The Land of Make Believe

Chapter Five: Virgin Sexy.

Ginny felt giddy as she looked at her reflection the following morning. Her lips looked bruised and swollen from Draco's kisses, and she knew that, hidden beneath her jumper, there was a wild red mark on her shoulder. It's like being branded, she thought, though remembering at the time how nice it had felt. But then she felt a chill, remembering the bruise on her arm from her dream. Branded, she thought, before purposefully averting her thoughts. His tongue, lips, and teeth had done some wonderful things to her last night, and she had returned many of the favours.

Ginny breezed down the stairs to the common room and carried on out the portrait hole to go down to breakfast. She felt like singing that morning, and was feeling decidedly warm and fuzzy. Only problem is who's given me this feeling, she thought bitterly. But then she knew that wasn't really true either because she'd begun to see him in a different light. Although she suspected that she was only thinking of him in a new way because of what they'd been doing, it wasn't him as a person who'd changed. She had to remember that.

She almost flew into the Great Hall and plonked herself down between Ron and Hermione.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully, helping herself to a piece of toast.

"Blimey, you're cheerful," Ron said, looking wary.

She smiled sweetly. "I slept well." It was true, she had. Once she'd gone to bed, at around four am. She ate breakfast quite quickly and scraped her chair back. "I'm going to go for a walk," she said. "I'll see you later." She didn't pause to ask if anyone wanted to join her. She just wanted to be alone in the fresh air.

She shoved open the main doors; discovering that, whilst it was cold, it wasn't too cold, and the Weasley jumper she was wearing was fine. She trotted down the steps and wandered into the rose garden, almost in a world of her own. The fresh air filled her lungs deliciously, clearing her head from the fuzziness of last night's experience. She needed to think straight and think about what she was doing, but she didn't really want to. Since her crush on Harry had worn off she hadn't met any boy who had really sparked her interest. Look at the men in my life, she thought as she took a seat on a low stone bench. First Harry, who wasn't interested; then Tom Riddle, who wasn't strictly real, but still managed to almost kill me, and now Draco who I've hated for as long as I can remember. He makes me sing. She shut her eyes and turned her face up to the sky despite the lack of sun. Every nerve in my body is on fire when he touches me.

"Fancy seeing you here," a sly voice said from behind her.

Ginny jumped and twisted her head round to see who was there. It was Draco. The annoyed expression on her face faded, she almost smiled. "Morning," she said, turning back round. He came and sat next to her on the bench, as she'd known he would.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, no obvious emotion in his voice.

Ginny continued to stare out at the Hogwarts grounds. "Trying to recover some of my sanity," she said lightly. "I seem to have lost it. But it doesn't want to be found."

"Maybe it's buggered off to wherever mine's been since I came back here," Draco said, following Ginny's line of vision.

"It's been gone that long?" she asked, afraid that if her tone changed, he'd clam up and leave.

"Since I saw you at the Welcome feast," he said, his voice sounding slightly bitter. "I decided it was some sick form of punishment."

"Except I know you never thought anything you ever did or said was wrong. Don't try and paint yourself as someone you're not, Draco. That's not what this is about."

"What is it about?" he snapped.

"You're not a nice person," she said, "and I don't expect you to pretend to be one. If you want to turn over a new leaf, blah, blah, blah, then fine. But I shouldn't be your reason."

"What makes you think I want to change anything about me?" he said, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Whatever we're doing, it has nothing to do with real life."

Ginny felt cold inside, but quashed the feeling. "Precisely. We're attracted to each other. We're teenagers. There is no answer. Like I said last night, sometimes I like things that are bad for me."

"Most of the time there's nothing I can't have," Draco said, a softer edge to his voice. "But when there is, I want it all the more."

Ginny smiled. "That explains it," she said, trying to suppress a giggle. She turned to face him and a curtain of red gold hair fell from behind her ear. "You're a bad, rude man, Draco Malfoy."

His lips curled into a smirk. "And you love it, Weasley." His hand shot out and cupped her face, pulling her to him. He kissed her surprisingly sweetly, little butterfly kisses on her lips that gradually grew longer. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and then gently sucked it. Ginny let him kiss her, let him take the lead because she liked where he was going. Slowly, the kisses deepened and she opened her mouth under his. His tongue flicked into her mouth, softly stroking her own, coaxing it into his mouth. She responded. He tasted of fresh air and ginger, cool and spicy. They got lost in each other for a while, until Draco suddenly pulled away. Ginny's eyes flew open in shock.

"Wha-" she started, then registered the look on his face.

"Someone's coming," he said quietly.

Ginny listened carefully, hearing voices coming closer. "Oh god, it's Ron and Harry," she said, her voice high-pitched. "You'd better-"

"Don't worry, I'm going," he said, smiling ruefully. He bent down swiftly and kissed her lips. "I'll see you later."

