AN: Aloha fellow Potter-Nerds. I hope you're all enjoying our rather scandalous adventures, so far. I also hope to hear back from more of you to let me know your thoughts, criticisms, etc. The more feedback I get, the more I'm inspired to post more frequently. ~Mahalo!

CHAPTER 12 – OF SHOCKS AND SURPRISES

Lucius Malfoy sat perfectly upright at his conference room table at Malfoy Manor and nodded at his guests, Malcolm and Pansy Parkinson.

"Truly, Lucius, it was a stroke of genius to place the Extendable Ears at the Muggles' house – and how fitting to use a Weasley product to eavesdrop on their future son-in-law. However did you think of it?"

"It was rather simple, Malcolm. Potter lived there under their care for most of his life, and no matter how unpleasant those years were, he was sure to return there to tie things up at some point in time."

"But how did you know he would neglect to place an Imperturbable Charm on the premises while he was there?"

"Like the rest of his kind, Potter trusts too freely. Like Dumbledore before him, he wants to think the best of people now that the Dark Lord has fallen."

"He won't adopt protective measures until Dark events begin to resurface. Unfortunately for him, the first of such events will be his death."

Draco shifted uneasily in his seat and glanced surreptitiously across the table at Pansy. He found it rather unsettling to hear his father exuding such confidence in the overconfidence of his enemies. The potential for irony was not lost on the younger Mr. Malfoy, and from the look in Pansy's eyes, he was not alone in his doubts.

"Well, now that we know the place, date, and approximate time of the wedding, we should be safe to start making plans," said Lucius. "No matter how small the guest list may be, I think it is safe to assume that the nuptials will be taking place outdoors – probably in the garden. That house, if you dare call it a house, is far too small to accommodate a wedding ceremony."

"Do you think they'll erect a Marquis, as they did last August?" Malcolm asked.

"Possibly," answered Lucius, "but I tend to think not. The Weasleys are far too poor for such an expense. Therefore, I expect they will have a simple ceremony in the garden. As long as the weather remains cooperative, we should have a rather easy time of things. All I have to do is get close enough to make sure I hit Potter, then Disapparate immediately out of there before anyone can see me."

"How will you make sure you got him, if you're so focused on escaping, Father?" asked Draco.

"You and Pansy will be there to cause a distraction in the event that something goes wrong with my plan or just to keep attention away from me."

"What?" shrieked Pansy, who had been sitting by silently. "We're supposed to bring attention on ourselves while you get away completely? And where will you be, Daddy?"

"Your father, Pansy, will be in Romania preparing for a visit to the Durmstrang Academy that he is scheduled to make with me. Since Ottery St. Catchpole is in the south of England, I will take a Portkey across the English Channel, then Apparate into Germany, where I will catch another Portkey that will be pre-arranged to take me into the suite we will be sharing in Romania

"If you are caught, which is highly unlikely, your wands will clear you of any involvement. It's really quite simple," Lucius drawled dismissively before turning to Malcolm. "Malcolm, I believe we have an appointment in Hogsmeade. Come."

Pansy watched as the two older wizards strolled out of the conference room and couldn't help noticing how much more elegantly Lucius Malfoy carried himself than did her father. Although her bloodline was just as pure as Draco's, there was something to be said for the other aspects of breeding. Lucius had it. Narcissa had it. Draco had it – that unpracticed air that set the Malfoy family apart from and above all the other surviving pureblood families. In their prime, the Black family demonstrated the same elegance, and Draco was descended from both. It made her heart race as she reached across the table, extending her fingers until they made contact with Draco's folded hands.

He looked up from his thoughts to find her eyes darkened and set firmly upon him. He knew the look well, given that they had been intimate through his last two years at Hogwarts.

She was a pureblood and as pretty as any pureblood other than Ginny Weasley, who would never be a candidate for his bed, so Draco allowed his thoughts to roam.

"What?" he asked, knowing full well what was on her mind. Still, he liked the idea better if she had to ask for it.

"They'll be gone for some time, don't you think?" Pansy asked, giving him her best 'come hither' look and attempting to be coy.

"So?" he shrugged, baiting her further.

"It's been more than a year, Draco," she said softly as she increased the pressure of her fingers upon his still folded hands.

"A year?" asked Draco, remaining impassive, yet pleased with himself.

"Draco, are you going to make me beg for it?"

"For what, Pansy?"

"For you to fuck me," she hissed, embarrassed to be pushed to this point but unable to resist. He was far too handsome, far too confident, and far too hard to resist. He was what every pureblood witch should want … what she had always wanted … what she definitely wanted at that very moment.

