The High Cost of Loving [1/3]

[longlost10]

Title of Fic: The High Cost of Loving
Author Name: longlost10
Chapter #:  1/3
Category: Romance
Rating: NC-17 for non-con
Summary: Ginny's getting tired of Harry's attitude and finds comfort in a very unlikely source. Post-Hogwarts.
A breeze swept through the darkened alley as the clouds finally parted and let some of the sun’s rays onto the street. The street venders occasionally looked up, a few of them with a hint of hatred at the clouds for dispersing, others happy to see the sun. Ginny Weasley didn’t care whether the sun was shining or if there was a thunderstorm outside, well, not much anyway. She didn’t want to ruin her hair; she worked hard this morning for it to lay perfectly on her shoulders.
She had woken up early, showered and put on a new dress that flattered her curves. It wasn’t too extravagant, but a light blue dress that stopped right at her knees. She complemented it with some black pumps that her mother disapproved of and made sure her hair looked perfect before setting off to start the first day of the rest of her life.

At least, that was the plan. At eighteen, she was still without a job and currently fighting with Harry, who was still running on the high of having defeated Voldemort two years ago. She was annoyed as he was always running around, acting as if he was the Minister for Magic.

He knew full well that Kingsley had agreed to be the permanent Minister soon after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry had entered Auror training and was well on his way to being successful in that branch of the Ministry. But did he help his girlfriend with good marks in school, that also fought Voldemort, get a job, even one that paid minimum wage?

Of course not.

That’s why she was walking around wizarding London, just looking for a “Now Hiring” sign. She stopped by a stall on the side and was looking at a small vase painted with intricate swirls and flowers. It might look nice in her kitchen or dining room, which in reality, was probably the same thing.

She owned a small apartment thanks to small jobs around London, but Ginny wanted something more. She wanted to make a name of herself… and to get Harry to stop complaining about her apartment whenever he came over. It wasn’t her fault that everyone couldn’t bring in nearly 10,000 galleons a month- most of which was people paying to have him endorse their product. People would pay big money to have Mr. Harry Potter’s face on their label.

The thought of Harry’s arrogant face made anger course through her veins at lightning speed. It only lasted for a moment as pain and the sound of shattering glass brought her back into reality. There were lavender shards of glass around her feet and her hand that previously had held the vase now displayed a few small cuts. Ginny watched a small blood droplet run down the back of her hand.

She looked up at the stall owner in disbelief. She hadn’t lost her control of her magic like that in years- not since she was little. Even then it wasn’t too bad, a knocked over pan, a broken game. Immediately she started to apologize, the words pouring out of her mouth rather quickly.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what came over me. I haven’t lost control of my magic in years. I’m so sorry I-”

Before she could continue to explain or offer him compensation that she didn’t actually have, the wizard swept around the stall. The black cloak that he was wearing billowed behind him, briefly reminding her of Professor Snape from Hogwarts. But before she could make any more coherent thoughts about the now enraged man, he shoved her against the brick building a few feet behind her.

When she opened her eyes, which closed when her head hit the brick, a wand was pressed against her throat. She let out a small whimper and looked up and down the alley, hoping that someone would see them and help her. But no one moved- barely anyone even looked up. This, apparently, was a common occurrence and the victims were left to fend for themselves.

The man’s raspy voice broke the silence that had taken her over. “You broke my vase.” The man’s wild graying hair matched the dark, wild eyes that sported rather large bags under them. The wrinkles on his face didn’t match his eyes, which seemed youthful, no matter how tired. Ginny brought her head back a little at his breath, which smelled too much like a Dungbomb for her liking. She should have assumed that personal hygiene wasn’t on the man’s priority list by his dark yellow teeth. “You are a thief. You will pay for your crime.”

Ginny tried to move to get her wand out of her purse when the man grabbed her wand arm with his free hand and twisted it painfully. She let a whimper escape her lips as much as she knew she couldn’t seem weak to this man. It wouldn’t end well if she showed weakness. Her time in Hogwarts and living with six brothers taught her that.

