One Moment in Time

Darkness is the monster that engulfs the heart.

Emptiness is the lair from which the terror is bourne.

Loneliness is the fuel it needs to keep you enslaved.

Companionship is the well-worn road to redemption.

Love is the key to set you free.

One Moment in Time

Part One - The Liberation Front

Benny's Imperial Kitchen was a dingy restaurant situated in the middle of what was the shabbier part of town. It liked to pride itself on its lovely oriental cuisine, which all manner of people would pass by for Friday night takeouts. The neighborhood wasn't particularly safe, so it could be asked why a pale, red-haired beauty was standing alone on the front of Benny's porch with no escort in sight. The answer was simple. The Kitchen's location had not been chosen by accident, the backroom was a place where suspicious activities took place during the night, away from prying eyes. And what was more convenient than hiring a kitchen helper who didn't understand a word of what was being whispered about?

~~~

Ginny wrinkled her nose as a flake of snow settled on it lightly. Shivering, she pulled her thin coat tighter about her and stepped off the dimly lit porch of the Kitchen. She jaywalked across the road, ignoring the horns of a car that had to swerve to avoid hitting her. It was late and she had not had any dinner, never mind that she worked at a restaurant. She scrunched up her nose in annoyance as she thought of the people she worked for; the words to describe them hadn't yet been invented, but suffice it to say they were stingy beyond belief. Even the leftovers were untouchable, 'food four dog, not four yew' was the reply Ginny had received, tainted with a strong Chinese accent. Lucky for her, she would be going home to a bare apartment and a sole can of tuna. Can't wait, she thought wryly. The only thing she had to look forward to was the two-day break ahead of her.

Her hair was becoming matted to her face by the snowfall and she quickened her footsteps, hoping that no trouble would find her tonight in this part of town. Suddenly, she felt a rough grab at her ass, and a slurred voice, "Where you going pretty thing?".

She turned around to find a drunken man behind her; his breath stunk of the alcohol he had consumed and his gait was wobbly. Without waiting to hear more, she hooked her right foot around his ankle, causing him a date with the pavement. Thanking her years at Auror school, she quickly straightened and began a slow jog away from the now moaning man.

No more than a minute had passed before a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and pulled her back into a dark corner. Trying her move again, she only succeeded in spraining her ankle. Giving a short cuss, she turned around to face her assailant; he was three times her bulk and more than a head taller. She vaguely registered that he had said something filthy and was now leering at her. Time for Plan B. She turned and, with as quick reflexes as she could manage on a swollen ankle, began running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Her prayers that he wouldn't take up the chase went unanswered as she heard the fall of footsteps behind her. Vowing to take this up with God at a later date, she concentrated on a fast sprint.

~~~

After countless twists and turns, Ginny rounded a corner and collapsed in a garbage heap. Hiding carefully behind two large rubbish bags, she listened for the sound of approaching footsteps while trying to silence her panting. Luckily, it appeared she had lost the attacker, though, on a lighter note, she had also lost herself. Pulling away from the garbage, she limped to the open street to try and regain her bearings. Lost, cold and miserable, she began to conduct a one-sided conversation with God inside her head. "I've been a good girl, I listen to my parents, I'm good to my brothers, all six of them, and I brush my teeth before I go to bed, so why is this happening to me?"

She was truly convinced that if she had ever been in the line for luck, she had taken a nap one afternoon and slept right through her turn. Nonetheless, she decided to give it one last try. Adopting a pleading sort of tone she said, "Please, God, if there is still hope for me, then show me some sign that salvation is near, save me before I give up."

In answer, someone roughly knocked into her. "Watch it you idiot!! Can't you see there's someone here? I was in the middle of something!" she yelled at the man.

"It was an accident," the man grunted, brushing himself off and preparing to move on.

"What accident? The road is this wide!"

"It was an accident lady! Will you drop it?"

Ginny was in the middle of a retort when her breath caught. She blinked the snow from her eyelashes and moved closer toward the man. White blond hair, grey eyes and a pointy chin, but what really captured her attention was that perpetual sneer. "Draco Malfoy!" she screamed. She would never be able to explain why she did what she did next, but at that time, all thought stopped as she threw herself at him.

Now Draco was normally a very composed kind of person, always with a quick insult on the ready. However, it wasn't every day that a stranger would scream his name and catch him in a bear hug, so he could be forgiven for needing a moment or two to recover. He paused and retraced his thoughts. He had bumped into a seemingly awkward girl, they had exchanged a brief dialogue and she had thrown herself at him. Right then. Now, how was one supposed to react when a delicate girl throws herself into ones arms, never mind that the 'delicate' girl was currently squeezing the life out of him. And then something occurred to him.

Ginny would never have been able to live down her embarrassment had it not been for Malfoy's outburst a moment later. "I can't believe you think this is all it'll take!" Draco yelled out to nobody in particular, his eyes raised heavenward and looking none too sane.

The girl paused in her mad hopping. "Draco Malfoy. I can't believe we're meeting here," the girl said with a nervous laugh, stepping back from him, obviously taken aback by his behaviour.

"I'm so happy for you, but really, I'm quite sure I haven't the faintest idea who you - " He would have said more, but at that moment he chanced a glimpse at the girl's face. All time stood still. "Weasley! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed incredulously, double-checking the red hair and freckles.