She smiled as he backed away. "Yes, you will." Draco turned as vanished into the surrounding rose bushes, just as Harry and Ron arrived in the clearing Ginny sat in.

"Gin? What are you doing here?" Ron asked, stopping still.

Hoping her face didn't look too guilty, Ginny smiled. "Nothing, Ron. Just taking in the view." Harry's eyes were slightly narrowed as he looked at Ginny's flushed face. "Problem, Harry?" she asked firmly.

His eyes widened. "No, Ginny," he said quickly. "It's just... well, it's not like you to be out here alone."

"Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf," she said, getting up off of the bench. "I'll see you later."

The week passed quickly for both of them. They didn't meet every night, as the hours spent in broom closets, deserted classrooms and the Astronomy Tower began to show in the grey bags under their eyes. They started stealing brief kisses in empty corridors, both of them finding themselves unable to resist. Draco had made a conscious decision to think of Ginny as simply someone he did... rude things with. Nothing else. That would change.

The following Saturday there was a trip to Hogsmeade, and Ginny and Ron had to buy their eldest brother, Bill, a birthday present. Ginny was feeling decidedly irritable today; the lack of sleep was working on her nerves and making her snappy. Ron wasn't helping.

"Ginny, what's taking you so long?" Ron bellowed up the steps to the girl's dormitories. His face was almost as red as his hair.

Ginny flung the door of her dorm open, her dark red robes billowing behind her. "I'm ready, already!" she yelled back before stomping down the stairs and glaring ferociously at him.

"Okay," Harry said carefully, taking Ginny's arm and leading her out the portrait hole and away from Ron.

Ginny pulled her arm from Harry's. "It's all right, I'm not going to hit him. At the moment." She folded her arms across her chest and walked in step with Harry.

"Ginny, can I ask you something?" Harry said, sounding like he put a lot of thought into the words he chose.

"You may," she said, still feeling irritated. "I may not answer though."

Harry chose to ignore this. "Is there anything wrong, Gin? Lately, you've been... Different."

Ginny frowned, but she knew it was true. "I've just not been sleeping much lately." Which was the truth, just not the whole truth. Ginny felt bad for lying, but she also had no intention of giving up her secret.

"Any reason?" Harry asked tentatively.

Ginny looked sharply at him. Does he know? "No," she said, a bit too quickly. "I'm just not sleeping well." Ginny quickened her pace and effectively ended the conversation, walking in front of Harry.

Most of the students in the third year and above were going to Hogsmeade that Saturday; it was the first trip of the term. Ginny spotted the now so familiar white-blond hair ahead of her and felt a funny twitch in her stomach. She hadn't seen him alone since Thursday night, and then only for a short period of time. She wanted to be alone with him again, for hours. Ginny's mind drifted back to its current favourite place: The Things She Did With Draco.

Ginny joined Natasha eventually and they walked together with Ewan and Colin Creevey. Ron grabbed her when they reached Hogsmeade, mumbling something about Bill's present.

"Okay." Ginny felt quite a bit calmer now. "Any ideas?"

Ron snorted. "None at all. Which means sweets." Harry and Hermione hand in hand trailed after the Weasleys into Honeydukes.

"Well, I suppose chocolate is the easy option," Ginny mused, scanning the shelves. "Ooh, peppermint sugar quills!" She grabbed one and turned to Ron. "This is for me," she said, smiling happily. She saw Draco walk into the shop but managed to ignore him.

"It's Bill's birthday, Virginia," Ron said sternly, laughter in his eyes.

Ginny giggled. "Which doesn't mean I can't have a peppermint sugar quill, Ronald. Now, what would Bill want? Fizzing Whizbees? Ooh, I know!"

"Liquorice Wands!" Ron and Ginny cried. Grinning like a pair of kids, they grabbed a box together.

Ginny pulled a face. "I hate liquorice," she said emphatically, seeing Draco eyeing up a box. He immediately looked away and glanced at her, smirking slightly, just for her. She felt the corners of her mouth tug into a similar expression. She quickly glanced away and approached the till with Ron.

When they'd paid for the Liquorish Wands and Ginny's peppermint quill, Harry announced, "Let's get some Butterbeer!"

"Actually," Ginny said, within Draco's earshot, "I think I might go for a walk instead. I just fancy a bit of fresh air." Am going to have to come up with a new excuse soon, otherwise they may start to think I'm addicted to fresh air. Ginny slipped out of Honeydukes quickly, leaving the Tremendous Trio alone. Ginny took a left and headed up the main street, out of the main bulk of Hogsmeade, to the agricultural land surrounding it. She stopped by the edge of a field and sat down on the post of a stile, waiting. Sure enough, within five minutes Draco appeared in the distance.

Draco came to a stop in front of Ginny, and held his hand out to her. "Walk with me," he said smoothly.