“I didn’t mean to. I can- I can give you gold. Galleons.” She said, heart racing. She tried to keep her voice strong and steady, but it hurt to talk with the wand pressed so firmly on her neck.

“I wasn’t talking about money.” The man snarled. Ginny’s eyes went wide as her imagination started flying. Of course there was one alternative that her mind immediately leapt to and the prospect of the act with this man terrified her. Half of her could even hear Harry’s voice after she came home, crying. Ginny! You were in Dumbledore’s Army! Don’t tell me you forgot how to protect yourself, how to fight! I defeated Voldemort- I’m sure you can take down a street thug! She was already filling with shame and doubt when she realized the man was starting to speak again. She had all that time to move and what did she do? Stand there petrified and think about how Harry would react. “Now you will come with me and-”

Suddenly, the man stopped speaking, his voice catching as if he had just been gagged. Ginny watched as his eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp, dropping his wand and falling into Ginny. She caught him momentarily before pushing him to the ground and pulling out her wand. She was either looking for the person who saved her, or just the next enemy of the day. Being Harry Potter’s girlfriend made her a target sometimes… but that didn’t mean she couldn’t handle it!

The voice that she heard wasn’t one that she expected to hear. “Put your wand away, Weasley. That’s not a way to treat someone who just saved your ass.” Ginny turned to see Draco Malfoy standing a few feet away, putting his wand away in his pant pocket. He stood tall in a black suit with a dark emerald green tie that stood out against the white shirt dress shirt he wore underneath.

Her last memory of him, one when they were both back in school, was drastically different than the man standing before him. His pale skin seemed to regain some of the color that it lost during his last stressful years at Hogwarts, and his grey eyes seemed a little brighter than she remembered. Granted, she remembered them also being filled with fear and hatred, but those feelings seemed to have retreated somewhat.

Whether he still had them was beyond her, but she couldn’t tell right away- not like she used to. Of course, the way he spoke showed her that while he might be in good terms with the law now, he still saw her like they were still at Hogwarts.

So why should she treat him any different than the arrogant prick she remembered? She shouldn’t, that’s what it came down to. Ginny scoffed at him and smoothed out her dress before looking up and continuing to what she hoped would be a short conversation. “What do you want, Malfoy?”

He walked closer and quickly looked her over, trying to find injuries that the man could have left on her. “Just making sure you’re okay.” He said, feigning innocence. “Wouldn’t want Potter to know that you almost got cursed with me standing idly by… he’d accuse me of hurting you, wouldn’t he?” Draco said. His voice was laced with sarcasm and anger. Ginny knew where the anger was coming from. Harry had tried multiple times to blame Draco for things he didn’t do while they were in school. Unsurprisingly, most of the time, Harry was unsuccessful. “What are you doing down here anyway? I didn’t think you were the type to come down to this part of London.”

Ginny flushed with anger. Why did he keep acting as if they were children in school? He was nearly as bad as Harry. She was forced to grow up during the last few years- she assumed that everyone else had too. But she shouldn’t let that bother her too much; maybe it was just his personality. “I could have protected myself, you know.” Just because he was immature didn’t stop her from defending herself. She just couldn’t reach her wand at the time- that was all.

A part of her wanted to let Draco’s snipe against Harry go, but the other part reminded her that she was his girlfriend. For shits and giggles, she should defend his honor. “You shouldn’t pick on Harry about stuff like that; he’s getting better at not jumping to conclusions.” Ginny said. It was mostly a lie, but in every lie there is a hint of truth. She wanted to believe that her boyfriend was getting better at not assuming everyone was a Death Eater. Although, she had to admit that the Auror training wasn’t exactly helping his problem. “But to answer your question, I’m down here looking for a job.”