Draco withdrew his hands slowly beyond her reach and offered a slight smile that she prayed wasn't a smirk. At last, he began to push his chair away from the table, slowly … so slowly she couldn't help thinking he was intentionally torturing her. When finally he stood from his chair, Draco stretched his back, as if he was preening for her.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Shall we what?" she replied, her heart beginning to race. She hadn't had sex with anyone but Draco and hoped there would be no need to ever touch another man.

"My room is upstairs," he said as he turned his back and began to move toward the foyer and up the stairs.

It took Pansy a moment before she could force her legs to move. Was he really going to make her chase after him? He'd never been this aloof before … well, at least not with her. Was it a game? Was he trying to make her want him even more than she already did? Could he not kiss her here? Could he not hold her hand as they ascended the stairs?

"Draco, wait for me!" she nearly screamed as she set out to follow him. Her heart leapt as he extended his hand behind him, as if he wanted to touch her, but he didn't hesitate.

It had to be a game. It had to be his way of making her want him all the more. He couldn't be that aloof when he hadn't been inside of her for more than a year. Could he?

Draco wasn't entirely sure what he was thinking. He hadn't had sex since his last time with Pansy, and he had thought about her from time to time. Or had he thought about it? He realized suddenly that he couldn't tell the difference. Sex had always meant Pansy Parkinson and Pansy Parkinson had always meant sex.

Pansy wasn't unattractive, but something about the way her father so willingly subordinated himself to Lucius Malfoy had begun to make her less appealing. There were purebloods, and then there were purebloods.

But that was also part of the problem, for thanks to the two Voldemort-related Blood Wars, a serious toll had been taken on the old pureblood families. Other than Pansy, the only truly attractive pureblood females in Britain were Ginny Weasley and the Greengrass sisters, Daphne and Asteria.

By the time Pansy managed to catch up with Draco, he was hanging his robes neatly in his closet. Next he removed his shoes, dusted them lightly with a cloth, and placed them on his shoe rack. It took him another three or four minutes to finish removing and placing each item of clothing where it belonged.

"Are you going to close the door, Pansy?" he asked as he turned and made his way, naked, to the bed.

"Wh … what?" stammered Pansy as her eyes moved hungrily over his body. As disconcerted as she was by his distant behavior, she had always been enamored with Draco's physical appearance. The last year had been kind to him, as the body that had withered away due to stress during their sixth year had added weight and muscle while in the service of the Dark Lord. When at last he turned to face her head on, Pansy gasped audibly. The Dark Mark was still clear to be seen on his left forearm.

"The door, Pansy. Are you going to close the door? And how much longer are you intending to wear those robes?"

Mesmerized, she turned, pushed the door closed behind her, and began nervously toying with the top few buttons of her robes. Meanwhile, Draco pulled down the duvet on his side of the bed and fluffed up his pillows. He stretched languidly on his mattress and never once took his eyes off the only sexual partner he had ever known. At last Pansy swallowed hard, kicked off her shoes, and dropped her robes to the floor.

She had never before been left to undress herself, and the thought somehow unnerved her. But when she looked at Draco, she was reassured that his eyes were latched unwaveringly upon her. So she quickly stripped away the rest of her clothing and settled into bed next to him, cuddling up beside him and resting her head upon his chest.

Draco had watched her carefully, his cold gray eyes taking in every detail. Her skin seemed far paler than he had remembered it, and the last year at Hogwarts had softened her body noticeably. Her dark shoulder length hair stood out in contrast to her pale skin, as had her lower curls in their past times to share a bed, but not this afternoon.

"Why did you shave your pubic hair?" asked Draco, his voice still locked in a lazy drawl.

"It's quite the style in the Americas," answered Pansy, "North and South."

"They shave their heads, too?" he asked, sounding much like his father.

"No, Draco … North America and South America. It's quite the style now, so I thought I'd try it."

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"I think you're the one who is supposed to answer that question."

"We'll see. Are you just planning on lying there?" he continued.

Draco had never before simply sat there waiting for her to initiate activities, but Pansy figured variety was a good thing and rolled onto her right side while she slipped her left arm across his chest and reached for his lips with her own.

Draco turned slightly away from her, offering Pansy the chance to nibble on his ear rather than his lips. He had always enjoyed it when she had toyed with his ear in the past, and today proved to be no different. She felt him shiver when her lips met the shell of his ear and was further rewarded when she began thrusting her tongue forcefully against the opening. She watched as the penis she hadn't touched for more than a year began growing significantly in the palm of her hand.

At last, she couldn't wait a moment longer and began trailing kisses down his neck, over his shoulder, across his torso, and settling in his lap. The sensation of being with him again after so long was overwhelming, so she took him in her mouth and began stroking him longingly with her tongue. She thought momentarily about giving in to her desire to make him come as fast as she could, but something in his manner of reaction told her to hold back, if only a little, for he had begun to pump into her mouth so enthusiastically that alarm bells were starting to go off in her mind.

