State of Mind

Chp 1: Getting Comfortable

**********

Ginny closed her eyes as intense pain swept over her; she slumped to the ground, trying to regain her strength. Swallowing painfully she forced herself to open her eyes.

"No! Draco!" she screamed as her hand tried to grab what she needed. Draco finally turned around to see what was coming toward him.

**********

Presently...

Draco looked over to Ginny, she was lying on her stomach with one elbow propping her up while her other hand was in front of her as she blew petals away from her palm. She turned her head to look at him and gave him a small smile. Her mass of flaming curls dotted with daisies blanketed her shoulders. Her legs, creamy white encased in worn out tiny denim shorts.

They were both lying in the meadow, not far away from The Burrow; Draco and Narcissa had already been staying there for a week since the summer started and so far all he had suffered was a broken nose from the fist of Ronald Weasley who, himself, sported a very black eye. They were both sleeping in the same room, with Harry bunking in as well. A sort of mutual understanding was resorted to after that first brawl, not wanting to spoil the rest of the summer. His mother on the other hand stayed in a tiny room in the corner of the fourth landing, which was right next to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's own room. He thought that she wouldn't have been very comfortable as she was used to such luxuries but apparently she liked it. Very much in fact, which surprised the hell out of Draco. Then again, a Malfoy staying at a Weasley's residence was rather a huge shock itself. He could almost imagine pigs sprouting wings and flying around already.

Staying at the Burrow was better than expected to Draco's amusement but he was rather annoyed that he was frequently bombarded with Fred and George's gags. Within a full week he had fallen victim to having his clothes turned into ridiculous colours like pink and purple. When the mirror screamed the minute he looked into it. The times when they had stolen his clothes while he was in the shower and locked him in. One morning he had woken up and screamed along with the mirror as he woke up with his hair chock full of chicken feathers. It took him the better half of the day to get rid of it and now he made it a point to check his pillow for any charms or hexes that the twins might have pulled, every night before he slept. The list of jokes just went on and on.

He tolerated them as the best as humanly possible for Ginny's sake but wanted to punch them so hard that they would never be able to get up and face him again. Of course his mother helped by checking up on them from time to time with a very unfamiliar smile. Draco still wasn't very used to seeing his mother that happy.

Ginny though was the biggest help, she asked the twins to lay off now and then but it didn't help that she was laughing along with them at times. The odd thing was that she had a calming effect on him and she brought him out of the house when he needed to curse and vent very badly. She always gave him this hug, when he was finished venting that is, that seemed to squeeze out whatever gnawing feeling he had out of him.

He remembered when Ginny asked him and his mother to stay for the summer. The thought was absolutely preposterous. He didn't think the extent of what had happened before affected her that much, but that just proved it. She was driven insane because asking him; Draco Malfoy to stay at the Weasley residence for a whole summer was simply crazy! It was like waiting for a death threat from every single male in the family as well as her mother. What also worried him was the fact that he might be endangering their lives.

**

"Draco, most of the death eaters have been rounded up, so we won't be in trouble and the ministry placed wards all over The Burrow and even made it unplottable! Besides Dumbledore thought it was a rather good idea," Ginny wheedled.

Draco widened his eyes and gave her an incredulous look, "You already asked Dumbledore?"

"Well yes! He thinks it's alright. Don't tell me you'd rather stay with Snape over the summer?" she sniffed and flopped back onto her pillows on her bed. Draco true to his promise had been sneaking back into Hogwarts, under his invisibility cloak to visit her. Sometimes they sat out by the lake or settled in her room. They were settled in her room today as it was a Hogsmeade weekend and her dorm mates had all gone out.

Draco had just come into her dorm room when she pounced onto him with an idea of him coming to stay with her in the summer. He hadn't even been able to take off his cloak properly yet either and so only his head was visible and floating about. He shook his head.

"Ah yes, he does me good, that man," he said with a sigh and promptly got smacked with a pillow.

