TW: NSFW (dry humping) towards the end.
A/N: Hello! I'm back! If any of you follow me on twitter, you will know that my laptop broke last week and I lost ALL my saved documents (because I'm stupid and old fashioned and trusted OneDrive to sync them up, which apparently it didn't)
This chapter was part of what I lost, so the following version is a re-write. I'm sorry that it took me so long to post it, but I got frustrated, because I couldn't get it to be exactly like the original version. But it is what it is, and I think I still got the general gist. That being said, I really hope you enjoy this fluffy/spicy chapter after the really heavy one we just had.
ooo
Gregory cast another quick Tempus charm to check the time: 6:03 pm – they were officially late.
It was the night of the Ministry Yule Ball, and he, Draco and Charlie had been standing at the bottom of the stairs for the past thirty minutes, waiting for Ginny and Hermione to finish getting ready.
Mr and Mrs Weasley, together with Percy and Audrey had already gone ahead to meet the eldest Weasley brother Bill and his wife Fleur at the venue; and not long after that Harry and Ron had left to pick up their dates, which left Charlie, who was flying solo, to supervise the rest of them.
"I can't believe they are making us be late." Draco hissed, tapping his fingers impatiently on the wooden banister. He had arrived twenty minutes earlier and had been on edge ever since. Hermione had offered to meet him at the venue, but Draco had insisted that it was the proper thing for him to pick her up. What he hadn't expected, however, was that Hermione wouldn't be ready upon his arrival, and so he had found himself forced to come in and wait with the others. Greg could tell that he felt uncomfortable and out of place by the way his eyes kept flitting nervously around the Weasley home. It wasn't very surprising, really. The place was so vastly different to everything they grew up with, that it had taken Greg days to get used to the Burrow and learn how to relax. It would take Draco at least as long.
"I'm sure they'll be ready soon, mate." He said, putting a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Well…that's what you get, when you date girls." Charlie threw in, a cheeky grin forming on his lips. "It's not so bad with blokes."
He winked at Draco, who's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but before the blonde could form a response, Hermione's voice sounded from the top of the stairs.
"Okay, we're done! Are you guys ready?"
"YES!" all three of them exclaimed.
Hermione was the first to come down; her silver stiletto heels clicking noisily on the wooden steps until she came into full view. She was wearing a floor-length teal dress with swirling silver details around the hem. Her hair was unusually tame and fell in big, silky curls down to her waist, accentuated by a myriad of different sized pearls that reminded of sparkling water droplets as they shimmered against the dark chestnut-brown of her hair.
Draco rushed towards her to offer her his arm, looking completely awe-struck as he told her how beautiful she was.
Greg had about two seconds to acknowledge that Hermione really did look very pretty, before Ginny came down the steps, and all the air left his lungs in one big whoosh.
She was stunning.
Clad in a silvery-blue gown; the plunging neckline accentuated by thousands of tiny shimmering beads that glistened and glittered in the low light of the Burrow like freshly fallen snow. Her fiery hair was styled in loose braids that wrapped delicately around her head, held in place with tiny sparkling pins in cool blues and whites; and her skin had a pearlescent sheen to it that practically made her glow.
She looked like a winter fairy-princess: ethereal and mysterious; and stunningly beautiful.
"Wow." Greg breathed, taking a tentative step towards her and offering her his hand. "You look amazing."
Ginny's mouth split into a wide smile and a light blush swept across the bridge of her nose, as she muttered a shy "thanks" and accepted his hand.
"Ladies!" Charlie jumped in. "You both look exquisite! …But if we don't leave soon, we'll miss all the fun. Come on then!" he shooed them all into the living room, where he snatched a pot of floo powder from the mantel piece. "Off we go."
The Yule Ball was very much how Ginny had predicted: Very stiff and far too formal; but the food was good, the champagne was flowing and as soon as the music had begun to play and Ginny had dragged him out on the dancefloor, Greg only had eyes for her. It was so easy to forget everything around him when Ginny was right in front of him, laughing and twirling and looking so incredibly beautiful.
It wasn't until Charlie cut in and asked if he could borrow his little sister for a dance, that he remembered where they were. He went and found himself an empty spot along the border of the dance floor, from where he had a good view over the majority of the room, and watched as Charlie maneuvered Ginny across the dance floor as if they were in a ferocious Quidditch game, spinning and whirling, and causing several couples to jump out of the way as Ginny laughed and shrieked with delight.
"Hello Gregory."
Greg tilted his head just in time to see Luna Lovegood slide into the empty spot beside him.