Draco put his hands in his pockets and Ginny had to say that he looked very good. And convincing. It was as if he knew what he was doing and had a purpose in the world. She didn’t really know what Draco was up to nowadays, but clearly he was doing well. Or at least, he was able to easily maintain the image of doing well. “Is Potter not helping you? That’s a shame. You’d think that the Boy With A Thousand Lives would be able to get his girlfriend a job.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked past Draco for a moment before looking him in the eyes. “Give it a rest, Draco. The past is the past.” She wondered if he really could tell how immature he sounded calling Harry those nicknames. Then she wondered why she was sticking up for Harry. Draco had done more for her in the last ten minutes than Harry has since she got out of school.

“And no, he hasn’t helped me find a job. He’s busy doing Auror work. Look, I don’t want to talk about Harry, so if you want to talk to him, I’d advise you to owl him. I’m sure he’d be more than welcoming.” She said with a hint of anger in her words. She hoped it would go unnoticed.

It didn’t.

But instead of mocking, Draco’s eyes seemed to soften a little and he seemed to be thinking something over. “Come on, it’s almost lunch time. I know this nice cafe a few blocks down that’s really good- it’s on me. We can talk or something.” He offered. Ginny stood in a stunned silence. It took all of her consciousness to keep her jaw off the ground. Draco Malfoy was being nice? And offering to buy her lunch? She must have stayed silent too long trying to get over the shock because he spoke again. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk and eat. I might even be able to get you an interview for a job.” He said. Draco leaned a forward slightly with a small smirk on his face. “I can guarantee it’ll be better than whatever job you find around here.”

Oh boy. Now the offer was more tempting than she could hope for. Free lunch and a possible job offer? One that wasn’t going to destroy her self-esteem and make her wish she was never took the job? While she was sure that she could find both food and a decent job on her own, there was something within her that told her that accepting his offer would be for the best. After another second, she nodded. “Sure. Thanks... I have to admit, I wouldn’t have seen this coming.” She said with a small shrug.

It was true. Had someone told her that today she’d meet up with Draco Malfoy and end up going to lunch with him, she would have laughed in their face. “Oh well. I guess that’s why it’s called the unexpected.” He shrugged. “Do you mind walking to the cafe? It’s not too far...”

Ginny smirked and rolled her eyes. “Just because I’m a little dressed up doesn’t mean I can’t walk a few blocks, Draco.” But this time, her words weren’t too spiteful, but more jocular and she wore a small smirk instead of a glare. There was a moment of silence when Ginny was worried that Draco wouldn’t pick up the change of the tone in her voice.

But he smiled slightly and nodded before starting to walk down the alley without her. She quickly caught up with him as they passed a few stalls in silence. She realized that they had left that stall owner unconscious in the middle of the alley, but she wasn’t sure she cared, not after he attacked her. “So, I guess since you asked me, I can ask you what you were doing down here.” She said, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

They turned a corner that brought them out of the alley and into a busy London street. There were more than a few oddly dressed people walking around which told Ginny that they were still in a wizarding area. “Oh. I was just down here for business.” She looked over at Draco expectedly. He was down in a shady area of wizarding London on business? Maybe he hadn’t changed since Hogwarts. Maybe her first impressions of him were right? “I work with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

That took Ginny by surprise. She didn’t think that the Ministry would hire him after everything that happened when they were kids. Although it was still unknown to her whether he had a Dark Mark, there had to be Ministry hesitance before hiring him. “Oh really?” She managed to say. She felt that staying quiet for too long was a bad idea. After all, he was being rather nice to her with him saving her from that stall owner and taking her to lunch and all.

“Yeah.” He seemed to fall silent, as if contemplating what to tell her. “I work in the Improper Use of Magic Department.” She must have looked surprised or he simply wanted to clarify what his job was because he continued. “I make sure that people aren’t using magic to influence a sale.” It sounded like the type of low end job that a Malfoy wouldn’t be caught dead doing before the war. Maybe the hesitance wasn’t uncertainty of trust, but rather embarrassment.

