Virginia Fair

Virginia Fair

Once upon a time there were two princes. They lived in a castle in Kent. In the castle there were servants to clean and cook, to tend the grounds, and service the many brooms the princes flew for leisure and fun. And in the servants' quarters of the castle lived a father, a mother, a son, and one daughter named Ginny.

Ginny Weasley sat perched in a tree that grew from the area near the servants' quarters. She was peeking over the wall at the party that was in full swing. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, but several strands kept escaping into her face.

The party was in honor of Harry Potter's twenty-second birthday. When Harry was three, both of his parents died and he was raised by his godparents, the Malfoys. He grew up with the Malfoy's only child, Draco. Even though Draco was a few years older than Harry, he was much more mature than Harry, even when they were children.

Ginny's family lived in the servants' quarters. Her father, Arthur, was keeper of the brooms and carriages, her mother, Molly, was a cook. Ginny's only brother, Ron, tended the gardens.

Ron and Ginny both went to Hogwarts courtesy of the Malfoy family's generosity and insistence that their servants' children receive a proper education like their sons.

Ginny grew up adoring Harry, secretly harboring a crush on him for many years, especially when she was at Hogwarts with him.

When she looked out into the terrace from her spot in the tree, her breath caught in her chest when she finally spied Harry emerging through the French doors.

He was handsome as always. Though he was about five years older than Ginny, she always wished that he would see her as someone he could relate to, a peer despite her father always saying that she was the daughter of a servant and Harry would never see her as anything else. Her father's lectures about servants and employers mixing did not still the longing she had for him.

Wearing a set of dark maroon robes over a black shirt and trousers, his eyes shone brightly, flashing peridot green as he smiled. He moved through the crowd shaking hands with many wizards and kissing the cheeks of several witches, sneaking a quick wink at a few along the way.

The band was playing a waltz and Harry was dancing with a curvaceous witch wearing tight lavender robes. Ginny seemed to remember that she went to Hogwarts and was the same year as Harry. She remembered her last name was Brown, but that was all she could recall despite the fact that she was a Gryffindor too.

Ginny felt insignificant compared to the witch Harry was dancing with. She thought herself too tall, too skinny, too many freckles, and hair that was too, too red. None of the boys at Hogwarts paid any attention to her, so why should Harry. He always had his pick of beautiful women.

When Harry whispered in the ear of his dance partner, Ginny saw the witch in the lavender robes giggle and coyly smile, nodding her head at him.

Removing herself from her perch, Ginny ran down to the Quidditch pitch behind the manor knowing Harry would take the witch there for some private conversation. As much as it pained Ginny to see another witch in Harry's arms, she couldn't stop watching. She always imagined it was her that Harry seduced out on the pitch in the dark of the summer evenings.

Allowing herself on last look, Ginny saw Harry lay the witch down in the grass and began to undo her robes. Continuing to watch was more painful than any other night before, for tomorrow she would be heading off to America to study for the next three years.

The Malfoys had decided to use their connections to help Ginny pursue a career in writing and publishing right after she graduated from Hogwarts. She was going to be a reporter in New York working for the New York Oracle as an intern, learning the trade from the ground up.

Despondent over being away from Harry for three whole years, not that he ever noticed her and for the fact that it would never be her on the Quidditch pitch with him, Ginny climbed the north tower stairs to the roof of Malfoy Manor.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Draco was bored with the party. He usually conducted business during such social occasions, especially since his father died four years ago and he took over the reigns as CEO of Malfoy Industries, but most of the guests that night were Harry's friends. Hanger-oners, bored playwizards and dull witch socialites.

He had invited some of his business associates from the family business, a very large and powerful potions manufacturing corporation, but they too grew bored and went home early. Like Draco, most of them had business to conduct early in the morning.

Wanting to clear his head, he grabbed a broom from the broom shed and decided to do a little flying. As he kicked off, he circled the grounds viewing the lingering guests from above. He was about to fly off towards the forest when he saw a figure plummet from the roof of the manor.

Pushing his Meteor 5000 broom to the limit, he dove towards the falling figure that was now plummeting past the third floor library window.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Thinking it would be so easy, Ginny approached the edge of the flat roof and peered down over the side of the castle. It was only seven stories high. Surely her neck would break, and she would no longer have to suffer this aching in her heart.

Gathering her strength, she stood upon the ledge and felt her robe pocket making sure that her suicide note that she wrote earlier that night was still there. Placing one foot out over the edge, she leaned forward.

As she fell, Ginny wondered if Harry would miss her. Would he mourn her passing, place white roses on her grave and cry? Would he even attend the funeral? She pondered if he would be off someplace romancing his latest love interest instead of standing by her graveside with her parents and Ron when they buried her.

While she was letting those thoughts run through her mind before she hit the ground, a strong arm grabbed her around her middle and stopped her descent to the hard earth below.

Someone had stopped her from falling, someone had saved her. Was it Harry? Did he rescue her?

When they landed on the ground, she looked up into the eyes of her savior and froze. Draco was looking down at her with worry.

"What on earth happened? Do you realize how lucky you are that I just happened to be flying by at that exact moment? You could have been killed. Are you all right?" he asked in a gravely concerned manner.

Ginny felt a deep blush creep upon her cheeks, she knew because her ears were burning with heat.

Stumbling over her words to come up with a quick excuse she said, "I was up on the roof looking at the stars and...I...um, tripped on something. I fell over the edge."

Draco patted her back. "Well, that was a nasty fall, you still seem quite shaken up. You'd better go back to your room, you have a big trip tomorrow. I'll make sure that some railings are put up soon so no one else will fall."

Watching her retreating form, Draco wondered why she didn't pull out her wand during her fall. Perhaps she was too scared to think of it at the time.

Trudging back to her room in the servants quarters, Ginny plopped herself upon her bed and sighed. She would have to go through with it; she would have to go to New York and she promised herself to think of Harry everyday. She wanted to write to him, but his personal secretaries took care of all his mail for him. Ginny didn't feel like sending a letter by owl post all across the Atlantic just to have it read by some middle-aged witch who handled his social calendar.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Ginny found New York to be a fascinating place. The hustle and bustle of the city was unlike her days at Malfoy Manor or Hogwarts. She started off as an errand person at the paper and soon was writing obituaries and wedding announcements.

Her mentor and the Editor-in-Chief, Severus Snape, felt an obligation to look after Ginny since he was such good friends with Draco and knew Lucius well before he passed away. Draco had asked Severus to help the girl with her career and make sure she was all right.

Ginny and her mentor would meet once a week for lunch to discuss how she was settling in, how her assignments were going, how she could improve her writing skills, interview techniques, and helped her plan her long term career goals.

A year after Ginny arrived in New York, she received a letter from her father.

Dear Ginny,

I hope living on Dutch Street is going well for you. From what you've told me through your letters, it sounds very similar to Diagon Alley but much newer.

There will be a party next week to announce the engagement of Harry to Miss Cho Chang. I do hope he doesn't wait until the day of the wedding to break it off this time. Your mother was not pleased that the wedding cake she labored over wound up in the dustbin.

I know I should have told you earlier about this, but I figured you had more important things in your life to concentrate on.

Your mother, Ron and I are very proud to learn you have been promoted to events calendar reporter. I am sure you are doing your best to strive for all that your mother and I hoped you would achieve if given the chance.

Please do not obsess over Harry's engagement. It is all for the best. Perhaps Miss Chang can bring some maturity to him that he sorely lacks.

All our love,

Dad, Mum and Ron

That night Ginny wept tears of longing. Harry was going to be married. He would never hold Ginny in his arms and look at her in the way she wanted. Silently, she hoped he would back out of the wedding and wait for her, but she knew that she was being a silly girl. Still, her heart could not let go, it wouldn't.

Looking up at a large photograph of Harry, she saw him wink cheekily at her as he ran a hand through his untamable black locks. This sight sent Ginny into a fresh wave of sobbing.

The next day during her lunch with Severus, he noticed that she was not her usual self.

"You seem distracted, Ginny. Is everything all right?" he asked in a fatherly tone.

"Yes, well...no. I got a letter from my father yesterday," she trailed off, her voice despondent.

"I hope it's not bad news. Nothing wrong back home, is there?"

Ginny sighed and left her hands limply folded in her lap. Severus became worried, there was always something a bit melancholy about her, as if she left a piece of her heart back home, but he always figured it was homesickness as she was only eighteen.

"My father wrote to me that someone is getting married," Ginny replied with a detached look.

"Why, that sounds like good news. You don't sound very happy."

Ginny felt guilty about this. She wanted Harry to be happy, but only happy with her. Playing with the spoon in her coffee, she replied, "I just always hoped Harry would..."

Severus immediately understood. She was mooning over Harry Potter, president of Malfoy Industries though he never spent a day in the office, playboy, womanizer, prince of the British wizard social scene. He had heard all about Harry from his correspondence with Lucius and especially Draco now that Harry was older.

"My dear, if Harry doesn't see you for the person you are, then that's his problem. Unrequited love is difficult, but when someone doesn't appreciate what is before them, then they don't deserve it. I recommend you put Harry behind you and discover yourself. I can tell you've been holding back with your work. I think that Harry has been a distraction and you need to find your own voice, your own identity. Go make new friends, take long walks, think about yourself and not Harry."

Ginny knew that she defined herself through her love for Harry. What would Harry like, what would Harry think of this, what would Harry do? Now was the time for her to know what she would want, what she would do or think. Harry was an anchor around her heart and she needed to cast him aside from her thoughts to sail into the ocean of self-discovery.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Over the next two years many things happened. Harry broke off his engagement to Cho Chang a month before the wedding, claiming he still needed to find himself, then had a messy affair with the Minister of Magic's youngest daughter who was just this side of the age of consent. Meanwhile, Ginny rose up through the ranks and became a business reporter for the New York Oracle.

Ginny was out on a casual date with a male friend of hers a week before she was due to return home to Malfoy Manor. She had begun casually dating men a year ago, convinced that she finally put Harry behind her, but knew she wasn't entirely over him. Every time her dates would try to get her into the bedroom, she would balk saying that she wasn't ready to take things that far.