Ginny nodded rather happily. Recovering from his shock, Draco rather self-consciously closed his mouth. "Right. Well..." Realising he had nothing more to say, he once again brushed himself off and proceeded to walk away.

"No, where are you going? Stay!" Ginny said, choosing that moment to attach herself rather firmly to his left arm.

More than a little bewildered, he took a deep breath and said the first thing that came to his mind, "Let go." Cursing himself for being so articulate, he tried his best to detach himself, however, her grip was hard as ice.

"Stay!"

Attempting to pry her fingers from his arm, Draco only succeeded in receiving multiple scratches to his hand.

"Weasley!" he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Not until you save me. You're His answer, and God knows when I'll get a second chance," she replied in a determined voice.

He frowned in honest bafflement. "Are we playing some kind of game Weasley? Because I haven't been let in on the rules, and I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Frankly, I think you're crazy, and I really want my arm back."

She only grinned. "It's okay."

Deciding it wasn't worthwhile to ask, "What's okay", Draco remained silent and they stood there for several minutes of peace.

"Weasley, just let me go," he said with a long-suffering sigh.

"Promise you won't run, I'll hex you if you do." He seriously doubted that, as it didn't look as if she had a wand with her. Even so, he nodded his head and waited as she slowly let go in a cautious manner.

They stood there for another few moments, the snowfall getting steadily harder.

"Look Weasley, it's not so much that I mind 'staying' here with you. What concerns me is that we're 'staying' in the middle of a dark street, in what isn't the safest part of town, in the middle of what looks to be a snowstorm. Do you think we could relocate to somewhere else?"

"Where then?"

"Anywhere. Somewhere warm would be a nice start," he replied, regaining his old edge.

"Well that rules out my place, I don't have a heater. I know this coffee shop two blocks down, let's go there," Ginny suggested, having regained her bearings.

Moving against the wind, they barely managed to reach the coffee shop. They shuffled quickly toward a booth near the back, both glad to get out of the weather. The waitress came by and they ordered cappuccinos as 'them all we got now luv'. An awkward silence descended as they sat warming their hands around the mugs, though neither ventured a sip of the murky liquid.

Despite the fact that it had been years since she last saw Malfoy, the lonely, defeated looking face in front of her was not at all the way she remembered him. That lost little boy's face seemed to stand out shockingly from the wealthy aura he exuded through his stride, the perfectly gelled hair and expensive accessories, and of course who could forget that arrogant smirk. His expression made her frown, it was a mask attempting to conceal a world of despair, not something she had ever imagined Draco Malfoy would come to.

"So, Malfoy, the muggle world," Ginny asked, straining for anything to fill the silence.

"And yourself, Weasley. Still in rags I see."

Even in the muggle world Draco Malfoy was still a rich brat with an extremely long stick stuck up his rear. "I wouldn't talk so fast, Malfoy. You don't look so hot yourself."

He made a face and ignored her.

"What happened?" she ventured after two minutes of silence.

"Well father's in Azkaban isn't he? The Ministry has taken over the Manor, looking for more evidence to incriminate him. Though I personally don't see the point, I mean, he's already in Azkaban rotting."

"Oh...I'm...sorry to hear that."

"Of course you're not. Don't bother; I've had enough of that world anyway. Sent my mother to live with some distant relatives, packed up and left. So here I am, living amongst the muggles, almost living like a muggle." He shuddered at the admission.

"They're not so bad! You just have to get used to it," Ginny defended. He merely shrugged and stared into his mug.

"I take it they sealed your Gringotts vault too?" she asked, studying his clothing. Though not rags, they were by no means new. That had to mean something on this Slytherin prince who never wore the same article of clothing twice.

"Well, er, that is, I've sort of misplaced my key," he replied, managing to look slightly sheepish. She gave him an incredulous look as he scratched his neck.

"Men! Give them the one thing that will keep them alive, and they lose it within the blink of an eye," she exclaimed, exasperated.

He frowned in outrage, and in his momentary distraction, absently raised his mug to his lips. Immediately, he spat it out in disgust. "What is this stuff?" he exclaimed.

"What? You mean dirt cheap coffee?" Ginny supplied nonchalantly.

The waitress gave them an unfriendly stare, and Ginny abandoned her own cappuccino. Getting up, she motioned for Draco to do the same. "Come on, you've offended the waitress."

Draco gave her a look which clearly said "Me?!", but got up and followed her out anyhow.

They huddled outside, the forces of wind and snow working against them. It was only then that it occurred to Ginny that she had just detained this man in the middle of the night for a questionable cup of coffee. "So, er, do you have to go home? Sorry I got a little excited before."

He shrugged. "I wasn't in the mood for going home either."

Out of possible places to go, they trudged along toward Ginny's apartment. She had a distinctly sinking feeling that they were making more progress backwards than forwards against the howling wind. After a while, she felt Malfoy's arm around her shoulders, and they continued on silently, holding onto each other for support. Once they had climbed the stairs to her cheap apartment block, Ginny unlocked the door and swung it out on its rusty hinges. She moved to the side to let Malfoy in, standing nervously awaiting Draco's smart comments about her place of residence.

Draco stepped in and glanced around the one room apartment. On the left corner was a mini sized fridge, a flat mattress was lying in the middle of the room with a bundle of flimsy looking blankets. On the right wall were two ropes acting as a makeshift wardrobe with some of Ginny's clothing. Two milk crates were scattered carelessly on the floor serving as chairs. A beam of light from a streetlamp off the roadside flooded the room, giving it a desolate appearance.

