This is too far. He could have killed you! When are you going to realize that this is a full grown wizard that you are up against. He's not the Boy Who Lived anymore. He's the Man Whose Killed and he'll do it again. To You. And then what, Weasley? What about your mum and dad? You won't be around to explain it to them... What about Luna? Can't comfort her... What about me, Gin? Huh? What am I going to do without you?"

He choked a bit on his last question causing her eyes to shoot up and search his. He looked pained and weary. It had not even occurred to Ginny that he could hurt.

"What do you want me to do, Draco? Tell me what to do and I'll do it." She cried tears rushing down her face in torrents. "Do you want me to leave him? And then what? Be alone for the rest of my life?"

'Are you mad?! Did you hear nothing I just said? Look at your bloody fucking face! Be alone for the rest of your life? That may not be that far away with the way Potter is going." He shook his head. "You will not be alone. You have your friends and your family. You have Luna. You have me."

"I don't have you. One day, you'll meet a girl and you won't have time for a girl who is just your mate anymore."

"Who are you? Where is that girl that I use to know? Where is the girl who stood up to me in Flourish and Blott's? Where is the girl who tried out for Gryffindor even though her brothers warned her against it? Where is the girl who smokes even though I say it's going to kill her? Where is that girl? You would never let anyone push you around least of all Harry fucking Potter. You have got to stop worrying. I will be here. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't know, Draco" she sobbed. She looked lost and confused. "I don't even know who I am anymore. I keep trying to convince myself that it's okay. It's okay that Harry had a bad day and he knocked me over. It was my fault that dinner burned and he had to shove me out of the way to get to the oven. I scared him in the dark the other night. But it's not my fault is it?" she finished quietly.

"No, love. It's not your fault."

"What do I do now?"

"You start over." He said gathering her up in his arms for a hug. She winced and he loosened his hold. He lifted her gently and sat her on the sink. "Sit here." He left the bathroom and went to the living room, still in disarray from their earlier tussle. He grabbed his wand and hers from the coffee table and returned to the bathroom. He handed her own wand to her.

"So you feel in control while I do this." He briefly explained. "May I?" He asked showing her his wand. She nodded with no hesitation, trusting Draco with her life. He began waving the wand over her exposed skin whispering healing charms and spells to remove the hematoma and discoloration beneath the skin.

He was so tender with her, cautiously lifting her arm and turning her skin. He was so tender that he brought her to tears. He gave no indication that he saw them. He couldn't afford to look at her crying and begin to cry himself. He had a massive soft spot in his heart for the youngest Weasley. He would do just about anything for her. He discovered that when he realized his threat to kill Potter felt incredibly real. After the trials and his pardon, he swore to turn over a new leaf and never find his way to Azkaban. He was on a road to redemption and that did not include finding himself in a private cell in the middle of the North Sea. But for Ginny, he would. Repercussions be damned.

He managed to heal all of the exposed skin on her arms and legs after pushing her sweats up.

"Alright. Did I get it all?"

"Yes." She whispered but subtly shook her head no.

"What did I miss?" Before she could stop herself, her eyes slid to her lap.

"Oh, God." He sat back down on the toilet lid. He was unsure if his knees would hold his weight any longer.

"This is it, Ginevra. I mean it. If you go back to him, I will kill him." He told said through his hands.

"I know."

"Okay… Let's get you to bed." He held his hand out for her. She took it with no hesitation and allowed herself to be pulled in the direction of her bedroom. He reached into the top drawer where he knew she kept her night clothes and pulled out a pair of pajamas. Anything remotely sexy was bypassed in favor of a flannel monogram striped pair that he bought her for Christmas. He tossed them to her and went back to the drawer and began removing anything that remotely screamed Potter. Two night shirts and a pair of boxers later, he was done. He turned around, confident that she was done dressing, and held up the clothing. Gesturing towards the rubbish bin, he raised an eyebrow in question. She nodded her acquiescence and he tossed the belongings. He then pulled back the covers on the bed for her and whispered "nox". She climbed between the sheets, reveling in their feel.

"Goodnight, Ginevra. I have to head to the office sometime tomorrow but I'll drop by in the morning to check on you." He dropped a kiss on her nodding forehead and turned to leave the room. Before he could reach the door he heard her voice.

"Draco…Stay with me…Please. I don't think I can be alone tonight." She sat up. In the stream of moonlight that entered the room, he could see her big brown eyes beseeching him to stay.

He went back to her bed, removing his shirt and pants and reaching for the discarded sweat pants that Ginny was previously wearing. He pulled them on and climbed onto the vacant left side of the bed, cautious to remain respectfully above the duvet.

"I was right." He whispered once he was comfortably settled in.

"About what?"

"These are my pants." She gave a small chuckled and reach over to lightly slap him. He pushed her back and this time she didn't wince. They fell into a comfortable familiar silence.

"You're going to be okay, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Good."

"Yes, good." She replied softly. "Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Ginevra." He felt it as her hand gently skimmed the cover and reached for his. She took his hand into hers. He allowed it and applied a gentle pressure to her hands, brushing her knuckles softly with his thumbs. Moments later he heard the deep even sounds of her breathing, letting him know that she was in fact asleep. He turned and faced her.

"Good night, Ginevra. I love you."

A/N: What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Not enough description? Not enough dialogue? Just need to know if I should continue. If you like HHr Check out my very recently updated fic, We're home. I rewrote that one first and I think it may actually be worth a read now.