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Envy and Manipulations	By : rrabbit Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 8376 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from it.... therefore I do not receive any payment for this writing.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
I was being thoroughly seduced.

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

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

"What are you thinking about now?" I look at Dr. Carol as she stares at me curiously and I nearly laugh. Oral sex with my boyfriend doesn't seem like the best area of discussion right now. "You seemed miles away."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes."

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

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

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

"And how does that make you feel?"

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

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

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

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

I start laughing.

"Why does that make you laugh?" she asks with a frown and I shake my head with a bitter smile on my face.

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

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

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

"Why do you like him?"

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

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

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

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

"Yes," I say because I actually don't like talking about this with her. "Did you watch the Falcons came on Thursday?" I counter to change the subject.

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

Oh, geez. I think I have been hanging around Slytherins far too much.

We Apparate just outside of the gate to our home and I start thinking about Draco. A small smile comes to my face as I remember what we did when he came over last night. I wonder if he'll show up again. I really hope that he does. Besides the whole fooling around part, I actually like talking to him. He's so smart and witty and with all of my friends either missing or ignoring me, I find that he's filling a role that I really needed. A friend. I just needed someone to talk to and someone to listen to me. I start humming a song as we walk towards the door and I can feel my mother's eyes on me with each step.

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

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

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

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

Tonks and Remus sit at one side of the table next to Bill and Fluer.

Charlie is sitting by my father.

Kinsley is standing against the wall speaking in a low whisper to Mad eye Moody.

And Snape... Snape is staring right at me.

"Why is the Order here?" I question as I step further into the room. My mother makes a face at the guests as well before walking towards my father.

"Arthur, what has happened?" she asks.

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

"No," I say as I push his hand off. Everyone looks concerned and I want to know what's going on. "What happened? Why are they here and why does everyone look so worried?"

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

"Go to your room, Ginevra," my mother says and I sneer at her.

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

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

"Find out what?" I question in confusion.

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

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

"Ginny!" My mother hisses, but I don't hang around for the scolding she was going to give me as I stomp towards the stairs. My hands are shaking I'm so mad and I nearly punch a hole in the wall as I walk towards the my room with angry steps.

Why does she treat me that way? She's so annoying and I am not a child anymore. Well, I'll find out what they're talking about anyways.

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

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

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

"No," that's Tonk's voice. "But there was blood found at the scene. I think we can assume that she's dead."

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

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

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

"The Auror department isn't looking into it as a missing persons case," That voice is deep and raspy. I figure it must be Kinsley. "Voldemort has people everywhere," he adds savagely. "If we believe Minerva is still alive, which I believe she may be, then we will have to find her with out the help of the Ministry. They are under Voldemort's wing, whether they know it or not."

"But why Minerva?" My mother asks and I roll my eyes at her voice.

"I think it's a message," Remus says.

"To whom?" Mom says and I can tells she's crying a bit.

"To us."

"Where is Dumbledore?" Bill, my brother, asks. "Why hasn't he contacted anyone?"

"We're not sure, but he made it known that he wasn't returning to Hogwarts in the fall until the second half of the year," Remus answers and I bite my lip.

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

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

"I assure you I am not pleased with this outcome either," I jump when I hear Snape. I had forgotten he was in the room and his disdainful voice gives me chills. "If this was all the meeting was for, then I will take my leave. It will do no good letting other people know that I have been here."

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

Creep.

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

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

I feel like I should cry or something, but my eyes are dry because I think there is a little bit of hope still shining through it all. They didn't find a body, I guess. That means she might still be alive like Kinsley suggested. That's a step in the right direction, but that means the Death Eaters are moving now and making plans.

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

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

And Dumbledore. Where the heck is he at and why isn't he coming back to school? I can't imagine Hogwarts being run by Snape. It nearly makes me ill when I imagine it and I start chewing on my fingernails again. I really wish Hermione was here.

My father knocks on my door after some time and asks to come in. I tell him I'm trying to sleep, so he walks away with out another word and I glare at the door. I find a scowl on my face when I think of my parents pushing me out of the room when I have every right to know what's going on in the world as they do.

I don't know how long I sat there, thinking through the bit of conversation that I heard from the kitchen, but I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear a tap on my window.

I put my hand over my beating heart and relax some when I see Draco there, waiting to be let in. He's smartened up and started bringing his broom so he wouldn't have to climb up the drain pipe each time.

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

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

"It's raining," he points out obviously because I keep on staring at the state he's in. He takes off his cloak and hangs it across my chair. "It started pouring pretty bad on my way here," he says as he takes off his boots that are caked in mud.

It's the summer time, so his outfit seems strange to me right now. Black pants with a long sleeved black shirt? That doesn't seem like something a person would wear on a hot rainy night.

"Are you alright?" he asks once all of his things are settled and he finally gets a look at me. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

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

He studies my face for a second before looking away. "Why do you ask that?" he says to the wall and I look down at my knees awkwardly.

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

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

"So you don't believe?" I confirm and he nods his head. "I heard that McGonagall is missing," I say.

His sharp eyes snap to mine. He has that calculating look back. "Where did you hear that?"

I don't want to tell him how... the fact that the Order meets occasionally at my house doesn't need to be broadcasting to anyone.

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

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

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

"You shouldn't be scared," he says as he looks into my eyes. He brings a hand up and cups my cheek. "Don't worry too much about it."

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

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

Wait, he is a Malfoy. What side of the discussion is he on with this?

"Do you..." I trail off.

I was going to ask him what his thoughts were on the matter... if he sided with Vodlemort and his Death Eaters... but I suppose a part of me didn't want to know the answer, so I didn't finish the question. He said that he didn't believe in Harry's words about Voldemort being back, anyways. It might have been a pointless question.

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

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

"Why?" I ask because it seems so out of the blue.

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

"I don't know," I say with a head shake. My head is still reeling from the discussion in the kitchen. I don't know if I'd be able to go to a party. "I think I'm going to stay here," I tell him as I stand up and walk towards my vanity. I start taking out my earrings. I'm still in the clothes I wore to the therapist, a pair of jean capri's and a striped green tank top. The thought of my pajamas is very pleasing to me right about now.

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

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

I lean into the kiss before shaking my head and pulling myself away. I cant let him manipulate me all the time into doing what he wants... right?

"I'm not feeling it," I say as I try to slink out of his grip, but he holds firm.

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

I bite my lip and think of McGonagall and Dumbledore... and my parents. I narrow my eyes at the way they dismissed me down stairs and, realizing they would positively hate it if I went with Draco right now, I've officially decided to go.

I don't say anything for a few moments as I stare at him and then I look down. "Only for a little while," I give in like a chump and he smirks before kissing my shoulder.

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

I slip on a pair of shoes and try to make myself look presentable for a gathering as Draco lays his rain cloak around my shoulders.

"It's still raining," he says as he clasps it for me and throws up the hood.