As Pansy pulled away from his dick, Draco began to thrust more forcefully upward, but she still withdrew from him. Grabbing her wand from the bedside table, Pansy cast the contraceptive charm while Draco remained lying flat on his back. When he made no movement to pursue her, Pansy realized it would be up to her to get exactly what she wanted. Swinging her left leg across him, it took only a moment to position herself properly. Excited to have tasted him, she needed no more stimulation to prepare herself for him, so she quickly thrust down upon him, taking him inside her as she had done so many times before he had fled from Hogwarts School with Professor Snape and the Death Eaters.

Pansy could feel the tension building within her almost as soon as she mounted him, but the passionate exchange she had come to expect from Draco was completely missing. Instead, he was simply lying there as she rose and fell against his erection. She convinced herself that he was trying his hardest to remain under control and restrain his orgasm until she came, but the fantasy dissolved moments later when Draco uttered a soft grunt and threw his hips upward against her. Pansy noticed that his eyelids were shut completely and that his thumbs and forefingers were clamped tightly upon his own nipples.

Completely focused upon satisfying her own needs, Pansy began to pick up momentum as quickly as she could, but Draco's penis was shrinking at an alarming rate. In desperation, she ground against his pubic bone, closed her eyes, and began to recollect how things had been when they had sought secluded locations all over Hogwarts Castle and its surrounding grounds, but Draco resisted even this.

"Pansy, slow down," he said, a note of protest in his voice, as his hands reached for her hips and slid her back to her side of the bed.

"What's wrong, Draco?" she asked, unable to hide the tone of dejection and disappointment that had crept into her voice.

"Maybe it would have been better if you hadn't shaved," Draco muttered as he sat up on the side of the bed and then headed off in the direction of his bathroom.

With a combined crack, Ginny and Harry returned to their bedroom at number twelve, Grimmauld Place. He was still clinging tightly to her, overwhelmed with emotion from the combined effects of the tidy stack of letters he held against his chest and the way in which Ginny had taken charge and acted on his behalf when he had lost the ability to do so. He wondered exactly how he had ever been able to draw a single breath without her love.

Harry gazed deeply into her liquid brown pools that were dilating quickly in response to the desire she saw forming within his emerald eyes. Without losing contact with her, Harry removed his mother's letters and set them gently aside on the bench that sat at the foot of their four-poster bed. No matter how much he longed to read each and every one of the notes from his mum, Ginny Weasley was the living, breathing center of his universe. Everything else could wait.

Without breaking eye contact, Harry's left hand returned to cup the side of her face before his fingers slid deeply into her thick mane of brilliant red hair. His smile expressed a wide variety of emotions ranging from gratitude for what she had done for him at number four, Privet Drive, to the unquenchable fire of his love and desire for her. Everything made sense to Harry for the first time in his life. He brought his right hand up to cup the other side of her face when, at last, he closed his eyes and his lips sought to merge richly with hers.

Ginny moaned softly as Harry's tongue met hers, causing a jolt of electricity to flow forcefully through both of them and eliciting the mutual shudder that never failed to draw them progressively deeper into their kisses. Harry had no idea how long they stood there drinking deeply of one another, drawing strength from their love until at last, Ginny's fingers plunged inside his deep green robes and began unfastening his garment as quickly as she could. Harry followed her example and, before long, their clothing was discarded haphazardly about the room, and they were lying together in their bed.

Harry's emotions were on fire, causing everything that was happening to seem amplified. As he knelt between her thighs and looked down upon her as she lay on their bed, Ginny's hair seemed a more vibrant shade of red, her curls a richer hue of auburn. Her eyes were an even brighter brown than he seemed to remember. Her freckles were somehow a more golden color than ever before, contrasting against an even fairer complexion. Her touch was like the feeling of pure magic as it spread in concentric circles from wherever she touched him, and when at last he entered her, he felt consumed by her warmth … as if nothing could ever be so perfectly blissful.

He was completely unable to control himself, so lost was he in the love he felt for this truly extraordinary witch … this woman who so clearly loved him every bit as much as he loved her. He knew it was hopeless to try to hold off the overwhelming rush that was building within him; he tried nevertheless, but it was no use.

"Oh, Ginny!" he cried, as spasms ran through his body and he shuddered hard against her. "I can't stop it!"

"Don't try, love," Ginny answered. "Come for me, Harry. Just for me."

"Just for you … always for you … only for you … only …" he stammered before he collapsed upon her, his lips desperately seeking hers.