"Oh hi, Luna." He said, before nodding towards her dress and adding a polite "You look pretty tonight. The colour suits you." She was wearing a sage green gown, embroidered with tiny blue flowers that were the exact shade of her forget-me-not eyes.
"Oh, thank you." Luna beamed. "I was going to wear magenta, but then thought it might clash with Ronald's hair. He's my date, you know?"
"So I've heard." Greg said. "How's that going?"
"Oh, it's great." Luna offered happily. "He's only stepped on my feet twice so far and he hasn't been accidentally rude once, so I think it's going rather well, don't you think?"
Greg didn't really know what to say to that, so he just shrugged and muttered a hesitant "Err… I suppose?" before they fell into a somewhat awkward silence and he eventually returned his attention to Ginny.
It was a heart-warming scene to see her so happy with her brother, though he couldn't quite help but feel a sense of emptiness and longing as he watched them dance. Not for the first time these past couple of weeks he wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a family like the Weasleys, who loved and supported each other so fiercely. He had a feeling his life would have looked very different.
"Wrackspurt got you?"
Greg shot a glance at Luna, only to realise that she was studying him with attentive eyes. "Err, what's a Wrackspurt?"
"Oh, they're pesky little things." Luna said, her eyes flitting around as if she was looking for something. "They float through your ears to get into your head and then make your brain go all fuzzy and confused. You had a bit of a glazed look about you, so I wondered if there might be one zooming around somewhere."
"Oh…" Greg said, bewildered. "Nah, I err… I was just thinking."
Luna hummed thoughtfully and nodded. "Friends are the family we choose, so really, the relationships we have with them are much more important than any blood relations could ever be, don't you think?"
She looked at Greg expectantly, who could feel his throat tighten uncomfortably. He had no idea how she did it, but for some reason the observant Ravenclaw always seemed to know exactly how people felt without them having to explain themselves.
"Err, I guess." He replied, feeling awkward all of a sudden. But Luna didn't seem to notice (or rather chose not to notice) and instead directed her attention at the dancing couples in the middle of the hall.
"It's nice to see everyone so happy." She added smilingly, before tilting her head to the side and letting out a thoughtful hum. "But I wonder if Harry knows that Marietta Edgecombe works for Witch Weekly now. She's been stalking him and sneaking secret photos all evening."
Greg followed her line of vision to find Harry standing on the other side of the dance floor, deep in conversation with Pansy, his hand resting gently on the small of her back and a lopsided smile on his face, as he was doing a rather impressive job at ignoring everything that was going on around him. …but then he must have had a lot of practice at that over the years.
Pansy, who was making a rather bold statement with her ruby red gown and gold accessories was absolutely glowing. Greg didn't think he'd ever seen her smile so much in public before.
"I'm sure he's aware." Greg shrugged, thinking of how Ginny had said it would be nice to be the centre of attention for something that made them happy for once.
At that point the new Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, entered a small stage at the top of the room and everyone went quiet.
"Thank you all for coming today." His magically amplified voice boomed across the hall, a rather stiff smile on his face. "Now, if you would all like to join me in raising our glasses for those we have lost in the war." He raised his champagne glass high in the air. "To those who must not be forgotten. May they rest in peace."
There was a short silence, as everyone raised their glasses and drank to their lost loved ones, and it took Greg several seconds to realise that Ginny had moved.
She was pushing her way through the crowd, eyes dark and mouth pressed into a bitter line, as she slipped through the giant winged doors into the entrance hall.
Greg's stomach instantly constricted with worry, and after muttering a quick apology to Luna, he followed her.
It didn't take him long to find Ginny. She was standing at a window, her fingernails digging into the hard stone of the windowsill, as she glared out into the pitch black of the night.
"Ginny?" He said, approaching her tentatively. "You okay?"
Ginny's jaw tightened as he stepped up beside her, her whole posture rigid, as she shook her head.
"He was their friend." She whispered quietly.
Greg's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Who?"
"Kingsley." She said, a fierce look in her eyes as she finally turned to face him. "He was in the Order... Remus, Tonks… Fred… he knew all of them, fought alongside them, and now all he has to say is 'May they rest in peace'? Really? No speech? No mention of all the sacrifices they made?" her face contorted with anger. "If that's it, then he can shove his bloody peace up his arse."
"Gin…" Greg soothed, his hand instinctively covering hers as he pulled her away from the window and turned her to look at him. "He's a politician now." He reasoned. "It's probably all he was allowed to say. But you know him… you know it's not how he feels."
Ginny chewed on the inside of her lip for several seconds, eyes red rimmed and nostrils flared, before she blew out a sharp breath and her shoulders sagged a little.
