Unaffected

Chapter Fourteen

Ginny sat upright and flung the covers away. As soon as the cold air hit her bare skin, she winced. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out when her bare feet touched the icy hardwood floor, and she reached for her bathrobe, which she hastily draped around her shoulders. She ran from her room at breakneck speed and burst into Lily's room, only to be confronted with an empty bed. She turned and bolted towards the kitchen, which she found empty. Her eyes fell on a piece of parchment that rested on the counter, and she strode over to it.

Ginny,

I hope that you remembered that today is the first day of your vacation, and that you'd already promised me that I could have Lily for a few days. As you can see, I've already come and picked her up, and she sends her love. She'll see you in two days. Don't worry about her; she'll be fine. Have fun cleaning!

Love,

Mum

Ginny sighed with relief and dropped the parchment. She had forgotten that this was her vacation week, and she'd awoken in a panic, thinking she was going to be late for work. When she'd glimpsed the Muggle clock Harry had insisted on hanging, she'd realized that it was much too late in the morning for Lily not to have woken her up yet. Thank Merlin for her mother, and the good sense she'd had to leave a note.

Well, as long as I'm up, I might as well get started. She started the coffee brewing and slid some bread into the toaster, then flopped down at the table and rubbed her face tiredly. She'd asked for vacation almost two months ago. The house needed some cleaning and repairs, and she never had time after work to tackle those chores. If she had known then that she was going to fall in love with Draco Malfoy, she never would have filed for time off. Now she was going to spend the entire week keeping herself exhaustingly busy just to keep her mind off of him.

She doubted it would work.

The toast popped up and she went to the fridge, pulling the butter out. She had just finished buttering her toast and pouring herself a cup of coffee when she heard a voice in the other room, calling out timidly. She froze. What was he doing here? Her heart fluttered madly in her chest, and she struggled to take some deep breaths - she may have realized how she felt about him, but that didn't mean that she had to let him know that. She cleared her throat.

"In here."

"Not helping," he called back, amused. She laughed despite her nerves.

"Kitchen." She still had her back to the door when she heard him come in, and she poured some sugar into her coffee. "Would you like some coffee?" She was already pouring his and adding the right amounts of cream and sugar, and he sat down.

"Thanks," he said, watching her sit the mug down in front of him. She went back to the counter and began buttering her toast.

"And why are you up so early this morning?" she asked, a teasing note in her voice. He sipped the coffee and arched an eyebrow at her.

"I could be asking you the same thing," he said, smiling. Her heart skipped a beat, then she took a bite of toast.

"I'm on vacation," she explained, picking up her coffee mug. "I've been meaning to do some cleaning on this house, and I never seem to have time during the week."

"I knew you were on vacation this week," he admitted, with a secretive smile. Somehow, she wasn't surprised at all that he'd known. "I just came by to see if you already had plans for today."

"Yes and no," she said, wrapping her slender fingers around the mug. She was glad for the warmth that seeped through her skin. She pulled her knees up to her chest, forgetting the fact that she was still in her standard pyjamas - a snug tank top and a pair of baggy flannel pants. "I wanted to get started on the sitting room today, but I think I'm going to need some supplies. I need to get some more Magical Mess Remover. Lily found my wand a while back and decided to become... er...creative, in her room, shall we say?" She wrinkled her nose and he laughed, his eyes sparkling.

"Where is the little princess?" he asked, suddenly realizing he hadn't heard her yet.

"With the Queen Mum," she laughed back. He grinned, but she could see the disappointment on his face. "You can go over and visit her. I'm sure Mum wouldn't mind, and I know Lily wouldn't." His face brightened.

"Really?" she nodded and raised her mug to her lips. "Are you going, too?"

"No, I've really got too much to get done here. Mum's keeping Lily for the next two days, so I can work interruption-free." As soon as she said the words, she wished she hadn't. For all intents and purposes, she'd just handed him an excuse to keep popping back in and checking on her. He stared down into the dark liquid inside his mug, then sighed.

"Are you alright?" she asked, seeing the frown plastered across his face. He glanced up quickly before waving his hand dismissively.

"I'm fine," he lied. She arched an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, giving him what Harry used to call the "death look."

"Draco, I thought I told you once before that it does no good to lie to me." His eyes widened slightly, and a ghost of a smile passed over his features.

"Is that look meant to frighten me?" he asked, amused. He mirrored her stance and crossed his arms as well. Her frown deepened.

"Absolutely." He grinned.

