Envy and Manipulations: Rewrite 36

by rrabbit

Sixteen year old Ginny Weasley has her first summer job at the Folk Hills Country Club, the most prestigious high society club in the wizarding world. When Draco Malfoy comes home from his summer internship at the Ministry of Magic things get complicated, dark, and twisted. Rewrite.

6. Chapter 6

I was being thoroughly seduced.

I knew it, I just didn't care. It felt too good to care. Even though I knew it was bad and a part of it was wrong, I just couldn't let myself stop. I was almost addicted to the way he was making me feel and I was constantly thinking about him...The way his voice sounded, the smell of his cologne... even the way his fingers felt against my skin were all categorized and tucked away in my brain to be brought up and recalled whenever I saw fit. Which seemed to be quite often, embarrassingly enough. After the first night I let him into my room, he would sneak in just about every night afterward to share my bed.

Not in that way, though. I never let myself get too carried away but I was learning new things about my body. Like where I wanted to be touched and what turned me on. Pansy had been right, Draco was a good teacher and I was so obsessed with the way he was making my body feel that I was an eager student to return the favor once I was completely satisfied. I never pictured myself as the kind of girl who would be sucking off her boyfriend while her parents were down the hall, but I was changing and I think everyone could see it.

"What are you thinking about now?" I look at Dr. Carroll as she stares at me curiously and I nearly laugh. Oral sex with my boyfriend doesn't seem like the best thing to bring up right now. "You seemed so far away."

"Nothing," I shrug it off and glance out the window again. "Just admiring the view."

"You mentioned earlier that you have been having vivid dreams again," she presses and I nod my head. "What of?"

"I've had them before," I tell her honestly and I glance at her from the corner of my eyes. "The dining hall dream... Do you remember me telling you that one?" I ask. It was one that had scared me so terribly when I was small. I would refuse to sleep for days after having it. She nods her head and I continue. "I've had that one recently, and the one where I can't wash the blood off my hands."

"Is there anything different about the nightmares now?" she asks as she writes something down on the notepad.

"They're not nightmares anymore," I state and she blinks at me behind her glasses. "They don't feel the same." I explain and then I turn my body towards her so I can really tell her about it. "I mean, the dead people are still in the hall with their mouths sewn shut and the Basilisk is still slithering around me... but it doesn't feel the same anymore. I'm not frightened... And Tom... Tom isn't there."

"Do you think it's because you've conquered your fear of him?" she asks and I raise an eyebrow. "You're no longer afraid in the dark hall and he's no longer sitting at the head of the table because you know he's not real and he can't hurt you anymore."

"I don't know," I say as I bring my fingers up to my mouth so I can chew on my nails.

"Perhaps Tom's empty chair is your subconscious telling you that you own your dreams now. That what once scared you is now gone."

"His chair isn't empty," I point out. I can picture Draco sitting there in his black suit, lifting his wine glass in my direction.

Maybe it's Draco who owns my dreams now.

"Someone else sits in the chair now?" she asks, writing more furiously on the paper. We had talked about this dream at length when I was twelve. I know she knows everything about it.

"Yes."

"Who?" she questions further and I chew so hard on my thumb nail that it breaks.

"Draco," I say softly, like admitting it was shameful.

"Your boyfriend?" she says and I nod my head, not looking at her because I know what the implications of him sitting in that chair could mean. "How does that make you feel?"

I snort. She only says that when she doesn't know what else to say to me. "I'm not afraid of him like I was afraid of Tom," I point out. "And I'm not tied to the chair either. I could move if I wanted and I actually..." I trail off.

I don't want to tell her about the kinky sex part because that's just all kinds of messed up, even for me.

"Anyways," I shake my head. "Let's talk about something else," I say because I don't want to dig any deeper into that certain area of my brain.

"What would you like to talk about, Ginny?" She asks in a patient voice and I shrug my shoulders. "Do your parents know about your relationship with the Malfoy boy?"

I start laughing.

"Why is that funny?" she asks with a frown and I shake my head with a bitter smile on my face.

"Could you imagine?" I ask out loud. "They would never let me out of the house again."

"You think your parents wouldn't approve of him?"

"Think?" I question sarcastically. "I know they wouldn't. They hate his family and everything they stand for."

"Why do you like him?"

I glance at her again. "I don't know," I say with a half shrug. "I just do. I like the way he makes me feel."

Inside and out, actually.

"Does some of it have to do with rebelling against your parents?" she asks.

"Honestly," I say as I blink a few times. "Maybe some of it... but I do really like him."

"That's always a good thing," she says and I nod my head. "Does he make you laugh?"

"Yes," I say quickly. I actually don't like talking about this with her. "Did you watch the Falcons game on Thursday?"

We talk about that for a while before she tries to steer the conversation back to my dreams. I'm glad when the session is over. Of course, my irritating mother is waiting for me in the waiting room and she grills me on how it went. I stay tight lipped about the whole thing because, frankly, it's none of her business.

She takes me out to eat for dinner. Which surprises me because she usually never does that. We sit down at a small restaurant in Diagon Alley that she favors and she tells me to order whatever I want. I am suspicious of her motives and when she starts grilling me again about my sessions with Dr. Carroll I realize why I am being treated to a night out.

"That's all personal," I tell her, popping a bit of roast beef in my mouth. She looks out the window. She isn't very relaxed and she seems on edge. "I just talk to her about work and stuff," I say to get her off my back.

"You know…" she looks at me. "You can always talk to me too." I resist making a face. "If you ever…" she trails off, trying to find the right words. "If you are starting to feel off again I really want you to come to me."

Off.

That word makes me pause and suddenly find myself not wanting to eat anymore.

"I will," I lie as I put the fork down and sit back. "Thanks Mum."

She thinks she got through to me and she pats my hand.

When we're done eating, we walk to the safe App Zone…. But my mum is acting strange. She keeps letting her eyes dart around the road and she clenches her hand around her wand. I ask her a couple times if she's okay but she just brushes my concerns aside.

We Apparate. just outside the gate to our home and I start thinking about Draco. A small smile comes to my face as I remember what we did when he came over last night. How he had me turn a different way so he could use his fingers on me while I used my mouth on him at the same time. I blush a bit when I remember all the bad things he was saying. He can have such a dirty mouth. He is never shy about it like I am. He never seems timid or embarrassed. I wonder sometimes what it must be like to be him. He is so confident and so sure of himself all the time… It must be nice.

I really hope he comes again tonight.

Besides the whole fooling around part, I actually like talking to him. He's so smart and witty and he makes me feel important because he actually listens to what I have to say. His light eyes look right into mine when I speak and he gives me his full attention which can be kind of intimidating because he is such an intense person… but it's not so scary when he's being sweet. Not when he smiles, tucks hair behind my ear, and watches my lips as I tell him anything and everything that's been on my mind. If he finds me annoying, he doesn't show it. I'm sure that I can be irritating… sometimes I can feel myself talking too much and too fast about things I know he wouldn't find interesting… but he is patient with me and gives me encouraging little half smiles as I work my way through what I want to say.

I've even opened up some about the chamber and my dreams… things I have never spoken about to anyone but Dr. Carroll before. He takes it all in with casual understanding- not the morbid curiosity I got after it all happened and people found themselves needing to know every gory detail.

He doesn't just let me get away with talking his ear off, though. Sometimes he can be argumentative and unwilling to see things my way. Sure, he doesn't always agree with what I have to say but at least he's not ignoring me… At least he doesn't brush me aside thinking I'm too naive to know better. He challenges me on my thoughts and feelings and makes me second guess the conclusions that I have drawn about the people and things in my life that I thought were so absolute.

The truth was pathetically simple.

I just needed a friend and he was more than willing to fill that void… but he was more than that and it was hard sometimes for me to figure out just what I wanted from him.

He has so many different faces. He was a sweet, caring boyfriend. The prudish aristocrat who hated when I wore short skirts or plunging tops and made sure I knew it. The domineering Malfoy heir and the sexy, handsome guy who liked to touch me and say dirty things into my ear to make me blush. He could be silly and he would play like when he threw me around the pool at Folk Hills but sometimes it was more adult and serious. It promised something else once I was ready to give it to him.

Like when he pulls me down on his lap facing my vanity mirror after he makes me clean my room again and then he chastises me for letting it get so messy. His hand disappears inside my knickers and he presses his mouth to my ear as he tells me how disappointed he is that I don't listen to him while I feel his body firm underneath me that tells me that he actually likes that I don't listen to him in certain instances after all… and I find myself liking it too because his fingers were so skillful and his tongue was full of sin.

These adult games were thrilling to me and I realized that beyond the sexy stuff and feather light kisses in public… I just liked him… I liked everything about him… even when he was being assertive and difficult.

I never thought I would think that about a person like him… That I would wait up each night- eager to tell Draco Malfoy about my day. That I would try to remember conversations and interactions with people that I knew just so I could talk to him about it later. That I would want to share with him things from my childhood that I've never brought up before and talk about people in my life that are no longer around. People who I miss like my grandparents who have all passed away… and people that we've lost… Like Percy who refuses to go against the Ministry's agenda and has cut himself out of our lives. I've never had a relationship like that before… one where my physical wants matched up so perfectly with my emotional needs.

Is this what falling in love feels like?

"Ginny?" she says. I blink out of my thoughts and look at her.

"Hm?" I say softly and she gives me an odd knowing smile before opening the door.

"Nothing," she says with a pleased glint to her eye before we go inside.

The kitchen is full of people and I stop in the doorway as I look around the table at all the morose faces.

Tonks and Remus sit at one side of the table next to Bill and Fleur. Charlie is sitting by our father and he gives me a sad little smile in greeting. Kinsley is standing against the wall speaking in a low whisper to Mad-Eye Moody. And Snape... Snape is staring right at me.

"Why is the Order here?" I question as I step further into the room.

"Arthur, what has happened?" Mum asks as she brushes past me to get to my Dad.

"Ginny," Dad says as he stands up and puts his hand on my back. "Why don't you go upstairs?"

"No," I say as I push his hand off. Everyone looks concerned and I want to know what's going on. "What happened?"

Harry, Hermione, and my brother cross my mind and I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Go to your room, Ginevra," my mother says and I give her a look.

"I'm almost of age," I point out. "I can handle information too."

"Perhaps it is best if she knows," Remus says as he glances at me. "She will find out from the papers eventually anyways."

"Find out what?" I question in confusion.

My father stares at my mother and then back to me. "Let's sort through this first," he says and when I realize he's siding with Mum, I nearly scream. "Go upstairs, Gin," he says, squeezing my shoulder because he knows I'm getting upset. "We'll let you know the important things later. After we've talked through the kinks."

"Are you kidding me? That's bullshit."

"Ginny!" My mother hisses, but I don't hang around for the scolding she was going to give me. I resist stomping up the stairs, though I want to. I just don't want to prove their point of me being too young to handle tough information.

My hands are shaking. I'm so mad that I nearly punch a hole in the wall as I walk towards my room with angry, stiff steps. All my rage is now centered on my mother for reasons unknown to me… I guess she's just an easy target.

I've been through things too. It's like they all forget that. It's not fair that everyone treats me like I'm some useless little kid who can't be trusted. Constantly keeping me in the dark about important things… and dangling the knowledge right in front of me before pulling it up at the last moment.

Well I am not going to be that compliant little girl today. I'm going to figure out what's going on whether they like it or not.

I dig through my vanity drawer, pulling out the extendable ear. It really has come in handy. I go back to the hallway and sit at the top of the stairs, putting one end of the flesh colored string in my ear and letting the other roll down the stairs until it curls around the post in search of voices. It takes a few moments before I actually hear someone talking, but when I hear Remus' voice, I smirk in victory.

"The papers are going to say it was a robbery gone wrong," He says and I tilt my head to hear better. "They've covered their tracks to make it look like a botched break in."

"But they haven't found a body?" My mother asks and I sneer when I hear her voice because I am so fed up with her.

"No." That's Tonk's voice. Her voice is quite deep for a woman. "But there was blood found at the scene. I think we can assume that she's dead."

Dead?

"Do you truly believe this is tied in with Voldemort and his people? They've been keeping such a low profile," Dad says and a chill goes up my spine when I realize they're talking about Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

I see Tom again. He stands in front of me and smiles that handsome smile of his. I clench my eyes shut and push him away.

"The only reason they would take or hurt Minerva would be to get to Dumbledore. We all know he's missing and I think Voldemort is looking for him. Trying to search him out," Remus says seriously and I furrow my brows. Dumbledore's missing... and Minerva? As in Minerva McGonagall? "He can't get to Harry with Dumbledore still around. Everyone knows that."

"What if she's still alive?" My father asks sadly. "Being held somewhere for information?"

"The Auror department isn't looking into it as a missing persons case," That voice is deep and raspy. I figure it must be Kinsley. "Voldemort has people everywhere," he adds savagely. "If we believe Minerva is still alive, which I believe she may be, then we will have to find her without the help of the Ministry. They are under Voldemort's wing, whether they know it or not."

"But why Minerva?" My mother asks.

"I think it's a message," Remus replies, his voice serious and unhappy.

"To who?" Mum asks. I can tell she's crying.

"To us."

There is a heavy pause. The guilt and sadness is so thick it rises up the stairs so I can feel it too.

"Where is Dumbledore?" I sit up straight when I hear Charlie. He always had such a nice voice… Strong and smooth. "Why hasn't he contacted anyone?"

"We're not sure, but he made it known that he wasn't returning to Hogwarts in the fall," Remus answers. "Only hinted at going back the second half of the year."

I start scratching my thigh with my free hand.

"Who's running the school in his absence?" My mother asks and then there's a very long and very uncomfortable silence. In fact, I thought the extendable ear might have been malfunctioning, so I took it out and blew on it a few times before putting it back in.

"Really?" Bill says flatly and I wish I was in the freaking room so I could know what's going on.

"I assure you I am not pleased with this outcome either," I raise a brow when I hear Snape. I had forgotten he was in the room and his disdainful voice gives me chills. "If this was all the meeting was for then I will take my leave."

His footsteps come towards the stairs. I scramble, trying to get the extendable ear out of the way before he sees it. Once I have it all gathered, I stand up and hide it behind my back when I see Snape's black cloak peeking past from the bottom of the stairs. I can see his head now, and he pauses a moment before looking up- right at me. His black eyes are surveying me oddly and I stare right back until he sneers and walks out the door with a slam of the screen door.

Creep.

Things start moving around downstairs, so I head towards my room in fear of getting caught spying. I wish Hermione was here so she could talk me through this and figure out exactly what's happening. McGonagall is missing, feared dead, and the Auror department isn't doing anything about it? It makes my stomach hurt and I sit down on my bed as I stare at the wall. If she's really dead, I think it would just tear me up.

I really like Professor McGonagall. She was a good teacher and an excellent Head of House, but most of all she was very kind to me after the events of my first year. I spent many sleepless nights in her office, sipping tea and nibbling on biscuits when the nightmares would keep me awake. She never made me feel bad or guilty for it and I never got in trouble for being out of bed after hours.

I like her very much.

I feel like I should cry, but nothing seems to come out. I feel almost numb with the information and for a second I wish I wouldn't have eavesdropped so I could stay blissfully unaware. Maybe my parents were right…Maybe I am too young to know these kinds of heavy things… but they did say they didn't find a body. That means she might still be alive like Kinsley suggested. There's hope in that… but that means the Death Eaters are moving now and making plans.

It's kind of frightening to think about and I grab my pillow to hold it to my chest.

Maybe they're talking about another Minerva... but honestly... who else is named freaking Minerva?

My father knocks on my door after some time and asks to come in. He tells me goodnight and nothing else. He kisses my head before he leaves and I can't seem to move. If the Death Eaters are moving that means he's really back. Of course I believed Harry… Of course I did… but I didn't want it to be real…. Because if he's back…then what does that mean for me? Perhaps nothing. I'm not important… but the little girl still trapped in the Chamber of Secrets stirs within my chest and she's screaming at the thought of Tom Riddle returning from the ashes to whisper his blood soaked promises in her ear.

For some reason I think of Harry. I know how scared I am and I wonder if he is just as frightened. I know he's brave… I know that… but Lord Voldemort had killed his parents. He was doomed to a childhood of abuse and neglect and then thrown into our world with this shadow hanging over him that has never quite left him. Maybe my mother was right. Maybe I should write to him. I did understand, after all, what it was like to be haunted by Tom Riddle. I wonder if the handsome Slytherin was rolling around in Harry's head as he rolled around in mine.

I walk over to my little desk with its chipped white paint and one wobbly leg. I take a seat and pull out a piece of fresh parchment. It's stupid, isn't it? A letter like this would never get to him. I would hope that he was hidden well enough that nothing could touch him… but I guess I could try. Maybe he would like it… I know everyone thinks he fancies me all of a sudden but maybe he was just toying with the idea so he did have someone at home to think about him just like my mother said.

I take out a quill and inkwell.

Harry, I start. It seems so stupid, but I press on. I've been thinking about you a lot. Isn't that what my mother said boys who are in danger like to hear? I hope you are doing well… Well, I know he's probably not doing well but I resist scratching that part out. I hope you are safe. For some reason I think of Dr. Carroll. How she had said that it was calming to know Harry Potter was out in the world even with all its darkness. I think of his shoes peeking out from the bottom of his invisibility cloak at the falcons game… I miss you… Did I miss him? I'm not sure…. all… I add so he doesn't get the wrong idea. I know things are hard right now but I wanted you to know that I…

I stop. I literally don't know what else to write. The quill hovers the parchment and I can't seem to form another word. I could tell him about myself, but I highly doubt he would want to know that. He's never asked me before so why would he want to read about it? I put the quill down and push away from the desk. It was a stupid idea anyways. I turn off the light and go back to the bed, pulling the pillow back to my lap as I stare ahead of me and try not to think dark thoughts about what's to come.

It feels like hours before a tap at my window shakes me from the weird daze I find myself trapped in.

I see Draco there, waiting to be let in.

He's smartened up and started bringing his broom so he wouldn't have to climb up the drain pipe each time.

"Hey," he greets me when I open the window for him. "I didn't mean to come over unannounced, but I wanted to see you," he says as he climbs into my room, propping his broom up against the wall.

He's wearing a hunter green rain cloak and his hair is soaked.

"It's raining," he points out because I keep on staring at the state he's in. He takes off his cloak and hangs it across my chair as I turn on the light to see him better. "It started pouring on my way here," he says as he takes off his leather riding gloves with an unpleasant look on his face like just the thought of it upset him. "I thought I wanted the ride to clear my head but it just managed to piss me off."

He sits down at my desk chair to remove his boots… They are black pebbled leather and caked in mud. His outfit seems so strange to me right now. Black trousers with a long sleeved black shirt? That doesn't seem like something a person would wear on a hot and rainy summer night.

"Are you alright?" he asks once all of his things are settled and he finally gets a look at me. "You look pale."

"Draco," I say his name slowly as I walk towards my bed and take a seat again. He takes out his wand and does the special locking charm before placing it on my nightstand and taking a seat beside me. I look him square in the eyes. "Do you think Lord Voldemort is back?"

He studies my face for a second before looking away.

"Why do you ask that?" he asks, staring at the wall. I look down at my knees awkwardly, resisting the urge to scratch.