Ginny prepared herself for a biting remark from him. Instead, all he did was walk toward the flat mattress in the centre of the room and sit down. Watching him curiously, she waited as he undid his shoelaces and removed his boots before lying down on the bed and rolling over, clearly with the intention of going to sleep.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? It's 3am, I need to sleep Weasley."

Trying to recover from shock and indignation, she walked over to her bed and shoved him with a foot. "Move over."

Sliding in, she tried to make herself comfortable while not touching Malfoy. This turned out to be impractical seeing as the bed was a single; in the end she only succeeded in knocking her head on the hard floor. "Ow!" she mumbled.

Continuing to wiggle, she slowed her movements as Draco's eyelids began to rise; stopping altogether when his grey eyes appeared and began glaring at her. With a frown, he moved over and closed his arms around Ginny, pulling her toward his chest so that both her arms were locked between their bodies. Attempting to protest, she was shushed as Draco's grey eyes met hers. "Sleep," he ordered, and surprisingly, Ginny found herself obeying.

Struggling for warmth, the two held onto each other tightly through their slumber, two bodies entangled beneath a musty thin blanket.

~~~

Nobody had expected the youngest Weasley to put 'Auror' as her future career choice. Though when she made the announcement, everybody secretly knew why. Despite her attempts to stress how Professor McGonagall had approved her choice and that even mad eye moody had once told her she had potential, everybody made their own judgments. It was to follow in the footsteps of the great Harry Potter and his two best friends of course. And perhaps they were right, why should those three have all the fun? She had Hermione's smarts and Harry's courage, and certainly any yet-to-be-determined talents Ron might possess would be present on her as well.

It was only after she arrived at the Auror academy that she realised her mistake. After witnessing her first real hand-to-hand combat match, the doubt had begun to spawn. But she forced herself to carry on, telling herself she wouldn't go home to the sympathetic glances and half-hearted consolations awaiting her. So she remained, for six years, long after her fellow classmates had graduated and accepted full ministry positions. It wasn't that she lacked skills, rather, they never seemed to work at the appropriate times. Even though her mind knew exactly what to do, her body just would not cooperate and manage her skills during examinations. They ought to let her pass anyway she argued, but they were adamant she would only become a casualty on the field if they let her go.

Six years was much too long, and despite her reservations about going home empty handed, she decided that after six years, what little regard they had for her would have been scrapped anyway. Sod it all. And with that she was packed and heading home the very next day. Her mother welcomed her with a tear-streaked face and a big bear hug. The Trio were on a mission in the mountains of Switzerland and Ginny was glad she did not have to put up with their awkward glances at each other.

With the Weasley kids each able to live off their own incomes, Molly was able to devote more care to Ginny who took to moping about the house. It wasn't that she didn't want a job, but there were little vacancies available for a 23-year-old graduate with no expertise or previous work experience. It seemed nobody was particularly impressed with someone who helped to defeat the Dark Lord but never made it to the newspaper headlines.

Tired of being pampered, looked upon sympathetically and really just tired of being herself, she decided that a change of scenery was in order. With her well-known abruptness, she appeared at the top of the staircase one morning declaring that she was off to explore the muggle world.

The future had seemed bright and the world a lovely place at the beginning. But after running out of her savings and being unable to negotiate a bargain with her pride, she'd had to find any job she could land.

Secretary positions were out.

"How's your typing skills?" What the hell was typing?

"Er, typing, well er, I'm quite good-"

"Words per minute?"

"Oh er let's see now, I'd say ten, no twenty...thirty?"

Even store checkout sales were out. "So you give me a green note, and I should probably give you a couple of coins back right? Or is it the little knut-like ones? Ohh this one looks like a Sickle!"

In the end the only place that would hire her was Benny's. All she had to do was scrub; unfortunately, it was one of the few things she knew how to do.

~~~

A piercing light was forcing its way through her subconscious, and try as she might to fight it, Ginny found herself slowly returning to the world around her. Cracking open an eyelid, she groaned at the blinding sunlight and tried to turn over and cover her head with the pillow. In mid twist, she noticed a heavy weight around her upper body and turned her head around in confusion. The sight she was met with made her almost want to scream. Mouth open in mid-shriek, the events of the night before quickly resurfaced in her mind and she closed her mouth quickly.

Slowly easing herself out of Draco's arms, she shuffled into the bathroom and splashed some icy cold water onto her face. Awake and much more alert, she leaned against the bathroom door wondering what to do about her 'guest'. Her thoughts came to a quick halt as a loud pounding sounded on the door; she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from spitting her heart out.

"I need the loo, would you hurry?" a hoarse voice mumbled.

She opened the door and stepped out, watching as he quickly piled in and shut the door. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she played with her pillow in a worrying manner and waited for him to come out, still clueless as to what to say or do.

When he finally came out of the bathroom, he made a beeline for the fridge in the corner, not even bothering to greet his host. Taking in the contents of the fridge - one sole carton of milk - he grabbed the carton and drank half the contents in one gulp before putting it back into the fridge. Collecting his coat from the hanging ropes, he slipped into it swiftly and walked out the door.

