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.

8. Chapter 8

Draco holds out the snitch and smirks at me as I turn the broom so we're facing each other again. He's caught it the past two times and I am determined not to let him win again.

"You know, if you used one of my brooms you may have a chance," he says smugly as he sits back on his brand new black nimbus 3000. He puts one hand on his slender hip as he sends me a mocking smile. "You'll never beat me on a clean-sweep, sweetheart."

I roll my eyes and fix my riding gloves before gripping the broom. We're high up in the air right now, above an open field on the Malfoy estate.

"I don't need a fancy broom to beat you," I scoff as I put my goggles down. He smirks darkly before doing the same and leaning forward.

"On three then," he says with a smile. "One, two..."

"Three," I finish for him as he releases the golden ball from his firm grasp. It zooms into the air and we take off after it.

Draco has been tailing me on his broom and then diving off in a different direction. It distracts me and by the time I find him again, he's already holding the damn snitch. He's faster than I am and he's a graceful flier. His movements are sharp and precise. I think I could learn a thing or two from him if I wasn't too prideful. I'm a good flier, I know that. I'm just self taught and there are some moves that Draco can do that just baffle me into amazement. I wonder if he'll teach me if I ask…

"It's amazing to see you fly so fearlessly," he says as I resist the urge to elbow him in the side because he is flying way too close to me. "When you nearly have a heart attack in a harmless little boat."

"Worry about yourself," I snap.

I hear him chuckle, so I steer my broom quickly to the left to get away from him. We both lose sight of the snitch as it reaches into the clouds and I stop my broom and hover in the air for a few moments before I see it reappear closer towards the grass. I glance at Draco. He's looking in the opposite direction and I smirk to myself as I take off after it.

I tilt the handle down and to the right as it hovers near a tree and I pull up at the last second before I run into a branch. I can hear Draco behind me as I weave through the trees and I reach out my hand with my teeth clenched as the golden ball flutters in front of me. I see Draco out of the corner of my eyes as I use the foot bars as leverage to lean forward a bit more.

Almost...there...

My fingers brush the small wings and I tilt my broom down a bit more to pick up speed as Draco cusses by my side. When I finally catch it, I'm so excited that I fly straight towards the ground and hop off the broom so I can gloat a little more freely.

"Oh, hell yes," I say with a smirk as I move the goggles to the top of my head. Draco lands beside me with an angry scowl as I give him a victory smile.

"I didn't even let you win," he snaps angrily as he takes off his goggles. I grin as I turn the snitch off and throw it up in the air, letting it fall back into my palm.

"That was sweet of you," I say with a smirk as he takes off his gloves and stuffs them in his back pocket.

"Do you want to go again?" he asks as he throws his broom over his shoulder. "Even though I think two out of the three officially makes me the winner."

"Oh, when you say it like that," I joke with a laugh and he raises an eyebrow in challenge. "No," I answer with a head shake as I crack my back. "I don't want to embarrass you again."

"Oh, really? You want to go there?" he asks as he starts approaching me.

"Already went there," I tell him with a smirk.

I know what he's doing. He has that predatory look in his eyes and it sends a shiver of excitement through me. I give him one last amused look before hopping on my broom and taking off.

"Fuck," I hear him his as he fumbles around with his gloves. "You are not going to like what happens when I catch you," he calls and I look at him over my shoulder as he hops on his broom to chase me.

"I just might," I call back.

I steady my broom with one hand while using my other lower the goggles with a stupid smile on my face.

"It's saucy things like that that get you in trouble," he says and I laugh as I fly my broom higher over the grounds.

We pass over the horse stables and the gardens and we even cross a small pond where geese are gathering in small parties. It's when we get towards the outside of the estate that Draco finally catches up to me. He grabs the back of my broom, yanking it back. I scream from the surprise and clutch the handle tightly when I almost fall off. I glare at him as he angles our brooms until we land on the hard ground.

I let my broom rest between my legs as Draco walks around until he's facing me.

"Got you," he says as he tries not to smile.

"Only because I let you," I lie.

"Hardly," he scoffs and then he approaches me with languid steps as I hold my broom loosely in my left hand.

He's wearing a pair of tight riding pants and a very vibrant royal blue polo shirt that looks so... good on him. I realize that I'm blatantly checking him out and I look away quickly with a blush on my cheeks.

When I gather the courage to look back at him, he's staring at me.

The look in his eyes...

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask nervously and his eyes darken as he tilts his chin down.

"I like watching you ride," he says softly. He takes off his gloves and stuffs them in his back pocket again. "Your body..." he trails off as he gives me an appreciative once over before his silver eyes find mine. "You have no idea what you do to me."

"What?" I say shyly. Sometimes I can act so stupid and I wish I was more confident with this kind of sexy banter.

"I've had the patience of a bloody saint," he says dryly, his eyes slightly narrowed and he takes off the goggles and throws them on the ground. "Do you have any idea how turned on you make me?" he says and I swallow the lump in my throat.

I thought we were having a nice innocent game of backyard Quidditch, but now he looks like he wants to eat me.

It wouldn't be the first time, I think dryly resisting the urge to smirk at my own joke.

There's no doubt that Draco turns me on too. In fact, sometimes when I'm around him I think my body is going to explode I want him so badly... but when he gets that dark look in his eyes I just know that if I give in... I probably will never go back to being myself again.

"Draco..." I say softly when he stands in front me. He takes the broom from my hand and drops it on the ground. It lands with a thump. He carefully takes off my riding gloves and goggles. "What are you doing?"

"I have wanted to fuck you for so long," he says and my cheeks blush scarlet. What are you supposed to say when someone says something like that to you? "I'll wait if you want me to. Fuck," he says as he puts his forehead against mine and brings one hand up to squeeze my breast as he clenches his eyes shut.

I've been making him wait. I know that. Since the night of the ball, every time we've been alone I've stopped us from going forward because I wanted to be smart about it. I wanted to keep my head on straight. I want him too much. I just can't make the decision right now and I've even stopped letting him touch me down there because I know what it will lead to. I know what I want and I know that he wants it too…. and that scares me so I told him we needed to slow down.

He's been getting frustrated with me…. but he hasn't shown it until now.

I bite my lip and bring my hand up to his to gently pull it away.

"I'll wait for as long as it takes but I am starting to break. I have never been this patient with anyone." He looks me in the eyes. "Do you understand what that means?"

"Not really," I whisper like an idiot and a ghost of a smile appears on his lips before it vanishes.

Then he kisses me hard and fiercely. The surprising forcefulness of it makes me falter and I put my hands on his chest, carefully pushing him back as I quickly look around the grounds. We're outside again. I don't feel comfortable doing things outside when his parents could pop in at any moment.

"Do you feel what you do to me?" he asks feverishly as he unbuckles the belt on his riding pants and he grabs my hand as they pop open.

He pulls my hand inside of his pants so I can feel his very obvious arousal and he presses himself into my body as he bites his lip. It's not like I haven't seen it, or felt it, or tasted it before... but the way he keeps looking at me is making me feel all kinds of uncomfortable. I don't like the way he's looking at me but a part of me doesn't want him to stop either.

How messed up is that?

"I want you so badly," he says. He brings his face down to my neck where he sucks and kisses so hard it actually kind of hurts. "I don't want to share you with anyone," he whispers against my throat like I wasn't supposed to hear it.

"We're outside," I whisper nervously.

"I bet you're wet for me already," he says with a smirk against my neck. He had given me a pair of women's riding pants to borrow for the day. They are tight and well fitted and the dark look he gave me when I came out wearing them wasn't lost on me. It's when he looks at me like that that I feel like a fully realized woman and it is such a wonderful and frightening thing. He starts unbuttoning my pants- his cheeks getting flushed. I quickly pull my hand out of his pants and step back when he tries to untuck my shirt. "What is it?" he snaps and I shake my head.

It's almost too intense sometimes.

I don't say anything and he sighs before bringing a hand up to my face. He strokes my cheek softly before he kisses me again. It starts gently at first, and I become comfortable with the softness of it... and then, true to form, he deepens the kiss. I oblige, tilting my head back and opening my mouth for him when he nips my lower lip.

"Jeez," I whisper as I try to catch my breath once I push him back again. He glares at my hands. "What?" I ask in defense.

"You're too innocent," he says and I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not. He steps back and shakes his head. "The fantasies I have would make your head spin."

"I'm not that innocent," I whisper, staring at his lips.

"Right," he says flatly. "You've been giving me bits and pieces of it, haven't you?" He cracks his neck before turning around. He buckles his pants and then starts to pick up our riding gear. "But you're too afraid to give me all of it."

"What does that mean?" I ask softly. I tuck my shirt back in and button my pants again as I watch him.

"It means... " His eyes flick to mine before he picks up his broom. "Never mind," he says flatly as he bends down to pick up my gloves. "It doesn't matter. Forgive me for being so forward," he says dryly with his jaw tight.

He can't even look at me now, and that makes me feel bad for some reason.

"I'm sorry," I add hopelessly as I let my arms hang limp at my sides. Sometimes I wish I was more like Pansy, worldlier and more cultured about things like this.

I wish I could make up my damn mind.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he says as he picks up my broom and hikes it under his arm with his Nimbus. "It's my fault for being too needy. I will not approach you like that again."

"No... I..." I trail off awkwardly as his face snaps towards mine. "I don't mind. It's just... I get nervous, you know?" I sound so young and stupid. I wish I could be more experienced in this area for him.

"I don't want to pressure you," he says and I shake my head.

"You're not...It's just that we're outside," I say as I look around me and I cross my arms. "Anyone could see us."

"I wouldn't compromise you like that," he says seriously. "No one can look at you like that but me," he says flatly and I bring a hand up to my neck. "But it's not just from being outside. You always work me up to a certain point just to pull back at the last moment. It's frustrating for me," he says and I furrow my brows. "The school year is almost here, Ginny. We won't be able to be together like this again and you keep playing with me."

"I don't mean to do that," I admit. "I just... I like being with you and I want to do things..."

"Then why do you look at me like I'm one step away from raping you every time I get the slightest bit turned on now? I can't help it, Ginny. I'm a man and you're my girlfriend. I'm allowed to want that from you."

"I... I know," I whisper because I'm not sure how I feel. I have been kind of dramatic about it, honestly. I loved fooling around with him but I have been kind of… cold about it lately and pulling away pretty violently from him.

"You give me these 'come fuck me' eyes and then when I do respond you suddenly act like I'm doing something wrong. Like I'm a fucking predator. You make me believe you want me and then you push me away."

"That's not true," I say with a head shake, taking a step closer to him. "We do other stuff... I do want you. You know that."

"Other stuff," he scoffs. "Other stuff is nice, Gin, don't get me wrong, but I want to feel you," he says seriously and my insides turn nervously. "I've never felt this way before and I want to feel all of you. I love your mouth, you know I do… but I need to claim you properly. I can't have you going into another gathering or party without being full of me first. You understand that, don't you? You understand why I want that?"

I don't know what to say… I'm not sure so I swallow the hard lump in my throat and try not to look so scared. It feels heavy again and I try not to look so wide eyed and young but I can't help but just give him a helpless look when he talks like that. I have no way to reply. I don't even have the vocabulary to match him when he gets so serious about things like that.

"That way when you walk around… talk to people, laugh at jokes, dance to music… whatever you do you'll be so full of me that you won't be able to forget just exactly who you belong to… and you belong to me. Don't you? We belong together, don't we?"

I nod my head.

He grabs me again and kisses me. When he pulls back he runs his thumb over my lower lip.

It's all happening so fast… but, Merlin, did I want to do whatever the hell he said when he spoke to me like that. When his voice gets so deep and his eyes get so stormy. The thought of having sex with someone used to be such a far off thing. Something I never really even thought about seriously because that was something to worry about when I was older… when I was in love and had my shit together… but now… now I know I'm going to lose my virginity to Draco Malfoy and it was only a matter of time until I let him have it….

"Why don't you want me?" he whispers, his voice sounding different… for once not so confident.

I put my hand over his and look up at him.

"I do want you," I whisper, giving him a kiss just to make him feel better about it.

If you aren't his…

His eyes search mine.

Who do you belong to…

"Do you?" he asks cooly. "Sometimes I feel like you're teasing me for your own amusement. Why don't you trust me enough?"

"I do trust you," I say, resting my hand on his chest. "I don't mean to tease you and I do trust you. I..." I stop myself from saying what I'm thinking.

"You what?" he snaps, annoyed with my delay. "What were you going to say?"

"I..." I lick my lips and then look at his throat before flicking my eyes to his. "I think I love you."

He's silent for a long time and it's painful. I let my hand drop but he grabs it before it falls.

"You think?" he asks in a whisper as he raises one of his eyebrows.

I guess that wasn't the best thing to say and I shake my head.

"I know," I tell him as I reach up on my toes to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I love you."

"Look at me," he says softly and when I finally muster the courage to do it, he smiles warmly at me. "My sweet Ginny," he says as he runs his hand up and down my arm. "I didn't realize how much those words would please me," he says with a handsome smile and I smile hesitantly back.

He leans down and gives me the sweetest kiss before pulling back.

He keeps stroking my arm and I inhale a deep breath. He doesn't say anything and it's getting a little awkward so I look back at his large home. Even at this distance it's huge and intimidating.

"When you were young, did you ever play hide-and-seek in your house?" I question to smooth over the tension I feel. Shouldn't he like… say it back or something? I feel very exposed right now...Like I just cracked open my chest to show him my heart and he was just letting it hang there in the cold. "I feel like a person could get lost there," I add with an uncomfortable smile.

"People have," he admits. "Do you want to go inside?" he asks as he looks me over with his hair disheveled from our flight. I give him a pleading look because I want him to say something else... I've never told a boy I loved them before and this is not how I imagined it going. "I could give you a tour."

"Are your parents home?" I question softly.

"They're gone," he says seriously as he takes out his wand. "We'll just have to stay away from the front of the house. It's the third Wednesday of the month and the house is open for public viewing until five."

"Public viewing?" I say with my nose crinkling.

"This is one of the grandest estates in England. A full functioning magical home," he says as he gathers up our things. "It's open to the public every now and then."

"Does anyone ever steal anything?" I question because I don't have much faith in the public. "That seems like a lot of trust just to have anyone in your house."

"They're tagged of course," he rolls his eyes. "We don't just let every degenerate into our home, Gin."

"Oh," is all I say as he puts his arm around my waist. "What are you-" Before I can get that question out, he Apparates us to a room in the Manor. "How can you Apparate inside your wards?" I question with a frown. "We can't do that at our place."

"Our wards are probably more advanced than yours," he explains as he heels out of his shoes. "We can't Apprate directly in or out, but we can travel within," he explains and I finally look around. It's a bedroom. A very nice bedroom. "It's convenient when there is so much space to cover."

That makes sense.

"I thought you were giving me a tour?" I question nervously.

The floor is beautiful dark wood laid in a woven pattern of different stains. It's covered in a couple opulent rugs made up of a design of maroon, greens and golds. I take off my shoes quickly because I don't want to get any of it dirty. The walls are dark green, almost black… stamped with an even darker pattern of animals and wicked looking creatures the move along the wall like little shadows.

On a raised platform is a bed… and what a bed it is.

A large four post monster made of twisted black wood with an imposingly high headboard that was carved with strange designs, it looks like a beast that would eat me whole. I gulp when I see it because it looks so intimidating. It was just a bed… just a piece of furniture… but what it could mean for me made me shake. The covers are gold and green, pulled taunt and tucked in- perfectly made like how Draco makes me make my bed at the Burrow when he's feeling particularly bossy. There's a mountain of perfectly placed pillows and a strange golden chandelier that hangs down in the center of the room full of crystals and emeralds.

Draco's room at his lake house had surprised me. It was so light and modern- but this room…. This room is exactly what I pictured for him. It was dark. It was beautiful. It was scary. Just like him.

Draco moves about the room, but I'm too busy staring at everything around me to take too much notice. I literally cannot believe he has been sleeping in my bed this summer when he had this waiting for him.

There's a posh looking writing desk against the wall and a very beautiful marble fireplace that has dragon heads carved into the mantle. Draco flicks his wand and a fire roars to life in the grate. There is a brown leather couch with wooden curled legs in front of it and a particularly comfortable looking arm chair.

I rub my arms- suddenly feeling so cold.

"I am giving you a tour," he says and I glance at him. He's taking off his shirt. I gulp again. "This is my room," he says with a dark smirk. "Closet on the left," he says, nodding to one of the doors by the fireplace. "Bathroom on the right."

He starts walking towards me, balling up his shirt.

"This is my floor. These are my walls," he says, his eyes never once leaving mine. "That's my ceiling." I start backing up as he follows me. "This is my shirt," he says in a deep voice as he throws it to the side.

I look at his amazing torso before snapping my eyes to his.

"This," he says as he grabs my hand and pulls me towards him until I slam against his chest. "Is me talking to the girl who says she loves me."

"This is not the kind of tour I was talking about," I whisper to his neck.

This feels much more intense now. I know before, when we would mess around, I would toy with the idea of saying yes, of giving in and having sex with him but it's never felt this serious before. This felt way more deliberate and I feel like I don't have any control over the situation. He seemed so determined… so confident… and so completely in charge of the situation that I felt like I had no choice but to let it happen.

I try not to look like I'm panicking.

I don't want him to think that like he had said before. I don't want him to think I don't want him like that... but I have no idea what I want right now, actually. As confusing as that is.

"Alright," he says as he loosens his grip on my waist and he takes my hand, leading me up the three stairs to the amazing looking bed. "I'll get back on track," he says with a smile as he takes a step back to give me some more room. "This is my bed." He nods towards it and then looks back at me with darkened eyes as he reaches down to yank back the perfectly placed covers to reveal crisp white sheets. I gasp like he had torn my clothes and it makes him smirk again. "I think you should get better acquainted with that section of the tour, actually."

"Umm..."

That's all I say. I could kill myself for it but I don't know what else to do. He's laying it on so thick that I might just melt.

"So," I say with a dry throat because he keeps on looking at me. "Are you trying to seduce me?" I say, attempting to make it a joke, but he doesn't smile.

He walks towards me with slow steps and he loops his fingers into the belt loop of my pants. He pulls me closer to him and I just go along with it as he un-tucks my shirt. I don't even try to stop him when his fingers dance along my midsection until they reach the button on my riding pants. He unbuttons it without any objections from me and he slides them down my thighs until I'm left in my blue knickers. I inhale another shaky breath as he stands to his full height to look down at me.

I wasn't expecting this. I'm not wearing sexy underwear. Just basic cotton ones that are comfy and cover what they're supposed to. He seems to like that, though, and he smiles as he runs his hand over the back of them to grab me there.

"I'm not trying," he says deeply before he brings his right hand up to my hair to hold me in place as he ravages my mouth.