She felt bad about making him feel ashamed, even if it wasn’t on purpose. She would fix that. “That sounds like a cool job, though. Even if you think it might be a little boring.” She said, almost a little awkwardly. Well now, she was just making this mess worse wasn’t she? “Well, think of it this way: at least it’s better than unemployment.” She told him with a grin. She learned once that making fun of yourself when someone felt awkward sometimes made them feel more relaxed. It seemed to work because at her comment, Draco cracked a small smile in return.

“That is true, I suppose. But you’ll get a job soon enough.” He said. They rounded another corner and a small cafe appeared. Without speaking or warning her that they had reached their destination, Draco walked up the steps and held the door open for her. She entered slowly after him and they got seated immediately in a small booth by a window. “This place isn’t magical. Let’s not talk about things like that.” He said quietly as they sat down on the squishy booth benches.

Ginny found it odd that Draco was accepting of Muggle ways. After how many years of her hearing his hate and spite filled comments from down the hall and repeated by her brothers? It was hard to believe. But here he was, sitting right in front of her, looking over the menu as if this was completely normal for him. “You’ve changed since the war, haven’t you?” She whispered. When Ginny saw Malfoy go rigid and intensify his glare on his menu, she immediately regretted speaking. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No. You’re right. A lot has happened in the last two years.” He said quietly. They fell into a silence as he returned to his menu and Ginny opened her own for the first time. She looked down and looked it over. A lot of things she knew were Muggles specialties while others were familiar to her from her Hogwarts days and from when she lived at home. When the waitress came with two waters, they kept it simple: she ordered a salad and he asked for a sandwich.

When the waitress left with their menus, it was clear they couldn’t avoid not talking any longer. “So... other than working in the Ministry, what have you been doing lately?” She said, hoping to avoid a topic that would make him uncomfortable. She brought the glass of water closer to her and held it in her hands, just so they would have something to do.

Ginny looked up in time to see him shrug. “Not much, actually. Most of the first year or so after the war was me and Father trying to convince the Ministry we didn’t want to overthrow them.” He said it with a dry chuckle, but she knew that the Ministry had every right not to trust them. With over 50 years of hate towards the Ministry, the Malfoy family must have had a rather large note on their file. “I didn’t really need a job... Father has enough money that I could go well into old age without having to work a day.” Ginny didn’t doubt that most of Lucius’s fortune was money from generations back and could keep Draco living comfortably for most of his life. “I felt it would be better for my reputation if I got a job- especially one in the Ministry.”

Ginny nodded, only kind of knowing what he meant. Her father always had to work to keep the family afloat financially when she was younger. Now, he had Ron and George helping him and her mother, but she remembered what it was like to see her father come back from long nights. It was hard to imagine not having to work.

“I’m sure if you show them that you’re dedicated to the Ministry and you do your job well, you’ll be fine.” She said with an understanding smile, even if she felt like she barely understood it at all. “How are you and Pansy? Last I remember... you two were together. Or at least tolerating each other.” She said with a small smirk.

Draco let out a laugh that, as far as Ginny could recall, was the first that didn’t have a wicked twist. “Pansy Parkinson? Bloody hell… I haven’t talked to her in forever.” He said, visibly relaxing now that they strayed away from the topic of the Ministry. “And you know... we were never really officially together. I didn’t really fancy many of the girls at Hogwarts at the time.” He admitted. “And to be honest, at the time, I was a bit preoccupied by now-lesser things.”

The way he smiled after the sentence told her that it was okay to grin, maybe even laugh, at his words. She could tell he was trying to get past that point in his life. Although she didn’t know him that well, she could commend him for trying because he was a human being and she knew how hard it was to leave the past behind. “But what about you? I haven’t heard much about you at all lately.”

