Ginny tapped a Muggle ballpoint pen against the surface of her desk. The sound did little to drone out Professor Burbage as she explained the details of their impending field trip to a Muggle city.
It had only been two weeks since they’d returned from the Christmas holidays, and Ginny found herself overwhelmed with anxiety. For one thing, O.W.L.s were approaching fast. She thought that Hermione had been exaggerating when she’d told her to begin studying at the start of the school year. But with only a few months to go, Ginny was bewildered.
On a darker note, the Wizarding world was becoming…well, more dark. The number of reported deaths increased despite the Ministry’s feeble attempts to accost alleged Death Eaters. But people were still fearful. An eerie blanket of dread, mistrust, and unease hovered over everyone. It ate at them while they dined in the Great Hall, took notes in class, spoke to one another in their common rooms in hushed silences, and even in their sleep. Something terrible was happening and it prickled Ginny’s skin to think about it.
However, the one thing that bothered her most of all was Draco. She’d decided that she wanted to be there for him. She wanted him to trust her, to open up to her. Maybe he couldn’t tell her his…Death Eater secrets…and Merlin only knew what would happen if he were to divulge anything of that sort, but she wanted to be a part of his whole life, and not just a piece of it.
But Draco had been different since the holidays. He’d been more reserved and quiet. She rarely saw him. He claimed to be studying, or not feeling well. And when they did spend time together, he barely spoke, and instead poured over his Muggle books, a troubled look in his eyes.
“Draco, please tell me what’s wrong,” she asked once.
They were sitting in a corridor near the Divination classroom. He was slouched against the stone wall, his knees bent, and his hair curtained his face from her view.
“Nothing,” he mumbled.
She gently placed a hand on his knee, giving it a squeeze. “Why won’t you tell me? Let me help you.”
He jerked away from her grasp and pulled his hair back out of his eyes to stare at her. He had bags under his eyes and his skin appeared gray and sallow. She thought he looked menacing for a moment, but he must’ve seen the hurt in her eyes, for he let out a tiny sigh.
“Ginny, we agreed we wouldn’t get personal.”
She laughed humorlessly. She hadn’t meant to, but she couldn’t help it. “Personal? Draco, we’ve been dancing around for two months, trying to keep this…this…relationship as superficial as possible. But somewhere along the way things changed. I know you can sense that.”
He said nothing.
She leaned closer to him, so that her lips barely brushed across the shell of his ear. “When you kiss me, it’s not just a kiss. You take a part of me with you, with every breath you steal from me.”
She felt him shudder slightly. He turned to face her, their faces just inches apart. He kissed her gently at first, and then he deepened it, cupping his hands on either side of her face. She felt her head scrape against the wall as he pressed his body against hers. His knees were on either side of her now, keeping her in place.
He kissed her face, nipping at her jaw. He kissed her throat, eliciting a gasp from her. She ran her hands along his back and felt how thin he’d become and she felt tears brimming in her eyes.
What’s wrong with him? Why won’t he tell me?
His body trembled and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. A soft sob escaped from him and Ginny realized that Draco Malfoy was crying. She hugged him tightly, running a hand through his blond hair gently.
He’s so broken, she thought to herself desperately.
She felt him move suddenly and he pressed his forehead against hers. His tear stained face felt cool against her skin.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?” she asked, keeping her eyes locked with his.
He didn’t answer her, but she could feel his hand work its way up one of her bare legs and stop just under the hem of her skirt. His touch created a tingling sensation in her. Their eyes were still connected.
His hand crept further up and stopped once again, this time dangerously close to her center. He kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth, and she welcomed him, savoring his taste, which was slightly bitter from the tears.
He gently ran his lips against the side of her face; it felt like a soft whisper. Ginny could feel her heart beating wildly and she inhaled his scent.
He raked his fingers against her thigh and she jerked.
Draco hardly touched her. They kissed, sometimes gently, sometimes rough, and she enjoyed the feel of him in her arms. But he never touched her. She had thought at first that he wanted to progress things slowly. But after a while, when he still hadn’t made a move, she thought that he wasn’t as interested in her. The theory was quelled when she could feel his desire pressed up against her one evening as they sat in a corridor much like this.
