White Noise

Chapter 9: Meant to Be

Ginny refused to look anywhere but directly in front of her as she opened her office door the next morning. She had no desire to think about what might have happened on the floor, his desk, or worse yet, her desk. Her nose wrinkled with the last thought.

She flipped the switch on and almost wished she hadn't when the too-bright lights momentarily blinded her.

Gingerly, she sat down in her chair. She kept her back to their door so that she wouldn't see Draco when he entered with that confident air of his. She still didn't know how she felt about what she'd witnessed last night, although she'd hardly thought of anything else as she tossed around in her large bed.

In an attempt to focus her energies on something other than awkward memories, Ginny pulled out the two, short notes and laid them flat on her desk to compare them.

The handwriting was different; that was immediately obvious. The first was scratchy and looked hastily written, while the other was printed neatly. She didn't recognize either handwriting. Ginny sighed and pulled at her hair until her scalp itched.

She heard the door creak open behind her but she didn't pay it any heed. She didn't want to face Draco or Dakotah just now.

"Hi Gin," her brother's voice broke into her thoughts.

Ginny whirled around with surprise at hearing Ron's voice. "Ron! Merlin, you startled me." As she was standing to hug him, her eyes narrowed and she looked at him skeptically. "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously. He hadn't yet been to visit her at work since she'd come back.

Ron's eyes seemed glued to the floor and he began scuffing his shoes on the floor sheepishly.

"Ron?" she edged sternly.

When he didn't answer, Ginny stepped forward, her nostrils and temper flaring. "Ron, what are you doing here?" she demanded.

He finally looked up at her. His eyes burned into hers, soothing her irritation. "I just thought it would be nice to visit my baby sister at work," he said soothingly, in an attempt to mollify her.

Ginny couldn't help the grin that tugged on her mouth and smiled despite her wariness at Ron's visit. She stepped forward and hugged him.

Ron leaned down to gather her in his arms and so she could see when her partner, followed by a simmering Dakotah, entered her office.

Her brother's back immediately straightened and she felt her heels hit the floor again. She prayed Ron wouldn't do anything too embarrassing.

Instead of acknowledging Draco, Ron went immediately to Dakotah. He stuck out his hand and Dakotah grasped it fleetingly. "It's so good to see you again, Ron," Dakotah greeted warmly.

"You too, Dakotah. I've just come by to see Ginny. Hermione saw her a couple of nights ago and said she seemed to be acting off." Ron's glare skipped momentarily to his enemy.

Ginny didn't think Draco seemed particularly affected by this though.

Dakotah tipped her pretty head to the side, a quizzical look in her eyes. "Did she? I thought she was acting normally." Dakotah shrugged and said easily enough, "Do you know Draco Malfoy, Ron? I believe I've forgotten my manners and haven't introduced the two of you."

Ginny wanted to laugh, watching Ron's face turn stone cold and seeing Draco's glare darken considerably.

The blonde woman put her hand on her mouth. "Oh, that's right! I'd forgotten; you two are old classmates, aren't you?" She giggled. "How silly of me!"

"That's alright," Ron replied bitterly.

Either Dakotah was too dense to notice it or she preferred to fake ignorance and she plundered ahead. "Are you and Hermione going to be at the Gala, then? Draco and I are going together," Dakotah announced, putting her hand on Draco's shoulder.

Too affectionately, Ginny thought jealously.

"Yes, Hermione and I will be there. She's insisting we go. In fact, all of us Weasleys will be there. Ginny included," Ron added flippantly.

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?" she interrupted much more loudly than she'd meant to.

Three sets of eyes turned to her: Dakotah's were gleeful, Ron's demanding and Draco's, well, his were unreadable.

"I know you said you weren't going to, but Ginny... be real. You were Harry's wife, you've got to go," Ron said, as if that explained everything.

"Oh, yes, Ginny! You must go!" Dakotah interjected encouragingly.

It was not lost on Ginny that Draco was the only one not saying anything. Oddly enough, it hurt to know he didn't care whether she went to the Gala or not.

"Ron," she started quietly, "I've already told Hermione I wasn't going. You would think the wizarding world would understand if Harry Potter's widow didn't want to attend a Gala within the first year of his death." Her words came out sharper than she'd intended and she knew it by the way her brother's face blanched.

"Do you really believe that?" he finally questioned. His voice was not even a strangled whisper.

She didn't have anything else to say to him, so she just nodded.

The blueness of his eyes stood apart from the whiteness of his face and it killed Ginny to know she'd caused that pale death look he wore.