After several failed short relationships, she consigned herself to casual dating only consisting of dinner, a little snogging and nothing more. So when dinner ended and Ginny's date offered to walk her back to her apartment, Ginny declined. There would be only a few more nights in New York where she could walk the streets and clear her mind, so she decided to walk home alone that night.

In the three years she spent in New York, Severus helped guide her to becoming the confident and self-assured person that she was. He also helped make her the best business reporter this side of the pond. Ginny hoped that she would be as strong with her heart as she had been with her mind and finally get over Harry, but she still longed for him with the crushing angst of a schoolgirl.

~_~_~_~_~_~

SATURDAY

Dear Dad,

I hope owl post arrives before I come back to London. I'll be Flooing in at the International hub at the Ministry. If you have a hard time spotting me, it's because I'll be wearing Muggle clothes I bought in New York and my hair will be cut short, something I'm sure you'd never expect.

I hope to see you when I arrive Wednesday at one o'clock. If you're not there by fifteen after, I'll get myself home.

All my love to everyone,

Ginny

Ginny arrived at the Ministry via Floo at one o'clock with her trunks in tow, charmed with a levitating spell. She wore a tailored forest green suit that hugged her twenty year old body. The skirt was slim and fell to just above her ankles with a slit up the back. Her hair was short indeed, for it made her look a little older than her actual age. She wore a pair of Evan Picone heels that accentuated her long and lean legs.

She had given up wearing robes and cloaks during her three years in New York as no one there wore them; all the American witches and wizards had adopted Muggle clothes long ago. So when she emerged from the Floo Network, many eyes fell upon her. She stuck out, as she wasn't rearing any cloak or robe. Most of the eyes on her were from wizards who wondered who the sensuous creature that had just arrived was.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Harry had just come back from a six-day weekend in Ibiza to get some sun before his engagement party tomorrow night. He was going to be marrying Hermione Granger, a very respectable, very bright witch whose parents just happened to own the largest Apothecary supply company in Europe and the United Kingdom.

Walking through the arrival area, he was about head over to the Leaky Cauldron for a shot or two of Firewhisky before heading home to face Narcissa and Draco when someone caught his eye. Standing near the exit, he saw the back view of a tall, elegant woman in a dark green suit and short, but very sexy, red hair. She must have been a Muggle or was a witch who worked with Muggles because she wasn't wearing any robes or a cloak.

Harry was glad she wasn't wearing either of those garments for he was allowed a view of her slender and voluptuous form in a suit that showed off every wonderful aspect of her body. He stared at her bottom, the curve of her hips, the allure of her legs that seemed to go on forever. Harry dated a few supermodel witches, but none of them looked this good from behind. She was thin, but not like the anorexic sticks he dated before.

Hoping to see if her face was as beautiful as the rest of her body, he approached her. She seemed to be waiting for someone to pick her up. If Harry played his cards right, maybe he could take her home to her place.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Harry inquired politely.

When she whipped her head around, he was greeted by flashing amber eyes that made his breath hitch and an instant smile that made his heart skip two beats. She was prettier than he could have imagined.

"Harry!" Ginny greeted him, placing a gentle hand on his forearm.

Harry's face froze. 'Do I know her? She seems to know me. Did I take her out on a date once? She looks familiar, maybe she's the daughter on one of mother's friends. Think fast Harry.'

"Uh...hi! Can you refresh my memory, I seem to have forgotten your name. Why I would ever forget anyone as beautiful as you is beyond my comprehension," he replied with a quick recovery.

Ginny grinned broadly at him, flashing him a warmer smile. She was going to have fun with this. Harry was looking at her like she had longed for all these years and now he didn't know who she was. She would enjoy this for as long as it would last.

"You don't remember me, do you?" she lightly teased him through lowered lashes.

Harry gulped and then said, "There is something very familiar about you and yet I know I should recognize anyone who looks like you. I can't seem to remember your name."

Looking down at her trunks he quickly said, "You seem to be waiting for someone, but it appears that your friend is late. Can I help you to the nearest local Floo Network?"

Ginny finally had her knight. He was going to be chivalrous and help her with her luggage. "But of course. I would love it if you kept me company along the way," she purred demurely.

'Score, Harry! Let's just hope Hermione doesn't hear about this.'

Walking along the streets towards the Leaky Caldron, Harry charmed Ginny's trunks to follow them.

Harry asked, "So what is your name?"

"Nope, I'm not telling you, yet."

"Well," Harry searched in his mind, "your accent says you're from here, but your clothes look Muggle and not from here."

"I was in New York for three years," Ginny replied with a sidelong glance at Harry. "They wear Muggle clothes there and don't bother with cloaks or robes."

"Ah, well then can you tell me what your family does?" Harry was sure she came from money. She had confidence and poise like many of the witches from the finest families. Surely if he could find out what her father did he could deduce who she was.

"Let's just say my father is involved with transportation," Ginny answered. 'Let's see what you can do with that, Harry.'

Snapping his finger, he exclaimed, "I've got it. Longbottom, broom manufacturing."

Ginny shook her head and laughed as they walked. "No, I'm the wrong gender. Try again, but you're on the right track." She didn't tell Harry that her father took care of his broomsticks.

Harry had forgotten that Neville was an only child.

"Let's see, Floo Powder, you're Clearwater's daughter," he said hoping he was close.

Ginny continued to shake her head and laugh. Seeing her like this made Harry's head swim. She was just so damn alluring.

"Well, here we are," Ginny stated.

They were standing in front of a fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron. It was now or never; Harry wanted to know who she was.

"Can I at least have your Floo address so I can call on you sometime?" he asked, his eyes almost pleading. Ginny wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him like there was no tomorrow, but she would much rather see the look on his face when he realized who she was.

Reaching up and grabbing a handful of Floo Powder after throwing a few sickles into the tin, Ginny enunciated clearly, "Malfoy Manor."

Harry's face froze. "But that's my Floo Address," he weakly muttered.

Ginny turned and faced him with a beaming smile. "I know."

She stepped through the fire and soon found herself in familiar territory.

"I'm home," Ginny called through the hallway.

Harry followed her very shortly looking very perplexed and confused with her luggage in tow.

Draco stepped out of the study a few doors down from the fireplace and was walking to the parlor.

Walking toward her, Draco stopped and casually greeted her. "Hello, Ginny. Glad to see you made it back safely, and you're looking very elegant. How was New York?" he asked as if she left just a three hours ago instead of three years.

"Thank you, Draco. New York was wonderful. Glad to see you're doing well," Ginny politely replied.

"Ginny?" Harry gaped, looking like a fish pulled from the deepest part of the ocean.

"Yes, Harry. Ginny has come back home," Draco answered him, slightly vexed at Harry's confusion.

"Ginny?" Harry asked again, certain that this wasn't the same gawky girl who hid behind corners and wore pigtails and bruises on her knees.

"Yes, Harry?" Ginny toyed with him.

"Ginny?" he sputtered again.

Looking down his long nose at his adopted brother, Draco sneered, "Yes, Harry. This is Ginny, Arthur and Molly's daughter, Ron's sister. Do I need to call the healer or will this bout of amnesia pass shortly?"

Harry shook his head to clear the cobwebs out and blinked hard. Trying to regain his composure, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and said, "Uh, listen, there's going to be a party here tomorrow night and I was wondering, maybe if you're not too busy...would you like to come?"

Smiling broadly at Harry again, Ginny raised a hand to his cheek and said, "I would love to come."

A rabble of voices came from the kitchens and most of the servant staff came charging up the hallway. At the head of the pack was Ron.

Running at full speed, Ron picked up his little sister and swung her about. "Oh Gin, it's so good to have you back."

Ginny planted a big kiss on her brother's cheek. "Oh Ron, I've missed you and Mum and Dad. It's so good to be home again."

Ron levitated up the biggest trunk and Arthur charmed the two smaller ones while Molly had her arm about her daughter. The butler and other servants were asking Ginny several questions as they all walked back to the kitchens.

Harry watched her walk back to the kitchens with the staff, still amazed that that red headed siren was Ginny Weasley. When she disappeared behind the doors, he caught Draco looking at him sternly.

"What?" Harry said defensively.

Draco hardened his glare. "Don't even think about it, Harry." He then turned in a swirl of black robes to continue walking to the parlor.

Harry shrugged and whistled while walking out to the Quidditch pitch to fly for a few hours.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Ginny was smiling with satisfaction that Harry finally saw her the way she had always dreamed about. With a little infatuation and a lot of lust. Pulling her clothes out of her trunks, Ginny began hanging them up.

Arthur was eyeing his daughter with a cautious look. "You know he's engaged, Ginny. The party tomorrow night is Harry's engagement party. I didn't want to tell you, because you would find out when you got back."

Ginny spun around with a dress held up to her. "Oh, I know Dad. But he did ask me and I've always wanted to go to one of their parties." The dress was in midnight blue and hung to the floor. "Besides, Harry's not married yet," she said offhandedly.

"I don't like this a bit," snapped her father. "He is our employer and we are servants."

"I'm not a servant, Dad," Ginny replied.

"No, but you've grown up living in the servant's quarters. We are not the same station as they are and don't you forget it. You are reaching for the moon, Ginny. I don't want you to fall and get hurt."

"On the contrary, the moon is reaching for me," she sighed and swirled with her dress still held against her.

Arthur looked at the dress in her hands. He hoped she wasn't planning on wearing that tomorrow night, it didn't look like it had enough fabric to cover her properly.

~_~_~_~_~_~

SUNDAY

It was another party at Malfoy Manor. Hundreds of guests arrived by Floo and by carriage. The back terrace was filled with witches and wizards in their best robes mingling about the grounds lit by torches and enchanted floating glass globes that cast a soft light.

There was a twenty-piece orchestra playing big band music in front of a large dance floor. Couples swayed to the music and one particular couple were the guests of honor.

