Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the fabulous world of Harry Potter

Chapter 8: Meetings

Malfoy,

I owled Colin. He was more than a little enthusiastic. I told him to be at the manor at six on Wednesday night. I will be there at five thirty and you better be there too!

Weasley

Weasel,

Fine.

Malfoy

Real Mature Ferret

"Well guys I think that about wraps it all up." Colin said beaming as he sat across from Ginny and Malfoy in one of the sitting rooms at Malfoy Manor. "I think I've got all I need."

It was Wednesday evening and the desired interview with Ginny's old friend Colin Creevy, star reporter of the Daily Prophet, was coming to a close after two hours of conversation. The interview had gone very well. Colin of course had jumped at the opportunity to interview two of England's most well known faces; especially when he heard a small tidbit of the story they had to tell. He was so excited, in fact, that it didn't take him 15 minutes to enthusiastically reply to Ginny's owl.

Ginny had arrived early just as she and Draco had decided earlier in the week. They quickly went over some basic facts that they figured would be asked and then bickered some over how they would sit and how much affection they should show towards each other.

Colin arrived exactly on time his trademark dirty blond hair, big smile and camera all in tow. They all had immediately sat down in the yellow sitting room and had begun the interview.

"Thank you so much Colin." Ginny said sliding forward in her seat out of Draco's light embrace. "We really appreciate being able to tell our story to an honest, understanding journalist rather than someone who is going to twist the events and try and make us look bad."

"Oh Gin, I completely understand. So often big stories like this get convoluted because of reporters and now that I've heard your story I am going to do my very best to get it right and make no mistake, this story is going to be absolutely huge."

"Why would you say that?" Draco asked casually trying to appear conversational even though he already knew the answer.

"Oh just because of who you two are. There is the classic Weasley-Malfoy feud for starters but even more than that both you and Gin are famous on your own for very different reasons. You both sell papers and magazines when you are the main story so I think a story about you two together is going to fly off the stands."

"If you say so." Ginny giggled and blushed.

"Well I had better be going." Colin said.

"Oh won't you join us for dinner?" Draco inquired. Actually that was the last thing in the world he wanted at that moment but it sounded hospitable and he was supposed to be cultivating a new image.

"Thank you very much for the offer but I would very much like to get started on this article and if I'm late for dinner one more time this week I think my boyfriend might kill me." He grinned.

"Oh poor Andrew, fell in love with a workaholic." Ginny said.

"I think I know how the bloke feels!" Draco said standing up behind her and causally wrapped an arm around her waist. He was getting very good at this already.

They both walked Colin to the door and bid him goodbye with a promise from him that they would be the first to see and approve the article.

As Draco closed the door he turned to Ginny and smirked. "Why Ms. Weasley I do believe that we have pulled off our first brilliant performance."

Ginny had no choice but to laugh. "Yeah I think we might have. Colin did seem to like our little tale."

"Oh please, he ate it up." Draco smirked. "So what now?"

"Now we tell my family."

Draco grimaced. "I don't think that that particular conversation needs my presence."

"Oh very good try Ferret Boy" she said poking him hard in the middle of his large broad chest. "But there is not a chance in hell that I am going by myself. You are coming too." She reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of parchment and a muggle pen. "You'd better be at this address," she said as she shoved the parchment at him. "At 8 AM on Saturday morning. Family breakfast starts at 9."

Then Ginny turned on her heel and marched out the front door to apperate home.

Ginny pressed her wand tip to the lock on her front door and let the door swing open. "Hal," she called out into the flat. "I'm home. Where are you?"

"In my room, come on in."

Ginny disposed of her coat and shoes at the front door before padding softly down the hallway past her own doorway and the bathroom to Hallie's bedroom. She stepped inside the doorway into the bright blue room and flopped down on Hallie's soft blue bedspread.

"What a night." Ginny said flinging a pillow over her face.

Hallie sat in a chair at her desk with a black box in front of her. She twisted sideways to gaze amused at her friend. "So how did it go?"