"Right then," Dakotah interrupted, having enough decency to sound somewhat ashamed, "I've got to get back to work."

Ron looked at Dakotah and then at Ginny. "Yes, me too," he said finally before walking out on Ginny. Dakotah followed him, leaving their office with a small smile. The door closed firmly behind her.

Ginny didn't have to see Draco's smirk to know it was there. "Go to hell, Malfoy!"

He moved to her, so that he somehow came to be in front of her. Ginny felt herself go flush at the nearness of him but refused to let him intimidate her. "Draco, I really don't have any time for all this nonsense."

But he had turned and was reaching for the papers on her desk. Before she could stop him, he had them both in his possession and was reading them. Ginny stayed silent, simply because if she went to grab them they would be torn and she didn't want to have to put the pieces back together. She wanted them in original form.

Instead, she kept her sight on Draco. His facial expression didn't change, but when he looked at her, she could tell he was angry.

"Who gave you these?" he asked, waving the notes in the air above his head.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know."

He looked like he didn't believe her. "Tell me the truth, Ginny," he demanded slowly.

"Is there a signature on the bottom of the page, Draco? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't see one--"

"You honestly don't know who sent this?" He was looking worried now. Ginny didn't think there would ever come a day when Draco Malfoy looked worried.

"No," she replied sincerely.

Draco looked as if he still didn't believe her. He pointed her wand to the door and Ginny heard a faint click. Ginny stared at him with disbelief. He had just locked them in! Before she had time to realize how she felt about that, Draco started talking.

"When did you get these? Where did you get these?" he interrogated.

Ginny instinctively knew it would be useless to fight him on this. She gave him a very pointed look. "The first one I got, the one that says 'I'm sorry,' I received the first week you were employed here--"

"That long ago?" he interjected.

"Oh, sod off and let me talk, will you? You're the one who wants the answers," she replied stingingly.

She could see his jaw stiffen and knew he would remain quiet. Ginny eyed him cautiously before continuing. "The other note I found yesterday afternoon when I came home from work. I didn't have that other one to compare the two; that's why I came back last night: to get the first note."

"You just found them both?" he asked.

Ginny shook her head. "No. The first one was delivered by a man."

"You didn't know him? Or at the very least, recognize him?" Draco queried.

"No, Draco, I didn't. I'm pretty sure he wasn't from around here though," she added thoughtfully.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you think he wasn't from around here?" Draco asked infuriatingly slowly.

"His accent reminded me of your girlfriend's," she replied, a hint of jealousy decorating her otherwise patient voice.

"Dakotah is not my girlfriend," he clarified.

Ginny smirked. "Fine then, his accent reminded of your bed buddy's accent."

He glowered but left it at that.

"Anyway," she started, "He only said 'they' told him to deliver it and he wouldn't tell me who 'they' were."

Draco was quiet for a long time and Ginny didn't dare speak. "Well shit, Weasley, why the hell didn't you tell anyone?" he prodded.

"Who says I didn't?" she shot back quickly.

The look he gave her told her she was a moron if she expected him to believe that.

Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Fine, I didn't say anything but only because, what was I supposed to say? 'By the way, I've received some odd notes from a mysterious person. Oh, and I think the person who sent it was somehow involved in Harry's death.' That would go over real well," she finished tetchily.

"You should have said something. After that weekend in Nottingham, you should have told me." He spoke quietly, looking into her eyes earnestly.

"Why? I'd tell Dakotah before telling you," she spat out. Ginny looked away from him because it was too hard to see his eyes on her.

"But you didn't," he continued harshly.

She continued looking anywhere but at him. She didn't need to look at him to know he was furious with her. "Well, you know now so what's the problem?"

He turned his back to her and went to the window. Ginny tried not to notice how the sunlight streaming in through the pane reflected off his hair, making it seem as if he was wearing a halo.

Right. Malfoy wearing a halo. That'll be the day.

"I agree with your brother, Weasley, you should go to the Gala," he finally said.

Ginny's mouth opened to argue but he cut in.

"I mean it, Weasley. I'm not telling you what to do because I think your brother is right, that'd be the day. I'm not even telling you to go the Gala because the wizarding world needs you to be there," at his own words, Draco rolled his eyes. "I think you should go to the Gala for yourself." He was watching for her reaction through her reflection on the window.

"What business is it of yours what I do?" she quizzed.

Draco seemed to be considering her as he continued looking at her reflection.

She flushed under the intensity of his consideration. She felt something stir in her, an awakening of sorts. It had been the same thing she'd been feeling ever since she'd met him. Ginny hated to admit how much it scared her.