She was confused. Her two boyfriends in the past had certainly tried to move to a point in their relationship that she hadn’t been ready for. So why hadn’t Draco tried anything? It had been over two months.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, and she noticed that his eyes were dark, unmistakably with lust.
“No-” she said, biting her bottom lip as he continued to draw lazy patterns against her skin. “But…”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“I thought you didn’t want me,” she said quickly.
She expected him to laugh at her, but instead he looked genuinely puzzled. “What are you on about? Of course I want you. What’ve we been doing all this time?”
“It’s just…well…all we’ve been doing is snogging, and you haven’t really tried…”
A faint smile flitted across his face. “Ginny Weasley, I’m surprised.”
“No! It’s not that I wanted you to…well, of course I did, but I just…well…you being a boy and all…why haven’t you…you see where I’m going?”
He sighed and pulled away from her. She felt vulnerable and exposed all of a sudden.
“What do you think of me?” he asked. “And this isn’t a trick question; I want to hear an actual response.”
“I-I what?”
“How many girls do you think I’ve been with?”
She wrung her fingers together with nervousness. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “Oh, I don’t know…a dozen?”
He smirked. “A dozen? You flatter me.”
“Oh.”
“And what do you think I’ve done with all these girls?”
She could feel her face grow hot in embarrassment. “Pardon?”
He leaned in towards her. “I’ve done this.” He kissed her lips. “And this.” His lips trailed down her throat. “And this.” He took a tiny bite at her skin.
She pushed him off of her. “I don’t need to know of all the sordid things you’ve done with these girls! Are you trying to make a point or do you want to brass me off?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Ginny, I’ve been with two girls, if you even want to call it that. And what I just did with you was the extent of my physical relationship with them. I’m not as profligate of a womanizer as you and your lot seem to think.”
Ginny was silent for a moment as she took in his words.
“Like I said, of course I want you. I’d be a fool if I didn’t. But you can thank my mother for the gentlemanly decorum that stops me from getting into a girl’s knickers.”
Ginny couldn’t help herself, but she was grinning ear-to-ear.
“What?” he asked, affronted.
“You never cease to surprise me, Draco Malfoy,” she said. “And I love it.” She grabbed a hold of his tie, wanting to pull him in for a kiss, but he pulled back.
"So what have you done?" he asked her, a smirk dancing on his face.
Her face flushed. "Nothing we haven't."
And then he kissed her, soft and gentle. When they broke apart she found the small smile on his face again, the one that made her insides melt.
“You haven’t done much of that lately,” she said, tracing the diminishing smile with a finger.
He looked away from her. “I’m having a difficult time with some things, but it’ll get better.”
“I want to help you.” She wrapped her arms around his chest and drew him to her, so that his back was pressed against her, his head level with her chest. She ran a hand through his hair.
“You do, by being here,” he said quietly. “By letting me do this.” He turned so that his face was cushioned against her breasts.
Ginny giggled.
“Where do you want to go for our Muggle city trip?” he asked her.
“Oh,” she said. She hadn’t even thought about it. “Wait, we can’t go together.”
“Why not?” he asked. One of his hands was creeping under the hem of her blouse.
“Why not? Maybe because we’re sworn enemies from rival Houses. And nobody knows I let you do this,” she said, referring to the gentle fingers that were caressing her waist.
“It’s a group project. We’re in the same group.”
“I’m still amazed at how that happened,” she said. “A Malfoy and a Weas-"
Ginny couldn't finish her thought as Draco was now undoing the top buttons of her blouse. She watched him intently, her breath caught in her throat.
“So I was thinking about somewhere in East Sussex,” he said casually, staring at her chest.
“I d-didn’t know you’d put thought into this. W-why there?” She swallowed hard as she realized her breasts were in plain sight for him, covered only by the thin fabric of her bra.
He didn't say anything for a long moment as he took in her newly exposed body. She bit her lip in anticipation, waiting for a reaction.
"Oh, Ginny," he sighed.
"Please touch me," she whispered.
He obliged, taking one breast in his hand and kissing her deeply. She moaned into him, gripping his shoulders as his other hand snaked across her thigh.
She wanted more of him. She wanted him to touch every inch of her, and for her to do the same to him.
He pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed. "We ought to cast a silencing charm on you."
"Draco..." Ginny said longingly, pulling his hand back to her chest.
"Another time, Ginny," he said, smiling at her as he withdrew his hand again. "You are so beautiful. You have to know that I want explore every part of you one day."
She blushed at the implication and began to button up her blouse. Thoughts of rejection were now quietly replaced with something warm instead.
"So...you were saying something about East Sussex?" she said, after clearing her throat awkwardly.
“Well, there’s a castle I’d like to see. It was invaded by William the Conqueror thousands of years ago. And Brighton is there as well, and I hear that’s loads of fun.”
She stared at his blond crown for a moment, a grin returning to her face.
“Okay. We’ll talk to the group. But you do know I’ll have to at least feign opposition for a while. Maybe even insult each other.”
“I can call you a stubborn little Gryffindor who is by far even more dimwitted than people give you credit for.”
Ginny gaped at him. “That was mean.”
“That’s the point.”
“Well, then I’d just have to say, ‘Malfoy, you’re like a drunkard out of Ireland, except less articulate.’ How’s that?”
“Quite impressive for someone so dimwitted.”
She swatted his arm. “You know, you never actually really say anything in class.”
“I don’t have much to say.”
“Of course you do. Whether you like it or not, you do well in the class.”
“I’m just humble.”
She snorted.
“Why are you in Muggle Studies?” she asked in a small voice, afraid of hitting a sore subject.
He shrugged against her. “I needed a class to replace Care of Magical Creatures.”
“So why not something else? Like Arithmancy?”
“I think you know by now that I’m…intrigued by Muggle history.”
“Oh. Right.”
She hesitated.
“But, isn’t it an odd class for you to take?”
There was a brief moment of silence. He suddenly moved away from her, eyeing her with an expression she couldn’t place.
“You mean a Slytherin Death Eater who happens to come from one of the purest and proudest Wizarding families?”
She chose not to respond.
He collected his books and rose to his feet to straighten himself out. “I’m going to get going.”
“All right,” she said simply, still sitting on the ground. “But are you upset with me?”
He’d already begun walking away, but he stopped in his tracks. Without looking at her, he said plainly, “No.” And then he was gone.
It had only been two weeks since they’d returned from the Christmas holidays, and Ginny found herself overwhelmed with anxiety. For one thing, O.W.L.s were approaching fast. She thought that Hermione had been exaggerating when she’d told her to begin studying at the start of the school year. But with only a few months to go, Ginny was bewildered.
On a darker note, the Wizarding world was becoming…well, more dark. The number of reported deaths increased despite the Ministry’s feeble attempts to accost alleged Death Eaters. But people were still fearful. An eerie blanket of dread, mistrust, and unease hovered over everyone. It ate at them while they dined in the Great Hall, took notes in class, spoke to one another in their common rooms in hushed silences, and even in their sleep. Something terrible was happening and it prickled Ginny’s skin to think about it.
However, the one thing that bothered her most of all was Draco. She’d decided that she wanted to be there for him. She wanted him to trust her, to open up to her. Maybe he couldn’t tell her his…Death Eater secrets…and Merlin only knew what would happen if he were to divulge anything of that sort, but she wanted to be a part of his whole life, and not just a piece of it.
But Draco had been different since the holidays. He’d been more reserved and quiet. She rarely saw him. He claimed to be studying, or not feeling well. And when they did spend time together, he barely spoke, and instead poured over his Muggle books, a troubled look in his eyes.
“Draco, please tell me what’s wrong,” she asked once.
They were sitting in a corridor near the Divination classroom. He was slouched against the stone wall, his knees bent, and his hair curtained his face from her view.
“Nothing,” he mumbled.
She gently placed a hand on his knee, giving it a squeeze. “Why won’t you tell me? Let me help you.”
He jerked away from her grasp and pulled his hair back out of his eyes to stare at her. He had bags under his eyes and his skin appeared gray and sallow. She thought he looked menacing for a moment, but he must’ve seen the hurt in her eyes, for he let out a tiny sigh.
“Ginny, we agreed we wouldn’t get personal.”
