Real Love
Chapter 19: I'm Yours
Disclaimer: don't own anything, including my Office reference for those of you that catch it.
A/N: Here it is. Sorry that it was such a long time coming. Its always a struggle to decide between the desire to get things fast for you guys, and to put out something that I feel is exactly what I want it to be. But if I didn't pour over the chapters like I do, I doubt anyone would bother reading it at all, so the short wait always loses. I hope you all like this chapter, its lighter and the start of the wind down. Only one more chapter after this, and probably an epilogue after that. I think twenty official chapters is a nice number, and it just sort of ended up that way. Look for it sooner than later. It almost all written in my head, unlike this one which I had multiple directions I considered going into it. Also, I want to wrap this up soon bc im seriously concidering writing the D/G Christmas story I outline ages ago. So I'm excited to bust that one out of the archives. haha. Anyway, enjoy, review! -bella
PS: had alot of trouble formatting this on the editor. It wouldn't save my little line breaks except for the one right below...so pardon the "~*~*~" instead. grrrrr.
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's gonna to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
-I'm Yours, Jason Mraz
The library was chock full of students, their noses stuck in books. Piles of old dusty chronicles towered on the long library table at the end of which Ginny was sitting.
"Do we have to?" Ginny whined and slammed her head down against the book that laid open in front of her.
"Yes," the boy sitting across from her said matter-of-factly.
"Isn't this some sort of academic dishonesty? Are you even allowed to be helping me?"
"Well Weasley, teachers generally do teach."
"Your not a teacher, Blaise."
"I'm the assistant potions professor."
"Assistant to the potions professor."
"Yeah well, what kind of assistant would I be if I didn't assist her in making sure at least one of her students passed. And since we both know I'm really just here for you, you're the lucky girl."
Ginny snorted.
Blaise had arrived the same day Draco had departed and with him he carried a small envelope sealed and marked shut with a dark green M, and familiar elegant script across the front.
Ginny-
You made me promise not to tell you anymore lies, or keep any secrets from you, so the truth is I arranged for Blaise to take a position at Hogwarts so that I have someone there who I can trust to watch over you.
Scoff and give him hell all you want, but he won't be leaving. I just need to know you're safe while I'm gone. Please understand.
Always,
Draco
It had been actually been fun having Blaise around, as the boy wasn't nearly as suffocating as Draco surely would have liked him to be, and Ginny couldn't help but be happy that Draco apparently wasn't jealous of her relationship with Blaise, something that surprised her quite a bit. Draco was nothing if not possessive, and knowing he could control that when it came to her, no matter how spoiled he was, made her heart warm with comfort.
"Earth to Weasley," Blaise snapped his fingers in front of her face. "If you wanted to study day dreams you should have stuck with Divinations."
Ginny scowled, slumped down in her chair, pulled the book down to her lap, and started reading again.
~*~*~*~*~
The sky outside the train was as blue as Ginny had ever seen it, yet she couldn't shake the cloud of gray that seemed to be surrounding her. She'd tried to hide her disappointment that morning when Blaise had told her that he also had not received any word from Draco, but doubted she'd done very well, as Blaise had offered to ride home with her on the train. She declined the offer, and was glad. Olivia was enough company at the moment.
Ginny just couldn't muster the same range of emotions the other girl was gushing. While she'd told herself from the day he left that she'd most likely be spending her summer alone, leaving school was suddenly just an irritating reminder of it, and her last train ride felt sadly anti-climatic.
She tried to smile as Olivia jabbered on about meeting Seamus at the station. He'd written her the that morning to tell her he'd be picking her up, and that he had a surprise with him. It was pretty traditional for school sweethearts to begin their engagements at the platform, so there was little mystery about the situation.
She was happy for her friend, but jealousy had managed to creep up around her too. Olivia would be marrying the man she loved, when all Ginny wanted was a chance to really get to know hers.
"Oh Ginny don't you have any idea when he'll be back?" Olivia sighed and gave her a sympathetic look from across the cabin.
"No," Ginny shook her head. "But its fine. I just miss him a bit."
