Forbidden Fruit

It had been weeks since they'd had a chance to be together and still Draco couldn't let himself to show any amount of weakness. She was his weakness; he was fully aware of it. Hell, she might have even been aware of it. That didn't change the fact that he refused to show it. He gave an indifferent glance to the door and smirked as he saw it open then close and lock with seemingly no one coming through. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw her drop his Invisibility Cloak then carefully drape it over one arm before setting it on a nearby bench. He liked that. It was nice to know she cared about his things, just as she cared about him. She didn't take anything for granted.

Ginny looked around in pure amazement. The white marble was exquisite, almost as welcome to her eyes as Draco's bare form in front of her. She smiled appreciatively as he brought his arms above his head and dove into the once-still water. He broke the surface, and she giggled as he came up with a blue and green bubbled hat.

"What?"

She only pointed, laughing harder.

He ran his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes as he came out with a handful of bubbles. "Honestly, Weasley. You could have told me."

"Oh? So it's Weasley again, is it?" She continued to laugh.

A smile broke across his lips, even though he'd tried to keep it at bay. "Are you getting in here or not, woman?"

"How can I resist such a charming offer?" Ginny drawled. She saw him lifting himself out of the water, bubbles cascading down his smooth, pale skin. She should have seen it coming. Upon reflection, she did see it coming; she just didn't care.

"Are you going in with your robes on, or are you taking them off?" His voice was already on the verge of throaty, as his hands made contact with her overly-covered waist.

"What if I decide not to go in at all?" Ginny asked, stepping closer to him. She felt his arms around her, and the liquid from his body seeped through her robes.

"You'll go in." His cocky arrogance never wavered. "The question still remains. With or without?" He tightened his grasp around her and with little effort picked her up inches from the ground. Her feet were no longer touching, and her eyes widened as his smirk grew.

"You wouldn't."

"With or without, Ginny?"

"Draco..." She felt herself being carried and saw the tub coming closer and closer. "Without!" she finally yelled, her legs flailing beneath her.

He stopped just short of the water and sat her back on her feet. "Get to it then." Without waiting, he once again dove into the water with perfect form. Of course it was perfect form; this was Draco Malfoy.

A sudden feeling of shyness hit her, as she watched him glide through the water with ease. She waited until he was under the bubbles and out of her vision before quickly disrobing and sliding her own body through the thick layer of bubbles.

"Animi," Draco whispered from behind her, catching her off guard. Ginny jumped and nearly lost her footing, but Draco's hands around her waist prevented the fall. She smiled as she looked down to her chest and saw the dragon showing itself once more. "I've always been good at sweeping women off their feet," Draco smirked, leaving a warm, wet kiss along her neck.

Ginny laughed, her shyness broken as she turned towards him and brought her body flush against his. "I hardly believe that would be sweeping, Draco. You scared me!" She leaned in to kiss him but was surprised when she felt his hands pushing at her waist, increasing the distance between them. "What?"

He perused her body appreciatively. "You." He shook his head. "You, in nothing but my dragon."

Ginny blushed and pushed her body back next to his, partially because she loved the feel of it, partially because she felt less... naked... that way. She buried her head in his chest and smiled. "You know, Draco, if anyone else ever heard you say things like that--"

"I'd be ruined." He laughed. "But there's no one else here. Besides, have you taken a look?"

The blush deepened to a rosy shade of red rather than soft pink. "No!" She buried her face further in an attempt to hide it completely. "I'm nothing special. Look at the other girls you've been with. They're all rich and beautiful. I'm just... me."

Anger seemed to rise in his face, only briefly. He covered it as quickly as he could and replaced it with his usual facade of calm coolness. "I do have a knack for getting beautiful women." He nodded with indifference.

Ginny's pride took hold of her as she stiffened in his arms, every muscle in her body straightening. She looked directly into his eyes and smiled. "Yes, you do. You have me, after all."

"I still haven't quite figured out how you trapped me into this."

If she hadn't known him so well, she would have taken offense. Oh, she knew he was serious, but it was just Draco. She'd learned after their first meeting that although his bite could be as bad as his bark, it only took a few fateful run-ins with her pale-haired, ghostly-skinned ex-nemesis before Ginny was able to see the deeper side of his soul. At first, Draco had hated her for it; in the end, it had been his salvation.

~*~

The early morning chill had Ginny bundled under a mountain of blankets above her robes as she watched the beginning of the Slytherin/Hufflepuff match. Only at Hogwarts would a Quidditch match ever be so mismatched! As much as the Weasley in her hated to admit it, Susan Bones had no chance against Draco Malfoy, and it was a sure bet that Slytherin would come out the victors. Slim Susan Bones had no chance against the man who'd held the position for... well, since Ginny had been at Hogwarts. The girl's braid was flying behind her as she gave a futile attempt to catch the Snitch. Oh, what a riot it would be if Hufflepuff actually did beat Malfoy and his gang of egotistical prats! However, as soon as the Snitch was within arm's reach, it wasn't again.

