I'M SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG!!!!! you can blame Shealily for distracting me

oh and the beach

and tanning

and swimming

:)

oh! p.s. see if you can spot the shout out to Battlestar Galactica. lol (it's soooooo hard to find)

jk rowling owns everything but my insane life

Draco was still standing close to the other side of the door, his hand on the knob. Shit, he thought. That girl had seen him and she looked way too pleased that she had.

Shit, he thought again, starting to pace away from the door. That girl and Ginny seemed to know each other, though so maybe I don't have to worry about anything…

He stopped thinking when his door banged open and revealed a heaving, sweating Ginny Weasley holding onto the handle. He leapt away from the sight, startled. He swore and knew it came out as gibberish to Ginny's ears.

"Good one," she panted sarcastically, still supporting her weight on the door part. "I'll have to remember that new swear. 'Frack' was it?"

Draco ignored her insult to his handicap and picked up his wand. I'M SORRY. He wrote quickly in the air. I DIDN'T MEAN FOR ANY OF THIS TO HAPPEN. He watched as she moved into his room, clearly straining with the effort. He didn't want to touch her not after what he had seen on her body. He knew for certain that he would probably hurt her.

Ginny tried to laugh but it sounded more like she was wheezing. "Isn't that what they all say? But then something always happens anyway!" She had made it to his bed and sank into it, looking weak but at the same time glaring daggers at him.

Draco tried again. I'M SERIOUS. THE FIRST TIME I CHECKED ON YOU, YOU WERE SLEEPING. THEN, Draco paused to look away embarrassed. YOU WEREN'T. AND THEN I WAS JUST TRYING TO APOLOGIZE FOR SEEING YOU LIKE THAT. He couldn't think of anything else to say. He watched as the letters began to dissolve in the air and realized that they hadn't sounded that stupid when they were in his head.

But Ginny was no longer glaring at him. "You came to c-check on me?" she asked, sounding apprehensive. Draco blinked at her, confused.

"Yuh-sss," he said. Was it just him or had she brightened a bit? She does look so good when she smiles, Draco thought. I haven't seen her smile in a long time…

"Well, you shouldn't have," Ginny was saying and it shook Draco out of his reverie. "I don't trust that girl and I know that she's up to something…" Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment before muttering. "I wish I hadn't told her about you…"

Draco's head jerked and something in side him clenched. Never mind that she was hurt, Draco strode right up to Ginny in full fury.

"You told her? About me?" Draco roared at Ginny, knowing full well she couldn't understand him. For all Draco knew it could have come out as "Three salads glorious? Zebra at?" but he really didn't give a damn he was too furious.

"And to think," he continued to spit out at the alarmed looking red-head who couldn't understand him. "Just think that I trusted you! That I actually started liking you…!" Draco trailed off when he saw that she had stiffened. "W-wuh-ut?" he asked her deliberately trying to speak out loud this time.

Ginny's eyes were wide. "You spoke."

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No not the what, you said…" she blushed. "Something else."

He froze and narrowed his eyes. "Wuh-ut?" he repeated with less difficulty.

The girl blushed and shook her head. "Nothing."

There was silence in the room for a moment, each trying to look at anything but the other. Ginny broke the silence first. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. Draco looked at her sharply but she continued. "I'm sorry I told Moreno but I needed to. I needed to get it off my chest."

Draco could feel himself calming in spite of his anger. Annoyed that he couldn't stay mad he turned away from the girl. Perhaps if he didn't look at her the overwhelming desire to kiss her would go away.

He started at that thought. Kiss her? He asked himself incredulously. I thought I was angry at her. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed at his confusion.

Kiss her, he said to himself. Admitting it felt good. He felt a thrill of anticipation as he prepared to do something reckless.

"I want to kiss you," he said out loud, a jolt of adrenaline passing through him as he spoke out loud confident that she couldn't hear him.

But he heard a gasp from behind him. "You what?" Ginny's voice came from behind him. He turned quickly his heart pounding. "I knew you could speak," Ginny said recovering first. "B-but I don't think you meant what you just said." She sounded scared.

