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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Draco holds out the snitch and smirks at me as I turn the broom so we're facing each other again. He's caught it the past two times and I am determined not to let him win again.

"You know, if you used one of my brooms you may have a chance," he says smugly as he sits back on his brand new black nimbus 2012. He puts one hand on his slender hip as he sends me a mocking smile. "You'll never beat me on a clean-sweep, sweetheart."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Worry about yourself," I snap.

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

I tilt the handle down and to the right as it hovers near a tree and I pull up at the last second before I run into a branch. I can hear Draco behind me as I weave through the threes and I reach out my hand with my teeth clenched as the golden ball flutters in front of me. I see Draco out of the corner of my eyes as I use the foot bars as leverage to lean forward a bit more. Almost...there... My fingers brush the small wings and I tilt my broom down a bit more to pick up speed as Draco cusses by my side. When I finally catch it, I'm so excited that I fly straight towards the ground and hop off the broom so I can gloat a little more freely.

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

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

"That was sweet of you," I say with a smirk as he takes off his gloves.

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

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

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

"Already went there," I tell him with a smirk. I know what he's doing, he has that predatory look in his eyes. I give him one last amused look before hopping on my broom and taking off.

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

"I just might," I call back to him as I steady my broom with one hand while using my other lower the goggles.

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

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

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

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

"Only because I let you," I lie.

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

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

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

The look in his eyes...

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

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

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

"I've had the patience of a bloody saint," he says dryly, his eyes slightly narrowed and he takes off the goggles and throws them on the ground. "Do you have any idea how turned on you make me?" he says and I swallow the lump in my throat. I thought we were having a nice innocent game of backyard Quidditch, but now he looks like he wants to eat me.

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

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

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

I've been making him wait, I know that. Since the night of the ball, every time we've been alone, I've stopped us from going forward because I wanted to be smart about it. I know he's been getting frustrated with me, but he hasn't shown it until now.

I bite my lip and bring my hand up to his to gently pull it away. "I'll wait for as long as it takes but I am starting to break. I have never been this patient with anyone." He looks me in the eyes. "Do you understand what that means?"

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

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

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

I don't say anything. I'm too nervous.

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

How messed up is that?

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

"We're outside," I whisper nervously.

"I bet you're wet for me already," he says with a smirk against my neck. He had given me a pair of woman's riding pants to borrow for the day, and he starts to unbutton them. I quickly pull my hand out of his pants and step back when he tries to un-tuck my shirt. "What is it?" he snaps and I shake my head.

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

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

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

He cracks his neck before turning around. He buckles his pants and then starts to pick up our riding gear.

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

"It means... " His eyes flick to mine before he picks up his broom. "Nevermind," he says flatly as he bends down to pick up my gloves. "It doesn't matter. Forgive me for being so forward," he says dryly with his jaw tight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I wouldn't comprise you like that," he says seriously. "No one can look at you like that but me," he says flatly and I bring a hand up to my neck. "But it's not just from being outside. You always work me up to a certain point just to pull back at the last moment. It's frustrating for me," he says and furrow my brows.

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

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

"I... I know," I whisper because I'm not sure how I feel about this.

"You give me these 'come fuck me' eyes and then when I do respond you suddenly act like I'm a predator that's going to devour you. You make me believe you want me and then you push me away."

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

"Other stuff," he scoffs. "Other stuff is nice, Gin, don't get me wrong, but I want to feel you," he says seriously and my insides turn nervously. "I've never felt this way before and I want to feel all of you. Sometimes I feel like you're teasing me for your own amusement. Why don't you trust me enough?"

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

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

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

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

"You think?" he asks in whisper as he raises one of his eyebrows. I guess that wasn't the best thing to say and I shake my head.

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

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

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

"When you were young, did you ever play hide-and-seek in your house?" I question to smooth over the tension I feel. Shouldn't he like say it back or something? I feel very exposed right now... "I feel like a person could get lost there," I add with an uncomfortable smile.

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

"Are your parents home?" I question softly. I should have found that out first, actually. A house-elf was sent to retrieve us after the fireworks the night of the ball and I didn't get to see much more of his house... Manor. It's not actually a house. I have no idea why I keep thinking of it that way.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Our wards are probably more advanced than yours," he explains as he heels out of his shoes. "We can't Apprate directly in or out, but we can travel within," he explains and I finally look around me.

It's a bedroom.

A very large and very masculine bedroom that has it's own living room in it.

"I thought you were giving me a tour?" I question nervously. The floors are covered in beautiful white carpet, and I take off my shoes quickly because I don't want to get it dirty. It's just so lovely in here.

There's a large marble fireplace in between two large doors that have beautiful molded designs around them. A large mirror is over the fireplace and my eyes follow the lines up to the golden chandelier that hangs down from the ceiling like something from a fairy tale. This is the most beautiful bed room I've ever been in and I sigh longingly while looking at the silky looking beige furniture and maroon throw pillows. There are two high backed chairs and a wooden carved loveseat set up around a small table and it looks like a scene from a magazine.