Aside from a few nice blows the Slytherin team was making against the Hufflepuffs, and a few strategic moves Ginny had picked up, the match was rather dull. Soon she found her teeth chattering as she stared off into the distance at the mystical castle she'd called home for the last six years. Stifling a yawn she gathered her blankets around her and descended the steps of the bleachers. On the last step, she stopped as the small crowd roared. Surely nothing at a Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin match could cause this. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy whirling uncontrollably towards the ground. She couldn't help but let a small laugh escape her as she paused to watch the outcome. Sure, he could be hurt, but this was Malfoy. She'd never get that lucky. The Slytherin students were on their feet, yelling, cursing, and going mad with unabashed outrage. The Hufflepuffs were in a state of shocked excitement never to be matched.

Slipping out of the stands and between two dressing rooms, Ginny watched the scene intently, away from the noise. If Draco were hurt this early in the season, Gryffindor wouldn't have a worthy opponent at all this year.

Draco hit the ground and tumbled. He closed his eyes and grunted as the soft grass proved to have a rather hard underside. Finally he was able to come to a stop. He took a deep breath, carefully masking the pain he felt. Before he'd even risen to his feet, he yelled for a time out. His broom now resembled scattered toothpicks. He couldn't--no, wouldn't--lose this match to Hufflepuff. With determination, he scanned the stands. Surely at least one person in his House had brought their broom!

Nothing.

He stalked off the pitch, inaudible grumbles about his broom tumbling carelessly from his lips. "Mr. Malfoy!" He turned to see Madame Hooch's yellow, hawk like eyes staring him down. "Where might you be going in the middle of a match?"

"As you can see," he gestured toward the broken broom in the middle of the pitch, "I can't very well finish the match on that." He ducked into the dressing room; any broom would do at this point. He didn't even need a good one to beat Susan Bones, although the thought of riding something less that top of the line did make him shudder just a bit.

Nothing, again.

Shoving his hand absently through his hair, he stepped back out of the dressing rooms, ready to scream, kick, throw the most childish temper tantrum he'd ever imagined. "Calm yourself!" he admonished. "Just think. Think, Draco!" Suddenly the wind carried the scent of strawberries to his nose and a small laugh to his ears. Following the direction of the wind, he caught sight of just a few locks of auburn hair coming out from behind the corner of the building. "You can come out, Weasley."

Ginny took a deep breath and stepped out from her hiding place, a solid smirk etched in her face. "Problems, Malfoy?"

Through his annoyance, the broom her fist was circled around didn't catch his eyes at first. "Actually, I do. See, it's like this. Everywhere I go there's always some female watching me. Wishing for me. Wanting me. I never get a moment's peace. Do you have any suggestions, Weasley?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was hoping you'd fall a little harder. It might have knocked some sense into you. As it is, I think you must have hit your head because you're delirious."

He took a step towards her, capturing her between the wall and his body. "Am I? Then you must be in my imagination, in which case, you wouldn't mind me doing this." He sneered as he reached a cold hand under her shirt, causing her to jump.

"That's cold!"

"'That's cold?'" he repeated. "Not 'move?' Not 'Ron's going to kill you?' Not 'what are you doing?' Just... 'that's cold?' I'm impressed, Weasley. I always thought you more of a good girl."

"Gods forbid I impress you," she spat. With a solid push, she was able to move him a few inches back, although he still had her cornered. He quickly made the difference up, this time connecting his body against hers to secure her. "Don't you have something you should be doing, Malfoy?"

He did. He just had to remember it. He was going to get a... a... broom! His eyes focused more thoroughly on the shape in front of her. His fist gripped the handle of the broom right above her fist. "I'm borrowing your... where the bloody hell did you get a Firebolt? This is better than my broom!"

Ginny laughed at his outrage and tightened her grip. "Fred and George got it for me just before school started. Nice, isn't it?"

"You wouldn't even know how to ride it properly." He tugged on the broom, but she wouldn't give way. With a smirk, he leaned in inches from her. "Let go of the broom, Weasley. I promise to return it all in one piece."

"With the way you've treated your own broom today? I don't reckon that's a very good idea."

Draco growled as he heard Madame Hooch giving the last call that his time out was, in fact, running out and jerked on the broom, pulling it free from her hand. "I'll return it after the match."

Ginny watched with apparent rage as he rose back into the game on her broom. Hers!

~*~

"How I trapped you?" she asked, laughing. "If I remember correctly, you started this, Draco Malfoy."

He raised a single finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh," before kissing her gently. The thunderous knock on the bathroom door was a most unwelcome disruption.