He's never kissed me like this before and it felt so much more overpowering. My lips are burning when he pulls back and he stares at me deeply as he unbuckles his belt, never breaking eye contact. I can't look away as he lets his pants drop and then he attacks me with another set of intense kisses that feel all-consuming and suffocating. I melt into it after a while as my mind goes blank and I get lost in the feel of it. I even moan a bit as he pulls me so tightly against him that I think he might be trying to break me. He pulls back and watches me as I try to catch my breath. Whatever he sees there makes him smirk. I gasp when he grabs my waist and tosses me on the bed with that strength that he has that always seems to surprise me.

I sit up quickly and look at him standing there… looking all regal, and proud, and completely shaggable.

My shirt comes off.

His boxer briefs get pulled down.

Then my plain boring bra and knickers get thrown somewhere on the floor.

I am shaking pretty terribly by the time he crawls on top of me, slowing his kisses down until they are feather light and soft.

"It's daytime," I point out nervously because I always figured that people just had sex when it was dark in the middle of the night.

"I can see you better," he says in a husky voice. A grown up voice. I shiver as he kisses his way down my neck. "Why are you hesitating?" he asks against my throat. "I thought you loved me. Isn't that what we were waiting for? Isn't that why you told me?"

Is that why I told him?

"But… what if your parents come home?" I ask nervously as he works his way around my body.

From all the practice we've had, he knows exactly where and when to touch me to get me turned on. It was something I was regretting right about now as I settled back against his soft pillows and impossibly smooth sheets.

"Nothing is going to happen," he says softly in a calming voice as he takes my hand and puts it in his hair. I guess he likes it when I run my fingers through it, so I do so with a shaky hand. "No distractions. No rain…No annoying people..." he trails off as he sucks on my collar bone. "All you have to do is say yes."

I don't say anything to that and I don't move. After a while, he sighs and rests his forehead against my stomach before glancing up at me.

"You can say no," he says with an eyebrow arched.

"I know..." I say awkwardly.

I don't say anything else and I avert my eyes from his gaze.

"I'm accustomed to getting what I want, Ginny," he says and I cover my breasts with the sheet when he rests beside me. "This is one of those rare occasions where I can put my needs aside until you want it as much as I do." I resist biting my fingernails but I can't help but bite the corner of my lip nervously. "But don't be mistaken," he says and I glance at him. He looks so very serious. "I do want you and I want you now and that's never going to change."

With that he gets up and sits at the edge of the bed with his hands on his knees. For some reason I feel guilty... or bad. I do want him, that's not a question and I think the only thing holding me back right now is my fear and inexperience.

Everyone but me has done it in this circle. It's not such a big deal and I love Draco.

I love him.

I furrow my brows at the thought and sit up.

I look at the bracelet on my wrist and finger the dragons for a few seconds before making my decision. He's the best boyfriend I've ever had and I want to be close to him. I lean over and kiss his arm. He gives me a sharp glance like I was doing something untrustworthy.

"You shouldn't kiss me right now," he says, facing forward again. "I'm trying to calm everything down," he says as he takes in a breath and gestures in between his legs. "Literally," he adds and I nod my head. "Maybe we can go back out and fly for a bit," he says gently. "If you want."

After a few moments, he stands up and puts on his boxers. I sit up on the bed and pull my knees up to my chest. He looks really disappointed and a part of me is disappointed in myself.

"Wait," I whisper as he starts to pull up his riding pants. He pauses before buckling them and he gives me a curious look. I don't want him to think I'm too young and stupid. Everyone thinks that about me and I want Draco to see me differently. I want him to love me as a woman. "Wait," I say as I sit up on my knees, covering myself with the sheet. I reach my hand out to him. "Come back."

He gives me a look. "I'm not in the mood to be played with, Gin."

"No," I shake my head and grab his hand to pull him closer. "I want you too," I tell him before tilting my chin up to kiss him. "I want to do this."

I feel his lips turn into a smile and he takes off his clothes again, settling on top of me as I lay back on the bed.

"I want you to be sure," he says as he uses his fingers to get my body ready again. "I don't want you to regret this."

I remember saying something similar to Daphne and I shake that thought away because I don't want to think of anything else right now.

"I won't," I say. I kiss his neck and shoulder with feather soft kisses.

He takes his time getting my body turned on again, kissing his way around and touching me in my most sensitive places. I'm a shaking, aroused mess by the time he's done and I lick my lips as he lays beside me, using his fingers to stroke me down there and pulling them out to look at the wetness that lingers. He smirks at it, like he was proud of himself and I blush when he looks down at me. He watches with a curious tilt of his head as I press my knees together because everything feels so sensitive and I like the friction it causes, gently moving my hips because my arousal is so overwhelming. I give him a nervous smile, trying not to seem too wanton, and he presses his lips against mine.

"You want me?" he asks gently, kissing my neck.

"Yes," I whisper as he bends down to kiss my breasts. "Yes, I want you."

"Do you?" he asks, pulling up to look at me as he runs his hand along my side, so softly it almost tickles.

"Yes."

He tilts his head and looks over my body, looking down at my knees pressed so tightly together.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

His eyes snap to mine.

"Then spread your legs for me again so I can get between them."

Why did that make me gasp? Maybe it was the quick and hard way he said it. He waits for me to do it, not moving until I open for him.

"Wider," he whispers and I comply.

I'm not exactly sure why he said that. I did that for him even before all this… but the way he was speaking was doing something to me. His voice was so deep and I felt like the tide was shifting where I was the one who was going to get frustrated with him if he didn't start acting on his promise. He looks down at me and then his hand goes between my legs where he uses his fingers again. I start breathing heavier and I look at him as he watches my body.

"Draco," I say breathlessly.

"Yes?" he asks, never looking up from what his hand is doing.

"Are you going to…."

"Going to what?" he asks softly.

"Get between my legs?" I whisper, a little embarrassed to be saying it outloud.

He smirks.

"I'm already there," he says, thrusting his fingers in and making me arch my back. "Or did you mean something else?" He glances at me. "Do you want something else?" he asks curiously, looking into my eyes. "Do you want something more?"

"Yes," I say, now convinced as I grab his arm and pull him on top of me.

He lets out that chuckle that I love so much as he positions himself in between my legs.

"That's what I thought," he says arrogantly and I realize exactly what happened and how he was able to turn this as he smirks down at me.

That sly Slytherin bastard.

He kisses the look off my face, deepening it for a moment so I can taste him.

"Ready?" he asks softly with a charming smile as he looks down at me and positions his sex against mine.

I can't speak, so I just nod my head and grip his shoulders. He starts to push in and I tighten my jaw because it feels weird and it actually kind of hurts a little bit. I inhale a sharp breath and clench my teeth together as he kisses the corner of my mouth. I refuse to cry, but the pressure I feel down there really makes me want to.

"You have to relax," he says gently. "Your body knows what to do for me. It's had plenty of practice."

I exhale slowly and nod my head, trying to do what he says.

"It's okay," he whispers against my ear and I bring a hand up to his neck as he rests his head by mine. "God, you feel amazing," he adds.

The moment feels like it's taking forever and all I can think about is how this is it... I can never undo this moment. I will never be a virgin again and if I get married to someone different, I will not be untouched on my wedding night. Such weird fucking thoughts to be having right now but I can't help it. Why am I thinking so much? I just need to stop. I slam my eyes shut and will myself not to cry. This time it's not because of the pain that my eyes are welling up and I try to hold them back so I don't embarrass myself. With one final push, he's all the way in and I finally let out that breath I was holding.

I need to stop worrying about things and just enjoy the moment and enjoy him… because I love him and he is mine just as much as I was his.

"Draco," I whisper softly as my legs shake around him. There's a whine in my voice that I wish sounded more stable.

I think he's giving me a moment to get accustomed to the feeling, because he hasn't moved yet. It still hurts, but the pain is dulling to just a minor ache as my body adjusts to accommodate his. He pulls back to look at me. His hair is slightly disheveled and falling into his silver eyes that are catching the light at just the right angle making them shine like steel.

I have never seen someone look so handsome.

"I love you," I say with a girlish sob in my throat as I lean up to kiss him.

I wasn't exactly planning on telling him that again. I know the relationship is still new, but if I was comfortable enough to have sex with him… then I should be comfortable enough to tell him how I really feel. For some reason it makes me feel better that I'm doing this with someone I love first. Even if that someone is a Malfoy… I can always look back and know that I loved him.

He smiles a little, it's actually a heart warming smile, and he leans down to kiss me. He seems happy now and he slowly starts moving his hips, sliding his length in and out of me. I've never done this before, so I'm not sure what to do with myself and I feel kind of… useless. Draco lifts one of my legs and puts it around his waist and then he puts his hands underneath my back to pull me closer when he starts going faster. The mattress bounces with each movement and I start feeling a tingling friction in between my legs with each movement of his hips. I stare up at the ceiling… looking at the intricate molding in the white plaster and the glittering gold of the chandelier…. So much better than the peeling corner of my bedroom at home…

When it starts feeling good, I turn my head to the side as I try to keep myself from making any embarrassing noises. I put my right hand on his back and I run my fingers up and down his spine just because I can. I've never felt this... full before and it was an altogether odd sensation.

"I like that," he says in a breathless voice as he pounds into me. I keep running my hand up and down his back because he said he liked it and I kiss his shoulder just so I can get closer to him. With every new angle and every hard thrust comes a different kind of pain and sensation. I bite my lower lip as I try to just ride it out. "You look so sexy right now," he says, looking over my face. "You are gorgeous."

Draco is the only person who has ever called me those kinds of names and I kiss him passionately for it. He just makes me feel so wanted and beautiful all the time. I kiss him again to distract myself from everything that's going on and the odd noises our bodies are making as they work against each other.

After a few more thrusts, Draco sits up a bit more and holds my hips tightly in his hands, angling them up as he starts ramming into me with so much intensity that I bite my hand from yelling out or asking him to stop. It gets better after the first time- Daphne had told me that. I need to just let this happen and enjoy it for what it is…and what is it? It's being close to Draco… It's sharing my body with someone that I love… It's taking that next step in our relationship… It's growing up.

My left hand starts tingling with each thrust of his hips and I glance at it quickly when Draco removes my hand so he can bend down and suck on my neck. Little red lines are starting to glow on my hand, just like they did when I took that oath, and I widen my eyes.

"What is that?" I whisper as I slightly push him back.

He doesn't seem bothered by it. He grabs my hand and pins it to the bed, intertwining his fingers with mine before kissing me heatedly. I get lost in the kiss and how hard and fast he's going. In fact, I've moved up the bed from his thrusts and I use my free hand to hold onto his headboard so I don't hit my head. I wrap my legs around his waist and secure them together with my ankles because I fear I might go off the bed if he keeps moving as he is. He brings his free hand up to my hair, where he gathers some of it and holds onto it tightly, keeping me in place as he kisses me with his tongue and teeth. It kind of hurts, so I gasp and raise my hips. It hurts in a good way, actually, and I figure I must be some kind of freak.

"Tell me that you love me," he says as he bites my lower lip, sucking the pain away before pulling back to look down at me. "Say it again. I want to hear you say it," he says in an uncharacteristically breathless voice.

"I love you," I whisper as I look into his darkened eyes. "Draco..." I say with tears in my eyes because of the pain, and the moment, and the importance of this act.

Is he going to say it back?

He smirks again and then tightens his jaw as he gets on his forearms. The new angle sends a pleasurable hum down my body and I look down. I can see where we're connected and my eyes tear up again for a whole other reason. This is the closest a person can get to someone else and I love him and it's almost perfect.

I'm just an emotional mess today.

"Gods," he whispers and then he shakes his head, clenching his eyes shut. "Not yet," he whispers as he pulls out of me and he sits back, placing his fingers on me down... there.

"What are you doing?" I whisper because I feel almost empty without him now.

"What kind of gentlemen would I be if I just got off without letting ladies go first?" he says as he uses his arm to wipe off his forehead.

That's when I notice I'm sweating as well and I run my fingers through my damp hair as he works my body until I'm almost at the edge of that wonderful feeling that I now associate only with him. He looks so hot right now, with his hair a mess and his cheeks flushed in arousal. I can't believe he actually wants me as much as I want him. God, how lucky I am.

I start making little noises through my lips as my body starts the tingling sensations that I know so well from being with him.

"Do you like that?" he asks. I nod my head and bite my hand again to keep from making noises as I arch my back. He smirks sinfully and uses his free hand to remove it. "Tell me that you like it or I'll stop," he challenges letting the hand slide down to my breast to caress me there.

I'm so sensitive right now that it sends a tremor right through me and he laughs a little when I make a moaning sound that I try to muffle. I figure this is him talking dirty during sex and I try to overcome my embarrassment as I lift my hips.

"I like it," I whisper in a hoarse voice as I put my hand over his to show him exactly where I want to be touched right now. He looks over my body as he licks his lips and raises his eyebrows when we make eye contact again.

I know it's going to happen soon, but for some reason I feel frustrated. I feel empty after having him in me and I furrow my brows as I try to get more movement from his fingers. I want him. I want all of him in me again and I don't think I can say that out loud.

"What do you want, Ginny?" he asks darkly like he could read my mind.

I grab his arms and pull him on top of me so he'll get the hint. He smiles as I spread my legs wider for him. He doesn't do anything at first. He doesn't move so I reach a tentative hand down between our bodies to grab him so I can guide him into my body.

He lets out a long breath as he starts pushing in and I bring my hands back up to his shoulders as I enjoy the feeling.

"What a good girl you are," he says breathlessly before sliding all the way in.

All it took was that one stroke at that right angle and I was seeing stars. I arch my back and actually call out from the intensity of it as I wrap my legs tightly around him. I almost push him off of me because the feeling is so intense, but I can't get my limbs to move properly. It barely registers with me how fast he's going now because my body is so sensitive and I'm coming down from the ultimate high.

"I'm almost there," he whispers and I shiver a bit to feel his hot breath against the shell of my ear. "I'm going to finish inside you," he says, his voice serious and full of lust.

He looks over my face for a moment, bringing his hand up and brushing hair away from my forehead.

"Beautiful girl."

I'm a breathless, sweaty, smiling, mess when he finally thrusts one last time as every muscle in his body seems to tighten. He exhales slowly and pumps a few more times before resting his body totally on mine and whispering my name. That pleases me and I smile as I kiss his ear. I try to catch my breath…. I have no idea why I'm so out of breath... I barely even moved during this whole ordeal. I bring my hand up to his hair and run my fingers through it as I glance at my hand. The red lines are gone. I must have imagined it.

He kisses my shoulder before sliding out of me and we both sigh. When he rolls beside me, I stare up at the ceiling in silence for a while before I start crying. There's a painful throb in between my legs and I turn on my side and hold myself to deaden it... but it doesn't hurt that bad.

This is just ridiculous. Why am I crying?

"Are you okay?" he asks as the tears leak from the corner of my eyes and I nod my head, trying to wipe them away quickly. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asks in concern as he turns on his side and pulls me to face him.

I sniffle like a pathetic thing as he puts his hand on my face, wiping tears away with his thumb.

"Did it hurt that badly?" he asks and I shake my head. "I tried to be gentle," he says like he was scolding himself for it.

"It ended up feeling good," I admit with a blush and he gives me a gentle smile.

"It felt awesome on my end," he says with a smirk and when I don't smile back he sighs. "Come here," he whispers as he pulls me to him.

I don't know why I'm crying, actually. This is just such a big important step. I wonder if I look any different. He lays on his back and rubs my arm as I get comfortable against his chest, letting silent tears slip out onto his skin.

"Do you wish you wouldn't have?" he asks flatly after a few silent moments and I shake my head again.

"Of course not," I say because it's true. Regret isn't what I'm feeling right now. I have no idea what it is I'm feeling... but that isn't it.

He squeezes my arm. "Then why are you crying?"

"I don't know," I admit in a pitiful whisper. I close my eyes when he kisses the top of my head.

He lays there with me for a while, just holding me and staying silent. I listen to his heart beat as I look out of one of his large windows on the far wall. It's a perfectly lovely day, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

"I'll be right back," Draco whispers as he slides away from me.

I watch him get up and walk towards one of the doors on the right side of the fireplace. He doesn't even bother to cover his nudity like I would and I pull the covers back to look at my body. I don't know if I was expecting to look different now that I had finally had sex, but my body seems more mature to me somehow, like it has finally evolved into that of a woman. I know that's silly. This is the same body that I was in this morning, but it had never made love until now…. It had never belonged to Draco Malfoy so completely before.

I smirk at that thought but then I see a bit of blood on the pure white sheets.

I can never undo this.

And I'm okay with that... I'm pretty sure.

I pull the covers back up when Draco comes back into the room, holding a small golden vial in his hand.

"What is that?" I question as he slides back beside me on the bed.

He hands it to me.

"Drink it," he says seriously as he moves some hair away from my face. I turn it and hold the vial up to the light so I can study it closely. "Unless you would like to have my child at sixteen, I would suggest drinking it," he adds after I don't obey him right away.

I didn't even think about that. How thick am I?

I unscrew the lid and sniff it before downing it all in one shot. It tastes odd, like chocolate milk just a day old and I crinkle my nose as I hand the vial back to him.

"That will last for three months," he says as he sets it on his night stand. "You'll have to remind me to give you more later."

I don't say anything to that since he's just assuming I'll sleep with him again.

He's assuming right, of course, but still.

We lay in silence for a while again, and I nearly fell asleep until he says my name.

"Did you mean it?" he questions lightly.

I turn my head so I can see his profile. "What?"

"When you said you loved me," he says as seriously as he turns his face to look into my eyes. "Did you mean that?"

I nod my head.

"Of course, you did," he says as he studies my face. "You rarely lie." I furrow my brows at that odd statement as he smooths out my hair.

"I lie all the time to my parents," I admit with a guilty conscience and he kisses me softly on the lips.

"You don't lie to me," he points out and he's right so I nod my head.

Why hasn't he said it back yet?

I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but he could at least reassure me that he likes me a little bit.

"I'm not the nicest person in the world," he says seriously. "I'm not nice like you are."

"I'm not always nice," I mumble and he raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, you are," he says. "Even when you're trying to be mean you always give an opening for a second chance."

I shrug because I can't do anything else.

He takes a strand of my hair and he twirls it around in his fingers. "It looks like copper right now," he says softly. "The light is hitting it just right."

"Draco," I say nervously to get him out of the musing about my hair color. "I told you that I loved you. Aren't you going to..."

"Say it back?" he finishes the tough question for me. I just stare at him. "I don't even say those words to my parents," he says flatly.

I stare at him for a moment… and then I get up to gather my clothes. I suddenly want to go home but he grabs my arm. I snap my face to his as he sits up until his legs are pressed into my side. He kisses me, but I push him back and scoff.

Honestly.

"It's very difficult for me to say those words," he says, like it made sense.

"Well, I never slept with anyone until you- so there's a first time for everything."

I'm getting kind of angry right now because I'm hurt that he doesn't feel the same. We did just make love, after all. The least he could do was say it back…. Maybe I should have waited until he said it too. How stupid I am just to assume he felt the same way.

