Unaffected

Lily still hadn't woken up after lunch was over, and Ginny was reluctant to go while she still slept. Molly had convinced her, though, that it would be much harder for she and Draco to leave if Lily woke up. Considering how attached she was to Draco already, Ginny thought this to be reasonable. She watched as Draco planted a soft kiss on Lily's forehead, and smiled to herself.

She'd told him true enough when she'd told him that he was going to make a good father someday. He was already doing an excellent job with Lily. The thought made her go rigid where she stood. Had she really just thought something about Draco fathering Lily? And what would be wrong with that? She wondered, the tension melting away with the sexy smile he flashed at her. She loves him, and he's very fond of her. It all works out quite nicely, really. He knows he isn't her father, and he already told me he wasn't trying to replace Harry.

"Ready?" he asked, moving towards her. She nodded and smiled. She turned to tell her mother goodbye, and stepped into the fireplace without waiting to hear Draco tell everyone goodbye. She was already in the kitchen fixing tea when Draco finally appeared, looking rumpled and surprised. She laughed at him.

"Let me guess. You got the speech about using protection?" she teased. His face paled even more than it already was, and he shook his head. "Well? What was it, then?" He sank down into a chair and remained silent, and a tiny bit of fear gripped her heart. She squatted in front of him and looked up into his eyes with concern etched on her face.

"Draco, are you all right? What happened? What did Mum say?"

"She -" he took a deep breath. "Is she always that forward?"

"What do you mean? Her hugs are tight, granted, but I've never heard -"

"It wasn't the hug," he said, shaking his head again. She frowned.

"What was it?"

"She told me while she was hugging me that she expected... she expected..."

"She wasn't nasty to you, was she?"

"No. She told me she expected...me to give her more grandchildren, someday." An uncomfortable silence fell between them, and Ginny was so surprised that she lost her balance and fell on her bottom on the linoleum. She lifted a knee and rested her elbow on it.

"She's not wasting any time, is she?" she asked, not sure whether to laugh or be worried that her Mum might have scared Draco right out of any relationship they might have had on the horizon. She tugged her eyes up to look at him, and was surprised to find that the color had returned to his face.

"Am I that bad?" he wondered aloud. She blinked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Am I that bad that when I mentioned giving you more children that you looked as though you might be sick?"

"It's not that at all," she said quickly, feeling the shameful blush rising in her cheeks. "I just thought that Mum was pushing you awfully hard, considering that this was only the second time you've spent any amount of time around her. Besides, we're not even- I mean, we're not-" her voice trailed off, and she shook her head to clear it. She stood and moved back to the counter, where the teapot was already whistling. She had just placed two mugs on the counter when she felt his arms slide around her waist. He pulled her back against him, and she sighed. The next thing she felt were his lips placing feather-light kisses on the side of her neck. She shivered, and he stopped.

"She didn't scare me, if that's what you're thinking," he whispered, his breath hot in her ear. She turned in his arms to face him.

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Lucky guess," he said, his eyes glittering. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers lightly before letting her go and returning to his seat at the kitchen table. Her pulse was racing; did he already know her so well, to know her fears and doubts? He'd done exactly what she'd needed to calm her down - he'd voiced her fears, letting her know that he understood them and that they weren't stupid, and then he'd comforted her with a gentle kiss. She turned her back to him and gripped the side of the counter for a moment, in an effort to calm herself down.

Even in all of his tenderness and the love they had shared, Harry had never quite gotten the hang of comforting her in the way she preferred. His idea of comforting her was to apologize; Harry had always tried to apologize everything away, even when things weren't his fault or were beyond his control. She'd never held that against him; that was just Harry, and it was who he was. She loved him the way he was, and hadn't wanted to change him.

Draco, on the other hand, was changing her.

She poured the tea with trembling hands. Draco was good for her, and she knew it. He was helping her move on with her life, and he was good to her and her daughter. He'd been kind to her family. He hadn't tried to push the physical issue, which truly surprised her. She seriously doubted that Draco Malfoy had ever not slept with a girl he wanted, if he wanted her badly enough. She wondered briefly if maybe she simply wasn't attractive enough for him to want her like that, then pushed the thought from her mind as she sat his tea in front of him. She sat across from him and lifted a foot to rest on the seat of her chair, so that one knee was near her chest.

"You're not going to be uncomfortable around me now, are you?" he asked.

"I should think it would be you who'd be uncomfortable around me, considering that it was my Mum who made the embarrassing remark," she said, her eyes twinkling. He snorted softly.