Draco frowned. No, she couldn't…this couldn't be happening. His brain seemed to have slowed down to a dreary chug as he fought through his embarrassment to think. I can't speak so she didn't hear me…

"I can't speak," he said out loud experimentally.

His heart lightened when Ginny frowned. "What?"

Draco confidently took out his wand. I CAN'T SPEAK. THAT'S WHAT I SAID.

Ginny shook her head, her cheeks coloring even in her weakened state. "N-no, you did and you said…you said…" she couldn't finish her sentence.

WHAT? Draco wrote as he took a step towards her. I SAID WHAT? He liked the way he felt. Something was building in his stomach. Anticipation? Of what? He asked himself, trying to scoff away his feelings.

She looked up at him and then quickly away and his stomach flipped over. He took another step towards her position on his bed as she tried again.

"You said…Merlin I'm not going to say it," she fiddled with a strand of her hair.

SAY IT. He wrote. Well he certainly wasn't going to repeat himself. Even if he had spoken out loud which was impossible, he wasn't going to embarrass himself again.

Ginny stopped playing with her hair and looked defiantly up at him once more. "K-kiss me. Which is absolutely ridiculous because you hate me an-and I hate you and these things don't just happen and I have to go." Ginny had somehow mustered up the strength to stand up which impressed Draco. He was close enough to her now to see the effort it took show on her face.

THEN WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE? He wrote with a smirk, something he still managed even if his head was still fuzzy from her closeness. She frowned at this and took a step towards the door causing her unsteady body to wobble.

Draco thrust out his arm to steady her and he stepped closer to her, easily closing the gap between their two bodies. With a sharp intake of her breath, Draco knew Ginny was feeling the same explosive feelings he was.

We can just try it, he thought to himself, searching her eyes wildly. We can just try it once ant then I can get over this fascination with this girl.

Ginny's eyelids fluttered and Draco almost groaned. He hoped to Merlin that it would only take one kiss to forget his attraction.

"Malfoy…" Ginny mumbled in a low voice and turning her brown eyes up to meet his. "Don't…we shouldn't…we can't…"

Draco didn't care. He needed this kiss to be over with. He needed to see what it felt like so he could start forgetting about it and move on. Merlin, she had no idea how much he needed this kiss.

He pressed his lips to hers.

Draco barely felt the warmth of her soft mouth against his before she jerked her head away. "I said we can't," Ginny snapped, her face flushed a deep pink. He liked the feeling of her hands against his chest but not when they were pushing his body away.

He sighed heavily and let her go. He backed away letting her support herself on one of his bed posts.

"Malfoy…" Ginny said again, softer than before. Her voice just reminded Draco of how stupid he just was. He turned his back to her, embarrassed that she didn't want him as much as he wanted her and angry that his feelings hadn't gone away, that he still wanted to kiss her.

LEAVE, WEASEL. He wrote angrily enjoying her shocked expression. CLEARLY YOU ARE A SLUT, COMING ONTO ME LIKE THAT. GET OUT OF MY SIGHT.

Ginny looked sad for a moment then she set her jaw. "Get over yourself, Malfoy. You were the one that kissed me." She turned and began to walk slowly towards the door.

Draco didn't want to see her go so he started up the argument again. AND I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOLD MORENO ABOUT ME, YOU STUPID COW! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE? YOU'VE RISKED EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!

Ginny turned her body back towards his to get a better angle. He saw that all traces of sadness had vanished. "You've got to be kidding," she pretended to laugh. "This is what this was about? What was that a test?"

Draco squinted at her. NO. WHY WOULD IT BE A TEST? WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF TEST WOULD THAT BE?

"I don't know, Malfoy," Ginny said louder, sounding exasperated. "You're the evil Slytherin, not me."

Draco scoffed. OH RIGHT, WE'RE ALL EVIL IS THAT IT?

"Yes, that is it! Once again leap to the conclusion that it is all about you!" Ginny was shouting now, but she didn't care. "Don't forget that you're the one who saw me…who saw me naked! How do you think that made me feel?"