Ginny smiled and placed her hand in his, letting him pull her gently to her feet. Keeping their hands clasped together they continued to walk up the road.

Draco was making an effort in his references to Ginny's family. "Your brother doesn't suspect anything, does he?" he asked.

"Ron doesn't notice what's in front of his face," Ginny said. "But Harry's suspicious, I can tell."

"Bloody Potter," Draco spat.

Ginny sighed. "He's just worried, that's all," she said lightly. "Haven't any Slytherins noticed anything weird about you? Weirder than usual, I mean."

"Hey," he said, gently chiding her and tugging on her hand. She giggled. "Well, other than me yelling your name at the top of my voice every night, there's really nothing to notice," he said lightly.

Ginny laughed. "That's very subtle, dear," she said. "I'm serious though. We have to be careful."

"I know. We are being careful," he said, a sharp edge to his voice. He came to a halt. "After all, when I wanted to grab you from behind and ravish you in Honeydukes, I didn't, did I?"

Ginny turned to him, a naughty smile around her full lips. "That could have been entertaining."

"Yes, because then, instead of having fun with me, you'd be picking bits of me out of your hair for weeks."

She wrinkled her nose. "If those are my options then I choose fun, under that tree over there."

"What?" Draco was startled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. She paused long enough to climb over a stile on the edge of a field. "On the ground?" He continued, following her. "But-"

"Come on, Malfoy," she called over her shoulder. "Every member of the gentry has to slum it with the peasants once in their life."

Draco tugged her to a stop and looked at her quizzically. "You look like Ginny, but the noise you make is funny," he said seriously.

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "I just..." she trailed off and looked him in the eyes. She didn't need to say any more. He understood. She smiled and stepped towards him, both of her hands slipping into his and their bodies pressing together. Looking up at him, she said nothing... She didn't need to.

They sat at the base of a large old oak tree, Draco leaning against the trunk, Ginny leaning on Draco, his arms wrapped warmly around her waist. For the first time since their 'relationship' started they're alone and doing nothing but talking.

"I'm supposed to be like my father," Draco was telling Ginny, a slightly wistful tone to his voice; as if he was unaware he was talking. "Down to that pimp cane he carries."

"The thing with the snake head on top?" Ginny asked. Draco nodded against her neck. "Urgh. So tacky."

"I know. I hate it. My Dad gave me one for a birthday a few years ago, a smaller version of his."

"Junior pimp cane?" Ginny asked, trying to remain serious.

Draco laughed ruefully. "Something like that."

Ginny leant back more, feeling his strong chest against her back. He held her a little tighter. "And you don't want that?"

"A pimp cane? God no!" Draco cried, laughter in his voice. "What do you think I am?"

Ginny laughed, then grew serious. "Well, I don't think you're like your father, for one thing," she said firmly.

"I don't want to be like him, I-" Suddenly he stopped. "Look what you're doing to me, woman," he said, his tone of voice far harsher than it had been.

"What?" Ginny asked, turning her head around to face him. There were just inches between their faces.

"I don't do this," he said firmly, looking away. "I don't talk about feelings. I'm male. I'm a Malfoy for pity's sake. I can't-"

"Yes you can," Ginny interrupted. "You just haven't met anyone who really wanted to listen before."

A sneer that lacked its usual venom crossed his face. "I thought what we're doing was just teenage hormones? Nothing serious? I thought we didn't want something deeper."

"And what if I said that it could be something serious?" Ginny asked, shifting around so that her whole body was facing him. She looked earnestly into his eyes, not sure if she was doing the right thing. "That I wanted something deeper?" She couldn't help it saying what she was saying now, her feelings were bubbling over. "That what we're doing could be something really good?"

"Could it?" he asked, his eyes unreadable.

"If you want it to."

"Do you want it to? Tell me the truth."

She took a deep breath. "Yes, I do."

He sighed, the mask that had concealed his feelings cracking slightly. "You had to go and say something like that, didn't you?"

"What? Draco-" She was silenced by his mouth landing on hers. She breathed in suddenly through her nose, his hand sliding around her neck to pull her closer to him. His other hand reached down around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She moved willingly, winding one arm around his neck whilst the other gripped his shoulder. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she returned the favour, melting into him like she never wanted to be parted.

He broke away, breathing heavily. Looking deeply into her eyes, he said, "Ginny Weasley, you do terrible things to me."

A grin lit her face. "What's wrong, Malfoy? Afraid if you like it too much you might find it's not just me who wants more?"

"I think I've already reached that point," he said, dipping his head to her neck and tracing a line of kisses on her soft skin.

Ginny sat back in Draco's arms and they continued to kiss. She couldn't, wouldn't think about what was happening, she'd decided. She was just going to do what every fibre of her being was telling her to. Stay with Draco for as long as possible.