Stunned, Ginny stayed on the bed staring at the door for a long moment before she reacted. Racing out of her apartment and struggling to put on her left boot, he was halfway down the street by the time she made it downstairs. "Malfoy you - milk thief! Come back here!" she yelled angrily, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Pausing in mid stride, Draco jogged toward her, shaking his head. "What do you think you're doing Weasley? Get your arse inside before you freeze over, you realise that a thin shirt isn't going to help you in this weather right?" He hesitated a moment, watching her angry glare. " I'm late for work, come to JB's on Hunter tonight, I'll meet you there." He bounded off immediately after his words, stopping at the end of the street to check on her. "Get inside!" he yelled, before giving a quick wave and turning the corner.

~~~

JB's was a busy café turned nightclub in the heart of suburbia. The owner of the club was a woman in her late thirties who looked as if she were freshly sixteen. They called her Lady Fox, as nobody knew her real name. The manager of the club had secretly whispered to Draco that he had it on good authority JB were not her initials and most likely that of an ex-lover.

The first time Draco had seen her, she looked as if she were ready for bed. A red silk camisole that barely went past mid thigh, matching kitten heels and painted toe nails. She was curled up on the couch in her private office on the second floor, the one that had a view of the whole nightclub scene below. Her dirty blond hair draped around her like a mane and large watery blue eyes completed the picture. He had thought she was the boss' party girl. He thought wrong.

"Lady Fox, good lookin' fella here wants an audience with you." The bouncer that had led Draco up gave him a good slap on the back and pushed him forward.

"Actually, I wanted to see the boss," Draco supplied smoothly, refraining from giving her a disgusted look.

The bouncer laughed as if he'd cracked a joke. "You're lookin' at her mate!"

Draco raised his eyebrow to show surprise, but inwardly he was swearing.

Lady Fox turned toward Draco, her long eyelashes creating shadows against her porcelain skin. She licked her lips at the sight of him and he had the feeling every man in the room had just hardened at the gesture. "Don't you look good enough to eat?" She bit a corner of her lip, looking the portrait of innocence.

He ignored her comment and cleared his throat. "I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm here for the interview-"

"You're hired," she responded without a blink. "You can be my personal assistant." Her eyes roamed his body, giving him a very good idea of what 'duties' he would be performing. It took all his will to control his temper and ground out, "Actually, I was just after the bartender position, thanks. But if I decide to sell my body, I'll let you know."

She gave a schoolgirl pout and then returned her gaze to the night scene below. "Ivan, show him around. Oh and, remember to strut Draco!"

"I'll show you what it's all about," he promised.

Later, when they had retreated from the office, the bouncer shook his head. "Mate, you don't know what you're missing. She doesn't like playing hard to get."

"Believe me, I wasn't joking." The bouncer shook his head again. "I'll live with it," Draco assured him.

Draco had never served under anyone before, but he quickly learnt the tricks. Occasionally he'd flash a smile that would earn him a tip he could live off for a week. Being a bartender meant he could be nasty to whoever pissed him off, as long as he didn't start any brawls. The bartending was an easy job, he'd enjoyed mixing his own alcohol back at Hogwarts, and because he was good for business, they'd even let him experiment with his own concoctions.

A week after he started, people lining up for a glimpse of the sexy and talented bartender formed their own separate line outside the door. He got a pay rise.

~~~

Ginny leaned against the bar facing the sea of people. Her eyes roamed the crowd searching for a glimpse of platinum hair.

"Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked, and she absently waved him away. "It's on the house," he added.

Ginny turned around ready to tell the bartender off for implying she couldn't pay for her own drink when she was met with the familiar smirk.

"You work here?" she asked. He gave a small nod.

"Then where were you going this morning?" she demanded in an accusing tone.

"I have two jobs," he shrugged, with no intention of elaborating. "Give me a sec." He slid over the bench and walked over to a small table in the back of the club, a group of women giggled and whistled as he went over, placing three cocktails on the table. They were flirting with him outrageously and slipping tips into places that made Ginny's ears turn red.

"Nice way of living," she commented when he returned, having been touched and fondled thoroughly.

"I've still got two hours," he said. "Hang around, and try not to get drunk." He placed a cocktail on the bench for her and moved off to take another order.

Making a face at his retreating back, she took the glass and began moving through the crowd. Left to her own devices, she felt like a puppy without an owner. It wasn't that she didn't know how to have fun, but rather it had been so long since she had really done something enjoyable. She sighed. Either way she looked at it, the word 'loser' surfaced to mind, bolded, underlined and highlighted.

She watched the people in the crowd, some bopping and moving their bodies to the music, others waving their arms wildly and quite obviously drunk. There were a fair number of couples who looked joined at the waist dancing, if that sensual touching and body grinding could be considered dancing she thought, even as her face burned.

Well, wasn't this one of the numerous things she had been dying to discover when she had first decided to visit the muggle world? Hermione had briefly described the setting of a nightclub to her, with great distaste and a dimpled frown, but she'd felt nightclubs were one of those things that needed to be experienced personally.

She straightened slightly and experimented moving her body in beat with the music, slowly venturing away from the shadows at the edge of the dance floor. A few men came over to dance with her and she quickly froze, standing rigidly in the circle of men blushing bright red. They encouraged her gently and she mimicked the moves of other girls on the dance floor until she found her own rhythm. After a while she broke away from the men and wondered over to where a group of women were gathered.