Draco moves about the room, but I'm too busy staring at everything around me take too much notice.

The walls are an olive green color, with a pattern printed on top of it in a darker green, and it's divided by white paneled wood. I want to touch it, but I refrain. I let my eyes linger on the posh looking writing desk against the wall before looking at the bed.

What a bed.

It's on a small platform, a few steps higher than the rest of the room and I inhale a shaky breath. It's a large bed, ten times bigger than my twin size one at home. It has a million plush pillows onto of a soft looking gold and green comforter. I almost want to take a nap just so I can sleep on it. I think it might feel like heaven.

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

He starts walking towards me, balling up his shirt.

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

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

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

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

This feels much more intense now. I know before, when we would mess around, I would toy with the idea of saying yes, of giving in and having sex with him; it's never felt this serious before. This felt way more deliberate and I feel like I don't have any control in this situation. It's like he's on a mission..a mission he is determined to win. He's looking at me like a predator ready to pounce on it's prey and I try not to look like I'm panicking. I don't want him to think that like he had said before. I don't want him to think I don't want him like that... but I have no idea what I want right now, actually. As confusing as that is.

"Alright," he says as he loosens his grip on my waist and he takes my hand, leading me up the three stairs to the amazing looking bed. "I'll get back on track," he says with a smile as he takes a step back to give me some more room. "This is my bed." He nods towards it and then looks back at me with darkened eyes."I think you should get better acquainted with that section of the tour, actually."

"Umm..."

That's all I say. I could kill myself for it, but I didn't know what else to do. I've never been in a sexy situation before and he's laying it on so thick that I might just melt.

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

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

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

I stop breathing. He's never kissed me like this before and it felt so much more intense and overpowering. My lips are burning when he pulls back and he stares at me deeply as he unbuckles his belt. I can't look away as he lets his pants drop; then he attacks me with another set of intense kisses that feel all consuming. I melt into it after a while as my mind goes blank from reason and I let myself get tossed on top of the covers. Draco stands before me looking all regal, and proud, and completely shaggable.

My shirt comes off.

His boxers get pulled down.

And then my bra and knickers get thrown some where.

I was shaking pretty terribly by the time he rested on top of me, slowing his kisses down until they were feather light and soft. "It's day time," I point out nervously because I always figured that people just had sex when it was dark in the middle of the night.

"I can see you better," he says in a husky voice. A grown up voice. I shiver as he kisses his way down my neck. "Why are you hesitating?" he asks against my throat. "I thought you loved me."

"But, what if your parents come home?" I ask nervously as he works his way around my body. From all the practice we've had, he knows exactly where and when to touch me to get me turned on. It was something I was regretting right about now.

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

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

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

"I know..." I say awkwardly.

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

"I'm accustomed to getting what I want," he says and I cover my breasts with a sheet as he rests beside me. "This is one of those rare occasions where I can put my needs aside until you want it as much as I do," he says flatly and I bite my lip and bring my hand up to cover my face. "But do not be mistaken," he says and I glance at him. He looks very serious. "I do want you and I want you now."

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

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

I furrow my brows at the thought and sit up.

I look at the bracelet on my wrist and finger the dragons for a few seconds before making my decision. He's the best boyfriend I've ever had and I want to be close to him.

I lean over and kiss his arm. He gives me a sharp glance like I was doing something untrustworthy. "You shouldn't kiss me right now," he says, facing forward again. "I'm trying to calm everything down," he says as he takes in a breath and gestures in between his legs. "Literally," he adds and I nod my head.

Oh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He takes his time getting my body turned on again, kissing his way around and touching me in my most sensitive places. I'm a shaking aroused mess by the time he's done and I lick my lips as lays beside me, using his fingers to stroke me down there and pulling them out to look at the wetness that lingers. I blush scarlet and he looks down at me, using his free hand to move some hair from my face. I give him a nervous smile and he presses his lips against mine. I'm not as nervous right now... this feels more like my idea... He gets on top of me and positions himself in between my legs as I hold my breath and try not to shake.

"Ready?" he asks softly with a charming smile on his face as he looks down at me.

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

"It's okay," he whispers against my ear and I bring a hand up to his neck as he rests his head by my shoulder. "God, you feel amazing," he adds like he was talking more to himself than to me.

The moment feels like it's taking forever and all I can think about is how this is it... I can never undo this moment. I will never be a virgin again and if I get married to someone different, I will not be untouched on my wedding night. I slam my eyes shut and will myself not to cry. This time it's not because of the pain that my eyes are welling up, but I try to hold them back. With one final push, he's all the way in and I finally let out that breath I was holding.

I need to stop worrying about things... and this really hurts.

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

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

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

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

He smiles a little, it's actually a heart warming smile, and he leans down to kiss me. He seems happy now and he slowly starts moving his hips up and down, sliding his length in and out of me. I've never done this before, so I'm not sure what to do with myself.