He brings his hands up to his lips and he rubs his mouth. I scoff at him and get up, angrily throwing on my clothes. I ignore his protests for me to return and the pain between my legs as I slip on my shoes and leave his room. I inhale a deep breath before taking off down an unfamiliar hallway. I turn down another corridor, and then another, and then I find a back stairway that I jog down. That leads into another large hallway and I have no idea where I am again... Why is this house so goddamn big?

I'm officially lost by the time I reach another large hall that's home to suits of shining armor all lined up in a row. I take a seat on one of the viewing benches with my arms crossed angrily. I'm tired of walking. A place this big should have maps on every wall. I sit for a while until I hear footsteps coming down the hallway and I look up to see Draco walking towards me with his hands in his khaki slacks, wearing that blue polo shirt he seduced me in. I look away angrily and debate whether I should run away from him, but that's just a childish thought.

"Lost?" he asks softly, trying not to smirk at me as I glare up at him.

When I don't say anything, he sighs and kneels in front of me. He places a bag down on the floor and when I see it, I realize it's mine. I wouldn't have gotten very far without that.

"Look," he says sternly as he forces me to look at him. "Your anger right now is ridiculous but not totally unfounded," he adds after my nostrils flare. He licks his lips before continuing. "I do love you, Ginny," he says and I uncross my arms as my heart leaps. He brings his hands up to my face and I guess I must be smiling because he gives me a fond little look as he glances at my lips. "I'm pleased that you feel the same way but I'm always hesitant to use those words. Love is a weakness in an ambitious man. My Grandfather always said that to me and I believe it."

"I was always taught the opposite," I say softly. I'm not angry anymore. He said he loved me and I feel like I'm floating on a cloud.

I put my hands over his and I let him bring them down to my lap.

"Love is the only thing that can make a sensible person do stupid things. It's the most dangerous form of magic," he says and then he sits back on his heels. "I don't want you thinking I don't," he says as he puts his hands on my knees. "I've felt things around you that I've never felt before and it's been quite a shock to me. You have surprised me, Ginny." He presses a kiss to my lips and pulls back with a little smile. "I can be myself and let my guard down around you. I don't have to worry about your motives or try to figure out what you want from me. You have no idea how freeing that is… how absolutely happy you make me."

"I love you so much," I whisper, leaning in to give him a hug. I wrap my arms around his neck as I kiss his ear. Maybe it's my stupid sappy heart, but I feel better.

"I love you too, you beautiful little thing," he says with a smirk as he playfully kisses my nose.

"So," I say softly once he pulls back. "What are your ambitions then, you ambitious man?" I ask to lighten the mood.

"I have many," he says with a sinful smile. He stands up and holds out his hand for me to take. "But I can show you my newest project if you promise to be discreet."

"I'm great at being discreet," I say with a smile as I let him pull me down the hallway with my bag over his other shoulder.

We take another back staircase and go through a large white sitting room before heading down a rather narrow wooden stairway that leads into a kind of basement. It smells like earth and burnt things and I cross my arms as Draco lifts his wand to light the torches. It looks like a torture chamber and I give Draco a look.

"It looks this way for a reason," he assures me. "Stand back, by the stairs."

I obey and go where he told me. I watch curiously as he lifts his wand and flicks it a few times until a jet of red light hits the opposite wall. Then the walls start to shake and I hold onto the railing as a loud, billowing noise fills the decayed hall.

I scream when the fire manifests itself. I know what that is. Fiendfyre. Cursed fire. I nearly start running as it takes the form of a large hissing snake, growing in size until it reaches the top of the large room. It hisses and spits and then starts burning up the entire room.

"Draco!" I scream because cursed fire is very dark magic that can not be controlled. "We have to get out of here!" I'm already sweating from the heat and I can barely breathe. He doesn't move, he lifts his wand at the destroying mass and I run over to him to pull him out of the room.

He flicks his wrist a few more times and the hissing, spitting fire snake stops. It freezes in midair and I watch it with wide eyes. When Draco moves his wand to the left, the snake's head turns that way. When he moves it to the right, it turns that way as well and I put my hand over my mouth.

"You can control Fiendfyre?" I whisper as he continues to point his wand at the dangerously hot mass, making it move and turn in all different directions. He smirks. The fire reflects in his eyes. "Only powerful Dark Wizards can do that," I point out as I give him a troubled look.

"I can do more than that," he says as he swishes his wand. The fire disappears, leaving scorched walls behind it and when he turns to me. I take a step back. I've never seen anyone just get rid of cursed fire... I read that it had to just burn out. "I have more control over it than any wizard in history and I can get rid of it just as fast."

"How can you do that?" I ask worriedly.

Cursed fire is one of those terrible curses that even the darkest of the dark wizards rarely use. It destroys everything it touches and it's impossible to control. I've read that even Voldemort can only control it for a few seconds before it goes out on its own.

"I found the spell you need to control it. I had a busy summer," he says with a proud smile as he looks at me. "Brilliant, right?" he says and I nervously nod my head. There are ash marks on his face from the billowing flames and his eyes look dark. "Do you have any idea what this means?" he says and I shake my head worriedly. "It could revolutionize warfare. No one has ever controlled Fiendfyre like this before," he says as he walks to the middle of the room where the stones are still smoking. "I've been trying to get it to downsize into a smaller scale. To get it to only focus on one target like a legitimate curse instead of eating everything in its way."

"Why did you start doing this?" I ask softly and he looks at me with his hands on his hips.

He seems so proud of himself… he seems so proud to be showing me this… but I just can't match his enthusiasm because the implications are so scary.

"I have all these ideas in my head," he says like he was relieved he could finally tell me. Sometimes he's so smart he reminds me of Hermione... if Hermione had an ego and dark ideas, that is. "It took me years to get this down and there was a branch at the Ministry that was trying to develop it at the same time."

"Does anyone know you can do this?" I ask seriously.

Jesus, if Voldemort knew...

"No," he says as he walks back to me, placing his wand in his pocket. "Not yet. That's why I need you to keep this secret for me," he says as he looks into my eyes. "I wanted to share this with you because it's important, but during the school year I am going to teach you Occlumency. We're getting closer and you need to be able to shield your mind because I guarantee that people will look in on you to find out about me."

I gulp.

"This is dangerous stuff Draco," I say seriously. "You're lucky it hasn't killed you yet," I say and he nods his head before walking towards the wall by the stairs. He uses his wand to remove one of the stones and he digs into it before he pulls out a notebook and hands it to me.

Prometheus is scrolled across the front of it and I give him a look before opening up. It's all numbers and letters and formulas.

"Everything in the universe goes back to math," he says as I flip through page after page of math problems that I can't make sense of. "Even magic. I don't do anything blindly," he says seriously. "I did the research on this," he says with a pleased smirk.

I look at him like I've never seen him before.

"I didn't realize how nerdy you were," I joke and he laughs as he takes the notebook and puts it back in his hiding spot. "Do your parents know what you've done?" I ask and he shakes his head as he puts the rock back.

"Not completely," he says flatly and then he faces me again. "But you know my father is not an idiot. Aren't you impressed?"

"Yes," I say quickly because I am, but this is a little overwhelming. Dark magic makes me uneasy and to control that... I look at Draco... Geez, what else can he do?

He smiles again and walks closer to me, kissing my head.

"Good," is all he says as he wraps his arm around my waist. Then he checks his watch. "I better get you back to the club," he says before cleaning us of the soot from the fire. "You have to change first," he says, nodding to my borrowed clothes. "I doubt your mother would appreciate the new outfit."

Oh, right.

I go to take my bag away from him, but he holds it out of my reach with a smirk. "You can change right here," he says as he looks over my body. "I would like to watch you."

"Don't be silly," I say as I try to retrieve my bag.

"I'm being serious," he says and I send him a look as he steps back. "I've already had all of you today, Gin. You don't have to be modest around me anymore."

"Draco," I say with an eye roll as I step forward to get my bag again, but he puts it further out of my reach. "Stop being stupid."

"I'm not being stupid," he says seriously, his eyes slightly narrowing. "Do as I say."

"Because you're asking so nicely," I say with an eye roll and when I go to grab my bag again, he grips my wrist and kisses me.

It throws me off guard and I gasp into his mouth as he pulls me close. The room is still hot from the fire, and I can feel sweat beading on my brow.

"Come on, Gin," he says with a sinful smile. "Don't be a coward."

I scoff. He honestly wants to call me that? I step back and give him a challenging look as I start taking off my clothes. When I'm left standing in my bra and knickers, Draco lets his silver eyes slide down my body. Trying to seem brave and confident, I put my hands on my hips. He smiles then, and takes a step towards me so he can touch my face tenderly. He kisses me softly on the lips before handing me the dress I had folded up in my bag. He helps me slide it over my head like I was a toddler.

"There," he says as he moves to my back and I put the hair over my shoulder as he zips it up. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asks as he hands me the heels I wear to work.

I shake my head and smile a little bit at how silly that just was.

"We should go," I say as I blink a few times and take my bag from him. "My mum will be there soon."

When we finally get back to Folk Hills, Draco takes a moment to grab my face and he kisses me deeply. I don't think I will ever get tired of the way he kisses. He's just so bloody good at it. He slips his tongue along mine and I can't help but smile when I pull back.

"I wish I didn't have to go," I whisper, kissing him once more with my eyes still closed. "I wish I could stay with you longer."

"It's not forever," he says, running his hand along the curve of my waist. I nod my head. "You were incredible today. Did you know that?"

I'm not sure if that's true but it was nice of him to say so. I did just kind of lay there. I tell him I love him again just because I can and he smiles as he reaches down to grab my hand. I watch as he brings it up to his lips… leaving a sweet little kiss to my knuckles as he looks into my eyes. My heart flutters when I remember that he loves me too and I try not to sigh wistfully.

"Thank you for giving me your body, Ginny," he says softly and my insides melt at the way he says my name. "I'll see you later," he says with a wink.

"Later," I say softly as I try to process every single thing that happened today.

"I'll bring your broom and Quidditch gear to you later tonight." He says, taking a step back as he looks at me. He tilts his head, thoughtful for a moment as he squeezes my hand. "And maybe if you aren't too sore you'll let me have you again?"

I smile at the thought and nod my head. I feel like now that this door is open I'm going to let him have me whenever he wants.

I watch him pop away and then I go towards the arches to wait for my Mother. When she sees me, I quickly smooth out my clothes and stand up. Suddenly I am very nervous. Can mothers tell when you've had sex? Can she see that I'm not a virgin anymore? Can she smell it? I try not to panic as she smiles at me and we walk in silence to the Apparition point.

"You smell like fire," she says as she blinks at me and I shrug nervously.

"Strange," I say as I sniff my own hair and she nods.

"Very strange. You should take a bath when we get home."

I follow her orders and take a very long shower, running my hands over my body. Everywhere Draco touched as I remember what happened.

I had sex today.

I clean my body and shampoo my hair, remembering what he said and how he felt on top of me. Once I'm finished I step out and towel dry, wiping off the steam from the mirror so I can look at my reflection.

I had sex today…and I have a fucking hickey!

I panic and tilt my neck to see it as I move my wet hair out of the way. There's the dark bruise forming against the side of my neck and I widen my eyes as I stare at it. What was Draco thinking? God, what if my mother saw that?

I cover my neck with my hair and I get dressed in a set of comfy clothes. I walk towards my room, hyper aware of my body and the changes it went through today.

I had sex today.

I can't stop thinking about it and the minor ache between my legs won't let me forget either. Why does that feeling make me smile so much?

I lay down on my bed and stare up at my ceiling until my Mom comes into the room.

"Ginny, honey, have you seen a bit of paper anywhere?" she asks. I sit up, raising my eyebrow and combing my hair over my right shoulder so it's covering the hickey on my neck.

"What?" I ask because that seemed awfully vague.

"You know, the bit of paper that your father and I leave in our drawer for emergencies," she says with a frown. "It has our password on it, written by our secret keeper. We've changed the wards to get rid of the keypad… but we need that piece of paper if we want to invite anyone else in now."

"I know what you're talking about," I say so she won't describe it further.

"Right, do you know where it is?" she asks seriously. "I was cleaning this morning and it is not where it is supposed to be."

The last time I saw that... I gave it to Draco so he could pass our wards.

"I don't know where it is," I lie as I try to remember if he still has it... if I ever got it back from him.

"Now, Ginny. With this change we can't just have visitors anymore. They have to be approved. No password at the gate," she says with her hands on her hips as she looks around my room like she might be able to find it. "We are getting a little tighter with security here. You understand?"

I nod my head…. Not even bothering to ask why because I know she won't tell me.

"Your room is so clean," she points out, sounding surprised and I blush, not able to look at her when I remember why it is so clean now. I'm sure she wouldn't like knowing that Draco makes me clean it while he sits down on the bed that she is currently looking under to watch me. On top of my quilt that she made with his hand inside his trousers as he tells me exactly what he wants me to do and how to do it…. and then… well… I think that particular game is going to get a whole lot more interesting now. "I need to find it," she says, standing straight and frowning. "You know how terrible it would be if it fell into the wrong hands."

"I'll let you know if I come across it," I say seriously, trying not to think sexy thoughts, and she nods her head before leaving my room.

I sigh loudly and lean against my bed again.

I put my hand on my neck where the hickey is and I go to my mirror with my wand in hand. I bring it up to the bruise and say the spell I heard Daphne use. Nothing happens. I try another healing spell… but it stays stubbornly there. Damnit. I sneak out of my room, making sure my parents are nowhere in sight as I creep down to the kitchen. I take out a spoon and put it in the freezer for a few minutes before pulling it out and running to my room again.

My roommates swear by this method. I go over to the mirror and move hair out of the way before placing the cold spoon on the bruise on my neck. I can't believe I have a hickey again and it actually makes me smile for some odd reason. I think about Draco and I remember him saying he loved me too. I nearly start laughing like a fool. I go back to my bed and lay down against my pillows, smiling up at the ceiling with the cold spoon pressed against my neck as I think about how it felt to be so full of him.

What a wonderful feeling this is.

I start humming to myself and before I turn off my lights for the night, I go over to my window.

Draco might be the definition of 'wrong hands' but his hands feel so damn good.

---

XXXXXXX

The Last Day Soiree.

That's how Daphne described it when she excitedly told me about it as we walked around the gardens at Folk Hills for my final day of work. A great big party, she said… to celebrate the last weekend of freedom before school starts and the last hoo-rah for their friend group before they closed up their summer homes for the season.

The theme this year, she said, was Black and White Fright Night.

I wasn't really sure what that meant for me but she told me that I had to wear something nice and that it had to be black or white or a combination of the two. Absolutely no other colors. It was going to be at Pansy's house because Draco and Zabini never wanted to decorate when they had parties and it pissed Pansy off that they never made the effort. I was just excited to have one more fun night before the reality of school hit me.

I'm glad to finally have a reason to wear that little black dress I bought at that fancy department store with Pansy. It's simple enough, with thick enough straps so that I don't have to wear a special bra. Well fitted and ruched together on the left side, I like the way it looks on my body and it's an appropriate length for my ridiculous boyfriend's approval.

A win for everyone.

I think it makes me look older too… more sophisticated somehow and I smile to myself as I do my make-up and hair. The black heels that Draco's money bought me wait to complete the outfit by my bed as I check the time.

The party started around eight… but I had to wait for my parents to go to sleep. My dad stayed up late, listening to the radio in the den and working on his stupid miniatures so I'm not getting to leave the house until after midnight. Much to my annoyance… but I'm just too excited to see Draco again that I try not to get too upset about it.

When I am sure my parents are down for the night, I open my window and notice it's actually kind of chilly. Since this is my last night of doing something fun, I figure I should ride my bike one last time. I grab my heels and wand and then sneak out of my room, tiptoeing down the stairs to get a cloak out of the closet. I grab my mum's old plaid rain cloak, smirking at it because it will fit the theme of black and white even though it does have some small lines of teal. It's a little shorter and easier to move in so I throw it over my shoulders, clasping it at my throat before untucking my hair that I straightened and decided to wear down

I go outside, closing the front door very quietly and then walk briskly to the shed. I look over my shoulder at the Burrow only once before bringing out my pink, sparkly bike. I wheel it down the path with my wand and shoes tucked in the front basket. Barefoot and a bit cold, I hop onto the seat and take off down the road once I'm outside of the warded gate.

I smile to myself, closing my eyes for a moment as the wind dances through my hair.

I can't believe school is going to start in two days. I can't believe that this summer is almost over. I try not to let that worry me as I ride through the woods that seem to hum and sing with my arrival. I pass by the trees and go through the fields that follow as I make my way towards Yellow Springs and the expensive houses that circle the lake.

The gate is open when I get to Pansy's house and I hesitate a second before hopping off my bike and walking it towards her front door. Her house is black now. All of it. Completely covered in glittering black magic that makes it look like it's part of the night time sky. I wonder at the magic and smile a little to myself at how extravagant they all are before walking my bike off to the side. I see Draco's Everywhere bike and I smile to myself as I walk my little sparkly monstrosity over to his very cool and fancy magical object, flicking the kickstands down and parking it right beside it.

The visual is a funny one to me and I can't help but think it's a good representation of who we are as people in general.

I grab my wand and heels, slipping the shoes on before walking inside the house.

What I see inside makes me blink in surprise. Everything is black in here too. The walls, the paintings, the floors, the ceilings… like some sort of shimmering magic spell. There are strange shaped balloons twisted around the banister of her curved staircase of varying sizes- all of them bright white and glittering. Strange shadows dance along the ceiling… looking kind of like Dementors that swirl and twirl around the lights above. Fright Night, indeed.

There's a house elf standing by the front door and it hands me a lacy black mask as I take it all in.

"Oh," I say, blinking at the little creature as I take it. "Thank you."

The elf says nothing to that and goes back to looking haughty and bored.

Everyone was dressed in white, black, or a combination of the two and most were wearing the masks that the house-elf is handing out.…Black lacy things… white feathered ones… ones that were hard and checkered like a chess board.

I notice that It's not just their little group of Slytherins that are here. The house was full of other houses too. I could spot Ravenclaws and a few Hufflepuffs. No Gryffindor's, though… but me, I guess. The party is already in full swing and I put the mask on my head, using it more like a headband to pull back my hair because I don't want to wear it. I gather my courage and push through the crowd as the music blares in my ears. Most of the people are already drunk, stumbling around and drinking more out of black plastic cups. They play drinking games, dance, and laugh…. Red cheeked and glassy eyed as they touch and snog and do inappropriate things out in the open… Seeing the downturn from the outside made everything look a little… pathetic?

Maybe I should just get drunk and I won't think that way.

The French girls are back… as were some hard looking foreign blokes with rough accents… There are people I remember meeting at Draco's lake house party… But I don't see anyone that I actually know well. I walk around for a while trying to find Draco… but I don't see him anywhere and the people that I ask don't seem to know either. I clench my fingers around my wand, looking around nervously for a familiar face to help ease my worry because I am sober and feel out of place.

In the kitchen- I see Daphne and I sigh in relief as I run up to her. She's taking shots with her little sister.