"A bit? I'd be dying if I were you. But it is romantic isn't it? Just imagine the stories you can tell you grandkids." The girl sighed dreamily and smiled at Ginny.
"My what? I think you're getting a little ahead of me there Liv." Ginny shook her head and cracked a small smile.
"I'm sorry Ginny, I just can't get marriage out of my head. Do you really think he's going to ask me?"
"I don't know. You're the one who said he was."
"Well he said there was a surprise."
"It'd be my best guess, but a surprise could be anything."
" I know. That 's why I asked if it was romantic, and he said yes. So I said 'Will I think it's romantic?' and he said, 'You will definitely think its romantic."
"Well…"
"I'm crazy. He's not. He wouldn't. Oh God Ginny, I'm getting married."
Olivia let out a shrill sound and pulled at her blonde locks. The twinkle in the girl's eyes made Ginny laugh and she finally felt her mood lift.
"Will you be my maid-of-honor?"
"Maybe you should take this wedding stuff one question at a time Liv. First things first."
~*~*~*~
She tried not giggle at Olivia as they stepped off the train.
"Yes. Yes. Oh Seamus, I will. Of course I will. Yes, I will," she practiced quietly.
Ginny elbowed her friend. "Quit it. Just let it happen. Where is he meeting you?"
"On the other side." She took a deep breathe. "Who's coming to get you?"
"Fred and Hermione."
"Fred and Hermione?"
Ginny frowned at the other girl's inflection and shrugged. "I don't see them anywhere. They must be on the other side too."
Lifting one end of her trunk, she drug it behind her and carried Hedwig's cage in the other hand. The pair made their way though the throngs of student reuniting with their families and crossed through the boundary to the other side.
The station was much less crowded on the muggle side, and still there was no sign of Fred. All of her brothers were tall enough to stand out in a crowd, and the Weasley hair was just the flag on the flagpole.
"I thought you said Fred and Hermione were coming to get you Ginny," Oliva spoke up from behind her.
"They are. I think," she frowned.
"Ginny."
"I'm glad their so happy to see me." As if coming home wasn't hard enough, being stranded at King's Cross Station hadn't been on her list of ways to start the summer.
"I think someone's happy to see you."
"Oh did you spot Seamus?"
Olivia nodded and ducked her head forwards. Ginny turned to wave to Seamus.
And there he was. Her arm fell to her side and all she could do was stare. He raised an eyebrow at her, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
He shook hands with Seamus and strode over to her, his hands casually stowed in his pockets.
"Don't act to excited to see me Weasley, you might scare me away."
"What are you doing here?"
"Picking you up?" Draco offered her.
"I mean. You never wrote to say…"
"Forgive me for trying to be romantic and surprise you." he gave an irritated sneer and Ginny felt her tension start to loosen.
"I'm sorry. I'm just, well, surprised." She smiled and saw his face light up in return.
"Well that's a little closer to the reaction I was hoping for."
Ginny reached out to stroke his face, eager to feel his skin against hers, but stopped, glancing around them. Plenty of students were making there way off of Platform 9 ¾ and heading off with their parents. Surely someone would take notice of them.
To her surprise though Draco grabbed her wrist a laughed.
"You made me promise you there'd be no more secrets, and I don't intend to break my word. So if your embarrassed to be seen with me, you better stop me quickly."
And then he kissed her, placing the arm he had a handle on behind his neck and then resting his hands on her waist. When he finally pulled away, Ginny found that in fact there were a few people staring, and she blushed deeply.
Draco laughed at her. "Who knew you were so easily embarrassed. Good to know." He flashed her a grin that made her uneasy.
"Draco…ahhh!" she squealed as he swept her off the ground and flung her over his shoulders. "Put me down." She was suddenly very glad to be wearing jeans.
"Not likely Weasley. You're mine now, and I'm letting everyone know it. Now, let's get you home."
~*~*~*~
"Who are you?" Draco glanced over when Ginny asked the question and laughed.
"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve for you Weasley, don't get comfortable just yet." He answered back, putting his eyes back on the road.