"You've got a bit of work to do on it, then," he said lightly. She tried unsuccessfully to suppress her grin.

"Alright, fine. I can't scare you into telling me what's wrong, but you can't hide it from me, either."

"And how do you know something is wrong?"

"Quit trying to throw me off the scent. I know." He laughed and shook his head before a grim expression took over.

"I, uh," he swallowed with some difficulty, then took a deep breath. "I caught Tosh cheating on me last night." He hesitated before meeting her eyes, which were sympathetic, indignant, and... something else he couldn't quite place.

"Oh, Draco! How awful!" Her hand slid across the table and patted his gently. "Is there anything you need? Is there anything I can do for you?" Her heart was pounding very hard, and she was finding it very difficult to refrain from heaving a large sigh of relief. At least now she didn't have to feel guilty over caring about another woman's affianced.

"Well, I think she's a damn sight worse off than I am," he said, unable to mask the laughter in his voice. She withdrew her hand and gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?"

"When I say I caught her, I mean I caught her. In the act," he bit his lip at her look of horror.

"What did you do?"

"I let them finish," he said, shrugging. She stared at him.

"You let them finish," she echoed dumbly. He nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"They were nearly done anyway," he laughed. She was still gaping. "When he saw me and heard her say my name, he practically ran through the fireplace." He chuckled.

"What about her? Did she apologize, at least?" He gave her a look that made her feel like an ignorant schoolgirl, and she shifted in her seat.

"Natasha, apologize? Those two words have never been in the same sentence before, I'm sure," his voice turned hard. "She basically told me that it was my fault that it had happened, and that I drove her to it."

"She didn't," Ginny gasped. He nodded and fingered the table's edge absentmindedly. "What did you say? Oh, I'm sorry! Ignore me!" She shook her head. He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Not much of a gossip, are you?"

"I try not to be, but I suppose it's a woman's nature to be that way," she wrinkled her nose and took another drink.

"I don't mind," he said honestly. "You're my best friend. I don't mind one bit, telling you every sordid detail about it. Before I do, though, I wanted to ask you something." She nodded.

"Alright. Ask away. And you don't have to tell me."

"I will tell you. I was wondering why you're drinking coffee this morning," he said, curious. "Normally you're a morning tea drinker. Why the sudden change?" She didn't know whether to be frightened or flattered that he'd noticed.

"I...I had a rather rough night last night, and I was sort of... disoriented this morning when I woke up," she stammered. "Tea doesn't do much good for me on these kinds of mornings." He nodded, satisfied, and leaned back against the chair again.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, furrowing his brow in concern. She nodded quickly.

"Well, it wasn't last night, but it's better now," she said truthfully. Last night she had been a total wreck and had cried for hours, fretting about her newly realized feelings for him and the fact that she would never be able to act on them. She had managed to convince herself that since he had a fiancée, it was alright to want him and know that she couldn't have him. She had been fine this morning as a result of a good, healthy self-loathing session last night. Now that she knew something had happened with Natasha, however, her insecurities and gilty feelings came flooding back with a vengeance. He eyed her suspiciously.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not being one hundred percent honest with me?"

"I don't know," she said, her cheeks tinting pink.

"Something else is wrong."

"Nothing else is wrong, Draco. I suppose I'm just-" she frowned as she fumbled for the right words. "I'm just hurt for you, is all. I mean," she hurried on at his surprised look. "I didn't care for the woman myself, but I thought that she worshipped you."

"Yes, well," he said, staring down at his hands. "I thought so, too. I guess she didn't revere me as much as I thought," he joked. She rolled her eyes, but smiled. She leaned forward eagerly, not paying attention to the fact that her robe had opened a bit. Draco noticed. His pulse reacted violently to the patch of skin that was now visible just beneath her delicate collarbone.

"Tell me you hexed them both good," she said, grinning evilly. He was surprised, then laughed louder than she'd ever heard him do before.

"And here I thought you were such an honorable, pure Gryffindor!" He roared with laughter, and she blushed.

"You don't remember me at Hogwarts, do you?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully with her index finger as she stared up at the ceiling, pretending to be thinking about something. "Hmm, let me see. It was your fifth year, I believe, when the DA was forced into that hag Umbridge's office. I seem to remember hurling some rather well-placed hexes, now that you mention it." His cheeks turned crimson and he looked embarrassed.

"Alright, so you're not as pure as I would have believed," he conceded. She winked.

"As long as you admit it."

"You're terrible, do you know that?" She laughed.