My expression softens as I look at him and I kiss his cheek. "Thanks," I say softly as he climbs onto his broom and I slide behind him with my arms planted firmly around his waist. It's just sprinkling now and I tuck my face into Draco's back as he angles the broom to land just beyond the fence so we can Apparate.

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

We land just outside Zabini's gate and Draco seems to know the code to get in because he punches a series of numbers into a small key pad on the side so the gate will slowly creek open. When we get closer to the house, my jaw drops. There were so many people! 'Blaise is having people over' is an understatement. It was a whole freaking house party with a disc jockey pounding music so loud it vibrated the walls and people falling all over the place with drinks in their hands.

"This looks fun," I state thickly as a group of drunk crying girls pass us as we walk into the large lavish house. I glance at Draco as he looks about while I take off the rain cloak. He looks very annoyed with the current state of things.

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

"What kind of people are at this party?" I ask him suspiciously because he seems on edge with his eyes darting around the crowded place like he was looking for someone to hit. I've been to parties with him before and it never seemed to bother him.

"People out of their social grade," he says with disdain and I look at his profile as I follow him through the house. It looks like he hasn't shaved in a couple days... he has some stubble growing in.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asks dryly as we make our way through the crowd.

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

When we reach the kitchen, I finally see someone I know. Blaise is mixing up some kind of drink in a blender with a cigarette firmly planted behind his ear for safe keeping. It looks like he got a hair cut. His black curls are now closely cropped to his head and it annoys the hell out of me that I noticed. When he sees us, he smirks.

"Couldn't keep away, could you, Malfoy?" he says as we approach.

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

Blaise shrugs a shoulder as he turns on the blender. When it's blended the way he wants, he removes his finger from the button and looks at Draco. "It started small and then my dealer showed up..." he looks at me and smiles. I guess it's because I made a face at hearing him say 'my dealer.' "You understand how these things get out of hand."

Draco rolls his eyes and then glances at me before walking towards a closed cabinet below the sink.

"What do you want to drink?" He asks as I follow him. He unlocks it with his wand and I fold the cloak over my arm so I can carry it more comfortably.

"Whatever you're having is fine."

He laughs a little as he takes a glass bottle from it's hiding place and he pours the amber liquid into two ice filled glasses that he made another person get... like the charming thing that he is. He hands one to me and I sniff it before crinkling my nose.

"It will burn on the way down the first few sips," he explains as he takes a drink from the remaining glass. "But after that it will taste like heaven."

"What is it?" I ask as I take a small sip. I nearly spit it out because it burns my tongue so bad. "Oh, my god!" I say as I make a horrid scrunched up face. "What is this?"

"It's the best firewhiskey money can buy, I can assure you," Blaise answers as he takes the bottle from Draco and puts it back in the special cabinet, locking it securely. "But don't broadcast that fact," he says as he looks around at the people in the kitchen. "I don't want to waste good alcohol on anyone here."

"How do you know these people?" I ask as I look around me. Most of them do look rather rough, and there's a group of homeless looking men in the corner smoking something from a large pipe.

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

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

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

"Of course not," I say to sooth his ego or whatever and I let him take my hand.

"Let's find some where else to stand. I detest the smell of tree hugger," he says as he eyes the homeless men in the corner.

I nearly laugh at his comment, but the seriousness in which he said it made me believe he was being honest, so I follow him into an adjoining room. There wasn't much breathing space and it was hard to get through the sea of bodies as they danced to the music the DJ was playing. It vibrated my heart and I was glad when Draco kept walking.

There were girls dancing on tables, guys smoking things that made purple smoke, and everyone was taking shots of all kinds of liqueur. It was a little overwhelming and I tried not to make eye contact with anyone as we kept walking. We ended up in a room at the other end of the house where the music wasn't so loud and the smoke wasn't so thick. It must be some kind of entertainment room because there were Quidditch Jerseys on the walls, a billiards table in the center of the room, and a dart board in the far left corner. It seemed very manly as well, with a stuffed lions head and other dead animals mounted on the walls.

"This is charming," I say as I eye the lions head, permanently snarling.

"My ears don't feel like bleeding back here," is Draco's response and I laugh as he throws back his drink.

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

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

He smiles in a odd kind of way and then he takes a strand of my hair. "What color is your hair exactly?" he asks as he twirls it around his finger like it was the most fascinating thing he's ever seen. He props his hand up beside my head to make himself more comfortable as he practically cages me against the wall.

"Uh, red," I say because I'm awesome with words.

He shakes his head. "Not really," he says as he looks at it. "It's brown and orange, with a little bit of red... if the light hits it just right, it almost looks copper."

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

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

"Draco," Cho. Ew. "Ginny," she adds, looking at me like I had killed her Grandmother or something. "How are you guys doing?" she asks awkwardly.

She looks pretty, like always, and I mentally sneer at that fact. Why is she talking to us right now? Draco doesn't say anything, so I glance at him as she starts to knot her fingers uncomfortably. This is getting weird and Draco is just looking at her like she ruined his day. I feel guilty and step in.

"We're good," I say, giving her a fake smile. She seems relieved that I said something. "How are you?"

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

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

"But..."

"I said no," he says firmly and even I'm embarrassed for her.

"Don't be mean," I whisper to him. I actually don't know why I care so much, to be honest. I don't even like Cho, but she's never been mean to me or anyone that I know... and Draco... he can just be cruel sometimes and right now he is being just that. "I'll be right back," I say as I start walking away so she can talk to him.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing. Cho makes me jealous and I hate that she was with Draco, but I don't know... I just didn't like that dismissive way he was treating her. Maybe it's because I fear one day he will be that way to me.

"I told you to stay by me," he says as he grabs my wrist. I give him a furious look. "Whatever she needs to say can be said in front of you."

This is all kinds of awkward.

Cho doesn't say anything to that. She just gives Draco one cold glare that makes me feel terrible.

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

He eyes me for a few moments before flicking a glance at Cho. "Fine," he says sharply. "You do not move from this spot," he orders and I narrow my eyes as he walks into another room with Cho.

I have no idea why I let that happen.

I bite my lip and try not to look like a loser by myself at a party as I wait for their talk to be finished. I wonder what she has to talk to him about right now. Is it serious? Oh, god, is she pregnant? That thought makes me want to vomit, but I did catch them doing something terrible in that supply closet at Folk Hills one time. It could be possible. That would explain why she has to talk to him so badly.

What would I do if that was the case? What if she's not pregnant and she just wants him back? She is prettier than I am. Ugh. I know I'm getting ahead of myself here with my suspicious mind, but now I'm completely paranoid and after ten minutes I figure that they have had enough alone time together. I should go find out what's happening with them.

I push off the wall and start walking into one of the other rooms to find them. I should have just let Draco dismiss her like he was going to but my stupid sympathy got the best of me. I can't find them anywhere downstairs and I don't even see a familiar face among the crowd. Just a bunch of strangers, dancing and sweating and drinking together.

Gross.