She smiled at him as the waitress came and placed their food in front of them. They thanked her and waited until she was gone until Ginny started talking again. “Oh. Just the norm, I suppose. Looking for a job, maintaining a boyfriend...” She said with a shrug. She found it a little odd that Malfoy cared enough about her to ask how she was, but she figured it was just polite conversation for the lunch table. “George proposed to Angelina. You know, Angelina Johnson? The Gryffindor Chaser?” While Draco’s mouth was full of food, he managed to politely nod. “So my mum is busy dealing with that. She’s just excited that he’s doing something with his life other than running the joke shop.” She wasn’t sure why she told him the bit about her brother. George nearly beat up Draco on the Quidditch pitch just a few years ago.

He must have caught up on that, as he put down his sandwich, and finished swallowing before asking, “Well what about you? How’s Pot- Harry?”

Ginny was surprised that he stopped himself from calling Harry by his surname. Maybe he caught onto her annoyance when he did it earlier and called him out for it. Then she thought about her relationship with Harry and she found herself not moving her utensils, just by her thoughts. She quickly started moving again after the realization, not wanting to seem too off. She didn’t really want to talk to Draco about Harry, but at the same time, she wanted to talk to someone about it and he was offering.

“We’re good. I mean, Harry hasn’t changed much since school. It’s kind of rocky, actually.” She said the last sentence after a moment of hesitation. After another second, “I don’t want to talk about it. Not now.” Maybe she’d tell them later in their meal. Maybe after it. Maybe never.

He took it better than she could have ever hoped for. “That’s fine,” Draco said with a soft smile, “we can talk about something else if you like.”  She smiled gratefully and looked back into her salad, having only taken a few bites. “You know, for a while, I dated this girl, Astoria. Astoria Greengrass. She was awful to be with, so full of herself.” Ginny tried to laugh but ended up momentarily choking on a piece of lettuce. “I know, it’s... it’s ironic, isn’t it? After everything I did in school. But I just didn’t mesh with her at all. Mother wanted me to keep seeing her, but I had to end it a few months back.”

After she swallowed and regained what little composure she lost, she looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry.” She said. “But if you believe in karma, you deserve what you got.” She said with a small chuckle.

Draco stared at her for a moment before laughing as well. It was almost as if he was contemplating actually being mad at her. She was glad he took it in stride and let her poke fun at him. “Yes. That’s definitely true. It’s been nice being single, though. Half the time I go to the singles bars just to laugh at people. It’s cruel but,” he shrugged with a small smile, “schadenfreude.”

Ginny couldn’t help but shake her head at him. She wasn’t serious in the least, and she could tell that he saw that. It was just as if she were joking with George or Ron again. “I suppose. But it’s also nice to have someone there when you need them.” She said to him with a soft smile.

They resumed idle chatter throughout the rest of the meal, finally deciding to focus on the food, not the conversation. However, after they both finished eating, they stayed in the small cafe, sipping coffee and enjoying each other’s company.

Once it became evident that they had overstayed their welcome (as their waitress’ shift had ended fifteen minutes ago and it was starting to show), they decided to get up and start walking again. It was becoming quite evident to Ginny that Draco had indeed changed since the war. He was friendlier to people in general now, not just Muggle-borns and “blood-traitors” like Ginny and her family. He seemed, to Ginny, to have lost that Slytherin trait that made everything he did only benefit himself. He honestly seemed to have reformed over the last two years and it made him all that more approachable.

They had walked aimlessly around the area until Ginny recognized the neighborhood as the one around her apartment. She subtly steered them towards her building as their conversation went from funny Christmas holidays to what they were doing tonight.

“Oh. I don’t really have much planed lately, actually. I was just trying to keep things open, in case I did find a job and they needed me to start right away.” She told him, bringing a soft shade of pink to her cheeks. After being part of the social scene at Hogwarts, attending parties and sneaking off with boys behind tapestries, having such a dull life seemed laughable.

He smiled and shrugged. “It’s alright. Sometimes plans are hard to come by. I know I’m off tonight only because I told Mother after a day at the office, I needed time by myself.” Ginny laughed. She never thought of Narcissa as demanding as Draco kept describing to her... maybe the mother just needed constant reassurance that her son was safe and not getting into anymore trouble.