"Fine." She huffed, sounding rather choked up. "You're probably right."
"We don't have to go back in there if you don't want to." Greg offered, pulling her closer and brushing a few wayward strands of hair out of her face.
Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, a heavy sigh falling from her lips as she leaned into his touch, before she swallowed thickly and nodded. "Yeah…" she sniffled. "I think I want to go home."
"Okay." Greg agreed. "Then we'll go. …I'll go and tell the others that we're leaving. Meet you at the floo in five?"
By the time Gregory stepped out of the floo and into the Burrow's cosy living room, Ginny had already flung herself onto the sofa, the skirt of her dress billowing around her and making her look like she was sitting on a fluffy cloud.
"There any room left for me?" Greg asked, suppressing a grin.
"Always." Ginny replied and gathered up her skirt to make some space for him on the sofa.
He smiled at her, before he walked over to the old three-seater and dropped into the now empty space beside her.
"Finally." Ginny sighed, sinking a little deeper into the cushions and letting her head fall back against the back rest. "I just needed to get out of there."
"Was it really that bad?" Greg challenged. He knew that she was upset about the lack of speech from the Minster, but before that she seemed to really enjoy herself. Ginny was a social butterfly. She was charismatic and funny, and incredibly kind, and everyone liked her. Maybe it had to do with her growing up in such a big family, but she seemed more at ease when she was surrounded by people and, therefore, had been completely in her element tonight.
"No, I suppose not." Ginny agreed reluctantly. "It was nice to see my mum and dad have some fun for once. I don't think they get out a lot these days."
Greg hummed in agreement and took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze, and Ginny instantly interlocked her fingers with his. They fell into the comfortable silence and Greg closed his eyes, solely focusing on the noises around him. The house was unusually quiet, the only sound coming from the low crackling fire in the hearth, accompanied by the steady ticking of a great grandfather clock on the opposite side of the room. Outside the winter breeze was rustling through leafless branches, and somewhere in the distance he could hear a steady dripping from a leaking tap.
Greg's heart leapt as a sudden realisation hit him, and he opened his eyes. They were alone. Just the two of them, with no one to disturb them (lest for the ghoul in the attic, and he never showed his face anyway).
Heart thumping in his chest, he sucked in a deep breath and blew it back out in a long, steady stream of air, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in his stomach.
"This is nice." Ginny hummed appreciatively, seemingly oblivious to the sudden change in his demeanour. "Very peaceful."
Her thumb had begun to draw small circles over the sensitive skin on Greg's wrist, each of them sending hot tingles through his hand and all the way up his arm. He exhaled shakily. Peaceful was the last thing he was feeling right now. His whole body was buzzing with nervous energy.
"You know…" Ginny pressed on. "I know I got a bit upset at the end, but I actually had a really lovely evening." Her thumb ventured further up his arm, gently pushing underneath the cuffs of his dress-shirt and instantly setting his skin on fire. "Thank you for being my date."
"Sure." Greg rasped, a mortifying quiver in his voice. "I had fun, too."
"Mhmm" Ginny hummed, fingers parting with his, so her hand could continue its journey up his arm. "I loved the dancing. You're really good at it."
Greg swallowed hard, desperately trying to ignore the way Ginny's hand had wrapped around his bicep and was slowly gliding up towards his shoulder, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
"I told you, I had lessons as a kid." He shrugged, trying (and failing) for nonchalance.
"Still." Ginny said, her voice sounding low and breathy all of a sudden. "That was really impressive… and quite sexy."
"Ginny…" Greg huffed, but before he could say anything else, Ginny had pushed herself up and straddled him, which instantly wiped his mind blank.
"So incredibly sexy." She pressed on, her hands clasping the front of his shirt, as she looked down at his lips, mouth slightly parted and pupils blown.
A raspy, strangled sound escaped Greg's throat, but it was swallowed quickly by Ginny's lips, as she finally leaned in and pressed them against his in a searing kiss.
It was wild and passionate, and so deliciously needy, that it instantly took his breath away.
Ginny let out a soft moan, her hands beginning to wander up his chest and across his neck, all the way to his face where they cupped his cheeks.
"I've been wanting to do this all evening." She breathed between kisses, as she spread her knees a little wider and adjusted her seat.
Greg groaned; his trousers growing uncomfortably tight.
It was intoxicating, the weight of her body on top of him, her thighs pressed firmly against his lap…
Hazy with lust, his hands slid underneath the bunched-up fabric of her dress, across the silky skin of her thighs and all the way to the delicious curve of her butt. Ginny moaned as he gave her buttocks an indulgent squeeze, and rocked her hips, the slow grind against his thigh sending bolts of desire straight to his core.