"Not bad." Ginny said sliding the pillow down so she could see her roommate. "Everyone was well behaved and Colin absolutely loved the story we fed him. I couldn't believe how easy it was to pretend I was in love with Draco again. He seemed every bit the attentive fiancé and I giggled like I was in love. Colin seemed none the wiser. He even agreed to let us approve the article before it runs without us asking."

"That's fantastic. So when where you in love with Malfoy?"

"What are you talking about Crazy? I'm not in love with Malfoy."

"Well that is obvious but you said you were pretending to be in love with him again. In order to be in love with someone again you had to be in love with him a first time. So I'll ask again, when were you in love with him exactly?"

Ginny sighed. She had not actually wanted to tell Hallie this story. Of all her good friends only Luna knew the true details of her relationship with Draco and she had really wanted to keep it that way but Hallie was her best friend so she supposed she had better tell her the story or at least part of it. Actually it would probably make her life a bit easier because then she wouldn't have to worry about slipping up and revealing something about her old relationship with Draco. "Ok."

Ginny walked along the corridor that lead away from the Transfiguration Classroom. She was alone as she moved along because classes had let out nearly fifteen minutes earlier and all of her own classmates, and not to mention the students for every other year, had long ago headed eagerly down to the Great Hall for lunch.

Ginny had stayed in the classroom to ask Professor McGonagall a question about the latest essay that was due for her class next week and had assured all her friends that she would catch up with them in the Great Hall in a bit.

But now that her conversation was complete she found that she was in no hurry to reach her meal and so she took her time winding through the long halls. As she walked her thoughts flitted away from her essay to a much more interesting topic that seemed to be occupying her thoughts quite a lot as of late, Draco Malfoy.

It had been three weeks since their little kitchen caper and for some reason ever since that night Ginny had been running into the bugger more and more. Not that she entirely minded though, actually the more she saw him the more she wanted to spend time with him. And spend time with him she did.

It seemed as though any time Ginny had been alone in recent weeks somehow Malfoy found her and swept her away to some abandoned classroom where they would talk and joke or even just do their homework together. They were actually becoming something like friends and Ginny was really enjoying it. The only thing that she was slightly disappointed about was the lack of touching. She had thought that maybe after their late night encounter where she had dropped some not so subtle hints he would have at least tried something but every time they were together he was nothing but a perfect gentleman, much to her annoyance. This led her to believe that her little fantasies about Malfoy that she had joked about with her friends would sadly never come true.

This was the topic that kept Ginny completely lost in thought as she made her way through the castle so when a deep sensual voice called out "Going somewhere Red?" to get her attention she was startled almost to the point of screaming.

Draco couldn't help smirking as he watched his favorite little redhead nearly jump out of her skin as he roused her from her thoughts. He was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed right next to a suit of armor waiting for Red. When she hadn't shown up ten minutes into lunch he had decided to go looking for her and he had known exactly which class she was in and therefore which route she would take.

Draco wasn't afraid to admit to himself that he was becoming more than a little bit obsessed with Ginny Weasley. He found her spirit, her drive and even her temper absolutely intriguing, something that not many of the girls he knew seemed to be. Not to mention that she was the only person he had ever met that had never shown one ounce of fear towards him.

He began to laugh as she flushed a bright shade of pink and spun to look at him. There was murder in her eyes. She marched over to where he stood and punched him hard in the stomach. He was surprised when some of the air left his body not that it at all curbed his mirth. She packed quite a punch.

Ginny wound up to hit him again. Well that wouldn't do. Draco reached out and pulled her tiny form flush against his body trapping both her arms between them.

"Hello." He said.

Ginny said nothing only attempting to blow stray hair out of her eyes while continuing to look disgruntled.

He shook her a little bit to see if that might loosen her up. "Red?"

"What? What do you want Malfoy?" she was having a hard time keeping a straight face with him grinning down at her like a Cheshire cat.

"I came to visit you and that is the kind of greeting I get?"

"Well I might have been tempted to be nicer had you not scared the crap out of me!"