"So did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Draco, don't make me force you down memory lane and start throwing hexes around," she warned teasingly. He held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay," he grinned. "No, I didn't." She looked extremely disappointed, and he bit his lip to keep from laughing at her.

"You didn't do anything?"

"Why, what would you have done?"

"I would never have dated her in the first place. I like men." He laughed at her disgusted tone.

"You know what I mean. If it had been you, and you were engaged to that guy and walked in on him boffing another woman, what would you have done?"

"Ugh," she grunted. "Men are so crude." He sniggered, and she pretended to ignore him. "That depends. Why was I engaged to him?"

"Don't be so analytical, you're not at work. Because you wanted to have kids."

"Do I already have Lily in this scenario?"

"No. You've never been married, and you wanted to get married and have kids so your mother would leave you alone about it."

"How long have I been engaged?"

"Two years, give or take a couple of months."

"How big is my rock?" He laughed.

"Big enough that you can't play Quidditch when you wear it."

"Why not?" she frowned, obviously displeased.

"Because people mistake it for the snitch." Her eyes widened, and she stared at him.

"Did you really give her a ring that big?" He nodded. "I hope you got it back. Draco," she said warningly, at his blank look. "Tell me you got it back."

"I forgot that part," he said, looking sheepish. She tsk-tsked at him.

"Men," she sighed.

"I'll manage, I'm sure. So have you worked out what you would have done?"

"Did I love him?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Not even a knut's worth."

"Oh, that's sad. Hmmm," she pursed her lips as she thought. "I probably would have lopped off the family jewels, then taken a picture, then sent them in a box to the girl he'd been humping at the unfortunate moment that I walked through the door. If I managed not to hex them both to hell and back first, I mean." He looked mildly impressed and just a bit revolted.

"Okay, that was a little more graphic than it needed to be," he said, clearing his throat. She stood and reached for his mug, then went to refill it. She poured coffee into hers. "I'd hate to hear what you would have done if you'd loved the guy." She sat his cup in front of him and shrugged her robe off of her shoulders; it was getting warmer in the kitchen the longer they sat there. The sun was rising higher in the morning sky, and sunlight flooded the yellow kitchen. She didn't hear his sharp intake of breath as his eyes slid over the smooth skin of her stomach.

"Well, if I had loved him, he might have been safer," she said, sitting down. "I wouldn't have been angry enough to do anything to them at that moment."

"What would you have done, then?"

"I probably would have done something girly like go to my room and cry myself to sleep."

"I think I like you better mad." She giggled.

"So what did you do, then?"

"I was just talking to her and telling her that I never wanted to see her again," he said, not missing the startled look that passed over her face. "She started towards me like she was going to attack me, and the next thing I knew, she was frozen."

"Frozen? Did you cast a spell on her?"

"No. My Mother had."

"You're kidding," she smiled. "I'll bet she was thrilled! She's been waiting to do that for-" she stopped short at the mixture of surprise and curiosity on his face, and clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Hmm, marvelous patient confidentiality," he teased, a broad grin spreading over his face. "Are you this tight-lipped with all of your patients' information?"

"Draco Malfoy, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut your bloody gob right now, or I will be forced to shut it for you!" she warned. He laughed.

"That sounds like fun."

"It won't be, I promise you. I'd have to do something really nasty to make sure you wouldn't enjoy it."

"I'd just pretend I'd enjoyed it anyway, to throw you off the scent."

"And I'd know you were pretending, too," she laughed. She was flirting, she knew, but it didn't bother her as much as she'd thought last night that it would. Then again, last night she had just flirted with him in her head, never expecting to be able to do it in reality. He was making it easy- he was so laid back and shot comments back at her just as quickly as she threw them at him.

"Why didn't you tell me that my mother didn't like Tosh?"

"I haven't told you now," she pointed out. He grinned.

"I know she doesn't. She called her a foul creature last night when she froze her."

"Excellent."

"Why didn't you tell me you didn't like Tosh?"

"What does it matter what I think? Besides," she added quickly, seeing his mouth open for a retort, "I should think that after our dinner at the Manor it would have been painfully obvious."

"Actually, it wasn't," he said. "I knew you were forcing yourself to be nice, but I thought it was just for my sake. I didn't think it was because you didn't like her; I thought it was because you just didn't know her."

"No, trust me, I didn't like her."

"I can't say as I blame you. She was rather...er..." he searched for a word other than the one he was thinking of.

"Bitchy?" she offered. He laughed.

"My thoughts exactly, but I was trying to think of another word to protect your delicate little Gryffindor ears."

