Stripped

If you had asked Ginny two weeks ago if she would be having dinner with Draco Malfoy, she would have told you that you needed to visit St. Mungo's. However, she was having dinner with him at the Solstice Tremor, the only restaurant that both of them could agree on.

Ginny took a sip of her water and snuck a glance at Draco. He was cutting his steak, a couple strands of his blond hair falling into his face. Ginny had to admit; Draco wasn't the same spoiled boy he was at Hogwarts. Well, he was still a prat but he had definitely grown up. He had been aristocratically cute in Hogwarts (but she would have never admitted it then) and he was now aristocratically handsome. Back then, though, he had been a child playing at adult games. Now, they were mere shadows to him.

Everyone living in the Wizarding world had shadows; almost everyone surviving the war had lost a piece of themselves. Some had lost siblings like Ginny did with Charlie. But the main thing everyone had lost was their innocence. Even the children who had been born after the war were different from when Ginny was a child.

Draco, yes, he still had that sense of entitlement that he had when he was at Hogwarts but it was tempered with something else. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but it seemed as if he had a bit of humility to him that his father never had. Oh bloody hell, I'm calling him Draco in my thoughts now, Ginny thought.

"Am I interesting to you?"

Ginny was startled from her thoughts with a blush. Draco was looking at her with a knowing smirk on his face. "Not that interesting," she retorted before taking a bite of her salmon.

Draco picked up his wine glass and peered at her over it. Something about her made him feel uneasy, on edge. He could feel as if she could see through him and frankly it scared him. One of the first lessons he had learned as a Death Eater was to hide his thoughts and feelings. Luckily, he was a natural Occlumens but now, he felt more exposed than he ever felt before.

For the past two weeks, Draco and Ginny were seen together nearly everywhere. After Ginny was given an indeterminate leave by Madam Bones, Draco, using her agreement to be seen with him, dragged her everywhere with him. At first, Ginny didn't like it but after spending time with him, she began to have fun. Now, Draco was sure that he was beginning to fall for the redhead and it literally scared him.

Their conversation earlier during the meal had confirmed that for him. He liked to see her alive, her eyes sparkling as she laughed at one of his barbs or snapped at him for saying something that she didn't like. He looked forward to seeing her and it was frightening. Two weeks ago, he wouldn't have given a damn about Ginevra Weasley but now; she was an integral part of his life.

Ginny seemed oblivious to his thoughts as she continued to eat. Draco took another bite of his steak as he continued to think. It was a bit hilarious; the Malfoys always hated the Weasleys and now he was eating dinner with one of them. He could hear his mother; at least she's a pureblood... He didn't know what to think anymore.

"Hallo!"

Ginny and Draco blinked as a camera bulb flashed in their eyes. A worried male voice fretted, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't avoid doing it."

Draco grimaced; it was good old Colin Creevey. He grit his teeth as Ginny wryly drawled, "And good eve to you, Colin. Thanks for ruining my dinner."

Colin gulped as he glanced over towards Draco. The silent blond was staring at him as if he wanted to Crucio him several times then chop him into little pieces. "I'm sorry, Ginny. But, pictures of you out with Mr. Malfoy are worth hundreds of Galleons now--" Colin began to stammer, but was cut off by Draco.

"Which is why you will not be selling this one."

Colin's shoulders drooped and Ginny felt a bit sorry for him but before she could say anything, Draco rose an eyebrow and Colin made his apologies and left.

"I'm sorry for that," Draco murmured.

"I guess I should be used to that now," Ginny evenly replied. "Everyone now remembers how I was possessed by Tom Riddle in my first year at Hogwarts and now this. Lavender told me that someone asked her if she thought that I had been a spy for Voldemort during the war. I'm clearly not someone to be trusted now."

Draco chuckled sardonically then said, "As if a Weasley could be anything but against Voldemort."

Ginny turned sharp eyes towards him. "Well, maybe if you had him in your head, you wouldn't feel that way."

"Well, it wasn't my fault that you made friends with his journal."

"Your father was the reason why I had that bloody journal in the first place," Ginny whispered angrily, her brown eyes flashing.

Draco raised a hand but Ginny picked up her outer robes. "After Colin and this brief conversation, I feel that I'm too tired to continue this conversation," she stated.

Ginny, wait--" Draco began, but she Apparated before he could stop her. Cursing to himself, Draco snapped his fingers towards the waiter. "Charge this to my account," he tersely snapped before Apparating back to Malfoy Manor.

*********

Ginny fidgeted as she waited. She was waiting outside of Madam Bones' office at the Ministry of Magic. Madam Bones had requested a meeting today and Ginny pretty much knew what it would be about but she was still nervous.

The door opened and Percy summoned her. "She's free." Then, in an uncharacteristic move, he gave her a quick hug and whispered, "It'll be okay."