"Who me?" he did his best to look innocent. "I wasn't trying to do that. I was just trying to bring you back down to earth."

"Mhm, sure." She still looked at him skeptically although he could tell that her anger was subsiding.

"Would you forgive me if I apologized?" Wait, he thought to himself what the hell did I just say?

Her eyebrows shot up so high they were nearly in her hair line. "A Malfoy apologize? I don't think it's possible."

"No it is." He smirked.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Well her doubt in his ability was more than enough to justify in his mind what he was about to do. Draco leaned his head down so close to hers that their foreheads were just barely touching. "I'm sorry for scaring you Red."

Draco could feel Ginny's breathing was becoming shallower, quicker, as if she was frightened of his proximity to her. Ginny Weasley finally appeared to be frightened of him, another first for the afternoon.

They were so close he could feel her breath on his face. Their eyes were locked, both staring in anticipation of what could happen in those next moments. All he would have to do was tilt his head.

Draco Malfoy stood in an abandoned hallway in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, leaning against a wall casually while holding tight to Ginny Weasley. Standing forehead to forehead Draco shifted his head slightly and captured Ginny soft perfect lips for his own.

When his lips touched hers Ginny was still for just a moment from the shock then she began to move her arms trying with all her might to get them free of the confines of their bodies. She seemed to be pushing him away.

Draco registered this with definite disappointment in his slightly fuzzy brain. Obviously he had made a huge mistake. He had taken things way to fast and now had probably scared her away. Damn. He released her body and her lips and waited for her to step away from him but it never happened.

Once free of her confines Ginny did nothing but let out a little noise of absolute triumph before flinging her now liberated arms around Draco's neck and spearing her fingers into his hair as she once again sought out his lips.

Draco was all too happy to oblige her and soon the pair was happily locked in an all out snog fest.

A few fantastic minutes later the sound of students coming up the stairs broke the pair apart. They looked at each other unsure of what to do.

Suddenly Ginny had an idea. She grinned at Draco and held out her hand. "Come on."

He stared at her hand for a moment before nodding once and taking her it.

They broke out into a run with Ginny in the lead. Eventually they reached a dead end that signified the very end of the third floor corridor. The only thing in front of them was a grotesque statue of Uric the Oddball.

"What do we do now?" Draco asked.

Ginny said nothing just walked up to the statue and rubbed his nose then stepped back and watched as the statue disappeared revealing a winding staircase that seemed to go up endlessly. She then grabbed his hand again and pulled onto the staircase which immediately sealed shut behind them.

She began to climb but he didn't follow. Leaning her head over the banister she asked "Hey, what are you doing? Come on!"

Draco immediately snapped out of whatever trance he was in and began to climb. "What is this place? How did you find it?"

Ginny giggled in response. "Being the favorite sibling of Fred and George Weasley does have it perks. They showed me all the best passages and hiding spots in the entire castle. It really comes in handy when trying to escape Flich."

"I can imagine."

Up and up they climbed until they reached a spot on the wall that hand the number 7 painted onto it in gold.

"Here we are." Ginny commented as she tapped the number with her wand. They both stepped out of the staircase and she immediately began to pull him along again until they came to stand directly in front of a gigantic tapestry of a short man who seemed to be trying to teach a pack of trolls to dance.

Draco looked back and forth between the tapestry and Ginny who was currently pacing. "What in the bloody hell is going on?"

Suddenly a door appeared where the wall had just been. Ginny grasped the door handle, opened the door and gave Draco a little tug. "In you go."

He stepped inside and surveyed the room. The interior was completely bare just four grey stone walls with one window on the southern facing wall. The only splash of color in the room was a massive bright red couch.

"Ok Red, where are we?"

Ginny appeared from behind him and walked confidently over to the couch. Flopping down on it she said, "This is what has been called the Room of Requirement. It becomes whatever the seeker needs it to be."

"And you needed a room with a couch?"

"Mhm, unless you prefer to snog on the ground." She looked up at him smirking.

