Innocence

With Care of Magical Creatures over for the day, Ginny should have been scurrying along the stone walkway back to the castle of dinner. After all, she hadn't eaten much of a lunch, not after hearing Draco brag to his Slytherin followers about the new squad of students that Umbridge was going to install. She wondered if she should warn Harry, then decided against it, figuring that he already had enough on her mind. Ginny found herself wandering away from the castle, and away from Hagrid's hut, towards the place where the edges of the Forbidden Forrest touched the edges of the lake. The sun wasn't quite setting, but it was a gloriously warm late afternoon and she knew of the perfect place to go. Just beyond the border of the woods was a clearing out of sight of the castle, the path, and anyone who might be wandering the grounds.

She dropped her secondhand leather bag into the grass and then lay down, using the bag as a pillow. Lying still in the golden early evening sun she could almost forget all the things that had happened this year. But not quite all. She couldn't seem to get out of her mind the way Draco Malfoy would stare at her with narrow, angry eyes, and refuse to look away when she caught him. She couldn't stand the way his silver eyes seemed to penetrate her mind, her thoughts, and well, other things. She hated the way his glare could make her feel like the stupidest, most naïve witch ever. But more than that, she hated his smile. She despised the way her spine shivered when he would treat her to a rare smile. The way even his eyes smiled and lit up his whole face and make her feel like the most special witch in the castle. She couldn't stand the subtle power he seemed to have over her.

The sinking rays of the sun spread their golden light across the top of the lake and onto Ginny, and she tried to purge her mind of Draco. She had enough to worry about, with her father nearly dying, and Percy's seeming case of insanity. Besides that, Hagrid hadn't returned, Dumbledore was being elusive, and Umbridge was watching her every move. She began humming songs to herself and let the sun sink into her fair skin.

When Ginny opened her eyes, she wondered how much time had passed. All she could see of the sun was the fading top of a pink ball. Quickly she sat up, ready to gather her bag, when she realized she wasn't alone.

"What are you doing here?" she heard herself snap.

"Watching you sleep," Draco answered lazily.

She despised the way every word he said managed to be the absolute truth. As far as she could tell he never lied, and that irritated her. He never even told the white lies most people did out of fear of being embarrassed. Ginny slung her bag over one shoulder and dusted off her robes. "Pervert," she muttered under her breath.

"Not hardly," he laughed. "I didn't touch you."

She paused, but could think of nothing to say.

"Come back."

Ginny stopped in her tracks, unsure of exactly what she was doing. "What?"

"Stay here. Talk to me."

"I don't have anything to say to you."

"I'm sure you can think of something," he said, his tone mocking.

"Well, I think you're despicable."

"See, that's a start."

Ginny dropped her bag back into the grass and stared at him. "Why are you even talking to me? You treat my brother like dirt. You're horrible to his friends."

"You're a different story Ginny. You're not really like them, are you?" he asked, shaking his pale hair out of his eyes.

"Of course I am," she snapped feeling her temper rise.

Draco stood up. "Then why are you still here?" He grabbed her wrists and yanked her towards him.

"Let go," was what came out of Ginny's pink mouth, but even as she said the words, she felt herself leaning into Draco. But instead of kissing her, he caught her bottom lip between her teeth and began to suck on it. When Ginny tried to pull away, he kissed her. It was nothing like the way she had been kissed before. She had only been kissed by two different boys, and once by Sirius, after too much Fire Whiskey, but it had never been so hard and controlling. She let Draco slip his hands under her robe and around her waist. Before she could stop herself, they were on the ground, clothing in a messy pile beside them.

This is not the way it's supposed to be, the angry voice inside her head kept telling her. It's supposed to be perfect and gentle and-

His hands were running across her stomach and legs and between her thighs and his lips were digging into her neck and ears and chest and she wanted him so badly. She pulled him closer, trying to muffle her gasp of pain as he pushed himself into her.

"That was your first time," Draco said quietly when they were through.

She nodded, still flat on her back and staring down her chest at his baby fine hair.

He pulled himself of off her and pulled her robe out of the tangle of clothes. "Are you okay?"

The question caught Ginny of guard, as it was so out of character. She nodded again and stepped into her skirt, buttoned her blouse, and pulled her robes back on. She watched, half fascinated, half disgusted as Draco dressed himself.

"You go first," he said, motioning back towards the castle.

It was nearly dark and Ginny could see the castle lights glowing through the trees. "Okay." She picked up her bag and began to walk away.

"Ginny."

She realized she liked the way her name rolled from between his lips. "Yeah?"

He stepped closer and kissed her again, this time soft and gentle, the way he had been only minutes ago when they were rolling through the grass. He pressed his lips to her neck and then her ear. "Don't leave me."

Ginny shut her eyes and found herself in a different world, where the Weasley's and Malfoy's could get along and Harry didn't walk around with his palm pressed into his forehead and there was no Dark Lord.

Ginny opened her eyes and kissed Draco on the cheek and then walked away. She wondered briefly if she would be the cause of all Draco's actions from this point on, and felt her heart sink a bit knowing that even though she could never forget it, this would never happen again.