"Harry saw him come back," I say, trying to feel out his opinion on the matter. "What do you believe?"

"That is one thing..." he says slowly, trying to find the right words. There's a long pause and I put my hand on his knee to bring him back to the conversation. He glances at me. "No," he says firmly, like he decided what he wanted to say. "I don't think he's back," he finishes, looking away again.

"So you really don't believe Harry and what he went through?" I ask. He doesn't answer. "I heard that McGonagall is missing."

His sharp eyes snap to mine. "Where did you hear that?"

I don't want to tell him how I know. The fact that the Order meets occasionally at my house doesn't seem like a secret I should tell… even to him. Especially to him. That nagging feeling is back…That one that tugs on my heart and asks me why am I with someone I don't think I can trust? I stomp it away. I don't need to worry about that right now.

"They think she may be dead," I say, ignoring his question as he stands up, towering over me. His reaction seems quite odd to me, but talking about Lord Voldemort and death is uncomfortable for everyone. "They think Death Eaters did it."

"Who thinks that?" he asks coldly and I stand up as well with my brows knitted together.

"Why are you being so short with me?" I ask. I just wanted to talk about it, be comforted. If Hermione was here this would be an easy conversation to work through. "It's just... if it's true it is very sad... and very scary."

I am very sad and very scared is what I really meant to say.

"You shouldn't be afraid," he says as he looks into my eyes, his eyes softening the slightest bit. "You have nothing to worry about."

"How can I not worry about it?" I ask seriously as he runs his thumb over my chin, staring at me like he was trying to remember each freckle on my face.

It kind of weirds me out the way he's staring right now, if I was being honest.

"Do you..." I trail off.

I was going to ask him what his thoughts were on the matter. That if he found out Lord Voldemort had actually returned- would he side with him? Would his father? I suppose a part of me doesn't want to know the answer, so I don't finish the question.

"Nevermind," I say with a head shake as I pull away from him and sit back on the bed, pulling a pillow to my lap.

"Zabini is having people over tonight," he says, switching the subject. "I think we should go."

"Why?" I ask because it seems like such an odd thing and his voice is so sharp.

"Because I want to," he says shortly as he walks back to my window so he can put on his boots. "I've had a long day," he sighs, his voice more gentle like he was trying to soften his initial words. "I would like to hang out for a little while."

"I don't know." My head is still reeling from the discussion in the kitchen. I don't know if I'd be able to go to a party when there was so much darkness knocking around in my brain. "I think I'm going to stay here," I tell him as I set the pillow aside. I stand up and walk towards my vanity. I start taking out my earrings and I place them in the little cup I use for jewelry pieces. I'm still in the clothes I wore to Dr. Carroll's office and a pair of sweats sounds really good right about now. "It doesn't sound fun to me tonight."

He walks up behind me and I see him looking at me in the mirror as he puts his hands on my hips, pulling me back into his chest.

"Come with me," he says, bending down to kiss my neck.

Seduction again.

I lean into the kiss before shaking my head and pulling myself away. I can't let him manipulate me all the time into doing what he wants just because he's so sexy.

"I'm not feeling it," I say dismissively as I try to slink out of his grip.

He holds firm. It always seems to surprise me when he uses his strength because it reminds me how weak I am in comparison.

"It will take your mind off things," he says, staring at my reflection. I stare right back until he sighs. "Please?" he asks softly while raising one of his brows.

I think of McGonagall and Dumbledore... and my parents… who didn't even want me to know what the hell is going on out there. I find my eyes narrowing. There's a prickling anger in my heart at the idea of being pushed out again... Of being left in the dark to walk into a hell no one bothered to warn me about and then telling me I'm the stupid one for not knowing what I was getting into.

Realizing they would positively hate it if I went with Draco right now, I decide it is in my best interest to go.

I don't say anything for a few moments as I stare at him and then I look down.

"Only for a little while."

He smiles in triumph and places a gentle kiss on my shoulder.

"Thank you," he says as he walks back to his boots.

I slip on my gold sandals and try to make myself look presentable. I'm wearing a pair of dark jeans and a plain white blouse that closes with strings in the front like a peasant top. I ask Draco if my outfit is okay because, honestly, I never know what I'm walking into with his friends. Sometimes they're all lounging around in street clothes and sometimes everyone is wearing fancy dresses and suits. There never seems to be any rhyme or reason to it. He tells me it's fine and not to worry- but I can't help but worry when I always feel so out of place.

He sits down on my desk chair to watch me get ready and I spare him a little look before turning back to the mirror. He tilts his head with his arms crossed as he watches me touch up my makeup. I glance at him again. He smiles. He is always staring at me. His sharp gray eyes are constantly raking over my body or watching my face with this intense expression that sometimes makes me uncomfortable because no one has ever actually looked at me like he has. I can feel it burning into my skin, leaving invisible marks just like his touches seem to do. It never seems to embarrass him that I notice or that sometimes the way he stares at me makes me blush. It's almost like he just thinks it's his right to look at me whenever and however he wants. Like I'm on this earth just to be viewed by him and touched by him and kissed by him and–

"You look beautiful," he says, cutting off my thoughts. I give him a little smile before trying to do something with my unruly hair. "I like it down," he says thoughtfully as I let out a frustrated sigh when I can't seem to put it in a ponytail without it having annoying bumps that won't brush down. "And I like it up," he adds, giving me a devilish smirk as he stands up and grips the ponytail to yank my head back. I feel that thrill go through me as he smirks down at me. "I definitely like it like this," he says before leaning down to kiss me. "Makes it easier to grab," he says with a wicked grin. "But," he pulls out the hair tie so my hair goes tumbling down my back and he places a sweet kiss on my cheek. "I want to leave- so hurry up."

I sigh before deciding to twist it up in a clip with some pieces hanging down in the front. Simple enough. He picks up his cloak and puts it over my shoulders, clasping it at my throat before throwing up the hood.

"It's still raining," he explains with a little smirk. "Can't have you getting wet prematurely, now can we?"

I can't help but laugh at him and I smile fondly as he puts on his leather riding gloves, liking everything about him again.

He opens my window and angles his broom outside to hop on. Then he scoots back and offers me his hand as the rain drizzles down from black clouds.

"Come on, then," he sighs, water droplets clinging to his face as I climb out the window and settle in front of him with his chest pressed into my back.

He wraps his arms around my waist and sets his hands firmly on the front of the broom so he can angle it towards the dirt road on the other side of the fence. Sitting on a broom but not being the one to fly it feels weird. The magic used to make it move isn't mine and I can feel Draco's magic vibrate between my thighs as he puts his chin on my shoulder. It was a weird, funny feeling. The ward barrier shimmers when we pass through it and the rain settles into a light drizzle as he angles the broom down to stop at the safe app zone in the far fields across from my house.

"There is no way in hell we're riding all the way to Zabini's," he says before lifting his wand and grabbing me around the waist.

Before I can stop him- he pops us away.

"That could have woken up my parents," I say when we land, pulling away from him and giving him an annoyed look.

He just shrugs and pockets his wand. I realize that I didn't even bring my own and I mentally scold myself for it before turning to look up at the house.

My hood falls back and I try not to gasp out loud at the sight.

It isn't Zabini's summer home on the lake. It's a magnificent manor house and I stare up at it as the gate opens slowly right in front of us. It's not raining here and I look at Draco as he uses his sleeve to wipe off the water from his face with an annoyed scowl. I try not to show how impressed I am and I have to fix my face when I feel Draco's eyes on me. I have never seen a house like it before. Large and beautiful, it sits on a sprawling ground of green, healthy grass and colorful flower beds. It tells a story I didn't care to know full of memories of years long gone past full of ghosts and shadows and history. I look around for a code pad- but there isn't one and I give Draco a troubled look. If they had more complex guards- that gate shouldn't have opened unless the Secret Keeper told us the password themselves.

"Do they not have wards?" I ask worriedly as he grabs my hand to walk us forward, trying not to be intimidated by the large house in the distance.

Every light seems to be on inside. It looks like a monster alive in the dark. Three stories tall and flanked by two window lined turrets, the manor was made of yellow bricks and smooth, white stones.

"He must have taken them down," he says as he puts the broom under his left arm. We walk to the house along a candle lit path and I try to keep up with his long strides as I hold onto his leather gloved hand. I can hear the music from here … It's beating and blaring into the nighttime air. "Blaise does that a lot," he says, glancing at me before looking back at the house. "He thinks it's funny."

"Why would that be funny?" I ask, frowning at the thought. Anybody could just come into your house without wards… and I bet a big house like this has a lot of valuable things.

"Because Zabini doesn't give a shit about anything," he answers, annoyed at the very thought of it. "Or anyone."

I don't ask anymore questions because it's clear Draco doesn't want to answer them.

When we walk up the stairs to get to the front door, I find myself feeling nervous and I use my free hand to grab his forearm. I can tell there are a lot of people inside. I can hear their voices and see them silhouetted through the lighted windows panes. I can't help but think about the party at Draco's lake house. How bad that turned out to be and I wonder if those same people are here tonight… the same people who saw Draco kiss me so roughly and then take me outside to scold me for being so stupid.

I can sense Draco staring at me so I look up at him, trying to mask my worry- but he could see it anyway.

"Stay close to me," he says, his eyes flicking down to my lips as he puts his hand on one of the curved door handles.

I nod in understanding as he pulls it open.

Blaise is having people over was an understatement.

The house is packed and people have to move aside for us to get in because so many were standing by the front door. The bodies filled up the large foyer with a cloud of colorful smoke hanging over their heads, spinning and curling in the air. There was a disc jockey by the grand staircase… some older guy with sunglasses on who was pounding party music so loudly that it vibrated the walls and rattled the windows. He was wearing an old fashioned pointed witches hat that spun around on his head like a record. People were falling all over the place with drinks in their hands and so many of them were smoking inside. I felt my lip curl back in disgust at it because it just seemed so gross to do.

Such a beautiful house… being completely destroyed and disrespected.

"This looks fun," I state thickly as a group of drunk crying girls pass us.

I glance at Draco as he looks around the crowd, his eyes narrowed hatefully. I take off the cloak because it's so hot inside and fold it over my arm. There are just too many people… and I don't recognize any of them. I feel like Blaise should have charged a cover for them all to get in and I try not to make eye contact with any of them as Draco leads us through the crowd.

"I didn't know so many people were going to be here," Draco says, sounding irritated. "I don't enjoy large parties like this one," he adds as he steers me through the crowd, his broom still firm under his arm. "Do not leave my side tonight," he demands and I roll my eyes before accepting the drink someone hands me. "And..." he says as he takes the drink away from me and pours it out in one of the random plants. "Do not accept drinks from strangers. Come on, Ginny," he says with a head shake. "Drinking 101."

"What kind of people are at this party?" I ask him suspiciously because he seems so on edge.

"People out of their social grade," he says with disdain and I look at his profile as I follow him through the house. There is something different about him tonight… He is usually so put together but I notice he does have a little stubble on his face and his hair hasn't been combed… but maybe that is from the broom ride.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asks dryly.

I look away quickly. "I'm not staring," I mutter, embarrassed that he noticed.

When we reach the kitchens, a drafty stone room at the back of the house, I finally see someone I know. Blaise is mixing up some kind of drink in a blender with a cigarette planted behind his ear for safe keeping. He's using his wand to make it work, his face set and serious as he watches whatever is inside swirl around and around… I glance around the room. It's a dark space with black patterned wallpaper and a large stone fireplace that takes up an entire wall. Three cauldrons hang over the top of a rather impressive looking fire. They have potions glowing inside of them…Green, red, and purple. I can see them bubbling and sparking and people are stepping up to take drinks out of the giant ladles that are sticking out.

"Couldn't keep away could you, Malfoy?" he says, smirking when he notices us.

It looks like he's gotten a haircut since I last saw him… The shaggy curls at the side of his head are gone, replaced by a more closely cropped style that's longer on the top. Like Draco's, I realize…. But the texture of Blaise's hair would never allow for the tidiness that Draco has and the curls left to him still sat unkept and tousled on top of his head.

"Did you invite every low life in Knockturn Alley?" Draco asks in disdain as he looks around the room with his nose slightly crinkled. "Honestly, this is disgusting."

Blaise shrugs a shoulder as he turns on the blender again with a swish of his wand.

"It started small and then my dealer showed up..." he looks at me and smiles. I guess it's because I made a face at hearing him say 'my dealer.' "You understand how these things get out of hand."

Draco rolls his eyes and then glances at me before walking towards a closed cabinet below the sink. He hands Zabini his broom and Blaise makes an annoyed face by the gesture before he walks over to me.

"Would you like for me to take your cloak, princess?" he asks snidely, his arm out to take it from me as I watch Draco unlock the cabinet with a swish of his wand. "Since, apparently, I'm a fucking house elf?"

I hand it to him just so he'll stop talking to me. He disappears for a moment before returning empty handed and he goes back to his blended drink, taking the whole thing off of the base and taking a large swig of it.

"What do you want to drink?" Draco asks, snapping me away from looking at Zabini who now has a purple mustache from his drink.

He's taking out bottles from under the sink and he places them on the wooden butcher block counter.

"Whatever you're having is fine."

He gives me a little smile as he takes off his gloves and then he stuffs them in his back pocket.

"Come here."

I take his offered hand and he pulls me in front of him. He rests his chin on my shoulder for a moment, sighing as we look at the four bottles in front of us. He puts his hands on my hips and kind of shimmies them back and forth, making me laugh at the silliness of it before he stops with his mouth against my ear.

"This one is firewhisky," he says, his hand tapping the top of a fancy looking bottle with an amber liquid inside as he lets his left hand tuck into the front pocket of my jeans. "Not like the shit at the pub," he explains. "It will burn at first but after that it will taste like heaven."

He taps the second bottle. It has a clear liquid inside and a yellow label I can't read.

"I can mix this one for you," he says. "You won't be able to taste it but it's very strong so I would like for you not to choose this one," I nod in understanding. "This one is already flavored." His fingers brush the green bottle next. "It should taste like apples but, you know… it never actually tastes like what it says but you'd be able to drink it straight. I think you'll like it, actually."

I look up when someone runs into one of the cauldrons. The man cusses loudly and then laughs as the cauldron sways in the air, clinking against the other two as whatever glowing drink was inside spills over and sizzles on the floor. In the commotion, I notice Zabini watching us from across the kitchen island, his face unreadable. I look away quickly because I don't like it when he looks at me like that.

"And this?" I ask, reaching out to touch the last bottle. It's made of twisted red glass so I can't tell what the liquid inside is.

I can feel him smile against my ear.

"It's called Flaming Vodka. There is no way to make that bearable. You have to shoot it back and hope for the best."

I look up at the cauldrons again. People keep coming in to drink from them and I glance at Zabini as he hops on the counter.

"What is in those?"

"Nothing for you," Zabini says, giving me a look. "Now hurry up and pick something so I can lock those up again. I don't want to waste good alcohol on anyone here."

I bite the corner of my lip as I try to decide which one I want to try.

I could pretend to be a badass bitch and choose the Flaming Vodka. I could pretend to be like Draco and choose the firewhisky that would eventually taste like heaven…I could annoy Draco and choose the drink I know he won't let me have… or I could be myself.

I grab the green apple one.

Zabini hops off the counter and finds us a couple glasses. He frosts them with a spell as Draco unscrews the lid and pours a drink for me. I watch the yellow-green liquid fall into the glass. It smells good. He hands it to me and watches as I take a little sip.

I smile a little for him. "I like it."

"I thought you would."

He turns to the bottles and picks up the Flaming Vodka. I give him a surprised look as he unscrews the lid and pours a heavy amount into his glass. He takes out his wand and lights a fire on the top of it. The flames are red and they dance around as if stuck in a windstorm. He downs it all in one shot and then shudders a bit, lifting his shoulders and shaking his head before pouring himself another. I look at Zabini. He's putting the other bottles back under the sink and then he sends a look to Draco. It's a strange one that I can't place, but Draco doesn't seem to notice it.

I watch him take another shot. Another shiver and shudder.

"How do you know these people?" I ask Blaise as I glance around because it looks like Draco is determined to get drunk.

Most of them do look rather rough and there's a group of homeless looking men in the corner smoking something from a large pipe dressed in soiled, dirty clothes.

"I don't," he says with a shrug as Draco pours himself another. "But that is half the fun and..." he says as he smirks at the people in the room. "I want the house looking nice for when my mother and new step dad arrive home," he says with a wink. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go play host."

He leaves with whatever drink he made in the blender and I turn my body towards Draco again. "Do you suppose Pansy and Daphne are here?" I ask as I crane my neck to look into one of the other rooms.

"I suppose they are," he answers, his voice sounding strange from the alcohol. I can feel him staring at me as I look around. "Would you prefer their company tonight?" he asks coldly and I spare him a little glance.

"Of course not," I say to sooth his ego or whatever it is that's bothering him.

He takes another shot before putting the bottle away and I let him take my hand even though I can already tell he's going to be difficult tonight.

"Let's find somewhere else to stand. I detest the smell of tree hugger," he says as he eyes the homeless men in the corner, specifically the one who's wearing a well worn tie dye shirt and a bizarre looking hat. "Why would you even let people like this into your house?" he asks, more to himself than to me. "Zabini has no self respect."

I nearly laugh at his snobbish comment, but try to bite it back when I realize how serious he is. His hand grips mine tightly as I follow him into a large sitting room. The walls are a strange shade of blue and golden curtains sweep the hardwood floors. There isn't much breathing space and it's hard to get through the sea of bodies as they dance to the music the DJ is playing from the front hall. Good thing for Draco, because he just pushes people aside. His rudeness and lack of decency for other human beings does come in handy sometimes.

The music is making my heart thump painfully. It's so loud and I don't like it. I'm glad when Draco keeps walking because I don't think I could stand being anywhere near that front hall. More shoves, more pushes, and every once in a while he will glance back at me to make sure I'm still doing okay. Sometimes he smiles. Sometimes he glares and tells me to keep up.

So I glare right back and tell him to stop walking so fast.

There are half naked girls dancing on tables, guys smoking things that make colorful smoke curl up to the high ceilings, and people are throwing back rainbow hued jelly shots out of little plastic containers. It's a little overwhelming and I don't like how anxious it made me feel.

We end up in a room at the other end of the house where the music isn't so loud and the smoke isn't so thick. It must be some kind of game room because there are framed Quidditch jerseys on the walls, a billiards table at the center, and a dart board in the far left corner. It seemed very manly as well, with a stuffed lion's head and other dead animals mounted on the walls.

"This is charming," I say as I eye the lion's head, permanently snarling against blood red wallpaper that's moving and swirling around.

"My ears don't feel like bleeding back here," is Draco's response. I laugh as he throws back his drink and then sets it on a table already littered with plastic cups.

I don't even remember him pouring himself another one.

I find an empty, clean looking, section in the room and I lean against the wall with Draco by my side. I think he's looking at me. I glance at him. Yeah, definitely looking.

"What?" I say uncomfortably as I bring a hand up to my face.

He smiles in an odd kind of way and then he takes one of the strands of hair I kept out to frame my face.

"What color is your hair, exactly?" he asks as he twirls it around his finger like it was the most fascinating thing he's ever seen. He props his hand up beside my head to make himself more comfortable.