"No this is fine with me." He walked over to the couch and lay down beside her. For a minute he just looked at her.

"What?" Ginny asked nervously. His starring at her made her more than a little uncomfortable.

Draco smiled softly at her and picked up a stray curl. He stared at it and then tucked it softly behind her ear but he didn't retract his hand. Instead he left it resting on her pale cheek, cupping it softly. "You are so beautiful."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise as she flushed bright pink. She said nothing in response, unsure of how to respond to such a statement.

Draco just laughed at her reaction. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead. "And not to mention adorable." He ran his thumb across her cheekbone and tilted her head up slightly to capture her lips once again.

Ginny was ecstatic. The feel of his lips on hers, his hands on her body, hers on his, this was perfect, exactly how she always thought kissing Malfoy would be. Kissing him was better than any of the other boys she had ever kissed put together. Everything about him was mysterious, exotic and thrilling and above all forbidden. It was just how she had always imagined it would be when she had fantasized about him.

Bloody hell what would Harry and Ron say if they could see her now tightly and quite contentedly locking lips with their archenemy. She had to smirk at the thought of it.

Draco broke the kiss when he felt Ginny smirk. "What are you so happy about?"

She smiled down at him. Somehow in the course of their feverish kissing Ginny had shifted from laying beside Draco to laying on top of him, her body stretched out along his.

"Happy about this finally happening, smirking about the thought of Ron and Harry seeing this."

He made a face at her statement. "Well that pretty much killed the mood."

"Oh really?" Ginny asked leaning down and giving him one lingering kiss.

"Well maybe not entirely." He smirked tightening his grip in her waist.

She laughed.

"You know what would really piss them off if they knew, as long as we're on the subject of dumb and dumber?" Draco asked coyly.

"What?"

"If you went to Hogsmeade with me on this weekend's trip."

"Are you asking me out Malfoy?" She hadn't expected that.

"Are you saying yes Red?"

"Yes! I would really like that." she smiled at him brightly and he awarded her with a big genuine smile back.

Then Ginny's smile faltered. "Oh no! I can't go with you this weekend; I already promised Luna that she and I would go shopping together! Oh Fuck!"

Draco chuckled at her outburst. He had never seen Red curse before, it was amusing. "I think I have a solution. What if you brought Lovegood and I brought Blaise

Ginny snorted. "Yeah that would work. Luna and Zabini hate each other. He verbally tortures her almost as badly as you used to do to me."

"And look where we ended up." He raised his head off the couch to give her a short peck on the lips. "Besides, it would be a good cover anyway. We won't be going to Hogsmeade alone, we'll be going with our best friends."

"That is true. Do you think you can get Blaise to do it? And force him to be nice to Luna? I won't even consider bringing her if he's just going to harp on her all day."

"Blaise owes me for a multitude of things, he'll do it and I'll threaten him to make him be nice."

Ginny smiled down at him. "Alright let's do it!" She kissed him once more before pushing herself off the couch and began to fix her rumpled appearance.

Draco leaned up on his elbows. "Where you going?"

"Malfoy, we missed all our afternoon classes. It's nearly dinner. If I miss a second meal Ron will organize a search party."

Draco flopped back down on to his back and let out a tortured sigh. "Fine." He rose as well and collected his things.

"Alright I'll go out first then you follow in a few minutes."

"Whatever you say madam." He smiled at her.

"Okay… well, bye Malfoy." Ginny walked across the room to the door but just as her hand reached the handle he called out to her to wait.

Draco crossed the room in less than a second and scooped the little redhead up into his arms. He gave her one perfect searing kiss then released her. "Bye Ginny."

Ginny just stood there slightly dazed by the intensity of his kiss. After a moment she shook herself out of the trance and turned once again to leave.

"Oh and Ginny, one more thing,"

She spun around to look at him standing there in all his perfection. His white shirt was un-tucked, his black trousers hung low on his hips, his blond hair was rumpled and his grey eyes seared into her own. "Yeah?"