After a man with a goatee tries to sell me some green pills in the shape of dragons, I decide that this isn't a place I want to be wondering around by myself. I'm almost pleased when I see Ivy, Pansy's younger sister, sitting on one of the stairs.

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

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

"No," she says like I was trespassing on some serious conversation.

"Oh," I say as I try not to snap back at her because of that look that she's giving me. "Is your sister here?"

"No," she says again as she looks me up and down. It makes me uncomfortable and that's probably why she's doing it.

What a bitch.

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

"I'm not her keeper," shes and then she smiles unpleasantly at the guy by her side. "Charles, this is Malfoy's girlfriend," she says and he looks at me as well like I had sprouted another head. "Malfoy's girlfriend, this is Charles."

"I have a name," I say as I bite the inside of my cheek.

"It doesn't matter what your name is," she says and I furrow my brows as she stands up. Charles stands up as well. "You have one defining title and that's all you are," she says and I feel my lip curling back in a sneer. "Let's see how long you hold his attention. After that, you go back to being nothing."

She walks past me, and my temper won't allow me to hold back my tongue. "Do you know what your defining title is?" I ask and she glances at me over her shoulder. I really am going to say this. I have to amp myself up for this one.

"What's that?" she asks with a delicate eyebrow arched. She looks so much like Pansy right now, so close but not exact.

"Slut."

Oh, my god. I really just said that.

I can see her eyes inflame and she turns around fully to give me her full attention. "What did you just say to me?" she snaps and I stand my ground. It seems foolish for me, actually. I have no one right now to back me up.

"I think you heard me," I say as I try to tilt my chin up. "You're treating me like I've done something to you, but I never have."

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

As soon as I see it, I realize a little late in the fighting game that I, in fact, did not bring my wand with me.

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

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and I glance around me once more. I realize most of the people in the vicinity had stopped what they were doing to watch the interaction like it was part of some show. To avoid it, I turn around and walk up the stairs. My heart is hammering as I check the rooms and hallways for Draco, or at least someone I know who doesn't hate me. I don't find anyone... but I do find an empty room at the end of the hall.

No people are using it for sex or drug use, so I turn on the light and shut the door tightly behind me. I need to get away from all those people. I walk towards the bed and sit down on the mattress, feeling it sink beneath me as I put my drink on the night stand and the cloak on the floor. I bring my hand up to my mouth so I can bite my fingernails.

I can't believe I called Ivy Parkinson a slut like that.

A part of me feels really good about it, but another part is nervous. You never know what people like her are capable of.

I glance around the chic room as I ignore the music and voices thumping downstairs. The walls are painted a pretty steel blue color with black furniture and soft lighting. It's decorated with stylish curtains and tasteful black and white art all placed perfectly on the walls to make it look pleasing. It looks untouched almost, like a hotel or a designers room from a magazine. It makes me uncomfortable, really, and I cross my arms because I feel quite cold.

I figure this must be a guest bedroom or something, but when I open one of the bedside table drawers I see someone's personal effects. A well worn book with some pages dogeared and a broken watch rest on top. I move them to the side and find a whole package of condoms that I make a face at and a half empty pack of cigarettes.

I pick it up and sniff it.

Blaise.

I put the cigarette pack back in the drawer and sort through a few other things before seeing a yearbook all the way at the bottom of the drawer. It's last years Hogwarts yearbook, and I pull it out to look at it, hopefully to put me in a better mood.

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

I miss Luna.

Stupid Theodore Nott.

I narrow my eyes and turn the page away from the stupid Hufflepuffs. I flick through the pages and notice a few of the pictures have been circled with a bright green pen. All of them are girls, pretty girls, and I make a disgusted face when I figure it must be like a collection of girls Blaise has slept with or wants to sleep with. Cho is circled as well as her friend Hannah Abbot and Claire Walker. Daphne was circled, as well as Millicent, but Pansy wasn't and it confused me. Obviously Blaise has slept with her considering they are 'kind of' together.

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

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

From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.

I furrow my brows as I read it again. I don't recognize it from anywhere. What is it supposed to mean? Someone starts to turn the handle on the door and it makes me jump. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, so I quickly stuff the paper into my pocket and I throw the yearbook back into the drawer.

I glance to my right to see Blaise and immediately make a face.

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

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

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

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

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

He said that so seriously and I blink a few times before biting my lip. "I'm sorry. I just needed to get away form the crowd," I admit.

"What happened?" he asks and I turn away from him. "You seem on edge."

"None of your business," I tell him tightly because I want him to go away.

"I bet that you're a bit bothered over calling Ivy Parkinson a slut, eh?" he says and when I glare at him, he smirks and flicks ashes onto the floor. I stare at the because the place looks so meticulously clean. "News travels fast in these circles if you haven't noticed. You had every right to call her such a name," he says and I glance at him. "She is a bit of a whore."

I roll my eyes.

"You could own them, you know," he says after a long bout of silence as he inhales a long drag and then blows the smoke from the corner of his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" I snap and he smirks at me.

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

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

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

"And whats that?" I ask hatefully.

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

"What does that even mean?" I question. I mean, I like Draco and all, but come on. Not everyone has to want him. It is not my defining title like Ivy had said. I'm more than just Draco's girlfriend.

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

"Right," I say, trying to understand.

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

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

He laughs again. "Well, he's no pawn. That's for sure."

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

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

I lick my lips uncomfortably as his golden eyes look into mine. "So, what does that make me?" I ask and he smirks while reaching into his pocket and taking out a coin.

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

"Blaise."

Our heads snap to the doorway where Draco is standing, glaring at both of us with fire in his eyes.

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

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

"She was already here when I came in," he answers seriously, like he thought he was in trouble, and I furrow my brows at Draco because he has yet to look at me. Instead, he's staring intently at Zabini. His icy facial expression has yet to waver. "I just wanted to get something," he says as he pats his pocket.

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

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

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

Blaise doesn't say anything, he just shakes his head and walks past Draco with out a word. Once he's gone, Draco shuts the door and then turns towards me with a raised eyebrow like he was expecting an explanation from me.

"I just came in here to be by myself because I couldn't find you," I say because I know why he seems suspicious, I guess. "I didn't know it was his room."

"I told you to stay where you were," he snaps at me and I let my shoulders slump at his tone. "Why didn't you listen to me?"

"I went to find you," I admit. "I didn't want to stand by myself anymore."

"You were the one who wanted me to go talk to her," he says hatefully. He seems angry with me. Legitimately angry and it baffles me. "And I told you to stay put. I've been looking for you this whole damn time."

I raise my eyebrows by his harsh wording and I shake my head. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"Just what?" he snaps and then I narrow my eyes.

"You have no reason to be this angry with me," I say as I think it over and decide that, while he can be mildly annoyed, being this upset is out of line. "I went to go look for you. What did Cho want to talk about anyways?" I try to turn the conversation with my hands on my hips and he stares me down.

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

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

"What did he say to you?" he asks as he walks towards me with slow, calculated steps. I don't like the way he's looking at me right now. "What were you two talking about?"