Draco lifts one of my legs and puts it around his waist and then he puts his hands underneath my back to pull me closer when he starts going faster. The mattress bounces with each movement and I start feeling a tingling friction in between my legs with each movement of his pelvis. When it starts feeling good, I bite my lip and turn my head to the side as I try to keep myself from making any embarrassing noises. I put my right hand on his back and I run my fingers up and down his spine just because I can. I've never felt this... full before and it was an altogether odd sensation.

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

No one has ever called me sexy before and I kiss him passionately to distract myself from everything that's going on and the odd noises our bodies are making as they work against each other..

Draco sits up a bit more and holds my hips tightly in his hands as he starts ramming into me with so much intensity that I bite my hand from yelling out or asking him to stop. It gets better after the first time, Pansy had told me that, and I need to just let this happen. My right hand starts tingling with each thrust of his hips and I glance at it quickly when Draco removes my hand so he can bend down and suck on my neck. Little red lines are starting to glow on my hand, just like they did when I took that oath with Draco, and I widen my eyes.

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

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

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

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

Is he going to say it back?

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

I'm just an emotional mess today.

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

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

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

That's when I notice I'm sweating as well and I run my fingers through my damp hair as he works my body into a pre-orgasim state. He looks so hot right now, with his hair a mess and his cheeks flushed in arousal. I can't believe he actually wants me as much as I want him.

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

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

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

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

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

"What do you want, Ginny?" he asks darkly and I grab his arms and pull him on top of me so he'll get the hint. He smiles as I spread my legs wider for him.

He doesn't do anything, he doesn't move, and I reach a tentative hand down between out bodies until I touch him down there and guide him into my body.

He lets out a long breath as he starts pushing in and I bring my hands back up to his shoulders as I enjoy the feeling. "What a good girl you are," he says breathlessly before sliding all the way in.

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

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

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

This is just ridiculous. Why am I crying?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I see a bit of blood on the green sheets and I sigh loudly when I realize what that is.

I can never undo this.

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

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

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

He hands it to me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Did you mean it?" he questions lightly.

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

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

I nod my head.

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

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

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

Why hasn't he said it back yet?

I know I'm jumping the gun on this, but he could at least reassure me that he likes me a little bit.

"I'm not the nicest person in the world," he says seriously and I bite my lip uncomfortably. "I'm not nice like you are."

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

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

I shrug because I can't do anything else.

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

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

"Say it back?" he finishes the tough question for me. I just stare at him. "I don't even say those words to my parents," he says flatly and I start to get up to gather my clothes because I suddenly want to go home, but he grabs my arm.

I snap my face to his as he sits up until his legs are pressed into my side. He kisses me, but I push him back and scoff.

Honestly.

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

"Well, I never slept with anyone until you, so there's a first time for everything." I'm getting kind of angry right now because I'm hurt that he doesn't feel the same. We did just make love, after all. The least he could do was say it back.

He brings his hands up to his lips and he rubs his mouth. I scoff at him and get up, angrily throwing on my clothes. I ignore his protests for me to return and the pain between my legs as I slip on my shoes and leave his room. I inhale a deep breath before taking off down an unfamiliar hallway. I turned down another corridor, and then another, and then I found a back stair way, and then another large hallway... Where is the fucking front door?

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

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

When I don't say anything he sighs and kneels in front of me. He places a bag down on the floor and when I see it, I realize it's mine. I wouldn't have gotten very far with out it.

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

"I was always taught the opposite," I say softly. I'm not angry anymore. He said he loved me and I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. Love was always seen as a strength in my household. I put my hands over his and I let him bring them down to my lap.

"Love is the only thing that can make a sensible person do stupid things. It's the most dangerous form of magic," he says and then he sits back on his heels. "I don't want you thinking I don't, though," he says as he puts his hands on my knees. "I've felt things around you that I've never felt before. I can be myself and let my guard down. I don't have to worry about your motives."

I smile and lean in to give him a hug, rapping my arms around his neck as I kiss his ear. Maybe it's my stupid teenager heart, but I'm officially better.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Because I could. I have all these ideas in my head," he says like he was relieved he could tell me. Sometimes he's so smart he reminds me of Hermione... if Hermione had an ego and dark ideas, that is. "It took me years to get this down."

"Does anyone know you can do this?" I ask seriously. Jesus, if Voldemort knew...

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

I gulp.

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

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

"Everything in the universe goes back to math," he says as I flip through page after page of math problems that I can't make sense of. "Even magic. I don't do anything blindly," he says seriously. "I did the research on this and my theory was proven," he says with a pleased smirk. I look at him like I've never seen him before.

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

"Not yet," he says flatly and then he faces me again. "Aren't you impressed?"

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

He smiles again and walks closer to me, kissing my head. "Good," is all he says as he wraps his arm around my waist. Then he checks his watch. "I better get you back to the club," he says before cleaning us of the soot from the fire. "You have to change first," he says, nodding to my borrowed clothes. Oh, right.

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

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

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

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

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

"Because you're asking so nicely," I say with an eyeroll and when I go to grab my bag again, he grips my wrist and kisses me. It throws me off guard and I gasp into his mouth as he pulls me close. The room is still hot from the fire, and I can feel sweat beading on my brow. "Come on, Gin," he says with a sinful smile. "Don't be a coward."