"It didn't bother me, it just surprised me, is all. I wouldn't have thought anyone in your family would want to have anything to do with me, let alone insinuate that I should father your children." She laughed.

"That's Mum for you," she nodded. He waited for her to make some comment, any comment, about whether or not she was accepting of the idea. The truth was now that Molly had mentioned it, he wanted nothing more. He wanted the fairy tale; he wanted to marry Ginny and be Lily's stepfather, and he wanted children of his own. Loads of them. His thoughts were spiraling out of control, and they were making him dizzy with want. Why had he never thought this way when he was with Natasha? His mother had practically begged him to set a date and marry her so they could begin reproducing, and he had stalled for as long as he possibly could.

Now all he could think about with Ginny was how long would he be able to wait before asking her to marry him. He laughed softly at himself; the Slytherin Prince was turning out to be an old softy, after all. Ginny regarded him with a wondering smile on her face. He grinned at her, and his heart swelled at the pink spots that rose on her freckled cheeks. She was so beautiful, it made his entire body ache.

"Knut for your thoughts," she offered. "You look really happy."

"I am really happy," he admitted. "I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life."

"What were you thinking about just now?"

"The future," was all he would say. She heard the note of finality in his voice that indicated that he wasn't ready to discuss it, and she didn't push. She sipped her tea and let her mind wander, unaware that he was watching her over the rim of his mug. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Have any exciting plans tonight? Are you going to clean the bathroom?" he teased.

"Why, do you think it needs it?" she asked, frowning. He laughed.

"I was teasing, Gin."

"Oh," she smiled. "I knew that. No, I don't have any plans. Why, was there something you wanted to do?"

"I'm in a mood," he said.

"A mood?" he nodded. "What kind of a mood?"

"A dinner and dancing kind of mood." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Then why didn't you just say you wanted to go out? I swear, Draco, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to ask me on a date." He blinked.

"I am asking you on a date."

"You sound so sure of yourself, though. How do you know I'll accept?"

"You're terrible for my ego, do you know that?"

"I have to knock you down a few notches, or else your ego would get so big it would suffocate both of us in this tiny house." He laughed.

"How about something different tonight? Perhaps some Chinese food?" She stared at him. "What?"

"You like Chinese food?"

"It's my favorite, actually."

"Mine too!"

"You'll be a suitable companion for tonight, then," he said regally. She laughed and poked her tongue out at him. "Was that an invitation?" he smiled wickedly, and she blushed.

"Not that I know of," she laughed. "Besides, since when has Draco Malfoy ever needed an invitation to take something if he wanted it?"

"You know," he murmured thoughtfully. "You're abso-bloody-lutely right." He left his chair and stood in front of her with his hand extended. She hesitated, then put her hand in his, and he helped her rise to her feet. Once she was standing, his arms went around her waist and pulled her close. Her breath caught in her throat at the look in his eyes.

"What are you up to?" she whispered, her heart fluttering wildly. His answer was to press his lips against hers gently. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. When his tongue swept across her bottom lip, she opened her mouth to him. His arms tightened around her waist, and she found herself pressed against his chest so hard that she could feel the thrumming of his heart along with hers.

Her fingers moved up to touch the white-blonde hair that fell almost to his shoulders, and he shivered. Even through the fabric of her shirt, she could feel his thumbs stroking the small of her back, causing desire to pool in her stomach. One of his hands moved from her back to cup her cheek, where his fingers caressed her skin so lightly that it almost tickled. When he stopped the kiss, she almost protested.

"Does this mean you're accepting my offer of a date, then?" he smirked. She laughed.

"Well, considering that I don't have anything else to do, and there's nothing good on the telly tonight..." he smacked her bottom gently, and she giggled.

"So I'm just a consolation prize, then, because there's nothing you want to watch on the telly?"

"Prize? Sweet Merlin, you think a lot of yourself, don't you?" the corners of her eyes crinkled with laughter. He pretended to look hurt.

"If I don't, who else will?" he pouted. She planted a soft kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Me." A slight blush rose in his cheeks, and he stared at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tight. She was surprised; she hadn't believed him to be the hugging type. She hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe we should order out and just stay in," he suggested quietly. He didn't feel like sharing her with anyone else now. She giggled.

"What happened to the dancing I was promised? It won't count as a real date if we stay here, you know."

"Rain check?"

"Sounds good to me." She pulled away slightly to look at him. "Does popcorn and a rented movie come along with this take out dinner?"

"Of course."

"Do I still have to get dressed up?" she whined, wrinkling her nose. He laughed.

