Pride

Chapter 4 - Disgrace

His kiss was like being engulfed in flames: his hot hands seared her exposed flesh as they roamed her body, his lips scorching hers with intensity. It was like the sensation of being burned.

She let out a low moan and grasped his hands, pushing him away.

"This is wrong," she breathed. He stared at her, and she shook her head. "Don't look at me that way, Malfoy. You know this is a bad idea."

"Some ideas, Ginny," he whispered, his hand sliding to her hips, "are the ones worth doing."

"Not this one," she said firmly. "This was never a good idea..."

She felt weak suddenly, and she shut her eyes, dropping onto his shoulder. Try as she might, she found she didn't have the strength to resist him. He slowly began his assault on her neck, and she breathed in deeply, moaning softly. His hands had come to her waist and remained there as though they were glued to it. She licked her lips as his hands gently - so gently - undid her blouse. His hands brushed across her stomach, and she jumped at his touch.

"Don't distance yourself now, Ginny," Draco whispered, and her eyes snapped open at the way he said her name, like a warm caress.

"I don't want to do this," she whispered back.

Draco abruptly grasped his fingers around her throat, yanking her head upwards, his nose touching hers. There was something in his eyes that made her heart ache.

"Isn't it enough for you that I want you and always have?" he asked, his grey eyes cold. He noted the look of trepidation in her eyes, and he loosened his grip, releasing her throat. "It's strange," he began slowly. "These emotions I feel for you ..." He looked down at her and smiled gently. "But I'm willing to see where this goes, if you will just hold on. I know you're afraid. Why shouldn't you be?" He snorted almost bitterly. "I'm a Malfoy, born to a Death Eater father, remember?"

"I have not forgotten that." Ginny remarked plaintively. "But what does that have to do with us?"

"What have you been taught your entire life?" he asked suddenly, knowing full well what her answer would be.

"That your family is not to be trusted," she replied, her eyes narrowed.

"But you trust me," he stated. It was not a question.

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Why?" he asked eagerly, his eyes bright and hopeful.

"Because..." Ginny struggled to form the right words. "I love you."

Draco frowned. Clearly he had not been expecting this answer. He stepped back. "What did you just say, Weasley?"

"I said..." Before she could talk again, she spotted Theo behind Draco's left shoulder.

She knew her face was flushed from the kiss that the two had shared so she tried her best to get her heart rate back to normal. She smiled almost too eagerly and bounced past the blond to wrap her arms around Theo's waist as he held her close, eyeing Draco suspiciously.

"You look faint." He observed with a worried look.

Ginny smiled. "I'm fine."

"What was all that about?" he asked, jerking his head towards the blond. "You looked a little alarmed when you saw me coming up to you." He took her hand and held it tightly. "You'd tell me if there was something going on, wouldn't you?" She nodded her head, and he smiled. "I can't imagine losing you, Ginny."

He kissed her softly and brought her close to him for a warm embrace. When he finally left and was out of sight, Ginny fell to her knees, clutching the grass beneath her as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

---

She had just left Transfiguration, and the hallways were becoming darker now as the sun outside had been swept away by the oncoming night. She had just turned the corner to go to Gryffindor Tower when a figure emerged from the shadows, causing her to shriek and drop her books.

"Glad to know I still make you nervous, Weasley," the voice drawled.

Ginny felt her heart pounding violently in her chest.

"You don't," Ginny whispered, trying to sound confident.

He smirked and walked behind her, his arms around her waist, his lips at her ear.

"Don't you want to come up to my dorm with me?" He brushed his lips against her throat, feeling her shudder, and he smiled evilly.

Ginny forced herself to find his touch vile and pulled away.

"No, Malfoy," she said firmly. "I'm with Theodore. Why can't you see that?" She breathed slowly.

In...

Out...

And in again...

She focused all of her energy on him, on what she really wanted.

"What I want," the unfaithful redhead implored, "is for you to go away." She stared defiantly at the one she knew who could protect her, who could love her, but she could not take that chance.

"Outside you said--"

"I know what I said," she replied in earnest, cutting him off. "I was wrong." She was determined to send him away from her this time.

"No." He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "You weren't wrong. I want you to tell me it again." He cupped her chin and looked down at her. "Please, say it again," he whispered, almost pleadingly.

Her world was slowly spinning, and then she spoke those three words, and everything came crashing down around her. "I do," she whispered, clutching him, the tears rolling down her cheeks for the second time that day. "I love you so much. Please don't tell him."

"I don't have too," Draco replied quietly, and something about his voice made her turn.

Theodore stood very still behind her, his eyes reflecting a mixture of hatred and pain.

"You lied to me," he whispered, his tone full of anguish. "You fucking stood there, looked me in the face, and lied, Ginny."

"You don't understand..." Ginny stepped forward, and then something horrible happened.

Theo drew his wand and pointed it at her. "I won't listen to your lies anymore, Weasley."

The nickname stung more coming from Theo than it ever had from Draco's lips these past few years.

"I think you should put that down," Draco butted in. To Ginny, he sounded worried.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Malfoy?" Theo's hand shook slightly as he spoke, his head tilted, glaring. "You've stolen what's rightfully mine!" He advanced on the blond. "Ginny is my girlfriend. You had no right to do what you did!"

"Things happened last year before you were even together," Draco tried to reason.

"Apparently, they seem to be continuing while she and I are together now..." Theo sneered coldly.

"Theo..." Ginny stepped between the two men, her voice strong. "There are things you don't understand at all about what happened last year. I wasn't feeling like myself, and Draco was there. I didn't think you'd ever find out, and I hoped that you wouldn't, but when you saw us today by the lake, I was scared. I didn't want you to leave me."

"You should have already left him," Draco said icily with a sneer, and Ginny stared at him. "Oh, you don't know?" he asked, shaking his head, his cold eyes locking with his friend's.

"Malfoy, don't," Theo begged.

Draco laughed, and it sent a wave of darkness over the three of them.

"What's wrong, Theo? Can't take the truth that you should have told this girl from the start?" he asked his former mate with an evil glint in his eyes. "Ginny," he said softly as he turned to her, frowning. "Nott cheated on you months ago. It seems he's been doing what we've just been accused of doing. Isn't that right?"

"Stupefy!" was Theo's only retort, and the spell sent Draco to his knees, his body tipping sideways until he hit the stone floor beneath. Theo then bent down, looking at Draco's face as he smiled heinously. "You should have stayed out of things, Death Eater."

"Theo!" Ginny gasped, feeling suddenly light-headed. "How could you do that?"

"Simple." The look in Theo's eyes as he tilted his head to glare at her was unlike anything Ginny had ever seen. There was no humanity in his eyes. There was nothing left. "This has just been a big mistake."

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered, frightened.

"See, that's funny, because I was under the impression that you didn't give a fuck whether or not I found out." He stepped closer to her, his wand raised. As he opened his mouth to speak, another voice overrode his, and he fell to his knees.

A shadowy figure stood behind them both.

"Be careful, Ginny."

The voice was one that she did not recognize.