Looking for a dress was harder than Draco thought it would be. Since he'd never had to do it before, he didn't think it would be this difficult. He could have let Ginny go by herself, but he wanted to see what she picked.
You mean you want to stare at her?
These days, his inner voice talked to him a lot, mainly about her. He didn't mind it so much, unless lines were being crossed, as they often were.
“It's not like that,” Draco said to himself as he waited for Ginny to come out from trying on a few dresses she'd chosen.
The curtain she was behind fluttered slightly and her voice carried as she yelled something to him. He laughed softly.
“I'm sure it doesn't make you look fat,” he said calmly. “Now come out here so I can see.”
Tentatively, Ginny slipped into view. She wore a forest green silk spaghetti-strap dress, her hair pulled away from her face. She shook her head.
Draco stood and walked over to her. He placed his hands on either side of her face, making sure she looked at him.
“You look perfect,” he told her quietly.
Ginny blushed. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” He grinned. “Is that the one you want?”
She nodded. “The others I tried on I didn't like. This one fits nicely.”
His eyes roamed over her. “It does,” he agreed.
She scowled slightly and muttered, “Pervert,” as she walked back behind the curtain.
Draco smirked.
**
After they got back to his flat, Ginny sank onto the couch and sighed, her bag at her feet. Draco joined her, leaning his head back.
“I'm sorry, did I exhaust you?” Ginny asked.
“No, no.” He shook his head. “It's refreshing to go to one place. Pansy used to drag me to ten at a time when she had dates and needed something to wear.”
“Why did she bother wearing anything?”
“Ouch,” he said, laughing. “But I guess that's true. Don't say anything like that to her though. She'll hit you.”
Ginny smiled. “I think I can take her. Once I get a new wand, she'll regret ever laying a hand on me.”
Draco frowned suddenly. “I hope she doesn't try to cause a scene at the banquet Saturday night.”
“It's Saturday night?”
“Yes,” he muttered. “I thought I told you.”
“You just said the weekend.” Ginny let her hair down and ran her fingers through it. “It's okay. I'm not freaking out or anything. It's just sooner than I thought.”
Draco looked at her. “What are you worried about then?”
“Harry,” she replied. “Well, seeing him. You know the last time we saw him wasn't the best. I'm actually quite surprised he didn't try to take a swing at you.”
Draco chuckled slightly. “He did try. Try being the keyword.” His lips twitched slightly, as if he were fighting off laughter. “I stunned him.”
Ginny giggled. Normally, she would have been mad, but because of the circumstances, the situation was amusing. She looked at Draco and shook her head.
“Then you'd better stay away from him, too.”
“I won't make a scene. I think Pansy would though. It's what she likes to do, you know.”
“That and beat up people,” muttered Ginny.
Draco bit the inside of his cheek. It helped him not say what he was thinking, what he knew would surely piss her off, and he couldn't afford to have her not talking to him now.
“You're doing what I do,” she said softly. “What is it you need to say?”
“I don't want to,” Draco said, sounding very much like a small child.
“Out with it,” Ginny demanded, leaning close to him.
It took a lot of strength not to kiss her, Draco thought, as he watched her face come closer to his. He swallowed and started to speak, but she pressed her lips against his, silencing all thoughts he had. He kept his hands in his lap and kissed her back gently.
“What I was going to say was that you sort of deserved it.”
He waited for her famous Weasley temper to appear. Waited for the horribleness that he knew would be coming. But, instead, she shrugged.
“Maybe you're right.”
He blinked and ran a hand through his hair. “I guess there's no way to settle any of this. Fighting each time you see each other isn't going to help any. And besides, don't you think your anger is directed at the wrong person? Harry's the one who screwed you over.”
Ginny sighed. “It's just difficult to get over. I want to know why I wasn't good enough for him.”
“Because he's an idiot,” Draco said acidly. “If you were my girlfriend, I would tell you how much I loved you every day and I'd never let you feel badly about yourself for a second. I'd treat you like gold. You deserve better than some egotistical git that doesn't see how beautiful and amazing you are.”
Ginny looked at him for a long time. She couldn't express to him how wonderful he made her feel at that moment. So she did the only thing she could think of.
She cried.
**
He never asked her why she started crying. He just let her. And when she curled up against him and ran her fingers along his arm, he held her. When night came, he started a fire and wrapped a blanket around both of them. Then, as she fell asleep, he brushed his lips against her forehead.
“You don't have to be afraid of losing me,” he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."