Of course, things may have changed since Harry freed Dobby that one year. Maybe they just never got another house-elf and Draco was meant to fill in when she wanted him. Who was Ginny to guess?

But she smiled at his answer nonetheless. “Well you know... I have a TV and some good Muggle movies. If you want, you can come up and we can just relax and unwind. Not thinking of jobs or mothers.” She offered to him. Even though they had gotten to know each other better in the last few hours, he was still one of the people she hated in school. It was weird now offering him a night inside her house without the high risk of a duel breaking out.

Draco looked somewhat surprised, clearly wrapping his mind over what just happened. After a moment, he smiled and nodded. “That sounds brilliant, actually. Just to slow down and get away from reality for a little bit.”  He said. “Where do you live?”

Ginny shrugged and looked up at the apartment building that they were stopped in front of. “About four stories up... second door on the right.” She said with a grin. She motioned for him to follow and held the door open. He walked in after her and kept only a pace or two behind as they went up the stairs. “Just another flight or two. I’m sorry. The elevator’s broken.” She said as they ascended yet another story.

Most people who she brought up to her apartment became short of breath or struggled breathing around the third story but Draco kept going strong. “No, it’s fine.” He said, sounding as if they were just strolling down the street. “You don’t fix it by magic then?” He asked. Ginny could just imagine the smirk on the boy’s face as they reached the fourth landing. She opened the door that opened out into the main hallway and led Draco to the right door. “406.” He said, with a mock nod of approval.

She laughed and shrugged a little. “Move in was annoying, but it works fine for me.” She said, putting the key into the lock. She turned the handle and walked inside her apartment, feeling at home at last. Sure, she could barely afford it, but it was hers- she maintained it and Harry wasn’t involved. Ron was, to an extent... he was helping Ginny own her first apartment which he knew she was struggling to afford, even if it was on the cheaper side of things. It wasn’t so much that she felt guilty, but enough to help her out every month. “Come on in and take a seat, I’ll get you a drink. What do you want? Butterbeer? Firewhiskey? Water?” She asked him, crossing over into the kitchen.

The apartment was on the small side, but it was comfortable all the same. The living room had a half full bookshelf, a couch, small coffee table and a television which sat on a small shelving unit. The kitchen had a few cabinets, a stove, refrigerator and sink while an island in the middle of the room served as a dining room of sorts. Off the hallway were a bathroom and a single bedroom, both of which were technically shared by both Ginny and Harry, but more by the former. Ginny looked over to Draco, who was now sitting on the sofa, just in time to hear his answer. “A butterbeer would be nice. What movies do you have?” He asked.

“Oh, the collection is on the shelf. You can look through them yourself. Pick your favorite.” She said, turning her back to him and looking through the refrigerator for two butterbeers. She heard him get up and start to flick through the DVD cases.

Then she heard a small chuckle. “A child’s movie?” She turned around to see Draco holding Toy Story up to her. “I understood you having The Matrix and Mrs. Doubtfire, but a movie about toys?” He asked her with a small grin.

“Hey now... don’t knock it until you’ve seen it.” She laughed, walking over to him and giving him the bottle of liquid. “I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. It’s won awards and everything.” She said, sticking her tongue out at him and swiping the movie out of his hands. She went over and put it in the DVD player and pressed ‘play’.

As the movie started, she walked over to where Draco had reclaimed his seat on the sofa and sat down next to him. She opened her butterbeer and took a drink, letting the liquid warm her up. The movie passed with a few witty comments between them, but overall they were both pretty immersed into the movie. It was one of Ginny’s favorites so she stayed pretty quiet and Draco was watching it for the first time. It was only polite for them to stay quiet for the duration. Towards the end while Woody and Buzz chased after the moving van, Draco carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she found herself leaning in towards him.