"It doesn't matter what you wear; you always look-" he'd been about to say edible. "Fantastic."

"Flatterer," she accused, pulling away from him. She took her mug to the sink and began to rinse it out.

"Hey," he protested. She turned to look at him. "You forgot the part where you tell me that I always look perfectly shaggable." She laughed.

"Remember what I said about your ego?" he nodded. "You don't need me to bolster it for you. You know you always look good."

"Yes, but it means so much more when it's coming from you," he drawled, his eyes twinkling. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the sink. "Do you want me to order dinner and pick up a movie now?"

"Sure," she said, nodding. She put the mug in the dish drainer and wiped her hands on a small towel. "As long as you don't pick a sappy romance."

"What?" he asked, looking affronted. "How am I supposed to put the moves on you with an action flick playing in the background?" She threw the towel at him.

**

"I think I'm going to take a bath while you're gone," she said, rising from the couch and stretching. They had watched an hour of television together on the couch, just holding each other, and he had finally managed to gather enough momentum to propel himself up. He turned and arched an eyebrow at her.

"Need some help scrubbing your back?"

"Draco!" she laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'm a big girl, I can wash all by myself." He shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes were dancing with contained laughter.

"If you didn't want me to join you, why did you tease me with the knowledge of what you're going to be doing while I'm gone?"

"Because I might still be in there when you get back, and I didn't want you to worry when you came back and didn't see me anywhere."

"Does that mean I can't rush in to save you from drowning, thereby inspiring you to throw yourself into my manly arms?"

"The only way I'd be drowning in that tub would be if you were to hold my head underwater," she pointed out, laughing. "In which case I would struggle a lot, soaking you completely in the process."

"In the interest of saving time, then, why don't I just bathe with you?" Heat crept into her cheeks.

"If you did that, I highly doubt that any actual bathing would be going on." He raised his eyebrows.

"If that was meant to deter me, it didn't work. In fact, now I'm even more prepared to jump in with you."

"I'd like to get clean," she said, plucking a pillow from the couch and tossing it at him. "But if you manage to behave yourself, I might let you get me a little bit dirty later." Her face burned as she said the words.

"Now that's a promise I won't mind collecting on," he said smoothly, disappearing into the fireplace. She exhaled noisily, wondering when she'd become so forward, and made her way upstairs to the bathroom.

When he returned with dinner, she was nowhere in sight. He sat the bag of food on the coffee table in the sitting room, then crept upstairs. She was not in the bathroom, so he moved down the hall towards her room. When he got there, he leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms across his chest.

She was standing in front of her dressing table, wearing her standard pyjamas. Her tank top was low-cut in the front, and it was short enough to leave some of the smooth skin of her stomach revealed. Her flannel pants were a sage green color, and looked well-worn. Draco thought that he even saw a hole in one of the legs. She was pulling a brush through the wet strands of her hair slowly, and her eyes were closed.

He moved from his place against the doorframe and walked slowly towards her, waiting for her to turn around and notice him. When she didn't, he reached out and slid his arms around her waist. She didn't seem surprised by it at all.

"You were gone a while," she said quietly, dropping the brush on her dressing table. He rested his chin on her shoulder and met her eyes in the mirror they were both facing.

"I had a few stops to make," he said simply. "Miss me?"

"Now that you mention it," she smiled. "I did."

"Good, because I missed you, too."

"I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind and gone back to the Manor," she teased.

"What, change my mind about coming back here, when I had the promise of a sinfully beautiful woman waiting to sit in the dark with me?" he asked innocently. She snorted softly.

"And who would that be?" He blinked at her reflection.

"Ginny, can you see yourself in the mirror?"

"Of course I can," she said quietly.

"Then you're looking at the same woman I'm looking at. You can't possibly stand there and tell me that you think you're not beautiful." She looked down, and he turned her around to face him.

"I see what I see every day," she shrugged. He put a finger beneath her chin and tilted it up gently.

"You are nothing less than exquisite, love," he whispered. Her eyes filled with tears at the endearment.

"How can you say that, when I know for a fact that you've been with women far more attractive than me? How can you stand to spend time with me, when you know you could have any woman you wanted?"

"I have what I want, right here," he said, placing his hands on her bared shoulders. "Don't think that you're not enough for me. You're more than I could have ever hoped for. I don't understand why you seem to think you're not worth my while."

"You're amazing, do you know that?" she whispered, a hot tear rolling down one porcelain cheek. "How is it that you know exactly what to say to me to make me feel better?" He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the fresh chamomile scent of her shampoo.