"Besides, I don't think me and my mother would be very welcomed in your home. Your family and my family have always been very unforgivable to each other. Mine being the one doing so all the time and unforgivable being the most decent word I can use here," Draco continued, looking pointedly at her.

"Actually they were the ones who suggested that you both come after I told them everything that had happened. They know everything Draco," Ginny blushed fervently at this, "I told them about us," she added softly.

"Us? There's an us?"

"Draco..." she warned and his smirk dropped from his face.

From the edge of her bed, Draco looked toward the window with a thoughtful look on his face, with his hands crossed over his chest, "I don't know..."

Ginny crawled to where he was sitting and felt for his body and without taking off his cloak, nuzzled his neck before she slowly massaged his shoulders. He let out a moan as she kneaded away the ache and worry from his back.

"Now how can I say no to that?" he mumbled thickly. Then his eyes flew open as he heard a squeal and then arms encircling so hard that he fell of the bed with her landing on top of him.

"Is this a sample of what I'm going to get every night?" he smirked as she had sat up and was straddling him.

She pulled on her most seductive face and bent down, her face inches from his own. She saw his eyes flutter and close and just as her mouth was about to graze over his, she pulled away and whispered in his ear, "You wish." With that she got off him and settled herself on a chair in the corner.

"You're a wench, you know that?" he growled, his cheeks tinged with a pale pink. Draco hadn't bothered to get up and was lying on the floor staring up at the ceiling.

"I know, I pride myself on it."

**

Draco had the beginnings of a smile on his face from the thought and heard a voice by his ear. He turned to see Ginny snuggled up next to him.

"What's so funny?"

He shook his head and was about to kiss her when they heard Mrs. Weasley shouting,

"Ginny, Draco! Dinner's going to be ready in a few minutes!"

**********

"Ergh. Look at them," Ron blanched as he looked at the pair that was walking toward the house. He gave an involuntary growl when he saw Malfoy catch her and tackle her to the ground, both of them laughing.

"Give it a rest Ron, even Fred and George have," Hermione mumbled, glancing up from her storybook.

"Yeah, but they are Fred and George. They are just happy to have a new guinea pig that doesn't punch back because Ginny has him on a leash. Which is quite satisfying to know but I just don't like them being so...they just shouldn't be so touchy, I mean Ginny's too young for that," Ron said defending himself from the window he was leaning out of haphazardly. Harry and Hermione were in his room just talking, well at least Harry was. Hermione had her nose in her book.

"I don't seem to recall the same for you Ron, I mean you were fully trained at tonsil hockey by her age," Harry chuckled as he cleaned the Firebolt in his hands.

"That's different!" Ron snapped and leaned out far too much and he lost his footing. Thank God for Harry's reflexes that pulled him in on time.

"How is that different?" Hermione said, closing her book, her face showing that she was slightly annoyed.

Ron turned around and leaned on the wall beside the window, he took a moment to think about it. "Er, well, Ginny is, er..." he started, looking at Hermione who was waiting for him to answer. He tried to think of a plausible reason other than she was his baby sister but couldn't.

"She's - look it's just different all right!" Ron finally spluttered walking out of the room, leaving Hermione smirking in her corner.

"You just love to push his buttons, don't you?" Harry smiled from the windowsill.

She gave a shrug and a mischievous grin, "When it's so easy, how can I ever resist? Besides, he keeps insisting on treating his sister like a baby," then her grin was replaced by a rather thoughtful expression. "Can't blame him though, from what happened and all," she added softly.

Harry caught her glance and she replaced her book on the rickety table next to her chair and made her way toward him. He placed his Firebolt in the corner, encircling his arms around Hermione.

"It's over," she whispered as she tangled her fingers in his hair and brought his mouth closer to hers. Harry smiled against her lips and gave a slight nod before they kissed. They were enjoying the moment of relief and sought each other out fully and thus failed to hear footsteps leading up to the room.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ron snapped and slammed the door he just came through. "Can't I go anywhere in my own home without catching anyone snogging?" his muffled irate voice, carrying through out the household.