Right before the credits were about to roll, an owl swooped into her open window and landed on the coffee table in front of them. Ginny groaned slightly and reached forward to detach the message from the owl’s outstretched leg. In the folded piece of parchment was a note written in Harry’s chicken scratch handwriting.

Ginny-

How about dinner tonight? I’ll drop by your place in 15.

-Harry

She couldn’t suppress the second groan that escaped her. She was not in the mood to let this perfectly good time with Draco go in return for dinner with Harry. The cheerful song playing as the credits rolled made the whole moment even worse. Draco withdrew his arm from around her and stood up; he must have read the note as well. “I guess I’m going to head out. I’ll get back to you about that job interview. I’ll see if they’re hiring. Thanks for the fun time.” He said with a smile.

She gave a stupid grin as she watched him move towards the door. Ginny found the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop herself.  “Wait… before you leave… what’s your address?” She asked. Towards the end of the question, her voice had turned hesitant, as if she was suddenly regretting the decision to speak. Draco turned around to look at her with a semi-confused look on his face. “You know, so we can do this again.” She said, making up the excuse on the spot. She did want to meet up with him again; they were having a nice time before Harry decided to stick his big head in.

But Draco didn’t question it at all. Instead he shook his head with a mischievous little smile playing on the corner of his lips and crossed back over to her. He walked over to the coffee table, pulled over a quill and jotted down his address on one of the many scraps of parchment that littered the small table’s surface.

When he straightened up again, she wore that stupid smile again. “Thanks again for the entertainment.” He said, leaning over and kissing her briefly on the cheek. When he pulled away, his pale skin had a tint of red on it and soon after, the door closed behind him.

Ginny stared at the door for a moment before she started clearing up the small mess they had made, preparing the place for Harry. While her body moved around the apartment, her mind was still stuck in the room with Draco Malfoy. He had kissed her, and they had both blushed. Why? They had just reconnected for the first time since his Death Eater days. The last time she saw him, she was mourning Fred’s death for the first time. But it was enjoyable, wasn’t it? The butterflies in her stomach told her that it had been. But were those butterflies for Draco or for Harry?

The more she thought about her official boyfriend, the more her stomach twisted in discomfort. Why had she let Draco kiss her? She was already with someone- Harry Potter! Any girl in the wizarding world would kill to be in her position, and yet she let another man press his lips against her. Even if it was just on the cheek, it was still something.

While her mind kept racing, her body went through the motions. By the time that Harry opened the door, she had subconsciously prepared grilled cheese sandwiches for them to share for dinner. “Hey Gin.” Harry’s voice brought her back into reality and the present. She turned and looked over at him, sending a smile his way out of habit. His dark hair was, of course, sticking out in all directions and his emerald eyes seemed to be beaming.

“Brilliant day at the office, really. Ron came by and asked me to help him with human disguises. Shame he hasn’t really caught on yet, seeing as it’s going to be on our Auror test.” Harry dropped his small pack on the couch and sat on one of the stools that surrounded the island. “It was nice seeing him though... he and Neville are always in a different wing during training.” He reached forward and started to eat some of the sandwiches that she had piled there. “It’s a shame. So, what did you do today?” He asked with his mouth full of sandwich.

She resisted the urge to scoff at him, instead deciding on another soft smile in his direction. Just because her brother and her boyfriend were best friends didn’t mean they had to act so similar. But the question remained unanswered as Ginny debated telling him about Draco, about everything she did today. “Oh. Nothing really.” She said in the end. Harry didn’t have to know everything about her; she was justified to some secrets, wasn’t she? That kiss would be taken to her grave anyway.

If there was hesitance or shyness in her voice, he didn’t pick up on it or just didn’t comment on it. She liked to think the former. “Oh good because I had a really long day…” Harry said, still munching on his sandwich. He spoke continually for the next half hour or so, leaving Ginny to just eat her dinner and listen to him.