That night, Draco did not sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The fire had died long ago, but he didn't care. He was going to help her through this, no matter what happened along the way, and Harry was going to pay for hurting her, he'd make sure of that.
You mean you want to stare at her?
These days, his inner voice talked to him a lot, mainly about her. He didn't mind it so much, unless lines were being crossed, as they often were.
“It's not like that,” Draco said to himself as he waited for Ginny to come out from trying on a few dresses she'd chosen.
The curtain she was behind fluttered slightly and her voice carried as she yelled something to him. He laughed softly.
“I'm sure it doesn't make you look fat,” he said calmly. “Now come out here so I can see.”
Tentatively, Ginny slipped into view. She wore a forest green silk spaghetti-strap dress, her hair pulled away from her face. She shook her head.
Draco stood and walked over to her. He placed his hands on either side of her face, making sure she looked at him.
“You look perfect,” he told her quietly.
Ginny blushed. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” He grinned. “Is that the one you want?”
She nodded. “The others I tried on I didn't like. This one fits nicely.”
His eyes roamed over her. “It does,” he agreed.
She scowled slightly and muttered, “Pervert,” as she walked back behind the curtain.
Draco smirked.
After they got back to his flat, Ginny sank onto the couch and sighed, her bag at her feet. Draco joined her, leaning his head back.
“I'm sorry, did I exhaust you?” Ginny asked.
“No, no.” He shook his head. “It's refreshing to go to one place. Pansy used to drag me to ten at a time when she had dates and needed something to wear.”
“Why did she bother wearing anything?”
“Ouch,” he said, laughing. “But I guess that's true. Don't say anything like that to her though. She'll hit you.”
Ginny smiled. “I think I can take her. Once I get a new wand, she'll regret ever laying a hand on me.”
Draco frowned suddenly. “I hope she doesn't try to cause a scene at the banquet Saturday night.”
“It's Saturday night?”
“Yes,” he muttered. “I thought I told you.”
“You just said the weekend.” Ginny let her hair down and ran her fingers through it. “It's okay. I'm not freaking out or anything. It's just sooner than I thought.”
Draco looked at her. “What are you worried about then?”
“Harry,” she replied. “Well, seeing him. You know the last time we saw him wasn't the best. I'm actually quite surprised he didn't try to take a swing at you.”
Draco chuckled slightly. “He did try. Try being the keyword.” His lips twitched slightly, as if he were fighting off laughter. “I stunned him.”
Ginny giggled. Normally, she would have been mad, but because of the circumstances, the situation was amusing. She looked at Draco and shook her head.
“Then you'd better stay away from him, too.”
“I won't make a scene. I think Pansy would though. It's what she likes to do, you know.”
“That and beat up people,” muttered Ginny.
Draco bit the inside of his cheek. It helped him not say what he was thinking, what he knew would surely piss her off, and he couldn't afford to have her not talking to him now.
“You're doing what I do,” she said softly. “What is it you need to say?”
“I don't want to,” Draco said, sounding very much like a small child.
“Out with it,” Ginny demanded, leaning close to him.
It took a lot of strength not to kiss her, Draco thought, as he watched her face come closer to his. He swallowed and started to speak, but she pressed her lips against his, silencing all thoughts he had. He kept his hands in his lap and kissed her back gently.
“What I was going to say was that you sort of deserved it.”
He waited for her famous Weasley temper to appear. Waited for the horribleness that he knew would be coming. But, instead, she shrugged.
“Maybe you're right.”
He blinked and ran a hand through his hair. “I guess there's no way to settle any of this. Fighting each time you see each other isn't going to help any. And besides, don't you think your anger is directed at the wrong person? Harry's the one who screwed you over.”
Ginny sighed. “It's just difficult to get over. I want to know why I wasn't good enough for him.”
“Because he's an idiot,” Draco said acidly. “If you were my girlfriend, I would tell you how much I loved you every day and I'd never let you feel badly about yourself for a second. I'd treat you like gold. You deserve better than some egotistical git that doesn't see how beautiful and amazing you are.”
Ginny looked at him for a long time. She couldn't express to him how wonderful he made her feel at that moment. So she did the only thing she could think of.
She cried.
He never asked her why she started crying. He just let her. And when she curled up against him and ran her fingers along his arm, he held her. When night came, he started a fire and wrapped a blanket around both of them. Then, as she fell asleep, he brushed his lips against her forehead.
“You don't have to be afraid of losing me,” he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."
That night, Draco did not sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The fire had died long ago, but he didn't care. He was going to help her through this, no matter what happened along the way, and Harry was going to pay for hurting her, he'd make sure of that.
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