"Ginny!" she calls when she sees me, running around the kitchen island to pull me into a tight, uncomfortable hug. She pushed her mask made of feathers up and grins. "Thank God you're here. I didn't think you'd make it!"

She was wearing a white sparkling romper that looked like something a toddler would wear and her hair was in pigtails that curl down the sides of her head in little ringlets.

"Do you know where Draco is?" I ask, glancing at her little sister who was watching me with a curious tilt of her head.

She shakes her head as she pours a couple more drinks.

"I never know where he is," she says, handing me the shot glass full of some purple kind of liquid. "Here. Drink this before he finds you and tells you you're not allowed to have any." I give her a look and she gives me a funny kind of smile. "He can't get mad if he wasn't around to tell you no."

I roll my eyes. I take the shot quickly and she claps her hands.

"I like your cloak," Astoria says and I glance at her as she takes off her lacy mask and places it on the counter.

She looks a lot like Daphne, only her eyes are hazel like their mother's and she was a little softer. Her cheeks were more rounded and her body was fuller…. But they had the same honey blonde hair and the same lovely smile. She was wearing a sheer black cropped blouse that had white polka dots on it and a teeny tiny white skirt that already had a purple stain on it.

"Thanks," I say, taking the other shot Daphne pours for me. "It was my mother's."

Daphne reaches over and grabs the back of my cloak, pulling it down to look at the tag and smirking when she pulls back.

"I thought so," she says, giving me a smug smile. "That's a vintage Eastwood cloak."

I don't know what that means so I just shrug it off.

"Oh, Ginny, look how lovely you look," she says, throwing her arm around my shoulder. "Please stay here and drink with us before Draco whisks you away. He never likes to share you anymore."

I take another shot and then accept the mixed drink she hands me. It tastes like a creamsicle and smells perfectly heavenly. I start to become hot as I listen to Daphne and her sister talk to one another about the new things they bought for the school year so I undo my clasp and put the cloak over my arm.

"You know, Ginny," Daphne looks at me with glassy eyes as she hops up on the counter. "Astoria likes to read books."

I blink at the admission because it was kind of out of nowhere.

"Yeah?" I say, my eyes sliding to Astoria as she taps her fingers against an empty shot glass.

"Do you not also like to read?"

"I like it okay," I say, unsure of where this is going.

Daphne looks between me and her sister and then she makes a face like she was annoyed with the both of us.

"You know Astoria is going to be your coven sister next year," she says, glancing at her sister and glaring. "You guys really should make an effort to get along."

"I don't even know what that means," I admit, taking another shot that she hands me.

"Well–"

"What's she doing here?" Astoria says shortly cutting her sister off.

She's glaring at someone over my right shoulder and I follow her gaze to see a beautiful dark haired girl walking into the kitchen. She was incredibly beautiful, actually, and she's wearing a shimmering white dress that leaves little to the imagination.

"Who is that?" I ask curiously as the girl goes over to help herself to a drink. Her dress is so low cut I can see a black, lacy bra.

No one answers me, so I glance at Daphne.

"Do you know who that is?" I ask as she watches the beautiful girl with the dark hair before giving me a nervous look. "Daphne?"

"That's Draco's ex-girlfriend," Astoria says uncomfortably.

"Oh."

That's all I can say as I feel this sinking feeling in my stomach. Daphne had told me she was beautiful but I didn't realize just how gorgeous she was. I turn away uncomfortably and try not to look at her as she smiles at a couple of girls that she is with and leans against a counter nearby… but I can't help it. I end up flicking little glances at her way. She has a severe kind ofbeauty to her… a harsh one that made her look intimidating and almost scary. She is tan and her cheek bones are like cut glass. Of course, she is slender- smaller than me in size and height and she has a lovely face with light eyes that stand out brightly against dark lashes. Her lips are incredibly full and covered in black lipstick.

She seems to be the opposite of me in every way and I find myself feeling terrible about who I am.

"Would you like to go outside?" Daphne asks, turning slightly like she didn't want the other girl to see her but it's too late… because I can see her approaching out of the corner of my eye.

"Daphne." She had a nice voice, a slight accent with a bitter smirk. "It has been a while, no?"

Daphne plasters one of her fake pageant smiles on her face and turns to the beautiful girl.

"Sophie," she says…. And that is all she says…

The beautiful girl looks at her and then she looks at me.

I suddenly felt so ugly and stupid.

"Who is this, then?"

Daphne doesn't say right away and I take a large gulp of my drink before answering because I am brave and I have had three shots of alcohol.

"I'm Ginny."

"Ginny." She says my name back, making it sound weird and sensual with her accent. She lifts an arched brow and then tilts her head as she drinks me in. God, do I hate that. I take another large gulp until the drink is gone and I place the cup on the counter. "Where is Draco?" She turns back to Daphne and I feel my heart drop again. "I cannot find him. He is here, no?"

Daphne looks at me… Astoria is looking at me too.

"I don't know where he is," Daphne answers, sounding uncomfortable. "Oh, Gin. Let's go outside. I think they are doing duels by the lake."

She grabs the bottle of purple liquor before taking my hand and pulling me outside. I don't say anything. My mind can't seem to process what just happened and I can't tell if I'm mad… or upset… or jealous? But why would I be jealous? I had ex boyfriends too… but none of them looked like that.

"She really shouldn't be here, Ginny," Daphne hisses as we take the winding stairs down to the beach where I can see colorful spells lighting up the night time sky. "Let's just pretend like that didn't even happen."

"Why would she want to talk to Draco?" I ask uneasily. I stop and grab the bottle of liquor from her, taking a small swig as I slip off my heels because they hurt.

Daphne pauses to wait for me as I pick them up so we continue our walk down to the beach. A part of me wants to run inside and find Draco before she does… but I trust him, right? Of course, I do. Even if his beautiful ex-girlfriend is walking around wearing that dress and looking for him.

"I don't know," she whispers, looking a bit worried before smiling and grabbing the bottle back. "But what do we care? That's old news, right? Draco won't be happy to see her here, anyways. I can tell you that right now."

Right.

"How long did they go out?" I ask, never really thinking to ask before.

"Oh, I don't know," she says, clearly lying. "It was a while… but you know… then he saw you and that all changed."

I stop walking.

"What?"

"What?" she questions back, blinking at me.

"You said he saw me and that all changed."

"Yeah."

"Yeah," I say, narrowing my eyes at her in the darkness. "What did that mean?"

"I mean. He wanted to be with you so he…." she looks at me, narrowing her eyes a bit like she was trying to decide if she wanted to tell me the truth. "I mean… I mean he did cut her off as soon as he decided you were going to be his, didn't he? As soon as he saw you. Isn't that romantic?"

For some reason… In my mind…. his ex-girlfriend was a distant memory. Like something that happened years ago that had nothing to do with me.

"But I thought she cheated on him," I say uncomfortably. "You said he punched that guy's teeth in. You said that."

"Well, that did happen," she says.

"When did that happen?"

"Well…"

"Daphne," I say sharply, getting upset. "But…. No," I shake my head. "He was with Cho at the beginning of the summer."

"Yeah," she says, looking uncomfortable. "I mean they had always been more off and on. I told you she was mean to him… I told you they just were bad together…"

This changed things for me… It put a different perspective on this summer and it made me feel uncomfortable again. Maybe Cho was a rebound for him and not as serious as I thought… He told me they were just messing around…Oh, no.

Maybe I am the rebound.

"You should talk to him about it," she says, giving me a strange kind of look when she sees the dread on my face. "God, Gin. You always put me on the spot. You should be talking to Draco about all this stuff because you just get me in trouble."

"How do I get you in trouble?" I whisper, looking over her face.

She doesn't answer and she just starts walking. I follow her down to the water, my brows furrowed as the alcohol starts to hit me. I can see a small crowd around two duelers who are throwing nasty curses at one another by the fire pit, colorful curses lighting up the nighttime sky.

Daphne speed walks in front of me like she was trying to get away… and I follow as she pushes through the crowd. When we get closer to the duel… I see Theodore Nott throwing curses at a Ravenclaw bloke who's in my grade.

"Theo has beaten everyone so far," someone says to Daphne but I'm too buzzed to even want to know who it was and I look down at my dress… wondering if I actually look good or if I was just delusional in thinking so.

"We should get Pansy," Daphne says, grabbing my hand and holding it. "She's nationally ranked, you know. She'd put Nott in his place."

I watch Nott throw another curse at the Ravenclaw that makes him fall back and odd pus filled boils grow on his face.

"Oh, he got him!" Daphne jumps by my side.

Someone runs up to heal the bloke's face as he throws a white mist in the air as surrender. People clap for Nott and I watch as he smirks and then goes to Ivy Parkinson who is holding a drink for him. He takes the cup and takes a large gulp as she looks up at him…I don't like that. I don't like the way she's looking at him and I don't like the way he's smiling at her…I look around the crowd for a minute to see if Luna is here. She is not and when Nott reaches out and pinches Ivy's cheek like he was trying to be cute… I narrow my eyes.

I'm already feeling bad and out of place… and ugly and upset… but all that turns into anger… anger that I direct at him.

If anyone is going to put Nott in his place, it's going to be me.

I grab the bottle from Daphne and take another drink before handing it back. The alcohol makes my head light and my heart feels like steel. Angry at Nott for being a weedy bastard and for mistreating my friend, I tighten my fingers around my wand. Maybe it's the alcohol. Maybe it's my hatred of Nott and my unease of seeing Draco's completely beautiful ex-girlfriend walking around looking for him in a dress that looks like lingerie… I don't know…. But I want to hex that smug fucking look off his face.

"What are you doing?" She asks as I slip out of my heels and hand her my cloak. "You're not going to…."

I walk into the center before she can finish.

I square up where the Ravenclaw once stood and wait for Nott to turn around. He's still flirting with Ivy and she notices me before he does. Her eyes are unreadable, but her brows are raised. He follows her gaze and when he sees me, he narrows his eyes.

"No way, Weasley," he says, giving me an incredulous look. "I'm not dueling you."

"Are you scared?" I ask, my eyes sliding to Ivy who is holding his drink again. I glare at her and she looks away quickly.

"Not of you," he scoffs. "But I'm not an idiot. So I will not be dueling you- so go away."

"Aren't you a coward?"

"I'm not a coward," he says and then he gives me a cruel little look. "Did Draco give you permission to be out here, Weasley?" I make a face at what he's implying and the liquor in my blood sets my rage on fire. I glance once at the crowd… embarrassed by his words and the agreeing smirks a few of them seem to give him. I see Daphne looking at me all wide eyed and worried, but I will not back down from Theodore fucking Nott. "No, I don't think he did. How about you go find Malfoy and he'll give you something to do."

"Where's Luna?"

"I don't fucking care where she is."

I shoot a curse at him and he deflects it. His brown eyes flash with anger so he throws a curse at me. I didn't hear what it was but the light was yellow and I blocked it before it hit me. I sting him and it hits him in the shoulder and he hisses before throwing one at me that I actually duck to get away from. It hits a poor girl standing behind me in the face and she grows fur all over her neck.

Yikes.

Well, now I'm really mad because that curse looks gross.

I look at him and narrow my eyes before lifting my wand and doing every curse I had ever learned in defense, from my brothers, and from Harry… over and over and over again until Nott is on his back, flinching and unable to shield himself anymore. My eyes are momentarily blinded by the colorful curses and it finally ends with me disarming him and grabbing his wand as it flies into the air. I smile at him, feeling satisfied but when he looks up my smile falters when I see that his nose and mouth are bleeding.

I don't know what I threw at him that would have caused that and I furrow my brows, feeling kind of bad for it before I remember that I hate him and he's mean to my friend. I look around nervously when I realize how quiet it has gotten and I walk over to hand him his wand.

"Sorry," I say because… well, I didn't actually mean to hurt him. Not like that, anyways.

Someone helps him to his feet and he keeps his eyes on me the whole time as he touches the corner of his mouth and pulls back to see the blood. His jaw looks a bit swollen and I almost apologize again before he looks over my shoulder, a strange look entering his eyes. I turn around to see Draco standing there with an unreadable expression on his face, his wand out in his right hand looking fit and perfect in his black shirt and slacks.

"My turn," he says simply. I turn fully to him, trying to understand. Does he really mean to duel me? Could I beat him if we did? He looks me over and then he lifts his hand as if to get my attention when I square my shoulders, deciding that I'm going to try anyway. "Do not send that disgusting bat boogey hex at me," he says, giving me a serious look. "Everything else is fair game. Understood?"

Before I can even say a thing, he throws a curse at me. I gasp and deflect it, narrowing my eyes at him. I cannot believe he actually did that. I throw one right back that makes him smirk as he deflects it with a quick flick of his wrist. I try to stun him but it misses and he's so quick that I don't have time to properly shield myself when he hits me with a curse that tears the side of my dress leaving part of my waist exposed. I gasp again and look at him in surprise because of the violence of it.

He gives me a wicked grin in return.

To wipe it off of him, I shoot another curse at his chest. He puts up a shield so I try again… and then again… but he blocks all of them. I try to stun him. I try to bind him. I try to freeze him. I try to turn the color of his hair to pink… but he easily deflects all my curses with an annoying casual ease. The only one I get through is a burning curse that grazes the back of his wand hand. He hisses a moment before looking at me with darkened eyes and going on the defense.

Now it's my turn to throw up shields as he approaches me. His steps are long and unbothered as the color of his curses light his pale skin in red, and blues, and yellows. I don't know a lot of the curses he's throwing at me but they are strong and I am drunk… so it's not really fair. That's what I tell myself, anyways. He throws something at me that I deflect and I manage to throw a quick curse in before he can shield himself and it hits his arm. He looks down at the red spot on his bicep and then he looks at me with a strange smile turning his handsome face. He looks…. excited… and then he starts showering me with curses and hexes that I can't really keep up with. I end up dropping my wand… It just slips out of my goddamn hand like the traitor it is…. and it lands off to the side in the sand. When he throws a particularly nasty hex my way and I have to duck to get away from it. It hits a tree in the distance and lights it up with a wicked blue glow. I look up at him to find him smiling triumphantly at me.

Arrogant bastard.

"Do you yield?" he asks, his eyes dark and I know… I know that look and it sends a pulse right between my legs.

Sexy arrogant bastard, more like it.

I clench my jaw and go to my wand…. Not ready to admit defeat just yet… but he summons it before I get a chance to and I watch him catch it with his left hand, looking pleased with himself. I know there's an even bigger crowd now, but I don't want to look because I'm embarrassed that I lost and embarrassed by how turned on I am by him. He stares at me for a moment before flicking his wrist and saying another spell so that a silver rope comes slinking out of the end of his wand and it wraps around my wrist. I try not to blush as he pulls me towards him. I walk slowly, stubbornly… because I don't want him to drag me to him in front of all these people. I would like to keep some of my dignity. When I get close enough, he circles his other arm around my waist and bends down to whisper in my ear.

"Do you yield to me, Ginny?"

I swallow my pride and nod my head. I can practically feel him smirk as he flicks his wrist again to take the rope that's around my wrist away.

"Thought so," he whispers, kissing the side of my head before taking my hand. "Come on, then."

I can't even look up as he takes my hand and starts walking us back up to the house, through all the people who have come to watch and up the stairs, my bare feet biting against the stones as he pockets both our wands in his black slacks.

"You should have found me first," he says, his voice dark and deep.

"I tried," I admit… but I don't add that I didn't exactly look that hard for him.

"Do you remember what I told you?" he asks, still not looking at me as he leads me into the house and up the black, glittering stairs.

"What?"

He glances at me, stopping for a moment.

"I told you that I didn't want you going into another party or gathering without you being full of me. Didn't I say that?"

"You said that." I whisper, looking over his face and settling on his lips wanting to kiss him.

"Then let us remedy that, yeah?"

I nod my head, biting my lower lip as the excitement goes through me at the thought of it.

He pulls me into one of the empty rooms and closes the door, locking it with his wand. I look around… Even this room is covered in glittering darkness. He's on me in a second- his mouth on mine and his hands everywhere at once.

"You ruined my dress," I whisper with a smile as he pulls me towards the bed and starts unzipping the back. "I actually bought this one myself."

"I will buy you a new one," he says in a smooth voice as he places kisses on my neck and shoulder. He pushes down the dress and then unhooks my bra. This will be the third time we've done it and it was still so new to me so his aggressiveness is making me shake a bit. "I will buy you a thousand of them, if you'd like. A million, even. I will buy you anything you want." He pushes me on the bed and slides the black shirt over his head. "Anything."

He unbuckles his belt as he stares down at me. He looks so pale against all the darkness and I wonder if I look the same.

"You know that, right?"

I nod my head, swallowing hard as I look over his body… loving the way he's shaped and the way his body moves. He takes off his slacks and then crawls on top of me, gently pushing me back. He places a kiss between my breasts as his hands dance up the curve of my waist.

"Anything you could ever possibly want," he repeats again as he pulls the knickers off and throws them to the side. "I can give you."

I reach out and touch his chest, lifting myself up so I can push down his boxers.

"Everything," he says and I look up at him for the change of words.

He lays down on top of me and I open my legs for him so he can slide inside of me. He smirks at how wet I am and then pushes the lace mask down over my face, taking a moment to kiss me deeply with it on before pulling out and pushing in again.

"I will buy you everything you want," he says, moving slowly at first and putting my right leg over his hip. "I will do everything for you. I can give you everything. All you have to do is love me."

"I do love you," I say in a breathless whisper, all thoughts of his ex and Theodore Nott gone.

"I know," he smirks and then picks up his pace.

I watch his face and bring a hand up to his shoulder. He smothers me with another all-consuming kiss as I push the mask off because it's bothering me. I can taste the firewhisky on his tongue and my breath hitches when he sits back and hooks both of my legs in the crook of his elbows as he lays back on top of me. It lets him go deeper and I gasp with each thrust because I've never been bent like this before. I'm still timid and unsure of myself but I kiss him when he kisses me and I close my eyes, just trying to enjoy the feel of him inside me and all around because once school starts I'm not sure we'll be able to do this.

"Ginny."

I open my eyes and look at him. He lets my legs fall and then he pushes himself up on his forearms as he moves against me.

"I'm going to finish inside you again," he says as he reaches down and runs his hand up my thigh. "Do you want me to do that?"

I nod my head.

"Why?"

Why? I don't know the answer to that and I furrow my brows because I don't know what he wants.

"Why do you want me to finish inside you, Ginny?"

"I-" Well, I guess it won't be sexy to say that I don't know… so I try to read his expression and I kiss him before pulling back. "Because I like it."

"Hm," he says as he quickens his pace, slamming into me and making me gasp again at the force of it. "You like it," he repeats as he drops his head by my face so he can whisper in my ear. "You like it." He repeats like he was stuck on that thought and he gets up, sitting back on his knees and pulling my hips up with him so he can slam into me from a different angle. "Do you know why you like it, my love?"

I'm sure he's going to tell me so I don't say anything… but I do make a noise when his fingers come down to rub the good spot in the front.

