I Still…

A/N Three years guys. Ugh, I am so sorry! Life has a habit of getting in the way. I was working on some original stuff, working, moving, school, etc. But I am back and I am hopefully going to finish this up soon! Well, here goes nothing. I hope you like it!

"I'm going to need you to explain to me what is going on between you and my sister, and I'm going to need you to explain it to me as quickly as you know how."

For the first time in his life, Draco was mildly afraid of a Weasley. Charlie, otherwise known as Professor Weasley, was a bit older than the others, and though he was not physically threatening him at the moment, he knew that in a fight, he would lose. This member of the Weasley clan worked with many a dangerous creature, and had built up quite a bit of muscle.

"What do you mean?" Draco muttered, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"I know you've been spending a lot of time with her, and pardon me for saying, but there is no reason for a Slytherin to be around a Weasley unless he's trying to either play a prank, or take advantage. I want to know which of the two you're after. Are you hurting her? Or are the hushed whispers in the halls true? Do you love her?"

Draco was aghast. Of course he wasn't in love with her. They had been spending time with one another for less than a month. A few kisses suddenly meant love? In recent times he had begun to question his own feelings. She was a lovely girl. She made him laugh, but wasn't the type of girl to roll over. She was strong willed and didn't care what others thought of her. Sure she was of interest, but love? He knew he wasn't in love quite yet, but boy was he getting close.

"In an effort not to be murdered I am tempted to tell you that I am, but my honest answer is that I am not. It's a Seventh Year fling, if I might be frank with you. Just a girl to have on my arm at parties. Someone who will ignite shock from my classmates. She's well aware of our arrangement. She is not being taken advantage of, and I am most certainly not in love."

Bill shook his head and sighed. "Coming from someone who has known my sister for her entire life, hear me when I tell you, you will be. Just promise me that you will do nothing to harm her, and I will leave you alone."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "For someone who has known her for her entire life, you seem to underestimate her strength. I doubt I could harm her if I tried. Like I said, this isn't a romantic arrangement."

"She is a very special girl. Before you know it, you'll be able to control your emotions, and those inconvenient teen hormones will become much more apparent to you. Just be good to her, okay mate?"

I never meant to be anything to her…

No matter how I fight it
Can't deny it
Just can't let you go
-I Still, BSB

"The dress was absolutely perfect. I put it on, and it felt like I was wearing nothing. It fits like nothing has ever fit me before… For someone to be able to make a purchase for me like that, they would have to know my body very well. There aren't many people who do…"

The dress had really shaken her up. She wasn't used to receiving such thoughtful gifts. She had clarified that her husband hadn't purchased it for her, and nobody else she knew had either. It was lovely, and covered in diamonds. This dress must have been incredibly expensive. Though she was a member of the New Money society, she would never fully understand the concept of extravagant spending.

From the moment she saw the dress, slipped it onto her body and looked into the mirror, all she could think of was her first love. Her best friend very easily read her face.

Hermione touched her hand and shook her head. "We all accepted his death years ago. It's just a secret admirer trying to be cryptic."

"But how would they know about this?" She tugged the ring out so Hermione could see it. For the year or so after he left, Ginny kept that ring to herself. She wore it on her finger, and whenever anybody asked where she'd gotten it, she would smile and say "It was a gift." Nobody knew that this gift was really from the love of her life. There was a point in Hogwarts where their love wasn't a secret... Teenagers quite often believe that their lives are being watched by everybody. Very few realize that nobody really cares.

"I don't know. Fans know some creepy things about you sometimes. They know your name, where you live, who your family is. They are in love and therefore need to have a freakish amount of knowledge in order to feel that they really know you somehow."

Ginny was shaking from head to toe. She ran a hand through her hair and swallowed hard. "What if I never got over him? What if my whole marriage has been a lie? I told myself that we weren't anything. I said that if he never came back it would be ok, but here I am. The same shaking 16 year old girl, waiting for the boy she loves to come home from the war. What am I supposed to do? How will Darby ever forgive me? He has been such a wonderful husband to me. I don't know how I can explain to him that I've been a horrible wife. One who has been in love with someone else this whole time."

Keeping this secret from Ginny was killing her, but Hermione did her best not to reveal what she knew. "Your marriage isn't a lie just because you had a first love. You loved each other. He died. There's nothing you can do about it, so do your best to remember your love as it was and move on. He will always live within your heart, but you need to move on and live your life as Ginevra. Not as a wife. Not as a sports star. But as Ginevra."

"I don't even know who I am anymore… That's the problem."

Hermione shook her head. "You behave as though you're this big strong woman. And that is who you are. You're strong at work. You're strong in front of your fans. You are strong in front of your family. Sometimes it's okay not to be. It's okay to cry Gin. It's okay to accept the fact that you're human."

Ginny leaned into her best friend and began to cry her sad little eyes out.

