Chapter 2

June was coming to a close and Ginny was no closer to finding a life plan than she had been on the train ride home from Hogwarts. She wasn't really sure what she had been doing these past weeks, but focusing on her future wasn't part of it.

Stretching out on the soft, grassy, lawn close to the pond, Ginny relished the feeling of the sun on her body. It was the rare perfect day in England. She had slipped into her swim costume early that morning and had spent the entire day swimming and sun-bathing alone. The large pond was a short walk from the Burrow and provided just enough distance from the house that her parents wouldn't feel obligated to check on her constantly.

There were so few people in the area that it was almost unheard of to run into anybody at the pond, even on a perfect day. That is why when Ginny heard a car pull up on the other side of the pond and watched as a figure emerged from the drivers side door, she was momentarily confused. The figure stripped off a white tee-shirt and dark shorts, kicked his shoes to the side and strode into the pond wearing only his confidence and a pair of boxers.

Laying on her stomach, Ginny observed the actions of what appeared to be a younger man, completely unnoticed. The man swam to the middle of the pond and dove under the water. Seconds later his head popped up and he moved to float on his back. Ginny heard his deep breaths and could practically feel the relief in his heavy sighs.

She watched the pale young man float around the pond for a few minutes and almost giggled when he adjusted himself in his boxers. Ginny was mesmerized and wanted to capture this moment somehow. She wished she had her muggle camera with her. Her father had bought her a camera for graduation and despite all the ribbing her father got for giving a muggle artifact, she actually liked his gift the best. She had developed a knack for finding ironic or clever angles and images. She loved to discover beauty through the lens of her camera. It was actually strange that she didn't have it with her today, it had been attached to her all summer so far.

Occasionally she painted the images she captured on film. In fact, as she reflected on her summer so far, that is all she had been doing. Taking pictures and painting. Her parents were always telling her what talent she had, but to Ginny it was just something she did to feel free. She really didn't think about the end product, it was a way of letting go of all the ugliness she had in her heart.

Ginny was snapped out of her musings at the sound of a sharp intake of breath and the rapid movement of water. Focusing, Ginny saw that the young man had floated close to her patch of grass and had been startled to see a half naked young woman spying on him.

"Holy shit, you scared me!" the blond practically whispered.

Ginny gave a small smile and said, "Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you. You looked so peaceful floating out there."

"Weasley?" a shocked voice inquired.

For the first time Ginny really took in the appearance of the swimmer. He was lean but toned, with pale, smooth skin, a bold pointed nose, and white blond hair. She couldn't see his eyes, but she had a sinking feeling that they were a very grey-blue shade.

"You've got to be kidding me…Malfoy?" she sat up to get a better look.

His eyes widened as the notoriously feisty redhead sat up. Draco had always thought of the "littlest Weasley" as the runt of the litter. She had been small and annoyingly mousy. She never took great care with her appearance and seemed to blend in with the hoard of other Gryffindors he avoided at all costs. The creature that sat before him was a totally different animal. Maybe it was because she wasn't wearing anything that hid her taut and curvy body; maybe it was the way the sun reflected off her smooth, flawless skin; or maybe it was the way her deep auburn hair hung is a sex mess around her shoulders. In any event, Draco was stunned.

For her part, Ginny felt a rush of blood to her face. She became increasingly aware of how little she was wearing. Her modest two piece suddenly felt like nothing at all. In school Ginny had always tried to minimize her substantial chest by wearing big shirts and sports bras. Now there was nothing she could do hide.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Ginny asked barely getting the words out past her mortification.

Draco cocked his head and wondered at the blushing and shrinking woman. Why was she acting so ashamed? "I was hot, and have been stuck in that car all day. I saw this pond and just couldn't resist."

Gaining back a little confidence Ginny blurted out, "And what's with the car? I mean, since when do you have anything to do with muggles?"

Draco smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. This sounded a bit more like the Weasley he had known. There was no simple explanation for his car and he was getting tired of treading water. "I'm coming out, don't freak out or anything." Draco was already moving toward shore, taking care not to make an ass out of himself.

He walked out of the water, shook some water out of his ear and plopped down a few feet from where Ginny was sitting. He eyed her carefully, taking in her damp, long, auburn hair, the freckles on her shoulders and the gentle curves of her hips. His eyes wandered up and stopped when they came to the generous mounds of flesh below hiding behind Ginny's crossed arms. An uncomfortable feeling started to grow in the pit of Draco's stomach. He quickly realized that he probably should have stayed in the water to hide his growing embarrassment.

As soon as Ginny realized that he was moving towards her on the bank of the pond she panicked. Her pile of clothes and towel were on the other side of the pond near where Malfoy had dropped his stuff. Quickly deciding that Malfoy wasn't anybody she needed to worry about impressing, she gathered her courage and confidence and braced herself for whatever Malfoy would say.

In spite of herself, Ginny couldn't help but be impressed with the figure that emerged from the water. He was practically perfect. He wasn't too skinny, and wasn't too beefy. He had long, well defined limbs, and his torso was flat and solid. The water dripping off him gave him a shiny, god-like sheen. While taking in Draco's appearance, Ginny completely missed Draco's appraisal of her.

"So, seriously, what's with the car?" Ginny asked again. She knew she had to take the offensive if she wanted to keep the upper hand.

Draco pulled his knees up and stared out over the pond in the direction of his car. It was an silver Italian roadster, built low to the ground, both for speed and comfort. "It was my Great-uncles. I inherited it when he died." Draco said softly and without more explanation.

"Who side of the family?" Ginny asked more than a little curious

"Does is matter?" Draco said in a flat tone letting his eyes wander to the young woman.

Ginny answered a bit more carefully, "Maybe. If it was on your father's side, I'm guessing he wasn't too pleased with the gift. But he would respect his elders enough to let it pass. If it was on your mothers side, I'm guessing he would have put up more of a stink and that lovely little thing would be sitting in a garage right now."

Ginny didn't know why she continued voicing this line of reasoning, it was as if her mouth just couldn't contain the words. She knew that Lucius Malfoy was rotting in a prison cell in the new state of the art Wizarding prison. The dementors had proved to be unreliable after they had aided Voldermort in the final battles. The Ministry had set up a new maximum security prison, and from all the rumors, it made Azkaban look like a spa.

Draco would have been instantly angry if anybody else had said what Ginny had dared to say. But instead Draco was amused. Obviously Ginny wasn't trying to be offensive, she was curious and showed it with the furrow of her brow and the slight squinting of her eyes.

"Uncle Mort was my father's, father's, sister's husband." Draco offered with a small grin, watching the thought lines disappear from Ginny's face.

"Was he a muggle?" Ginny asked.

Draco wasn't sure he wanted to reveal this bit of family history, but before he knew what was happening he was telling her the entire story.