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

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

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

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

When we finally get back to Folk Hills, Draco takes my hand and kisses the top of it as he looks into my eyes. My heart flutters when I remember that he loves me too. I try not to sigh wistfully. "Thank you for giving me your body today, Ginny," he says softly and my insides melt at the way he says my name. I blush and nod my head because I can't find my voice. "I'll see you later, babe," he says with a wink.

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

"I'll send your broom and Quidditch gear to you later tonight."

I watch him pop away and then I go towards the back stairway to wait for my Mother. When she sees me, I quickly smooth out my clothes and stand up. When she looks at me I become very very very nervous. Can mother's tell when you've had sex? Can she see that I'm not a virgin anymore? I try not to panic as she smiles at me and we walk in silence to the Apparation point.

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

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

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

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

I had sex today.

I clean my body and shampoo my hair. Once I'm finished I step out and towel dry, wiping off the steam from the mirror so I can look at my reflection.

I had sex today.

And I have a fucking hickey!

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

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

I had sex today.

I can't stop thinking about it and the minor ache between my legs won't let me forget either.

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

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

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

"You know, the bit of paper that your father and I leave in our drawer for emergencies," she says with a frown. "It has the ward password on it, written by our secret keeper."

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

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

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

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

"Okay," she says with her hands on her hips and she looks around my room. "I need to find it. You know how terrible it would be if it fell into the wrong hands."

"I'll let you know if I come across it," I say seriously and she nods her head before leaving my room. I sigh loudly and lean against my bed again.

I put my hand on my neck where the hickey is and I sneak out of my room, making sure my parents are no where in site as I creep down to the kitchen. I take out a spoon and put it in the freezer for a few minutes before pulling it out and running to my room again.

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

What a wonderful feeling this is.

I start humming to myself and before I turn off my lights for the night, I go over to my window and open it just in case Draco wants to stop by.

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

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

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

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

I shoot her an annoyed look but turn away once again.

I feel like I've run into a brick wall and my brain is throbbing. I haven't had a headache like this in years.

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

It's them.

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

..that night before my birthday...

I resist the urge to go over to them as well as I grumpily pick up the bag my mother had so carelessly thrown. I want to hug my brother and tell him I missed him, I want to confide in Hermione and see if she's okay, and Harry... I look at Harry as he steps away from my mother's all empowering hug and he scoots the glasses up his nose as the people around me start whispering about their arrival. Of course, he looks as handsome as ever and that annoys me.

Then he looks at me.

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

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

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

"I didn't think you would have the guts to come over," he says. He takes the trolley away from me so I don't have to push it and he slings my bag over his shoulder so I'm left holding nothing. That was a very gentlemanly move on his part and I give him a pleased smile as he starts walking us away. "I was thinking I'd have to corner you on the train to get you to acknowledge me."

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

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

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

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

I nearly slide away from the contact because my mother could see... and everyone would understand my relationship with him... but I don't care anymore. My head hurts too much for me to care. I like him and that's all there is to it. He's wearing a tight fitting black shirt and it has a piece of string on it, so I take it upon myself to remove it for him.

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

I can feel eyes on me, so many eyes actually that I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. I send a look around the platform... The attention is divided between Harry's return and the fact that Draco is touching me so sweetly. Other students are staring at us with out a care now, whispering behind their hands and I'm glad I have sunglasses on so no one can see my glare. I guess seeing a Malfoy and a Weasley so intimate together is strange for most people.

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

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

I breath out and nod my head before turning more towards him when Zabini smirks at me.

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

He's noticed too.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"My Mom has been going mental trying to find it," I admit as I bring my fingers up to my temple to deaden the pressure of the headache. "She tore apart the house looking for it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I've never seen Zabini so worked up about something and when Pansy walks in behind him, she gives us a look. "That beast of a caretaker really ripped into him for smoking on the platform," she explains with a frown.

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

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

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

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

They all look at me.

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

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

I give him a disgusted look.

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

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

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

"You f-"

"That's enough," Draco cuts Blaise of sternly and he gives me a look. "Drop it."

I shake my head angrily and I cross my arms. My eyes flick to Pansy to see if she'd back me up, but she has her eyes slightly narrowed at me and when we make eye contact, she turns away. Daphne finds us next, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, but I don't greet them as I glare out the window, still upset about the comments that were thrown around about Hagrid. He's actually a dear friend of mine and that conversation did not make the pain in my head go away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We have the same parts," she says with an eyeroll as she starts unbuttoning her blouse. "I just wanted to talk to you for a bit."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But..."

"It's not something you have to wear as part of the uniform. The socks cut off your legs and ruin the silhouette." she says as she pulls out a pair of black snake skin pumps from her bag. "You're not a child who wears mary-janes, thank you," she says as she hands the sky high heels to me.

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

I look at the shoes again, they have to be higher than three inches. I was glad when I was done at Folk Hills because I don't have to wear freaking heels anymore.

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

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

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

My cheeks heat in embarrassment.