"Uh, red," I say because I'm awesome with words. I take a small sip from my apple drink and look nervously around the room.

He shakes his head.

"Not really," he says as he looks at it. His cheeks are flushed from the alcohol and I wonder if he's drunk already. "It's brown and orange with a little bit of red... if the light hits it just right, it almost looks copper."

"I didn't realize you paid so much attention to my hair," I say with a pleased smile because this conversation is making my stomach flutter nicely.

"I pay attention to everything about you," he says seriously before he grabs my glass and takes a large drink from it. He moves again until he's right in front me, his hand still propped up by my head- demanding all my attention. I can't look over or around him anymore so I settle to just stare at his face. "I can't help it."

When he looks at me again, I smile. I don't mind the view, I guess.

He takes another drink and then narrows his eyes as he looks at the wallpaper behind my head. There's a heaviness to him tonight and I can't ignore it anymore.

"Are you okay?" I ask after a pause.

"What do you mean?" He asks, raising his eyebrow as he flicks his eyes to mine.

"You seem kind of off tonight."

He stares at me before looking away.

"I had a bad day," he admits in a low voice.

I run my hand up his chest. He looks at me and then down at the hand I let rest on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had a bad day," I say and he tilts his head, like he was trying to read my expression. "I wish I could make it better.

"Hm," is all he says and then he smirks darkly at me like he was about to say something sinful as he leans down, but someone says his name. The person also taps on his shoulder, breaking our little moment and making him turn around.

"Draco," Cho. Ew. "Ginny," she adds, looking at me like I had killed her Grandmother or something. Draco keeps his hand propped up by my head and I notice it curl into an annoyed fist. "How are you guys doing?" she asks awkwardly.

She looks pretty, like always, and I mentally sneer at that fact. Why is she talking to us right now? And why is her dress so tight? I look down at my own clothes and frown… I should have worn something nicer.

Draco doesn't say anything, so I glance at him. This is getting weird and Draco is just looking at her like she ruined his whole day by existing. I feel guilty and step in.

"We're good," I say, giving her a fake smile, wishing Draco would move a little bit more so I could see her better. She seems relieved that I said something and she peeks around Draco's shoulder to see me. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," she says, flicking a glance at Draco as he eyes her coolly and continues to drink my drink. "I'm really sorry, but, Draco... can I talk to you for a moment?"

"No," he says and I give him a surprised look as Cho's face heats in embarrassment.

"But–"

"I said no," he says firmly and even I'm embarrassed for her as he turns his back on her. He is back on me, blocking out Cho and the rest of the room as he places himself right in front of me again. He hands me my glass back and sucks his lower lip between his teeth as he reaches out with his free hand to run over the top of my jeans.

"Don't be mean," I whisper, pushing his hand away with a blush. His eyes flick to mine and he sighs loudly when he sees the look on my face. He turns and steps back so I can see Cho again.

I actually don't know why I care so much, to be honest. I don't even like Cho, but she's never been mean to me... and Draco... he can just be cruel sometimes. Cho makes me jealous and I hate that she was with Draco, but I don't know... I just don't like that dismissive way he is treating her. Maybe it's because I fear one day he will be that way to me.

"I'll be right back," I say as I start walking away so she can talk to him.

"I told you to stay by me," he says as he grabs my wrist and yanks me back to the wall. My drink sloshes over the top a bit from the movement, leaving my hand sticky. I give him an annoyed look that he ignores. "Whatever she needs to say- she can just say it right here."

This is all kinds of awkward now.

Cho doesn't say anything to that. She just gives Draco one cold glare that makes me feel terrible because I'm not sure if she's glaring at him because of the way he's treating her or the way he's treating me.

"Draco," I say softly, waiting until he looks down at me. "Just go talk to her."

He eyes me for a few moments before flicking a glance at Cho.

"Fine," he says sharply before turning on me again and caging me back against the wall so I can't see anything else but him. The swiftness of it surprises me and I nearly spill my drink on the ground. Both of his hands are now on the wall on either side of my head and he tilts his chin down to look at me. "You do not move from this spot," he orders, waiting until I make eye contact with him and then raising his eyebrows. "Do you understand?"

I nod my head to placate him and then roll my eyes at how ridiculous he is when he moves to turn away. He sees it, unfortunately.

"Ginny," he says my name sharply so I'll look up. "I'm serious. I want to be able to find you easily when I come back."

"I get it," I say, annoyed and embarrassed again for the way he's acting.

I narrow my eyes as he walks into another room with Cho and I sink back against the wall.

I have no idea why I let that happen.

I wonder what she has to talk to him about right now. Is it serious? Oh God, is she pregnant? I take a large drink from my glass, letting it swish around in my mouth for a moment as I try not to think terrible thoughts. I did catch them doing something terrible in that supply closet at Folk Hills that one time. It could be possible. My stomach starts to hurt at the thought of it. That would explain why she has to talk to him so badly all the damn time.

What would I do if that was the case?

What if she's not pregnant and she just wants him back? She is prettier than I am. A petite, beautiful girl with raven hair who could keep up with him because she's so much smarter than I am too. Ugh. I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but now I'm completely paranoid and after ten minutes I figure that they have had enough alone time together so I start craning my neck over the crowd to see if they're coming back. I stay in my spot and I cross my arms, trying not to look like a lonely loser with no friends as Draco's voice comes back to me….

You do not move from this spot…. I don't want to stand here by myself anymore… Do you understand? I exhale slowly and slump against the wall again.

I can see a few people eyeing me now as they come in and out of the room… A few older men are playing billiards and I really don't like the look of them so I turn away and take little sips of my drink as I pretend to find the lion's head completely fascinating. Snarling teeth… golden fake eyes… tawny fur… A fight breaks out near me and I shrink away from it as they take it into another room. Something breaks… Someone shouts…. A spell shoots past my head and shatters a window. I'm reminded again that I didn't bring my wand and I can just imagine what Draco would say if he knew.

Nothing good, that's for sure.

I start biting my thumb nail anxiously. A guy comes up and I can feel him beside me… but I refuse to look. After a while, he sighs loudly and moves around so he's standing right in front of me, practically forcing me to look at him. He's shorter than I am and he has a scraggly beard. He calls me ginger and asks me why I'm all alone.

"I'm just waiting for someone to come back," I say, giving him a tense smile.

"You look like you want something."

"I don't want anything," I say, turning around to dismiss him.

"Here," he moves again to slide in front of me and he hands me a little green pill that looks like a dragon. "First ones free. You want some more?" He smiles, showing overlapping yellow teeth. He opens up his jacket pocket and takes out a small plastic baggie. "That green dragon takes you high. The purple ones take you low… and the yellow ones make you feel like you're swimming in sound."

"I don't want anything," I say, pushing the pill back at him and glancing around the room again, trying to spot Draco but finding him nowhere.

Why is he taking so long?

I feel a little panicked now, actually, and I send a worried look to the short man in front of me.

"Hey now," he says, his bushy brows furrowed. "You don't have to be that way."

I turn my back on him.

"Hey," he says, tapping my shoulder. I shrug him off. "I told you not to be that way. We can be friends, right? A pretty thing like you–"

I push off the wall and start walking into one of the other rooms. I'm just going to find them. Draco can't be that annoyed with me. I push through the crowd, looking around to see if I can spot Draco's trademark blonde hair… but I can't find them anywhere and that makes me mad too. Where could they be? I don't even see a familiar face among the crowd. Just a bunch of strangers, dancing and sweating and drinking together.

After another rough looking man grabs my ass when I pass by, I decide that wandering around by myself isn't the best course of action so I leave the most crowded areas and head towards the more secluded back hallways where people are snogging and doing harder drugs that make me nervous.

I'm almost relieved when I see Ivy sitting down on a narrow staircase facing the back of the house.

"Thank God," I whisper as I push through some more people to get to her. "Ivy," I say to get her attention. She's with some bloke I've never seen before and when she notices me, her eyes narrow the slightest bit.

"Hey," I say when I reach her. I don't know her very well, actually. She is in my year, but she's always been a snobby bitch to me in all of our classes together. Not that it's any surprise, to be honest. Pansy was the same way until I became her friend. I give her a tight smile. "Have you seen Draco?"

"No," she says like I was trespassing on some serious conversation and just ruining her life by being near her.

"Okay," I say as I try not to snap back at her. A couple of people on brooms pass by overhead, drunkenly running along the walls and knocking paintings over. "Is your sister here?"

"No," she says again as she looks me up and down. Her light eyes slowly take in my simple top and dark colored jeans. It makes me uncomfortable and that's probably why she's doing it.

What a bitch.

"Where is she?" I ask to keep the conversation going because, even though she's acting like she would rather be talking to a disgusting spider, I still don't want to stand by myself.

"I'm not her keeper," she says and then she smiles unpleasantly at the guy by her side. "Cyrus, this is Malfoy's girlfriend," she says meanly as I nervously tug down my shirt, feeling bad in my own skin. "Malfoy's girlfriend, this is Cyrus."

"I have a name," I mumble as I bite the inside of my cheek. I wanted it to sound mean, but it ended up sounding kind of pathetic.

I just want her to be nice to me. I'm willing to be nice to her so I don't have to be alone here anymore.

"It doesn't matter what your name is," she says as she stands up. Cyrus stands up as well and I send him a nervous look. She's holding a bottle of some kind of alcohol and her eyes are glassy. I'm guessing she's drunk but I don't know her well enough to say. "You have one defining title. Malfoy's girlfriend. That's all you are to us and I really don't want to get to know you. So don't come up to me acting like we're friends," she says and I feel the anger pressing on my chest. "Not when you've fucked everything up."

"I didn't fuck anything up," I say. Why is my voice so soft? Why can't I muster up some kind of courage to be rude?

What is it with this need to prove myself to people and wanting people who clearly don't like me to like me?

"You know Millie." She covers a burp. She's definitely drunk. "Well, she's one of my best mates and she has liked Draco for years. Years and then you come in and just take him from that idiot Cho Chang like it was nothing and all of sudden he's bringing you all over and making my sister be your fucking best friend."

"I'm not trying to start a fight," I say, my voice sounding strange. "I just…" I look around, aware of the eyes on us. "I don't really know anyone here…"

"You don't know me," she says sharply.

"I know," I say quickly, embarrassed. "I just wanted to know where Draco was. That's all."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're looking for Malfoy because he's the only reason we all have to suffer being around you this summer," she says, nodding her head as she looks at me again. "Let's just see how long that lasts, right? How long are you going to hold his attention? Because after that, you go back to being nothing. A used nothing at that because we all know what Malfoy is doing to you and you're just fucking letting him, aren't you? You know what that makes you, don't you?"

I clench my jaw and stare at her.

"Paying for all your shit. Giving you money. Buying you new clothes that you so desperately need," she says, flicking her eyes down to my second hand blouse. "What does he get in return? What would a girl like you have to offer a guy like him, huh?"

"Ivy…" Her friend seems to warn her but she brushes him off. "Ivy," he hisses again, trying to get her attention by grabbing her arm and yanking hard. "I was at that party," he whispers, flicking nervous eyes at me. "I saw what he did to that bloke she was dancing with–"

"Get off of me," she said, throwing his arm off and rounding on me again. "We all know what you're doing for him," It's clear what she means… and it makes me think of what Draco and I do in my bedroom at night once my parents go to sleep. Did he tell his friends about that? Do they know? I thought I was having fun with my boyfriend… I thought I was doing something that felt good and right but now I feel disgusting. "That is the only reason he's even looking at you." My face feels hot. I want to look away but I feel frozen… stuck in my spot. "So what does that make you, Weasley?"

Whore.

The word hangs between us. She doesn't say it but we all know what she's getting at.

"So. Malfoy's girlfriend is a lot better than calling you what you truly are, isn't it?"

She walks past me, checking my shoulder with her own and making me spill my drink all over my shirt. My temper won't allow me to hold back my tongue. Not when she's being so damn mean to me. The hurt gets replaced by anger. It's either that or I'm going to start crying and I really don't want to do that in front of her.

"Do you know what your defining title is?" I ask and she glances at me over her shoulder.

I have to amp myself up for this one if I'm really going to let myself say it.

"What's that?" she asks with a delicate eyebrow arched. She looks so much like Pansy right now.

"Stupid pug nosed slut."

Oh, God. I really said it.

I can see her eyes flame in anger and she turns around fully to give me her full attention. "What did you just say to me?" she snaps and I stand my ground.

"I think you heard me," I say as I try to tilt my chin up to be brave.

"Call me a slut again," she says as she reaches into the pocket of her skinny black jeans to pull out her wand. "Call me a slut again, you filthy fucking blood traitor."

As soon as I see it, I realize a little late in the fighting game that I, in fact, did not bring my wand with me. My anger flares at yet another cruel jab and I glare at her.

"I also called you stupid," I say, unable to stop my mouth. "Want me to repeat that one too?"

She lifts her wand.

"Ivy," her friend grips her arm and they share a look as he shakes his head. "Please don't," he says and she gives me one last hateful look before putting her wand away.

Please don't…

"Just remember what you are, Weasley," she says and then her eyes flick down my body again, a cruel delight shining in her eyes like she found exactly the right words she wanted to say next. "You know, they do say fat girls give the best head. I guess that would explain a few things."

I suck in a breath like she had punched me. I can't help the shame and embarrassment that washes over me at her words and I feel it creep up my neck and across my cheeks. It was an awful thing to say and I felt the tears pop instantly to my eyes. She smiles cruelly before letting herself get pulled away.

I let out a shaky breath and then look around the hall. I realize most of the people in the vicinity have stopped what they are doing to watch and I feel incredibly embarrassed. … We all know what Malfoy's doing to you. I feel sick and I want to cry. And you're just fucking letting him, aren't you? I look down at my shirt now stained in green and clench and unclench my fist a few times as I try to control my emotions. Whore… I feel really uncomfortable all of a sudden… like I wanted to scratch my skin until it all came off in pieces. I can't stand it anymore. I put my empty glass down and run up the stairs.

Fat girls give the best head.

I run into the first empty room that I find and I shut the door behind me, wiping away any trace of tears that I had let fall on my way up the stairs. There's one light on by the bed… a fancy looking lamp made of colored glass. I walk towards it, sitting down heavily on the mattress and crossing my arms tightly over my chest. I try not to be upset… I try not to be bothered by some angry fucking drunk girl who has never been nice to me anyways… but her words had cut deep and I feel really bad about myself.

I was just starting to like my body.

Maybe she is right. I can't pretend that I haven't questioned why he even wants me in the first place. Draco is so attractive he wouldn't need me to have sex with him. He could find a willing girl anywhere he chose to look… but if doing things like that was all he wanted from me… so much so that all his friends knew… then why?

I know why….and it had nothing to do with me.

Not really.

The fear comes back to me. The joke. The hoax. The painful whispers that tell me I'm not good enough and I'm just there as a tool to hurt other people. Tom used me to hurt students and lure Harry… Now maybe Draco's using me for the same thing. I suddenly wished I had more clothes on… some baggy sweatshirt and loose fitting pants. Fat. Am I fat? I look down and frown at my own body… I had let Draco see me all of me so often now… what if he thought I was fat too? What if that was funny to him?

God, I hate thinking about it.

I kick my leg in frustration. It does no good so I try to distract myself by looking around the room. It's quite lovely, actually. Totally untouched by the revelry downstairs, the bedroom is a nice pale green color with a beautifully sculpted ceiling that's home to a golden chandelier that hangs down low over the bed. The carpet is white, clean, and the furniture is dark wood with black marble tops. There is a large mirror on the wall over the bed in a gilded frame and I glance at it, wondering of its placement because it served almost like a headboard.

Why would you want that there while you were sleeping?

Maybe this was a guest room. It didn't look like anyone actually stayed in here. I open the drawer on the bedside table just to do something with my hands so I don't scratch them down my thighs again.

There's a well worn book with some pages dogeared inside… and a broken pocket watch opened with a cracked face. I move them to the side to see a whole package of condoms and a half empty pack of cigarettes. I pull them out and then smell them.

Blaise.

Is this his room? I look around again. There is nothing else that would hint towards it being his. No broom against the wall… No jacket hanging over a chair… no book or papers or even an errand quill. It all looks so perfect and untouched… so annoyingly clean… I put the cigarette pack back and then I move aside a few other stupid things before finding last year's Hogwarts yearbook. I pull it out to look at it. My parents never buy the yearbook. It's too expensive so I'm actually kind of interested to see what it looks like.

It's divided by houses- with Hufflepuff in the front. Followed by Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and finally Gryffindor. I skim through the pages until I find Luna's picture. She's smiling and waving at something just to the right of the camera and she has flowers intertwined in her long, wavy hair. She went all out for picture day last year and I remember her spending the better part of the day sticking those wild flowers in her hair.

I miss Luna.

Stupid Theodore Nott.

I flip through the pages and notice a few of the pictures have been circled with a bright green marker. All of them are girls, pretty girls, and I make a disgusted face when I figure it must be like a collection of girls Blaise has slept with or wants to sleep with. Cho is circled as well as her friend Hannah Abbot and Claire Walker. Daphne is circled, as well as Millicent, but Pansy isn't and it confuses me. Obviously Blaise has slept with her considering they are 'kind of' together.

Before I can make it to my own house, a piece of paper falls out of the book from between the pages and I bend down to pick it up.

It looks like a saying of some sort and the handwriting is neat and loopy, like a girl's.

From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.

I furrow my brows as I read it again. I don't recognize it but it sounds familiar. What is it supposed to mean? Someone starts to turn the handle on the door and it makes me jump into action. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, so I stuff the yearbook back into the drawer and close it. I realize too late that I still have that bit of paper so I put it in my pocket.

I glance at the door when it opens and immediately make a face when I see Zabini.

"Oh, you look thrilled to see me," he says sarcastically. "I'm sorry, were you waiting on someone else to come and ravish you on my bed?"

"Shut up," I mutter. "I didn't know this was your room."

I wipe my face again quickly to make sure there is no lingering emotion and I can feel him staring at me.

"Right," he says as he walks over to the bed and I hold my breath as he opens up the drawer I was rummaging through.

He pauses for a second as he looks down at it and then he pulls out the pack of cigarettes.

"I'll never be annoyed when I see a pretty girl sitting on my bed," he says. He takes a seat beside me and he puts one of the cigarettes in his mouth, lighting it with his wand and then he immediately turns on all the lights. I blink against it- the sudden brightness hurting my eyes. "But, it is a well established rule that no one goes into my room unless I invite them."

He said that so seriously that it made me feel like he was angry with me.

"I'm sorry. I just needed to get away from the crowd," I admit. I can see him looking at my chest and I'm annoyed for half a second before I realize he's probably just looking at the green stain there. "There are just so many people here."

"I bet that you're a bit bothered over calling Ivy Parkinson a stupid slut, eh?" he says and when I glare at him, he smirks and flicks ashes onto the floor. I stare at them because the place looks so meticulously clean and he was so disrespectful to whoever had to clean up his messes. "News travels fast in these circles if you haven't noticed. You had every right to call her that," he says and I glance at him. "She is a bit of a whore… and obviously very stupid. She's really going to regret this one in the morning."

Whore.

The word is like a lead balloon that falls on my stomach. I make a face and he notices it.

"I don't understand why so many of your friends are so awful," I whisper, trying not to hear Ivy's terrible words but they come to me anyways, making me grab a pillow to cover up my body.