Harry was dancing with Hermione who looked beautiful as always. He initially fell for her because of her looks, but found that she had a keen mind that kept him on a steady course. She was good for him, keeping him on the straight and narrow that had eluded him for so long. She truly was a fantastic catch of a witch and he was lucky to be marrying her.

From beyond the edge of the dance floor, Ginny emerged. She was a beacon of light in the stuffiness of the crowd. She wore no robes, just a midnight blue silk charmeuse dress with a halter neckline. Her creamy shoulders were bare and the dress was backless, so backless it dipped below her waist. Her red hair shone like warm fire in the glow of the evening.

Harry spotted her and almost stopped dancing with his fiancée. He would have to find a distraction to cause Hermione to leave the dance floor. Spying Parvati Patil with a loosely held glass of champagne, he spun Hermione into the witch.

Parvati and Hermione both shrieked when the beverage spilled all over Hermione, ruining her smooth, charmed hair.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," Harry apologized convincingly. "And you worked so hard on your hair, dear. Parvati, do you think you could go into the house with Hermione and help her with her hair?"

The two witches nodded and headed off to the bathroom to fix the ruined hairdo.

Harry seeing that the coast was clear headed over to Ginny. Several potential dance partners were already accosting her, but she gently refusing to dance with each one of them with charm and grace. Her eyes lit up when she saw Harry approach looking more handsome than that night before she left.

He extended his hand giving her a smile so charming it would disarm an angry Mountain Troll and said, "May I have this dance?"

Ginny took his hand as he led her to the dance floor. Once they began to dance, Harry's head was swimming. Her dress was backless and he could touch the silky skin along her back. She obviously wasn't wearing a bra, but she was pert enough to get away without having to wear one with this dress. The fabric clung to her skin and showed off her body very well.

Harry was having a hard time restraining his hands from traveling farther south than her waist. He also positioned himself so his throbbing erection wasn't so evident against Ginny, at least, not yet.

Across they dance floor, Narcissa Malfoy was talking with Hermione's mother, Edwina.

"Narcissa, who's that young lady dancing with Harry?" Edwina asked with a twinge of vexation, a slight knit in her brow.

Narcissa followed Edwina's gaze and saw Harry dancing with Ginny, his hand caressing Ginny's bare back, both of them looking very ardently into each other's eyes. Mrs. Malfoy had to do her best not to look phased.

"Oh! Oh, that's Ginny, one of the servant's daughter. Harry invited her tonight. They grew up together and both attended Hogwarts, too. She's like a sister to him," she said while doing her best to dismiss any suspicions her son's future mother-in-law may have had.

"I have a brother and we never danced like that," Edwina tersely replied.

"Will you excuse me, Edwina, I think there are some guests that have arrived I haven't greeted yet."

With a swirl of robes, Narcissa went to find Draco and try to prevent certain disaster.

Draco was in the library just off of the back terrace talking with Lester Granger, president of Granger Goods Inc., the future father-in-law to Harry. In the room with the two wizards were lawyers from both companies talking about the merger of the two corporations and distribution channel arrangements.

Narcissa swept into the room and walked right up to her son. "Draco dear, I need a moment of your time. Gentlemen, if I can just borrow him for a little while," she said smiling like the great social lady that she was while pulling him by the arm, fingers clench tightly around the fabric of his sleeve.

Gently dragging him over to a window with a view of the back terrace, Narcissa whispered with a hiss in Draco's ear, "Harry's hormones are at it again. I don't feel like canceling another wedding or having him ruin this merger. Deal with this, he'll listen to you."

Narcissa was right, Harry usually listened to Draco, but not always. Hopefully this would be one time he would listen to reason and keep his zipper up.

Out on the dance floor, the couples were starting to exit the floor. The band had decided to take a fifteen-minute break. Harry and Ginny kept dancing as if the music never stopped. Ginny never wanted it to stop ever.

When they realized that the music had ceased, Harry looked into Ginny's eyes and found them receptive and inviting.

"Listen," Harry began, hoping this would lead to where he wanted, "would you like to go someplace else...private...to talk?" A smile of hope played upon his lips. Ginny wanted to kiss those lips right now, but she knew this wasn't the place.

"The Quidditch pitch in ten minutes?" She smiled back at him with a knowing look.

'Damn, she's seen what I've been up to before. At least she knows what she's getting herself into,' he slyly thought to himself.

Ginny slipped away from his grasp and walked out towards the pitch, a secret smile making her glow.

Harry considered himself a very lucky man tonight. He wondered if she was still a virgin.

Heading off towards the bar, he stuck two champagne flutes into his back robe pockets and grabbing a bottle of champagne. He didn't see Draco approach from behind.

Draco saw what Harry was up to. Shaking his head in disgust, he saw that Harry was going to take advantage of a girl's crush on him. Harry was no Malfoy despite being adopted.

Looking at the glass flutes hidden in the back of Harry's robes Draco got an idea.

"Harry, listen. Mother and I want to have a word with you," Draco said firmly as he approached his brother, a friendly arm around his shoulder.

Looking at his brother with impatience he tried to hide with a faltering grin, Harry said, "Uh, can it wait, I've got to go meet...some friends."

Draco's face was stern when he said, "No, this can't wait. Now, Harry before I put an Imperius Curse on you to get you inside."

Harry looked out towards the pitch and then figured Ginny could wait another minute or two. He had all night with her.

Narcissa saw Draco confront Harry and followed them into an empty study.

When the door closed, he rounded on Harry. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Draco was doing his best to control his rising anger.

Harry looked him innocently in the eye and said, "What are you talking about, Draco?"

Narcissa snorted and folded her arms across her chest.

A sneer curled Draco's upper lip. "Harry, don't play me for stupid. I know you're going to go meet Ginny out on the Quidditch pitch and shag her. You're going to break that poor girl's heart. And what about her family? Arthur and Molly have been faithful servants to this family for over twenty-five years. Ron is the best damn gardener this estate has had for over three centuries. Mother has finally got someone who can take care of the conservatory properly. The only reason the Grangers didn't hire him for one of their Herbology divisions was because he could stay here with his family. And now you're going to screw it up and shame them? Make them leave because the Master's brother couldn't keep his pants up?

"And what about Hermione? She's a lovely girl. You plan on screwing around on her once you're married, too? Or is this just some last minute sowing of your oats. Merlin's teeth, haven't you shagged half of the debutantes in England anyway?"

Draco was beginning to rant when Harry interrupted, "But now I know, it was meant to be Ginny and me all along. We were meant to be. All the others were mistakes, Ginny's really the girl for me."

Narcissa was the one who began the latest round of lecturing. "Just like Lavender Brown, who we had to give a special potion because someone forgot to use a contraceptive charm. There was Blaise Zabini who you left at the altar. And then there was Cho Chang, who you had the decency to call off the wedding a month before hand and now Hermione? That witch is the best damn thing that's ever happened to you and now you're going to throw it all away for a piece of tail who you have ignored these many years. Harry, I am so disappointed in you, I don't know where to begin."

Draco stepped in. "Mother, let's just calm down and talk about this like adults. We shouldn't scream at Harry."

'Let's do it now,' Draco thought.

"Harry, have a seat, let's talk a little and then we'll let you go," Draco said with a sweeping motion at the Bergère chair.

"All right. But no more screaming," Harry said and then sat down on the glass flutes.

"AAAAAAACCKKK!"

"What's the matter?!?" Narcissa said running over to Harry.

"Glasses...(whimper)...I sat on glass...(mrphmphraaahh)..." Harry gritted out while writhing in pain.

Draco tried not to smile. Harry had deserved it. Taking control of the situation, he said, "Mother, I think Madam Pomfrey is still here. You'll probably find her near the buffet."

Narcissa quickly exited the room in search of the family healer.

Draco helped lift him up. Squirming and stricken with pain, Harry was led to the couch and onto his stomach.

Narcissa returned with Madam Pomfrey who did a Mobilicorpus to move Harry up to his bedroom. Before she took Harry out of the study, Draco took her aside and instructed her to take her time healing Harry and keep him heavily sedated with a sleeping potion for the next week. Madam Pomfrey assured Draco that Harry would be well by morning, but Draco insisted it was for Harry's own good.

With Harry out of the way, Draco picked up the champagne bottle and two new glass flutes before heading off to the Quidditch pitch to meet with Ginny.

When he got there, he stood for a while and watched her. She was a vision of loveliness. A long slender figure bathed in the light of the golden moon that hung low in the sky, her skin was luminous and calling to him to touch it. He saw the moonlight cast shadows on her back and he relished the sight of the arch in her lower back, the gentle curve of it, and the lovely ridges of her shoulder blades. Perhaps if he wasn't seven years her senior, maybe if he didn't have an empire to run, maybe if there was room in his sealed off heart he would take her away from Harry and give her the respect she deserved. But she deserved someone who would not place her second in their life, especially second to a business.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Standing out in the middle of the pitch, Ginny let the warm summer air graze her back. She imagined that soon it would be Harry's hands grazing her back and other parts of her body.

Looking up at the stars that decorated the night sky and the waning gibbous moon rising in the east, Ginny didn't notice Draco walking up to her from behind. When she did notice someone standing behind her she thought it was Harry.

Spinning around, she closed her eyes before she saw his face and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss.

Before Draco could speak, Ginny turned and caught him in an unexpected kiss. He hoped she saw that it was him and not Harry who was standing there with her arms wrapped around him, but when her mouth pressed against his, he couldn't fight it. She was sunshine and roses, strawberries and cream, warmth and passion, a surrendering woman in his arms who begged for his tongue with her own. Her mouth was too inviting to ignore and protest against. All thoughts of informing her of Harry's unfortunate accident escaped his mind and he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her in, deepening the kiss. He almost dropped the glasses and champagne he still had in his one hand.