"That's where it belongs, yeah? It feels right, doesn't it?" He pauses to kiss me, his fingers still moving and building my orgasm in a way I've never been able to do by myself. "I'm supposed to be inside you. You were made to take it. I should make you take it every day," he says with a strange little growl to his voice as he falls back down on top of me and uses his left hand to smooth hair out of my face. "It pisses me off that you didn't find me first like I told you to," he whispers, his eyes flicking over my face but I can't even focus anymore because I'm about ready to fall off the edge. He sits up a bit and grabs my right leg, throwing it over his shoulder. "It fucking pisses me off that you think you can do whatever you damn well please."

He grabs my waist and lifts me a bit so he can pound into me at a better angle.

I make a noise that I try to bite back and he mimics it- biting his lip like I do to mock me.

"You like that, huh?" He gives me a sinful smirk. "Yeah, you fucking like it."

I don't even bother responding to him, I just pull him down into a kiss instead so he'll be quiet. He can get so intense after he's been drinking and this is the first time we've had sex while we were drunk. I have no idea what else is going to come out of that mouth of his but I'm sure it's not going to be anything sweet. When the bursting feeling comes I grab the pillow behind my head and arch my back into his chest. He smiles down at me and then takes his damn time getting off which leaves me a sweaty sore mess by the time he finally slumps against me with his body heavy on my own. I sigh when he pulls out of me and he leaves a gentle kiss on my mouth. He takes a moment to stare at me in that weird way he has before he stands back up and starts to get dressed again.

"Though I liked watching you beat Nott into submission," he starts as he buckles his belt. "You come get me next time." I nod my head, slipping on my knickers and hooking on my bra. "That's my job."

"What's my job then?" I ask tiredly as I put on the dress and frown at the hole in the side.

"This," he says, coming close and pulling me into a tight embrace as he kisses me deeply.

"Kissing you?" I question with a laugh when he pulls back.

"Among other things," he says suggestively before taking out his wand and sitting down on the bed. "Come here." I walk over to him and he has me raise my arm and he repairs the hole in my dress. "Not exactly perfect," he says, satisfied that no skin is showing as he tickles my side until I smile. "But it will get you through the night."

Perhaps I should thank him- but it's his fault there was a hole there anyways so I won't be doing that. I just kiss him instead. I figure that's good enough. When I pull back I see the burn that I left on his hand and the mark on his arm so I take his wand to heal both spots with a spell I remember learning last year in charms. He smirks at me and then pockets his wand.

"Are you ready to go back down?" he asks, his eyes looking over my body in a way that tells me that maybe he's not so ready to leave just yet.

I nod my head, looking into his eyes. He smiles and then pats my side so I'll step back. I watch as he stands up and grabs his shirt.

"Your ex-girlfriend is here," I say as he puts his shirt over his head. He looks at me, his brows furrowed and his eyes so suddenly cold. "Sophie? I met her in the kitchen- she was looking for you."

There's a pause. I resist asking him a million questions about it and her… because… I guess I don't want to know the answers so much right now.

"Well," he says, coming close and putting his arms around my middle, locking his hands behind my back to keep me still. "Too bad for her then…. Now that I'm all covered in Ginny."

"You like that, huh?" I smile, mocking his smooth drawl.

"Yeah, I fucking like it," he says with a smirk before he kisses me one last time.

I smile as he unlocks the door and opens it for me. He makes a motion for me to walk past him and I brush out my hair with my fingers to tame it.

"Do I look okay?" I ask worriedly, not really wanting people to realize what we were doing.

"Hm," he starts and I glance at his pleased little smile. "You look thoroughly satisfied." I make a face that he ignores as his eyes flick down my body and then he tilts his head. "Where are your shoes?" He asks like he just realized I wasn't wearing any.

"I think I left them down by the fire pit," I admit with a frown as I look at my bare feet.

He gives me a look like that annoyed him before he grabs my hand to take us back to the party. My eyes are feeling a little heavy now and I think I drank too much too fast. I might pass out soon, honestly. When we go into the kitchen, Draco gets himself a drink and then he turns to me, looking at my face as I yawn into my hand. He watches me for a moment before looking around the room and finding Pansy over by the doorway. He beckons her over with a nod of his head.

She looks pissed off for some reason, but I'm too far into myself to care. Draco asks her for some kind of potion and she gets it from one of the cabinets before coming back and standing close to me. He uncorks it and holds it out for me to take. I don't even look at it. I just take it quickly and suddenly feel warm and wide awake. I blink a few times before standing up straight and looking at Pansy. I'm still feeling a little buzzed… but not nearly as tired or drunk anymore. I give Pansy a grateful smile that she does not return and I have to wonder if she knows what we just did in her upstairs bedroom.

She's wearing a set of tight black trousers and a small waist coat with nothing underneath it. She looks really good and I wonder what it must be like to look like that.

"Better?" she asks, her eyes sliding to Draco's.

I nod my head, feeling much better, indeed.

"You can go now," he says, putting his hand by me on the counter, caging me against it in that way he seems to like. Pansy sighs loudly and rolls her eyes as I reach out to run my fingers over the fabric of Draco's black t-shirt because I like the way things feel under my fingers.

I especially like the way he feels.

"We are going to take out a couple of the boats in a bit," she says as Draco leans down and kisses my cheek. He puts his drink beside me on the counter and uses his right hand to grip my waist. I can feel her staring at us, so I spare her a little glance. "If you two wanted to come down."

Neither of us answer her so she rolls her eyes again and turns to leave- but she stops when Draco says her name.

"Pansy," Draco says smoothly, still looking down at me and putting hair over my shoulder. He adds a kiss to my shoulder and I feel my body tingling from his closeness. "Don't think for a minute that I don't know exactly what you're doing."

I furrow my brows at that and I look at Pansy to find her dark eyes slightly narrowed.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asks, her voice even and sounding innocent but her face is anything but.

Draco looks at her. He levels her with one of his steely eyed glares and I find myself shrinking away from it a bit because he suddenly looks so… cold.

"Don't fuck with me."

I raise my brows and then look down quickly… wanting to get away from that tone in his voice.

"Fix it," he says sharply.

Pansy says nothing, but she must have nodded because he told her she could go again. When I'm sure she's gone, I send a shy glance up at him to find him staring down at me.

"What was that all about?" I ask uncomfortably.

"She thinks she can influence me," he says with a sigh, bending down to capture my lips in a light kiss. "She thinks she can control me." He leans down and kisses my neck, staying there for a minute as he presses his hips into mine. "She thinks she has it all figured out."

"Why? What does she want?" I ask, not understanding anything and getting distracted by the way he keeps touching me.

"I don't care what she wants," he says seriously, pulling back to look into my eyes. "But I do care about what you want…. And I think you want another drink, yes?"

I nod my head, feeling a little smile on my face because his anger is gone and that smile I like is back,

He downs his glass before going back to all the drinks that are lined up against the wall by the sink. I watch him with my arms crossed as he grabs a different glass out of the cabinet. He mixes me a drink and then pours himself another firewhisky. He hands it to me as he comes back and he resumes his spot right in front of me. One hand on the counter beside my hip to cage me in as he looks down at me and drinks from his glass.

I sip the drink he made. It tastes good. Some fruit kind of thing and I give him a little smile when I notice the attractive flush on his cheeks. I wonder how I look to him. His light eyes flick all over my face before something inside of him softens.

"You look so good right now," he says, surprising me as he bends down to kiss me fiercely, pressing me against the counter.

I think if I wasn't already a bit drunk I'd be embarrassed by the way we were snogging in the middle of this party… but right now I couldn't find it in me to care so I just let myself enjoy the way he was kissing me and touching me… pressing against me in that dominating way that he has. I put my arms around his neck and curl up on my toes to get closer so he doesn't have to bend down so much.

"Let's go outside," he says, pulling back and slightly breathless. "It's getting hot in here and I'm tempted to bend you over this counter if you keep looking up at me like that."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise at his words, but he ignores it as he takes my hand to lead me to the back door.

I let him walk us out back to the patio and then down the curved steps to the beach where the crowd and the dueling drunkards have dispersed and people are now hanging around the firepit. He sits down on an empty chair, pulling me on top of his lap. I can feel him staring at me as I look at the fire, my head tilted and my hair over my shoulder as I take more little sips from my glass. People are throwing things into the flames- making the color change from blue to red to green….

"I'm sorry I'm so late," I say, glancing at him as he drinks his firewhisky and runs his hand up my back. "My dad took forever to go to bed. I didn't think I was ever going to make it here."

"I'm glad you did," he says, giving me a little smile.

"Me too," I say, matching his smile. "Where were you?" I ask after a moment's pause. "I did look for you when I came in, you know. I couldn't find you."

I think I can do what I damn well please if he makes it difficult to do what he wants me to.

"I was playing cards in the parlor," he says. "It's kind of hidden beyond that gaudy piano room." He says, taking a drink from his glass and looking out at the lake. "I lost a lot of money, unfortunately."

"So you're not good at everything," I tease with a little smile.

"No one's perfect… but I am good at other things," he says, sucking on his lower lip for a moment as he looks me over. I suddenly remember what we did upstairs and I find myself blushing again. "Of course, you would know all about that."

I laugh a little and then put my arm across his shoulders to get closer, leaning more against his chest when I find the night time air chilly by the water. I down the mixed drink and set it in the sand before going back to where I was sitting, my legs dangling over the side of my lap as he runs the bottom of his firewhisky glass over my bare knee. I kiss his cheek… and then I can't help myself. I end up kissing his neck too with my right hand threading through his hair… and then I kiss his lips when he turns his face to mine with a little pleased smirk.

"Do you think it will change much?" I ask, frowning when he looks at me. "When school starts?"

He must know what I mean because he sits back and looks over my face.

"I guess that depends on you," he says seriously. "You know what I want. You know how I feel. Everyone who knows me knows what's happening. You're the one who's going to have to face some harsh realities come Monday morning."

He sounds annoyed and I didn't want him to feel that way so I kiss him again. When I pull back, he takes another drink from his glass and I take the pause to look around. Zabini is sitting on the other side of the fire pit all dressed in white. I watch him look into the blue flames with his head tilted and serious. Pansy walks up to him and leans down to kiss his cheek. She whispers something in his ear that makes him look at her. He welcomes the affection and smirks at her when he sits back so she can straddle his waist. They start snogging and then Blaise pulls back to kiss her neck. His eyes suddenly snap to mine over her shoulder and I turn away quickly, feeling like I was doing something wrong.

"You're right," I whisper, looking down at my lap and trying to focus back on Draco.

"I usually am," he says before downing his glass with a flick of his neck.

I take it from him and put it in the sand by the chair leg.

"Do you want me to get you another drink?" I ask, trying to be nice.

"Not just yet," he says, though I could tell he was pleased that I offered.

He tilts his head to see me, his cheeks slightly flushed from alcohol and his eyes reflecting the fire. He smiles gently and puts his fingers on my chin to tilt my face towards his so he can kiss me.

"Malfoy."

We both pull back and look over his shoulder to see Gregory Goyle standing there… looking stupid in a black and white checkered shirt with a mask on that is too small for his big head. He walks near and takes a seat beside us on the ground. The shirt is too tight. The buttons strain against his chest and stomach and he looks uncomfortable in it.

"MacNair has been looking for you."

He takes something out of his pocket and I watch as he unscrews the lid of a little metal container. I take my arm from Draco's shoulders and lean against his chest more so I can play with the bracelet he gave me, my fingers dancing over the emerald eyes and diamond scales. My mum still hasn't noticed it yet…thank God.

"I bet he has," Draco replies, putting his hand between my knees. "I'm so glad you're here, Goyle. I've been meaning to talk to you."

I watch Goyle as he takes out a few red pills and then he offers one to Draco. He shakes his head so in turn Goyle asks Draco if I want one as he pushes the mask to the top of his head. I hate it when his friends do that so before he can answer on my behalf- I make a face and answer quickly.

"No, thank you," I say sharply and Draco laughs a little at my annoyance.

"Always so polite," Draco says, clearly amused by my irritation. "You are just so sweet, Ginny," he adds as his right hand goes to the back of my neck where he gently messages the muscles there with a funny look shining in his eyes. "What do you think, Goyle?" he asks, looking at the idiot to his left as the fire changes colors and bathes us in purple. "Do you think my girl is sweet?"

"Yeah, sure," he says, clearly uncomfortable as he looks away and pockets his pills.

"Hm," Draco sighs and his hand travels down my back. "That doesn't sound like you mean it. I don't believe him, Ginny. Do you believe him?"

I furrow my brows, trying to figure out what he's doing.

"I don't care what he thinks about me," I say honestly.

"I do," Draco says darkly and then he looks at Goyle. "I asked you if you thought my girl was sweet."

"Yeah," Goyle says, now his uncomfortableness has turned to something else. "She's sweet, Malfoy."

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"Draco, what are you doing?" I whisper, trying to get up from his lap, but he holds me into place. His jaw clenches and I furrow my brows because I don't understand what he's so angry about all of a sudden.

"Answer my question."

"Yes," Goyle looks at Draco, his beady eyes never once wavering. "She's very pretty."

"Yes," he nods his head. He keeps touching me… His hands are almost burning me… Branding me in a way that feels so heavy and serious now… "I thought you might think that."

"I better get going," Goyle starts to get up. "I have–"

"Sit the fuck back down."

My heart stills and I sit up straight at his tone. Draco sounds so angry now and he's tense against my body. I flick a nervous glance around me to see if anyone else heard him say that. Mostly people are too drunk and in their own heads…. But Pansy and Blaise are watching. She's sitting sideways on his lap, similar to how I am sitting on Draco's- but their faces are strange… Pansy looks serious, her dark eyes glittering and glaring at me like I had done something to cause this. Zabini looks mildly interested by the whole thing and he smiles when we make eye contact.

"Everyone is just determined to piss me off tonight," Draco says flatley before he grabs my chin and kisses me. "But I forgive you, Gin. You're perfect." Suddenly his eyes snap back to Goyle. "I told you to sit back down."

Goyle looks almost sick as he settles back in the sand and his eyes flick to mine. I look away because I don't understand what's happening.

"Of course, Ginny is pretty," Draco continues in that strange light tone and when I look at him he gives me a dark little smirk as the flames turn green. "Beautiful, actually. It is hard not to notice." He smiles and tucks some hair behind my ear. I don't smile back. "I can't fault you for that…. But I can fault you for what you say… because, you know… You can think that my girl is beautiful and sweet… but it's when you start saying that to other people. That is when we have a problem."

"Malfoy, I didn't–"

"You did," he says, finally tearing his eyes from me to glare.

"Look, I'm sorry–"

"I imagine you are." He says flatly. He taps his fingers against my knee, giving me a thoughtful look. "I think you owe Ginny an apology," he says. He puts hair over my shoulder and kisses my neck. "Yes," he nods his head as if he decided on it. "You need to apologize to Ginny."

"Draco, what the hell?" I whisper, now feeling as uncomfortable as Goyle looks.

"Goyle is going to apologize to you," he says like this wasn't so bloody weird. He looks at Goyle and tilts his brows. "Well?"

Goyle looks like he's been eating something rather unpleasant and his puffy cheeks are tinted pink. He looks at me for a moment, his deep-set eyes looking so incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," he says and I look down because his embarrassment was embarrassing me too.

"What do you think?" Draco asks after a silent pause. He runs his nose along my cheek and taps my knee. "Do you forgive him?"

"I don't even understand what's happening," I admit. "Why is he apologizing?"

"Hm," Draco looks back at Goyle and I feel like I just prolonged his torture. "Why are you apologizing, Goyle?" He doesn't answer and Draco tsks his tongue. "Come on now. You like to talk so much. You can tell Ginny what you said about her, can't you?"

"It's fine," I say quickly because this was just getting too painful and I don't want to hear it. "I forgive you," I say, looking at Goyle who gives me a relieved half smile.

"Oh, no. I think not." Draco says. I try to get up again, but he holds firm. "See, now. Goyle, you have made Ginny uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

"It's okay," I say quickly.

"It's not okay." Draco shifts and takes out his wand and he rolls it on my thigh. I look down at it, my heart beating a little faster. "No." He shakes his head. "I am still not satisfied with that."

I look at Goyle and then I glance around nervously.

"Ginny," Draco says to get my attention when he realizes I looked away from him. "Goyle seems to think it's appropriate to tell his buddy Crabbe how fit he thinks you are." I look at him reluctantly. "And… how did you put it?" He asks, turning to Goyle again. "Ah, yes. I remember. He wouldn't really mind having your blood traitor mouth wrapped around his cock."

I inhale a sharp breath at the words and my body stiffens. I look at my lap because I can't believe someone would say that about me. It's humiliating and I can't believe Draco said it out loud.

"So, do you see, beautiful," Draco rubs my back. "...why Goyle owes you an apology? Well," he gives Goyle an unpleasant smile. "I suppose you owe one to me too. Don't you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Malfoy," Goyle says, eyeing the wand Draco is still rolling back and forth on my leg. "And I'm sorry Ginny…. I was just messing around. You know that."

"Do I?" he asks coldly.

"Yeah, obviously I didn't mean–"

"You don't want Ginny to suck your dick?"

I feel a blush creep on my cheeks and it's not from the alcohol. Since I can't get up, I find myself putting my face in Draco's neck to get away from it and I bring my hand up to rub my forehead to hide more. I can smell his cologne and the firewhiskey on his breath… and I can feel the tension in the air.

"No!" Goyle is panicking now. "I was just messing around, Malfoy. I know she's yours. I know that. I was just fucking shooting the shit with Vince. I didn't think he'd fucking tell you–"

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" Draco asks sharply. "Do you make a habit of saying disgusting shit behind my back hoping it won't get back to me?"

"N-No."

"Then I am confused why you said that," Draco says, his hand running up and down my spine again. "And I'm confused why you think it's okay for you to talk about my fucking girlfriend in any way- good or bad. Her name shouldn't be coming out of your fucking mouth at all. Do you understand?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah," Draco mocks. God, he could be so mean. "Maybe we should duel. What do you think, Gin?" I won't lift my head from his neck but he does pick up his wand and he taps it against my knee. "Should I defend your honor with a duel?"

"Malfoy, please…" Goyle sounds so fucking scared now and I'm scared for him too, honestly. "I won't talk about her again. I swear."

"Oh, I know you won't. I guess we can let Ginny decide." He taps my knee again so I lift my head up to look at him. His face is a mask of cold indifference and his silver eyes are flashing with anger. "What do you think, beautiful? Do we forgive him and let him walk away? Or should I teach him a lesson?"

I've never seen this side of Draco before. It was chilling and I didn't really like it. I look at Goyle who looks so pathetic in the sand and then I glance back at Draco. I don't even care that he said such a disgusting thing about me anymore. I just felt bad for him and I wanted Draco to stop.

"We can forgive him," I whisper, not wanting to look at that fucked look on Goyle's face again. "I forgive him."

"Did you hear that?" Draco asks, his eyes never leaving my lips. "Ginny forgives you. How lucky you are, Goyle, that she is so much sweeter than I am."

Then he kisses me.