I shrug because if he can be annoyingly vague about his conversation with Cho... so can I. "Chess."

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

"Do you think I cheated on you?" I ask and he doesn't say anything for a few moments. I shake my head. "I wouldn't cheat on you," I tell him and he snorts.

"You all say that until you do and then somehow make it my fault," he says and I bite the inside of my cheek, almost feeling bad for him because of what he said. A relationship must have burned him in the past.

"That's not fair," I say with a head shake and he stares at me for a few moments before shaking his head.

"Come on," he says as he takes my hand. "It's almost two. Let's go back to your place."

"Are you still upset?" I ask because I feel like this conversation isn't over. I grab his cloak as he tugs on my arm.

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

Right.

"Understandable," I say because I do kind of see his point.

Kind of.

"I'm glad you understand," he says as he pushes people to the side as we walk down the stairs.

On the way down, I catch Ivy from the corner of my eyes and I stop walking. Blaise said I could own them and I look at Draco as he gives me an irritated glance for not moving.

"Draco," I say slowly as I look at Ivy and that Charles guy. "When I was trying to find you, I got in a fight with Pansy's little sister."

"What happened?" he asks as he follows my eyes to Ivy as well.

"I asked her if she knew where you were..." I trail off, deciding not to tell him the whole conversation. "She wouldn't even call me by my name. She said that it didn't matter because if I wasn't your girlfriend than I would be nothing. It was really mean. I've never done anything to make her treat me like that."

He eyes her for a few moments before glancing down at me. "She actually said that to you?" he asks and I nod my head. "I'll talk to her tomorrow," he says before turning away. "But now I want to go to bed."

I smirk at his back when I remember how he spoke to Millicent after she pushed me into the lake and I send Ivy another pleased look over my shoulder before we leave the house. I hope his talk with her is half as good as his talk with Millicent.

I'm officially in a better mood now.

We leave the crowded party, and when we finally get back to my room, I pull that bunched up piece of paper out of my pocket and place it on the table.

"I have a question," I say as he sits down on my bed to take off his boots. His eyes catch mine before I look down at the paper I had taken from Zabini's room. "Do you know who said 'From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.'? Is it from a book... a quote or something?"

He eyes me for a few moments before standing and walking up behind me. "It's a quote," he confirms. "From the philosopher Socrates," he says as he places his hands on my hips and he moves hair over my shoulder so he can place a kiss against my neck. "Where did you hear it?" he asks against my skin.

I close my eyes for a moment at the sensation, but then I snap out of it and hand him the paper. "I found this in Blaise's room," I admit. "I just thought it was random and odd to find," I tell him as he takes it and looks it over. "It was in his yearbook."

He eyes it again before placing it on the table.

"That is odd," he says before turning me around and pinning me to the vanity. "I know something that will cheer you up," he says as presses his knee between my legs to part them.

"Oh, yeah?" I joke after he kisses me. Yes, definitely in a better mood. "I feel like this might be more for your benefit," I tell him as his hand creeps up my shirt.

"It works both ways," he jokes.

He turns off the lights as he presses harsh kisses against my lips and I laugh as he pulls me towards the bed. After a few deep kisses, he nearly tears my shirt off. "Someone's impatient," I joke as he quickly takes off his own shirt and throws it behind him before reaching behind me to unhook my bra.

"I don't hear you complaining," he smirks as throws my bra to the side. It makes me laugh again.

"No complaints here," I tell him and I make an embarrassing moaning noise when he kisses me as we fall onto the bed.

It always happens this way. Quickly and with out warning and I don't care one damn bit.

"Didn't think so," he says with a smirk as he lays on top of me. I make myself comfortable against my pillows.

I honestly don't know how he does it, but I have never been so turned on before meeting him. He makes me forget about everything else and just focus on him. He takes his time getting reacquainted with my breasts and I'm practically squirming by the time his hands move south. I stop him before he can unbutton my pants, though, and I can feel his sharp eyes on me as I shake my head.

"Why not?" he asks and I lick my lips.

"It's just today has been a little crazy," I admit as I think about McGonagall... I don't know if it's right to do stuff like that with so much on my mind.

"All the more reason," he replies as he starts undoing my pants anyways. "Besides," he says with a smirk as he pulls the capris down my legs. "I know you want it. I can feel it through the denim."

I blush, but he's probably right.

My knickers come next and I arch my back when he slides his fingers inside of me. I love it when he does this and I'm no longer insecure about my body or my actions when we do this. I'm officially comfortable with him. "Someone's enjoying themselves," he whispers against my ear and the warmth from his breath makes my body tingle.

"Someone's smug," I say breathlessly as I grip the pillow behind my head.

He laughs and bends down to kiss me. I grab the back of his head and hold him there for an intense moment before pushing his hand away and rolling him on his back.

I'm getting bolder in this area.

"What are you doing?" he asks with a twinkle in his eye and I smirk before kissing my way down his chest. He puts his hands behind his head and, when I glance up at him, he smirks. "I like where this is going," he says and I laugh a little before unbuckling his belt slowly. He's already ready to go, and when he thrusts his hips up sharply, I gasp because I wasn't excerpting it.

He thought it was funny of course.

"If you don't want me down here, all you have to do is say so," I tell him as I go to crawl back up to the my side of the bed, but he grabs my wrist.

"Don't be silly," he says and I smirk again before actually grabbing him there. Now he's the one arching his back and I get to work doing something with my mouth on a part of his body that I can't actually put together in my mind with out blushing crimson.

After a while, he tugs me up and rolls me over so he's cradled in-between my legs. He kisses me passionately, running his tongue against mine and turning his head every which way as he holds my hands down to the bed, intertwining our fingers in a tight grip. I like how heavy his body feels against mine and how sensitive my breasts are against his skin. Eventually he lets go of one hand and reaches down between our bodies. When I feel him moving his... guy thing... against my... girl thing... I almost panic.

"Sh," he whispers against my lips like he knew I was getting ready to push him away. He moves his mouth down to my neck where he gives me slow, open mouthed kisses at just the right spot. "Just let me do this," he says and I clench my eyes shut.

It does feel good. He's moving against the most sensitive part of my body and it's making my whole body tingle and feel warm. I even find my hips moving against him to intensify the feeling like a slag.

"Can you use your fingers?" I ask in a small voice, embarrassed that I asked but wanting it so badly none the less. He kisses me while he complies to my request and I start feeling that wild build up starting from the core of my body.

I run my fingers through his hair as I suck on his lower lip while my body does amazing things. Then everything goes blank. My mind stops working as I bury my face in his neck and my body starts to explode from the center until it reaches the tip of every limb. I lift my hips up and make an odd mewing noise when I orgasm and Draco kisses me as my whole body relaxes against the bed. I exhale against his skin and I can feel him shiver at the sensation. It makes me smile. He removes his fingers and wipes them on my sheet, which I do my best to ignore.

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

I lay back against the pillows again and close my eyes as I let my body come back to earth while he settles himself on top of me again.