She stirred long suppressed feeling in him with her kiss, her hands running through his hair sending a chill racing along his spine and out to his extremities and the gentle moans from the back of her throat sent his head into a bottomless spin. Her skin was softer than he ever could imagine and he trailed his free hand along her back and felt her arch her body into his, pressing her breasts covered with only a thin layer of silk into his chest. If he didn't stop now, he would be just as bad as Harry and lose his self-control with her.

Harry seemed taller than she remembered from dancing with him that evening, but she figured she must have been standing in a depression in the grass. When Ginny's lips met his, she melted into his arms. His lips were softer than she imagined they would be from the many fantasies she had about him. Running one hand up to his hair, it was soft and not coarser as she thought it might feel like, so silky and she wanted to run her fingers through it all night long. Her other hand was grasping the back of his neck pulling him into the kiss and when her tongue met his, it was ambrosial, warm, inviting, deliriously delicious. The way his tongue slowly danced with hers made her moan and he pulled her in deeper, she could feel herself wanting him so intensely that she felt a throbbing growing between her legs. And when he ran a soft and gentle hand up her back, that was her undoing. She had saved herself for him and tonight she would give herself to him completely.

Draco pulled back and saw that her eyes were still closed. She was angelic with the moonlight on her eyelids and cheeks, her mouth looked like an opening bloom of a rose. If he were a cad, if he were Harry, he would have kissed her again before she opened her eyes. She had surprised him in more ways than one, but she had to be told.

When Ginny's eyes finally fluttered open, she was not met with the green eyes and raven hair she expected to see, but silver eyes that matched the moonlight on his face and hair.

Gasping, Ginny pulled back and placed a hand to her mouth in embarrassment and shock. She couldn't look at Draco. The only other time she had ever been that close to him was when he saved her from her suicide jump. As much as his arms were strong and protective, he wasn't Harry. Once again, it was not her knight who had come to her, but Draco.

"I'm sorry if I surprised you, Ginny. I should have announced my arrival sooner. It seems you have found a much safer place to view the stars from. Not many ledges on a pitch to fall from, is there?" Draco said, a hint of apology and humor mixed with dryness.

"I thought ...I thought you were Harry," she stammered.

"For a moment, I was beginning to wish I was Harry," he lightly teased her.

Ginny shot him a look of mortification.

"I'm sorry, I've embarrassed you," he sincerely apologized. "I've come with a message from Harry. He was unable to keep his appointment with you. He sends his regards, but it seems you have already have gotten them."

Ginny straightened herself up and placed her arms at her sides. Tipping her head up to look at Draco with as much dignity she could muster, she said, "I'm sure you came out here to deal with me. To tell me that Harry is engaged and that I am an inconvenience to everyone."

Draco admired her, she was strong in the face of what seemed like a very unsettling situation. Smiling with slight amusement, Draco responded, "Deal with you?"

"Yes, like some Muggle movie where the son of a prominent family falls for the lower class working girl," she began to explain, turning away from him to walk in a semi circle. He saw the moonlight on her shoulders, but tore his gaze away to look her in the eye instead, which was just as alluring. "They send the head of the family to deal with her. They offer her fifty thousand dollars to walk away and never see him again. 'No,' she says. 'A hundred thousand' they say, 'No' she says."

"Two hundred thousand," Draco added.

"No," said Ginny continuing the script.

"Five hundred thousand dollars."

"No," her reply more serious.

"Five hundred thousand galleons."

Ginny stopped strolling and snapped her head at Draco. His face was unreadable in the moonlight, blank except for his grey eyes that were like beacons of mercury.

"No. How did galleons ever get into this movie?" she asked with uneasiness.

"No self respecting girl would accept dollars," he said, his face still stoic.

"And no self respecting witch would accept galleons," she coldly answered.

"Good girl," he smiled approvingly at her. She would not be bought like the many others before her, entrapped by Harry's weakness, short attention span and lack of forethought.

"So, where is Harry?" Ginny asked, curious as to why she was standing here with Draco and not the man of her dreams.

"He has had a small accident. Bad break," Draco chuckled realizing his own pun.

Ginny's eyes flashed with worried concern. "He's all right, is he? Should I go to him?"

"No, no, Madam Pomfrey is taking care of him right now, but he'll be out for a few days while he recovers. You're a lovely girl Ginny. I don't want to see Harry take advantage of you," he said with a hint of bitter sadness.

"Harry would not have been taking advantage of me tonight if he was here. I know what we would have done and I would have done so willingly. I love him and I saved myself for him. He's all I ever wanted," Ginny asserted.

"Then you're a fool for loving him. You'd be this week's flavor and then where would you be when he dumps you in time for the wedding? You're too special a woman to be throwing your love and virginity at someone who wouldn't appreciate it and cherish it like it should be," Draco growled angrily.

He could feel his heart race. He didn't know why he was getting so upset. Perhaps he was sick of cleaning up Harry's messes, but a small part of him did it out of concern for Ginny. He liked her, always had, but she shouldn't be treated like all of Harry's other peccadilloes, she was just too precious for casual liaisons.

With the assurance of a woman who would stand her ground, Ginny said, "I don't care. If all I have is a week with Harry, then that's enough to last me a lifetime."

Draco snapped, he wanted to tell her Harry didn't deserve her, that Harry would never be good enough for her, but all he could do was grab her by the arms and gaze angrily into her eyes. "You should care. You deserve more than what he could ever give you."

Releasing her from his grasp, he turned and stormed off back towards the manor leaving Ginny shivering in the night air. The absence of his body next to hers made her realize just how cool the night had become.

She stood there confused as to why Draco should care so much; she was a grown woman capable of making these sorts of decisions. She knew what her heart wanted, but something in the way Draco spoke to her made have second thoughts. Ginny was sure it was her disappointment that Harry couldn't be there that was causing the growing doubt in her mind.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Draco threw himself into a chair in the empty study where Harry injured himself earlier. The party was winding down and he already had to explain to Hermione that her fiancé didn't see the glasses on the chair when he sat down. He assured her that she should continue with her plans to travel for the next week and that Harry will be as good as new when she returned.

Sipping on some brandy, he found he didn't have the stomach for alcohol at the moment. In a fit of frustration from the agitated thoughts that plagued his mind, Draco threw the snifter at the fireplace with a vengeance. The glass shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, pieces he didn't have to clean up this time.

How was he going to have Harry carry forward and marry Hermione and not run off with Ginny, only to leave her broken and lost? How was he going to ensure the Granger merger went forward? In a cold, calculating move he figured that it would be better if he broke her heart and not Harry.

The wedding would proceed as planned, the merger would happen and he would set Ginny up with a comfortable lifestyle in the city of her choosing. She would recover from Draco much easier than she could recover from Harry. Harry was her heaven and earth, Draco was a cold man with a heart of stone and a business to run. He would at least leave her virginity for some man who would not abuse such a gift of intimacy like Harry would.

Tomorrow he would start to woo Ginny, keeping her away from Harry and hopefully change her heart enough to begin to see him in a different light so that when he would break her, it would be gentle enough that she would recover. As much as he loathed the idea of setting her up to compensate for her pains, it was the least he could do. The whole situation cheapened her and she was anything but cheap.

~_~_~_~_~_~

MONDAY

When he rose the next morning, Draco dressed quickly and apparated to the office first thing. He skipped breakfast and decided he would eat something later at the office if he were going to pull this off. He just hoped his secretary, Minerva, was already there when he arrived.

Minerva was the perfect secretary. She was organized, punctual, efficient, and knew everything a good secretary should and more. She was the best and he paid her well to keep her on despite the approach of her retirement years. Minerva loved the work, she knew she was needed to help Mr. Malfoy run the ship. She was his first mate.

Storming through the halls, he walked past her desk and barked at her to follow him into his office.

Minerva knew that things were never well when he was like this. Grabbing his morning tea and croissant, a roll of parchment, and an ever-inked quill, she entered his office.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. I trust the party went well last night?" she began with pleasantries, hoping this would shed some light on his mood.

Instead of answering her immediately, he glared pensively at a charmed paperweight of a hummingbird that was forever trapped in a cycle of birth, growth and reversal.

"Minerva, I need you to owl everyone on the Granger merger. There's been a snag. Tell them that there's a glitch with the paperwork, the Ministry is delaying their review of the merger, owl post has gone haywire, anything. You're creative. I need a week. Harry has screwed things up and I need to set things straight. Clear my calendar for the next week. No appointments. If anyone wants to talk to me about the merger, send them to the lawyers, that'll bog them down for a while."

After a bit more time lost in thought, Draco finally pulled his face away from his templed fingers and said, "I need you to also set up the villa in Florence for tonight. Flowers, wine, you name it, whatever Harry does when he drags someone off there. Everything. Ask his secretary for details. I'll need a Portkey for Miss Weasley and me for six o'clock tonight."

Minerva raised a questioning brow at this statement. Mr. Malfoy never romanced women, he never had time for it and now just before the merger he was going to run off with a girl for the evening. Harry must have really buggered things up badly for it to come to this.

After another moment, Draco waved his hand and said dismissively, "That's all. If you need me, I'll be home. Owl me at the manor."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

He apparated back home with a pop.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Ginny ate breakfast with the staff. They had all seen Ginny at the party and were asking her questions about Harry. Most of them rooted for her knowing she had always wanted her affections returned from the dark haired wizard.

She did not tell them about her encounter with Draco on the Quidditch pitch. It was still too confusing and too embarrassing to relate.

After breakfast, she hurried up to Harry's room to check on him. She had heard about how he sat on some glass flutes and felt bad that he suffered because of her. If it weren't for their rendezvous, he wouldn't be asleep while his injuries healed.

She stroked his hair out of his face and noticed the difference between his hair and Draco's. His was much thicker and coarser, not the luxurious strands that slipped through her fingers last night that felt like silk.

Ginny looked longingly at his features, his nose, his mouth which she still had yet to kiss, his cheeks shadowed by his morning stubble. His best feature, his eyes, were hidden behind closed lids.

She wished he were awake, but was told it would be best if he were left to sleep while he recovered. They had removed the glass with an Accio spell, but there were many cuts and bruises to heal.