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

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

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

The feminist in me wants to disagree, but the more I think about... I guess she's right in a way. "I'm not a woman of influence yet," I snap. I stand up. "And I doubt Draco would care about the shoes I'm wearing."

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

I nod my head.

"Then you want to look like you belong with him, don't you? You don't want people questioning why he's with you because, trust me, they are going to do that anyways. You have to look the part, Ginny."

I swallow the lump in my throat and rub my forehead with my hand. "Why do I have to change who I am?" I question. Draco hasn't had to change anything.

"You're not changing who you are," she says with an exasperated sigh. "We're just polishing the surface. I'm doing this for your own benefit. You're playing in a different arena now." I don't say anything. I just clench my jaw shut and take a heavy seat back on the bench. "The rules are different and you need to understand that. Men have history on their side and we have our bodies. We have to use that power to it's full potential and you can't do that wearing second hand, cheaply made, attire."

I scowl.

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

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

"I always bring extras," she says with a smile as she pulls out a pair of patent leather pumps. The heels hurt already and I'm not even standing up. I glare down at them.

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

Compliant?

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

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

"Don't say that," she says with a sigh. I unlock the door and step out. I go over to the mirror and dig out some lip gloss so I can apply it when the door opens and Romilda Vane comes bouncing in.

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

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

I shrug. She doesn't help my headache either.

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

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

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

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

"I usually do," she says with mirth and I roll my eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hi," I say back.

There's so much I want to ask her right now, but I can't. Now is not the time and I'm still hurt by what they did to me. Leaving like that really bothered me and I doubt I'll get over it any time soon.

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

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

I don't want to see it.

When we get back to the cabin, Draco and the other boys are already in their uniforms. Of course, Draco looks handsome in it and I nearly sigh when I see him. He's still reading that book, and when I sit beside him, I take his arm and rest my head against his shoulder.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I smile and slick some of his hair back because it was falling in his eyes. He needs a hair cut. "Did your mother tell you that?" I ask jokingly and he smirks.

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

I start fingering that bracelet he gave me and then I look at his green and silver tie. "I hate that we're in different houses," I say softly because I don't want the other people hearing how sappy I'm sounding. He has been my closest friend this summer and I'll miss sleeping beside him. There's no way he can get into my room at Hogwarts.

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

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

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

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

Yes. Neville is safe and judgment free.

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

"H-Hey, Ginny," he stutters out in surprise and I smile at him.

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

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

I look at him and give him a kind smile. I really like Neville, he is a non-threatening stand up bloke in my book. "I am very well."

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

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

I always knew Neville had some type of feelings for me. He had asked me out on many awkward occasions, but I always turned him town as easily as I could. He was a good friend and that's all I would ever see him as. There were times when I wished I did like him that way. He's the sweetest guy ever and he'll do anything for you. He'll make some girl very happy someday...

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

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

"Draco is my boyfriend," I admit and I hear the gasp of surprise coming from the heavy boy at my side. "We started seeing each other over the summer."

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

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

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

"He really is terrible, Ginny. Why would you do something like that?" I don't answer because I'm starting to get angry and he sighs loudly. "Does Ron know? I bet he flipped a lid when he heard you were dating his worst enemy."

"I don't care about what Ron has to say, nor do I care about his infantile rivalry with Draco," I snap. "Let's talk about something else," I say because I really want to change the subject right about now and I still have that annoying headache.

"Okay, let's talk about how your boyfriend," he says the word with disgust and I make a face. "Keeps looking at me like he wants to kill me."

I look towards Draco again. He's still glaring at us and I shake my head before turning towards the noise coming from the hallway. All the little first years are being ushered into the room now and I smile as they pass by us to get sorted. Professor Sprout brings out the stool and the sorting hat starts singing some song about hope and unity, but I tune it out when I notice McGonagall's empty seat.

It saddens me so I look away, only to find Snape sitting in the headmaster's chair.

Oh, I forgot about that.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Ron's found me and he hisses in my ear before making the kid beside me scoot down.

"Ronald, honestly, this can wait until later," Hermione whispers. She's right behind him and the poor kid who was sitting beside me get's crammed down a little further.

"Not until you tell me what you're bloody doing with Draco Malfoy," he says.

I finally look at him. My brother is not the same boy who left the night before my birthday. He looks older somehow, more world worn, and there are dark circles under his bright blue eyes. I sigh tiredly and look down with a head shake.

"It's none of your business," I tell him but I know that won't settle this.

This is one of those fights that can explode into epic proportions. I can feel that stirring in my gut now.

"It's all my business!" he yells and everyone looks at him as the sorting hat continues to sing. Hermione gives him a face before he quiets himself down. "I need to know what my little sister is doing hanging around a snake like that."

I glare at him.

"If you were home at all this summer, you would know the answer to that question," I tell him in a low whisper. Most of the people around us aren't listening to the sorting anymore. They're all watching us.