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

"No," I say quickly as I try to move away from him, getting out of my turned on stupor. "No, not yet," I say breathlessly. I am not ready to have sex with him right now. Even though, deep down... a part of me most definitely wants to. I'm just not at that place yet.

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

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

"It's alright," he says with sigh and then he kisses my cheek before rolling to my side. "I don't mind waiting."

I turn on my side to stare at him as he throws his arm over his eyes and I bite my lip as I look down at his body. This doesn't seem very fair.

I kiss his shoulder and start crawling down his body again. "You don't have to," he says tiredly as I get into position.

"It's okay," I tell him. "I want to."

When I look up, he's smiling at me and then I go back to doing what I was originally doing before he pulled me up. I think I'm getting better at it because it didn't take him long to finish and when he was done, he pulled me up and cuddled me against his chest, kissing the top of my head in a way that made my heart warm.

I stayed like that for a while in the silence before I tapped my fingers against his chest. "What did Cho have to say to you?" I question again because I really want know.

"Nothing of importance," he says softly and I narrow my eyes in the darkness as I lift my head up to look at his profile.

"You've slept with her," I point out and he shakes his head.

"I never had sex with her," he says and I make a disbelieving sound. "I'm being honest."

"I caught you doing it at Folk Hills," I remind him because he's lying and he rubs his face with his hand.

"I've fooled around with her," he admits with a deep voice. "But I've never had sex with her. I'm highly selective with the people I decide to fuck."

He made that sound special, didn't he?

"Who have you slept with?" I question and he doesn't say anything for a while. "Is it a lot?" I whisper. I already feel way behind in the sex experience department with him. This conversation might just put me back a lot further.

"Does it matter?" he asks and I nod my head.

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

"I've honestly only been with two girls," he says like he thought I wouldn't believe him. I thought his count would be higher, to be honest. "I told you I'm very selective."

"Who was it?" I press further and he shakes his head.

"It doesn't matter who it was."

"Yes it does."

"Why?" he counters and I bite my lip. I guess it really shouldn't matter that much to me.

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

"Definitely not," he says flatly and I find a smile coming to my face as I kiss his shoulder.

"You seem awfully ready to have sex with me," I point out as I mumble against his skin.

"You should take that as a compliment," he says with a smug smile. "I have high standards."

I laugh a little, even though I actually am pleased in some odd way.

"I have high standards as well," I joke as he shifts his body so he's facing me on his side. "I don't just allow anyone into my bed."

"Speaking of that..." he says slowly as he brings his hand up to run up and down my arm. I tuck my feet under his and smile at how sweet we're being to each other. "Do you honestly promise to never cheat on me?" he says softly. "I know I have a jealous mind..." he trails off like he didn't want to admit that. "But I have reasons for it."

"Of course," I reply with a serious frown tilting my lips. "If I wanted to be with someone else, I wouldn't be with you. I would never get on with someone behind your back," I tell him truthfully. "It's mean and disrespectful. I would never cheat on you," I say and it's a promise I know I could hold.

"Would you make an oath?" he asks and it makes me pause for a moment.

"What?"

"That's a tall order to promise such a thing, Ginny. But it's just words," he says as he sits up and reaches around me to take his wand from my night stand. "Would you make a magical oath to guarantee it?"

"No," I say with a head shake as I sit up as well. I know I'm naked right now, but so is he, so I don't feel so exposed. "You should just trust me enough."

"If you're sure of your words then it should be easy," he says seriously and I look over his face in the darkness. I know that french ex girlfriend of his has cheated on him. Did it really bother him that much?

"Will you take it too?" I counter as I think of Cho.

"Of course," he says like it wasn't a big deal and he presses his wand to the palm of his hand until a small red dot glows on his skin. "I don't cheat."

He takes my hand and does the same until the red dot appears on my palm.

"Wait," I say before he makes me shake his hand to secure the magic. "What if we break up?" I ask in a panic because magical oaths are not to be taken lightly.

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

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

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

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

"It's very basic magic," he assures me as he grips my hand in his so the red dots are lined up against each other. "If we were to part ways, the magic would know."

Red light starts to weave it's way around our hands, securing them together. This feels like all kinds of wrong.

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

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

"I don't know if this is right..." I say awkwardly and he gives me a fierce glare.

"Do you want to be with me?" he asks and I nod my head.

"Yes, of course."

"Do you trust me?" he asks and I furrow my brows.

"Yes. Apparently more than you trust me," I add and he clenches his jaw.

"This is for both of us," he says seriously. "It will make us both rest easy. Couples do this all the time. Please, just do this for me, Gin," he says softly and my heart melts at the way he said my name.

I nod my head.

He smiles and squeezes my hand.

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

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

"How did it know what we were promising?" I ask suspiciously as I lay down beside him.

"It's an oath specifically designed for lovers," he says. "It knows."

Lovers.

Hm.

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

This may have been a bad idea...

But he kisses so well.

When we wake up in the morning, my mother is pounding on my door. "Ginny!" she calls and I jump awake in a panic only to find Draco casually sitting in a chair, putting on his shirt. He already has his pants on and I look at my own unclothed body before grabbing the sheet and wrapping it around me. "You're going to be late for work if you don't get up right now."

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

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

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

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

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

"I'm getting ready," I tell her. I shimmy into some clean knickers and then I throw the dress over my head. It's sea foam green and it washes out my skin tone, but I don't care. It's the first one I grabbed.

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

"I told you, I'm getting ready for work!" I yell in annoyance as I run to my vanity.

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

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

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

"Do you need help?" he asks with a handsome smile as he zips up the back of the dress for me, placing a kiss against my shoulder.

I smile at him and continue to get ready.

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

"Who is in there with you?" she snaps again and I give Draco another irritated look. "You are not allowed to use magic with out parental permission and boys are not allowed in your room. You know that, Ginny," she says and I roll my eyes. "Now open this door now!"

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

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

Instead he goes to the door and opens it.

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

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

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

I drop my shoes.

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

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

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

"It was hardly a curse," he says with a smug smirk. "It's a charm and it's perfectly legal."

"Oh my god," I say because I honestly can't think of anything else. When his boots are tied, he stands up to face me. I hate that he's so much taller than me. "Leave."

"You're honestly angry at me for doing that?" he says dryly like I was an idiot. "She was being annoying and she heard my voice anyways."

"So, she's my mother," I snap at him. "She's supposed to be annoying... and you shouldn't even be in my room," I tell him honestly. "She was doing the right thing a Mom should do."

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

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

"I wouldn't get that far," he says as he walks towards my bedroom door with the broom under his arm. I guess since he sent my Mom to her room for an hour, he feels safe using the front door as an exit. I'm glad my father goes to work early or I would fear what Draco would do to him. "My parents would flick my wand away before my arm was halfway up."

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

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

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

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

"I think it should go with out saying that you would never place a spell on one of my family members."