Her gaze faltered.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention what you saw last night to anyone, even Dakotah."

Ginny's eyebrows rose but she forced herself to continue looking away from her partner.

"Well, I'm glad we got all of that settled," he finalized. And when he turned, he pointed his wand at the door. "Alohomora!"

She barely even registered the unlocking of the door; her thoughts were in turmoil.

***

Hermione had come over early in the afternoon to help Ginny dress for the Event of the Year, as Ginny had not-so-fondly dubbed it.

"I still can't believe you're actually going!" Hermione exclaimed happily as she brushed through Ginny's hair.

Ginny smiled bitterly. "Are you sure you know what you are doing, Hermione?" she asked nervously. Even though it was Hermione and perhaps because it was Hermione, she wasn't completely at ease with the prospect of her sister-in-law doing her hair.

Hermione's coif was already done: piled up at her crown. Little curls spilled out of the loose bun to frame her face. Ginny thought her friend looked like a Grecian goddess: not Aphrodite, but Athena.

"Of course I know what I'm doing!" She laughed at Ginny's uncertainty. "Parvati gave me some tips and ideas on how to do your hair."

"You've taken a lesson from Parvati Patil?"

She shrugged. "Parvati has a lot of good qualities, I've learned. I should've known that all along, I suppose. She was sorted into Gryffindor, after all. Besides, you can't argue the fact that she does have amazing taste."

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "Since when do you care about amazing taste?"

The hairbrush stilled halfway done Ginny's mane of reddish-gold locks. "Oh, I don't know that I do. But it is nice to feel and look sexy once in awhile," she admonished, a slight blush gracing her cheeks.

"You know those robes she picked out are going to look gorgeous on you," Hermione added thoughtfully.

Ginny felt rather nervous, thinking on those dress robes that shimmered either green or gold depending on the lighting with the plunging neckline. Only another three hours.

***

Draco arrived back at Hogwarts after an eight-year absence with his hand on the small of Dakotah's back. He did so grudgingly.

The Gala looked to be in full swing by the time they arrived. Indeed, Les and his wife were already there, as well as a few other people he recognized from the office. Draco followed Dakotah around, making the usual greetings as she hugged and kissed people.

It wasn't long before he excused himself to the refreshment table. He sipped meade from a crystal goblet, observing the crowd from over the rim.

Apart from his coworkers, Draco recognized former classmates as well as teachers. Of course, this had been McGonagall's idea; former instructors would be littering the floor of the Great Hall.

"Is that who I think it is?" a man's voice asked, shocked, from behind him.

His goblet stopped midair and Draco turned to face the man intruding his thoughts.

The person standing in front of him looked vaguely familiar but he would have to dig up loads of old memories to place him. "Forgive me; your name would be...?" His tone was bored, which he was.

A wide grin spread across his face in hearty amusement. His eyes were laughing at him. "Seamus Finnigan, Malfoy."

Draco didn't remember the Finnigan standing before him. He remembered Finnigan as a goof-off and nothing more, not the collected-looking individual before him. "How do you do?" Draco managed to ask, even though he wasn't feeling particularly chatty. He put the goblet to his mouth and downed the rest of the meade in one swallow. Then he had the bartender fill his cup.

Seamus laughed heartily. "I can see you want to be here as much as I do." Seamus motioned for the man to fill up his own goblet. "So, who are you here with?" he asked casually.

"I came alone," Draco replied shortly, not caring if Seamus knew he was lying.

The Irishman didn't look as if he believed him. "So did I," he said, "although Parvati -you remember Parvati Patil, yes? She invited me."

Draco nodded just as his eye caught a flash of red hair. The tallest of them all by far, the King of Weasels was walking past him, laughing with someone much shorter than him, if the way he gazed down was any indicator.

Following Weasel's gaze, Draco found himself looking at a very much grown Hermione. Although she was apparently married to King Weasel, Draco appreciated her looks. She'd turned into quite a head turner, although she was still not nearly as stunning as Dakotah, he compared.

Looking past his two school rivalries, Draco picked the rest of the Weasels out of the crowd easily enough. All except his partner.

He spotted Dakotah then. She waved him over and he bid Seamus goodbye to join him.

Dakotah smiled at him and Draco nodded back. When he reached her, she put her arm affectionately around his back. "Do you know Hermione Weasley, Draco?" she asked before he realized who the petite woman standing before him was.

