Matters of Blood and Connection

Chapter 24: No Regrets

Ginny's eyes widened slightly at Pansy's question and she glanced over at her. "He told you about that?"

"He didn't need to," Pansy said shaking her head. "I can see how happy you've made him. I don't know if you know this, but he's kind of hard to please."

"I've dealt with worse," said Ginny with a smirk.

"Yes, you did date Potter, didn't you?" Pansy smiled.

"Are you?" Ginny wondered.

"Am I still snogging and shagging your ex? Yes." Pansy smirked when Ginny nodded.

"Harry was impossible," explained Ginny. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"He's not too bad, Weasley," she said. "But I really do have to thank you. If things hadn't ended with him, then I would never be having the best sex of my life right now."

"That's more than I need to hear," said Draco as he returned. He leaned against the wall outside the bathroom.

"What happened with Blaise?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"Oh, we talked. I hit him, he tried to curse me, and I broke his nose." Draco chuckled softly and came into view. "It was a nice few minutes. What did you two talk about while I was gone?"

"You hit him?" Ginny asked.

"Twice?" Pansy muttered, surprised.

"Yes, twice. Now can you leave so I can be alone with my girlfriend?" Draco snapped at his housemate.

"Don't you mean your fiancée?" Pansy laughed.

"I didn't say a word," Ginny mumbled, holding up her hands and looking at Draco. "She figured it out. She's very smart."

"I'm a Slytherin," Pansy said smugly as she exited the bathroom.

As the door shut once more, Draco turned around.

"Sorry about her," he said as he wrapped his arms around Ginny. "Did you two play nicely while I was away?"

Ginny grinned as she pressed her lips against his mouth. "Yes," she whispered, her tongue sliding across his lower lip. "We were civil."

He growled lightly at her actions and felt the sudden urge to take her into the shower with him and have his way with her against the wall. Disappointment flooded into his stomach when he remembered what he had promised her.

"I don't like this new rule," he said as he trailed his mouth along her jaw slowly. When she fisted her hands in his hair he moaned.

"Neither do I."

He didn't wait for her to protest as he crashed his lips against hers, lifted her up and carried her out into the bedroom, slamming the bathroom door behind him.

***

Ginny was curled against him, her muscles sore as she stretched. Feeling a little too exposed, she pulled the blanket around her body more, ignoring his whimper. She buried her head in his pillow and breathed slowly.

"I love you," Draco murmured, slipping an arm across her back, his hand cool against her skin as he kissed the top of her head. "You're going to be a Malfoy soon, do you realize?"

"Oh, I'm sure your father will just love that," said Ginny with a sigh. "He hates me. Your mother seemed nice enough."

"Mother has never really liked the girls I brought home mainly because they either looked trashy to her or they didn't make me happy. But she saw how I was with you and she understood immediately. I'm sure this news will make her happy. My father's different, as you know, and he won't be as thrilled, mostly because we'll have to invite your family to the ceremony."

"Can't they see that they shouldn't fight if their kids can get along?" Ginny asked as she trailed her nails up and down his chest. "I bet my parents are going to send my brothers after me when they find out."

"You?" Draco said seriously. "What about me? I'm worried for my life here, and all you can think about is yourself." He grinned when she shot him a filthy look.

"Oh, don't worry, your time will come. I know they'd just want to talk to me about if I'm sure I'm doing the right thing. Ron's nothing to be nervous over; it's the twins and the older two you have to fear."

"What about Percy?" Draco asked.

"He's too busy with his job, so he might not even notice what's happening, I hope," she said. "Bill and Charlie are worse when they're together; Fred and George are the pranksters so you better just watch yourself on the wedding day."

"What day do you want to get married?" Draco asked, his fingers brushing her hair gently. He pulled her close and shut his eyes when her skin touched him. "I was thinking sometime during the spring."

"That means..." Ginny began.

"Yes, only a few more months left of being a Weasley for you," he said quietly. "I still have to buy you a ring to make it official. When would you like to do that?"

Ginny blinked at him. "You have to buy the ring yourself. I can't go with you."

He frowned.

"Oh, well, at least I can get you the best," he said brightly. "That's the thing about being rich - we're never denied anything. You'll learn that soon, too, and I know you'll be comfortable with it. It's better than being what you are now."

She stared at him.

"You'll have everything you could want. You can even send your parents money if you want. I think they'd appreciate it."

"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. "You better watch what you say around them or they might think you're still the same arse as you've always been."

"Oh, but I'm not," he purred, leaning over to kiss her neck, then her jaw. When he reached her lips, he hesitated. "I'm very different," he whispered.

"So, make them believe it." Ginny said as she shut her eyes. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep beside him.

"I'll show them I'm not the same as I used to be," Draco said into the darkness before sleep took hold, his arms curled around his lover.

***

"There's a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend," Ginny announced as she tilted her head back to look at him. Currently, they were sitting outside by the lake; Draco perched above her in the tree that overlooked the water.

"I heard about that," he said. "Daphne asked me to go."

"Doesn't she know you're off the market?" Ginny asked. "And I thought Pansy was bad."

"She knows," Draco said as he jumped down beside her. He sat down and grabbed her hand. "She doesn't think it's real. She thinks I'm using you to make her jealous."

"You could always tell her the truth, you know, unless Pansy has done that already," Ginny said, shrugging.

"Pansy values this friendship too much to do something so stupid. Besides, it's not like it would make things better."

"Nobody really gets it. I was thinking about telling Hermione, but then I remembered how she got when Ron and Lavender were just dating, and I couldn't do it."

"So, Granger's into girls?" Draco said.

"Shut up," Ginny said, shoving him. "No, I just know how she would react. They all had a hard time knowing we were dating, how do you think they're going to react to knowing we're engaged?"

"Are you regretting doing this?" Draco asked suddenly.

"No," she said, smiling. "Because I love you."

"That's good."

"So, do you want to go to Hogsmeade this weekend or not?" Ginny asked. "It'll give us a chance to see how people are really going to react to us being together."

His mouth descended on hers softly at first, and then his tongue nudged her lips for permission to enter. When she opened her mouth, he grinned briefly before deepening the kiss, his hand fisted in her hair.

"Or," he said huskily, "we could take advantage of the opportunity to be alone and uninterrupted."

As he continued to kiss her, Ginny thought that wasn't such a bad idea, not a bad idea at all.