He's staring at me again. I can feel it but I'm not going to look at him this time.

"Those Parkinson girls are especially good at sniffing out insecurities," he says, his eyes back on my chest. This time I know he's not looking at the stain. I pull the pillow up a little higher and tuck it under my chin. "Taking one of the best things about you and trying to twist it so you hate it," he says, his eyes flicking to mine again. "Everyone is going to try to take you down a few notches so you should start getting used to it now."

"Why?" I whisper. There's emotion in my voice and it embarrasses me.

"You're an easy target," he says seriously and that doesn't make me feel any better so I find myself turning away from him even more. "You could own them, you know," he whispers after a long bout of silence as he inhales a long drag and then blows the smoke from the corner of his mouth.

"What?"

He smirks at me.

"Everyone downstairs... All of our acquaintances," he says as he nods back to the door. "You could own them and you have no clue."

"What do you mean?" I question and he laughs again. God, he's pretty. It's almost disgusting how pretty he is.

"You're so naive it hurts," he says and when I go to protest he cuts me off. "You have something every girl we know wants," he says and I narrow my eyes.

"And what's that?" I ask hatefully.

"Well, besides a charming personality," he adds with a rueful grin. I glare again. "You have a Malfoy and not just any Malfoy... The Malfoy," he says and he turns his body so his leg is crossed on the bed and pressing into my side.

"What does that even mean?"

I mean, I like Draco and all, but come on. Not everyone has to want him. It is not my defining title like Ivy had said. I'm more than just Draco's girlfriend and I know plenty of people who don't think he's all that great. In fact, most of the people I know think he's pretty awful.

"It's like chess, you see," He takes out the spare cigarettes from his pack and starts arranging them on the mattress as he scoots back. "The board is life, right?" he says as he motions to the bed. "And everyone is positioned in certain places on each side of the board, right?"

"Right," I say, trying to understand.

"And they all have their purpose in the big scheme of things," he says. "You move someone forward, someone gets taken out of the game, someone waits in the back for their turn to strike, someone protects the king..." he trails off and looks at me. "Do you understand yet?" he asks and I raise an eyebrow.

"Not really," I say and he rolls his eyes. "Draco is an important person on the board?" I ask, looking down at the cigarettes on his bed.

"Well, he's no pawn. That's for sure." He laughs again. "You know, the annoying fucking thing about Malfoy is that he usually will make you ask for it," he says, squinting his eyes. "People always want something from him. People always want to take because they think it's his responsibility to give just because he has so damn much. He could fix a lot of things for you… He would take care of a lot of your problems," he says, bopping my chin with his knuckle so I'll look up. "Make it so stupid bitches won't make you cry again… but you'll have to ask him. I think he gets off on it. Making people ask him for shit."

All you have to do is ask…

"I don't get where this is going," I tell him honestly.

"Draco's not just an important piece on the board, honey," he says and I cringe at the sweet pet name. He flicks more ashes on the floor and holds the burning cigarette in his left hand. He looks down at his makeshift chess board and then looks back at me with his amber eyes shining. "He's not a piece," he repeats. "He's one of the players."

"So, what does that make me?" I whisper and he smirks while reaching into his pocket and taking out a coin.

"The most powerful piece on the board," he says with a sly smile as he places it on the bed with the other silly chess pieces. "You're the queen, baby."

"Blaise."

Our heads snap to the doorway where Draco is standing.

"Draco," Blaise greets as he gathers his cigarettes and puts them back into the pack. "How good of you to join us."

"Why are you in here with her?" he asks coldly and Blaise's face changes at his tone. That lightheartedness that he seemed to have had vanishes when he looks at Draco. "Well?" He asks impatiently and Blaise stands up quickly, placing his cigarettes in the breast pocket of his red polo.

I look down at the bedspread where the coin is… a shining golden galleon.

You're the queen, baby.

"She was already here when I came in," he answers. Draco hasn't looked at me yet. Instead, he's staring hard at Zabini in a very awful way. "I just wanted to get something," he says as he pats his pocket. " I didn't know–"

"Why were you sitting on the bed if you just came in to get something?" Draco asks levelly and I stand up as well because I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with the tension in the room.

"It's not like that, Malfoy," Blaise says and then he sighs. "The door was open anyway," he says like it was obvious as he motions to the door. "You know I wouldn't–."

"You can leave now," Draco cuts him off and dismisses him coldly.

Blaise doesn't say anything, he just shakes his head and walks past Draco without another word. Once he's gone, Draco shuts the door and then turns towards me with a raised eyebrow like he was expecting an explanation from me.

"I just came in here to be by myself because I couldn't find you," I say quickly because I know why he seems suspicious. I wouldn't have appreciated it if I found him in one of these rooms sitting on a bed with Cho. "I didn't know it was his room."

"I told you to stay where you were," he says sharply and I let my shoulders slump at his tone. I've already had such a bad night- I don't know if I can handle one of his moods. "Why didn't you listen to me?"

"I went to find you," I admit, putting the pillow I was clutching back on the bed. "I didn't want to stand by myself anymore and some creepy guy was trying to sell me drugs–"

"You were the one who wanted me to go talk to her," he says hatefully. He seems angry with me. Legitimately angry and it confuses me. I already explained to him why I did what I did. It wasn't malicious- but he's still so mad. "I told you to stay put. I've been looking for you this whole damn time."

"I'm sorry. I just—"

"Just what?" he snaps.

"You have no reason to be this angry with me," I say, trying to stay calm so he will be calm too. "What did Cho want to talk about anyways?"

"Something stupid, like always," he says and I make a face because that doesn't explain anything. "That's why I didn't want to fucking talk to her, but I did because you told me to. I expected you to listen to me as well, but you didn't. Instead you ended up in a bedroom with one of my mates. So I have to do what you want– but fuck what I want, right?"

I swallow hard and look down to get away from his anger. I can't tell what he's mad about. Is he mad that I didn't listen to him and left the spot he told me not to leave- or is he mad that I was alone with Zabini? I'm not sure which thing to address. Both have simple explanations but it's like he refuses to see reason.

"You say that like we were doing something bad," I say in defense. "I just came up here to get away from the crowd and hopefully find you. Blaise came in later and just started talking. I didn't do anything with him... I don't even like him."

"What did he say to you?" he asks as he walks towards me. I don't like the way he's looking at me right now and I resist the urge to step back. "What were you two talking about?"

I shrug because if he can be annoyingly vague about his conversation with Cho... So can I.

"Chess."

"You were talking about chess?" he asks dryly and I nod my head. When he gets close enough he narrows his eyes. "That hardly seems believable."

"Do you think I cheated on you?" I ask and he doesn't say anything for a few moments. Is that why he's acting so out of sorts about this? My eyes soften a bit as I look at him. It's wild to me that a person as good looking and confident as Draco would ever have that fear. "I wouldn't cheat on you, Draco. I would never do that."

"You all say that until you do it and then somehow make it my fault."

I feel bad now. I know he's been burned in the past and I feel guilty for some reason- like I really had done something wrong. He watches me for a moment before he inhales a deep breath.

"Come on," he says as he grabs my hand, not half as angry as before. "Let's just go back to your house. It's almost three."

"Draco–"

"We'll talk about it later," he says levelly as we leave the room and head down the hallway. "But, for future reference, it is not okay for you to be alone in bedrooms with other blokes."

"Understandable," I agree because I kind of see his point… Kind of. It wasn't really appropriate even if it was innocent.

"I'm glad you understand," he says as he pushes people to the side as we walk down the stairs. "Don't let me catch you doing it again."

There was a threat there… something dark that I didn't like but I ignored it because I didn't like what it could mean. I resist throwing out a bratty "or what?" because I'm finding I don't like the answer when I do that. I don't like feeling this way… like I did something wrong. Like I had hurt him. I grab his shoulder and he stops, looking up at me from a couple stairs below. I don't want him to feel bad or unsure so I step down until we are eye level. I put my arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, pulling back only slightly to press my mouth to his ear so he can hear me over the awful music. A couple colorful spells shoot over my head but I don't even look up. "Don't be cross with me. You're the only one I want to be alone in a bedroom with."

I must have said the right thing because he pulls back and I can see the ghost of a smile turn his lips.

"Come on," he whispers, taking my hand a little more gently. "We're leaving."

Blaise had put Draco's things in a cloak closet down a back hallway and I stand still as Draco drapes his rain cloak around my shoulders, clasping it at my throat.

"You were right," he says and I look at him in surprise as he puts his broom under his arm. "We shouldn't have come."

He gives me a gentle kiss before taking my hand so we can push through the crowd. Someone knows Draco and stops him to talk as we make our way to the front door. I just stand beside him and hold his hand while he has a conversation with a guy who introduced himself to me with a polite handshake… but I couldn't hear him… so I just smiled and nodded because I didn't want to yell that I didn't hear him in the first place.

I look into one of the rooms when people start laughing and screaming. Someone had brought out cans of paint and they were all throwing it at each other… digging their hands into the red, blue, black, and yellow filled pails. Covering themselves and everything else in the room. I frown and move a little bit away from Draco to see better. The paint gets flung around, going all over the fine walls and shining floor in a way that makes my stomach hurt because this house was so beautiful and didn't deserve the abuse Blaise was allowing. There's a large painting over the elaborate fireplace. It's completely covered in red paint like someone had splashed an entire can on it alone. I can only make out the bottom of it now… a woman's crossed ankles in pale pink heels…

Blaise hops up on a fancy wooden table that's in front of a velvet yellow couch. A cigarette is hanging from his lips and he holds a bow and arrow in his hands. He dips the tip of the arrow in a can of black paint and then draws it taunt towards the painting. He tilts his head as he focuses before letting it fly. It hits somewhere where I imagine the woman's head is and then the crowd that was watching cheer as he smiles and spins around like he had done something amazing. Some drunk moron takes the bow from him and starts fiddling with it while a sexy girl in a dress covered in blue and yellow paint hands Blaise a drink. I watch him flick his lit cigarette onto the ground and take a large drink from the plastic cup.

He goes to hop from the table- but something stops him and he looks up… his eyes suddenly on mine.

I inhale sharply at the look on his face. It was that same cruel, intense look that Draco could get… only I've never seen it so hateful before.

He watches me for a moment and then a beautiful smile breaks his features. That odd look is gone, replaced by his usual nonchalance as he jumps to the floor and pulls the paint covered girl close to his chest.

"Let's go," Draco says, pulling me along as I tear my eyes away from Zabini.

When we leave, I look over my shoulder once to see Ivy and that Cyrus guy watching us from by the main staircase. I narrow my eyes at her and then put my hand on Draco's shoulder as he wraps his arm around my waist. I try to shake her words from my mind… but her cruelty had burned me and I felt it resting heavy on my heart. I wanted to hex her and tell her exactly everything that I thought about her stupid ugly face… but another part of me wanted to run away and never look at her again like a coward.

Draco puts on his riding gloves when we get outside the open gate and then he looks down at me with a strange look on his handsome face.

"What?" I ask but he says nothing as he grabs my waist and Apparates back to my house.

I don't even care about the noise. Draco flies us back to my bedroom and I climb in, trying to stop my racing mind from going to dark places. Places that tell me that Ivy was right. Places that tell me that I'm not good enough or worth anything at all.

I go to my vanity and I pull that little piece of parchment out of my pocket. I read it again before gingerly putting it down– but before I can even get a word out– Draco is on me with his gloved hands gripped around my hips.

"Ow," I say as he places hard, open mouthed kisses on my neck, pressing his chest into my back. He quickly takes off his riding gloves and sets them down in front of me and then his hands move straight to my jeans where he unbuttons them. "Wait…" He pushes them down my legs. "Will you just wait a second?"I say sharply, turning in his arms. "Just give me a minute."

He looks down at me and I know exactly what that look in his eyes means.

"One minute," he says like he was counting before dipping down and kissing me, grabbing my head to keep me in place and then undoing the clip in my hair. He throws it somewhere behind me as he forces my mouth open with his tongue to slide it along mine.

He must taste like that vodka because he was hot in my mouth.

"Draco," I put my hand on his chest and slightly push him back. "What has gotten into you?

"You have," he says, grabbing my waist and pulling me against him.

He kisses me again and gently pushes me on my bed before standing back to take off his shirt.

"Draco, can we just breathe for a second?"

"Why?" He takes a step forward and he trips on my jeans. He looks down at them and then up to me with a sinful look on his face.

"No," I shake my head as a little smile curls his lips because I know exactly what's going through his head.

"Your room is a mess," he says, ignoring me as he kicks the jeans to the side. "How many times do I have to tell you to clean it up?"

"We aren't going to play that right now," I huff, trying to stand up but he pushes me down again.

"I don't play," he says darkly as he starts unbuckling his belt. "Your shirt is messy too," he says, wetting his lower lip and glancing down at the green stain like he didn't notice it before. He puts his hands inside his boxers and starts stroking himself to attention. "Take it off." I don't move. "Take it off, Ginny, or I really will make you clean this fucking room."

We all know what you're letting him do…

I stand up and give him a dirty look before moving around him to go over to my dresser to grab some clothes.

"What's wrong?" he asks, his voice no longer sounding so dark and playful.

"I'm just not in the mood to do that," I say flatly, pulling out a pair of comfortable shorts to put on.

"Really?" he asks and I glance at him in the mirror. He looks confused. I haven't really said no to him before. Not like this.

"Have you…" I start fiddling with the parchment I took from Blaise's room. He watches me roll it on top of the wood. "Do you tell your friends about what we do?"

"What do you mean?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at my back.

"Like the…" I look at him again to find his eyebrow raised. "The sexy stuff," I say in a small voice. I can tell he wants to smile at the word, and I glare at him. "It's not funny."

"I don't tell anyone about what we do together," he says, coming up to me and making me look at him as he turns me in his arms. His face suddenly becomes so serious. "That's no one else's business."

Fat girls do give the best head…

I flinch at the thought and slink out of his arms to get away from him.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Your friends are really mean, did you know that?" I say as I go back to messing with the parchment.

"Well, yes I did know that," he jokes but when he sees that I'm actually upset he tilts his head. "Did Zabini say something to you? I told you to ignore–"

"It was Ivy Parkinson."

He blinks at me.

"She's not my friend," he says, like it made all the difference- but it doesn't.

"When I was looking around for you- I found her and thought I'd.. I don't know… ask if she knew where you might be."

He looks at me in the mirror, crossing his arms over his naked chest.

"And you know I didn't know anyone at that party and–"

"What happened?" he says flatly, impatient and wanting me to get to the point.

You could own then, you know… Zabini's words come back to me as I look at Draco…. All you have to do is ask.

I turn around.

He's irritated... Impatient now that he knows there is something he doesn't know… something I haven't told him yet. His pants are just hanging unbuckled on his hips and he's glaring at me.

I think of Ivy in her skin tight jeans and mean scowl and decide to tell him everything. It comes flowing out of my mouth like a steady stream… buried words covered in hurt- over lapping and sometimes sticking together as I tried to get it out. The Malfoy's girlfriend thing. How she implied I was a whore and that he was only dating me now because of it. I told him how that Cyrus guy stood there while she made me spill my drink all over myself and I told him she had called me a filthy fucking blood traitor.

I wasn't completely unfair- I did tell him about the names I had called her too- but saying it all together made it seem so tame compared to the blows she had given me. He stared at me while I talked, his expression hard and unchanging but I did see his eyes flash the slightest bit when I told him she had drawn her wand on me.

"What else?" he asks flatly when he senses there is more.

It takes me a moment to tell him about the last comment because that's the one that seemed to burn the most and I couldn't quite look at him when I said it out loud. A part of me didn't even want to tell him because it had embarrassed me so much but I knew he wasn't going to let it drop unless I did. My eyes were burning with unshed tears at the thought of it because it was so crude and mean… and a part of me maybe thought there was truth to what she said. Maybe I was just a fat whore who gave her boyfriend head because he paid for everything. I hate thinking that way. It makes me want to tear my skin off and be someone else. When I was finished- I tilted my chin up to find a look on his face that I have never quite seen before.

It was almost there when I watched him pull himself from the lake after Millicent had pushed me in. It was a strange kind of calm fury and he stared at my face for a while before he said one word with a very sharp enunciation.

"What."

It wasn't a question and he pronounced it with a hard and heavy T at the end.

I didn't know one word could make me feel so uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the way he said it or the way his eyes narrowed so dangerously afterwards… but I suddenly felt very bad for Ivy Parkinson.

"But… she was pretty drunk…"

I don't know why I added that part. Maybe because he's so scary when he's angry and I felt like I had opened a door I shouldn't have.

He steps back and picks up his shirt.

"I'll be right back," he says flatly as he pulls it on.

He pockets his wand and buckles up his pants.

"Where are you going?" I ask, following him as he grabs his broom.

"I'm going to sober up some drunk people," he says as he pries open my window. "Stay here. I'll be back soon."

And then he leaves.

I sit by the window and watch the nighttime sky. I try to resist biting my nails as I wait for him and I try to imagine exactly what he's doing now at Zabini's manor house. It couldn't be that bad, could it? I have a temper… His voice comes to me as I scratch my fingers down my thigh. My anger can get away from me sometimes…. It's not so bad when it isn't directed at me, though. I try not to feel guilty. Maybe I shouldn't have told him. Maybe I should just handle things myself and not run and tattle to my scary boyfriend who can be cruel and temperamental… but I can't help but feel a bit pleased that it seemed to bother him as much as it had bothered me.

I find that I'm smiling and I bite it back, feeling like it's probably inappropriate to be so happy about it.

When I realize I'm still wearing the stained shirt, I get up quickly and take it off, trying to find something nice to put on… something pretty for when he comes back… and then I remember the extra things that came back in the bag of clothes and shoes I had tried to return to him. I go to my closet and turn on the light, stepping inside the small square area and pushing aside clothes until I find the sexy things.

There are only two of them and I suspect either Pansy or Draco put them in to mess with me. I never mentioned it and I've never worn them. They weren't anything I could exactly put in the hamper to let my mum potentially see- especially after she made so many comments on the knickers and bras she thought I bought myself.

They were simple enough. Just two little silk slips like one would wear under a fancy dress and I guess maybe that is what they are for… but they felt like something someone who was older would wear… someone who was different and confident and had sex. One was black and had lace along the top and bottom and the other was white with pretty little blue flowers on it. I'm not sure which one to pick… I feel like the black should only be worn when I'm ready to let him take me the way he wants…I shake my head and grab the white one. I take off my bra and slip it over my head. It feels cool and water-like against my skin.

Oh lord, is it short, though. I take off my knickers and shorts to put on the matching light blue ones and then I walk into the bedroom to look in the mirror. The material and fit makes it hug my body in a way that doesn't really hide much of anything and my breasts fill out the top, straining against the material that doesn't have much stretch to it. I look in the mirror again thinking of Ivy's cruelty and debate whether I should take it off or cover up with a cardigan.

No.

I am going to be brave.

I turn off all the lights so my parents don't think I'm awake and then I sit down on my bed to wait….and I wait and I wait and I wait. I wait so long that I end up laying down under the covers and I'm halfway asleep when I hear him climb back through the window.