"My ears aren't Gryffindor or delicate; they're Weasley ears, and that's a big difference. Don't ever worry about having to protect my ears, or anything else about me. I'm tougher than I look." He was tempted to laugh until he realized that she was right. She was much tougher than anyone gave her credit for; otherwise she would never have survived Harry's passing.

"I won't refrain from using my preferred language in your presence any longer then," he acquiesced. She cocked her head at him.

"Why do I feel as though I've just loosed the beast?" He grinned and wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her, causing her to blush furiously.

"Perhaps you have, in more ways than you realize." She shifted uncomfortably.

"I think I'm going to go get dressed now," she stood and pushed her chair in. "Are you going to stick around for a bit?" He nodded.

"As long as you want me here, I'll stay." You'll never get out alive, Malfoy. Her wicked thought made her blush and smile all at the same time, and he stared at her. "Are you going to share that naughty thought with me?" She jumped, unused to allowing her thoughts to be so transparent.

"What makes you so sure it was naughty?"

"Gin, you went from a normal color to the color of a ripe strawberry. Don't tell me you were thinking something chaste, because you know I won't believe it for a second." She giggled.

"Look at the bad influence you're having on me!" she chastised. He grinned.

"Are you going to share, or not?"

"Not." She climbed the stairs and went into her room, rummaging through the drawers for some clean clothes. She took her things and plodded to the bathroom, where she shut the door and took a leisurely shower. When she had finished, her skin was pink and glowing from the hot water, and her fingers looked like oversized raisins. She pulled on her loose-fitting jeans and a short-sleeved navy blue shirt that hugged her closely. She bounded down the steps, still barefoot, and flopped down on the couch next to Draco.

"I thought you'd drowned up there," he said dryly, still staring at the telly. "I was about to come and check on you." She giggled and hugged her knees to her chest. It was only when he was sure she wasn't looking at him anymore that he glanced sideways at her. Her wet hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders, reaching just past her elbows, and dripping down the back of her shirt. She smelled of chamomile, one of his most favorite scents. Her skin was radiating warmth; she must have taken a very hot shower. The heat rose in his face at the thought.

"What is this that you're watching?" she asked, screwing her face up. He shrugged.

"I don't even know. I just turned it on, and there it was."

"Ugh," she said, squeezing her eyes shut. "Do you mind if I change it? It's reminding me why I'm glad that I'm not a praying mantis." He laughed.

"I thought you were going out because you had errands to run," he pointed out. She blushed and refused to meet his eyes.

"It's more fun talking to you." She felt the heat creeping into her neck, then into her face, but still didn't look up. He froze momentarily, feeling that burning sensation start up in the pit of his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her and see if she would return the kiss as she had in the club that night, but he didn't. If something was starting to happen between them, which he thought it was, then he was going to make damn sure that he didn't rush things and screw it up. He'd never wanted anything more in his entire life than he wanted her to be his.

"Thanks," he said quietly, smiling at her. She finally tugged her eyes up and saw the most sincere smile on his face, and she relaxed. "Oh, hey! Did you like the book I sent over last night? I almost forgot to ask."

"I loved it," she said, feeling shyer by the minute. "But you didn't have to send me anything. I felt bad for taking it."

"Why? You gave me two books yesterday."

"I know, but it still felt strange."

"Well, get over it," he drawled lazily, slinging one arm behind her, across the back of the couch. She bit her lip to stifle a giggle at his forced arrogance. One more thing to love. Arrogance gone? Check. Sense of humor in place? Check. Nasty streak behind him? Not quite a check, but close enough.

"Lily absolutely adored the miniature snitch you sent her as well," she said, taking on a disapproving motherly tone. He winced.

"I suppose that means that you didn't like it."

"I had to get up at one in the morning and force it away from her so she'd go to sleep. I swear, Draco, if you give her one more thing that distracts her from sleep, you'll be staying here with her to make sure she goes to sleep." She could have smacked herself. That was the second veiled invitation she'd thrown at him this morning. He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Was that a threat, or a promise?"

"A little of both?" she offered weakly. With great difficulty, her eyes met his. His gaze was overflowing with emotion - confusion, fear, desire, longing, affection, friendship. She understood his confusion; she was feeling it, too. She licked her lips nervously, wondering if he would be terribly upset if she stole a kiss. Just a tiny one. He wouldn't get angry, would he? His lips were barely parted, and she could hear his breathing going as ragged as her own. To hell with it. Just do it already. She leaned forward slowly, her attention focused on his mouth. She closed her eyes and touched her lips gently to his.