He deepens the kiss and I just let him because I feel strange and uncomfortable… but his affection was something I could find comfort in. At least he wasn't mentally torturing his mate anymore. Goyle takes the opportunity to run away as Draco brings his hand up to gently grip my hair. I can feel his wand pressing against my head as he holds me in place so he can ravage my mouth.

I'm breathless when he pulls back and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"That was a little crazy," I say, nodding to the spot Goyle had been sitting.

"Crazy?" he asks coolly, still annoyed apparently. "Do you like what he said about you?" I shake my head. "Do you want to suck his dick?"

"God, Draco. Of course, I don't."

"Then he isn't allowed to say those things about you." He looks over my face and then he sighs. "He isn't even allowed to think those things about you. No one is. You understand that?"

I nod because I guess I do. This is a weird fucked up way to defend me but… I guess that's what he was doing.

"Good."

"I think…" I swallow as he looks at me. "Can I go get a drink?" Why am I even asking? What is wrong with me? "I can bring you another firewhiskey if you want."

Or maybe not. I don't really think he needs to be drinking anymore and I wonder if he'd appreciate it if I told him that.

He looks over my face, like he was trying to read my motive before he nods his head and sits back. I give him one more kiss before standing up. It takes me a moment to get my bearings and I give him a little smile before walking past him but he grabs my wrist. I look down at him in surprise as he brings my hand to his mouth and places a kiss there.

"Come right back."

Right.

I nod my head and then walk to the stairs to go back to the house. I find myself breathing heavy and I put my hand on my stomach as I try to catch my breath. Why am I breathing so hard? Why do I feel so weird and nervous all of a sudden? What in the hell was that? Halfway up, I hear someone call my name and I turn around to see Pansy making her way towards me, looking kind of miffed.

"Yeah?"

"I'll walk with you," she says, coming near and taking my arm. "I have to go to the loo anyways."

"Isn't there one in the boat house?" I point out but she ignores my question.

We walk in silence and when we get inside she follows me to the kitchen where she watches me pour firewhiskey into a glass. My hand is kind of shaking so I try to still it.

"Is that for Draco?" She asks and I nod my head, not quite looking at her. "What a good girlfriend you are."

I nod again.

I set it down on the counter and then look around for a minute. Trying to decide if I even want to get myself a drink.

"He's in a bit of a mood tonight, isn't he?" She says, her dark eyes watching my face as I decide to grab a beer bottle from the icebox after I saw some younger Slytherin's do the same. "He gets that way sometimes."

"Yeah," I say, twisting open the bottle and chucking the top in the trash bin.

I take a sip and then make a face because I don't like the taste.

"He lost a lot of money to Blaise tonight," she says, carefully watching my face. "He hates losing, you know."

I look at her.

"It's really not fun when he's mad," she says, searching my eyes like she wanted something from me. "He seems intent on digging up every slight and annoyance when his anger mixes with alcohol," she says, glancing down at the firewhisky on the counter. "But, you know, he doesn't seem to be annoyed with you tonight."

"I should hope not," I say, not understanding the significant look on her face.

"Ginny," she sighs and steps closer to me. "Do you really not understand what I'm asking of you? You could make everyone's night a lot better if you didn't act so lost and innocent all the time. You really can't be that stupid." I give her a dirty look and she raises her eyebrows. "I told you once that you had the power to ruin his whole fucking day… why don't you do us all a favor and use that power for good and make him a little more pleasant tonight, please? I want to enjoy the last free night of my goddamn summer without having to worry about pissing him off."

I look at her, my eyes flicking all over her perfectly made up face.

"What's the point of you if you can't help him calm down when he needs it? Trust me, everyone's night will go a lot smoother if you just help him out a bit." I look away, hating the way she's talking to me but not knowing how to fight back. "Also, you can tell him that she's gone now," she says, backing up. "I fucking fixed it."

She leaves me after that and I'm left staring at her retreating back.

I feel bad again… Draco's moods weren't really my responsibility, were they? I guess I could have done more to cool that situation with Goyle but it just took me by surprise and I'm still not sure what happened there. I heard one time that when you're in a relationship with someone you're supposed to be their peace or some bullshit like that. Maybe Pansy was right… in her awful kind of way…but I already had sex with him- what more did she want?

I don't want him to be angry and unhappy. I frown and put the beer bottle in the sink because I don't want to drink it anymore.

I pick up his glass before taking a deep breath and going back to him. I push past drunk people in the sparkling black house and I build myself up as I walk down the curved stairs and then to the beach where Draco is where I left him… sitting in that chair in front of the fire. I hesitate a second before walking up to him and running my fingers through his hair. He looks up at me in surprise before smiling when he realizes it's me.

"There you are," he says with a little smirk as I hand him his drink.

I look out at the lake, not ready to get trapped on his lap just yet. There are a couple speed boats racing each other, lighting up the darkness and rippling the water.

"Draco," I say, thinking of his Everywhere bike.

I look back at him to find him already staring at me.

"Can we…" I trail off for a moment wondering if it's a good idea… he has been drinking after all.. "Can we ride on your motorbike?"

He smirks and grabs my hand, tapping it against his lips for a moment.

"You liked that, did you?"

I nod my head and give him a little smile in return.

He stands up and holds my hand as he walks us back up the curving stairs and to the side of the house where my ridiculous pink little bike is parked next to his. He stops when he sees it and sends me a fond little smile before bringing his bike out and hopping on, kicking the stand up and starting it with a key pulled from his pocket.

"Come on, then. Hop on."

I smile and get on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing against him with his back cradled between my thighs.

"Hold on," he whispers before making the bike go forward and riding it down the curved stairs. I laugh out loud… It kind of sounds like a scream… and I feel a stupid smile on my face as the excitement takes me and makes me forget about everything else bad that has happened.

It's such a smooth ride…. Not bumpy at all and I can see the magic of the bike spark under the tires as it goes down the stairs like it's nothing.

He takes the bike down to the beach and despite knowing what kind of bike it is, I still close my eyes when he drives it onto the lake. I hold him tight for a moment, feeling the water splash my bare feet as he takes it over the water and towards the empty center where the water is deep and dark, reflecting the full moon and stars above. I smile and then I kiss the back of his neck before standing up with my feet on the foot rests. I hold onto his shoulders and let the night time air fly through my hair as I laugh and giggle in a way I don't think I've done before.

"Hold on, Gin," Draco scolds but I don't listen to him…. Maybe it's the liquid courage but I'm feeling a lot more daring.

I let go of his shoulders and lift my arms up for a moment, running my hands through my hair before sitting back down and pressing into his back, leaving open mouthed kisses on his neck just because I love him so much even though he is mean and scary sometimes.

"Do you want to drive?" he asks, turning his head.

"What?"

He stops the bike. I look down at the water, almost waiting for us to sink down and drown.

"Here."

He scoots back and beckons me to climb over his lap. I plop down in front of him and look down at all the strange symbols and buttons on the front by the handle bars that are glowing green. Draco presses up against my back and takes my hands to put on the rubber grips.

"The pedal is on the right," he says, tapping his shoe against my right heel. "That's what pushes the magic out to make it move." He puts his hands over mine and turns the bars. "Right. Left." he turns the right grip back and the bike makes a revving noise. "Forward." He turns the left one. "Backward."

"It can go backwards?" I say, surprised.

"It can go everywhere," he says with a smile against my ear.

Oh, right.

"Now, press the pedal and turn the right grip back."

I do as he says and gasp when the bike juts forward on the water. I hear that chuckle that I love so much come out of Draco's mouth and I smile because of it.

"You got it."

I smirk and try it again, creeping the bike along the top of the lake with Draco pressed against my back- his hands still on top of mine and molded up against me so perfectly so I can smell his cologne and feel his strong body. I go forward a little slower before pressing the pedal down and making it speed forward. Draco doesn't gasp, but he does tense his muscles and I smirk again as I take the bike along the water and turn it left and right and around the boats that his friends have brought out on the water. I see Daphne and Crabbe on one and she waves at me as we pass by.

I drive the bike around the lake and then up into the woods where Draco takes control because I have no idea where I'm going. I find myself smiling more when he starts humming in my ear like a song was stuck in his head and even starts singing the words with his breath hot on skin. He stops us somewhere in the deep, dark woods and I turn and kiss him just because I feel so exhilarated and so completely happy. He smirks at me and gets off the bike, kicking the stand up and helping me off so he can press me against a tree and kiss me deeply.

We don't even talk and after a while of that he gets back on the bike and nods for me to get on. I climb on behind him, feeling better than I can ever remember feeling in my life and I wonder if he feels the same. My lips burning from kisses and my mind clouded with drink, I hold him close and look around at the hills and the lake… trying to take it all in so I can remember every detail because after tonight reality will come crashing back once I pack my trunk for Hogwarts and board that train.

We ride for a bit longer before he parks the bike on the sandy beach and then we go back to the fire where I sit back down on his lap and kiss him with everything that I have. We sit there, talking and joking and touching until I get too cold and we go back inside where we play a couple drinking games now that Draco is in a better mood. One is bouncing galleons into a shot glass and another some kind of card game similar to exploding snaps. Draco is good at both. I am bad. But we end up winning because he is my partner and he hates losing.

We have sex one more time in that dark upstairs bedroom and I fall asleep against him.

I wake to the chirping of birds and the cold blue light of dawn breaking through the windows. I sit up straight to see Draco getting dressed, sitting in a chair by the door and putting on his shoes.

"I grabbed your stuff," he says tiredly as he nods to the bedside table where I see my cloak, wand, and high heel shoes. "We should leave now to get you home."

I nod my head, trying not to panic as I get up and slip on the shoes.

There are people sleeping in the hallway and someone is even passed out on the stairs- looking decidedly uncomfortable. I step around them all and give Draco a grateful smile when he hands me a glass of water he retrieves from the kitchen. I drink it quickly before setting it down and following him outside. The morning air is chilly and I throw my plaid cloak around my shoulders as I walk over to my pink bike. Draco takes my hand to stop me.

"One last ride?" he says with a scratchy voice as he walks me towards his motor-bike that had made it up by the side gate at some point during the night.

I smile tiredly and nod my head.

He gets on and I slide behind him as he takes out his wand and points it to my bike. It glows and shakes to life, following us down the path as Draco drives us slowly towards the gate. I lean my head against his back and close my eyes with my arms around his middle as he drives me home. I can't even feel upset that my parents might catch me this time because I am just so content.

When we get to the woods by my house, he stops the bike so I can climb off.

"Thanks," I whisper as I stand beside him.

His hair is so messy so I take it upon myself to fix it for him. He smiles before leaning forward to kiss me gently.

"I'll see you on Monday," he says, looking at my lips as he pulls back. "I guess then we will really see what you're made of."

He winks at me before starting his bike and taking off. I watch as he turns it around and takes off in the opposite direction. I smile a little to myself and walk to my own sparkly bike. It's still glowing but once Draco gets out of sight, his magic leaves and the bike falls over. I sigh and pick it up hiking up the skirt of my dress as I hop on. Birds chirp and the trees sway as I make my way down the dirt path. The woods seem to sigh and I stop once when I see something in the distance between the trees. I narrow my eyes and tilt my head as pink and yellow gold breaks out on the horizon.

It is a big thing. A long thing. It slithers on the forest floor. When I realize it's a snake I widen my eyes and ride my bike as hard and fast as I can until I reach The Burrow. I'm breathing heavily and I look behind me once before walking towards the shimmering ward gate. I put my bike in the shed and then I look up at my window.

I will not climb this time.

I inhale a deep breath before walking in the front door. The house is still dark and empty. My parents are still asleep and I smile to myself before running upstairs to my bedroom. I chuck off the cloak and heels then fall back on my bed, staring up at my peeling ceiling with the stupidest of stupid grins on my face.

I fell asleep in my little black dress… my hair smelling of bonfire and my body completely covered in Draco Malfoy.

---

XXXXXXXX

I have a terrible headache and I blink against the sunshine as hundreds of people crowd around me.

I'm standing by my mother on the platform and I play with the bracelet Draco had given me as I look around the crowd with a sigh, waiting to see someone I know so I can leave my freaking mum. I know where Draco is, of course. I see him standing with Blaise and Crabbe by the train, but I can't just rush over to him right now with one of my parents watching. She would never let me leave for school if she saw it.

"Now, Ginny, if you need anything please remember to write," she says and I roll my eyes as I cross my arms. "And please wear that necklace. With Snape in charge, you never know what will happen. I have half a mind to keep you out of school until Dumbledore comes back."

I shoot her an annoyed look but she doesn't notice.

I feel like I've run into a brick wall and my brain is throbbing. I haven't had a headache this bad in years and I almost want to cry because of it.

"Oh, my God," I hear her whisper and then she starts walking away from our spot with speedy steps, dropping one of my bags in the process. I glare at her as she makes her way through the crowd... and then I see what she's going after.

It's them.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione just came through the gate looking a little worse for the wear. They all have longer hair and pale complexions. I uncross my arms as I watch my mother pull all of them into a fierce hug. They all look thin, pale, and older than when they left…

The night before my birthday…

I resist the urge to go over to them as I grumpily pick up the bag my mother had so carelessly tossed. I want to hug my brother and tell him I missed him. I want to confide in Hermione and see if she's okay… and Harry... I look at him as he steps away from my mother's all empowering embrace with an uncomfortable smile. He scoots the glasses up his nose as the people around me start whispering about their arrival. Of course, he looks as handsome as ever and that annoys me for some reason. I cross my arms and squint my eyes, trying to not flinch when my brain seems to throb as I watch Harry speak to my mother.

Then, like he could feel the eyes on him, he looked right at me.

I blink in surprise.

He has never looked at me like that before and it makes my insides turn oddly in the most unpleasant way. When he realizes that I'm actually looking at him too, he gives me a nervous smile. I quickly look away only to find Draco staring right at me as well.

He has his hands stuffed in the pockets of his tailored gray trousers and he tilts his chin up the slightest bit when someone crosses in front of us, breaking our connection. Once I can see him again, he raises an eyebrow and I glance back to Harry only to find my mother crying and hugging the three of them once more.

I narrow my eyes. I gather up all my bags and start wheeling my cart towards Draco. When he realizes I'm actually walking towards him, he smiles and meets me halfway to take the heavy bag off my shoulder.

"I didn't think you would have the guts to come over," he says. He takes the trolley away from me so I don't have to push it and he slings my bag over his shoulder. That was a very gentlemanly move on his part and I give him a pleased little smile. "I was thinking I'd have to corner you on the train to get you to acknowledge me."

"I don't care what my mother thinks anymore," I say softly as he walks towards the train so he can give the trolley to the baggage handler for storage. "And I would have acknowledged you eventually," I admit with guilt as I approach his friends.

"Looking as pleasant as ever, Ginny," Blaise says with a fake salute on account of the hateful glare still on my face. I ignore him and the way stupid old Crabbe chuckles as I stand up straight and cross my arms. "Looks like the prodigal son has returned," he adds as he looks in the direction of Harry who is now being swarmed by other students and news reporters.

"Why does anyone care?" Draco asks with a head shake. "Do you care?" Draco asks me and I glance up at him.

"No," I say honestly and he winks as he puts his arm around my waist.

I nearly slide away from the contact because my mother could see... and everyone would understand my relationship with him... but I don't care anymore. My head hurts too much for me to care. I like him… No, I love him… and that's all there is to it. I will be brave for him. He's wearing a tight fitting black polo shirt and it has a piece of string on it, so I take it upon myself to remove it for him.

"Are you grooming me?" he asks with an amused smile and I shake my head as I turn my head away from him. He has a pair of sunglasses folded up in the right breast pocket of his shirt, so I take them out and put them on my face. It helps with the headache. "You're in a good mood," he points out in amusement but I don't say anything.

I can feel eyes on me, so many eyes actually that I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. I send a look around the platform... The attention is divided between Harry's return and the fact that Draco is touching me so sweetly. Other students are staring at us without a care now, whispering behind their hands and I'm glad I have sunglasses on so no one can see my glare.

I guess seeing a Malfoy and a Weasley so intimate together is strange for most people.

I look up at Draco to see his reaction, but he doesn't seem to care much. His fingers are idly playing with the fabric of my shirt and he's talking to Blaise about some kind of security issue at Gringotts. I look down and start playing with the bracelet because everyone keeps looking and I let my fingers fiddle with the small dragons as I try not to feel awkward about it.

"Gin," Draco whispers after a few moments and he tilts my chin up until I'm looking at him. "Relax."

I breathe out and nod my head before turning more towards him.

I glance around once more until my eyes land on my brother.

He's noticed too.

Hermione is gripping his arm, holding him back as he looks at me like he wants to ring my neck. My mother turns to see as well, and her eyes widen a fraction when Draco kisses the top of my head.

"Can we get on the train?" I ask quickly.

"What's the rush?" Blaise asks as he checks his watch. He licks his teeth and glances at me, his amber eyes shining against the sun. "The train won't leave for half an hour."

"I'm getting on the train," I say as I grab my bag from Draco and I head towards the door. "Do what you want," I hiss and Blaise raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"That was a dramatic exit," Draco sighs as he follows me. I step onto the train and elbow my way down the hallway until I find an empty compartment. "The good news is that there aren't many people on the train," he says as he shuts the door and lowers the blinds. "And that means we've got time."

"For what?" I question as I climb up on the seat so I can put my bag in the overhead cabin. I gasp in surprise when Draco comes up behind me and pulls me down firmly with his hands on my hips.

"I think you know what," he says against my ear as he slides the sunglasses from my face.

"We can't," I whisper as I think of my family and friends who are on the platform thinking terrible, horrid things about me. "I'm sorry," I say gently as I turn around to face him. "I have a headache."

"Wow," he says as he blinks at me. He folds up his sunglasses and hooks them back in his pocket "I didn't think I'd be getting that excuse from you so early in the game."

"I know," I say as I cringe. "And I'm sorry but my head really does hurt."

Draco stills my shaking hands. "It's okay," he says gently and then he kisses me. "I believe you."

"Did you look for that password?" I ask as I play with his shirt so I have something to talk about besides the obvious.

"I'm certain that I gave it back to you," he says with a furrowed brow.

"My mum has been going mental trying to find it," I admit as I bring my fingers up to my temple to deaden the pressure of the headache. "She tore apart the house looking for it. She said something about them having to find it before they can do anything else for protection or something."

"I would tell you if I had it," he says seriously. "Wards are tricky business you don't want to play with."

I nod my head and take a seat by the window. He sighs and opens the blinds like he knew nothing was going to happen. He takes a seat beside me as I cross my legs.

"Are you going to work on your Prometheus project at school?" I question as he takes a book out of his bag. He glances at me. "Are you going to do anything with that?" I question just to distract myself from everything else going on.

"Probably," he says honestly as he opens his book. He's using my blue ribbon as a bookmark again and I smile at it before looking into his face. "But I've got a lot of things to do this year," he says with a wink before getting comfortable and starting to read.