Hermione's elegant smile didn't falter under Draco's cold nod. "Yes, I went to school with nearly half of the people here, Dakotah," he reminded her irritably. He didn't need to be introduced to every other person.

"Can we leave now?" another voice joined the conversation. Draco would've recognized Ginny's voice anywhere.

He turned to his left to look at his partner and just about dropped his goblet upon seeing her.

Despite the petulance in her voice, she looked every bit as elegant and composed as any of the women who wanted to be here. Robes of a greenish-gold color contrasted with the redness of her hair beautifully, accentuating the flecks of blonde in her otherwise auburn hair.

The fabric of her robes looked to be soft to the touch but more importantly, it stretched across the flat of plane of her stomach only to cling to the hips he'd been trying to ignore for the past few weeks. Draco tore his gaze from her middle, to look into her face, swearing his heart stopped when he finally noticed the plunging neckline of her dress robes.

She showed off a creamy expanse of skin, milkier white than Draco had dared to imagine, even in his dreams. A smattering of pale freckles danced upon her skin. Draco felt a bit dizzy looking at her.

Ginny's cheeks were glowing from the heat of the crowd and her own apparent irritation. "I want to go home now, Hermione," she said through clenched teeth. "I hate this," she continued on. "The crowd, the people sending sympathetic looks, this dress," she added, pulling the fabric by her hips down, as well as the neckline.

Draco watched, fascinated by the little amount of round flesh and cleavage he witnessed.

"You look beautiful," Dakotah said next to him.

He shook his head and forced himself to look away from her, finding himself looking at the Weasel's wife, who was watching him with an intense interest, as if she knew a secret about him.

"You can't go, Ginny," Hermione chimed in, not taking her eyes from Draco's visage, "Ron has already told Professor McGonagall that you'll give a short speech on behalf of Harry."

"He said what?" Ginny yelled in complete shock.

Draco watched Hermione flinch as Dakotah tightened her grasp around his forearm.

"Professor McGonagall thought it would be nice if you would give a short speech in honor of Harry," Hermione elaborated.

He allowed himself to look at Ginny, but only at her face; he was sure if he looked below her chin, he would be forced to retreat to the men's loo. High color had flooded her cheeks and her chin was wobbling from anger. "I thought I did that at Harry's funeral," she said slowly.

"Ginny," Hermione cajoled.

"Do not 'Ginny' me, Hermione! This is not fair, and you know it! How dare you people corner me into giving yet another speech in honor of Harry! How dare you corner me into even coming here!" she growled.

Hermione balked at this. "Ginny, we didn't mean for it...Harry was such an important person..."

"Don't you think I know that?" she snapped. "I know how important Harry was! I was his wife for Merlin's sake!"

When it looked as if Hermione might start talking again, Ginny started up. "No, Hermione! I've said just about all I can say! Hey, I know, here's an idea for you: you want a speech for Harry? How about you give a speech for Harry!" she shouted.

She left them standing speechless.

"Well, that was a tense moment. I guess it's true what they say about redheads then, isn't it? About their tempers...?" Draco didn't acknowledge Dakotah's open-ended question.

A few awkward moments later, Hermione made an excuse to leave. Draco didn't watch her leave to find her family. Instead, he loosened Dakotah's grip on his waist and when she finally let go, he left to find the loo.

***

Ginny had stopped at the refreshments table before wandering outside, onto the balcony. She leaned against the veranda's railing, sipping her meade at an alarming rate as she studied the texture of the castle's walls.

It occurred to her, when she was finishing her fourth glass of alcohol and watching couples mingling and dancing, that she was alone. She could see her mother and father from her vantage point, laughing and talking with each other.

She missed that.

Setting the glass down on the rail, she rubbed her arms. Ginny wasn't cold, she was alone. It had been so long since she'd been held by a man, since she'd felt wanted.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she imagined Draco and Dakotah doing things in their office that she hadn't done since what seemed like forever. Her heartbeat quickened as she pictured Draco's lean, naked body.

Oh, sod it Ginny! You're half drunk, otherwise you wouldn't be thinking of Draco, you bloody idiot!

A waiter came out the French doors and offered her another drink, a stronger drink this time. She took it with trembling fingers, grateful for the distraction.

"May I inquire as to what you are doing out here?" a calm voice questioned.

"Leave me alone, Draco," she responded automatically. Her voice was trembling, though not slurred yet.

He didn't leave her alone. He came to stand right in front of her. The bloody prat was looking down at her with amusement glinting in his eyes! Ginny looked away disdainfully.

"How many drinks have you had?" he prodded, somewhat gently.