The world had stopped for Draco. The look of desire in her eyes had been enough to send him careening off the edge of the self-control cliff he'd been trying to gain footing on; but her kiss was destroying him. Her soft lips were barely touching his, teasing him; promising nothing and everything with their touch. He was afraid to breathe. Afraid that any movement on his part would make her stop or frighten her, and that was the last thing he wanted.

She hesitated for a moment before bringing a hand up to touch his cheek gently. When her warm hand met with the cool skin of his cheek, she felt him begin to tremble. He didn't pull away, which she fervently hoped meant that he was enjoying the contact as much as she was. She applied more pressure with her lips, aching for him to reach out and hold her. When he didn't, she pulled away and gave him a breathless look. His eyes were wide and dilated, and his skin looked as flushed as hers felt. She pressed shaking fingertips to her lips and stared at him until the oxygen finally returned to her brain.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "I didn't-"

"Don't," he said softly, shaking his head. "Don't apologize." They stared at each other for a long moment before he looked away. Her heart fell into her stomach. He hadn't wanted the kiss after all, then. She felt the sting of humiliation flooding over her, and bit down hard on her lip to keep the tears from falling. When she had taken several calming breaths, she spoke.

"I didn't ruin our friendship just now, did I?" She was staring down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. His eyes snapped up to look at her face.

"You're not serious, are you?" She looked confused and lifted her eyes.

"Did I?"

"No," he said, looking relieved. He realized that the look on her face hadn't been because she hadn't wanted to kiss him; it had been because she thought he hadn't wanted her to do it! He reached out and squeezed her hand. "Absolutely not." She smiled softly and threw her arms around him in the tightest hug he could ever remember getting.

"Thank Merlin!" she whispered, her breath hot against his ear. His arms tightened around her. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I swear. I won't do it again, I promise!" He pulled back from her and eyed her face thoughtfully.

"Why did you do it?" She dropped her arms to her sides and looked properly embarrassed.

"You just looked..." her face was nearly purple from the embarrassment. "You looked-you were- I wanted to," she finally blurted, grimacing at her own bravado.

"You did?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes," she whispered, scooting backwards a bit; putting some much-needed distance between them.

"You didn't do it just out of sympathy to make me feel better for last night?" he teased. She smiled, and his heart leapt inside his chest.

"As if you need to feel better for last night," she pointed out. "You seem to be pretty okay with the whole Nat-"

"Don't even say her name," he said quickly. She rolled her eyes playfully.

"And here I thought men were stronger than women emotionally." He could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she thought no such thing.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, and hid his grin. "What can I say? I'm a pansy when it comes to women."

"Pansy? Did you mean for that to be a potshot at your other ex?" she laughed. His cheeks turned slightly pink.

"No, but while we're on the subject, I didn't even date her."

"You did too."

"I did not."

"You did! You took her to the Yule Ball in my third year!"

"I was forced to. It didn't really count as dating her, either. It was one lousy date - and believe me, I do mean lousy."

"Ugh," she said, shaking her head. "I can only imagine. She looked like she'd been sucking on lemons all night, with the face she was making." She screwed up her face in an imitation, and he chuckled.

"Now that's a cute face if I ever saw one," he teased. She laughed. "How would you know what she looked like?"

"I was there, remember?"

"No, I don't remember," he said honestly. "The only thing I remember past my own house members was Granger, because she was looking hot." He clapped his hand over his mouth and she gaped, then started giggling madly. By the time he found his voice again, she was laughing so hard that she was clutching her sides, and tears were running freely down her cheeks. "Alright, alright! So I thought she was hot! Big deal, it was one night! Cut it out, Gin!"

"I c-can't- c-can't-" she collapsed into another fit of giggles, and he started laughing at her. She stopped laughing and gasped for air. "Gods, that was great! Oh, wait till I tell her!" He stopped laughing and promptly looked mortified.

"Oh, no, you don't! You can't ever tell her!" he shook his head vehemently. She wiped her eyes and laughed again.

"How much are you going to pay me?" she teased. He arched an eyebrow.

"How much would it take?" She gaped at him, then burst into laughter again. He poked her side, making her squirm, and she howled with laughter.

"Stop! Stop!" she begged. He ignored her and continued his assault on her ribs. "Mercy! I give! I won't tell!" He still ignored her. She launched herself forward and knocked him onto his back on the couch, and straddled him, holding his hands above his head.