Leaning over, Ginny was about to give Harry a kiss on his forehead when Draco rapped his knuckles lightly on the open door.

He stood there with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the doorframe looking impassive with a hint of shyness. He had to play this smoothly.

"Madam Pomfrey says he'll be out for the next seven days. I don't think Harry would want you to spend that whole time sitting by his bedside. I feel I owe you an apology for my behavior last night, I wasn't myself," he explained.

Ginny, who looked a little flustered by his appearance, calmed herself and met his gaze. "That's all right, I'm not sure I was myself either." He wasn't bad looking at all, but Ginny never bothered to consider if Draco was attractive or not, her opinion of handsome was out cold in the bed.

Draco smiled at her gently. He hated to do this, but sometimes there were casualties. "Listen, let me make it up to you. Let me take you out to dinner tonight. I know this great little Italian place. Besides, if it weren't for the accident, Harry would probably be taking you out tonight. No point in disappointing him that you aren't having a good time. What do you say?"

Ginny bit her lip, contemplating Draco's offer. She did want to stay with Harry, but since Draco did insist on making it up to her for last night and insisted that Harry would want her to go, she agreed.

"Fine." Draco smiled at her. "Meet me in the foyer at six. It will be warm, so dress accordingly."

The rest of the day Draco spent talking with Harry's secretary, pumping her for information as to where Harry would take his women and what were the arrangements. He wanted to have a host of possibilities open to him at the spur of the moment if he was going to make Ginny fall in love with him over the next week.

At five to six, Draco descended the stairs to wait for Ginny. He didn't have to wait long. She came through the kitchen doors in a long Muggle sundress with straps over her shoulders. It reached to the tops of her ankles and flowed like petals in a summer afternoon breeze as she walked. Her shoulders were exposed again and Draco couldn't help but let his gaze land upon them before bringing his eyes back to her face.

Ginny was radiant.

Draco held out the Portkey that rested in a wooden box.

Ginny looked at him and asked, "Aren't we apparating?"

"No, it's a little out of the way place you wouldn't know. It'll be easier this way. Madame?" he said as he extended his arm in a gentlemanly manner.

Ginny took it tentatively. Draco poured the Portkey into his hands and they were pulled to Italy. When they landed, Ginny was standing on a balcony overlooking the city of Florence from atop of a hill.

She gasped as she saw the city spread before her, the rich hues of the terracotta tiled roofs glowing in the light of the sun that hung low in the sky. In the distance, she saw bell towers and church domes arching high above the skyline. Ginny had never been to Italy and always hoped it was as beautiful as she had seen in books.

Draco escorted her to a table on the balcony laden with wine, appetizers and a large, low floral arrangement.

After seating her, he sat across from her and poured her a glass of Chianti from the Malfoy family cellars.

As she swirled the red liquid in her glass before inhaling its bouquet, Draco noted how her hair and the wine had the same color in the fading light of the day. He wondered if her hair was a soft as it looked and then steeled himself against such random thoughts. This was business, not pleasure. There was nothing pleasurable about what he had planned for her by the week's end.

"So, why aren't you at the office working away on the Granger merger? I rarely ever see you since you graduated. You're always at the office," she mused.

"Well, a man has to eat and why not in the company of a charming lady?" he professed.

Ginny blushed and took a sip hoping the red of the wine against her face would hide the color in her cheek.

"Do you ever wonder if it's all worth it?" she asked.

Draco was unprepared for such a candid question. To delay his response he said, "Worth what exactly?"

"Staying at the office, living the image of the cold business man, all work and no play. I remember at Hogwarts you never had a social life. It was all study, study, study, work, work, work. At least from what Harry had told me," Ginny clarified.

"Well, I did receive top O.W.L.s and top N.E.W.T.s. My father trusted me enough to leave the family business in my hands when he passed away and I was only twenty. That's a lot of responsibility for one so young, but I took it. If my social life has suffered, then so be it. I have a business to run, someone has to do it. But..." He paused for dramatic effect, hoping to lure her into more questions while looking reflectively out over the view spread before them. "Never mind."

Ginny looked at him over the top of her wineglass. Draco fought with himself to keep his wits about him. She was having an effect on him and she didn't even know it. Ginny wasn't even trying to flirt and yet he was drawn to her.

"Don't you get lonely?" she asked with more hushed tones.

"I suppose I do," he sighed slightly, "but I try not to dwell on it. Or maybe it's because I haven't found the right person to make me consider how empty my life feels at times." Draco took a large sip of wine. He had felt that way, but he didn't like to admit it to himself, much less another person, especially not to someone who he would eventually hurt. But he had to draw her in and get her mind off of Harry long enough to make her think of him with some affection.

Ginny silently chastised herself for making him feel uncomfortable. She was his guest at this lovely place and she knew she touched upon a very private and tender spot for Draco. Yet she felt her heart go out to him. There was no one to understand him, to be his friend, to listen to him, to be there for him who wasn't paid staff or a servant.

"What do you like to do for fun, Draco?" Ginny inquired, hoping to lighten the mood.

A sly smile crept upon his face. "It's been so long, I almost forgotten. But I remember I had fun playing Quidditch. That was fun."

"I remember, you were Seeker for Slytherin," she commented.

"You didn't go to Hogwarts until the year after I graduated." He smiled at her, pleased that she remembered.

"Yes, but when you won the Quidditch cup that first year you made the team, your father was so proud of you. Said you always went for your goals and reached them. The only Seeker who ever bested you was Harry, no other Seeker besides him could hold a candle to you. I guess Harry was just a natural born Seeker."

Draco remembered how in his last five years at Hogwarts Harry beat him to the Snitch every time. Even though Harry was two years younger than him, he flew like someone who was much more experienced than him.

Wanting to get off the subject of Harry, Draco asked, "And what do you do for fun, Ginny?'

"Ah, well I was a Chaser for Gryffindor, so Quidditch is my idea of fun, too. Though in New York, you can't exactly fly your broom in through Central Park. Not unless you want to pay a hefty fine from the Department of Magic Regulations. So I had to wait until I could make the rare trip out to the country, like Vermont."

"Tell me about New York and Vermont," Draco asked, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the table, chin on the back of his hands.

His grey eyes took on a surreal silver and gold cast as the last rays of the sun peeked over the western hills of the city. Ginny found his eyes unusually beautiful and was momentarily lost in their startling hue.

She told him about spring in Central Park, the streets in which it was best to walk when it was raining, the thousands of things you can do at three in the morning, the pizza joints, and the taxis. She spoke about the mountains of Vermont and how flying amongst the trees during their fall show of colors was beyond beautiful, it was breathtaking. She recounted tales about how witches and wizards blend in seamlessly with Muggles, of Dutch Street and the shops there, of her work at the New York Oracle and her desire to be a reporter for The Daily Prophet.

Upon the mention of her work as a reporter Draco said, "The Daily Prophet has been after me for the past seven years for an interview, ever since I took over. Maybe if you were the one to interview me, I would agree to one."

A slight smile played upon his lips. He had meant it and he kicked himself mentally for meaning it. However, it was still all part of his plan. Maybe under different circumstances he might let himself flirt with Ginny more openly, but that would be too cruel.

Ginny blushed again and focused her attention on the plate of gnocchi before her.

Draco found her modesty to be a change from the many girls Harry had brought to the house over the years, none so poised and delightful as her.

During the evening, they talked of many things. It had been a long time since Draco had anyone to converse with. Not about the business or the merger, not about potions and marketing, but about everything else that makes up life. Favorite memories and silly notions one had as a child. It had been too long since he had thought about those things and found himself regretting that the evening had to come to an end. They had dined over the last four hours, leisurely supping on several courses before finishing their meal with some gelatti.

When it came time to return to Malfoy Manor, Ginny stood next to Draco and took his arm. He was surprised until he realized she needed to hold on to him while he pulled out the Portkey.

Once they were back in the foyer, Ginny let her hand remain on Draco's arm a little while longer. Draco tenderly pulled her hand off his arm and held it in his for a moment.

Ginny looked at his hands. They were long and elegant, slender fingers that tapered beautifully, soft skin with a few calluses from riding a broom every so often. They had felt so wonderful on her the night before and she tried to push the thought of that kiss from her mind. But when she looked up from his hand still holding hers, she saw his grey eyes staring into her amber ones.

She couldn't blink and she felt her breaths becoming short. If Draco leaned down to kiss her, she wasn't sure if she would protest. He smelled wonderful and the warmth of his body took the slight chill from her bare shoulders.

Drawing her hand up, he gave her a lingering kiss on the back of her hand while keeping his eyes locked with hers. Before Ginny realized it, Draco had swept up the stairs towards his rooms.

It took a moment for Ginny to shake this feeling of uncertainty in her. Draco took her to dinner, nothing more. He was just keeping her company until Harry was better, nothing more.

As Ginny climbed the stairs to check in on Harry, her brow knit from her consternation about Draco.

Once in Harry's room, things seemed a little clearer, but not by much.

Harry was still asleep, a rivulet of drool running from his mouth onto his pillows. Ginny grabbed a tissue and blotted it. Looking at Harry's hands, she picked his right hand up and looked at it.

They were well manicured, but not as large as Draco's, not the same sort of grace in the taper and shape. But they were hands she wished that touched her more the night before. Instead of remembering Harry's hands on her while they danced, she remembered Draco's hand trailing up her back and causing her to shiver and want him. The way her back arched and felt the rubbing of the silk against her nipples pressing into his chest.

Ginny put Harry's hand down gently and quickly left the room.

~_~_~_~_~_~

TUESDAY

The next morning Ginny found a note waiting for her in the kitchen inviting her for lunch with Draco. If she was interested, she was to owl his secretary by eleven.

When Ginny arrived at the Malfoy Building that stood at the end of Diagon Alley, she looked up the façade of the building and saw the many storied structure. Looking towards the top, she figured Draco's office was probably there.

In the lobby, the guard checked her wand over before returning it to her and directing her towards an express lift to the executive floor. He had been expecting her.