She didn't know how it was possible, but Ginny felt every bit of his passion as it flowed out from him and into her. It was as if their souls had merged, yet she was still undeniably her own. The fact that he had wanted her so thoroughly, needed her so desperately, and loved her so completely filled her soul in a way she would never have thought possible. So Ginny met his lips with equal intensity and threaded her fingers into his thick black hair, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him as firmly to her center as she could. At last, she broke their kiss and gasped for air.

"I love you, Ginny," he said forcefully – perhaps more forcefully than he meant it to sound.

But to Ginny, no amount of emphasis could ever be too much when it came from Harry Potter.

"Oh, Harry, I love you more than life itself," she replied. The intensity of her response surprised her at first but only momentarily. She knew full well that she would, in fact give her life for him without hesitation.

Harry's lips slid lightly along her jaw until they came to rest on her left ear. He took her ear lobe between his teeth and nipped lightly at her before he slipped his tongue inside, causing her to intensify her thrusts against his spent body.

He was amazed by the fire flowing within her and wanted more than anything to show her physically just how much he loved her. It took only a moment before he began trailing hot, wet kisses down her neck and shoulder until, finally, he reached her left breast.

Ginny's reaction was electric as his lips settled upon her left nipple. She arched her back forcefully upward, as if begging him to lavish even more attention to the spot. He responded with like enthusiasm until Ginny's fingers again found then laced into his hair. She pulled him against her body as she shoved her breast deeper into his mouth. Her reaction was so exciting that he again felt passion building within his groin. He thought momentarily about plunging back into her but a specific hunger had been building inside him as Ginny responded so thoroughly to his kisses.

As Ginny struggled to press her center against any part of him she could find, Harry released her breast and slid quickly down her torso until his mouth found her clit. It was like heaven, and he began licking and sucking her as aggressively as he dared.

Ginny had been on the brink of an orgasm ever since Harry had come so suddenly, and the feel of his lips and his tongue drove her rapidly over the edge. She came hard, thrusting against his mouth while she screamed his name. Her hips lurched as her body shuddered over and over again. It was the most amazing thing she had felt with him, which was saying a lot. But no matter how wonderful each time was, the next time they were together always seemed to bring her to new heights of passion.

Harry felt the intensity of her orgasm and had learned that she would soon need him to release his hold upon her clit. Anticipating her need, he slid further down against her, driving his tongue into her center while kissing her opening as if it were the hottest snogging session in history.

Ginny's body calmed momentarily, and she ceased to buck against his lips, but fire was again building within her. It was a different feeling, as his tongue and lips continued kissing her center, yet her clit was stimulated only indirectly. Before long she felt another orgasm building quickly within her. She slammed her hips downward against the mattress, breaking his kiss and bringing his lips once again up to reach her hardened nub.

Harry reacted immediately, taking her clit between his lips and stroking her excitedly with his tongue. It was all she needed, and her body exploded once again.

"Oh, fuck, Harry! Fuck!" she cried. "Fuck … fuck me, please!"

He wasn't completely sure he had heard her properly, but the idea sounded wonderful. As she had come repeatedly, Harry's erection had returned with a vengeance, and his dick felt like it was about to stretch beyond the limits of his skin. He had never felt so completely united with another human being, had never known this overwhelming feeling of love could be possible, and he simply had to be inside her.

Harry moved quickly until he was again kneeling between her thighs and he was looking down at her flushed body.

"Are you sure?" he asked, afraid that she had not literally meant for him to be back inside her.

"Yes, you dolt!" she screamed, frustrated by his hesitation. "Now, Harry, fuck me now!"

So he slid smoothly inside her. She tightened her grip instantly upon him and began thrusting as hard as she could.

"So good … so fucking good," she murmured as her next wave of orgasms crashed over her.

"God, Ginny … God, I love you," Harry cried out as she clamped ever harder against him. "G … God!"

Harry slammed into her as hard as he could, his own orgasm ripping through him even more forcefully than the first had done. They continued thrusting against one another, slowing their pace, yet feeling each motion as if it were a new discovery.

"God, I love you, Ginny," Harry whispered into her ear as he fell beside her on the mattress.

"I love you, too," she answered, "more than anything … more than anything … more than …"

Harry hated to disturb her as she began drifting into sleep, but he suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.

"Ginny!" he gasped. "The charm … we forgot the Contraceptus Charm!... Again!"

"Doesn't matter," she said groggily. "I was going to wait to tell you until you'd settled down from our trip to the Dursleys. I did a sensing charm this morning."

"And?" asked Harry, his heart suddenly in his throat.

"Harry," she said softly while shifting to rest her head in his lap, "we're going to be parents."