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

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

"But she still would have been suspicious of you and lets be honest, she doesn't exactly trust you. Your parents treat you like a stupid child who needs to wear a helmet and you've resorted to sneaking out and lying to them. That's on them, Ginny, and no one forced me into your room. Like I said, that memory charm was the easiest solution for everyone, but especially for you. I don't want to make your life harder because of me."

Why did that make so much sense to me? I send him a suspicious look because I know I should still be angry but a part of me knows he's right and now a part of me is grateful.

Damn him and his twisted logic.

"Right?" he says after a few moments and I begrudgingly nod my head. He smirks and kisses the corner of my mouth. "Good. I'll call on you later," he says as he starts back to my door. "Oh," he adds as he turns around as an afterthought. "Tomorrow Pansy is going to take you out shopping for a dress," he says and I furrow my brows.

"For what?" is the first of many questions that pops into my head.

"You know that the Debutante Ball is at Malfoy Manor in a week," he says like I would remember. "And I know you don't want me to be there without a date."

"But..."

"She'll get you around noon," he says and I step forward to stop him again.

"I work at..." I was going to tell him that I work at Folk Hills in the morning until well after noon, but he cut me off again with a devilish smirk.

"Noon," he all he says before winking and leaving.

I nearly follow him to question him more, but when I look at the clock I realize I'm late and that Del will have my head if I don't hurry. I slip into my shoes and then I go to the washroom to brush my teeth before hightailing it out of my house.

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

I'm going to lose my job. I'm getting fired. That has to be what's happening right now.

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

There's a water heater in the corner and it looks odd and out of place. I suppose Del isn't that far up on the totem poll here.

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

I wonder how many kids she has.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ginevra."

I nearly jump as Del enters the room and I swallow a hard lump in my throat as she closes the door behind her. This can't be good. Between Draco calling in special favors to get me off work and me coming in late once again... I just know I'm going to get the ax. There's only three weeks of summer left before Hogwarts starts up! I'm only so far away from goal for the retreat and I'll need these three weeks pay.

I'm so stupid.

"How was your morning?" she asks as she smooths out her skirt and sits down in the chair behind the desk. She rolls it forward and the sound is loud to my ears.

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

"Fine as well," she says and then she lets her dark eyes dance across my face like she was trying to read the lines that were there.

It's really quite uncomfortable.

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

"Oh, yes," she says and then she lets her eyes find mine once again. "I did call you in here for a reason."

"May I ask why I'm here?"I manage to scrounge up enough courage to ask. I really hope against hope that I don't get fired.

"I just wanted to have a talk," she answers as she looks at me with dark lined eyes. Okay, then… "I couldn't help but notice you've made some new friends here," she says slowly.

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

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

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

That was like a punch to the gut. "Uh, what?" is all I can say to that.

"Men can be misleading," she says sourly and I blink a few times because this conversation can not be happening. "Especially rich men," she says seriously. "I would hate for you to get yourself into a situation that you can't get out of. It's a game to them and they're only after one thing."

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

"Do you know Nadia does sexual favors for men at the club for money," I say because I don't like that this attention is on me and Draco. I honestly don't think he's like that. I mean, it wouldn't be worth it to keep going as long as he has if he could have someone else, right?

I look down at my right hand where Draco had preformed that magical oath thing and I flex my fingers once more. No, he really does like me.

"I've known many women who've done a lot of things," she quips and I feel like I might be sick. "I just don't want you to get hurt... and hanging out with those high born girls will not work out well for you. Folk Hills is a den full of snakes and you have to watch out or you'll get bit."

"Am I fired?" I ask after another long and awkward bout of silence. I'm only half way through my shift today... I glance at the clock. It's barely noon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

She shrugs angrily and picks up a stack of papers to sort through. "Whatever they tell you to do," she says and then she glances at me. "Remember what I told you, Ginny," she says and I bite my lip. She never calls me Ginny. "You're in a den of snakes, but you can walk away any time you want."

Right.

I leave feeling slightly confused and very bothered with that conversation and I can't help but think it over as I head towards club house five. It's inside the actual club, through those thick wooden doors. It's one of the many red roofed buildings located closer to the tennis courts on the eastern side of the estate and it's quite large on the outside. I'm actually nervous to go in because of Del's job description and her creepy warning words.

I see someone approaching me from the corner of my eye before I enter the building, so I glance at them.

It's Pansy and Daphne.

"There you are," she says with a smirk. "We've been waiting for ages," she says as she pushes open the door I had been standing in front of, dreading to go in. "Let's head out."

"Head out?" I question as we step inside.

It's just a great hall, with a large dome ceiling and black marble floors. There are no adjoining rooms, no stairs... and, quite ominously, no windows. The only light comes from torches and there are large tapestries hanging from each wall in the room. I can't even make out the figures of depictions on them, but it makes my insides feel cold.

"Didn't Draco tell you?" she says as she walks towards the center of the building... like this big creepy room wasn't a big deal. "We need to find you a dress."

"But..." I say as I look around. There are no tables or decorations, just the torches and the tapestries and when I look down at the marble floor, I can swear it moved. "But I'm working..." I say as I shake my head out of my daze. This is the right building I was sent to, right? This just seems so strange. There's no one else here.

"Of course you are," Daphne smiles as we stand in the middle of the room. "And your new job is to hang out with us," she says with a smile.

"What is this building?" I ask as I glance down at my key.

"It's an all purpose room," Pansy answers as a long rope starts to fall down towards us from the ceiling.

"I don't understand," I admit and Pansy smiles again. "All purpose for what?" I can never remember the room of requirement ever looking like this nightmare.

"It's whatever you want it to be and right now," she says as she tugs on the rope. "We're leaving!"

"I don't want to lose my job," I say as we land outside of a very posh looking dress shop. I don't know the method of how we traveled here... it wasn't floo and it wasn't apparating. I don't recall pulling a rope as any form of transportation.

They laugh as they start steering me into the shop.

"You belong to Draco now," Daphne says as saleswomen swarm around us. "No one is going to do anything to make you unhappy there."

"I don't belong to anyone," I state with a worrisome frown and she glances at me with a charmingly fake smile.

"Of course," she says as she pats my arm. "A figure of speech, of course."

"Can we get a room please?" Pansy asks one of the girls. "And I want to see that dress on her," she adds, pointing to some yellow thing on the wall.

We end up in a large private fitting room, with me in a very uncomfortable dress. I try on five, complaining the whole time as they try to talk me into actually attending this stupid ball. He didn't even properly ask me anyways. I think he just assumed I would go...

"Of course he assumed," Pansy says with an eye roll as the sales woman walks around me with her wand drawn, fixing and fitting the current dress I'm wearing to my body. "You two are together now, aren't you?" she asks and I bite the corner of my lip.

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

"You're going," Pansy says like I was a foolish child. "Stop talking about it. You want to see Daphne and I introduced into polite society, don't you?"

"I don't know," I admit because I don't really get what the big deal is.

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

"I'm not getting introduced into society or any of that nonsense," I cut her off quickly. "My family doesn't believe in that kind of thing."