We're officially a boring old couple, I muse to myself. I smirk at the thought before I look out the window. After a while, students start to pile onto the train and the stares happen again as they pass by our window, looking in on us as Draco puts his hand on my knee while he reads.

"What book is that?" I question as he turns the page.

"The Biography of Nicolas Flamel," he says as he shows me the book cover. "Intriguing stuff, really."

"Was he really six hundred years old when he died?" I question as I turn my shoulders towards him and I place my hand on top of his.

"He was six hundred and sixty five," he corrects me and then he gives me a smile as he turns his hand to hold mine. "Kind of makes my Grandfather's age look like chump change."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Blaise opens up the cabin door with a dirty scowl on face and I crinkle my nose at the noise. Draco raises his brows as he puts the ribbon between the pages to mark his place, setting the closed book against his lap. "I cannot stand that ingrate bossing me around. He isn't even a proper wizard."

I've never seen Zabini so worked up about something and when Pansy walks in behind him, she gives us a look.

"That beast of a caretaker really ripped into him for smoking on the platform," she explains with a frown.

"Like it's any of his fucking business what I bloody do," Blaise snaps and I furrow my brows. He is usually so blasé about things that his outburst is surprising to me.

"Hagrid?" I question because I figure that's who they're talking about.

"I'm surprised that bloated elephant has a name. He looks like some kind of mangy dog with only half the brains," Zabini seethes hatefully.

"Hey," I snap in defense. "I like Hagrid. He's very nice."

They all look at me.

"What?" I say as they give me condescending looks like I was an idiot. "He is."

"He's a half-breed, Ginny," Draco says with an eyebrow raised like he thought that would change my mind on the matter.

I give him a disgusted look.

"So?" I say hatefully and then I look back at Blaise. "You aren't allowed to smoke on the platform anyways," I point out. "It's against the rules."

"I do not take orders from half-breeds," he says coldly. He has that same look in his amber eyes that I saw when Draco was beating that thief in the forest. It's chilling. "Especially not from half-breeds who've had their wands snapped."

"Well, it looks like you did take orders from a half-breed," I hiss derisively. "You stopped smoking, didn't you?"

"You f-"

"That's enough," Draco cuts Blaise off sternly and he gives me a look like I was just as much to blame. "Drop it."

I shake my head angrily and I cross my arms. My eyes flick to Pansy to see if she'd back me up, but she has her eyes slightly narrowed at me and when we make eye contact, she turns away. Daphne finds us next, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, but I don't greet them as I glare out the window, still upset about the comments that were thrown around about Hagrid. I really like Hagrid. He's kind and a good person…which I can't say the same for everyone in this compartment at the moment.

"You may want to get your wand out, Malfoy," Crabbe grunts as he takes a seat beside Pansy. "Weasley was out looking for you in the hallway. He looks like he wants to fight."

Draco's silver eyes slide to mine and he smirks. "I wonder why," he comments dryly and he puts his hand back on my knee, squeezing slightly.

"Hermione won't let him get this far," I say honestly as I look back out the window. If I know my friend, I know she'll stop him before he reaches the back of the train. "She usually keeps him in check," I add and Draco smirks at me.

"It's good to keep the dog on a leash," Pansy comments bitterly and I shoot her a hateful look.

"That's my brother you just called a dog," I say and she raises her eyebrows.

"We're not talking about this," Draco snaps and he gives Pansy a death glare that shuts her up. Everyone becomes quiet as Draco digs through his bag. He pulls out a small bag of chocolates wrapped in shiny blue paper and he hands one to me. "Eat this," he says, stuffing the rest in his bag. "Your attitude has been less than pleasant today."

I take it from him with a scowl and unwrap the chocolate before popping it into my mouth. How can he say anything about my attitude when it's his friends who are the jerks? I huff in annoyance and cross my arms as the chocolate calms me down. It dulls the pain of my headache a fraction, so that's something.

"Better?" Draco asks, watching my reaction closely. I glance at him and nod my head. "Good," he says shortly before opening his book again.

When the train starts up, I slip off my shoes and tuck my legs underneath me as I look at the rolling scenery with my forehead against the glass. Draco puts his hand on my ankle, running his fingers back and forth like he was petting me. It puts me at ease from wanting to glare at everyone in the compartment and I close my eyes for a moment, liking the affection. When we cross over the Scottish bridge I know that I have to change, so I get up to retrieve my bag but Draco beats me to it.

"There are advantages to being tall," he says as he easily reaches my bag and hands it to me. "Go with her," he says, looking expectantly at Pansy and Daphne.

I resist telling him that I don't need babysitters because I don't want to make any more tension in the room. Daphne and Pansy get up dutifully and I don't even bother waiting for them as I open the door to the cabin and step out into the hallway.

I don't say anything as they follow behind me and when we get to the girl's room, I pick an empty stall so I can change into my uniform. Pansy opens the door as I'm taking off my shirt and I gasp as she closes it behind her.

"What are you doing?" I hiss as I cover my chest with my shirt. "I'm changing."

"It's not like I haven't seen it, Ginny. We have the same parts," she says with an eye roll as she starts unbuttoning her blouse. "I just wanted to talk to you for a bit."

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask uncomfortably as I turn around and slip on a white tank top over my bra.

"Now that we're back at school... things are going to change," she says as I take out my white button-down shirt and I put it on.

"What do you mean?" I ask as I poke the buttons through the holes. When that's finished, I look over my shoulder to make sure she's not looking before I pull down my shorts so I can put on the gray skirt.

"Well, there is a certain way you have to act now. During the summer we're obviously in our own company, but now we're integrated with everyone else."

"Okay?" I say as I zip up my skirt. I pull out a brush and tug it through my hair before pulling it back into a ponytail.

"There's just a certain way you'll be expected to act," she says and I narrow my eyes at the wall as I take out my tie and put it around my neck.

"Like calling nice men like Hagrid disgusting half-breeds?" I say as I turn around to face her. I raise my eyebrow as I do up my tie.

"No," she says, giving me a patient smile. "What I'm trying to say is that you can't act so... " she moves her hand around as she tries to find the words. "Available to everyone."

"What does that mean?" I question with a furrowed brow. She doesn't say anything right away so I pull out my sleeveless jumper and put it on before sitting on the bench to put on the knee socks.

"Ginny, you're dating Draco Malfoy now," she says as I roll the socks up. I take out my scuffed mary-jane shoes that my mum bought me last summer and she clicks her tongue. "No, no, no," she says as she takes the shoes away from me. I go to protest but she puts her hand up to cut me off. "Take the socks off."

"But..."

"It's not something you have to wear as part of the uniform. The socks cut off your legs and ruin the silhouette." she says. "Where are your heels? The black ones we bought at Weber and Koch's?"

"I didn't bring them," I say, blinking at her because why would I need a pair of black heels at school? "I didn't even pack them."

She gives me an irritated glare as she pulls out a pair of black snakeskin pumps from her bag.

"You're not a child who wears mary-janes, thank you," she says as she hands the sky high heels to me.

I take them and shake my head. "I'm not wearing these," I say, trying to hand them back but she won't take them. "Even a one inch heel hurts my feet. I can't walk around in these all day."

I look at the shoes again. They have to be higher than three inches. I was glad when I was done at Folk Hills because it meant I didn't have to wear freaking heels anymore.

"This is what I'm talking about," she says flatly as she grabs my socks and starts pulling them off for me.

"Hey!" I snap as she balls them up and throws them over the stall wall.

"You're dating a Malfoy now. You are going to be held up to a different standard," she says as she sits beside me and tugs the hair tie out of my hair. "I'm not saying any of this to be mean," she adds because I think she can tell how confused and hurt I am right now. "I'm being completely honest with you. Before you were little Ginny Weasley with no expectations and shabby clothes."

My cheeks heat in embarrassment as she runs her fingers through my hair to tame it.

"But now you are seriously dating the heir to one of the largest fortunes in England. Everyone is going to be judging you." She starts brushing my hair and I resist pulling away from her. "It's unfortunate, but women in our situations are not judged by our character or intelligence. We're judged by how we look and how we present ourselves."

"I don't know if that's true."

"Think of any woman of influence," she says fiercely, tugging the brush through my hair a little too hard. "What they have to say takes a back seat to the designer they're wearing and how much weight they have gained. I'm not making this up, Ginny." She looks down at me with fire in her dark eyes. "No man has ever been asked what kind of shoes they're wearing but even women politicians get that question. It's an unfair double standard, but it happens."

The feminist in me wants to disagree, but the more I think about... I guess she's right in a way.

"I'm not a woman of influence yet," I snap as I stand up, grabbing my brush from her. "And I doubt Draco would care about the shoes I'm wearing."

"He wouldn't say anything," she says with a dark eyebrow arched. "But he would notice. You love him, right?"

I nod my head.

"Then you want to look like you belong with him, don't you?" She takes out her wand and flicks her wrist. I can feel my hair twisting and pulling until it's up and off my neck. "You don't want people questioning why he's with you because, trust me, they are going to do that anyways. You have to look the part, Ginny."

I swallow the lump in my throat and rub my forehead with my hand.

"Why do I have to change who I am?"

Draco hasn't had to change anything.

"You're not changing who you are," she says with an exasperated sigh as she reaches forward and pulls hair loose so it dangles around my face. "We're just polishing the surface. You are already so incredibly beautiful, Gin. You are so lucky in that regard so you can get away with a lot…but I'm doing this for your own benefit. You're playing in a different arena now and I don't want you drowning." I don't say anything. I just clench my jaw shut and take a heavy seat back on the bench. "The rules are different and you need to understand that. Men have history on their side and we have our bodies. We have to use that power to its full potential and you can't do that wearing second hand, cheaply made shit."

I scowl.

"Now," she says as she smooths out her uniform. "Put on the heels."

I pause for a moment before giving in and slipping them on my feet. "What are you going to wear?" I ask as I stuff all of my things back into my bag.

"I always bring extras," she says with a smile as she pulls out a pair of patent leather pumps.

The heels hurt already and I'm not even standing up. I glare down at them.

"These are too small," I whisper sadly, my toes pinching at the end.

She sighs and takes out her wand, flicking her twist and making them grow just the slightest bit. It feels better, but I don't feel any better.

"Ginny," Pansy says as she sits beside me on the bench again. "I don't want to hurt your feelings," she says as she stares at my profile. "And I don't say things to you to be mean or hateful. I'm just trying to help. Draco really has feelings for you. I've known him long enough to see that and it's rare for him to care..." she trails off and I glance at her. "Make sure that you're compliant towards him and give him what he wants. He's a powerful wizard. He's going to be very successful and he will give you the world if you keep him happy."

Compliant?

That word made me want to vomit and I screwed up my face in disgust.

"School hasn't even started and I already hate it," I snap as I stand up and hike the bag over my shoulder.

"Don't say that," she says with a sigh.

I unlock the door and step out to get away from her. I go over to the mirror and dig out some lip gloss so I can apply it just so I have something to do with myself. I check out my hair. She put it in some fancy looking twist and it makes me sigh loudly. My pony tail was fine. I don't even look up when the door to the changing rooms opens and Romilda Vane comes bouncing in.

She's in my house and her bunk is always next to mine. We've never been close, though. There was always something desperate and gossipy about her personality that never clicked with mine. She stops when she sees me and she looks me over before running to my side.

"Oh, my God, Ginny Weasley," she says as she gives me a hug. I don't hug back, but she hardly notices. "Why on earth didn't you write to me and tell me you were dating Draco Malfoy?"

I wouldn't write to her even if I got my right foot amputated let alone let her know who I'm dating.

"I've heard rumors all summer, of course," she says as she glances down at my feet. "Oh, those shoes! They are to die for. Are those Malcolm King's?" she asks as she bends down to get a better look at them. I shrug again. "Oh, they are. They're from his fall collection. How in the world did you afford something like that? Oh, I know. It's because of Draco, I bet." Great. People already think he's buying me shit. "I thought you'd be wearing those nasty old shoes you always wear. It is so good to see you in something new. I was getting worried we'd have to start a shoe fund for you. I'm so jealous!"

I look in the mirror and see Pansy in the stall doorway, watching our exchange with her arms crossed. When we make eye contact, she raises her eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's good seeing you too," I say softly as I put away the lip gloss and I turn towards Pansy. The comment Romilda made about my 'nasty old shoes' really proved her point. "You win," I state flatly before walking towards the door.

"Was there any doubt?" she asks with a pleased little smile.

"Wait for me!" Daphne stumbles out of one of the stalls, running towards a mirror to fix her hair. "Don't leave yet," she says as she takes out a headband to pull back the glossy blond curls from her face.

"What took you so long?" I ask suspiciously as she rights her hair. Romilda tries to say something else to me, but the whole 'shoe fund' comment really put me off. So I ignore her until she goes away.

"She was probably using her compact to write naughty messages," Pansy says with a smirk.

"Hey," Daphne says with a large grin. She pulls out a pair of earrings from her make-up bag. They have bright blue feathers on them and they look good against her skin. "A little sexting never hurt anyone." I laugh a little bit and when she's ready we turn to leave.

Someone opens the door as I'm reaching for the handle and I'm left staring at Hermione. We stare at each other for an uncomfortably long amount of time before she gives me a fake smile.

"Hi," she says as she sends a nervous glance to Daphne and Pansy who are stationed behind me.

"Hi," I say back.

There's so much I want to ask her right now, but I can't. Now is not the time and I'm still hurt by what they did to me. My brother and Harry are dopey dumb boys- but Hermione knows better. She could have at least written to me while they were gone to let me know they were okay… to apologize for what they did….To make me feel like I actually mattered.

But she didn't.

"Well, this was a pleasant chat," Pansy sighs loudly as she elbows past me and she grabs my arm. "Let's go."

"Bye," I mutter to Hermione as I let myself get pulled away on the ridiculous high heeled shoes. I look over my shoulder once to see my old friend frowning at me and I turn away quickly.

I don't want to see it.

When we get back to the cabin, Draco and the other boys are already in their uniforms. I accidentally step on Goyle's foot and he blushes scarlet before falling all over himself to apologize to me. I give him a look before walking past. Of course, Draco looks handsome in his school outfit and I nearly sigh when I see him. He's still reading that book and when I sit beside him I take his arm and rest my head against his shoulder.

"I like the shoes," he says quietly, never once looking up from the page.

I glance at the pumps, and then at Pansy who's looking right at me. "Thanks," I whisper softly, not bothering to say anything else.

The train ride goes by fast and when we leave to get on the carriages, I get bombarded by people I've never met before, asking me questions and inviting me to hang out. I had always fancied myself a bit popular within my house, but people from every grade and every house were coming up to me. It was really odd and I was glad when Draco put his arm around my waist and steered me away from the madness.

"Jeez," I whisper with a head shake as we climb into one of the empty carriages. "What was that all about?"

"People are curious," Draco says calmly as he puts his arm around my shoulders. "Most of them want to know how we got together, I imagine."

"Should we tell them that you relentlessly pursued me until I finally broke down and gave you a pity date?" I look at him and smile.

"Is that the way you see it?" he asks with a smirk and he tilts his body more towards mine. Blaise gets totally cut off because he was sitting on the other side of us and I don't mind.

"Hm," I say, imitating his drawl. It makes him laugh. "You stalked me."

"That's how I get all my girlfriends," he says with a wink. "Stalking is endearing."

I smile and slick some of his hair back because it's falling in his eyes. He needs a haircut.

"Did your mother tell you that?" I ask jokingly and he smirks.

"She didn't have to," he says with his eyebrows lifted.

I start fingering that bracelet he gave me and then I look at his green and silver tie. "I hate that we're in different houses," I say softly because I don't want the other people hearing how sappy I'm sounding. "I'm going to miss you."

He has been my closest friend this summer and I'll miss sleeping beside him. There's no way he can get into my room at Hogwarts.

"I will get my own room this year," he says in a soft voice. "Being Head Boy and all," he says with a sinful smile.

Zabini coughs uncomfortably and I pull back. I'm glad when the carriage stops but as we walk towards the Great Hall, I realize I'm about to be put into a very uncomfortable situation. It's the first feast of the school year and I have to sit with my house.

"I'll be stalking you from across the room," Draco says before kissing my cheek. I watch him and the whole gang I've been hanging out with all summer walk towards the Slytherin table. I stand to the side, staring at my own table in disappointment.

I don't know where to sit.

Normally I would just sit by Hermione when she was actually here for the feast, but if they were gone I would sit by Dean and Seamus... but Dean saw me making out with Draco in the club's pool so that would be uncomfortable and I don't really think Draco would appreciate that too much anyways. I see Romilda Vane waving at me and I pretend like I don't see her. I don't really like the girls in my year and the ones above and below me aren't much better. I sigh and scan the table until I find Neville sitting by himself.

Yes. Neville is safe and judgment free.

I smile to myself and I take a seat beside him. He looks surprised for a moment and he knocks over his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"H-Hey, Ginny," he stutters out in surprise and I smile at him as I slip the heels off under the table.

"How's it going?" I ask as I grab a roll from the table. I am famished and I break it apart with my fingers while good old Neville answers.

"I'm doing fairly well," he says with red cheeks. "Are you doing well?"

I look at him and give him a kind smile. I really like Neville. He is a non-threatening stand up bloke in my book.

"I am very well."

"That's good," he says with a head nod as he looks away.

I ask him about his summer and we start talking about our holidays. He worked at some well known green house that past couple of months and he became a botanist's apprentice. He's always been good with plants and I'm glad that he's found his niche... My take on the summer holiday was more watered down, of course. I told him I worked at a country club and that I went swimming sometimes... that was about it. It made me sound impossibly boring, but I didn't feel like divulging my love life to him. I wondered, then, if I looked different to him after all the big changes I've been through recently and I resisted asking him because that is crazy.

"I feel like Draco Malfoy is trying to set me on fire," he says nervously as he takes a drink from his cup. I furrow my brows and look towards the Slytherin table, but Neville snaps at me. "Don't look." he hisses but I shake my head and look anyway. "Why is he looking at me like that?" he whispers nervously as he fumbles around with his silverware

I find where Draco is sitting and see he is glaring daggers... not at Neville, though. At me. I give him a puzzled look for it and he sneers before turning back to Blaise to say something snappish to him. I raise my brows but I try to shrug it off.

"Draco is my boyfriend," I admit and I hear the gasp of surprise. "We started seeing each other over the summer."

I feel kind of embarrassed to look at him now, but I gather the courage and slowly make eye contact. Neville looks slightly hurt before it transforms into disgust.

"Why ever would you date a guy like him?" he spits out as he puts butter on his roll. "He is the worst person who's ever lived."

I snort. "I doubt that's true," I say and Neville makes a face.

"He really is terrible, Ginny. Why would you do something like that?" I don't answer because I'm starting to get angry and he sighs loudly. "Does Ron know? I bet he flipped a lid when he heard you were dating his worst enemy."

"I don't care about what Ron has to say and I especially do not care about his stupid rivalry with Draco," I snap. "Let's talk about something else," I say because I really want to change the subject right now.

My brain throbs. My headache hits me again and I bring a hand up to my temple and press hard to try to deaden the pain.