When the doors opened, there was a row of desks with several witches and wizards scribbling away on rolls of parchment. A stern looking witch with a pointy hat crooked at the tip approached her and asked Ginny to follow her.

They passed several doors before coming to a set at the end of the corridor. They were large mahogany doors set with intricate carvings of famous Potions Masters. Minerva opened one of the doors and motioned for Ginny to enter.

Once Ginny was inside, the door closed with an echoing sound.

Ginny looked around the room for any sign of Draco. From a balcony of bookcases above she heard him speak.

"Ah, you're here. Are you ready?" he said with a warm smile.

She saw him descend a narrow set of spiraling steps, an old book clasped in one hand. He had a suit on that made him look taller than he actually was. His robes were of a generous cut and made of a summer weight wool. He looked every bit the businessman, a captain of industry.

Ginny felt very underdressed, but he assured her that she looked splendid. She wore three-inch heel cowboy boots, a pair of jeans that fit her thighs snuggly and a simple cotton button down shirt with the top three button undone under her robes, which she decided to wear that day. Even in such casual clothes he felt that she still looked elegant.

As they walked to the Leaky Cauldron, Draco noted that in her boots, she was just a few inches shorter than him now. She seemed shorter than the night he kissed her, perhaps it was just the boots and her jeans that made her legs look longer, though her legs did look impossibly long on the day she returned from New York in that suit and heels.

Draco had a Ploughman's lunch while Ginny ate a plateful of Scotch eggs complaining that she couldn't find any decent British food in New York. She had acquired a taste for good deli and was pining for a Ruben now that she was home.

Ginny and Draco talked all through lunch and he even ignored the clock on the wall with the hand pointing to 'go back to work.'

Strolling back to the Malfoy Building, Ginny held her hands behind her back to stop the urge to reach out for Draco's as they walked.

When they reached the front doors, Draco mentioned in passing, "I have two tickets to an event tomorrow night. I was hoping that maybe you would come with me. Are you free?"

Ginny was about to say no. She was going to say that she should stay home and keep Harry company even though he was asleep, but when she looked into his eyes she found herself agreeing before she realized it.

It was his look of warmth, of hope that she would say yes to his invitation, of those lips that smiled ever so gently at the corners. She found herself staring at his lips and her mind was thrown back to the night on the pitch, how soft they were on hers.

When she snapped out of it, he was gone.

Draco strode down the corridor to his office in great long strides, Minerva trailing him.

"Get me two tickets to the best show in town tomorrow night. Wizard, Muggle, I don't care, the best. Any price, bribe someone, resort to blackmail, just get them."

Draco slammed the doors to his office and went to find a decanter of any imbibable beverage to quell the fluttering sensation in his stomach. He thought that it might be beginnings of the flu, but another part of him knew better. She was getting to him and he had to finish this quick or he would be finished.

~_~_~_~_~_~

WEDNESDAY

Draco took Ginny to a little Spanish restaurant in Muggle London next to the theater district. After dinner, they saw a musical in which Draco didn't pay much attention, he was much too distracted looking at Ginny or thinking about the Granger merger. He did pay attention long enough to remember some of the plot points and a few of the character's names. He was not a theater man.

As he walked with her back to Diagon Alley, he noted how comfortable she looked in her Muggle clothes. He felt naked without his cloak or robes. His regular clothes passed enough for Muggle clothes that he didn't draw attention to himself, but his pants did have a discreet pocket for him to stow his wand along the outside of his thigh.

Ginny carried a purse with her, a habit she picked up from living in America, and had her wand stowed there among the tube of lipstick and pocketbook with some Muggle and wizard money.

She noticed that as they sauntered back to the Leaky Cauldron, their pace became slower and slower. Eventually it seemed like they stopped. Noticing how Draco was getting closer to her as they stood and talked, Ginny found herself uncomfortable and yet excited with anticipation.

Before he could take her hand in his, Ginny turned and continued walking back towards the Leaky Cauldron. All of a sudden, she wanted to see Harry.

Draco walked along side of her, but there was no conversation the rest of the way. He knew her thoughts were betraying Harry and straying to him, and she was trying to fight it.

Once they had Flooed back to Malfoy Manor, Ginny was about to walk away with a short thank you, but Draco grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes intently.

"Ginny, do you ever wonder if you could do things over again, you would do them differently? Or that if you could walk away and start fresh, you would? Do you think it's possible to change?" Draco asked her. He had to get things sped up.

He was looking at her with searching eyes. Ginny didn't know what he meant. She did, but she didn't want to admit it. If she did, that would be admitting she was falling for Draco. She was in love with Harry, not him. She couldn't be. A few dinners, a lunch and now he wants to turn over a new leaf in life. She couldn't accept it.

Yet when he held her hand, it felt so right. His eyes held so much in their grey depths that she couldn't help but feel her breath catch in her chest under his gaze.

"What do you mean, Draco? What is it you're asking me?"

Draco grabbed her other hand and rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs, noting how dainty and smooth they were.

"You said you found yourself in New York," Draco spoke just above a whisper. "Do you think I might find myself there? If I went there, would you come with me? Help me find that spot in Central Park where the leaves are most colorful in the fall. I wouldn't know where to go in Vermont to fly. Show me, Ginny."

Was he asking her to go away with him, was he asking her to go to New York with him?

"I'm tired of work Ginny. I've realized that I've missed out on so much. You've made me see that. I can't live the rest of my life hidden behind a desk with nothing but lawyers to talk to and an empty life without joy. Come with me, Ginny."

Ginny felt herself torn in two. Upstairs was Harry, the man she always wanted and almost had for a brief night and here was Draco who had given Ginny more in the past three days than Harry had given her in her whole life. It was too much too soon.

Something in her heart said to take the leap and go with Draco, but a part of her that still longed for Harry told her no.

Draco saw the confusion in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but felt himself hold back. He wanted to kiss her, but knew that kiss would also serve the purpose of his plan. He wanted to kiss her for no other reason than for the fact she was wonderful. She was a great conversationalist and a good listener, intelligent and funny. Damning himself, he leaned forward to kiss her.

Ginny felt his face near and was drawn against her will to look up at him. She saw his head tilt so their mouths could meet. If he kissed her, she knew there would be no turning back. The conflicting voices in her head were stilled when she felt the warmth of his breath as his lips drew close to hers. Her mouth parted slightly, ready to accept his mouth on hers when there was a sudden noise.

Standing at the top of the stairs was Harry in a bathrobe over his pajamas. He was looking down at them as they stood in the foyer. He had made a noise in the back of his throat and both heads snapped in his direction just before they were about to kiss.

"Harry," Ginny breathed meekly. Regaining her composure, Ginny pulled away from Draco and turned to face Harry. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better. When did you wake up?"

"A few hours ago. Did you have a good time tonight?" Harry asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

"Um, it's was nice." Ginny felt very uncomfortable under Harry's gaze, she felt guilty that she was almost caught kissing Draco by the man she almost gave herself to not a few nights ago. Turning to Draco, but not meeting his gaze, Ginny said, "Thank you, I'll be going now."

Ginny turned, running down the hall and through the kitchen doors.

When she was gone, Draco started to walk up the stairs to his rooms. At the top of the stairs, Harry grabbed Draco by the arm.

"You are one cold piece of business." Harry glared at him, his voice was icy. "You don't think I know what you're up to? You're going to get her away from me and then you're going to break her heart yourself. You're getting her out of the way so this merger can go through. Ginny is expendable, so you'll just take care of it like any other business glitch. What are you planning on doing? Tell her you'll meet her in New York, that you have some last minute business to wrap up, but then you never show up? How will she handle that?"

Draco looked Harry in the eye, his eyes burning with self-loathing and disgust for Harry. "She'll handle it much better than you using her like a piece of amusement. She's still a virgin. At least I'll let her leave with that. She'll get over me much easier than you. You are her brass ring. If that was snatched away from her when you dump her, it would destroy her. You'd fuck her then leave her. She deserves better than that. A heart is easier to repair than one's dignity at times."

"And paying her off to live somewhere away from me is more dignified. It's like she's a trollop you want to go away. Enough money and the problem disappears," Harry spat at him.

"This merger has to go through, it's the only way we can survive. What do you think pays for all the little mistakes you've left along the way. The broken engagements, the carelessness on your part, your lifestyle. When was the last time you stepped into the office? Do you even know where your office is? Someone has to work to make sure the money keeps flowing and if she just happens to get in the way, then I'm sorry. She'll live, but I want it to be as painless as possible."

Draco wrenched his arm from Harry's grasp and stalked off to his rooms. Once in his chambers, he immediately reached for a decanter of cognac, but the liquid reminded him of Ginny's eyes, warm amber looking into his own. Instead of pouring himself a drink, he threw it with all his might against the wall.

Certain that he would not sleep, he left his rooms and headed out to the broom shed and grabbed his broomstick. He kicked off and flew into the night. After circling the manor a few times, he noted the window in which he caught her in front of three years ago. He wondered if it really was an accident or had she really want to end her life. Did she love Harry so much that she would do that? She never told him about her painful longing for Harry, but the pieces in his head fell into place.

Annoyed that thoughts of her were creeping into his mind when he was trying to clear her from his head, he flew out over the Quidditch pitch. There in the light of the waning moon was Ginny. She couldn't sleep either. Draco figured she must be thinking of Harry and felt his anger rising even more.

He put on a burst of speed and flew out towards the coast. He would make it there in an hour and set down on the sand to watch the waves. That would clear his mind for sure, then he could think clearly.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Ginny left Draco and Harry standing in the foyer and ran as fast as she could to get away from both of them. She couldn't think clearly, not with both of them there.

Instead of going to her room, Ginny found herself wandering out to the Quidditch pitch. Before she knew it, she was standing in the same spot where it all began.