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

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

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

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

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

I look down at my right hand and flex my fingers again as I think of that stupid oath spell. "Have you ever had a 'promise not to cheat oath magic thing' placed on you?" I ask and it sounded awkward, but that was the only way I could describe it.

"What do you mean?" Daphne asks as she clicks her fingernails against her knee.

I look at them from the mirror.

"The other night Draco made me do this spell. It was red and it intertwined our hands. It's supposed to be a promise to be faithful, I think... like the other person would be able to know if you were unfaithful. Is that normal?" I ask quietly because I know it was probably stupid.

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

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

"It's fine, Ginny. We do it all the time," Pansy bats my concerns away with a wave of her hand. "And good for you for doing that with him. That means the relationship is getting more serious."

"Yeah..." I trail off and bite my lip. "But... you know, what counts as cheating?" I ask seriously. "Like kissing... or sex?" I say with a blush and Daphne purses her lips.

"I think it's any physical contact with any one of the opposite sex that's not a blood relative," she says and Pansy shoots her a look.

"What?" I hiss because if that's what I agreed to, then to hell with that. "What if someone bumps into me? Or if I give a friend a hug?"

"It's not that serious," Pansy says with an eye roll, cutting off my panicked rant. "It's more intimate touches of course... but you wouldn't do anything like that anyways. It's just insurance."

"What happens if someone does cheat?" I ask. I should have found all this out before freaking doing it. "Draco said the other person would know... but I mean... how?"

"It burns," Pansy says with a shrug like it was no big deal. "But love always burns. Anyways, lets talk about something else. I want you to try on a different dress," she says as she snaps her fingers and the saleswoman disappears to get another thing for me to try on.

I don't bring up the oath again, and they don't ask.

I keep on waiting for Pansy to bring up me calling her sister a slut at that party as well, but it never comes up, and I don't bother telling her about it either.

By the tenth dress I was ready to agree to anything just so we could leave.

"This one is very beautiful," the saleswoman walks around me, making adjustments to the dress as I try to suck in my stomach.

"I like that one," Daphne says with a smile. I'm standing on the platform in front of the three way mirror as they all prod and poke at me. I can't afford any of these things. I don't know why I'm even trying. "The gold looks good," she says and I make a face.

"Don't you think gold is a little much?" I ask as I turn to the side. It's strapless with shimmering gold fabric that goes all the way to the floor. The bodice is tighter with a shinier metal material and small green gemstones run along the seams.

"Gold is never too much," Pansy says from her viewing chair and I bite my lower lip.

"I have that black dress you made me buy," I point out. "I could wear that."

Yes, I've decided to actually go. Pansy was right... when am I ever invited to a ball of all places?

"Absolutely not," Pansy says sharply. "That is not appropriate for this kind of party. You need something more formal."

"I'm just not sure if this is me. It's a little too much, if you know what I mean," I say in defense and the saleswoman nods her head.

"Of course, but I like the cut on you," she says as she takes the wand from her pocket and she taps it against her chin. "It's very flattering. Would you like to try it in another color?"

"Oh, what a marvelous idea," Daphne stands up and walks over to me, looking me up and down. "Green would look too Christmas-ish this time of year and it is summer..."

"Try Lavender," Pansy cuts in, and the woman lifts her wand to change the color of the dress, but someone else comes into the dressing room.

"Make it vermilion."

All heads turn towards the door where Narcissa Malfoy is standing, wearing a lovely navy sheath dress and white cardigan tied around her shoulders. My insides freeze as she walks further into the room, eyeing my dress with a curious tilt of her head as she takes off her white gloves and puts them in her small clutch purse.

"Vermilion is the color this season," she says as her high heels tap against the tiled floor. She touches the skirt of my dress and purses her lips. "And I think it would be lovely against her skin tone." She looks up at me and smiles. "It will bring out the color in your cheeks and compliant that lovely auburn hair."

I blush scarlet.

She looks at the saleswoman. "Well?" she says with a delicate eyebrow arched.

"I..." the young woman trails off and blushes. "I don't know exactly what vermilion is, Ma'am," she says in a small voice and Mrs. Malfoy shakes her head as she snaps open her clutch to take out her own wand.

"I'll show you," she says as she points her wand to my dress and then swishes her wrist a few times. My dress turns into an orange-reddish kind of color. It almost looks like a brick red and I look to Pansy for back up, but she's looking at Draco's Mom with a twinkle in her eye. "See, wasn't so hard," she says with a smile, showing white sparkling teeth all straightened in a perfect row.

She puts her wand away again and looks at the other girls in the room as I run my hands over the fabric of the dress, taking in the new color.

"Hello, Pansy, Daphne," she greats with a head nod and they both stand up to give her the obligatory kiss on the cheek greeting. "How are your parents doing?"

"Good, Mrs. Malfoy," Pansy answers.

"Mine are fine," Daphne mutters after and Mrs. Malfoy smiles at them.

Why is she here?

She's making my stomach tie in knots.

"That is good," she says as she steps back and surveys them. "Why don't you two run along. I'll send Ginny out when we're finished."

I gulp and widen my eyes as Pansy flicks a glance at me. Please don't leave!

"Alright," Pansy says with a head nod and then she smiles at my panicked face. "We'll meet up later, Ginny."

They both wave at me and then walk out of the dressing room, shutting the door behind them. "You may go too," Mrs. Malfoy says to the saleswoman who is more than happy to scurry out of the room, leaving me alone with the frightfully beautiful matriarch of the Malfoy family.

She walks around me again until she's standing in front of me and I give her an uncomfortable tight lipped smile because I'm nervous.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced yet," she says as she holds out her hand for me to shake. I reach my shaky hand out and put it in hers, shaking it limply. Her skin is like ivory and my freckled hand next to hers looks so out of place. "I'm Narcissa, Draco's mother."

"I know," I blurt out rudely and my cheeks redden as I bring a hand up to my neck in nervousness. "I mean, I'm Ginny."

"Yes," she says with a smile as she studies my face with a calculating gaze. "I know."

Right.

"I just happened to walk in a little bit ago and the manager told me that my son's friends were back here. I just had to come and say hello, you understand," she says as she walks around me again to survey the dress.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I tell her as she studies every inch of me like I was a science fair project.

"Charmed," she says as she takes out her wand again. "You know, this cut is nice on you, but it is a little dated for your youth. How old are you, darling?"

Darling? "I'm sixteen," I tell her and she smiles again.

"Oh, sixteen," she says with a head shake as she takes her wand and starts changing the shape of the dress. "I remember those days fondly."

"Yeah," is all I say like an idiot.

She puts straps on the dress, and changes the bodice into a square neck because she said it looked more 'modern'.

This is so freaking weird.

"My son has told me a lot about you," she says as she starts shortening the hem. "All good things I assure you," she says to my awkward silence. "I find that he is quit taken with you."

"Oh..." that's all I say. I feel like someone has stuffed sand or something down my throat.