Draco's lips twitched into a little smile. "Call me Draco."

"What happened then?" Hallie practically squealed in anticipation. Hallie had become completely sucked in by the story of young love that Ginny had been spinning for over an hour. She had moved from the chair to the bed and was lying with her head resting in Ginny's lap so Ginny could play with her blond locks as she spoke.

"Then I just smiled at him and left. I was completely serious about Ron and his search party." Ginny said.

Hallie sat up and faced Ginny. "What do you mean you left? With him standing there smirking sexily and looking fabulous you just left? What happened to the sex? The throws of passion? He just delivered a fantastic come hither line, why didn't you go hither?"

Ginny could do nothing but burst out laughing. "Only you would consider that a come hither line."

"No I'm not. He's so hot; you should have tapped that while you had the chance!"

"I never said we didn't have sex, I just said we didn't have sex just then." Ginny said still trying to catch her breath.

Upon hearing that Hallie practically lunged at her. "You shagged Draco Malfoy and never told me! When? Where? What was it like?"

"Hal calm down! I've shagged him dozens of times. We were together for a while."

"Lucky bitch."

Ginny shook her head. "You have seen a handful of pictures of him, why the sudden obsession? You didn't even know who he was three weeks ago. I've known him for years, he's not that exciting."

"He is fucking gorgeous. That is a fact. How long were you all together anyway?"

"By who's count?"

"There's a difference?"

Ginny nodded. "By his count 15 months, by mine 18 months."

"What happened?"

"Oh Hal, that is a story for another night. We both have work in the morning."

Hallie sighed in defeat. "Fine but you better tell me some more tomorrow. I wanna hear about your first date."

"Alright love." Ginny rose from the bed and kissed Hallie on the forehead. "Night."

"Night." Hallie responded as Ginny walked out the door and down the hallway to her room.

Draco stood outside the large flat building in the middle of wizarding London. So this was where the Little Weasel lived.

The building was probably ten stories high with several balconies on ever floor. Not too bad he begrudgingly admitted to himself.

He became even more impressed when he walked into the lobby and was surrounded by a type of splendor that he even he could stand. He walked over to the apperating pad and apperated himself up to the seventh floor.

Once there he headed down the hallway to the left to flat 7A at the very end of the hall. He took a deep breath before lightly knocking on the door.

There was a loud thump from behind the door before he heard the lock click and the door creak open. A pair of big blue eyes caught Draco's attention.

"Oh," the eyes said and door swung open all the way. "It's you! Come in, come in."

Draco was taken aback at the greeting. He felt compelled to do as the woman said and stepped inside the door which was quickly swung shut behind him. Once he had regained his senses Draco was able to take in the woman standing in front of him.

She was a tall beautiful woman with shoulder length blond hair and of course the bright blue eyes he had first noticed. She was dressed in a pair of knee length khaki shorts and a light blue long sleeve t-shirt, her blond hair had several of the long strands twisted elegantly into an intricate knot with the rest of it hanging down in light waves.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She let out a clear laugh. If he had been allowed, Draco would have been highly attracted to her.

"I'm Ginny's roommate." She said in a distinctly American accent. "My name is Hallie Weschester."

"Oh…I'm Draco…" Draco began.

"I know who you are. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Umm… yes thank you." This woman talked a mile a minute. It was rather daunting.

She flitted away from him into the flat. He followed cautiously taking off his coat as he left the entrance way. He surveyed the flat. It was nice. The whole flat was decorated in bright colors with interesting modern furniture. It seemed like exactly the sort of place Ginny Weasley would live.

Hallie reappeared with a purple mug in her hand. She handed it to Draco. "So I don't think your dearly beloved has actually awoken as of yet. Just a little tip for you, if you ever need her up at a specific time buy three alarm clocks and put them on different sides of the room. That girl has serious issues waking up."

Draco raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his coffee. "I'm assuming you know the true nature of our engagement correct?" he figured as Ginny's roommate at least she should know the truth even if Ginny didn't feel the need to tell her.