Ginny nodded, squared her shoulders and went into Madam Bones' office. Madam Bones was sitting behind her desk and writing on parchment, but as soon as she noticed that Ginny was in the room, she looked up and smiled. She waved around the room. "Take a seat. This probably will not be long, but I'd like for you to have a seat."

The Minister of Magic smiled in her direction, her smile reminding Ginny of sunshine and summer days. Amelia Bones always seemed like the aunt that Ginny never had but Ginny still feared her a little because she earned her position as Minister of Magic. Ginny sat down in a chintz chair that was closest to Madam Bones' desk.

After Ginny was settled, Madam Bones' spoke. "How have you been, Ginny? Any problems or issues?"

Ginny swallowed. "Well, I'd like it if people would stop sending me curses and I didn't have to worry about the reporters from the Daily Prophet all of the time."

Making a face, Madam Bones commented, "I rather dislike the media too, but it has its uses. I just called you in today to tell you that we've decided to put you on an extended leave with pay."

Ginny opened her mouth to speak but Madam Bones held up a hand. "Let me continue; Moody says that you are his best Obliviator but we feel that it would be better for this to die down before you come back to work. It's a sticky situation and I don't envy you. It wouldn't be a problem if you could just do your job but with people following you around, it just isn't feasible."

Sighing, Madam Bones stopped. Ginny closed her eyes. "How long do you think it will be before I can come back to work?"

"Should be less than a month, I hope. I really hate doing this, but Moody and I came to the conclusion that it would be best for everyone." Then, with a twinkle in her eye, Madam Bones continued, "Plus, you haven't taken a vacation in two years. Think of this as an overdue, fully paid vacation."

Groaning, Ginny nodded. Madam Bones seemed pleased with her decision. "You can go now. Moody has decided to split your workload with Jensen, Reynolds, and Thomas so you won't come back to paperwork. Thanks for not making this too hard, Ginny."

Ginny nodded then left the Minister's office. She walked back to her desk, the expression on her face daring anyone to say something to her. However, at her desk; Bill and Tonks were waiting for her.

Tonks got off of her seat on Ginny's desk. "I've heard. I'm so sorry, Ginny. Mum says that Daily Prophet editors need to be Crucioed."

Bill interjected, "Your mother is biased against any other media than the WWN."

Ginny smiled but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Tonks reached out and hugged her. Bill stood to the side with his hands in his jeans pockets. "Anyway, Tonks and I decided to take you to lunch wherever you want to go," he remarked. "Neville said that he wants to come as well since he hasn't seen you in two weeks, so as soon as he gets here, we're going to go out."

"And don't worry; Bill is paying for us all!" Tonks whispered with a wink.

Ginny laughed as Bill glared at Tonks. "That was supposed to be a surprise," he muttered dejectedly.

Huffing, Neville ran towards Ginny, his robes flapping behind him. He slid to a stop and nearly fell if it wasn't for Bill catching and steadying him. Neville gasped and took several deep breaths. They all smiled at him and Tonks asked, "You all right, Neville?"

Neville nodded as he finally caught his breath. Then he said, "I was trying to get away from Parvarti; she thinks I have some good gossip and she wants to know everything."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you Apparate here?"

Neville smacked his forehead with his left hand. "Why didn't I do that?" he muttered. "Good, you're all wearing Muggle clothes. Anyway, we should eat in a Muggle restaurant. I know of this good Greek place over in the East End that we could all enjoy..."

******

Ginny smiled before taking a bite of her gyro. Neville took them to a nice, hole-in-the-wall restaurant he and Hannah had their first official date. It was barely a restaurant because you seated yourself and there was no wait service but the food was so good that Ginny forgot all about it. Bill and Tonks were on Ginny's right, both eating moussaka while Neville, sitting on Ginny's left, just had some roast lamb.

"Now, you understand why I love this place," he spoke up. "Cheap, good, and no one particularly cares about who we are."

Tonks nodded as she ate some of her food. "That's Neville Longbottom," Bill commented, "the purveyor of every Muggle restaurant to be found in London."

Neville blushed; one of his talents was a knack for finding a good restaurant but he was always embarrassed when someone praised him in anyway. Then Tonks asked, "So, what do you think you'll do with your new found free time, Ginny?"

Ginny shrugged.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to spend a little bit of the time with Mum. I know Fred and George will probably want your help with the shop, especially with Alicia due in two weeks," Bill said.

Ginny sighed. "I was thinking of that. Plus, they'd love to trade on my newfound notoriety. Penelope probably will Floo me sometime to see if I'd spend sometime babysitting her kids."

Tonks smirked. "Also, with Hermione and Harry finally seeing the light and getting together, it would be uncomfortable to spend a lot of time at your flat."

Ginny mock-groaned, throwing her hands in the air. After making a face, Neville tentatively said, "Or, you could give everyone more to talk about and spend time with Malfoy."

Bill's hand stopped as he rose his coffee cup to his mouth. Tonks blinked then she ventured, "You've been spending time with him."