She laughed humorlessly. She hadn’t meant to, but she couldn’t help it. “Personal? Draco, we’ve been dancing around for two months, trying to keep this…this…relationship as superficial as possible. But somewhere along the way things changed. I know you can sense that.”
He said nothing.
She leaned closer to him, so that her lips barely brushed across the shell of his ear. “When you kiss me, it’s not just a kiss. You take a part of me with you, with every breath you steal from me.”
She felt him shudder slightly. He turned to face her, their faces just inches apart. He kissed her gently at first, and then he deepened it, cupping his hands on either side of her face. She felt her head scrape against the wall as he pressed his body against hers. His knees were on either side of her now, keeping her in place.
He kissed her face, nipping at her jaw. He kissed her throat, eliciting a gasp from her. She ran her hands along his back and felt how thin he’d become and she felt tears brimming in her eyes.
What’s wrong with him? Why won’t he tell me?
His body trembled and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. A soft sob escaped from him and Ginny realized that Draco Malfoy was crying. She hugged him tightly, running a hand through his blond hair gently.
He’s so broken, she thought to herself desperately.
She felt him move suddenly and he pressed his forehead against hers. His tear stained face felt cool against her skin.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?” she asked, keeping her eyes locked with his.
He didn’t answer her, but she could feel his hand work its way up one of her bare legs and stop just under the hem of her skirt. His touch created a tingling sensation in her. Their eyes were still connected.
His hand crept further up and stopped once again, this time dangerously close to her center. He kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth, and she welcomed him, savoring his taste, which was slightly bitter from the tears.
He gently ran his lips against the side of her face; it felt like a soft whisper. Ginny could feel her heart beating wildly and she inhaled his scent.
He raked his fingers against her thigh and she jerked.
Draco hardly touched her. They kissed, sometimes gently, sometimes rough, and she enjoyed the feel of him in her arms. But he never touched her. She had thought at first that he wanted to progress things slowly. But after a while, when he still hadn’t made a move, she thought that he wasn’t as interested in her. The theory was quelled when she could feel his desire pressed up against her one evening as they sat in a corridor much like this.
She was confused. Her two boyfriends in the past had certainly tried to move to a point in their relationship that she hadn’t been ready for. So why hadn’t Draco tried anything? It had been over two months.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, and she noticed that his eyes were dark, unmistakably with lust.
“No-” she said, biting her bottom lip as he continued to draw lazy patterns against her skin. “But…”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“I thought you didn’t want me,” she said quickly.
She expected him to laugh at her, but instead he looked genuinely puzzled. “What are you on about? Of course I want you. What’ve we been doing all this time?”
“It’s just…well…all we’ve been doing is snogging, and you haven’t really tried…”
A faint smile flitted across his face. “Ginny Weasley, I’m surprised.”
“No! It’s not that I wanted you to…well, of course I did, but I just…well…you being a boy and all…why haven’t you…you see where I’m going?”
He sighed and pulled away from her. She felt vulnerable and exposed all of a sudden.
“What do you think of me?” he asked. “And this isn’t a trick question; I want to hear an actual response.”
“I-I what?”
“How many girls do you think I’ve been with?”
She wrung her fingers together with nervousness. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this. “Oh, I don’t know…a dozen?”
He smirked. “A dozen? You flatter me.”
“Oh.”
“And what do you think I’ve done with all these girls?”
She could feel her face grow hot in embarrassment. “Pardon?”
He leaned in towards her. “I’ve done this.” He kissed her lips. “And this.” His lips trailed down her throat. “And this.” He took a tiny bite at her skin.
She pushed him off of her. “I don’t need to know of all the sordid things you’ve done with these girls! Are you trying to make a point or do you want to brass me off?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Ginny, I’ve been with two girls, if you even want to call it that. And what I just did with you was the extent of my physical relationship with them. I’m not as profligate of a womanizer as you and your lot seem to think.”
Ginny was silent for a moment as she took in his words.
“Like I said, of course I want you. I’d be a fool if I didn’t. But you can thank my mother for the gentlemanly decorum that stops me from getting into a girl’s knickers.”
Ginny couldn’t help herself, but she was grinning ear-to-ear.
“What?” he asked, affronted.
“You never cease to surprise me, Draco Malfoy,” she said. “And I love it.” She grabbed a hold of his tie, wanting to pull him in for a kiss, but he pulled back.