"I'm not so amazing," he said, his voice sounding more humble than she'd ever heard it. "If I was, I would have been able to see you for the wonderful person you are when we were in school."

"I wasn't the same person then, Draco. It took everything happening to me to make me this way."

"I know," he said, squeezing her tighter. He held her for what seemed like an eternity, before she pulled away and looked at him.

"I love you holding me like this, but my legs are getting achey."

"Is that a request for a sensual massage?" he teased.

"Maybe later," she laughed, letting go of him and moving towards the hallway. "But right now, I'm starving." He followed her downstairs and into the sitting room, where she flopped down on the couch and reached for the take-out bag.

"Ah, ah, ah," he said, wagging a finger in front of her face. She frowned, and he reached for a bag that was sitting on the floor. He placed it in her lap, and she arched an eyebrow at him.

"What's this?"

"The result of my being gone for so long. I had to search for it. Go ahead, open it."

"Is it for me?"

"No, it's for Ron. Of course it's for you," he smirked. She opened the bag and pulled out a t-shirt with the Falcons logo on it, and squealed. She jumped up and hugged him, and he laughed.

"You didn't have to do this!" she said, pulling away. She pulled it over her head and did a half-turn in front of him. "What do you think?"

"It accentuates your hair," he said, nodding approvingly. She blushed, then reached forward and cupped his cheeks in her hands. She brushed her lips against his several times before moving back to the couch.

"You didn't have to buy me anything," she said, watching him put a movie in, then sit down beside her and reach for the food.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. You can't be a self respecting Falcons fan and not own one of their shirts." She eyed him thoughtfully as he began opening the small white boxes and dividing a container of white rice between two paper plates he'd removed from the bag.

"I've never seen you wear one," she pointed out. He grinned. "As a matter of fact, with the exception of last night and today, I haven't ever seen you less than impeccably dressed."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you're always either wearing dress robes, a suit, or very dressy slacks whenever I see you. I've never seen you dress down, like in jeans and a t-shirt." He handed her a plate full of food and looked at her.

"Would you like to see me in jeans and a t-shirt?" he asked curiously. She nodded.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that you'd look completely edible in jeans." She bit into an egg roll and tried to hide her embarrassment at her brazen words. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, then laughed.

"Edible, you say?" She nodded again. "Maybe I should go buy some right now, then, and find out."

"There's some upstairs in the closet you can have," she said automatically, her eyes fixed on the television. "Hey, I thought you weren't going to get a romantic movie!" she protested.

"It's a romantic comedy, so technically it doesn't count just as romance. Besides, I was hoping it'd give you some ideas."

"You have a one-track mind, do you know that?"

They ate in silence, laughing occasionally at the movie. When they had both finished their meals, Draco pulled his wand out of his pocket and waved it, muttering "Evanesco." The emptied plates and trash disappeared. He slipped his arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled closer to him.

"This is much better than spending a night out on the town, wouldn't you agree?" Ginny murmured.

"I hate to say it, but you're right. This is better than standing around on a crowded dance floor, sweaty bodies slapping against each other while they-" she smacked his chest lightly.

"You're a right pervert Draco, do you know that?" she laughed.

He sighed and pulled away from her to sit properly on the couch. "I'm sorry, I'll behave."

Ginny looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What happens if I don't want you to?"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to taunt wild animals?"

"Wild animal?" she echoed, her voice heavy with amusement. "I don't see any of those here."

"Oh yeah?"

"You're far too prim and proper to be a wild animal."

"Is that so?" Before she could answer, he had lunged across the small space between them and tackled her, pinning her to the couch. She laughed.

"Is that all you've got, Malfoy?" she teased. He opened his mouth to answer, but before he was able to utter a sound, she had slipped out from beneath him and took off running. He jumped up and followed her up the stairs, but she was nowhere to be seen. He poked his head into the first door, which was a small library. It was empty.

He moved silently down the hall, poking his head into the bathroom. The shower curtain was open and there was nowhere else big enough to conceal her. He went further down the hallway and poked his head into Lily's room, which was empty. He could see nothing but toys beneath her bed. There were only two rooms left - a spare bedroom, and Ginny's bedroom. He inspected the spare bedroom first, finding nothing.

That left only one place.

The thought of her alone in her bedroom, waiting to be found by him, made his blood surge violently through his veins. He crept to her room and peered in without entering at first; when he saw no sign of her, he stepped inside. He peered under her bed, but she wasn't there. He looked around silently, wondering where else she could be hidden - until his eyes fell on the door to the walk-in closet.