Ginny shrugged; she wasn't interested in how many drinks she'd had. "I don't know. Does it matter?"

"It does if you're going to get up there and talk about your husband."

"Now?" she asked, mortified at how fast the time had passed.

She could tell he was holding back on laughing. "Are you drunk, Weasley?" he asked, amusement thick in his calm voice. He leaned closer and she instinctively leaned back.

"Leave me alone," she grumbled.

"What in the hell...?"

She glared up at him. "Oh, never mind it, Malfoy. You wouldn't understand anyway." Before he could ask what it was he wouldn't understand, she was speaking again. "I hate them for doing this to me. Really, how dare they ask me to make another speech on behalf of Harry's life!"

Ginny downed the rest of her drink.

Then she turned her back to him, looking out to the Hogwarts Grounds. "I've never felt more alone in my life than I do now," she admitted quietly.

She could feel Draco move behind her.

"God," she began with tears in her voice, "everyone around me is with someone! Everyone! My parents have each other, Ron has Hermione, Bill has Fleur... hell, even you have Dakotah!" She choked back her tears. "Then there is me, left here to mourn a husband I didn't even--" she shut up abruptly.

Draco was peering down at her. "You didn't even what?" he asked curiously.

She sighed sadly and looked at her hands, clasped together. "I don't know, Draco!" Ginny started drawing circles on her arm and then brought her eyes to his. "And I feel so guilty about it all, Draco," she whispered rather mournfully. Harry was supposed to be here with me.

She felt a wayward strand of hair brush against her cheek and then she felt something a bit more human brush it back. Ginny swayed a bit; a living hand against her skin was a bit too much to handle.

At that moment, looking up at him, it didn't matter that he was Draco Malfoy or her partner. It only mattered that he was a man and he was touching her. If she had been a stronger person she wouldn't have even thought about kissing him, but the combination of alcohol and his nearness made the possibilities too tempting.

Before she lost her courage, she reached up and kissed him.

Ginny had meant for it to be a thank you kiss, because he had listened so well. She'd also meant for her heart to not become entangled, but it did, and as soon as she pressed her mouth to his.

She gripped at the sleeves of his dress robes desperately, sure she would melt through the floor if she didn't. All traces of alcohol seemed to disappear when she opened her mouth against his lips and grazed her tongue along his lower lip.

Oh hell.

Even as her mouth moved against his and she felt his arm encircle her waist, she told herself to stop and that this was dangerous territory.

But it felt too good.

It had been so long since she'd been held by someone she wasn't related to. She pressed herself to him all the more fiercely because of that.

***

Draco had not been expecting her to kiss him. Because of that, he hadn't been able to prepare himself for the onslaught of mixed emotions he felt as her mouth opened up to his.

Her tongue tasted like meade and something else, something stronger; her breath was hot in his mouth and he was turned on immensely.

Oh hell, he thought, even as his tongue met with hers. To steady her as well as himself--although really, it was mostly himself--he grasped about her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Ginny's body was all soft and curves against the smooth angles of his own and just as he could feel every inch of her, he knew she could feel the same. She was pressing herself tightly against him, making small noises from the back of her throat and suddenly nothing was as it was supposed to be.

Just as he began letting himself enjoy the kiss, he heard someone calling out Ginny's name, although it didn't register until the third or fourth yell.

He pushed her away then, taking care to seem unaffected by her curves and swollen mouth as the caller came into view.

Ginny's sister-in-law appeared from the shadows, looking warily between the two as if they'd been caught red-handed. It was not lost on Draco that they probably had been. If Hermione had seen anything, she remained mum on the matter, focusing her knowing gaze on Ginny. "Professor McGonagall is looking for you. It's time," Hermione told Ginny. To Draco, it sounded more like a sentencing than a friendly announcement.

He looked down on Ginny, her breasts still rising and falling rapidly, to see her nod absently. "Yes, all right."

Ginny pressed her lips together and went to join Hermione. "Thank you for listening, Draco," she murmured, her eyes avoiding his.

Draco nodded because he wasn't sure what else he should do. "Of course," he finally replied rather stupidly.

The women began walking toward the doors leading to the ballroom. Hermione stopped once, to look behind her and seemingly size Draco up. He remained calm, although his thoughts were still deadened and his blood still boiling from Ginny's kiss.

She shook her head before disappearing altogether through the doors.

Draco remained outside long after that, needing the cool air to sift through his brain so that he might collect his thoughts. He hadn't wanted to hear his partner's speech glorifying her husband's life anyway.