"Fuck." He swore, completely overwhelmed and yet desperate for more.
Gripping her arse firmly, he pulled her closer until her core was pressed flush against his groin, his cock achingly hard in his trousers as he fought the urge to thrust up against her.
Trying to refocus his attention, he began to kiss her neck, slowly tracing his lips across the delicate skin just below her ear and working his way all the way down to her collarbone.
She gasped as he sucked her skin there, gently pulling it between his teeth, before swiping his tongue soothingly across it, and she gave another involuntary jerk of her hips.
Greg let out a low grunt as a bolt of pleasure shot straight through him.
"Gods Ginny. Don't do that." He croaked, quickly pulling his hands out from underneath her dress and placing them on both sides of her hips to steady her.
"But it feels so good." She keened, clutching his shoulders tightly as she began to move her hips once more. They both groaned as her core rubbed firmly against his throbbing length, causing Greg's mouth to fall open with pleasure, as she continued to grind against him, repeating the same movement over and over again.
He was going to come in his pants. There was absolutely no way of stopping it.
Fingers digging into her hips, he let his head drop back against the sofa, his chest heaving as the tension in his lower abdomen built.
He was so close. Just a few more strokes and…
"Ginny, dear! Are you home?" Molly Weasley's voice echoed from the hallway.
The front door slammed shut, and with a bolt of panic Greg practically threw Ginny off him and brought as much distance between them as the three-seater sofa allowed.
"Oh Gods!" Ginny breathed, eyes wide with shock, as she frantically pushed her dress back down and tried to rearrange her hair, before yelling "We're here mum! In the living room."
"Oh, there you are!" Molly huffed, walking into the room just as Ginny threw a cushion into Greg's lap to hide his still very prominent erection. "Ron said you two left a while ago. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Ginny informed "I was just tired and asked Greg to take me home."
"Well, that's very nice of you to take care of her like that." Molly directed at Greg, a fond look on her face. "Ginny is very lucky to have you as a friend."
"Of course!" Greg choked out, heat creeping into his cheeks. He was sure that if Mrs Weasley knew what the two of them had just been up to, she would change her opinion about him very quickly.
"Did you have a good evening, mum?" Ginny threw in, clearly trying to avert her mother's attention from him.
"Oh, yes it was lovely." Molly sighed. "It was nice to see so many familiar faces. You know, I don't think your father and I go out enough anymore. And I'm so proud of you all." She added affectionately. "To see how quickly you've all learned to overcome your differences…it's wonderful. It gives me hope." She smiled down at them, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Mum…" Ginny began, but Molly quickly waved her off.
"Yes, well, anyway…" She sniffled, and Greg got the distinct impression that she was trying to change the subject, before any of them had the opportunity to get too emotional. "Hermione looked very happy tonight, don't you think? You know that Draco Malfoy looks at her as if she's hung the moon. And Harry with the Parkinson girl…so lovely to see." She crooned, a knowing, slightly sentimental expression on her face as she looked down at them. "All my babies are growing up so fast."
"Well, time will do that to us." Ginny said, her ears going a little red as she shifted awkwardly in her seat.
"Yes, I suppose it will." Molly mused, eyes twinkling knowingly. "But anyway…" she said, waving a dismissive hand. "How about we go and get changed into more comfortable clothes and then I'll make us all a cup of hot chocolate while we wait for the others to come home?"
"That sounds great, mum. Thanks." Ginny confirmed, offering her mother a sweet smile. "We'll come join you in the kitchen in a minute."
As soon as Mrs Weasley had left the room, Greg let out a relieved groan.
"Bloody hell." He breathed, taking the cushion off his lap and throwing it back at Ginny. "You know I like your mum, I really do… but she has the worst timing ever."
Ginny caught the cushion with ease, a wide grin spreading on her lips. "It's the years and years of experience." She said wisely. "The woman raised six boys, before me."
Greg blew out a heavy breath and shook his head. "Unbelievable."
"Hey." Ginny soothed, crawling over to him to place a soft kiss on his lips. "There'll be other times."
That cheered Greg up a little and he managed a little smile.
"Promise?" He asked, quirking a quizzical eyebrow at her.
"Promise!" Ginny confirmed and sealed it with another kiss. "But you know my mum will just come back if we don't get moving soon, right?"
"Yeah…" he sighed. "I know." And, feeling rather reluctant, he stood up and straightened his jacket, before holding a hand out to Ginny. "Come on then, Princess." He smirked. "Let's go."