She took a peek over their shoulders and found a couple doing a steamy dance to the cheering of the crowd gathered around them. Ginny watched enthusiastically as the couple worked the crowd, looking for all the world as if they were devouring each other right then and there. As the end of the song came, the couple bowed and after a few cheers and whistles the crowd began to disperse. Having drowned her cocktail and feeling rather thirsty, Ginny returned to the bar but couldn't find Draco. Thinking he was probably off in a dark corner being fondled, she tapped her fingernails on the bench waiting for his return.

"Waiting for someone?" A smooth, resonating voice asked against her ear. She whirled around in surprise to find the man she had just been watching standing close behind her.

"Oh er, well sort of," she stuttered lamely. Up close she could see what the women on the dance floor had been attracted to. His eyes were a bright emerald green like Harry's, except that where Harry's showed an infinite sadness, this man's eyes shined and sparkled with mischief and excitement. He was of average height, lean with smooth lines and carefully picked clothing to accentuate his looks.

"Waiting's always so boring. Care for some company?" he asked, indicating the empty seat beside her.

"Sure, if your girlfriend doesn't mind," Ginny replied. He gave her a questioning look. "The girl you were dancing with just then."

"Ah, no no, we were just dancing, she is a good dancer. I'm Mark," he said, reaching out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ginny Weasley." She shook his hand and blushed when he brought it up and brushed his lips across her knuckles.

"Ginny, short for Virginia?"

"Actually, Ginevra," Ginny corrected.

He feigned surprise. "My favourite name!" She laughed and they talked for a few more moments.

"You two need anything?" a voice asked, toned with annoyance. She looked over to find Draco staring at them with a raised eyebrow, clearly not impressed.

"I'll have whatever this was," Ginny answered airily, indicating her empty glass. He had told her to hang around, so she was mingling, what was there to be annoyed about?

She watched as Draco mixed the drink with practised ease, smooth motions and calculated precision. He placed the glass in front of her and leaned over. "I thought I told you not to get drunk," he said in a lowered voice against her ear.

"The night's young, and it's only my second drink," she replied defensively.

"What are you doing with I'm-so-suave over there," he asked, eyeing Mark with distaste.

"Just talking. Don't you have a job to do? Go polish some glasses or whatever," she said, annoyed.

"He gave her an affronted look. "I'm paid to be a bartender, not some cleaning slave." He moved away and Ginny couldn't resist making a face.

"So you know the bartender? I hear he's got quite an attitude," Mark said after Draco had left.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I know all about that attitude."

"There's a lot of girls who are dying to get a chance with him, but I hear he barely glances at any of them twice," he continued. Apparently he wasn't the sole attraction here.

"Well, you'd be hard pressed to find a girl who could match his ego, then you'd somehow have to work around his self-adoration. I'm not surprised nobody's caught his fancy, he's too busy staring at his own reflection," Ginny concluded dryly.

Mark laughed. "Guess he's not in your good graces. Well then, I don't suppose you would be willing to honour me with a dance?"

"I'm not very good," Ginny began, shaking her head.

"Ah come on, it's easy. We'll take it slowly," Mark said encouragingly, taking her hand and leading her away from the bar.

They began with a slow modest movement which quickly turned into fast paced thrill action, and Ginny was surprised to find her and Mark the centre of attention. Surrounded by a cheering crowd, time was a forgotten element as Ginny danced, actually enjoying herself for the first time in years.

~~~

Draco slid over the bar and began searching the club for Ginny's whereabouts. He sincerely hoped she hadn't done anything stupid with that oily guy at the bar. As it turned out, he didn't have far to look, wading through the crowd in the centre of the dance floor, his eye immediately caught on flowing red hair and the vixen it belonged to.

Well she knew how to dance, and by the way the men were all ogling her, it looked like she knew how to stir up a heatwave too. Irritated for no apparent reason, he pushed away from the crowd and grabbed her elbow, swinging her around to face him.

"Come on, time to go," he muttered.

"But I'm dancing! Don't spoil the fun!" she returned, her eyes slightly unfocused as she twisted her elbow out of his grip.

"What did I tell you about not getting drunk?" He rolled his eyes as she giggled.

"I was thirsty from all the dancing, it was only water! Though...it did taste kind of dry," she giggled before pouting like a child. "I wanna dance! Dance, dance, dance Draco!"

She began moving around him, trailing her arm over his body and occasionally pressing up against him. Her eager coaxing began to strain his rational thought and before long he was returning her moves, enjoying the way her body felt against him. He could see Mark in the corner of his vision and gave him a look as if daring him to interrupt; he only shrugged before selecting another dance partner.

~~~

Lady Fox gave a small smile as she watched the couple from her office. Her arrogant, untouchable bartender was showing off more than just his strutting skills, something he had declined to do on more than one occasion with other female patrons.

The little redhead he had with him sure was something if she could entice the ice prince.

~~~

For the second time in two days Ginny had her mouth open ready to scream. She had woken up in a foreign bed, her head resting against the bare chest of Draco Malfoy. What worried her was that she couldn't remember much of the events leading up to this, then there was also the state of Malfoy's undress. Biting her lip, she slowly drew up the covers to glance down past his stomach and was relieved to find him clothed from the waist down.

Fighting a dull headache, she slipped away from his arms and out of bed. She herself was only in her undergarments and after a fruitless search around the room for her clothing, she settled for one of Draco's shirts, long enough to cover most of her thighs. Apart from the Queen bed in the middle of the room, there was a writing desk on the left facing a large window with a set of wizard's chess. On the right, was a large wardrobe standing next to the door.

The room had an empty, unfurnished look about it as if he had recently moved in and hadn't had time to settle in. A pile of dirty clothing lay in a crumpled heap in a corner of the room. Unsure whether it would be safe to venture out, she sat down at the desk and began a whispered game of wizard's chess with herself.