The most exciting point of the discussion was when she needed to charm the kitchen to make another plateful of sandwiches. But she sat and smiled at him, only showing wear towards the end. Finally, he stopped speaking and looked at her expectedly. She realized she had to respond and struggled to remember his question. “So, what do you want to do tonight?” He repeated, looking at her.

Ginny didn’t really want to do anything… not with him anyway. “I’m actually thinking about just going to bed. I’m sorry Harry. You’re welcome to stay if you want. If not, just lock up when you leave, okay? I really am sorry.” She said, trying to be sincere. To make sure that he thought her as honest, she leaned across the island and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

With that, she turned away from him and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She changed into an oversized t-shirt and crawled under the covers. Something just didn’t feel right anymore. She decided just to close her eyes and relax, trying desperately to go to sleep and let the next day come. Maybe today really was just a dream and her time with Draco never even happened. With him in her thoughts, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Her dream didn’t worry her as she was known to have some strange dreams when she was worried about something. Draco had come over and they were watching another movie that was so unimportant, it had no title. He turned towards her and kissed her on the lips slowly, letting Ginny savor every moment. There was nothing exchanged between them, not a look nor a moan, but the kiss got deeper.

His tongue entered her mouth and familiarized itself, mapping it out as his hand traveled up her hip. Suddenly the scene changed and she was now laying naked on her couch with an unclothed Draco hovering over her. He thrust his hips forward and despite the pain shot through her, she smiled silently, beckoning him to continue. And so he did. But this time the pain was more pronounced and caused her to open her eyes, gasping loudly.

The rude awakening from her dream was caused by Harry, suspended over her. His hands were holding her breasts, now without the protection of her nightshirt which she spotted laying in a heap on the floor. The pain shot through her again as she realized Harry was naked as well. She let out initially a moan of pleasure which turned into a moan of pain at the feeling of him filling her. “Harry!” She gasped.

Harry seemed to realize that she was now paying attention to the fact he was in her without her initial consent. “Shh… It’ll all be okay. Just stay quiet.” He murmured. He withdrew and drove into her, this time with more anger and need. She bit back a groan, now wanting only to disappear back into the dreamland she was awoken from. Everything about this was wrong and intrusive and she wanted out of this whole situation. It wasn’t like a Saturday night and they were both drunk and it was a mix of pleasure and regret. This was something that was not only painful, as her body was against the idea, but her mind was still in shock it was happening.

“Harry. Stop.” She said, wanting nothing else but for him to listen to her for once. He ignored her, like always, and kept relentlessly driving into her. “Harry, please!” She raised her voice now, trying to maintain an illusion of control and the fear out of her voice. He gripped her breasts harder and she could feel his nails digging into her skin. “Harry! James! Potter!” She cried between thrusts, tears now starting to appear in her eyes. Every movement of his hips became another moment of regret of not kicking him out earlier.

The look on his face was nothing short of maddening. His green eyes were now dark and the smile he wore was one that she remembered Sirius wearing in the wanted posters. “Say my name, bitch. Scream it.” He hissed. She didn’t scream, but went closer to mild hysterics, crying and trying to push him away. She pushed her hands against his chest as hard as she could, hoping either he would pull out or get the hint. All that he did was grumble, “Get off me” and squeezed her breasts harder, as if that would stop her from pushing her hands against his face. But with a new thrust towards her, he one handedly shoved Ginny’s hands away.

Shame kept her pushing back against him and crying, prompting her tears to fall faster. After a few moments, Harry reached past her to where she knew her nightstand was and came back to his original position, holding his wand and pointing it at her. His mouth opened but Ginny’s world went black.

When Ginny woke up, her nightshirt was on and she was curled up into a tight little ball. She was also alone. She didn’t dare move; all her energy was focused on trying to determine what part of last night was real and what was a dream. She moved slightly and felt a sharp pain between her legs. With that feeling stirring a memory, Ginny closed her eyes, feeling the tears starting to form. She now knew what part was real and it only made her curl up tighter and let the silent tears fall faster.

Chapter Two