"Ginny," he says deeply. I open my eyes and look up at him. He doesn't turn on the lights so it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to seeing him in the dark. "If anyone ever talks to you like that again, you had better take out your wand and put them in their place," he says seriously, putting his own wand on the nightstand. "No one is allowed to disrespect you like that. Do you understand?"

I nod my head. I definitely won't be telling him that I didn't bring my wand with me to the party. I don't want him to scold me for it when he's already on edge.

"If you don't do it," he starts as he unbuckles his belt. "Then I will - and I'm not nearly as nice as you are."

I scoot back more as he takes off his shirt and then he pulls the blanket down.

"What are you wearing?"

His eyes flick over the silk slip,

"Pajamas," I whisper.

He scoffs as he crawls on top of me, nudging my legs open. His hand runs up the side of my body to feel the material as he looks down at me in the moonlight.

"Why is this the first time I'm seeing this?" he asks heavily and I realize now that it was Pansy who had put them in after all. Definitely not for my benefit- but for his… just like everything else she seemed to do.

"Do you like it?" I ask nervously.

"Is water wet?" he asks rhetorically and then he smiles at me, his eyes shining. He brings his hand up and brushes hair out of my eyes, giving me such a sweet look. "Is Ginny beautiful?"

I smile at him, my stomach doing that wonderful twist again.

He settles between my open legs and sighs like he was finally allowing himself to relax as he lets his weight rest against me.

"What did you do?" I whisper as he places his forearms on either side of my body to hold himself up so he's not completely crushing me.

"She's not going to say shit like that to you again," he says seriously, lifting my left leg so he can hook it around his hip. The pretend sex… or dry humping as Daphne so eloquently put it… He's been doing it to me a lot lately, like he was trying to prepare my body for the steps it would one day take with him. "Let's just leave it at that."

I feel a shiver run through me and then I lean up to kiss him. I find a pleased smile on my face when he pulls back, but he still seems serious.

"You like that, don't you?" he says with another roll of his hips. I can just imagine what it will feel like when he's inside of me. "When I take care of things for you?"

I nod my head and run a hand through his hair, resting it on the nape of his neck so I can thread my fingers through his hair at the back of his head.

"I'll always take care of things for you," he says, his voice sounding different now. "As long as you're always waiting in bed for me by the time I'm done."

He leans down to kiss me and I open my mouth for him, letting his tongue slip against mine. He always knows exactly what to say to turn me on.

"You should have just stayed where I told you," he says against my lips then he rolls his hips against mine with a little more force to make his point. His erection rubs against that spot between my legs and I can feel myself getting warm. "Then none of that would have happened."

"Well," I bring a hand up to his back, feeling the smooth skin on his shoulder blade. "What did Cho want?"

"Nothing," he says, rolling his hips hard again.

That is obviously not true.

"Have you…" He leans down to kiss my neck. "You've slept with her, haven't you?"

I guess I never even thought to ask. Draco knew I didn't have any experience… but I didn't know just how much he had.

"No," he says, trailing open mouthed kisses down to my shoulder.

I make a face because I think he's lying again. "I caught you in that closet at Folk Hills, remember?"

The memory comes back to me… Her pink pretty bra and short tennis skirt… The way he looked at me…

"Just because we were fooling around doesn't mean I've ever fucked her." I cringe at how crude his words are. He just makes it sound so romantic, doesn't he? "I'm pretty selective with that." He looks down at me. "When you're in my position you have to be cautious."

I guess that makes sense. When you're as rich as he is I could see a lot of girls trying to trap him into something.

"How many girls have you slept with?"

"You really want to do this right now?" he asks, sounding annoyed. When I don't say anything, he sighs and rolls off of me, laying down on his back. I pout. I didn't really want him to stop what he was doing and the silk knickers are uncomfortable when they're wet. "I have only slept with two people," he says and I give him another look. "You don't believe me?"

"No."

To be honest, I thought his number would be a lot higher. He wasn't a man whore like Zabini- but he was just so confident I could see him getting it wherever and whenever he wanted. Isn't that what guys wanted, anyways? Sex whenever they wanted with any pretty girl they fancied?

"Well, it's true." I look away for a moment. "Just because I had sex with two people doesn't mean I only had sex two times," he says, his eyes flicking over my face. I don't know if he's trying to gloat about that but I find myself frowning. "It's hard to figure out what you want when you have a lot of partners. I'm not into that."

Pansy did tell me that he liked being in a relationship. I guess that must be why but for the life of me I can not remember who he's ever dated.

"Who were the girls?"

"Does it matter?" he asks.

"Yes, I mean, you know I've never..." I trail off. "I would like to know who you've been with."

"It doesn't matter who it was."

"Yes, it does."

"Why?" he counters.

I guess it really shouldn't matter that much to me but I can't really figure out why it bothers me that he won't say.

"But you didn't do it with Cho?" I don't know why I'm on that so much right now either.

"Definitely not," he says flatly and I find a smile coming to my face as I kiss his shoulder. "How about we talk about you," he says, turning on his side to face me and propping his head up with his hand. "How far did you let Dean Thomas go?"

"I'm not telling you that," I whisper as he pushes up my nightie.

"Why not? Is it personal to you?" he asks. His fingers dance along the top of my knickers. "I know he wasn't allowed down here," he says, smirking in the dark like that thought pleased him tremendously. "But did you let him up here?" He brings his hands up and cups one of my breasts. I breathe in deeply through my nose. "Hm?" he asks, tilting his head. "Did you let him touch you here?"

I don't say anything.

"You two were together for a while. About a year, was it?" he asks and I blink because… it was such a weird thing for him to know. "And you're telling me he didn't try to touch these?" he pulls the slip down, the straps sliding down my arm easily to expose my breasts. He takes a minute to look at them before bending down to use his mouth, gently sucking. "What about your other boyfriend? What's his name? The Ravenclaw. Where was he allowed to touch you?"

"Draco, stop it."

"Is it uncomfortable?" he asks, moving to the other side and placing biting kisses there. I rub my legs together because I'm getting so turned on. He notices and brings his hand down to rub me there with his deft fingers over the silk underwear, forcing my legs to part for him. "You don't want to tell me? Is it because you know the answer is going to piss me off?"

I don't say anything.

"Still no answer?" he asks, pulling up to look into my eyes. "You don't want me to kill Dean Thomas next time I see him, do you? What I can imagine is probably a lot worse than what actually happened so maybe you should just tell me the truth."

My eyes flick to his. I'm not sure if that's sexy talk anymore or if he managed to talk himself into being angry.

"No one has ever touched me like you have," I whisper and he stops.

He lifts his head up, stilling his hand between my thighs as he stares at my face.

"What a perfect thing for you to say to me," he whispers before pressing a hard, demanding kiss to my lips.

He kisses me for a while, using that skillful tongue of his as his fingers move between my legs until it's almost painful because I'm so aroused. After a while he exhales slowly and sits up to pull the knickers down my legs. He throws them on the floor and settles back beside me.

"You want to have sex with me?" I whisper against his mouth when he comes down for another passionate kiss, remembering what he said about being selective.

"More than anything."

He was so serious and I felt a pleased blush creep on my cheeks.

More than anything.

"Even though you're so selective?"

"Especially because I'm so selective," he explains, leaning down to kiss my collar bone before popping up and giving me a thoughtful look. "Why have you never had sex before?" he asks me after a moment of silence. "You're so beautiful. Did the other blokes just not try?"

"I mean, not really?" I say, tapping my fingers against my stomach, pleased that he called me beautiful again. "It never got to that point."

I was never ready…The boys I dated were never ready either…. I never even felt close to it until I started seeing Draco.

"Waiting for marriage, were they?" he teases.

I laugh at his joke. "I don't think I know any other guy who is like you."

It's true. I have never met someone so straight forward and confident in his sexuality. Dean and Michael were kids compared to him.

"Well, they missed their chance," he says, leaning down to kiss me again. "Now that you belong to me and all."

I laugh when he bites my shoulder playfully- making a funny snarling noise.

"Were you in love?" I ask curiously, looking up at him again, letting my fingers graze his arm. "With the girls you did it with?"

I know waiting for marriage wasn't very practical nowadays but I wanted to be in love when I first had sex.

"No," he says simply.

"Not at all?"

"Not at all." he confirms.

I frown at that, for some reason it makes me feel weird.

"Is that what you're waiting on, Gin?" he asks, running his fingers down my profile… the slope of my nose… the bow of my lips. "You're going to make me wait until you love me? Hopefully that's not too long, yeah?"

I swallow hard and stare at him in the darkness. Sex was one thing… love was another. I'm saved from answering by footsteps in the hallway. We both look towards the door as they creep past and then they are gone.

He sits up a bit and leans against my headboard. I turn over on my stomach to look up at him.

"I have high standards as well, you know." I joke, trying to tease him. "I don't just allow anyone into my bed."

He stares at me. I thought he would laugh or at least crack a smile- but he does neither.

"I'm the only one who's ever been in your bed," he says seriously. I don't think he'd like knowing that Harry did sit on it once. "Speaking of that..." he says slowly as he brings his hand up to run up and down my arm. "Seeing you with Zabini again upset me," he admits. "He'll fuck anything with a pulse and I don't trust him around you," he says crudely. "So you can imagine how angry I get that I keep finding you alone with him. I'm not blind," he says, scowling. "I know girls like that sissy look he has."

I make a face at the slur because it was clear he was trying to insult Zabini. As much as I didn't like Blaise… he couldn't help that he was beautiful.

"So. I am going to ask you a question and I want you to be honest with me and with yourself. Can you really promise that you will never cheat on me?" he asks, his head tilted and serious. All the fun and lightness gone. "I mean, can you honestly tell me you would never be unfaithful even with blokes like Zabini showing you some attention?"

"Draco. I don't care–"

"What about heroes like Harry Potter?" I blink at the mention of Harry. Draco rarely brings him up but when he does his voice takes this very unpleasant edge. "You know, those kind of self important wizards who have full access to your bedroom whenever they like. A bloke who already saved your life once over. You don't think you're going to find yourself owing him something when he decides he wants to collect on that debt? How could you refuse?"

Draco didn't understand Harry at all. He would never expect anything from anybody. He helped people because it was the right thing to do… not because he was tucking it away to use later. Never in a million years would Harry ever expect me to do anything with him just because he had saved me once when I was a girl. It wasn't like he was going to burst into my room one night and say I saved your life when you were eleven- now spread your legs for me because I want it now. Although… last year I probably would have done it if he did, but that was before I knew how good being with Draco could be.

"Ginny," Draco says sharply. "This is exactly what I mean. You're already excited at the thought of it."

"I am not," I whisper harshly. "You don't have to worry." I reach out to touch him… to reassure him. "If I wanted to be with someone else, I wouldn't be with you. I would never get on with someone behind your back," I tell him truthfully. I never understood cheating. It just seemed so… mean and disrespectful. "I would never cheat on you," I say. "That's a promise I can keep. You can trust me"

He watches me, his face suddenly cut off and looking so strange. He almost looks… mad? That intensity that always kind of frightened me is back and I try to be brave… I try to hold my own as I sit up a little straighter.

"Well," he says. "I guess I just have to take you at your word."

I narrow my eyes, not wanting to coddle him anymore if he is going to be so sharp with me.

"You know, it's kind of annoying that you are so upset about Zabini when you won't even tell me what Cho wanted to talk to you about."

"It doesn't matter what she talked to me about," he says flatly. "It has nothing to do with anything."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"What is it with Chang that bothers you so much?" he asks, an eyebrow cocked.

"Well…" Besides her being beautiful and smart and the fact that every single boy I have ever liked seemed to like her too…. "I mean, you guys used to be together."

"We were never together."

I give him a look.

"You were something," I say flatly, narrowing my eyes. "Whatever it was… I don't get how you can be so upset about Blaise when you and Cho have a history together… a history I had to bear witness to more than once…"

I make another face as I remember them in the closet and then snogging at the pub right in front of me. I'm sure he used his skillful fingers on her too and I crinkle my nose at the very thought of it.

"Are you jealous?" he asks, tilting his head.

"Well, I mean… no…" I lie as I lift up the straps of my nightie realizing it was just down the whole time. "I'm just saying that I don't think you're being fair."

He's silent for a moment, looking at my face.

"I don't want anyone else," he says seriously.

"Neither do I," I say with a little more anger than I intended.

"How about we take an oath, then?"

He reaches around me to take his wand from my night stand, his arm brushing against my breasts.

"What?"

"That's a tall order to promise such a thing, Ginny. That you'll never cheat on me with someone else and that I would never cheat on you. It's just words. Things can change. Harry Potter could come back all war torn and needy- expecting you to just fall into his lap," He levels me with a serious look. "Would you make a magical oath to guarantee that you won't betray me? An oath to show that you're committed to me and that I am committed to you?"

"Isn't an oath a little… heavy?" I ask worriedly.

"It depends," he says, a brow raised. "How much do you like me?"

"I like you a lot," I whisper.

"I like you too," he says, giving me a little smile as he brings his hand up to run his knuckles down my cheek. "It should be an easy thing," he says seriously and I look over his face in the darkness. "Since we like each other so much."

I know that his ex-girlfriend had cheated on him… Did it really bother him so much that he could never trust me without the reassurance? Did he really think Harry was such a threat? Even Zabini who I thought was so annoyingly smug and awful?

"Are you sure?" I ask nervously. I know magical oaths aren't supposed to be taken lightly and I can't help but feel uncomfortable.

"Of course," he says like it wasn't a big deal and he presses his wand to the palm of his hand until a small red dot glows on his skin. "I don't cheat… in relationships, anyways," he adds with a wicked smile like he thought he was funny.

I guess I think he is too because I laugh a little. He takes my hand and does the same until the red dot appears on my palm.

"Wait," I say before he makes me take his hand to secure the magic. "What if we break up?" I ask in a panic because I can already feel the magic humming between us.

"Then the contract is void," he says as he looks into my eyes. "But I'm glad you have such high hopes for our future."

"How would the magic know if we've broken up?" I ask suspiciously.

"Do you have another boyfriend lined up?" he asks hotly and I glare at him.

"Of course not, I just want to make sure I know what I'm getting into."

"It's very basic magic," he assures me as he grips my hand in his so the red dots are lined up against each other. "If we were to part ways, the magic would know…. But," he blinks a few times. "I think we both know that's not going to happen," he whispers.

Red light starts to weave its way around our hands, securing them together and glowing in the darkness. This feels like all kinds of wrong and I look up at him worriedly. He's looking down at our hands and his glassy eyes reflect the glowing red thread that is binding us together.

"What happens if one of us cheats?" I whisper as the magic starts to sink into my skin.

"Then the other will know it," is all he says and I frown. "Are you ready?"

"I don't know if this is right..." I say awkwardly, trying to pull my hand back but he tugs me towards him and gives me a fierce look before kissing me deeply. "Draco?" I ask softly, trying to trust him. "Is this okay?"

He pauses for a moment, letting his eyes soften as he looks over my face and then he looks away, squinting his eyes to the darkness of my bedroom wall before looking back at me.

"Do you want to be with me, Ginny?" he asks, his face pale in the moonlight.

"Yes, of course."

"Do you trust me?" he asks.

"Yes."

"This is for both of us," he says seriously, like there was no other way around it. "I want you to know that I'm serious so catty bitches like Ivy Parkinson can't make you doubt my intentions. Couples do this all the time so you need to stop thinking so much."

Still I say nothing. I have never heard of anyone doing it but maybe he is right. I do tend to get in my own head a lot and there is so much I don't know.

"I am willing to do this for you," He says, his voice taking a softer tone once again. "Will you do it for me?" He leans forward and kisses me over our glowing hands. He lingers there for a moment. "Gin" He waits for me to look at him. "Do you want to do this for us?" he asks softly and my heart melts at the way he said my name.

Us.

I inhale deeply and then lick my lips nervously as I look down at our hands. I feel him put hair over my shoulder to get it out of the way and I glance up at his handsome face as he dances his fingers up my neck.

I reluctantly nod my head. How can I say no to him when he's looking at me like that?

He smiles and squeezes my hand. He lifts his wand and points it at our hands…saying something I don't understand… words I don't know that makes the lines heat up on my skin with the glowing tip of his wand. In fact, it burns a bit and I find my shoulders scrunching up from the pain.

"You have to say it," he says, his eyes back on mine.

"Say what?"

"That you agree to be faithful."

"Okay," I say. My stomach has a strange sinking feeling. It must be the magic that's making me feel that way. "I…" he narrows his eyes slightly at my hesitation. "I agree."

"What do you agree to, Ginny?"

"I agree to be faithful."

"And what else do you agree to?"

"I-I don't know," I say, confused, searching his expression for what he wants me to do.

"Do you agree to be mine?" he adds with a little smile.

"Sure," I smile, thinking he's joking. "I agree to be yours."

"I agree to be faithful," he says, his voice sounding so deep and attractive as he looks into my eyes. "I agree to be yours."

He smiles and then lifts his wand again, looking down at our hands and saying a spell I've never heard of that makes the glowing lines sizzle and turn white.

Then the light goes away and he lets go of my hand. I bring it up to my chest and flex my fingers.

"That was it?"

"That was it," he says as he lays back against the pillows.

I lay on my back and stare at my hand for a few more moments. The burning lines are no longer there, but I feel like they are. Draco shifts on the bed, so I glance at him. His silver eyes look deeply into mine and he gives me a pleased smile as he kisses my lips.

"Now," he says, moving quickly and rolling on top of me. "You deserve a reward."

I laugh and then he gives me a passionate kiss. I put my hand on his neck, smiling again when he pulls back because he makes me so happy. He just looks at my smile for a while before bending down and placing open mouthed kisses down my neck. I love the feeling of his body against mine… his lips on my skin…how sensitive my breasts feel brushing against his chest. Sometimes I get so turned on by all of it that it hurts a bit. Like when I was younger and my body was just starting to wake up to those sensations and I had no idea what to do with it… but now my body knows what it wants and it wants him.

He holds himself up a bit with his left arm and then his right hand disappears between our bodies. I wait for his fingers, but then I look up at him when I feel something else.

"What are you doing?" I ask as he uses his erection to rub that good spot in the front.

"Shh," he says, his eyes looking into mine. "Just let me do this."

It does feel good. He's moving against the most sensitive part of my body and it's making my whole body tingle and feel warm. I even find my hips moving against him to intensify the feeling. I want more of him but I can't ask for that. Not yet. Why do I always feel so empty when he's doing things like this? It's like my body just wants him to shove the whole thing in without any type of care or concern for what that could mean for me.

"Can you use your fingers?" I ask in a small voice, embarrassed that I asked but wanting it so badly.

He kisses me while he complies, sitting up on his knees and pushing my legs further apart so he can have more room. I start feeling that wild build up starting from the middle of my body as he stares down at me, his arm jerking fast again and making the muscles in his arm flex with each movement. I wonder how I must look to him splayed out like this as his fingers disappear inside my body. I can feel his eyes burning into me and he glances down at my chest so I lower the straps again so he can see me because I know he likes it. He is always looking… he rarely closes his eyes or looks away when he are intimate and I get the feeling he would prefer to always have the lights on so he could see better.

I sit up a bit and pull him down to me.