"Don't pin this on me. Do you realize how stupid you're being," he says harshly and I clench my jaw shut and glare at my plate. "You can be a real idiot sometimes. What's this I hear about you and him dating? Are you actually dating him? Do you realize who he is... what he's done to me and Hermione... and the terrible things he's done to Harry? Do you realize his family is in league with you-know-who? Gosh, Ginny, I thought you would have smartened up by now."

"Shut up," I hiss at him in a low whisper. My wand hand is twitching. I want to curse him.

"Don't tell me to shut up," he says as he throws off Hemione's hand when she puts it on his arm. "What are you doing, Ginny? Are you doing this to get back at us for leaving?"

"Not everything is about you," I say harshly, but he shakes his head.

"I bet that's it. Well, I know how to put an end to this. Mom saw you on the platform. She didn't know you were dating him did she?"

"The worst she can do to me now is send me a howler," I state bitterly and his ears turn red in anger. "Now, go away. You're bothering me."

"Ronald, let's go. The first years are being sorted and they'll be serving food soon."

At the mention of food, my brother's eyes soften and he gives me one final glare. "This isn't over, Ginny. When we get to the common room I'm going to find out everything." '

"Whatever," I snap.

They go back to the end of the table where their original seats are I slump my shoulders.

"You okay?" Neville ask as the hufflepuffs clap when they get a new student.

I nod my head.

"You know your brother," he says with a wry smile. "He'll calm down soon," he says, placing his hand on mine.

It shocks me and I pull my hand out from underneath his.

"Sorry," he mutters as I massage my skin.

"It's alright," I say softly. "Just a little static."

Once everyone is sorted, I look over at the Slytherin table again. Draco is drinking from his goblet and he's in a very serious looking discussion with Zabini on his right. I sigh when the food arrives and take one bite before I realize that I'm not hungry. My brother had officially ruined my appetite. I gather my things and stand up so I can go back to my common room. If I get there early, I can hide in my room the rest of the night to avoid my stupid bother.

When I get to the doors, I look over my shoulder. Draco is watching me and when he makes eye contact he starts to get up, but I put my hand out and shake my head. He can't get into my common room anyways and I just want to be alone right now.

I take my time going to the tower, and I when I say the password to the fat lady she scolds me for leaving the feast early. I roll my eyes and walk into the common room once she opens up. I don't need to be chastised by a painting, thank you very much.

Harry is sitting by the fire, staring into flames... all by himself. I don't feel like talking to him either and I go to walk by him, but he stands up.

"Gin."

The way he says my name... I sigh loudly and stop walking.

"Yeah?" He doesn't say anything, he just stares at me and I become uncomfortable by it. "Are you okay?" I ask softly because he looks so... sad.

He shakes his head and sits down heavily on one of the chairs. I hesitate a moment before taking tentative steps towards him. He puts his head in his hands and sighs loudly as I approach.

"Harry?" I whisper when I'm standing right in front of him. He looks up at me, his green eyes are sparkling with sadness. I kneel in front of him and put my hands on his. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," he whispers as he looks over my face. "Ginny, I'm sorry," he says seriously.

I furrow my brows. "What are you sorry about?"

"I'm sorry about this summer, that we left with out telling you... that we missed your birthday," he says. "But... why him?"

"What?" I question softly and he forces his dark brows together.

"Why him, why Malfoy?"

I sit back on my heels and let my hands drop from his. "Are you going to yell at me like Ron?" I ask sharply with an eyebrow raised.

He shakes his head. "No, I just want to know why."

"Because he's sweet to me... and I like him," I admit honestly and Harry rubs his lips as he looks at me.

"Because he was there," he says flatly. I don't say anything to that and he cracks his neck and sits back in the chair.

"It's more than that," I whisper and he looks away.

"Dumbledore told me to come back to Hogwarts. That I would always be safe here," he says softly. "I don't feel safe anymore," he admits in a soft whisper. "Dumbledore was supposed to keep me informed until he returned, but I haven't heard from him in months. I fear he may be dead, Ginny," he says and when he looks at me again, I see his eyes watering.

Harry has lost everyone that was close to him and I suddenly feel very bad for him. I lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck to pull him to me in a tight hug. I had never touched him like this before and I nearly pulled away when he wrapped his arms around my back and buried his face in the crook of my neck. I think he's trying not to cry. I want to ask him what he's been doing all summer, where he's been and what he's found... but I can't bring myself to.

"I saw you at the Quidditch game," I whisper against his hair. "You ran from me."

"He's dangerous, Gin," he says, still clutching me. "They all are."

I pull back to look into his eyes and he brings his hand up to stroke my cheek. I freeze as his eyes study mine and when he starts leaning forward I take in a sharp breath.

He looks like he's going to kiss me.

Before his lips touch mine, a terrible feeling overtakes my body and my hands start burning. It feels like I'm on fire. I get propelled back by an unknown force and my back smacks against the floor.

"Are you okay?" Harry asks in a panic as he runs over to me. I pull myself up and push Harry's hand away when he tries to help. My skin still feels like it's on fire.

"I'm fine," I snap as I stand up and dust my uniform off. What in the hell was that? I look down at my right hand and I flex my fingers.

