A/N: I can't tell you how many times I've started and deleted this chapter in the last two months. But here is my update, enjoy and thanks for sticking with me.

This one is short, sort of an interlude - I wanted to actually move the story in some sort of direction (I know it really hasn't been going much of anywhere, my bad).

"Ginerva we need to talk," Draco said seriously through her floo. Ginny looked up from the papers she was grading with a frown and met his eyes over her desk. She stood to make her way around and he sighed. She could see the deep worry lines around his eyes and they made her instantly nervous.

The two had corresponded only via owl since Easter Holidays, and despite Draco's insistence that she meet him for dinner she had been avoiding him. She was still slightly hurt by the way he and Blaise had responded to her ownership and she also felt that Draco might be just a little too competitive. The Harpies had been gaining steadily on the Falcons going towards the Cup.

"I'm trying to wrap up my grading Draco," Ginny said with a sigh as she leaned back against her desk.

"Open your floo," he said softly.

"You know that's –"

"I've already gotten Minerva's permission, open the wards," Draco said firmly. Ginny sighed but nodded. He disappeared and she released the wards. A minute later he was in her office brushing soot from his shoulders.

"What do we need to talk about?" Ginny asked with a sigh as she went to the sidebar and poured them both a glass of wine. Draco took his and took a long sip, opened his mouth to speak and then took another long drink of wine.

"This isn't what you usually buy," he observed.

"I hope you didn't come to talk about my choice in wine."

"I need to go to France," Draco said finally. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Okay, so go to France. What's the issue?"

"Let me reframe. Harry has asked me to go to France."

"Why?" Ginny asked, puzzled. She moved to sit on the couch and Draco followed, though instead of sitting he began to pace. She nervously swirled her glass of wine and took another sip.

"I can't say," Draco said finally. He finished his glass and went to pour another, but stopped reaching into the cabinet for a bottle of aged firewhiskey instead. He pulled the cork out and took a long sip directly from the bottle. Ginny stood up a hand on her hip and glared at him.

"What exactly is going on Draco."

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times before he took another long swig from the bottle and rubbed the space between his eyes.

"I can't…I can't even tell you why I can't. Maybe…" Draco trailed off pinching his nose.

"Maybe what?" Ginny asked exasperated.

"Maybe if you ask me?"

"I'm not playing 21 questions with you. You said you came here to talk."

"You've been ignoring my owls to meet for dinner," Draco said suddenly changing the topic and taking another sip of firewhiskey.

"I've been busy," Ginny replied, effectively sidestepping the question.

"I hurt your feelings at the match," Draco said softly. He placed the bottle down and walked over to her, trailing a hand down her arm.

"Draco," Ginny said softly, but before she could continue his mouth was on hers and she couldn't help but respond.

Draco wrapped her arms around Ginny's waist pulling her to him. He felt like he was melting into her and found, for perhaps the first time in his life, that he was pouring everything he felt into the kiss. Without noticing he was pushing her simple teaching robes off and his hands were nimbly undoing the buttons on her shirt. He broke the kiss, his eyes searching hers but found his answer in the way she leaned back slightly to let the shirt fall away.

"We shouldn't," he whispered softly as his lips found hers again.

Ginny could feel Draco's arousal pushing into her. In the back of her mind she knew that she shouldn't, that they shouldn't travel down this road again. But the firewhiskey on Draco's tongue tasted so sweet and she found that she just didn't have it in her to say no this time. He was leaving, again. She had a feeling she was going to be a single parent, again. And he wouldn't tell her why.

Draco found himself picking her up and carrying her towards the bedroom as she made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. He shed it as he climbed into bed over her, trailing kisses down her naked stomach. When he reached her simple A-line skirt he yanked it from her body roughly, taking her knickers with it. As his mouth reached that certain spot he felt her body arch and heard a breathy moan, after that he couldn't contain himself. He made quick work of his trousers and was on top of her in an instant, his face inches from her, his eyes searching.

"Don't tease me," Ginny said huskily, her arms wrapping around his torso and pulling him towards her. She arched up to him at the same moment he plunged into her and answered his moan with one of her own.

They finished together and Draco collapsed on top of her with a muffled moan. Ginny laid there for a minute, contemplating how this time had been so different from all the rest. She raised a hand and ran her fingers through his hair, noticing for the first time how it much longer than he usually kept it. He rolled off of her then, to the side and laid propped up, his head resting on a closed fist. When she turned her head to look at him she noticed his mark.

Draco saw her look change before she opened her mouth to speak and quickly stood, going to collect his shirt. Before he could pull it on Ginny spoke.

"It's different," she said softly from the bed.

Ginny continued to stare at the mark on his arm, disturbed by the fact that it was so much darker than it had been the last time she'd seen it. Darker, and tinged with light lavender and green accents.

"Why did you change it?" she asked finally. Draco sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, dropping his head into his hands, his shirt forgotten beside him.

"I didn't."

"What do you mean you didn't?"

"It changed on it's own."

"How?"

"I don't pretend to understand how this," Draco raised his head to glare at the mark on his arm, "dark magic works."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know," Draco spat dropping his head into his hands again. "I know that it doesn't mean anything good."

"What do you think it means?" Ginny prodded.

"I think it means someone has taken the dark lord's place," Draco replied sadly. Ginny sat up and pulled him down next to her.

"Is that why you're going to France for Harry?"

"Yes," Draco said softly. He turned and curled up, laying his head on her chest and Ginny couldn't help but feel that in that instant he was placing all his trust in her.

"But you can't tell me why?"

"I wish that I could," Draco said finally, his voice muffled and sounding incredibly tired.

"Narcissa mentioned that you had a lead on whoever cursed Scorpius broom a couple years ago."

"I did," Draco replied, his voice even softer. "I think there's another Black heir out there."

"But you're the Black heir, or Teddy will be if Narcissa decides to restore him to the tree," Ginny replied confused.

"I think Bella had a child."

"How is that possible?" Ginny asked. Draco didn't respond and when she craned her neck to look down at him she realized he had already fallen asleep. When she reached to toy with her locket, as she frequently did when she was deep in thought, she realized it was gone. This puzzled her for several moments, until she noticed it towards the foot of the bed. She couldn't reach it without disturbing Draco, but from her vantage point it appeared that the chain had been snapped at some point during their encounter.