"So what have you done?" he asked her, a smirk dancing on his face.
Her face flushed. "Nothing we haven't."
And then he kissed her, soft and gentle. When they broke apart she found the small smile on his face again, the one that made her insides melt.
“You haven’t done much of that lately,” she said, tracing the diminishing smile with a finger.
He looked away from her. “I’m having a difficult time with some things, but it’ll get better.”
“I want to help you.” She wrapped her arms around his chest and drew him to her, so that his back was pressed against her, his head level with her chest. She ran a hand through his hair.
“You do, by being here,” he said quietly. “By letting me do this.” He turned so that his face was cushioned against her breasts.
Ginny giggled.
“Where do you want to go for our Muggle city trip?” he asked her.
“Oh,” she said. She hadn’t even thought about it. “Wait, we can’t go together.”
“Why not?” he asked. One of his hands was creeping under the hem of her blouse.
“Why not? Maybe because we’re sworn enemies from rival Houses. And nobody knows I let you do this,” she said, referring to the gentle fingers that were caressing her waist.
“It’s a group project. We’re in the same group.”
“I’m still amazed at how that happened,” she said. “A Malfoy and a Weas-"
Ginny couldn't finish her thought as Draco was now undoing the top buttons of her blouse. She watched him intently, her breath caught in her throat.
“So I was thinking about somewhere in East Sussex,” he said casually, staring at her chest.
“I d-didn’t know you’d put thought into this. W-why there?” She swallowed hard as she realized her breasts were in plain sight for him, covered only by the thin fabric of her bra.
He didn't say anything for a long moment as he took in her newly exposed body. She bit her lip in anticipation, waiting for a reaction.
"Oh, Ginny," he sighed.
"Please touch me," she whispered.
He obliged, taking one breast in his hand and kissing her deeply. She moaned into him, gripping his shoulders as his other hand snaked across her thigh.
She wanted more of him. She wanted him to touch every inch of her, and for her to do the same to him.
He pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed. "We ought to cast a silencing charm on you."
"Draco..." Ginny said longingly, pulling his hand back to her chest.
"Another time, Ginny," he said, smiling at her as he withdrew his hand again. "You are so beautiful. You have to know that I want explore every part of you one day."
She blushed at the implication and began to button up her blouse. Thoughts of rejection were now quietly replaced with something warm instead.
"So...you were saying something about East Sussex?" she said, after clearing her throat awkwardly.
“Well, there’s a castle I’d like to see. It was invaded by William the Conqueror thousands of years ago. And Brighton is there as well, and I hear that’s loads of fun.”
She stared at his blond crown for a moment, a grin returning to her face.
“Okay. We’ll talk to the group. But you do know I’ll have to at least feign opposition for a while. Maybe even insult each other.”
“I can call you a stubborn little Gryffindor who is by far even more dimwitted than people give you credit for.”
Ginny gaped at him. “That was mean.”
“That’s the point.”
“Well, then I’d just have to say, ‘Malfoy, you’re like a drunkard out of Ireland, except less articulate.’ How’s that?”
“Quite impressive for someone so dimwitted.”
She swatted his arm. “You know, you never actually really say anything in class.”
“I don’t have much to say.”
“Of course you do. Whether you like it or not, you do well in the class.”
“I’m just humble.”
She snorted.
“Why are you in Muggle Studies?” she asked in a small voice, afraid of hitting a sore subject.
He shrugged against her. “I needed a class to replace Care of Magical Creatures.”
“So why not something else? Like Arithmancy?”
“I think you know by now that I’m…intrigued by Muggle history.”
“Oh. Right.”
She hesitated.
“But, isn’t it an odd class for you to take?”
There was a brief moment of silence. He suddenly moved away from her, eyeing her with an expression she couldn’t place.
“You mean a Slytherin Death Eater who happens to come from one of the purest and proudest Wizarding families?”
She chose not to respond.
He collected his books and rose to his feet to straighten himself out. “I’m going to get going.”
“All right,” she said simply, still sitting on the ground. “But are you upset with me?”
He’d already begun walking away, but he stopped in his tracks. Without looking at her, he said plainly, “No.” And then he was gone.
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