I run my fingers through his hair as I suck on his lower lip while my body moves against his hand. Then it happens. My mind stops working as I bury my face in his neck and my body starts to explode from the center until it reaches the tip of every limb. I lift my hips up, making an odd mewing noise when I orgasm and Draco kisses me as my whole body relaxes against the bed. I exhale against his skin and I can feel him shiver at the sensation. It makes me smile.

"You look so sexy when you do that," He says in a deep voice as he removes his fingers. I would blush if my cheeks weren't already red and I smile against his neck as I try to catch my breath.

I lay back against the pillows and close my eyes as he settles himself on top of me again.

Then I feel pressure, and then I feel him starting to move in there.

"No," I say quickly as I try to move away from him, getting out of my turned on stupor. "No, not yet," I say breathlessly.

He nods his head and rests his forehead against mine for a few moments as he inhales deeply.

"I'm sorry," I add as he moves so he's no longer in between my legs.

"It's alright," he says with a sigh and then he kisses my cheek before rolling to my side. "I don't mind waiting" he says seriously before giving me a roguish smile. "It's just hard for me not to try though."

I blush and turn on my side to stare at him as he throws his arm over his eyes. I bite my lip as I look down at his body. This doesn't seem very fair so I reach down to touch him. I see him smile even though he doesn't uncover his eyes.

I kiss his shoulder and start crawling down his body. "I like where this is going," he says smugly as I get into position.

When I look up, he's smiling again and then he bucks his hips when I wrap my hand around him.

"Hey," I say as he chuckles… the chuckle I only hear when we are doing things like this. "If you don't want me down here… " I start to move away but he grabs my hair.

"Now," he says with a sexy smirk. "Don't be stupid."

I give him a wicked smile before bending down and taking him into my mouth. I think I'm getting better at it because it doesn't take too long for him to finish. He pulls me to him, breathing a little heavier and I throw my leg over his. He kisses the top of my head as I close my eyes with the taste of him still on my tongue.

"You know she was wrong, right?" Draco says, his voice deep. I pop my head up to look at him. I am suddenly so tired and I look over at the clock. It's four thirty in the morning but I don't think we are going to sleep any time soon. We might just see the sunrise. "Everything Parkinson said to you." He's serious now and he flicks his eyes over my face. "I'm with you because I like you and want to be with you." I give him a little smile, feeling something warm settle in my heart. "I am well aware what a privilege it is that you let me do anything with this perfect body of yours," he says suggestively as he looks down the entire length of me before rolling on top of me again and kissing me sweetly. "A lot of people are going to be jealous, Ginny," he says gently as he moves my legs so I'll wrap them around his hips. "A lot of people aren't going to like what we're doing."

I look into his eyes as the moon light falls over his face.

"You know that. It's why you refuse to tell your family about me." I open my mouth to explain my reason- but he presses his lips to mine to shut me up. "I won't be this little secret of yours forever," he says, pulling back and giving me an almost stern look. "At some point you are going to have to be brave, yeah? Not right now... Maybe not tomorrow…but you and I both know it's not going to be easy and I want you to be as steadfast for me as I am for you."

He waits for me to answer this time and all I can manage is a head nod. I realize how lame that is so I kiss him as well just so he knows.

"I will never ever let anyone talk down to you," he says seriously, bringing his hand up to hold mine against the pillow by my head in an almost too tight grip. "Not my friends. Not my family. Will you do the same for me?"

I stare at him for a moment. Why can't I speak? Of course, Luna knows about Draco but what about when we go back to school? What would my bunk mates think? What would my family do if they knew? These are questions I've been ignoring… questions I didn't want to bring up even to myself because the truth was… that while I was proud that someone as handsome and smart as Draco seemed to like me… and I was in awe of his world and his place in it… I was also a little embarrassed that I liked him back because I knew… I knew what people would think.

And none of it would be good.

"Ginny," he says deeply, his eyes dancing over my face before settling on my lips. "Will you be brave for me?"

"Yes," I whisper. I don't even know what I was saying yes to. Am I brave? Will I defend him against my friends and family once this comes out? Will I let this come out to the people I thought knew me best? "I mean…" I trail off again. "I will be."

He smiles.

He rolls off of me again and settles by my side, pulling me close and kissing the top of my head. I put my hand on his chest… the same one that glowed with red lines as I agreed to something I don't fully understand. He brings his hand up to grab mine, placing a gentle kiss against my palm like he knew what I was thinking of.

When I wake up in the morning, my mother is pounding on my door.

"Ginny!" she calls and I jump awake in a panic only to find Draco casually sitting in my desk chair, putting on his shirt. He already has his trousers on and I look at my own body wearing that inappropriate slip. "You're going to be late for work if you don't get up right now."

"Her voice is irritating," Draco says in a voice thick with sleep.

"Tell me about it," I whisper as I jump up so I can get dressed.

"Who was that?" she calls from the other side of the door. I go to my closet so I can pick out a dress to wear for work. She tries the handle and, when she realizes it's locked, I can hear her huff. "Who is in that room with you, Ginevra Weasley?"

"No one," I answer quickly and I send Draco a glare because he shouldn't have spoken so loud.

"Open the door," she says as I pull a dress from one of my hangers after I hook my bra in place.

"I'm getting ready," I tell her, now my annoyance shifts to her. I shimmy into some clean knickers and then I pick out the navy shirt dress from that fancy department store as I go over to my vanity to button it up.

"I heard a voice that wasn't yours," she says suspiciously as she tries the handle again. "What are you doing in there?"

"I told you, I'm getting ready for work!" I yell in annoyance as I put the belt around my waist.

I tug a brush through my hair in an attempt to tame it as Draco watches me run around with an amused smile tilting his lips. He puts on his socks like he didn't have a care in the world as I pull my hair back into a low ponytail.

"Why can't I open your door?" she snaps and I'm sure she's using her wand. "Open this door right now," she snaps.

"I'm getting ready!" I hiss again as I pull out my cosmetics bag. Draco stands up, and I figure he's going to leave like he should, so I ignore him as I fix my makeup. I'm putting on blush when I see him step behind me, smirking at me from the mirror.

"Do you need help?" he asks with a handsome smile as he wraps his arms around me to button the rest of the dress. He takes a moment to take complete advantage of the situation as he cups my breasts with both of his hands and gently squeezes. I give him a look in the mirror and he smiles before leaning down to press his face to my neck…. He lingers there- inhaling deeply before biting.

"Ouch!"

"What was that!" my mum shrieks and I give Draco a mean look as he smirks at me.

I go back to getting ready, feeling my heart pounding as my mum yells at me.

"Ah, fuck," I hiss when I poke myself in the eye with my eyeliner and Draco laughs at me. A very deep and obviously male laugh.

"Who is in there with you?" she snaps again and I give Draco another irritated look. "You are not allowed to use this kind of advanced magic without parental permission and boys are not allowed in your room! You know that, Ginny!" she yells and I roll my eyes. "Now open this door now!"

"Will you just leave?" I hiss in a harsh whisper to Draco.

I push him out of the way as I dive under my bed to find some appropriate shoes, trying like hell to be fast. I just assume that Draco will do the sensible thing and leave my room before my mother figures out the counter charm to the lock he put on, but he doesn't. When I finally find the black heels Draco bought for me, I find that he's not headed for the window.

Instead, he goes to the door and opens it.

"What are you-" I start in a panic, but he lifts his wand at my mother and performs a spell with a quick flick of his wand.

"Go back to your room," he says and I just kind of freeze with my knees still on the floor because I honestly can't believe I just saw him use a spell on my own mother. "You already came to Ginny's room, you never heard my voice, and you already took her to work. Give it an hour and then start your day," he says in a monotone voice and I watch in amazement as my mother turns right around and walks towards her bedroom.

I listen to her footsteps traveling all the way down the hall and then her door shuts.

I drop my shoes.

"What did you just do?" I whisper as he turns around and pockets his wand.

"It was just a memory charm," he says, like it was an everyday thing. He sits back down on the chair so he can put on his boots. "Stop looking at me like that."

"You can't just curse my mother," I tell him, trying to wrap my head around it as I stand up.

"It was hardly a curse," he says with an eye roll. "It's a charm and it's perfectly legal."

"Oh my God," I say because I honestly can't think of anything else. When his boots are tied, he stands up to face me. I hate that he's so much taller than me sometimes. It's hard to be taken seriously when I have to tilt my neck and curl on my tip toes. "Leave."

"You're honestly angry at me for doing that?" he says dryly like I was an idiot. "She was being annoying and she heard my voice. If anything you should be thanking me for saving you a headache."

"She's my mother," I say in disbelief. "She's supposed to be annoying... and you shouldn't even be in my room," I tell him honestly. "She was doing the right thing a mum should do."

"Why are you freaking out?" he asks and I feel the fire in my veins at his comment. "Now your day will go smoothly thanks to me. It's not like it will have lasting damage on her or anything."

"Would you use a memory charm on your own parents?" I retort and he raises an eyebrow as he grabs his cloak and places it over his arm.

"I wouldn't get that far," he says as he walks towards my bedroom door with the broom under his arm. I guess since he sent my mum to her room for an hour, he feels safe using the front door. "My parents would flick my wand away before my arm was halfway up."

"Your parents are always ready to get cursed by their son?" I say hatefully because the longer I stand here, the angrier I get. He honestly can't do that to people! Especially my mum!

"When you come from a family like mine, darling, you are always ready for the worst."

"Go home," I tell him because I feel like I might throw something at him. "Just go away."

"I was planning on it," he says and he strolls over me like he was going to give me a goodbye kiss, and when I dodge his attempt he sighs loudly. "You are honestly upset?" he says and I nod my head. "Look, what I did wasn't terrible but I'm sorry that it bothered you. I promise to never do it again if it really upsets you."

"I think it should go without saying that you would never place a spell on one of my family members."

"If any one of your family members found me in your room, would they hex me?" he asks. Thinking about it, they probably would. Even my mother has a hot temper that wouldn't be controlled if she saw Draco Malfoy, of all people, in my bedroom. I don't say anything and he continues talking. "I solved this problem easier than if we let it play out."

"You could have just left," I point out and he shrugs.

"But she still would have been suspicious of you and, let's be honest, she doesn't exactly trust you. Your parents treat you like a stupid child who needs to always hold their hand and you've resorted to sneaking out and lying to them. You can't even be honest about liking me because they're so closed minded. That's on them, Ginny, and no one forced me into your room. Like I said, that memory charm was the easiest solution for everyone, but especially for you. I don't want to make your life harder because of me. You're mine, remember?" he gives me a pleased grin. "You agreed and everything."

Why did that make so much sense to me? I flex my left hand where the lines of that oath thing had settled under my skin and I send him a suspicious look because I know I should still be angry… but a part of me knows he's right.

Damn him and his twisted logic.

"Right?" he says after a few moments and I begrudgingly nod my head. "Good," he says as he starts back to my door. I slip into my shoes and then I go to the washroom to brush my teeth while Draco waits for me in the hallway. When I come back out, he smiles warmly and takes my hand to lead me through my own house…. But the Burrow is nowhere near as large as his summer home so it's not that hard to navigate.

We walk through together and I am very aware of him looking at everything as he throws the green rain cloak around his shoulders. Watching him take in the shabby, messy way in which my family lives makes me see it through different eyes and I can't say I'm proud. I try not to be embarrassed. I try to tell myself that this is me and he would never think bad things about it if he truly liked me… but a dark part of me couldn't help but be annoyed with my parents for not being better off.

"Oh look," he says, stopping on the stairs to look at the pictures on the wall. "Little Ginny."

He smiles at a picture of me standing by the lake at Yellow Springs. I was eleven. The week before we went to Diagon Alley to get my school supplies for my very first year at Hogwarts and the week before Lucius Malfoy gave me the diary that would change my life.

Little Ginny…

I shake Tom's voice away. I look at the clock and realize I'm late and that Delsia will have my head if I don't hurry. I grab my bag and start running out the door, leaving Draco behind. He laughs as he follows me, catching me on the path towards the gate with his arm around my middle and lifting me up.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you don't slow down."

"Put me down," I say, trying to wiggle my way out of his grasp. "I'm late."

"It's okay," he says, like it didn't matter at all. "I guess you'll just have to stay with me. Maybe I'll make you put that little slip on again…"

I manage to get out of his arms and I turn around to glare at him, walking backwards to the gate as I take out my wand so I can Apparate.

His hair is sticking up in the front and he has the most predatory grin on his face.

"I will hex you if you do not leave me alone, Draco Malfoy."

"Will you?" he asks, stalking towards me as he takes his wand from his pocket, looking so devilish in his black clothes and green cloak. He looks like a dark wizard. One from a fairy tale. "Go ahead then," he teases. "Do your worst."

I look down at his wand and give him a pouting look that he laughs at.

"Come on, Gin. Send me something. I know you've got it in you."

"Stop it."

"Why don't you go ahead and make me?"

He was getting excited by it. I could tell by the look in his eyes and this was a game we haven't played yet so I tilted my head in confusion.

"Do you want me to go first?" he asks. "I can, if you prefer."

"You wouldn't."

"I would." he smiles again. "We both know that."

"I need to go to work," I say, making a face before turning my back on him and walking out the gate.

When I get to the safe app zone in the fields past the road- I hear his voice.

"Expelliarmus."

The wand flies out of my hand and then he summons it to him. I turn around in time to see him catch it.

"What are you doing?"

"You haven't even given me a goodbye kiss," he smirks as he comes closer, walking so damn slowly.

"Give me my wand."

He passes the gate and smirks at me.

"Give me a kiss."

"You are so annoying."

"Eh, probably," he says, stepping right in front of me. "But so are you."

I make a face that he laughs at.

He holds out my wand to me and when I go to grab it, he moves it out of the way. He does it again and then I give him a frustrated look that makes him smile.

"Come on," he says. "You know what I want."

I work my jaw and decide if I should give in and let him win. I just want my wand back…. And I do like kissing him. I step closer to him and give him a hard peck on the cheek.

"What was that?"

"A kiss."

"No, it wasn't. Try again."

I sigh loudly and then curl on my tiptoes to kiss his lips. He takes the opportunity to grab me and pull me close, forcing my mouth to open when he nips my lower lip and then shoving his tongue in my mouth. His affections consume me and when he finally pulls back I feel breathless and hot.

"See," he says, running his thumb over my lips and gently pressing it into my mouth. I nip his finger and he laughs. "That wasn't so bad… but I don't think I'm done with you just yet."

"Draco," I pout, trying to step back and pushing his hand away. "Just give me my wand."

"No," he says simply. "Kiss me again like you mean it," his eyes are looking deeply into mine and sounding much more serious as he holds me firmly against him. I don't move right away. Things feel heavier and I'm not exactly sure what to do. Sometimes I don't understand his game… if he even is playing at all. "You had better listen to me, Ginny," he says, tilting his chin down and using that dominant voice that does something strange to me as his hand moves down the back of my dress. "You know you want to."

He's not completely wrong. I shiver a bit and then curl on my tip toes and kiss him like he wants. This time he waits for me to deepen the kiss and I oblige him, tilting my head and letting my tongue run over his until he's satisfied enough to pull back.

"There now," he says, handing me my wand as I find myself slightly breathless again. He gives me one of his charming smiles and I find myself smiling back just because he's so fucking handsome. "You act like that was hard."

He steps back and I watch with red cheeks as he pulls a piece of parchment from his pocket and unfolds it. He holds it up for me to see and my heart drops when I see my handwriting. The letter I had started to write to Harry…

"What–"

"This," he says, lifting his wand and setting it on fire. "Doesn't happen again." He throws the burning pieces to the ground and then levels me with a look. "Yes?"

I'm speechless and unsure of what to do…I know I didn't do anything wrong but I feel like I did… so I nod my head.

He kisses me one last time, much gentler and sweeter than before.

"Good."

He Apparates before I can even get a word in and I make a face at the air in front of me with that uncomfortable wetness back between my legs.

When I get to Folk Hills, no one says anything to me about being a half hour late and the tongue lashing I was expecting to receive from Delsia never comes. Instead, my intimidating boss just keeps on walking by my little booth, eyeing me oddly like she had something troublesome she wanted to say, but couldn't exactly find the words to say it.

---

XXXXXX

I'm going to lose my job.

I'm getting fired.

That has to be what's happening right now.

I clench my sweaty fingers around the arm rest as I look around Delsia's small basement office. True to form, the place is all neat and tidy with white walls void of pictures and a small wooden desk that's home to three stacks of papers that I figure have to do with the ins and outs of the club. I'm sitting in the chair across the desk staring at the rows of keys on the far wall.

There's a water heater in the corner and it looks odd and out of place.

The only personal artifact in the room is a blue and white chipped coffee mug on the desk with 'World's best Mom' scrawled across its body.

I wonder how many kids she has.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ginevra."

I nearly jump as Delsia enters the room and I swallow a hard lump in my throat as she closes the door behind her. This can't be good. Between Draco calling in special favors to get me off work and me coming in late... I just know this is it. I'm going to be sent home and asked never to come back. There's only three weeks of summer left before Hogwarts starts up and I could really use the money.

"How was your morning?" she asks as she smooths out her skirt and sits down in the chair behind the desk.

"It was fine," I say nervously as I start knotting my fingers together. "How was yours?" I ask to be polite and she nods her head.

"Fine," she says and then she lets her dark eyes dance across my face.

It's really quite uncomfortable.

"So, um, why did you want to see me?" I press and she seems to have shaken out of her daze because she blinks a few times and then she fiddles with the paisley scarf that's tied around her neck.

"Oh, yes," she says and then she lets her eyes find mine again. "I did call you in here for a reason. I just wanted to have a talk," she answers as she looks at me with dark lined eyes. "I couldn't help but notice you've made some new friends here."

I gulp when I remember the way she looked at me as I left the club with Daphne and Pansy the first time. "Yes?"

She stares at me for a while and I hold her gaze for as long as possible before it becomes too uncomfortable so I put my hands on my lap and look down.

"Would you like to talk about anything?" she asks after a long pause. I give her a puzzled look before shaking my head. I have a psychiatrist, I don't need to divulge anything to my boss. She stares again and then she sighs before rolling her chair closer to the desk. "Listen, I know how things can get sometimes," she says and I'm confused so I knit my brows together. "I've seen girls like you come and go, but I will warn you now that he's not going to marry you."

That was like a punch to the gut.

"What?" is all I can say to that. My voice sounds so small and young. I hate it.

"Men can be misleading," she says sourly and I blink a few times because this conversation can not be happening. "Especially rich men," she says seriously, her eyes earnest. "I would hate for you to get yourself into a situation that you can't get out of. It's a game to them and they're only after one thing. I know it's hard," she says gently like she just realized how harsh her words could sound. "But they ruin lives and then walk away with girls like you stuck with the mess."

The silence in the room after her little speech gets very heavy and I have no idea what to say.

"Do you know Nadia does sexual favors for men at the club for money?" I ask.

Why did I say that? I shouldn't have told on her. I clench my eyes shut for a moment, regretting it. I guess I just want the heat off of me and I don't like the sad way she keeps looking at me. Like I was stupid. Like I wasn't good enough. Like I would never understand all the terrible decisions I have been making.

"I've known many women who've done a lot of things," she says. "I just don't want you to get hurt... and hanging out with those high born girls will not work out well for you… and the Malfoy boy." My eyes flick to hers. "It will not end well either. Trust me. Boys like that do not end up with girls like you." She sighs when she sees the hurt on my face. "Folk Hills is a den full of snakes and you have to watch out or you'll get bit."