Draco.

I shake my head and run up to my room, ignoring Harry as he calls after me. When I get to my bed, I pull the curtains tightly around me as my body burns and my heart aches. I sit down, pulling my knees up to my chest after throwing off those stupid heels and I breath in and out deeply. What if Draco thought I cheated on him? Was that what the burning was about? Is that why I got sent backwards when Harry tried to...to do that thing he tried to do? I shake my head and make a noise in the back of my throat.

When the burning dulls to a manageable pain, I strip out of my clothes and put my pj's on as I look over my class schedule for tomorrow. My first class is potions with Slytherin and I make a face before laying back on the bed and glaring at the canopy. When my roommates file into the room, I ignore them and pretend I'm asleep as they gossip and giggle back and forth. I fall asleep listening to Romilda Vane talk about the boy she fell in love with over the summer as I try not to worry about what tomorrow is going to bring for me.

I get up earlier than my roommates so I can make it to the great hall before anyone else. I take a quick shower and do my hair in a loose braid as I try not to be nervous about my brother, and my classes... and my boyfriend. I'm hoping to talk to Draco first. If what happened last night was because of that stupid curse then I think I want to take it back. It's just ridiculous. My skin still feels slightly burnt, like a sun burn, and I'm surprised that my skin isn't red when I look into the mirror. I hesitated a moment before putting on Pansy's snake skin pumps and I gave myself one last once over in the mirror before heading out with my bag full of books over my shoulder.

I was going to go to the great hall and wait for Draco so we could talk. I didn't expect him to be standing right outside of the portrait hole, leaning against the stair banister with his arms crossed.

I pause for a second, just staring at him until he raises an eyebrow. "Good morning, sweetheart," he sneers sarcastically and I narrow my eyes.

"My skin still burns," I say sharply. It feels like I've been out in the sun for ten hours straight without any sunblock. "Was that because of that stupid oath thing?" I ask as I rub my arms, trying to get rid of the sting.

He looks me over coldly and then he raises his eyebrow. "What were you doing?" he asks slowly as he takes his hands out of his pockets.

"I was just talking to a friend," I snap angrily because this is stupid. He still stares at me so I shake my head. "And I gave him a hug. This shouldn't happen... I wasn't doing anything bad."

"It wouldn't have burned if you weren't," he says flatly, and then he starts walking towards me with calculated steps. "Look at me," he says seriously.

I clench my jaw and look up at him, he reaches out and puts his hand on the side of my face as he studies my eyes. Then I feel it, slightly at first and then more pronounced, as he digs into my mind. I clench my eyes shut as he pulls the memory and looks over it like he was reading a book. I walk into the portrait hole, talk to Harry, hug him, get thrown back... When he's done and he's satisfied, he pulls out and runs his knuckles over my face.

"You shouldn't have done that," I say with a tight throat as I blink rapidly, trying to focus on the real world. "You can't just go into my mind whenever you want."

"He was going to kiss you," he says softly. The burning stops and I let out a sigh to be relieved of the pain. "And I can do what I want, Ginny," he says sharply. "You're my girl and you didn't tell me to stop."

I guess there's some logic in that. He'd stop if I ask him to, right?

"It felt like I was on fire," I admit softly and he stares at me with dark eyes as I lean back and rub my temples. It still hurts from him digging in there.

"You didn't move away in time," he says flatly. "You were going to let him kiss you."

"No," I say as I shake my head because I don't want him to be mad at me. "I wasn't."

"Yes," he says flatly as he takes another step closer to me. "You were. It's funny that you can say that you love me when you allow yourself to get into situations like that? How am I supposed to trust you?"

"You can trust me," I say softly because now I actually feel bad. He was right about getting myself into a situation like that, I guess. "I wouldn't have let him kiss me. I don't even like him that way anymore."

"Anymore?" he asks coldly.

"This is stupid," I say in annoyance and he glares. "This is wrong. That stupid spell isn't normal and I shouldn't have agreed to it. I didn't do anything with Harry, but it burned me anyways and now you're all suspicious when you don't need to be."

"Shut up," he snaps and I widen my eyes in surprise. "You know you're in trouble and you're trying to weasel your way out of it. This is precisely why we did that oath because I knew something like this would happen. I just didn't think it would happen on our first fucking day of school."

Maybe he's right... I do feel terribly guilty. I put aside the injustice I feel over that stupid charm and I take a step closer to him.

"I love you, Draco," I say honestly. "That's the truth. I don't want to be with anyone else," I say as I reach out to lay my hand on his chest. "You don't have to read my mind or do any stupid spells to know that."

"Apparently I do," he says flatly and I bite my lip. After a few moments of glaring, he steps back and sighs, running a hand over his face. "I do not want to fight with you right now," he says.

"I agree," I mutter softly and he looks at me again, taking the bag from my shoulder.

"How bad was your brother last night?" he asks gently as he looks over my face. "I saw the way he was talking to you in the Great Hall."

I shrug and try not to think about it. "Angry as expected," I answer honestly. "I'm not looking forward to seeing him again."