~~~

As Draco began to return to consciousness, the first thing he did was to reach out for absent warmth. When his hands were met with nothing but bed sheets, he forced open his eyes and searched the room until they fell on a figure sitting at his desk. Her red hair was tousled, flowing down her back in fiery cascades against the morning sun. She was wearing one of his shirts, showing off pale, slender legs crossed at the ankles. He rose out of bed and quietly made his way toward her, watching her thoughtful expression as she contemplated the next move.

"Knight to C4," he whispered in her ear, enjoying the way her eyes widened in surprise as her body nearly toppled over the chair. Steadying her with a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a smirk. "Good Morning."

"Malfoy!" she exclaimed in surprise, then gasped at his naked chest, averting her eyes. "L-last night, we...we didn't..." she trailed off her face red.

Draco's smirk grew predatory. "Oh we did lots of things last night. You were quite the wild vixen," he teased, watching her horrified expression.

"B-b-but you're still clothed...you bastard! How could you - " she broke off abruptly, apparently too disgusted to continue. He rolled his eyes.

"Relax, you got drunk so I brought you back here. Your clothes are in the wash and apart from me undressing you, nothing happened."

Her look of relief lasted all of two seconds before she turned on him. "And I suppose you had a jolly time copping a feel at my drunken expense?" She crossed her arms across her chest and stared up at him with a look of hatred.

"You flatter yourself," he said in a low voice before leaving the room, Ginny in tow. He slammed the bathroom door in Ginny's face, and with a huff she stood arms crossed waiting for him to finish. Taking a look around, she could see one other bedroom.

"You can use it now," Draco told her as he came out. She nodded her thanks and went in. After washing her face and rinsing her mouth, she brushed her hair into a high ponytail. As soon as she stepped out, she heard a muttered curse and was greeted with the faint smell of burnt bacon. Wandering into the kitchen, she watched as he took two eggs out of the fridge before straightening.

"Oh you're done. Omelette or scrambled?" he asked, raising the eggs.

"You know how to cook?" she asked with a faint hint of amusement.

"The only thing I can guarantee is that you won't die from it, but the taste," he shrugged, "I can't make any promises."

"Hmm, sure'd love to have a house elf right about now eh?" she teased. "Here, I'll do it." She nudged him out of the kitchen with her hip, grabbing the eggs from him.

Draco sat at the kitchen, perched on the bench top sipping a glass of orange juice. He watched as she moved around the kitchen, effortlessly preparing the breakfast that normally took him an hour to make. After which, he'd decide it wasn't worth the torture of trying to swallow it, give up and head downstairs to the nearest diner.

"Should I make enough for three?" Ginny asked, looking over at the closed door of the other bedroom.

He shook his head. "I don't have a flatmate."

Fifteen minutes later the two sat side by side on the kitchen bench munching on crispy bacon and toast.

"Is my cooking to your liking Sir?" Ginny asked.

"Suppose I'll have to make do," he responded, wolfing down his eggs.

"Don't you have work to go to?"

"It's once a week."

"What do you do?" she asked, studying him curiously.

"This and that," he replied vaguely.

"Sounds interesting." Her voice dripped sarcasm. "So, have you met anyone else in the muggle world?"

He shrugged. "Even if I did see someone I know, who would want to talk to me? I'm an outcast."

"But it's lonely isn't it? Waking up each day in a foreign place, with nobody to greet you in the morning and nobody to come home to at night," she asked, thinking of how she had spent the last year. "And you're not an outcast, I talked to you didn't I?"

"Well you're just strange then. Besides, you were probably so desperate for a familiar face, it didn't matter who I was."

"Still, out of all people, we met each other. That means something doesn't it?" she insisted.

"Yeah, it means God likes playing pranks," he stated flatly. She shrugged and finished off her breakfast. After changing back into her clothes, she found Draco on the couch staring at the TV.

"So er, thanks for last night," she said as she walked to the front door. He grunted in reply. "Um, can I come visit you...sometimes?" she asked when she reached the door.
He was silent a moment.

"I'm free most days before 5pm."