He moved forward and put his hand on the doorknob, then flung it open. She burst out giggling, unable to contain her laughter any longer. She tried to bolt past him, but years of playing Quidditch had made his reflexes sharp, and he was simply faster. He grabbed her and pulled her close. She was still struggling to get away, which caused him to lose his balance. He toppled over, taking her crashing to the floor along with him. He moved so that he was sitting on top of her, resting his weight just below her stomach.

"I'll show you what happens when you tease a wild animal," he promised, lowering his mouth to her neck. She squealed as he began pretending to devour her. After a moment of feeling his mouth on her neck, though, her amusement had melted into something else altogether. She noticed that his licking had become less exaggerated and more intense, and his tongue was tracing tiny circles around her collarbone.

When his mouth found the hollow at the base of her throat and sucked lightly, she gasped and arched her back. He moaned, and she could feel his desire pressing into her stomach. Without stopping to think about what she was about to do, she reached up and fumbled with his belt buckle, trying to undo it. His lips froze on her neck, but she didn't stop. She pulled the belt out of his pants and tossed it aside, then proceeded to unbutton and unzip.

When she tugged down on his unfastened trousers, he couldn't ignore her hands any longer. He moved off of her and pulled his pants off, watching as she unfastened hers and wiggled them down off of her hips, then slid them off of her legs. His eyes fell on the black satiny fabric that she was pulling down over her legs, and he watched, mesmerized, as she kicked them away. He turned his silvery eyes back to hers, then resumed his earlier position and began kissing her wildly.

[Two paragraphs edited out for content by the author. If you want to read the chapter in its entirety, please visit my website, which is listed in my author profile.]

His ear was pressed to her chest, listening to her erratic heartbeat.

She closed her eyes and sighed silently. She had just allowed herself to get caught up in the heat of the moment, and hadn't thought about the repercussions. There was no question as to how she felt about Draco - she already knew she was in love with him. She didn't regret what they'd just done; the only thing she regretted about it was doing it so soon in their relationship.

And what was their relationship, anyway? Her family insisted on calling him her boyfriend, and he hadn't disagreed. That didn't mean that he thought that was his position in regards to her, though. He had told her he cared about her, which made her feel somewhat better. Now that he had gotten what he wanted, though, would he even be interested in her anymore?

Draco stirred, gathering her close and giving her a kiss on the side of her neck. "A perfect lady everywhere else, but a demon in the bedroom. Is it any wonder I love you?"

She went rigid in his arms, and he pulled away slightly to look at her. She gave him a nervous smile and disentangled herself from him, moving to collect her clothes. She slid her knickers up and reached for her pants, her back turned to him.

"You don't have to tell me that you love me just because we had sex," she said quietly. He stared at her, then moved to grab her arm and spin her around to face him.

"You think that I said that just to get a reaction out of you?" he asked disbelievingly. She remained silent and stared at the floor. "If the only reason to say it was to get you into bed, wouldn't I have said it earlier?"

"This has all happened so fast," she murmured, shaking her head. "How can you know for sure that you feel that strongly about me?"

"Are you trying to say you don't love me?" he asked. She lifted her eyes to his in surprise. "Is that it, you're trying to let me down easy? You're calling into doubt my feelings in order to get out of revealing your own?" His voice was hard.

"Please, I just... I'm not saying that I don't l-love you, but I need some time to adjust to it all."

He looked at her closely, his face set in closed, almost cold lines. "How much time?"

"I don't know! There's no schedule, you know?" She looked at his hard face and sighed. "A month?"

Draco reached for his clothes. "I don't agree with this. I think you're being damn stupid, and nothing will be different in a month than it is now."

"Please?" she said, her eyes shining with tears.

"Fine," he snarled. "If you want to waste some of the precious time we could spend together because you don't know if I'm good enough, fine." He pulled his clothes on with almost violent movements.

"Draco, don't be like that, I--"

"You've made yourself quite clear," he said icily. "I will leave you alone for the course of one month, and then I expect an answer. But know this..." He trailed off, and she looked at him expectantly, only to have him sweep her into his arms and kiss her thoroughly. "Every minute of that month is a minute when we could have been together, could have been touching each other or taking Lily to the park or otherwise enjoying life to the fullest. Every minute you waste keeping us apart is a minute we can never get back, Ginny, and you'd damn well better know that the only thing making that happen is your own stubbornness."

Draco kissed her again, hard, and then he was gone, leaving her reeling from both his words and his kisses, and already missing him.