"If you want to be in this relationship with me, you have to be brave, Ginny," he says as he takes my hand. "Do you think you can handle that?" I nod my head with my throat tight. "Let's go to breakfast," he says gently.

I take a seat beside him at the Slytherin table and we barely speak to one another. Eventually the tension becomes too much for me, so I put my hand on his leg under the table and kiss his cheek. He looks at me with eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry," I admit in a soft voice. "You were right. I shouldn't have been in a situation like that and you have every right to be upset..." I trail off as he stares at me. "But you saw what happened," I tell him seriously. "I didn't initiate anything, you have nothing to worry about."

"I know I have nothing to worry about," he says darkly and I look at his chest. "Will you do me a favor?" he asks as he takes a drink from his glass. I nod my head. "Don't speak to him again."

I scoff. "I just can't stop speaking to him, Draco. He's my brother's best friend and we're in the same house. It will be hard not to talk to him when we're on the same team." I admit as I think about Quidditch this year.

"He wants you," he says seriously with his cold eyes raking in my reaction. I scoff again and shake my head. "He does and he can't have you. I refuse," he says and a chill goes down my spine at the way he said it.

His voice sounded so sure and so full of authority that it was almost frightening.

"I will sleep better knowing you're not on speaking terms with him, but knowing that's a selfish demand, will you at least honor my request to not speak to him in private like you did last night? I obviously can't trust him around you. He tried to make a pass at you despite already knowing we were dating. I can't have that."

He puts his hand on mine underneath the table and squeezes gently.

"No more private meetings with Potter, yes? That is fair, is it not?"

"Yes," I sigh softly. "I suppose that is fair."

"Good," he says with a smirk turning the corner of his mouth and then he kisses me. "I'm glad that it's settled."

I feel a bit uncomfortable with that settlement and I pick at my toast as the great hall fills up with people getting ready for the first day of school. Pansy comes in with Daphne and Millicent flanked on either side of her and they take a seat across from us as I glare down at my plate. I don't know why I feel so funny about this whole thing. I guess because a part of me knows it's wrong. I look at Draco's profile as he eats his eggs and I sigh when my heart warms over. Loving someone is complicated.

He notices me staring at him and his silver eyes slide to mine. I give him a nervous smile and leans over and kisses my cheek softly.

Luckily, my brother and his two friends do not show up for breakfast and a part of me is grateful for that. "I'll walk you to class," Draco says as he takes my hand and helps me out of my seat. I used to hate it when Dean would do stuff like that when we were dating, but I guess I just don't mind so much when Draco does it.

I allow myself to get pulled down the hallways towards the dungeons where Slughorn's classroom is. For whatever reason, Blaise decided to walk with us as well and he and Draco were in a deep discussion about some kind of spell I didn't understand as Draco kept his hand firmly on my back. "We'll talk about it later," Draco ends up snapping at his friend before we walk down the stairs towards the classroom, leaving Zabini in the hall.

"What was that all about?" I ask as his possessive hand stays on my back.

"Nothing," he says flatly and I give him a look but don't press the matter. A few kids are already waiting outside of the classroom and I give the few from my house a shy smile before Draco steps in front of me, blocking my path. "I'll see you at lunch," he says and I nod my head and look away. "Ginny," he says softly until I look at him. "Kiss?" is all he says and I give in and lean up, leaving a kiss against his lips.

He smiles when I pull back and runs his hand up my arm before looking at someone over my shoulder.

"Sit by her," is all he says before leaving. When he's gone, I look over my shoulder and see Ivy Parkinson and the other Slytherins from my grade all eyeing me critically.

I sigh loudly before walking into the classroom. I don't want to sit by them. Draco doesn't control everything I do and, with that thought in mind, I walk towards the front of the class and put my bag down by Colin Creevey who gives me a large and confused grin.

"Hey Gin!" he says happily as I take a seat and cross my arms.

I hear Ivy huff as she sits beside me and I turn more towards Colin. "What are you doing, Weasley?" She whispers fiercely as she pulls my arm until I'm looking at her. "You heard what he said. You have to sit by us."

"You are sitting by me," I say as I take out my notebook and quill.

"You know what he meant," she hisses as she glances at Colin who is shuffling through papers in a folder of his. "He won't like this."

"You know what," I say as I give her my full attention. "We don't like each other, we never have... Why are you all over me all of a sudden?"

"You know what he said," she says slowly like I was stupid and I scoff.

"I don't do everything Draco Malfoy says, thank you very much," I say as I think about what happened this morning and I bristle in annoyance.

Ivy doesn't say anything and when I glance at her she's giving me a look that I'm altogether uncomfortable receiving from someone who I don't like... She's not glaring, or scoffing, or smirking mockingly like I'm used to...

She's looking at me with sympathy... sympathy and pity and when she gets her bag and stands up to take her seat with the other slytherins at the back of the classroom I swallow a large uncomfortable lump that had gotten stuck in my throat.

That one look from a known enemy has worried me more than anything in my entire life.
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Envy and Manipulations