Forbidden Fruit

Chapter 2 - The Kiss

Ginny ran down the deserted corridors of Hogwarts, tears blurring her vision as she sought desperately to escape her feelings. Draco had glanced at Ginny a couple of times during dinner, making her feel giddy, like a wave of happiness had washed over her, leaving her reeling in its wake. Her own feelings felt like the ultimate betrayal. She would betray her family, her friends and herself if she admitted that she had feelings for, no, loved Draco Malfoy.

"Ginny! Ginny, wait up!" A voice called down the long corridor that housed the Charms classrooms. Ginny stopped, and her blood froze as she recognised the voice. Oh, Draco... She found herself thinking as she turned around, face to face with a puffing, and very exhausted, Draco Malfoy. She looked at him wistfully, trying to keep a rein on her unruly emotions. She just couldn't take that familiar, intense feeling, like she was travelling by portkey whenever she looked into those deep, grey eyes.... Get a hold of yourself, Ginny! She mentally chastised herself. She looked at him again, this time not trying to hide the welter of mixed emotions, the depth of feeling that assailed her mind at a mile a minute. He held out his arms for her and she fell into them, tears running down her face with renewed force, all the while sobbing "I can't, I can't, I can't..."

"You can't what, Ginny?" he asked in a soft voice, stroking back her thick red hair, in a comforting gesture somewhat out of character for him. He held her tightly and Ginny didn't want him to let go, but should she tell him? Her brother's enemy? Oh, what the hell! She would.

"I...I...I can't admit... I love you, Draco," she said the last words in a rush.

"Are... are you sure?" he asked in a somewhat croaky voice, concern for the younger girl etched into every line of his face.

"Yes," she said surely, looking him square in the face, letting the love she felt for him shine through her eyes and he gasped at the intensity of feeling he saw there.

"Ginny, no! It's too dangerous... my father would..."

"Hush," Ginny whispered and pulled him closer to her, softly bringing her lips to meet his own. Draco's eyes widened at this, but he soon melted into her kiss, gently exploring her mouth with his tongue, as if he'd never done this before and this whole experience was new to him. Ginny was surprised at her own nerve, but as she felt him gently respond she knew she had done the right thing and deepened the kiss yet further, exploring the inside of his mouth with desperation, with such an all consuming need that she felt that if Draco let her go she would fall, quivering, to the cold stone floor and her life would be empty and meaningless once more. Passion, love and sexual tension overtook the couple and their combined energies rippled and crackled over them like a sheet of electricity (not that Draco knew what electricity was exactly), making them need each other all the more. The next thing Ginny knew Draco had backed her up against the wall, one hand running through her lustrous red hair, the other stroking her bare stomach through her robes.

"Oh, Draco," she mumbled through lips swollen from their kiss.

"Mmm?" he asked, unable to comprehend anything beyond the smell of Ginny's hair, how soft her skin was against his hand, how green her eyes were, the feel of her hands down his trousers...

"I love you," she whispered, her lips only mere centimetres away from his ear. Draco sighed at the feeling of her breath warm against his neck and laid his head on her shoulder, saying quietly,

"I love you too," Ginny's heart swelled almost to bursting point and she kissed him once more. He held her close, as if he'd never let go and she began to cry again.

"What's wrong, love?" he whispered into her ear, holding her yet closer.

"It's nothing. It's just, I'm so happy. But you realise this must be kept secret?"

"I do," he sighed heavily, making a mental list of all who would be angered by his relationship with Ginny:

Potter, Lucius, Weasel, Granger, Fred, George, Ginny's father.... The list goes on, really. He thought sadly.

"I must go," Ginny whispered and smiled as Draco released her from the security of his arms, with a small murmur of reluctance.

"See you in Potions tomorrow," she winked mischievously before blowing him a kiss.

"I love you, Draco," she said and started the long walk up to Gryffindor tower. Only when she turned the corner and he could no longer see her did he dare say,

"I love you, Ginny."