"Yeah, of course." Hallie assured him. "I'm just sayin, I've lived with her for two years and now I turn her over to you. It's just a good piece of advice."

Draco gave a little chuckle. "Dually noted. So when do you think that her highness will grace us with her presence?"

Hallie smiled and then said "I'll go and see if I can rouse her." Then she turned and walked down the hallway that he assumed led to the bedrooms.

Draco sat there for a minute sipping his coffee before he heard a loud "WHAT?!"

Draco smirked and brought his mug to his lips. Ginny must be awake.

"Gin," Hallie said as she opened her roommate's bedroom door and flipped on the light. "Gin babe, you've got to get up." Hallie surveyed the room to find the remains of yet another poor helpless alarm clock.

Ginny did nothing but pull her duvet over her head.

"Ginny, Malfoy is already here."

Ginny sat straight up. "WHAT?!" she sprang out of bed and began running around like a mad woman trying to find everything she needed for the day. "When did he get here? Does he know I'm not awake? How smug did he look when you saw him?"

Hallie began to snicker at her friend's antics. "Gin calm down. He's only been here for five minutes, yes he knows you weren't awake and he didn't look all that smug to me."

"OF COURSE HE'S SMUG! He's always smug! He's been smug since the very first time he called me a Weasel! I hate the bloody bastard! What the hell am I doing marrying him?" Ginny had ceased her movement and was now just standing in the middle of her room in the middle of a full on break down.

"Ginny!" Hallie grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a bit. "Snap out of it babe! Shit this guy has really gotten under your skin hasn't he?"

Ginny ran her fingers through her mane of ginger curls looking utterly helpless. "Yes he has. He has been under my skin, in my skin and on my skin since the first time I kissed him and I can't seem to get rid of him no matter what I do. What should I do Hallie?"

"Well right now you are going to get dressed and then the three of us are going to go to Saturday Family Breakfast like we planned to tell your parents of your engagement agreement, then you're gonna get married, and after that we'll just have to see. Now," she said as she picked up a pair of black skinny jeans that were on the floor. "Take these and that purple v-neck tee in your hands and get changed then come to the bathroom and we will fix that godforsaken creature on your head." With that she turned and walked out of the room.

Hallie heard Ginny jump back into freak out mode as she sauntered back out to the kitchen to check on Draco who had seated himself at the dining room table. "Hello again."

"Hey." He said casually smirking. "I heard you rouse the beast."

"Yep. I came down here to get it a cup of liquid caffeine before it tries to eat someone."

They both laughed.

"You need a refresher?"

"I'm fine thank you. Will my fiancé be ready sometime in the next millennium?"

Just then a bright red whirlwind breezed through the dining room and smacked Draco on the back of the head before grabbing the coffee mug out of Hallie's hands and breezing right back down the hall.

"Well that was fun." Draco sneered.

Hallie had to choke back a giggle. "I'm gonna go fix that."

Twenty minutes later both women reemerged from the back both looking pristine.

Draco was a little confused by the tightening in his chest that occurred and he was more than a bit annoyed at the slight tightening in his pants when he saw Ginny. She was wearing a pair of black jeans that were far too tight for his own good. Her shirt was a deep royal purple with three quarter length sleeves and a very, very deep v-neck. Her normally tight curls were calmed into soft ringlets that framed her soft round face. This woman was going to be the death of him.

"Ready darling?" the bloody little minx asked.

"I have been for half an hour dear." He rose and followed the two women to the front door to grab their coats. Then they all stepped out the door and headed down to the apperating pad.

Good god, they keep getting longer and longer! Please don't use this chapter as a measure of what the norm is gonna be! Lol

So Thanks SOOOO much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! As always I love knowing what you all think so keep it up please!!!!!

Just a little warning for the next chapter, it might be a little while before it comes out. I am headed to college in just a few days and I don't really think I will have muc time to write while I'm getting settled in! but I will be back!!!! So please just bear with me!!!!

Love you all!!!!!

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