She grinned at him before opening the door and slipping through.

~~~

A week later, Ginny armed with two sandwiches and a pair of lattes knocked on his door. His hair was tousled when he finally opened the door, his eyes barely slits as he tried to open them. He was still dressed in only pyjama bottoms.

"I brought breakfast," she announced cheerfully, holding up the bag and coffees. For a worrying moment she feared he'd forgotten who she was as he stood there studying her. Finally, he stepped back and opened the door wider allowing her access.

Again they sat side by side at the kitchen bench. "Mmm, this is good," Ginny began, indicating her sandwich. "Should go to that diner more often."

He gave a grunt, not yet awake. A few bites later, "I like your cooking better," he mumbled.

She looked up to meet his grey eyes and once she'd determined he wasn't teasing, she smiled. "I could come around more often," she offered, glad for any excuse to acquire some company. "That is, if you don't mind," she added hastily. He didn't reply and Ginny tried to hide her disappointment as she finished her sandwich. It was a once off chance encounter, and even if he wasn't God's answer, it was unlikely she'd find another familiar face in the muggle world.

"Why don't you move in?" His voice suddenly pierced her thoughts and she whipped around to stare at him incredulously. "Never mind."

"No! No, I'd love to, are you serious? So we'll be roommates? When can I move in? Now about the rent -" She was cut off in mid yap as his thumb pressed against her lips.

"It's too early in the morning," he mumbled with a pained look. "Go home and pack, or wait here, I'll help you move this afternoon." As soon as he was finished, he trudged back to his room to rejoin the world of sleep.

After making sure he was asleep, she gave a small yelp of joy and went to explore her new room. It was slightly smaller than Draco's but Ginny could already picture it as her cosy haven.

Looking around each room of the flat to get her bearings, she quickly learnt that Draco was lacking in the cleaning department. Remembering his huffy attitude at the bar, she decided cleaning was one of those issues that didn't get raised with him, or else. However, being the compulsively clean nut that she was, it wasn't long before she was scurrying here and there terrorising any speck of dust that dared to make its presence known.

Draco awoke to the unfamiliar smell of detergent, frowning in distaste at the sharp scent. Easing out of bed, he padded from the room to find a mop of red hair moving around the corner of his vision.

"Oh you're awake! Great, well I made lunch, so help yourself. Then we can head over to my place, I figured there's not much to pack so we should be done in no time - " She stopped as he took hold of her arms and turned her around to face him.

"What. Are. You. Doing," he demanded, eyeing the dirty cloth in her hand with hostility.

"Cleaning up of course! Which reminds me, you obviously don't know the first thing about housekeeping. Now I'll volunteer to take on all the housekeeping responsibilities of course, but I think that means I deserve a discount on my share of the rent don't you think? Besides, I'll have to do the grocery shopping won't I? So I should get a grocery allowance as well - "

"Please, shut up!" Draco told her, staring at her in disbelief. "Do you ever stop to take a breath?" Ginny opened her mouth to answer and he quickly placed a thumb against her lips. "Never mind, I don't want to hear it. Can we please set some ground rules? First, mornings are supposed to be peaceful, so never use sentences consisting of more than ten words. Second, never speak two sentences in a row unless it's important. Third - you know what? Maybe you should just refrain from talking to me in the mornings because..." His train of thought derailed rather spectacularly as his stomach gave an impatient growl. Abruptly, he let go of her shoulders and wandered off to the kitchen in search of food.

"Men," Ginny whispered to herself as she went back to cleaning.

The morning sun had all but withered, grey clouds taking over its place by the time the two set off toward Ginny's apartment.

Ginny sighed silently as she looked about the room deciding on what to pack, there was pitifully little to call her own and she quickly folded her clothes into a tattered suitcase. Taking out her wand from its dusty resting corner in the suitcase, she shrunk the mattress and mini fridge and packed them.

"Well, I guess that's it," Ginny declared, looking around the bare apartment. "That's all of it." She twiddled her thumbs for a bit, wondering what Malfoy was thinking of her.

"I can manage that myself," Draco said indicating the suitcase. "Do you have people to inform about your change of address?"

Nobody knows I'm here," she replied shrugging. "I have to go talk with the landlord though. Can I meet you at your place later?"

Draco nodded, lifting the suitcase and making his way out.

He was waiting for her two hours later, throwing her a set of keys as soon as she walked in the door. "Your suitcase is in the second bedroom, keep the keys safe, they're the only spares I have. I'm going to work, don't worry about dinner."

Nodding in acknowledgement, she watched him grab his coat and leave before collapsing on the couch to watch TV.

~~~

Over the course of the next month, chaos and confusion was an ingrained part of life for Draco and Ginny as they struggled to find some middle ground in their cohabitation.

First things first, there was no way Ginny was going to keep up the 'Weasley - Malfoy' business with her new flatmate.

"Ginny!"

"Weasley..." Draco warned, grumpy as usual in the dull morning atmosphere.

"Ginny! Gin-nee!"

"Shut up Weasley!"

"You're not getting breakfast until I hear a 'Ginny'."

He was seated on the couch with her hovering over him, her arms on her hips as if she were teaching a preschooler the alphabet. The threat of breakfast was too harsh it seems, as he gave a growl and pulled her down onto the couch, pinning her there with his weight. Placing both hands on her cheeks, he drew close to her so that their faces were inches apart. "If you don't get me my breakfast immediately, I'm going to kiss you," he warned, enunciating each word carefully as his grey eyes bored into her.

With a squeak, she wiggled out of his reach and rushed to the kitchen to serve him breakfast.