"Are you taken with him?" she questions, standing in front of me again and blinking a few times like she was waiting for my answer.

"Uh, yes, I am."

This is painful.

She smiles again, that beautiful smile and she lifts her wand. "Good," she tells me as she starts removing the green jewels from the lining of the bodice. "I would hate for someone to come along and break my boy's heart."

Uh, what?

"I like Draco very much, Mrs. Malfoy," I tell her because I feel like I should and this whole thing feels just weird. If anyone's heart is going to get broken, it will probably be mine.

"I'm pleased to hear that, Ginny," she says as she holds out her hand for me to take so I can step off the platform. "Come here and see," she says as she walks me closer to the mirror. She's a few inches taller than me once I'm on the ground floor and that makes her even more intimidating. I glance at her shoes, three inch stiletto's... no wonder she's so freaking tall.

"Yes, this color is lovely on you," she says as stands behind me while I look in the mirror. "The dress is flattering, but still young and stylish... and it's appropriate for the event."

"It does look very nice," I admit and then she reaches up and takes the hair tie out of my hair, undoing the braid I had it in. My heart freezes again as her slim fingers work their way through my strands.

"You have beautiful hair," she muses as it runs through her fingers. "It's nice and thick and healthy looking."

"Thank you," I say, trying not to sound too freaked out.

"For the event, you're going to want to wear your hair up," she says as she twists my hair around into some fancy looking bun and she holds it in place with her hand. "With a few strands of hair," she says as she starts pulling strands out so they rest around my face along with my bangs. "Free and curled around your face to make a frame."

"Yes," is all I say just so she'll go away.

"I'll refer you to one of my salons," she says and I swallow hard. "I have a girl there that will be able to do your hair perfectly."

She smiles at my reflection in the mirror and lets my hair fall.

"I can not wait to see you in this. Don't wear any jewelry," she adds as an afterthought. "I have the perfect set that will go with this."

"Okay," I say like a fool.

She smiles and squeezes my arm. "It was wonderful finally getting a chance to talk to you. We'll have to do lunch sometime."

"Yeah," I say weakly.

Then she leaves and I'm left staring at this expensive freaking dress that I had no intention of buying. I reach under my arm to get the sales tag and one look at it makes me want to faint. Crap! Now she's going to expect to see me in this next week and I can't bloody afford it and she'll be mad and she has jewelry! I start breathing heavily and I bring my hands up to cover my face. What am I going to do?

"Uh, Ginny?" Daphne peeks her head in the room and when she sees me looking distressed, she comes in. "What's wrong. What happened?"

"Uh, I can't... Mrs. Malfoy practically made this dress for me," I say as I run the fabric against my fingers again.

"It does look wonderful on you."

"Yes, it does," I say quickly. "But, Daphne, I can't buy this dress. She's expecting me to wear it and... she is frightening, by the way!"

"Yeah, she is," she agrees with a sympathetic smile. "Why can't you buy the dress?" she asks seriously and I narrow my eyes. Honestly, she knows my family isn't rich.

"Daphne," I say, my cheeks heating up in embarrassment because I have to say this. "I can't afford this. Even with my savings..." I trail off and my heart starts hammering painfully in my chest. "What should I do? Will she hate me if I show up in a different dress?"

She bites the inside of her cheek again and then she steps back, rummaging through her purse. "Let me buy it for you," she says as she takes out a credit card. "I brought my Dad's just in case."

"No," I state firmly as I shake my head. "No, I don't want you to do that."

"Why not?" she asks like I was being silly. "You can just pay me back later."

I don't think she understands that it would probably take me years to pay her back this amount. I shake my head again. "No... I'll figure out something," I tell her as I try to still my beating heart.

I carefully take off the dress and put my usual clothes back on before Daphne and I walk up to the check out counter.

"Hi," I say to the saleswoman who was helping me earlier. "Is there any chance you could put this on hold for me?" I ask because I have to figure out something. Maybe I can figure out how to make that Vermilion color with my wand and change one of the dresses I already own. Or perhaps I can set up a freaking payment plan with the store.

"Hold?" the woman says as she checks the dress over, putting it on a hanger. "It's already been paid for."

"What do you mean?" I ask slowly as she puts it into a plastic dress bag.

"Mrs. Malfoy said that it's a gift," she says with a large smile as she hands the bag to me. "Do you need anything else to go with the dress today?"

"No..." I trail off with a head shake. "So, wait," I shake my head again. "Mrs. Malfoy paid..."

"For the dress," the saleswoman finishes for me. "Now, you ladies have a good day," she says as she walks away from the counter to help someone else.

"I guess she did like you," Daphne says as I hold the dress in my hand like it was a treasured artifact. "You should write her a thank you letter," she says as her eyes light up. "It would be the proper thing to do. She's probably testing you."

"Why?" I ask in desperation. "What have I done?"

"You're dating her son," she says with a smirk as we start walking out of the store. "And Draco is her only child so she has to make sure you're up to it."

"This is almost too much pressure."

"Oh, don't be silly," she says as we find Pansy window shopping down the street. "It's worth it. Besides, Draco wouldn't let you leave him now anyways."

"What does that mean?" I ask, but she starts walking ahead of me to meet Pansy. I'm left staring at her blond pony tail as it bounces with each step.

Great.

We shop for two more hours and I feel immensely guilty because I'm supposed to be at work right now... but I guess a part of me doesn't care. If this is really what was intended when Del gave me that key, then I guess I should be pleased that I get to do nothing and get paid for it.

Though, it doesn't seem very fair.

I try to hide the dress when my mother picks me up from work and when she asks about it, I tell her that it's a uniform they want me to try on. The lie comes quickly and easily and when she doesn't question me further I feel guilty all over again about lying... and about Draco cursing her memory the other day.

I am so sick of feeling guilty.

In my room, I take out the dress and look at the fine material as I hang it on the back of my closet door. It really is the finest thing I've ever owned and I just stare at it for a while, picturing myself at some fancy ball with Draco in a fancy suit. It's a dream that comes easily and after a while of daydreaming like a child, I pull out a clean sheet of parchment and a newly dipped quill.

Dear Mrs. Malfoy,

I start the thank you note formally, thinking it would be best.

Thank you so much for the lovely dress. I don't think I could ever repay you that kindness and I'm looking forward to wearing it...

I get stuck there for half an hour with nothing else to write. Mrs. Malfoy had scared the magic out of me today and I have no idea what to say to her in a thank you letter of all things.

I chew on the end of the quill as I stare down at the page and then my eyes shift to the bit of crinkled parchment that's by my ink well. I pause a moment before picking it up and smoothing out the wrinkles. It's the paper I had taken from Zabini's room.

From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.

Blaise had said that Draco was one of the players and that the chess board was life with it's different players and characters. He does control a lot... Of course, I don't take anything thing Zabini says to heart but I have to wonder...

I look at my right hand again and flex my fingers with a frown on my face.

If Draco is one of the players... who's he playing against?
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Envy and Manipulations