"Am I fired?" I ask after another long and awkward bout of silence. I swallow my sadness and anger and try to pretend like this didn't happen.

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" she asks and I make a face, my anger is starting to show face now and I know I'm going to say something unpleasant.

Will you be brave for me?

"Do you not think I'm good enough to be liked by people like them?" I ask, gesturing to the door behind me. I can't believe I said it out loud, but she is giving voice to my insecurities and I want to stamp them down right away.

"No," she says and my face flushes. "I think you're too good for them," she says as she leans forward. "And you should never forget that fact. Don't be manipulated into anything you don't want to do. You'll only get hurt in the end."

I want to say 'whatever' but I stop myself from saying that word as I cross my arms. "So, am I fired or what?" I ask hotly and she sighs as she sits back.

"No, you are not fired," she says. "Right now you have a very important friend," she says as she rolls her chair over to the rows of keys and she picks one off the hook. "You'll no longer be working at the checkout counter," she says as she hands me the key. "You'll report to Clubhouse five for the duration of the summer. The schedule will remain the same."

"What will I be doing there?" I question as I look down at the brass key in my hand.

She shrugs angrily and picks up a stack of papers to sort through. "Whatever they tell you to do," she says and then she glances at me. "Remember what I told you, Ginny," she says. She never calls me Ginny. "You're in a den of snakes, but you can walk away any time you want. Don't let them win."

Right.

I leave feeling slightly confused and bothered with that conversation. I can't help but think it over while I head towards Clubhouse five and I chew on my blue ribbon. It's past the garden with the tall hedges and back towards the hills. People pass me on their horses and brooms, nodding politely as I walk steadily to the clubhouses spread out on the outskirts of a large quidditch pitch with their red roofs and fancy doors.

When I get to Clubhouse five, I stop on the path and stare up at it for a moment. It seems older than everything else around it and it's built partially into one of the tree covered hills. Almost like it was part of nature itself covered in moss and creeping ivy. A circular structure made of heavy gray stones with a domed roof, I'm not actually sure what the purpose of it is. Clubhouse one is a meeting room, with chairs and tables and a small stage… Clubhouse two is an indoor tennis court…. Clubhouse three is a dueling room with armor and practice wands… Clubhouse four is a drinking area…. But Clubhouse five looks like a decrepit, crumbling building. I walk up a couple of the stairs and look at the large wooden door that has a shimmering five bolted to it.

I'm not sure what to do, so I look around to see if anyone is going to tell me.

But no one does.

So I take the key and shove it in the lock, turning it until it clicks. I place my hand on the large carved door handle and pull it open. A gust of cold wind hits me, fluttering my hair over my shoulder. Inside is dark and I feel nervous as I pull the key from the lock and put it in my bag.

I take a tentative step inside and gasp when torches around me flame to life one by one, illuminating the room in a red hot glow. It's just a great big, empty space with black marble floors and ancient looking tapestries hanging from the rounded outer walls. There are large carved columns that circle the room, holding up parts of the ceiling before it curves up into a large dome that has beams curved around painted frescoes of ancient witches and wizards.

There are no adjoining rooms, no stairs... and, quite ominously, no windows.

I swallow hard, not liking the feel of it.

I clutch my bag a little closer to my body and walk timidly to the center of the room, wondering what the hell I'm supposed to do now as the door creaks closed behind me. It's cold here… I find myself shivering and I cross my arms as I look around at the tapestries… They tell the story of the old myths and legends of our kind in gold and silver thread that shine against the fire light.

Hush.

I turn around when I hear a voice and narrow my eyes, the skirt of my foam green dress swishing around my knees.

"Hello?" I ask. Did Delisa say someone would be here? I don't remember. I'm to do whatever they tell me to do… but who was she talking about? "It's Ginny," I say to the darkness behind the pillars. "Ginny Weasley."

No one answers and suddenly I hear a very faint whistling… like a muffled tune that's getting closer and closer.

Well, that settles it. I will be leaving now.

I speed walk towards the door and throw it open- only to see Pansy and Daphne looking surprised at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh!" Daphne smiles as she walks up to me. "We didn't realize you were in there already."

She pushes past me and walks into the building. Pansy looks at me with dark, glittering eyes before smirking.

"You okay?"

"What are you guys doing?" I ask, looking over my shoulder as Daphne does a funny little dance spin on the perfectly polished floor.

"We have to find you a dress," Pansy says, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind her back into the creepy building.

The door closes on its own again and I frown.

"Why do I need a dress?" I ask as I look around the room, feeling unsettled.

Pansy is looking through her purse for something and doesn't answer me

"Didn't Draco tell you?" Daphne asks with a pout. She smiles as she walks towards me... like this big creepy room wasn't a big deal. "Our coming out ball is at Malfoy Manor soon," she explains. "We need to buy you a dress for the occasion, of course."

"But…" I look down at the floor… I can see my reflection. It's so polished but the tiles are slowly spinning. Hush now. I look up at the voice but neither Daphne or Pansy seemed to have heard it. "But I'm working..." I say as I shake the voice away. "What is this place?"

"Clubhouse five," Pansy answers sharply like I was an idiot. "Obviously."

"I know that," I say, looking up again at the paintings of old magical people on the ceiling. I feel strange… like I'm getting hot… but I'm cold… and my head kind of hurts…. "But what do they use this building for?"

"It's kind of like an all purpose room," Daphne answers, her blue eyes on my profile.

"All purpose for what?"

"Anything they want," Pansy says shortly, finally finding what she was looking for as she pulls out a small sculpture of a pure white dove. "Now, we don't have much time. We have to get you taken care of and make sure you have an appropriate gown."

That snaps me out of it and I look at her.

"You don't want Draco to be there alone, do you?" Daphne asks, smiling at the confusion on my face. "I doubt you have a ball gown hanging in your closet, do you?"

"I can't go with you right now," I say, backing away. "I'm in the middle of my shift and…" I look around again. Maybe Delsia sent me to the wrong place. There's nothing even here for me to do. "I'm so confused."

"Ginny," Daphne takes my hand and smiles. "Didn't you know? Your new job is to hang out with us," she says with a smile. "Now, don't be sour and come along."

Pansy tells me to touch the sculpture so I do it absentmindedly as I look around again, swearing I saw shadows in the darkness…. I feel the pull in my stomach and when we land on a hard sidewalk, I fall down on the unforgiving ground.

"Ginny, Jesus," Pansy says like it was my fault as Daphne helps me to my feet. "Get yourself together, would you?"

"Is that an authorized portkey?" I snap angrily as I dust off the back of my dress. "You could have warned me what it was."

She rolls her eyes and grabs my hand to tug me forward.

"I need to go back," I say, refusing to move for a moment. "I don't want Delsia to fire me."

"You belong to Draco now," Daphne says as she takes my arm gently. I give her a troubled look. It was one thing for him to say it teasingly to me… but to have other people mention it so flippantly made me feel weird about the possessive things he says. "No one is going to do anything to make you unhappy there ever again." She gives me a beautiful smile.

"I don't belong to anyone," I state with a worrisome frown and she glances at me with a charmingly fake smile as she pulls me into walking between her and Pansy.

"Of course, figure of speech," she says as she pats my arm. "But you know what I mean. Draco wanted you to come with us and enjoy your day." She sighs loudly. "Sometimes I can't get over how well he treats you."

I chose to ignore that.

I look around to see where we are. I've been here before. I remember it. The Golden Road, as Daphne had called. Full of designer brands and fancy looking people who spend an obscene amount of money on clothing.

We stop in front of a large shop with gilded framed windows called the Griffin's Feather. Real life witches are modeling dress robes on a little stage behind the glass and I tilt my head as I watch.

"In here," Pansy says, grabbing my arm as she pulls open the door.

It doesn't seem like a dress shop. There are two long runways on either side of the room and unhappy looking models stomp down them, wearing dresses, robes, and fancy suits. When they get to the end of the stage, they take out their wands and shoot numbers made of red mist into the air over their heads. I look around worriedly, not understanding. The walls are blank- white. The lights that hang down are like a thousand golden spheres clustered together against the ceiling and the music is so very loud.

There are other people here… They sit on small fold out chairs around the runways, writing things down on red paper with gold feather quills.

"Is this a fashion show?" I ask, not understanding as Pansy gets someone dressed in all gold to hand us one of those red papers.

"No, we are shopping," she says as she sits down and writes down my name at the top with a quill that appears in her hand. "What are your measurements again?"

She looks at me and I shrug.

"She's a size ten," Daphne says, smiling at me and seeming proud that she remembered.

She nods and writes that down.

"Well, I know what your chest and waist are," Pansy says as she writes down a few numbers and I blush when I remember when we went bra shopping together. I take a seat beside her and she gives me a critical look. "Let's see," she says, going back to the paper. "Red hair–"

"Auburn," Daphne cuts in as she takes a seat on the other side of me. "A beautiful, lovely auburn."

"Auburn hair," Pansy corrects. "Brown eyes."

"Light brown," Daphne butts in again, earning a glare from Pansy. "You have to be specific so they pick the correct colors."

"Fine," Pansy snaps. "Pale skin. Light freckles on nose, cheeks, and shoulders ... Purple hickey on neck…"

"What?" I ask, giving her a panicked look.

"Did you not know it was there?" she asks, giving me a funny look as she throws heavy hair over my shoulder like she wanted to see it better. She points the feather end of the quill to a spot on my neck. "Surely you felt him sucking on you a little too hard in this spot."

I close my eyes in embarrassment. I talked to people all day at Folk Hills and didn't even realize. Is that why Delsia was saying all that stuff to me? I blush, feeling uncomfortable.

"I didn't even notice," I say in a small voice as I keep it covered with my hand because my dress is a boat neck and I can't pull up the collar far enough.

"It's okay, Gin," Daphne whispers as she takes out her wand. "I can heal it. I have plenty of experience with that kind of thing," she says with a smile.

I reluctantly put my hand down and she lifts her wand, saying a spell I'm not familiar with. It makes my neck tingle and judging by her smile it did its job.

"If he's going to be rough like that, you should have him heal you after he's done," she says, giving me a sympathetic smile. "I can see him getting carried away," she says gently. "He's been so patient with you. I imagine it's hard for him to hold back."

"Jesus Christ, Daphne," Pansy says with an eye roll. "A hickey isn't rough. He probably didn't even know he did it. It's not like he's throwing her around." I'm embarrassed again so I sink low in the seat and try to become one with the chair. "I mean…" She stops and looks down at me, giving me a sly smile. "He's not throwing you around, is he?"

"What?" My voice is but a mouse squeak.

"I mean you and Draco aren't…"

I must look confused because she sighs loudly.

"You haven't given him your V card yet, have you?" Daphne answers for her, looking over my face. "No," she says, nodding her head like she could tell. "He'd be in a much better mood if you did."

"Is he in a bad mood?" I ask carefully and she glances at me.

"He is always in a bad mood."

"Shut up, Daphne," Pansy snaps. "He is not. She's being dramatic," she tells me. "Don't listen to her."

We stop talking for a while to look at the dresses and robes coming down the runway. I watch Pansy write down numbers, watching the models with critical eyes as she decides what she likes best for me without even actually asking me what I might like. When she is satisfied, she makes a motion for us to follow her.

"Can we get a room, please?" Pansy asks one of the girls when we approach the counter and she hands her the paper. "I want to see every single one of these."

We end up in a large fitting room with pearl white settees and flutes of some kind of golden alcohol floating around on ruby red trays. I try on the first four dresses, trying not to complain as I'm poked and prodded and stuffed into uncomfortable materials while Daphne and Pansy watch from their spot along the wall. I don't even know if I can go to this thing and when I say that outloud they both seem annoyed.

"He didn't even properly ask me anyways," I say, wondering out loud if I should even go as I take off the oddly stiff dress with a high slit up the thigh. "I think he just assumed–"

"Of course he assumed," Pansy says with an eye roll as the sales woman walks around me with her wand drawn, helping me into yet another style.

I wish I would have known this was happening. I would have worn better knickers instead of the trusty cotton ones I find myself flashing to them everytime they say they don't like something. I give a tight smile to the sales girl as she starts fitting the current dress to my body. She's wearing the gold sparkling uniform like the rest of the girls on the floor and she has a large glittering bow in her hair.

"You two are together now, aren't you?" she asks sharply.

I frown and turn away, making a face because the worker tightened the dress too tight.

"So, what is it, Ginny?" she snaps when I don't answer. I glance at her for the venom in her voice and place a hand on my stomach. "You just let him suck on your neck and fight all your battles for you- but you don't want to dance with him at a ball?"

"What?" I say, kind of hurt and she gives me a look like I should know exactly what she means.

"Don't worry," Daphne says, trying to cool the situation. "Ivy deserved it, of course."

Oh.

"Did she?" Pansy asks, looking at me and raising an eyebrow. I realize now what we're talking about and I pale a little. "Did she deserve it, Ginny?"

I don't even know what it is, honestly.

"Your sister was really terrible to me," I admit, looking down at my toes peeking out from under all the silk and satin, suddenly feeling nervous. "She said some truly awful things. I didn't know what Draco would do when I told him."

"Well," Daphne says, glancing at Pansy as she grabs one of those flute glasses and takes a large gulp. "I'm sure she's sorry about it now."

"Yes," Pansy sits back and grabs one of the look books from the table between them. "I imagine that she is." A silence falls between us and I look at the mirror, not liking the dress anymore and just feeling ugly all over. "Ginny," Pansy says to get my attention and I glance at her. "Ivy was wrong to treat you that way," she says, letting some of her meanness slide. "I'm sorry she did that to you."

"She definitely won't be doing that again," Daphne says carefully, picking at something on the hem of her dress and giving me a little smile like she didn't want Pansy to see it.

There's a heavy pause and I exhale slowly, turning back to the mirror that's framed in real griffin feathers.

"Didn't I tell you?" Pansy says, her voice so soft I can barely hear her. She stands up and walks up the steps to the small podium I'm on and her eyes slide over the dress with her head tilted to the right. "I told you he will take care of things for you if you do what he wants." I swallow hard and turn away. "It feels good, doesn't it?" I look back at her over my shoulder as she grabs a floating flute glass and takes a small sip. Sometimes she looks at me just like Draco does… that dark seductive look that makes my insides turn. "To have that standing in your corner when things go bad is nice, is it not?"

I look away again, uncomfortable.

"I don't know if I can even go to this dance thing," I say again as I think of my parents, trying to change the awkward subject. I would have to sneak out again... to Malfoy Manor... and his father would definitely be there.

"You're going," Pansy says, dropping that deep and seductive voice. "Stop talking about it. You want to see Daphne and I introduced into polite society, don't you?"

"I don't know," whisper.

"Ginny," Daphne says like I had disappointed her. "This is an important night for all of us and you have people you need to meet," she says. I let the dress I'm wearing get pulled over my head and I sigh when a new one replaces it. "If you're going to be introduced next year-"

"I'm not getting introduced," I cut her off quickly, thinking of my mother's beautiful ivory dress that's tucked under my bed. "My family doesn't believe in that kind of thing."

"That may be so," Daphne says carefully. "But you have to be introduced. Draco needs-"

"Daphne," Pansy says sharply and I glance in between them as they share a fierce little look.

"Draco needs what?" I ask because I'm not an idiot and I did hear that last bit.

"Draco doesn't need anything," Pansy answers shortly. "It would just be nice for you to be introduced, of course. You may be able to get a sponsor if you decide you want to come out when you're of age. You will not believe the connections it will give you when you're older," Pansy says. "And, you know, there will be a lot of writers there. Ones that you actually know and admire. If you're introduced into society, then the paths are paved for you." She smiles. "Anyways, Ginny, obviously no one can force you to go... but come on. It's an actual ball! When are you ever going to get the chance to go to another one?"

I look away as I think of it. I guess she's right... but these dresses are just ridiculous.

"Just think how handsome Draco is going to look in his dress robes," Daphne says, giving me a cheeky smile. "He looks so nice all done up, doesn't he?" She says and then she looks to Pansy who gives a begrudging head nod. "You and Draco just make the most beautiful couple, Ginny. I think that's why he likes showing you off so much."

I feel a pleased little smile coming to my face and I look down at my left hand. I flex my fingers again as I think of that stupid oath spell.

"Have you ever had a 'promise not to cheat oath magic thing' placed on you?" I ask and it sounded awkward, but that was the only way I could describe it.

"What do you mean?" Daphne asks, her blonde head tilted and curious.

I look at them from the mirror.

"The other night Draco made me do this spell. It was red and intertwined our hands." The sales girl flicks her eyes to mine before looking away. "It's supposed to be a promise to be faithful, I think? He said the other person would be able to know if you were cheating or something like that. Is that normal?"

There's a heavy pause.

"Of course it's normal," Pansy says with a smile after the moment passes. "People in relationships do it all the time."

"I've never heard of it," I admit as I bring my hand up to my chest and I massage my wrist with my other hand nervously. The saleswoman doesn't say anything about it as she works around me, trying to fit the dress better to my body but I keep seeing her send me strange little looks. "It just seems weird. I know that vows and oaths are always dangerous but..."

"It's fine. We do it all the time," Pansy bats my concerns away with a wave of her hand. "And good on you for doing that with him. Your relationship must be getting serious," She says, giving me a thoughtful look. "Well," she sighs like she thought I might not agree. "An oath like that means he's definitely getting serious about you, anyways."

"I'm serious about him," I say quickly, not wanting her to think otherwise.

"Oh, how lucky are you!" Daphne bounces in her seat. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get guys to commit to anything? And Draco is just willingly doing oaths with you?" she sighs and sits back. "It's like your life is a fairy tale."

Not a very good one.

"I can't even get Blaise to admit he likes me half the time," Pansy says, raising her brows and sighing as she turns the page of the book. "And here you are getting the kind of reassurance every girl dreams about from Draco Malfoy and you still act all weird about it. Why can't you just let good things happen?" She asks harshly. "What is wrong with you?"

"I don't know," I whisper, feeling guilty that I even brought it up.

"It's a good thing, Ginny," Pansy says, leveling me with a look. "Trust me. Don't ruin it."

"Yeah..." I trail off and bite my lip. "But... you know, what counts as cheating?" I ask seriously. "Like kissing... or sex?" I say with a blush and Daphne purses her lips. "He didn't really explain it very well."

"Are you planning on stepping out on him?" Pansy asks, giving me a dark look.

"No." I say quickly. "I just…I mean I just want to know."

"Of course, Ginny would never be unfaithful," Daphne says, smiling at me before letting it falter a bit. "Could you even imagine a world where he would ever let that happen?" She says so quietly I barely heard her. "Anyways," She gives me another sunny smile. "I think it's any physical contact with the opposite sex that's not a blood relative."

"What?" I hiss because if that's what I agreed to, then to hell with that. I turn on both of them, my face feeling hot. "What if someone bumps into me? Or if I give a friend a hug?"

That is the most insane thing I have ever heard.

"It's not that serious," Pansy says after shooting Daphne a look. "It's more intimate touches, of course...Draco isn't a monster, Ginny… but you wouldn't do anything like that anyways, would you? There's no one else out there that you'd rather be with, right?" she asks, sounding bitter and mean like Draco.