Draco was silent for a moment. Why is she thinking about that? Is this why she's angry? Merlin this would be so much easier if I could speak! He sighed and rubbed his eyes. I AM SORRY FOR THAT. He wrote, calmer now. I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

"Well, it did!" Ginny snapped lamely. Draco looked at her and wondered if she'd start crying but then he realized proudly that she wasn't a simpering idiot like most girls. Although, he thought bitterly. Most girls don't betray you. But he was cut off with Ginny's voice.

"And I'm sorry," she was saying in a quieter tone, moving back toward the bed post to support her weight again. "I'm really sorry about Nora. I swear I didn't tell her on purpose."

Draco nodded. That was all he could do. Anger should have been still smoldering deep inside his belly but instead a curious sort of calm was there, like he was taking this in stride. It was like he couldn't be angry at her.

IT'S FINE. Draco found himself writing. I'LL DEAL WITH IT. BUT WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER? WILL SHE TELL ANYONE?

Ginny seemed to calm down as he did and he was grateful for it. "She didn't tell anyone when I first told her," Ginny began. "But I suspect she was waiting for something more like proof that I was telling the truth."

LIKE SHE HAD TO SEE ME BEFORE SHE TOLD ANYONE?

Ginny grimaced. "Yes, like that." Ginny's eyes narrowed and Draco braced himself. "Wait, what did I ruin? What do you mean you'll 'deal with it'?"

Draco decided that this would be tricky. He wanted so much to tell her, to get it off his chest, just like she had said about telling that Moreno girl, but he couldn't. Not yet anyway, he told himself. Finally he wrote in the air, I'M ALLOWED MY SECRETS.

Ginny grinned and his heart squeezed. "Alright, super-secret Auror Malfoy," she teased. "I won't ask you again."

He grinned back.

Merlin he liked her smile.

Ginny realized that she was still smiling at him after too long. She broke eye contact thinking embarrassingly how this was just like before.

Well I can't help staring, she thought to herself in order to feel better about it. He is very good-looking after all.

"I-I guess I'll go back to bed, you know, to rest up and all," she said sounding like and idiot.

He merely nodded.

Transferring her weight from the bedpost to her feet, the red-head started toward the door. The second step she took sent pain searing up her side and deep into her injured belly, causing her leg to falter in supporting her.

She didn't even have time to fall before she felt Draco's body catch her and steady her.

Flushing, Ginny looked up into his eyes as she leaned against him. Ignoring the flopping her in stomach she smiled wryly. "You know, I don't usually like people helping me."

Draco grinned back, although with more humor laced into the smile. I'VE NOTICED. IT'S PART OF THE GRYFFINDOR FLAW. MARTYRDOM AND ALL THAT.

Ginny pretended to be greatly offended. "Me? Nobel? No, I'm just a poor innocent girl that was tricked into helping this really stupid Slytherin which has landed me in the hospital wing."

Draco laughed causing Ginny's heart to pound. The sound was deep, rich and with a playfulness that caused Ginny to smile wider. She couldn't remember having heard him laugh this way before. She had only heard him cackle cruelly at someone he was bullying or after he had insulted someone, but this…this was a beautiful sound.

Ginny blushed at both her ridiculous thoughts and the resonating laugh of Draco's and knew he saw it as he helped her back into her hospital bed.

"Thanks," she said, looking at the hands and not knowing what else to say. She remembered the kiss and flushed red anew and wondered if she should say something. "Listen, Draco…"

She tried to swallow the word as she said it, but it was too late. His head jerked up and she saw his wide eyes full of an emotion she could not recognize. "I'm sorry," she tried to amend quickly. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry if I offended you…"

Ginny stopped her stuttering apologies as soon as she realized that he no longer looked shocked, but instead he was laughing again. She frowned. "What?" she asked put out. "I didn't say anything funny."

But Draco just shook his head as he pulled out his wand. NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT. SEE YOU LATER, WEASLEY.

Draco left a bewildered looking Ginny on her bed as she watched him close the door to his private chambers with a soft snap. What the hell was that all about? She asked herself.

She would never have guessed that he only laughed, truly laughed, when he was really happy.

teh cute

anyway...review!!!

and thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has been reviewing

i love seeing your smiling happy comments!!!