"How can I help it?" she lounged back in the soft leather seat. She looked brilliant, the rough wind sending her hair whipping around her face. The afternoon sun danced on her porcelain skin. "Where'd you learn to drive anyway? Isn't this exactly the sort of muggle abomination you despise?"
"I doubt even my father could have called this car an abomination. He was never one to look down on beauty and power. But, Blaise is a collector. That's where I learned. He never showed you?" he was quite surprised that Ginny hadn't spend the past summer cruising around the English countryside with Blaise.
Ginny shook her head, a bit a disappointment on her face. "Oh so this is his?"
Draco chuckled. "No love. This is mine. We Slytherin's never did learn to share."
"Well, good to know," she shot him a wicked grin that had him ready to pull over to the side of the road.
"Watch it Weasley," he warned her. "Its been awhile."
Ginny laughed. "I think we've gone longer."
"Something I never intend to do again."
"Well good luck once we're back at the Burrow," she laughed. "Fred and George still haven't moved out, and my mother's not likely to leave us alone."
"Not to mention Bill and Charlie are there to welcome you home," he added. Ginny's face lit up with excitement before a trace of confusion passed over it.
"Wait how would you know?"
"I'll have you know that I spent the night in bed with a dozen or so disgustingly adorable stuffed animals." He watched Ginny face burn a deep crimson as her jaw dropped. "I'll also have you know that I was quite relieved to find the The Burrow is not a hole in the side of a hill somewhere. You could have told me your house was called The Burrow."
"You went to the Burrow? Why? And I don't sleep with stuffed animals! My mother puts them there."
"Sure you don't Weasley. And I went to ask if I could have the pleasure of picking you up today. And then your mother wouldn't let me leave."
"That's surprisingly sweet of you," Ginny cocked her head at him.
"I told you not to get too comfortable."
Ginny laughed. "Poor Mum. She probably was hoping you were there to ask to marry me. At this point she's desperate for someone to get engaged, I don't think she cares who anymore. Never mind I'm just seventeen."
"Who gets engaged at seventeen?" Draco exclaimed, flabbergasted by the idea.
"Oh lots of people. A few couples in Percy's class did, and last year Hannah Abbot did, and this year Olivia….Olivia! Oh gosh! We didn't wait at see Seamus propose!" Ginny whined and slumped in her seat.
"Finnegan was going to propose?"
Ginny nodded. "Didn't he say anything to you? He told her he had a romantic surprise. She was so excited."
Draco slowed to a stop at the stoplight and turned to the girl beside him.
"Did he say it was for her?"
"Well of course it was for her. Who else would it be for?"
"You."
"Me? Draco don't be ridiculous. Seamus is in love with Liv, and he knows…"
"I don't mean he had a present for you Ginny. I meant I think the surprise was me."
"You? But…"
"I called up Finnegan last night and asked him if he wanted to meet for lunch while we waited for you girls to arrive. He seemed more than a little confused, but agreed."
Ginny simply stared at him and as the light turned green she asked, "Who are you?"
~*~*~*~*~
"Ginny, since Draco's staying with us for a few nights why don't you set up the spare room for him." Molly Weasley shuffled into the living room as Ginny shoveled her last bite of strawberry shortcake into her mouth. She froze for a moment and paused before swallowing.
Percy's room had been used as the guest room after he'd moved out, but had become Hermione's since she'd moved in two summer's ago. The only room that could be considered spare anymore was Ron's.
Her mother had cleaned it out month's ago. Ron's clothes and many of his belongings had been donated to charity and everything had been dusted and scrubbed. The linens had been washed and the room no longer looked like a moment frozen in time. Surely her mother had taken time to slowly accept using the room again. Being away, Ginny had not.
"Sure Mum," Ginny agreed hesitantly and rose from her seat on the couch. Draco rose and began to follow her but she stopped him. "No, no. Why don't you help mum with the dishes?"
Draco ran a hand through his hair and his nose twitched. "I'd rather come with you."
"I'd rather you help Mum."
"Can't your brothers do it?"
Ginny placed her hands on her hip, quickly growing cross, when it struck her.