She kissed Draco by mistake. He didn't pull back, instead he kissed her more deeply and the things she felt when he touched her were beyond comprehension. He tasted like she hoped Harry would taste, but did she still want Harry? Ginny knew Draco was right, she deserved better, but Harry was all she ever wanted. Was it enough anymore? Could something brief with him satisfy her or would she be left with nothing inside, her one and only wish fulfilled and left cast aside an empty shell.

If she had Harry, what more was there to want. For so long she focused on Harry, she never thought about what would happen afterwards. She had found herself in New York, but now that she was back home, she didn't know who she was anymore.

Ginny closed her eyes and her mind went back to the kiss she and Draco shared on the same spot where she stood. It had felt so right and so fulfilling. Did he really mean it when he said he wanted to discover all that he had been missing out on in his life? Should she go with him?

After another hour in the dark of night, alone with her thoughts, Ginny walked back to her rooms and slept restlessly.

~_~_~_~_~_~

THURSDAY

Arthur handed Ginny a letter at the breakfast table. Under her father's gaze she opened it and read it with a somber expression. Draco wanted to see her at lunch; she was to come to his office that morning. The reason for his request wasn't stated, but she had a feeling it was about what they talked about last night.

"Ginny, dear," her father started, "You've been seeing Master Malfoy for the past four days."

'Has it only been four days? Why does it seem like I've known him for longer?'

"I'm worried about you. I don't want you to do anything foolish," he continued. "I know he would never do anything improper, but I'm concerned. You're not looking well this morning. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Ginny looked at her father. How could she tell him about Draco, his employer, her mother and Ron's employer, too?

She knew that if she didn't go with Draco and no matter what happened with Harry, their jobs were secure. Draco would never hold that against them. Still, she couldn't tell her father, Ginny had yet to decide what she wanted to do.

"No father, I think it's just the time change. It's caught up with me, that's all," she lied to him.

Dressed in a long black knit dress with short sleeves, Ginny pulled her cloak about her shoulders and Flooed directly to the lobby of the Malfoy Building.

When she arrived at the top floor, Minerva was expecting her. She ushered Ginny into Draco's office.

"Your reservations for you and Miss Weasley to Floo international to New York tomorrow have been prepared. The penthouse on Dutch Street has been arranged. Is there anything else, Mr. Malfoy?" Minerva said crisply.

"No, Minerva, thank you," came a reply from a high backed chair behind a desk, facing away from where Ginny stood.

Minerva turned and exited the room, closing the doors behind her.

The chair spun around and Ginny saw him sitting there, his fingers templed in front of him. He wasn't wearing his usual business attire, he had on a light grey jumper and dark grey trousers. He still wore his usual black robes.

Rising, he crossed the room and stood in front of Ginny, hands at his sides.

He gazed down at the top of her head. When she finally raised her face to meet his, he said gently, "You never gave me an answer last night. Will you come with me?"

Ginny couldn't believe this was happening. What about all the loose ends he would leave, Draco never left things unfinished.

"What about the Granger merger?" was all she could ask, her voice slightly quivering.

"Everything is in the hands of the lawyers now. They can handle the rest of it."

She made the leap of faith and decided that for all she had imagined she felt for Harry, she knew her feelings for Draco were real and he wanted her.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Ginny exclaimed, "Oh Draco. I can't believe it. There's so much I want to show you. I didn't know until this moment, but now I know I want to be with you too."

Draco felt her arms around his neck pulling him close to her. He hated himself more than anything else at that moment. He had made her happy and would eventually make her realize that he would never be with her. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her scent. This morning she smelled of maple syrup and lilies, it was a heady sweetness that matched her mood at that moment.

Her body was pressed against his and he felt her face moving up to kiss him. She was pulling her mouth around to meet his when he realized that he couldn't keep it up anymore. She deserved the truth, she was strong and she would handle it. But more than anything else, he couldn't stand lying to her anymore, it was shredding up whatever conscience he had left in him.

Ginny was about to kiss him, willingly and wantonly. All thoughts of Harry gone from her mind. This time she would kiss him for being Draco and not for thinking he was someone else. As she moved her mouth to meet his, she felt his hands grab her arms and gently pry them away from his neck. He was backing away from her, a look of shame upon his face.

"I'm sorry Ginny, but I can't lie to you anymore. You deserve the truth," he said hoarsely. Draco couldn't look her in the eye. "You will be going to New York by yourself. There you will find an account at the local Gringotts branch in your name, a penthouse on Dutch Street and if there is anything else you need, I would be more than happy to accommodate you. You became an inconvenience, the Granger merger was foremost in my mind and you got in the way. I'm sorry it came to this."

Draco finally looked at Ginny and his self hatred deepened. She looked shattered, but calm.

With a shaky and quiet voice she said, "You were planning on telling me that you would be along shortly claiming there was some delay and then never show up. Or maybe you just expect me to go, hoping you would be coming soon. After a time I would eventually realize that you weren't coming and then expect me to move on with my life. I see."

Ginny was too shocked to cry. Before the tears would come, she was already becoming angry with herself for falling for Draco. He was just as cold as she first suspected and worse.

"Well then," Ginny said glaring at him, her voice stronger and more confident, "I don't need your money and I don't need your penthouse. I did well enough on my own before you and I'll be just fine without you. Severus said if I ever decide to settle in New York he'd be more than happy to have me on his staff. I'll go and leave you to your money and your merger. I hope it keeps you warm at night as I guess that cold hard cash is warmer than your heart."

Without another word, Ginny spun on her heel and strode angrily out of his office, not bothering to close the doors behind her.

Once Ginny was gone and he stood there for a few minutes sick to his stomach, he realized she was right. He played her to his liking, moving her out of the way of his business dealings. He didn't know what was worse, Harry playing with women and then casting them aside, or what he'd done to Ginny. If Ginny did have Harry, then maybe she could live with herself more than what Draco had done to her.

In a fit of fury, Draco cast a dozen screaming curses around his office, pillows shredding to pieces with feathers flying, books flying apart at the bindings and paper floating everywhere.

"MINERVA!" he screamed.

His secretary ran into his office and looked at him with puzzlement to the state of his office and the look of rage on his face.

"Get Harry in here NOW! Get him here by Floo, Apparate, Accio his ass, I want him here yesterday!" he yelled at her.

She left as quickly as she arrived. A minute later Harry appeared in front of his desk with a pop.

"You owled?" Harry said with an amused smile on his lips before yawning. Looking around at his surroundings he added, "I love what you've done with the place, Draco. Let me guess, post modern pigsty."

Draco glared at him, not amused with Harry's attempts at humor.

"You're going to New York with Ginny tomorrow," Draco stated, his voice calm despite the state of his appearance. "The wedding is cancelled and so is the merger. You'd better go back home and pack, I'm sure there's a lot of things you'll want to take with you."

"It's over...just like that. You want Ginny and me to be together?" Harry asked plainly.

"She can't be alone, Harry. She needs you. Now go. I have the lawyers to contact and the Grangers, we'll have the meeting tomorrow. I'm going to be quite busy for a while. You'd better go," Draco said in a low, pain filled voice unable to look Harry in the eye as he played with the scrolls on his desk.

Harry turned and headed out the door. Just before he left, Draco asked Harry to send Minerva in. He replied, "Sure," and left.

When Harry got to Minerva's desk, he asked, "Which way is my office?"

"Two doors down on the right, Mr. Potter," she answered him politely.

"Thanks. He wants to see you now. I think you'd better brew a strong pot of tea, he's going to need it," Harry said before he walked to his long undisturbed office.

It had been over two years since Harry had stepped foot in his office. Despite the fact it was unused, it was still very clean and had a fire already burning in the fireplace.

Reaching up onto the mantle, Harry grabbed some Floo Powder and threw it into the fire.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Hermione was in the library at her home when she heard Harry calling her from the fireplace. She saw his head floating there amid the blue flames and asked if he was all better.

She was planning on seeing him later that day as she just came back that morning from traveling. Draco had told her that Harry was going to be still recovering at this time, so it surprised her to see Harry up and about.

"Hermione, I have a story to tell you and I need you to listen carefully. When I'm done, I'll need you to tell me how this story is going to end," Harry began.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Ginny spent the rest of that day wandering around Diagon Alley, looking at the window displays. Even though there were shops on Dutch Street that sold the same goods, they just didn't have the cozy feel that this place did.

Knowing it would probably be her last time in Diagon Alley, she took in the atmosphere, drinking it in as deeply as she could.

That night when she returned to Malfoy Manor, she skipped dinner and began packing her things. She had only finished getting settled back in and now she was going to go away again, this time for good.

After Ginny stowed her things in her trunks, she asked if her mother, father and Ron would meet with her in the kitchen.

Without much explanation, she told them that she was heading back to America. She felt too out of place at Malfoy Manor and England now, and would only be truly happy back in New York.

Molly cried, but assured her daughter that if that's what she truly wanted, she was willing to live with it. Ron supported Ginny and made her promise that she could come visit during Christmas every year. She promised, though a part of her knew she was probably lying to him.

Arthur knew what was happening. Somehow Ginny had gotten entangled with Harry and Draco and she was being encouraged to leave. When he got Ginny alone, Arthur confronted her about it. She told him part of the story, but assured him that Draco had offered to make sure she was not left without compensation for her troubles. She would never touch the money or set foot in the penthouse, but her father didn't need to know that.

~_~_~_~_~_~

FRIDAY

Draco knew Ginny would be Flooing out of England and his life forever at one o'clock sharp, so he set the meeting for that time. It would be too late to turn back by that point.

At the appointed hour, everyone filed into the boardroom wondering why a meeting had been called so suddenly.

Narcissa, the Grangers and lawyers from both sides were there, as well as Minerva.

Looking impatiently at his watch, Lester said, "Well, we're all here so let's get this started."

Draco looked at the clock on the wall that had a hand pointing to 'almost time.' When the hand moved to 'in a meeting,' Draco cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen and ladies. There is a problem. It involves Harry," Draco said, his hands clasped behind his back.

Edwina looked frightened. "What's the matter? He recovered from his accident, right?"

Draco looked at her, but then looked to his mother who stared impassively at him. He hadn't informed her of the latest developments.