Neither was really sure who had won that argument, but Ginny secretly felt she'd gotten the upper hand, as he hadn't called her Weasley after that.

~~~

Then of course, there was the toilet seat issue, though, growing up in a house with seven males had conditioned Ginny to endure the extra pain of having to flip the seat down before use. What really bothered Draco though, was...

Although he should have been dead to the world for another two hours at least, his bladder was having none of it and threatened to spill if he didn't move soon. Moaning, he slipped out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom. It wasn't until he had turned the doorknob and pushed inside that the sound of running water against tiles met his ears.

Directly in his line of vision was a naked red head with her back to him in the shower, male instinct told him to continue enjoying the contours of her back and the light spatter of freckles...she turned around and screamed at the sight of him, quickly crossing her arms over her chest. Swearing loudly, he hopped out of the bathroom and stood outside trying to calm the heatwave overwhelming his body, which in turn reminded him of the bladder problem.

"Sod it," he muttered, before returning to the bathroom. Ginny began a tirade of hysterical shouting which he steadfastly ignored as he moved toward the toilet.

"Shut up woman, I won't peek if you don't." He angled himself so that his back was to her before undoing his pants.

Ten minutes later a fuming redhead and an equally seething blond sat at the kitchen bench glaring at each other.

"It's not as if I were expecting you to act like a complete gentleman, but some manners wouldn't hurt Draco!"

"Is it just me, or had you noticed that it was you who left the door UNLOCKED," Draco replied heatedly.

"Well you're not normally up and about this early, I hadn't expected you to be awake for another couple of hours," she countered, blushing and looking slightly sheepish.

"Well then I don't see why I'm getting an earful for having accidentally seen you when my sole intention was to answer nature's calling."

"Yes well I didn't exactly see you averting your eyes either! You looked like a hungry beast that hadn't fulfilled his urges as of late..." She trailed off as Draco's eyes darkened with lust, leaning over as if he were about to ravage her. Giving a frightened yelp, she jumped off the stool and ran to her room, this time locking the door. Shaking his head with a tired grin, Draco mumbled a "Why me?" before returning to his bed.

~~~

As both worked night shifts, with Draco disappearing early every Wednesday morning without a trace, it was easy to set a pace that suited them both. Ginny was in charge of the meals and as long as his stomach was satiated, Draco was not too fussed on Ginny's habits of morning exercise, housekeeping, and singing as she cooked. Her chaotic presence curiously soothed Draco as he watched her bustle about the unit, giving it a sense of life. He'd taken loneliness as a punishment, believing that he'd spend his life alone. Even so, the loneliness scared him, and made him wander the streets at night unwilling to return to an empty, cold unit in which his only solace was the TV.

~~~

It appeared he wasn't the only one who feared being alone. Ginny's job at Benny's normally meant she was home by midnight, and faced with an empty place all to herself, she'd found herself restless and unable to sleep. She made a small snack and curled up on the couch watching TV, counting the hours, then minutes, before Draco's return. Usually she'd be unsuccessful and Draco would return to see her perched precariously on the edge of the couch asleep. Collecting a blanket, he laid it gently over her sleeping form before returning to his bedroom.

~~~

Two months after she moved in, Ginny discovered Draco's secret book collection hidden at the back of his wardrobe. With a few hours left before Draco's return, and the unappealing alternative of TV, she quickly selected a volume and curled up on one of his pillows. Two hours later Draco returned to find her asleep in his bed, her red hair spilt over the pillows like wine. His copy of The White Lady teetered on the edge of the bed close to her outstretched hand and he quickly rescued it, placing it on his desk.

Undressing, he pulled on a pair of black pyjama bottoms before sliding into bed, curling his body around hers. He should have woken her up and sent her off to her own bedroom, but really, why would he want to do that, he thought to himself as he drifted off with the scent of her shampoo surrounding him.

The next morning, she was uncharacteristically shy as they ate breakfast, avoiding his gaze and hiding in her room as soon as they were done eating. Not sure what to do, and not really sure he was ready for any sort of conversation about this, he ignored it.

That night when he returned home, she was asleep on the couch, her cheek pillowed on his book. Covering her with a blanket, he went to bed. Later, he felt rather than saw her climb onto his bed, feigning sleep as she slipped under the covers and settled his arm around her, snuggling into his warmth. He could feel her cold nose against his chest, and tightening his arm around her, he mumbled a sleepy 'Good night' against her hair.

~~~

She smelled faintly like soap spuds, but stronger was the scent of lilies from her hair, Draco loved to fall asleep with it surrounding him. She liked to snuggle into things, wiggling about until she had dug her cheek into the pillow just so, and had the covers wrapped around her like a cosy cocoon. When Draco was around, she'd instinctively move toward his warmth, squirming against his side until he wrapped an arm around her protectively.

~~~

He smelled of alcohol, the scent intoxicating as Ginny lay in his protective embrace. It made her light headed, and together with his heartbeat, easily lulled her into a pleasant slumber. It turned out Ginny was a relentless snuggler, forcing him to the edge of the bed every night, so that if he even so much as twitched, he'd land face first on the floor. Curiously, he never complained, managing to sleep still and peacefully in the five inches of bed allocated to him.

~~~

They never touched outside of sleeping. It was an unspoken safeguard to them that they had not gone insane by fraternizing with the enemy. When watching TV they'd curl up on opposite ends of the couch, eating at the kitchen bench they'd tuck in their elbows to avoid brushing each other. The touching remained exclusively for nighttimes when the darkness crept up around them, and threatened to engulf any hope they harboured in the deep recesses of their minds. Their embrace served to ward off the emptiness, and allowed them the peace to dream of better times to come.

Their actions lacked the passion of lovers, and didn't come close to the trust of best friends, only of two people who had experienced loneliness and wanted any sense of warmth and security they could find.

It didn't matter that she was a Weasley nor that he was a Malfoy; the family feud seemed to belong to another life, another world. It only mattered that here, in this moment, they had each other to hold on to, and for tonight, the loneliness would not claim them.