"You've never washed a dish in your life have you Malfoy?"
"Of course not. What do you think a bloody house elf is for?"
Ginny couldn't help but smirk, something Draco didn't take kindly too as his frown deepened.
"Don't let Hermione hear you saying that. Hey Mum! Draco was wondering if you'd teach him to do the dishes."
Mrs. Weasley's head poked back out of the kitchen. "Teach him to? Good lord child, come with me. A grown wizard who doesn't know how to wash a dish."
A slight flush grew on his cheeks and he gave Ginny one last scowl.
Both amused and glad to be free of him, Ginny made her way up the stairs to the main hallway. She grabbed a set of clean sheets and a few clean towels from the linen closet and padded towards Ron's room. She opened the door slowly and although she'd been in there since it'd been cleaned, she was always disappointed to find that the room no longer stunk of Ron's dirty clothes and cologne, and the floor was completely visible.
The walls were still bright orange though, and Ginny could still imagine her brother's mussed hair poking out the top of his comforter as he slept past noon of a summer morning.
She set the linens down on Ron's desk, and immediately headed for the spare bed in the room. She bent down to pull back the comforter and came face to face with sparkling green eyes smiling and waving at her.
The picture of Harry sitting on the night stand made her hand recoil. It wasn't the spare bed. It was Harry's bed. It had been his since the first time he stayed there, when she was only 11 years old.
Ginny let out a sad laugh and sat down on his bed. When she was 11 and Harry had come to stay with them, all she could dream about was the day that she'd marry him right in the back yard, and now there she was trying to make his bed for Draco Malfoy to sleep in.
It just felt wrong somehow; a betrayal of the little girl that still lived locked inside of her somewhere. Ginny sighed and slumped onto Harry's bed, staring across the room at Ron's.
She stayed there, in silent thought so long that she clutched her chest and jumped when a small knock sounded on the open door.
"You need me to get your mother to teach you how to make a bed?" Draco eyed her, and she laughed.
"No. How'd your lesson go?"
"Your mother forced me to eat even more, but other than that, well." Draco sauntered into the room and plopped down on Ron's bed.
"You Weasleys sure know how to make a guest feel comfortable," his face contorted. "This wall color is astoundingly relaxing."
She laughed again. "This was Ron's room."
She watched a mixture of apology and snark dance across his face.
"So who's bed do you want? Ron's or Harry's?"
"Your's?" Draco offered suggestively and Ginny shook her head. "I suppose this one alright then," he shrugged.
"Ron's it is then." Ginny laughed as Draco made a face and both stood. She pulled back the comforter and underneath was his light blue mattress, in the middle of which was a sprawling stain.
"What is that?" Draco's mouth tightened and he pulled his head way.
Ginny too squinted her nose and shook her head. " I don't know. Something even Mum couldn't get out apparently."
Silently the they peered at the glaring spot until finally Draco said "Potter's it is then."
~*~*~*~*~*~
A few mornings later Draco padded back to his room from the bathroom as quickly as possible. All the Weasleys were out and he didn't want to miss any more time than necessary of enjoying Ginny naked in his bed.
He slipped back through the door of the garish room and was disappointed to find Ginny sitting upright on his bed, her pajamas back on and her hair fixed as through he hadn't just spent an hour clawing his hands through it.
"Hi," she said, and stood up awkwardly.
"I thought I told you to stay put," he frowned.
"I know," she wavered. "But I should get up. I need a shower."
"You did seem a little dirtier than usual this morning Weasley," he flashed her a grin, and awaited her rebuttal. But all he got was a forced laugh and a dispassionate swat.
"I'll see you in a few?" she offered and headed for the door.
"Yeah, of course." It was his turn now to speak uneasily. Ginny exited quickly and quietly leaving Draco alone to wonder what in the hell had just happened.
~*~*~*~
Ginny hands trembled as they ran through her hair, washing the suds away under the hot streaming water. She tried to focus on cleaning herself and nothing else, but the only this she could think about was the box she had found tucked behind Draco's bed, its black velvet surface, and the glittering diamond ring inside.