"Harry is fine. As a matter of fact Harry is at this very moment-" but Draco was interrupted.

The doors of the boardroom flew open and there was Harry standing arm in arm with Hermione.

"-Very late, my apologies," Harry said with a confident smile. "Hermione and I had some last minute wedding details to discuss. So, care to tell me why you called a meeting Draco?"

Draco was flabbergasted at the sight of Harry standing at the other end of the long table smiling back at him. Hermione had a serene smile on her face as well.

After regaining his composure, Draco asked, "Where's Ginny?"

Lester leaned over to Edwina and quietly asked his wife, "Who is Ginny?"

"One of the servant's daughters," she whispered back.

Harry began walking along the table still holding Hermione's hand, "Probably Flooing off to New York right about now," he said coolly, while looking at his wristwatch.

"But she's all alone. How could you?" Draco ground out. He was still in shock that Harry was in that room with him and not on his way to New York.

"Funny thing happens when you take time to think about things. I came to realize that Ginny was a galleon digger. She could have had me, but when she saw you...now that was where the real money was. Why have just me, when she could have the power and the money. She probably used me just to get to you," Harry said with a big self-satisfied grin on his face. "Good thing I saw right through her."

Draco felt his blood begin to boil. Harry was accusing Ginny of being everything she wasn't. She had refused all the luxuries Draco offered her and threw them back in his face, and now Harry was condemning her for things he knew nothing about.

Before he knew what he was doing, Draco leapt over the conference table and in one swift motion punch Harry right in the face. His baser instincts kicked in and he didn't even think of using his wand. He didn't care where his fist landed, as long as there was pain and blood.

Harry staggered back and fell against the wall clutching his face, a broad grin spreading across his face as the bruise around his right cheek began to swell and color up nicely.

"You love her," Harry announced. "You love Ginny. I figured you just needed a little motivation to realize it."

Draco stood there, the color draining from his face. What had he done? He had sent her away and now he knew more than anything that he wanted to be with her. Damn the merger, damn the company, he needed her.

Harry stood back up and brushed himself off. "Minerva, are his trunks packed?"

Minerva, with a suppressed smile answered, "Yes, Mr. Potter."

Draco looked to his secretary, then to Harry, then to Hermione, who looked like she had been on the whole thing, then to his mother.

Narcissa smiled and said, "You'd better get going if you're going to catch her, dear."

Draco couldn't believe it; they had all conspired together. One last question had to be asked.

"What about the merger?"

Harry walked up to Draco and gently led him by the arm to the door. "The wedding is still going on as planned, we expect you to bring Ginny with you as your date, of course. Besides, as president I have the power to sign all the paper work."

Draco looked at him with his brow knit in confusion.

Harry continued, "Don't worry, I've read all the reports and I'll make sure the new marketing campaign goes as planned and the finance departments merge smoothly. Now go."

Looking at his trunks in the hall, Draco looked back into the boardroom and told Minerva to just send his things ahead, he couldn't be slowed down by his luggage.

With a pop, Draco was gone.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Arthur had taken Ginny to the international Floo hub at the Ministry. It was going to be the last time that he would see her for a very long time.

Ginny had dressed in the same green suit she wore when she arrived six days ago. She didn't know why she wore it; perhaps it was that this was what she was wearing when Draco saw her for the first time in the hallway. Whatever the reason, she was going back to New York.

After one last kiss on her father's cheek, Ginny walked up to the witch and handed her the ticket with her time and location imprinted on it.

The witch threw a large handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace and announced, "All travelers, one o'clock to New York. Please go through the fireplace, have a pleasant trip."

Taking one last look at her father, Ginny finally turned and stepped through the flames and back to New York. She had once found herself there and now she wanted to lose herself there.

Arthur turned and walked back to the front doors when he saw Draco Apparate on the front steps and bolt up them.

"Master Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Arthur asked.

Draco caught the site of Ginny's father and ran up to him. "Arthur, is she gone? She hasn't left yet, has she?" His face was panicked as if he had lost something.

"She's gone. Isn't that what you wanted?" his voice tinged with acid.

"I need her, Arthur...I love her. I can't let her go," Draco pleaded.

"If you love her, then go to her," Arthur said. Draco did love his daughter; he could see it in the young man's eyes. "She probably went back to her old flat, if it hadn't been rented out already. Number forty-two, apartment D. Promise you'll take care of her, sir."

Draco nodded and promised he would.

When he got to the desk, the witch told him that he would have to wait another hour for the next time slot to New York.

Each minute he had to wait was agony; each minute was another minute in which Ginny could grow to hate him more. Another minute she could lose herself in New York and he would never find her. If she wasn't at her old flat, he would swing by the New York Oracle. Severus could always help him find her.

~_~_~_~_~_~

The one high point of Ginny's day was to learn that her old apartment was still available. Her landlady, Gladys, was pleased to see her come back. She was her favorite tenant.

After piling her trunks into her empty bedroom, she made a note that she would have to buy a new bed, as she had sold all the furniture she collected over the past three years so she wouldn't have to bring them back to the manor. Whatever the situation, she would never touch that money Draco had left her. She had some savings and that would cover some kitchenware and a bed for the time.

Ginny stripped out of her suit and put on some knit pants and an old cotton T-shirt. Just as she settled down on the cold floor and was contemplating if she should order some pizza for dinner or whether she could let herself cry all night and forgo food, there was a knock at the door.

Figuring it was Gladys checking to see if she needed anything until she could head out to the nearest store for houseware, Ginny opened the door and found Draco standing out in the hallway.

Ginny couldn't believe he was there. Surely this was a hallucination or a cruel joke. Draco may have been cruel, but he wasn't a joker.

"Do you ever wonder if you could do things over again, you would do them differently? Do you think it's possible that you can accept that I've changed, Ginny?" he asked, his voice begging for forgiveness.

Ginny looked up at him and saw his eyes. They were the same eyes that drew her in and deceived her, she didn't know if she could trust him again.

"Why should I think you've changed. You lied to me the whole time, you never wanted me. You wanted me gone. Well, you got what you wanted, now go away," she said bitterly.

"The only lie I ever told you was that I was going to go to New York with you and now I'm here, Ginny." He walked up to her and grasped the upper part of her arms. "I don't know who I am anymore, but I know that my life is empty without you. Show me the things you talked about. Help me find myself. I need you, Ginny."

She pulled herself away from his grasp and walked back into her apartment. If she stayed in his grasp much longer, she knew she wouldn't hold together.

Draco followed her and walked up behind her as she stared out the window with the view of Dutch Street below.

As he walked up behind her, he saw the lights from the street below lighting up her face with an ethereal glow, looking like some pale blue faced angel.

She could feel the warmth of his body from behind. If felt so good to have him near her, but she had made the leap of faith before and now that trust was tarnished.

"How do I know you're not going to leave me, go back to Malfoy Industries, realize that this is all a big mistake," she asked in a monotonous voice.

"Because I want you more than anything I've ever wanted." His breath on her neck made her knees feel weak. "Because I realize now what a mistake it was to send you away." Ginny closed her eyes trying to steel herself against the melting of her heart. "Because I need you, Ginny." She knew if he said it, she would forgive all and be his. "Because I love you."

Draco's arms had crept up along her arms and now he was holding her. When he told her that he loved her, she spun around in his grasp and looked up at him.

Her eyes were warm, but still pained from the heartbreak he induced. Amber and chocolate and earth mingled together in her eyes, eyes he wanted to see everyday for the rest of his life.

He was so lost in her eyes that he didn't notice her mouth opening and reaching up to his. Only when her eyes fluttered close did he realize that she wanted to kiss him. It seemed forever for her lips to find his, but when they touched it was forgiveness and absolution with her mouth.

His arms wrapped around her and held her tight, holding her like she would fly away like a leaf in a hurricane. He never wanted to let her go, never.

Her lips were softer than the night they first kissed, more inviting, warmer, hungrier, this kiss was for him alone. Not for his brother, but for him. She had wanted to kiss him and did so more passionately that the night on the Quidditch pitch.

She was heaven and earth, the stars, the moon, and the essence of all things good in his arms, locked in this kiss. She tasted sweet and her body molded into his with perfection.

All sense of time had stopped and the heat in his body released and coursed through every vein in his body, he had never felt so alive in his life, never more on fire, never so free.

Ginny kissed him with every ounce of passion she had in her soul. All the confusion and doubt were gone. She loved him too. As much as she fought the urge, she had been pushed over the cliff unwillingly and was now welcoming the emotions that flooded through her.

He still had the same ambrosial taste that she remembered and hungrily sought his tongue, begging with small whimpers as he kissed her harder. She tasted like fireworks and nectar. Ginny's kisses made him want to cry, they were beyond what he thought any human body could stand, no matter how wonderful it felt.

They kissed for an eternity and a day before she pulled away. He never wanted it to end, but when she whispered against his cheek, "I love you, Draco," he felt like his heart would burst.

Ginny's prince finally came; he had rescued her heart.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Epilogue

Draco and Ginny moved into the penthouse that night and made love. Ginny never believed anything could ever compare to the sensation of her and Draco as one, in heart and body.

Though he had a few encounters before Ginny, it was the first time he made love. It made him realize that there were so many important things he had missed out on, but he would take the time to seek them out with Ginny at his side.

They stayed in there for a whole week before they finally emerged from their apartment.

In that week all they did was make love and talk. They talked about everything and nothing at all.

When they Flooed back to England for the Harry and Hermione's wedding a month later, Draco proposed to her, promising her a life where ever she wanted. She told him that one day she would like to return to Malfoy Manor, but there was still so much he needed to see and discover back in New York.

A few months after Harry's wedding, Ginny was leading Draco with his eyes closed, broom sticks in both their hands. She finally told him to open his eyes.

When he did, he saw the splendor that Ginny had described, it was the beauty of the world before him in all its majesty. They both mounted their brooms and flew off over the mountains of Vermont, enjoying the colors of nature's glory in the crisp October air.

FIN