"No," my voice sounds really small and childlike. I hate it. "Of course not."

"Then I don't see what the big deal is." she says, rolling her eyes at me before going back to flipping through the book.

"Yeah, Gin," Daphne says, giving me a gentle smile. "You know how he gets… he just probably wanted to not be so stressed out about it all the time. What a good girlfriend you are," she says, sitting back and smiling. "I wish someone liked me that much."

"Vince likes you that much," Pansy says with a cruel little smirk, not even looking up from her lap. "I'm sure he'll make you all kinds of oaths if you let him hit it just once."

"That boy is a menace," Daphne says, making a face and looking disgusted at the very thought. "He literally makes my skin crawl." She shivers. "Blah."

"I'm pretty sure he's going to ask for you for Christmas–"

They start talking about it and I watch them from the mirror as they go back and forth. How Crabbe has been so forward recently and how he seems to think he's on the same level as Draco and Blaise. That made them both laugh. I try to pay attention as Pansy leans forward and says Crabbe thinks himself entitled to anything he wants all of a sudden- though he has nothing to offer in return and that's exactly why no one wants to fuck him… Like that was all there was to it…

"Well," Daphne says in a soft voice like she didn't want anyone else to hear. "Since you-know-who has stayed at his estate he seems to think I'll just–"

"Who?" I ask, unable to not butt in anymore. "Who had stayed at the Crabbe estate?".

My heart is pounding all of a sudden and Daphne and Pansy both look at me.

"Oh," Daphne smiles. "The Minister of Magic," she says, and I visibly relax. "He was visiting the coast with his wife and they decided to stay with the Crabbe's. Vincent won't shut up about it." She rolls her eyes. "Like that will endear me enough to drop my pants for him. Do you see how lucky you are, Ginny? You don't have to deal with brutes like him anymore."

I look at her, thinking of Vincent Crabbe but then my thoughts wander back to the oath I had made.

"What happens if someone does cheat?" I ask carefully. I should have found all this out before doing it. Pansy glances up at me from the book, eyeing my reflection like she was surprised I brought it up again. "Draco said the other person would know... but I mean... how?"

"It burns," Pansy says with a shrug like it was no big deal. "But love always burns. Anyways, let's talk about something else," She snaps the book closed. "I want you to try on a different dress," she says as she snaps her fingers and the saleswoman disappears to get another one for me to try on.

I don't bring up the oath again, and they don't ask.

By the tenth dress I was ready to agree to anything just so we could leave.

"This one is very beautiful," the saleswoman walks around me, making adjustments to the dress as I try to suck in my stomach.

"I like that one," Daphne says with a smile. It is nice, I guess. It's made of satin and lined with silk. There's a form fitting bodice with swirling embroidery that ties in the back. "The gold looks good," she says and I make a face.

"Don't you think gold is a little much?" I ask as I turn to the side, swishing the skirt. It flows nicely and is draped in such a pleasing way…

"Gold is never too much," Pansy says from her viewing chair.

"I have that black dress you made me buy," I point out. "I could wear that."

"Absolutely not," Pansy says sharply. Again she reminds me of Draco and I turn away from her. "That is not appropriate for this kind of party. You need something more formal."

I resist asking the price. I don't want anyone yelling at me just yet.

"I like the cut on you," the sales girl says as she takes the wand from her pocket and taps it against her chin. "It's very flattering. Would you like to try it in another color?"

"Oh, what a marvelous idea," Daphne stands up and walks over to me, looking me up and down. "Green would look too Christmas-ish this time of year… although Draco really would love the color on you," she says, petting my hair with a sweet smile. I give her an uncomfortable smile back. Why is she always saying things like that?

"Try Lavender," Pansy cuts in, and the woman lifts her wand to change the color of the dress.

The color changes instantly and I look at myself in the mirror.

"No, I think not," Pansy says, coming up on the podium as well. "Try yellow."

"Not yellow," I whisper, remembering a conversation Draco had with Mrs. Randolph about the color and how his mother doesn't seem to like it very much.

"Well, how about brown?"

"Brown?" Daphne crosses her arms as the sales lady makes the dress a deep brown chocolate color. "Oh, it does look nice."

"Let's try purple," Pansy says thoughtfully.

"Or teal!" Daphne says in excitement.

"Make it vermilion."

All heads turn to Narcissa Malfoy standing in the open doorway. She's wearing a lovely tweed sheath dress with a matching cropped jacket and my insides twist nervously as she walks further into the room, eyeing my dress with a curious tilt of her head. She takes off her white gloves and puts them in her small clutch purse.

"Vermilion is the color this season," she says as her high heels tap against the tiled floor. Pansy and Daphne step down, backing away quickly and I give them odd looks for the move. She touches the skirt of my dress and purses her lips as I flick nervous eyes to my friends. "And I think it would be lovely against her skin tone." She looks up at me and smiles. It's Draco's smile. The beautiful one and I find myself giving her a timid smile back because of it. "It will bring out the color in your cheeks and look beautiful against that lovely auburn hair."

I blush at the compliment.

She looks at the saleswoman. The girl in gold looks a little nervous now and I wonder if she knows who Mrs. Malfoy is or if it's just the air of superiority that she gives off that makes everyone so on edge. Could be either.

"Well?" she says with a delicate eyebrow arched. Yes, she is definitely related to Draco.

"I..." the young woman trails off and blushes. "I don't know exactly what vermilion is, Ma'am," she says in a small voice and Mrs. Malfoy shakes her head as she snaps open her clutch to take out her wand.

"I'll show you," she says as she points her wand to my dress and then swishes her wrist a few times. My dress turns into an orange-reddish kind of color. It almost looks like a brick red and I look to Pansy to see what she thinks, but she's looking at Draco's mum with such a strange expression. Is it admiration? I don't know. "See, it wasn't so hard," she says with a smile, showing white sparkling teeth all straightened in a perfect row.

She puts her wand away again and looks at the other girls in the room as I run my hands over the fabric of the dress, taking in the new color and deciding that I like it.

"Miss Parkinson. Miss Greengrass," she greets and they both step forward to give her the obligatory kiss on the cheek greeting that fancy people seem so fond of. "How are your parents doing?"

"My father is well, Mrs. Malfoy," Pansy answers. "My mother is…" She trails off and Mrs. Malfoy places her hand on Pansy's, giving her a soft little pat.

"Mine are doing wonderful, Mrs. Malfoy," Daphne says brightly and Mrs. Malfoy smiles at her, a closed mouth smile. "My mother has not been able to stop talking about that arrangement you sent for her birthday. She was just beside herself with wonder."

"I'm glad she liked it," she says, smiling kindly. "Why don't you two run along? I'll send her out when we're finished."

I gulp and widen my eyes as Pansy flicks a glance at me. Please don't leave!

"Alright," Pansy says and then she smiles a serpentine smile at my panicked face. "We'll meet you outside, Gin."

They both wave at me and then walk out of the dressing room, shutting the door behind them.

"You may go too," Mrs. Malfoy says to the saleswoman who is more than happy to scurry out of the room, leaving me alone with the frightfully beautiful matriarch of the Malfoy family.

She walks around me again, looking up and down the dress. Touching it here… touching it there… Her face focused and thoughtful. She does a few more alterations with her wand before standing in front of me with her wand tapping against her lips. I give her an uncomfortable tight lipped smile because I'm so nervous.

"Well," she says, studying my face as she lets her hand drop. "Look at you."

My stomach feels like there is a knot tied in it. Maybe I should tell her my name? I should definitely say something at least but I can't seem to get anything out.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced yet." She takes mercy on me as she holds out her hand for me to shake. I reach my shaky hand out and put it in hers, shaking it limply. Her skin is like ivory and my freckled hand next to hers looks so out of place. Her wedding ring is large and it glitters under the golden sphere lights… a large square cut emerald surrounded by two shining diamonds. "I'm Narcissa, Draco's mother."

"I know," I say and then my cheeks redden. "I mean, I'm Ginny."

"Yes," she says with a smile as she studies my face with a calculating gaze like she was trying to figure me out. "I know."

Right.

"I just happened to walk in a little bit ago and the manager told me that my son's friends were back here trying on dresses. I just had to come and say hello, you understand."

She has such an interesting voice. It was smooth and pleasant… and it sounded so smart. Her accent was like Draco's… the way she pronounced words and lingered on certain syllables had a very upper class feel to it. I didn't even want to talk and have her hear my harsh and low accent.

She starts circling me again and I look down uncomfortably.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I tell her as she studies every inch of me with her soft blonde hair down and pulled away from her face with a braided headband.

It's so unnerving… so uncomfortable. She is just like Draco. She didn't mind staring… looking at all of me with such sharp and confident eyes like it was her right to do so.

"Charmed," she says as she takes out her wand again. "You know, this cut is nice on you, but it is a little dated. How old are you, darling?"

"I'm sixteen," I tell her and she smiles again.

"Oh, sixteen," she says almost wistfully as she takes her wand and starts changing the shape of the dress. "I remember those days fondly."

"Yeah," is all I say like an idiot, wishing I was more clever.

She removes the thin straps and replaces them with soft draping sleeves that hang off my shoulders. She changes the shape of the bodice and drapes the dress in a few different ways until she is satisfied. She was making me feel weird… like I truly was a doll being dressed up and played with.

"My son has told me a lot about you," she says as she starts shortening the hem in the front. "He mentioned that you were beautiful," she says, flicking her eyes to mine. "I see that he was right."

I find myself smiling a little bit and she notices, tilting her head as her cool eyes take in the pleased blush on my cheeks.

"He's quite taken with you." I look at her as she moves around me again. "Are you taken with him?" she questions, stopping in front of me for a moment to face me head on.

Her eyes are a beautiful silver blue.

"Uh, yes, I am."

This is painful. I look towards the fitting room door, wondering if Pansy or Daphne will come back to save me.

She smiles again, that beautiful smile that Draco inherited, and she lifts her wand. "Good," she says simply as she starts removing the swirling thread from bodice and flicking her wrist to make a different pattern. "I would hate for someone to come along and break my boy's heart, you know. He doesn't let many people in. I'm afraid he got that from his father."

"I like him very much, Mrs. Malfoy," I tell her because I feel like I should and this whole thing feels just weird.

If anyone's heart is going to get broken, it will probably be mine.

"I'm pleased to hear that, Ginny," she says as she holds out her hand for me to take so I can step off the platform. "Come here and see," she says as she walks me closer to the mirror. She's a few inches taller than me once I'm on the ground and that makes her even more intimidating.

Just like her son.

"This color is lovely on you," she says as she stands behind me while I look in the mirror. "The dress is flattering, but still young and stylish... and it's appropriate for the event."

"It does look very nice," I admit and then she reaches up and puts my hair over my shoulders.

"You have beautiful hair," she muses and I can feel her playing with it. "It's nice, thick, healthy looking… and such an interesting color."

"Thank you," I say, trying not to sound too freaked out.

Her fingers move to my neck and suddenly her long nails are touching the area where Draco had kissed me so hard he left a sucking bruise. I can't help but think about it. I know exactly when it happened. He had me pressed against my bedroom door, annoyed once again for no good reason at all and making sure that I knew it. She gives me a thoughtful look in the mirror like she could see through the healing charm Daphne had used and I blush so deeply I nearly match the dress.

"Hm," she says, just like Draco. "Now, for the event, you're going to want to wear your hair up," she says as she twists my hair around into some fancy looking bun and she holds it in place with her hand. "With a few strands of hair," she says as she starts pulling strands out so they rest around my face along with my bangs. "Free and curled around your face to make a frame."

"Yes," is all I say just so she'll go away.

"I'll refer you to one of my salons," she says, her free hand reaching down and touching the blue ribbon on my wrist. She looks at it thoughtfully.. "I have a girl there that will be able to do your hair perfectly."

She smiles at my reflection in the mirror and lets my hair fall.

"Don't wear any jewelry," she adds as an afterthought. "I have the perfect set that will go with this."

"Okay," I say because I don't know what else to do.

She pauses to look at me, her silver blue eyes flicking all over my face before she gives me another beautiful smile.

"Aren't you just a bowl of strawberry cream?" She smiles. "It was wonderful finally getting a chance to talk to you. We'll have to do lunch sometime."

"Yeah," I say weakly knowing full well I will not survive a lunch date with her.

I'd probably just melt into the floor.

Then she leaves and I'm left staring at this expensive dress that I had no intention of buying. The sales girl comes back in and I ask her very softly how much it would be because I have yet to see a price tag on anything. When she tells me… my heart falls into my stomach. I don't even have enough in my savings to cover it. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I start to panic… I can feel my breath coming fast and the sales girl asks if I'm alright and I just nod my head.

Now she's going to expect to see me in this dress and I can't afford it. She'll be mad, right? If she's anything like Draco, I know she will be. She said she has jewelry! The sales girl leaves and I start pacing back and forth with a very heavy and unpleasant feeling in my stomach.

"Uh, Ginny?" Daphne peeks her head in the room and when she sees me looking distressed, she comes in. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I can't... Mrs. Malfoy practically made this dress for me," I say as I run my fingers against the fabric.

"It does look wonderful on you. She really does know what she's doing."

"Yes, it does," I say quickly. "But, Daphne, I can't buy this dress. She's expecting me to wear it and... she is frightening, by the way!"

"Yeah, she is," she agrees with a sympathetic smile. "Why can't you buy the dress?" she asks seriously. "Did Draco not give you money?"

I shake my head.

"Oh," she whispers. "Well, can't you just pay for it yourself? You have a job, right?"

"Daphne," I say, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment because I have to say this. "I can't afford this. Even with my savings..." I trail off and my heart starts hammering painfully in my chest. "What should I do? Will she hate me if I show up in a different dress?"

She bites the inside of her cheek again and then she steps back, rummaging through her purse. "Let me buy it for you," she says as she takes out a Gringotts card. "I brought my Dad's just in case. He won't mind if I explain to him what it was for."

"No," I state firmly as I shake my head. "No, I don't want you to do that."

"Why not?" she asks like I was being silly. "You can just pay me back later."

I don't think she understands that it would probably take me years… decades… to pay her back this amount. I shake my head again. "No... I'll figure something out," I tell her as I try to steady my beating heart.

I carefully take off the dress and put my usual clothes back on before Daphne and I walk up to the checkout counter.

"Hi," I say to the saleswoman who was helping me earlier. "Is there any chance you could put this on hold for me?" I ask because I have to figure out something. Maybe I can figure out how to make that vermilion color with my wand and change one of the dresses I already own. Or perhaps I can set up a payment plan with the store…. A payment plan I will be chained to for the rest of my life…. Maybe I can sell a kidney.

"Hold?" the woman says as she checks the dress over, putting it on a hanger. "It's already been paid for."

"What?" I ask as she puts it into a black fabric garment bag.

"Mrs. Malfoy said that it's a gift," she says with a large smile as she hands me the bag. "And these." She slides a box towards me. I open it up to find a pair of delicate looking heels the same red-brick color. "Do you need anything else to go with the dress today?"

"No..." I trail off with a head shake as I take out one of the heels to look at it. It's my size. How did she know that? "So, wait," I shake my head again. I put the shoe back and watch her put the box in a fancy golden bag. "Mrs. Malfoy paid..."

"For the dress and shoes," the saleswoman finishes for me. "Now, you ladies have a good day," she says as she walks away from the counter to help someone else.

"I guess she did like you," Daphne says as I hold the dress like it was a treasured artifact. Daphne grabs the shoe bag because I seem to be so distracted. "Oh, how exciting! She is so very hard to please, you know." I don't know that and the look on my face must have said that because Daphne grabs my arm. "You should write her a thank you letter," she says as her eyes light up. "It would be the proper thing to do. She's probably testing you."

"Why?" I ask in desperation. My hands are slightly shaking. "What have I done?"

"You're dating her son," she says as we start walking out of the store. "And Draco is her special baby boy," she says with a smirk like it was so funny. "She has to make sure you're up to it. She is very proper," she admits, standing straight and making a face like she was trying to pretend to be a fancy lady. "I'm sure she would appreciate you putting in the effort."

"This is too much pressure."

"Oh, don't be silly," she says when we find Pansy window shopping down the street. "It's worth it. Besides, Draco wouldn't let you leave him now anyways so you might as well enjoy it."

"What does that mean?" I ask, but she starts walking ahead of me to meet Pansy. I'm left staring at her blond ponytail as it bounces with each step.

Great.

We shop for two more hours and I feel immensely guilty because I'm supposed to be at work... but I guess a part of me doesn't care. If this is really what was intended when Delsia gave me that key, then I guess I should be pleased that I get to do nothing and get paid for it.

Though, it doesn't seem very fair.

I try to hide the dress when my mother picks me up from work and when she asks about it, I tell her that it's a uniform they want me to try on. The lie comes quickly and easily and when she doesn't question me further I feel guilty all over again about lying… and then I feel guilty about Draco because I was keeping him a secret from my family. He told his mother all about me… he told her I was beautiful… and I can't even say his name out loud around my parents.

I am so sick of feeling guilty.

In my room, I take out the dress and look at the fine material as I hang it on the back of my closet door. It really is the finest thing I've ever owned and I just stare at it for a while, picturing myself at some fancy ball with Draco. It's a dream that comes easily and after a while of daydreaming, I pull out a clean sheet of parchment and a newly dipped quill.

Dear Mrs. Malfoy,

I start the thank you note formally, thinking it would be best.

Thank you for the lovely dress and shoes. I don't think I could ever repay you for that kindness and I'm looking forward to wearing it...

I get stuck there for half an hour with nothing else to write. Mrs. Malfoy had scared the magic out of me today and I have no idea what to say to her. I want to sound smart and grown up… I want to impress her but I'm so nervous to do anything that I can't even think straight.

I chew on the end of the quill as I stare down at the page and then my eyes shift to the bit of crinkled parchment that's by my ink well. I pause a moment before picking it up and smoothing out the wrinkles. It's the paper I had taken from Zabini's room.

From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.

Blaise had said that Draco was one of the players and that the chess board was life with its different players and characters. I feel myself clenching my left hand where I had promised to be faithful and I promised to be his… He does control a lot... Of course, I don't take anything Zabini says to heart but I have to wonder...

I look at my left hand again and flex my fingers with a frown on my face.

If Draco is one of the players... who's he playing against?

---

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A/N: I think I understand why George R. R. Martin hasn't published a Game of Thrones book in over ten years. He probably forgot what he wrote. I really liked writing Lavinia and Byron so I went to check out Life Goes On again. I have completely forgotten the plot and most of the characters and I was the one who wrote it! So I re-read some of the last chapters and jeez were they dark. Who wrote that shit? Oh, it was me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys things a little darker and twisted in my stories so I'm thankful for everyone who is coming along on this ride with me and taking the time to write a review.

I do not have a fan cast for Draco and Ginny. I have in my head a specific look for them but it's just based on how I think they look and no one else. I try to describe them how I see them. Definitely not the movie versions. The only person I have ever seen come close to how I imagine Draco in my head is Boyd Holbrook when he was young and blonde and even then it's not 100%.

I am putting this story up on AO3 as r_rrabbit since my name wasn't available. I haven't moved all my stories there. If I do I will have to edit them on the way. I am always a day behind posting there.

Thanks again,

rrabbit