"Damn, Gin! You're stronger than you look!" he laughed, not bothering to struggle. She gave him a wicked grin.

"I ought to pay you back for tickling me like that!" she threatened. He arched an eyebrow.

"As if you could."

"Oh, you did not just challenge me, did you, Draco Malfoy?"

"No. It wasn't a challenge." She nodded with satisfaction and sat up, moving away from him. When he had resumed his sitting position, he smoothed his hair back down and looked over at her. "I was simply stating the obvious." She turned on him, but he was expecting her attack, and was faster this time. He wrestled her backwards on the couch and pinned her hands above her head, his eyes glinting merrily. She laughed, but didn't struggle.

"That wasn't fair!"

"Turnabout is fair play, Gin."

"Not when you cheat." She pouted. He laughed.

"I didn't cheat! You cheated the first time by catching me off guard!"

"I thought that was how Slytherins did things," she said, sticking her tongue out. His smile faded as he realized what close proximity they were in. He was holding her beneath him, straddling her, and she was lying there willingly. Would it be taking advantage of her if I kissed her like this? She noticed his serious look, and her smile faded as well. He could see her chest heaving erratically, and he inhaled deeply. He was going to do it.

He leaned forward slowly, giving her ample time to stop him if she didn't want him to come any closer. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't stop him. He stopped when he could feel her ragged breaths on his lips, and met her eyes.

"This changes everything, you know," he whispered. She nodded slightly, and his stomach pitched forward violently.

"I know," she whispered back. He met her eyes for a long moment before he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers softly, trying to ignore the burning sensation that was quickly consuming his body. He felt her shaking beneath him, just as he had trembled at her touch only minutes ago. He caught her lips up in his gently, savoring their satiny feel. He was going to stop, but he couldn't help himself; she was letting him kiss her, and she was responding. She was kissing him back. He'd never been kissed the way she kissed him; in his experience, kisses were cold, cruel devices, used by calculating people to get what they wanted.

In his entire time with her, he couldn't remember ever kissing Natasha.

He hesitated before touching his tongue timidly to her bottom lip. She paused for a moment before parting them for him, and his tongue slid inside, tasting her sweetness. His mind was reeling. He let go of her hands and cupped her face as he kissed her, and shivered when he felt her hands rest on the back of his neck. She touched her tongue gently to his, and he moaned into the kiss. She wound her fingers through his white-blonde hair, surprised at how silky it was.

Ginny's world had been upended. If her realization of her feelings for Draco hadn't completely disoriented her, his kiss was taking care of that. She had been nervous that kissing him would remind her of kissing Harry, but it didn't. Draco's hands on her face were gentler than she'd ever thought they could be, and his mouth on hers was soft and pliant. He was kissing her so gently that she felt as though she might die if he didn't give her something more substantial; more real. That was when his tongue had touched her lips, pleading for entry. One split second of indecision later, and she had opened herself to him.

The kiss took on a whole new meaning for her.

His tongue was gentle but insistent; he was being careful with her, trying not to push her too far too fast, but he was enjoying the contact more than she knew. He increased the pressure on her lips slightly, and she responded in kind. Before he realized what she was doing, she had pulled him closer and began kissing him harder. It was becoming difficult to suppress his baser instincts; he wanted nothing more than to remove all of their clothing and take her the way he wanted her. The thought was enough to make him pull away slightly.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately. He touched a trembling finger to her lips and shook his head while he struggled to catch his breath.

"No, don't," he said. "I only stopped because I want to take things slowly. I - I don't want to rush anything, and I was..." his voice trailed off, and she licked her lips, eliciting a small growl from him. "Until you do something like that, and then I want to throw caution to the wind," he said, dropping his head onto her shoulder.

"Oh," she breathed. He stayed like that, breathing heavily onto her shoulder. She raised shaking fingers to stroke his hair, and he shivered. He lay still until his breathing evened out, and he raised his head to look at her. His breathing immediately became labored again.

Her eyes were full of trust and caring; and his heart nearly stopped beating when he recognized the look she was giving him. It was the same look that Lily and Alice had given him that afternoon at the party; that innocent, childlike look that reflected all that was good and pure and holy in the world. And here it was, directed at him from a third person in two weeks, and an adult at that. From Ginny. Not only was he enamored of her daughter because of her implicit trust and lack of judgement where he was concerned, now he was seeing the same trust emanating from the child's mother.

And Ginny had known what a terrible person he'd been.

He was more in love than he'd ever thought possible.