Ginny grew defensive. "Why, is that a problem now?"

Bill gave her a surprised look and then nonchalantly said, "It's just a bit surprising. You two weren't exactly best mates in Hogwarts."

Neville choked on a bite of lamb as if he wanted to laugh. Ginny glared at him. "It seems like the ferret has changed. Plus, it's a strange set of circumstances--"

"Or, Malfoy has found his entrée back into society," Tonks remarked dryly. "The Malfoys have always been manipulative users."

Neville looked at Tonks' disbelievingly. "Malfoys are Slytherins. Most Slytherins are manipulative users. Ginny, watch yourself, I don't want you to come out of this with more problems than you have now."

Ginny placed a soothing hand on his right shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm a big girl. I can handle a ferret. If he pisses me off, I can just hex him again with my Bat-Bogey Hex."

They all laughed but Bill watched Ginny. He could tell that something was a bit off and she wasn't telling them the full story about her and Malfoy. He didn't mind that much though; when the scandal had first started, Ginny had started to retreat into herself like she did after she had been possessed with Riddle. He heard from Ron that there was some meeting and Malfoy got Ginny to agree to be friendly towards him. All he knew was that Malfoy was dragging Ginny out in public with him and that Ginny hadn't retreated into herself. He was a bit eh on Malfoy and Ginny being together, but he could deal for it as long as his sister didn't get hurt.

Ginny looked around the restaurant; they were all done and for some reason, she was itching to talk to Draco. It was then the thought came to mind. I want to talk to Draco Malfoy. There is something wrong with me.

Tonks got up and stretched. "I'd love to stay and chat all day but I have to get back to work and I know you have to too, Bill." She poked Bill in the side.

"Don't do that," Bill complained, causing Ginny to giggle. They collected their belongs as they made their way over to the underground over to St. James Square so they could get closer to Diagon Alley.

******

Later that day, Draco paced in front of his fireplace in his library. He felt bad about the previous night; talking about Tom Riddle had been a low blow. It was weird; he used to get a thrill from making people feel awful but now, he felt like a complete git for that last bit of conversation. He sat down in his favorite chair before summoning a glass of water. He wanted to apologize but he didn't know how to go about it. Then he heard an Apparition pop from behind him. Draco turned around and he saw Ginny.

He squished a smile and instead casually drawled, "What are you doing here, Weasel?"

Ginny looked around. "Why is it so dark here?"

"Some of us like the dark."

Shrugging, Ginny summoned a chair and sat down. "Even though you are a complete prat, I felt like talking to you for some reason."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Ever feel like even though everyone is saying the right things, they just don't understand?" she said. Draco nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. She continued, "I feel as if my family expects me to go barmy sometime soon. I'm still a little girl to them."

"Well, I can't necessarily say I understand that exactly but I understand that you feel strange because I feel the same way." Ginny looked at him as he continued, "I actually felt like a prat for the first time in my life last night after you left. That was very, very different for me."

Choking, Ginny thought, I never thought that Malfoy would admit weakness ever in his life, least of all to me, a Weasley.

Sending her a sharp glance, Draco got out of his chair and walked over towards hers. Squatting down to where they were eye to eye, his voice came out soft. "Ever since we met in the Three Broomsticks, I've felt differently towards you, Ginny."

Ginny started; it was the first time that her name had come out of his mouth that way, as if he was attracted to her. She didn't know what to say.

Unsure from her silence, Draco got up and backed away. Ginny got out of her chair and rolled her neck around, the sudden tension in the room making her feel uneasy. She began to fiddle with her robe, unwilling to look at him. Then, the most incredible thing happened.

Draco walked back over to her, this new compulsion to kiss her filling his brain. He kissed her, ignoring her squeal of surprise before her mouth opened to his. He lazily slipped his tongue into her mouth as her arms came around his neck. She was as sweet as he thought she would be and he instantly desired to see how she would be like in bed.

He ended the kiss before nipping her left ear. Ginny sighed; it felt so good but then she remembered where she was. She reluctantly pushed him away. Draco let her; he didn't feel like pushing her.

Ginny sighed; everything had just changed in a matter of minutes. She looked him him square in the eye. "I'll see you Friday as planned at Pansy's office." And with that, she Apparated from the room.

Draco smiled after she had left; he figured out exactly how he was going to use this situation he was in. Even though part of his brain railed against the fact that he was attracted to the pureblood trash, a Weasley, the other part said that being with her would be the best thing to regaining his family's position in Wizarding society. Plus, she was a good kisser.

Then an owl tapped at the window of his library. Opening the window, Draco took the letter before offering the owl some gourmet owls treats. The owl flew out the window into the nighttime sky.

Opening the letter, his good mood went away as he read it. Scowling, Draco ignited the letter with his wand. As always, for every good thing that happened, another bad thing was waiting in the wings to ruin his mood.