"Okay, let's talk about how your boyfriend," he says with disgust. "Keeps looking at me like he wants to kill me."

I look towards Draco again. He's still glaring at us and I shake my head before turning towards the noise coming from the hallway. All the little first years are being ushered into the room now and I smile as they pass by us to get sorted. Professor Sprout brings out the stool and the sorting hat starts singing some song about hope and unity, but I tune it out when I notice McGonagall's empty seat.

It saddens me so I look away, only to find Snape sitting in the headmaster's chair.

Oh, I forgot about that.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Ron's found me and he hisses in my ear before making the kid beside me scoot down.

"Ronald, honestly, this can wait until later," Hermione whispers. She's right behind him and the poor kid who was sitting beside me gets crammed down a little further.

"Not until you tell me what you're bloody doing with Draco Malfoy," he says.

I finally look at him. My brother is not the same boy who left the night before my birthday. He looks older somehow, more world worn, and there are dark circles under his bright blue eyes. I sigh tiredly and look down with a head shake.

"It's none of your business," I tell him but I know that won't settle this.

This is one of those fights that can explode into epic proportions. I can feel that stirring in my gut now.

"It's all my business!" he yells and everyone looks at him as the sorting hat continues to sing. Hermione gives him a face before he quiets himself down. "I need to know what my little sister is doing hanging around a snake like that."

I glare at him.

"If you were home at all this summer, you would know the answer to that question," I tell him in a low whisper. Most of the people around us aren't listening to the sorting anymore. They're all watching us.

"Don't pin this on me. Do you realize how stupid you're being," he says harshly and I clench my jaw shut. "You can be a real idiot sometimes. What's this I hear about you and him dating? Are you actually dating him? Do you realize who he is... what he's done to me and Hermione... and the terrible things he's done to Harry? Do you realize his family is in league with you-know-who? Gosh, Ginny, I thought you would have smartened up by now."

"Shut up," I hiss at him in a low whisper. My wand hand is twitching. I want to curse him but a part of me also wants to cry.

"Don't tell me to shut up," he says as he throws off Hermione's hand when she puts it on his arm. "What are you doing, Ginny? Are you doing this to get back at us for leaving?"

"Not everything is about you," I say harshly, but he shakes his head.

"I bet that's it. Well, I know how to put an end to this. Mum saw you on the platform. She didn't know you were dating him, did she?"

"The worst she can do to me now is send me a howler," I state bitterly and his ears turn red in anger. "Now, go away. You're bothering me."

"Ronald, let's go. The first years are being sorted and they'll be serving food soon."

At the mention of food, my brother's eyes soften and he gives me one final glare. "This isn't over, Ginny. When we get to the common room I'm going to find out everything."

"Whatever," I snap.

They go back to the end of the table and I slump my shoulders. I feel embarrassed… and bad… and angry… and sad… and so fucking tired all of a sudden.

"You okay?" Neville asks as the Hufflepuffs clap when they get a new student.

I nod my head.

"You know your brother," he says with a sad smile. "He'll calm down soon," he says, placing his hand on mine.

It shocks me and I pull my hand out from underneath his.

"Sorry," he mutters as I massage my skin.

"It's alright," I say softly. "Just a little static."

Once everyone is sorted, I look over at the Slytherin table again. Draco is drinking from his goblet and he's in a very serious looking discussion with Zabini on his right. I sigh when the food arrives and take one bite before I realize that I'm not hungry. My brother has officially ruined my appetite. I slip on the heels and I gather my things. If I get to the common room early enough, I can hide in my room the rest of the night to avoid my stupid brother.

When I get to the doors, I look over my shoulder. Draco is watching me and when we make eye contact he starts to get up but I shake my head. He can't get into my common room anyways and I just want to be alone right now.

I take my time going to the tower and when I say the password to the fat lady she scolds me for leaving the feast early. I roll my eyes and walk into the common room once she opens up. I don't need to be chastised by a painting, thank you very much. I have a boyfriend for that.

When I get inside, I see Harry sitting by the fire, staring into flames... all by himself. I don't feel like talking to him either and I go to walk by, but he stands up.

"Gin."

The way he says my name... I sigh loudly and stop walking.

"Yeah?" He doesn't say anything. He just stares at me and I become uncomfortable by it. "Are you okay?" I ask softly because he looks so... sad.

He shakes his head and sits down heavily on one of the chairs. I hesitate a moment before taking tentative steps towards him. He puts his head in his hands and I feel the anger in me melt just the slightest bit.

"Harry?" I whisper when I'm standing right in front of him. He looks up at me, his green eyes are sparkling with sadness and it breaks my heart right in half. I hesitate a second before sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," he whispers as he looks over my face. There is a fire roaring in the grate to our left. It makes Harry glow in red, and orange, and yellows. "Ginny, I'm sorry," he says seriously.

I furrow my brows. "What are you sorry about?"

"I'm sorry about this summer, that we left without telling you... that we missed your birthday," he says. "But... Why him?"

"What?" I question softly and he forces his dark brows together.

"Why him? Why Malfoy?"

I sit straight, my hand on my lap.

"Are you going to yell at me like Ron?" I ask sharply with an eyebrow raised.

He shakes his head. "No, I just want to know why."

"Because he's sweet to me... and I like him," I admit honestly and Harry rubs his lips as he looks at me.

I should tell the truth. I should tell Harry that I love Draco but I just can't seem to say those words to him right now. Not when he looks so sad.

"Because he was there," he says flatly.

I don't say anything to that and he sits back in the chair. For a moment he looked like a child. An angry, petulant child and it made me feel bad.

"It's more than that," I whisper and he looks away.

"Dumbledore told me to come back to Hogwarts. That I would always be safe here," he says softly. "I don't feel safe anymore," he admits in a soft whisper. "Dumbledore was supposed to keep me informed until he returned, but I haven't heard from him in months. I fear he may be dead," he says and when he looks at me again, I see his eyes watering.

Harry has lost everyone that was close to him and I suddenly feel very bad for him. I lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck to pull him to me in a tight hug. I had never touched him like this before and I nearly pulled away when he wrapped his arms around my back and buried his face in the crook of my neck. I think he's trying not to cry. I want to ask him what he's been doing all summer, where he's been, and what he's found... but I can't bring myself to. Not right now. The fire crackles and the castle creaks as he pulls me tighter against him.

"I saw you at the Quidditch game," I whisper against his hair. "You ran from me."

"He's dangerous, Gin," he says, still clutching me. "They all are."

I pull back to look into his eyes and he brings his hand up to stroke my cheek. I freeze as his eyes study mine and when he starts leaning forward I take in a sharp breath.

He looks like he's going to kiss me.

Before his lips touch mine, a terrible feeling overtakes my body and my hands start burning. It feels like I'm on fire. I get propelled back by an unknown force and my back smacks against the floor.

"Are you okay?" Harry asks in a panic as he runs over to me. I pull myself up and push Harry's hand away when he tries to help. My skin still feels like it's on fire.

"I'm fine," I snap as I stand up and dust my uniform off. What in the hell was that? I look down at my left hand and I flex my fingers.

Draco.

I shake my head and run up to my room, ignoring Harry as he calls after me. When I get to my bed, I pull the curtains tightly closed as my body burns and my heart aches. I sit down, pulling my knees up to my chest after throwing off those stupid heels. I breathe in and out deeply. What if Draco thought I cheated on him? Was that what the burning was about? Is that why I got sent backwards when Harry tried to...to do that thing he tried to do? I shake my head and make a noise in the back of my throat.

When the burning dulls to a manageable pain, I strip out of my clothes and put my pj's on as I look over my class schedule for tomorrow. My first class is potions with Slytherin and I make a face before laying back on the bed and glaring at the canopy. When my roommates file into the room, I ignore them and pretend I'm asleep as they gossip and giggle back and forth. I fall asleep listening to Romilda Vane talk about the boy she fell in love with over the summer as I try not to worry about what tomorrow is going to bring for me.

I get up earlier than my roommates so I can make it to the Great Hall before anyone else. I take a quick shower and do my hair in a loose braid as I try not to be nervous about my brother, and my classes... and my boyfriend who can be so very mean. I'm hoping to talk to Draco first. If what happened last night was because of that stupid oath then I think I want to take it back. It's just ridiculous. My skin still feels slightly burnt, like a sunburn, and I'm surprised that my skin isn't red when I look into the mirror. I do my makeup and get dressed, hesitating a moment before putting on Pansy's snakeskin pumps as her voice eats away at me. I give myself one last once over in the mirror before heading out with my bag full of books over my shoulder and my school robe under my arm.

I was going to go to the Great Hall and wait for Draco so we could talk. I didn't expect him to be standing right outside the portrait hole, leaning against the stair banister with his arms crossed.

I pause for a second, just staring at him until he raises an eyebrow.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he sneers sarcastically and I narrow my eyes as he flips his robe back to put a hand in his pocket.

"My skin still burns," I say sharply, resisting the urge to ask him how long he's been standing there. It feels like I've been out in the sun for ten hours straight without any sunblock. "Was that because of that stupid oath thing?" I ask as I rub my arms, trying to get rid of the sting.

He looks me over and then he raises his eyebrow. "What were you doing?" he asks coolly.

"I was just talking to a friend," I snap angrily because this is stupid. He still stares at me so I shake my head. "And I gave him a hug. This shouldn't happen... I wasn't doing anything bad."

"It wouldn't have burned if you weren't," he says flatly and then he starts walking towards me with calculated steps. I resist the urge to step back because of the awful way he's looking at me. "Look at me."

I clench my jaw and look up at him. He reaches out and puts his hand on the side of my face as he studies my eyes. Then I feel it, slightly at first and then more pronounced as he digs into my mind. I clench my eyes shut as he pulls the memory and looks over it like he was reading a book. I walk into the portrait hole… talk to Harry… hug him…. get thrown back... When he's done and he's satisfied, he pulls out and runs his knuckles over my face.

"You shouldn't have done that," I say with a tight throat as I blink rapidly, trying to focus on the real world. "You can't just go into my mind whenever you want."

"He was going to kiss you," he says softly. The burning stops and I let out a sigh to be relieved of the pain. "And I can do what I want, Ginny," he says sharply like he remembered he was angry with me. "You're my girl and you didn't tell me to stop."

I guess there's some logic in that. He'd stop if I asked him to, right?

"It felt like I was on fire," I admit softly and he stares at me with dark eyes as I lean back and rub my temples. It still hurts from him digging in there and I don't think I've ever really felt anything like it.

"You didn't move away in time," he says flatly. "You were going to let him kiss you."

"No," I say as I shake my head because I don't want him to be mad at me. "I wasn't."

"Yes," he says flatly as he takes another step closer to me. "You were. It's funny that you can say that you love me when you allow yourself to get into situations like that. How am I supposed to trust you?"

"You can trust me," I say softly because now I actually feel bad. He was right about getting myself into a situation like that, I guess. I would be really pissed off if he did this to me. "I wouldn't have let him kiss me. I don't even like him that way anymore."

"Anymore?" he asks coldly.

"This is stupid," I say in annoyance and he glares. "This is wrong. That stupid spell isn't normal and I shouldn't have agreed to it. I didn't do anything with Harry, but it burned me anyways and now you're all suspicious when you don't need to be."

"Shut up," he snaps and I widen my eyes in surprise. He hasn't said that to me in a while and it sounds so awful. "You know you're in trouble and you're trying to weasel your way out of it. This is precisely why we did that oath because I knew something like this would happen. I just didn't think it would happen on our first fucking day of school."

I do feel terribly guilty now… maybe he's right.

"I love you, Draco," I say honestly. "That's the truth. I don't want to be with anyone else," I say as I reach out to lay my hand on his chest. He looks so handsome. His clothes were so neat and his hair was so perfect…. and it's so damn early in the morning. I don't know how he manages it. "You don't have to read my mind or do any stupid spells to know that."

"Apparently I do," he says flatly. After a few moments of glaring, he steps back and sighs, running a hand over his face. "I do not want to fight with you right now," he says.

"I agree," I mutter softly and he looks at me again, taking the bag from my shoulder.

"How bad was your brother last night?" he asks gently as he looks over my face. "I saw the way he was talking to you in the Great Hall."

I shrug and try not to think about it. "Angry as expected," I answer honestly as I look down at the heels that are already hurting me. "I'm not looking forward to seeing him again."

"I told you that if you want to be in this relationship with me you will have to be brave, Ginny," he says as he takes my hand. "Do you think you can handle that?" I nod my head with my throat tight. "Good," he says gently, not half as mad as before as he brings my hand up to his mouth to kiss me there. "Let's go to breakfast."

I take a seat beside him at the Slytherin table and we barely speak to one another. Eventually the tension becomes too much for me, so I put my hand on his leg under the table and kiss his cheek. He looks at me with his eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry," I say in a soft voice, swallowing my pride. "You were right. I shouldn't have been in a situation like that and you have every right to be upset..." I trail off as he stares at me. "But you saw what happened," I tell him seriously. "I didn't initiate anything. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know I have nothing to worry about," he says darkly and I look at his chest, not liking his tone. "Will you do me a favor?" he asks as he takes a drink from his goblet. I nod my head, willing to do just about anything for him if he'll stop being angry with me. "Don't speak to him again."

Well, besides that.

"I just can't stop speaking to him, Draco. He's my brother's best friend and we're in the same house. It will be hard not to talk to him when we're on the same team." I admit as I think about Quidditch.

"He wants you," he says seriously with his cold eyes raking in my reaction. I scoff and shake my head. "He does and he can't have you. I refuse," he says and a chill goes down my spine.

His voice sounded so sure and so full of authority.

"I will sleep better knowing you're not on speaking terms with him, but knowing that's a selfish demand, will you at least honor my request to not speak to him in private like you did last night? I obviously can't trust him around you. He tried to make a pass at you despite already knowing we were dating. I can't have that."

He puts his hand on mine underneath the table and squeezes gently.

"No more private meetings with Potter, yes? That is fair, is it not?"

"Yes," I sigh softly. "I suppose that is fair."

There's a pause as I grab an orange and start peeling it… but my heart is not in it and I guess this is the saddest anyone has ever looked peeling a damn orange. The first day of school is really starting off to a banging start for me.

"Ginny," Draco says sharply to get my attention. I glance at him for the tone of his voice as he puts his hand on my thigh and gently squeezes. "He will never touch you again. Do you understand that? I don't care how fucking sad he looks. You are not going to let that happen. I trust that you will shut that down the next time he tries."

I swallow hard as I look into his eyes. They are so set and serious. How can I say anything to that? I can't… so I just nod my head.

"Good," he says and then he kisses me, lingering there for a moment before pulling back with a little smile. "I'm glad that it's settled."

I feel a bit uncomfortable with that settlement. I eat my orange and pick at my toast as the great hall fills up with people getting ready for the first day of school. I'm trying not to look around. I don't want to see people looking and whispering… I'm just not ready to face that just yet. Pansy comes in with Daphne and Millicent flanked on either side of her and they take a seat across from us as I glare down at my plate. I don't know why I feel so funny about this whole thing. I guess because a part of me knows it's wrong. I look at Draco's profile as he eats his eggs and I sigh when my heart warms over.

Loving someone is complicated and at least he cares. It would be terrible if he didn't. He probably had such a terrible night thinking I had cheated on him. It makes me feel bad all over again and I turn more towards him, putting my hand on the back of his neck to thread through his hair for a moment in a way I know he likes. I start to feel guilty when I realize that…. while I was burning all night… he had to try to sleep imagining what I was doing with someone else.

He notices me staring at him and his silver eyes slide to mine. I give him a nervous smile and he leans over- kissing my cheek softly.

Luckily, my brother and his two friends do not show up for breakfast and a part of me is grateful for that…. And another part of me is annoyed because of course they didn't. Of course they have more important things to do. Of course. Now I'm annoyed for a whole other reason and I throw my napkin down on my plate, not wanting to eat anymore.

"I'll walk you to class," Draco says as he takes my hand and helps me out of my seat.

I allow myself to get pulled down the hallways towards the dungeons where Slughorn's classroom is. For whatever reason, Blaise decided to walk with us. They ended up in a deep discussion about some kind of spell I didn't understand as Draco kept his hand firmly on my back, guiding my steps.

"We'll talk about it later," Draco ends up snapping before we walk down the stairs towards the classroom, leaving Zabini in the hall to stare after us.

"What was that all about?" I ask as his possessive hand stays on my back.

"Nothing," he says flatly and I give him a look but don't press the matter because Zabini annoys me and I don't care about anything he has going on. A few kids are already waiting outside of the classroom and I give the few from my house a shy smile before Draco steps in front of me, blocking my path. "I'll see you at lunch," he says.

I nod my head and he looks down at me, tilting his head as his eyes flick over my body. He sighs loudly before stepping forward and tucking my shirt in. I blush, not realizing I didn't do that this morning and I try to ignore the eyes on me as his hand pushes the fabric under the band of my skirt in the back and then the front, his fingers slipping over my knickers for the quickest of moments- making me inhale a sharp breath. I resist pushing his hands away as he helps me into my school robe like I was a child. I can feel people staring at us and I look at his shoes as he buttons it up for me.

"Ginny," he says gently, gripping my chin once he's satisfied and tilting my face up to look at him. "Kiss?"

I hesitate a second and then he smiles at me… that charming smile that melts my heart.

I curl on my toes to reach him, planting a sweet kiss to his lips and pulling back quickly before we get in any trouble. He smiles again and hands me my bag, his hand running up my arm before looking at someone over my shoulder.

"Sit by her," is all he says before leaving.

When he's gone, I look over my shoulder and see Ivy Parkinson and the other Slytherins from my grade all eyeing me critically.

I sigh loudly before walking into the classroom. I don't want to sit by them. Draco doesn't control everything I do. With that thought in mind, I walk towards the front of the class and put my bag down by Colin Creevey who gives me a large and confused grin.

"Hey Gin!" he says happily as I take a seat and cross my arms.

I hear Ivy huff as she sits beside me and I turn more towards Colin. "What are you doing, Weasley?" She whispers fiercely as she pulls my arm until I'm looking at her. "You heard what he said. You have to sit by us."

"You are sitting by me," I say as I take out my notebook and quill.

"You know what he meant," she hisses as she glances at Colin who is shuffling through papers in his bag. "He won't like this."

"You know what," I say as I give her my full attention. "We don't like each other. We never have... Why are you all over me all of a sudden?"

"You know what he said," she says slowly like I was stupid and I scoff.

"I don't do everything Draco Malfoy says, thank you very much," I say as I think about what happened this morning and I bristle in annoyance.

Ivy doesn't say anything and when I glance at her she's giving me a look that I'm altogether uncomfortable receiving from someone who I don't like... She's not glaring, or scoffing, or smirking mockingly like I'm used to…

She's looking at me with sympathy... sympathy and pity and when she gets her bag and stands up to take her seat with the other Slytherins at the back of the classroom- I swallow a large uncomfortable lump that has gotten stuck in my throat.

That one look from a known enemy has worried me more than anything in my entire life.