"Hopefully this whole party plan works out. I'm not expecting everything to go perfectly, and to go home with a wife, but I think this is a great way to start."

"Let me get this straight. You've been out of her life for nine years. You haven't written. You knew she, and everyone else thought you were dead, but you never told anyone. Now, you buy her a pretty dress, plan a party, intend to show up as a complete surprise not only to her, but to everyone. And you think this is a great idea?"

Draco and Blaise both turned to look at Pansy, who was filing her nails.

"I don't know about the Weasley girl, but if it were me, and you just disappeared off the face of the earth, then expected to come back into my life like nothing happened, years later? I would likely punch you right in the mouth, and then I would go straight home."

Draco shook his head. "I know it sounds crazy. And you also sound a little crazy… But I just want her to know that I've never forgotten her. I want her to know that I am willing to show the whole world how I feel this time, and not just keep her in my back pocket."

"If I remember correctly," muttered Blaise, "You two weren't even intending to make it long term anyway. Wasn't it just supposed to be a seventh year fling?"

Draco took a deep breath. "Originally, it was. But I just couldn't help myself. I wanted it to end but she made it impossible…And now, I want her to understand that it wouldn't be the same. No more sneaking kisses in the halls. No more whispering in the middle of class. Our relationship was more than just a fling to me, and I hope she feels the same way."

"Isn't she married?" came Pansy's rudely muttered outburst. "Why would she break up a marriage for you?"

Draco sighed. "There's no reason why she would. I don't even know that she's missed me."

Blaise choked. "Are you kidding? I was at your funeral, you weren't. This girl was sobbing more than anyone. Your mum was silent, but Ginevra Weasley? She was in the papers. After the funeral, she refused to leave your grave. She curled up in a ball in front of your tomb stone and sobbed. So much so that your mother actually patted her head in a sullen attempt at comfort. She was devastated."

Pansy scoffed. "So devastated that she accepted a job with the Cannons two weeks later, and was married in less than a year? I never liked her, and I probably never will, but if you are convinced that this ball will work, then I guess I'll try to help however you'd like."

"So this lovely ball they've invited you to. Did they have anything in mind for your being there? Are you supposed to speak, or just be a guest at the party? They're tacky enough, how much would you like to wager that they'll have a table set up for you to sign autographs?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. They didn't officially even ask me, I just read it in the paper. It wasn't presented as though I was invited. It was presented as though it were some special treat, and that I had already agreed to show up. I should just stay home. They're awfully pompous for just assuming that I'd come without being asked."

"While I would normally agree with you, it might be nice to go to a function like this. Meet people who are more…In your tax bracket these days?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You know I have absolutely no interest in being a snob. Although, I might just go anyway…" Her thoughts suddenly went to that note. I still… Looking down at her ring, she sighed. The chances of it being him were nonexistent. Yet there was still that little bit of her heart yearning to hold him just one more time.

"Darby won't come with me. He said we have to talk tonight when he gets home, and I think he might be leaving early for season training. He does this every season you know. I don't know why he needs so much extra practice time. The Cannons never ask me to come so early."

Hermione twiddled her thumbs. "Yeah, maybe I can come with you, if you like."

Ginny smiled big. "That sounds wonderful! I can get you a dress and we can go together! We can match. I can get you a dress that looks a bit like mine. Then everyone will know that the lovliest lady at the ball is on my arm." She giggled and hooked arms with her best friend. "Yes, I'll buy you a lovely dress."

Hermione shook her head. "No love, I can get myself a dress. I don't need you lavishing me with expensive gifts! I don't care how much money you have now, I can get myself something nice. Maybe I'll get the material and make it myself."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I never said it would be expensive. I could buy you a rag."

The two girls giggled away together in a way that onlookers would take as their adolescence.

"We don't have a huge amount of time to figure this out. If she tells my wife we'll get a divorce. If we get a divorce I lose all of my credibility. Ugh, what am I supposed to do?"

"Well," came the slippery voice of his long time lover as she delicately caressed his bare chest, "There's always the Obliviate charm. You could make her forget ever seeing you there. Or you could spin the story to the tabloids, making her cheat on you, or at least have it look that way to the press."

Darby put a hand to his lips. "Make it seem like the divorce is her fault… So if I go to my lawyer first and plan out a divorce, tell them she was cheating or doing something ridiculous, the tabloids will catch wind of it first and then she'll look like the bad guy."

Olive winked. "Then we'll be free to be with one another finally, after all of these years!"

"Hmmm…" came Darby's skeptical disagreement. "Don't get ahead of yourself. We won't have to sneak about, but don't push it."

A/N It's been many moons since I've published a chapter but here we are. I'll work on the rest and hopefully it won't take another three years! If things go the way I want them to, I will be able to finish it up before I start my new semester in school. Cross your fingers for me! And please, do your part and help encourage me to write some more with some beautiful reviews!