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Title: Romeo and Juliet's First Date

Contributors: dm_fugitive, ginny_ginger

Edited by: Carla Lute

Posted: 2005-12-22 to 29

Game Date: August 30^th & 31^st

Disclaimer: No one at Levicorpus owns Harry Potter, the world or its characters. We just like to play in J.K. Rowling’s world.

* * * * * * *

August 30

Draco took a long walk to Great Hangleton after breakfast his pockets filled with the odd pieces of jewelry the long deceased Mrs. Riddle had left in various hiding spots through out the house. He entered the pawn shop and laid them on the counter one at a time. He had to bluff his way through the haggling and hoped the shop owner was not cheating him. He had only the faintest idea how much Muggle money was worth and wasn't entirely sure what it looked like, having only caught quick glances. Still he left the store with a few pounds in his pocket, and a new sense of freedom.

* * * * * * *

August 31st

Draco checked his potions. They seemed to be in order. The veritaserum and Felix Felicitis both were the right color for this stage. The other had already finished and been secured away for later use. He then made a search of the refridgerater and pantry and made a list of groceries. He left it on the counter in case anyone wanted to make additions.

He went back up to his room and transfigured his hair to a medium brown, brushed it so that it fell neatly. He put on some neat, but very Muggle khaki pants and a brown, plaid, button-down shirt. He checked the mirror and adjusted his clothes until they were tucked and untucked to his satisfaction. He slipped on the lenseless glasses. Checked his reflection one last time and apparated just north of the Burrow.

* * * * * * *

Ginny left her house a little before lunchtime, knowing it would take a bit of time to walk down to Poppy's, and not wanting to be caught be her mother and told to stay home. She'd told Ron where she was going, who'd waved her off and gone back to sleep, and set off with the hot summer sun at her back and a few dollars for lunch and a cup of coffee. It would only be a few more minutes now.

* * * * * * *

Draco sat in the Seasons Coffee Shop hoping Ginny had gotten his message. She'd just said Poppy's to throw anyone might read it off the trail...right? Draco glanced anxiously at the window and dropped another spoonful of sugar into his coffee.

* * * * * * *

She had a bit of a ways still to walk, and, deciding that she'd rather like to have her coffee now, Ginny stepped inside the Seasons Coffee shop to get a cup that she could take with her. She walked towards the counter, change jingling in the pocket of cut off denim shorts, and glanced at a menu. She wasn't sure why - she knew what she was getting, after all - but it was a force of habit she didn’t feel like denying at the moment.

Draco smiled as Ginny walked in, but she did not seem to notice him. He stood and walked up so that he was standing behind her. "Let me get that," he said, laying one of his pound notes on the counter.

Ginny nearly jumped when she realized that it was Draco - she hadn't quite excepted to see him here, but then remembered that she'd planned on meeting him anyway and calmed down. Meeting Death Eaters in coffee shops would always make her a little jumpy. "Thank you," she replied with a smile. She usually didn't let people pay for her, but since he'd suggested the meeting, she'd allow it. "Fancy meeting you here," she added, mostly in jest.

"Figured I had to say hello one last time before you head off to school," Draco said, accepting his change from the cashier, who was naturally listening with great interest.

He had to get away from small town people.

"I have a table if you care to sit down," he said, gesturing to the place he had let his own cup.

Ginny shrugged but smiled softly, "Oh, you absolutely had to. It would be the only polite thing to do. I haven't heard much from you since the wedding," she added, realizing how strange that probably sounded to the cashier who was paying more attention to their conversation than Ginny's coffee, which she did eventually hand her.

"I think I would like to sit down, thank you," she replied, following him to his table and sitting in the chair across from his. She added some cream and sugar to her coffee and blew on the top, willing it to cool.

Draco took the creamer and dumped a considerable amount into his cup. He liked a little coffee with his sugar and cream. "Seriously," he said in a low voice. "Thank you for meeting me. I realize you probably have other things you could be doing or should be doing."

Ginny gave a little sniff of laughter at Draco's coffee flavored cream and took a sip of her own, which had a great deal more coffee (though about as much sugar) than Draco's. It was still a bit too hot, but she didn't care enough to bother with it. "Plenty of things I could be doing and far too many things I should be doing, but don't want to do. But nothing to important, really. I did want to see you before I left," she added in an undertone before taking another sip.

He looked sort of blankly at her for a moment - presumably either gathering his thoughts or having lost them - before he spoke again. He realized he must be looking a bit vacant and took a sip of his coffee. Needed milk, but it was drinkable. "So...uh...what did Harry say?"

Ginny thought for a moment, furrowing her brow and giving a frustrated sigh, "He didn't say much of anything, really. He wanted to know how the note was from, but obviously, I wouldn't tell him. I think he might have been upset that I forgot to tell him it self-destructed," she added, bighting her lip, "but he seems at least as determined as ever to fight him. Rushing ahead of himself. Reluctant to accept help."

Draco nodded and took another sip of his coffee. "But what did he say..." he checked to make sure no one seemed to be listening and dropped his voice some more. "What did he say about the horcrux?"

Ginny stopped chewing on her lip long enough to take a sip of coffee and reply. "He knows what it is," she replied with a nod, "But I didn't ask what. He wasn't keen on talking about it."

Draco stirred his coffee. "Well that's something." He wanted to ask her more, but Ginny was not a Legilimens. If Harry had not talked then she would not be able to tell Draco anything. "I'd like to know what he knows, but I guess it can't be helped at the moment."

Ginny stared into her coffee, twirling the coffee stir absentmindedly with her index finger. "I'd tell you if I knew, but he can't talk about it. Or at least won't. Do you know much about them?"

"I understand enough to know why he doesn't want to talk about them," Draco said with a sigh. "I'd tell you if I thought it would help. Maybe later, just not until I have a better handle on what's going on." He took a sip of his coffee flavored cream, coughed, and set the cup back down. "Look, Ginny, there's a lot of things I can't put in an…in a letter."

Ginny was tempted to lay her head down on the table and give an almighty sigh, but decided that it would both rude and unproductive and didn't do it. She sipped her coffee, which had cooled considerably, and regarded him thoughtfully, looking down at her coffee, "I really wish he'd tell me anything, even if it isn't much. I'm beginning to understand how frustrated Sirius was with being stuck at home because no one thought he was fit for anything," She said before she could stop herself. She wasn't sure why she always seemed to tell him things like that - things that she didn't talk to Hermione about. She looked back up at him, "True... but what sorts of things?"

"Like...if Professor Moody transfiguring me into a ferret made you laugh, then maybe it was worth the embarrassment."

Ginny looked politely puzzled for a moment, replaying what he'd just said in her brain trying to figure out what he'd meant. After she'd heard it again, her eyes grew a bit wider. Wondering if she's somehow completely misunderstood him, she focused on a spot just to the left of his eyes, saying, "Do you mean..." She started, trailing off when she couldn't quite think of the next word. Part of her wanted to smile, or smirk, or something, but she couldn't quite remember how to use her face.

"I mean my life has been a living hell for the past few months," Draco said, fighting to keep his voice even. "I wake up afraid, and I go to bed afraid. And I keep getting told I deserve it, and maybe to some degree I do...but I'm really trying to do the right thing here. And...well, a lot of people probably wouldn't believe that. But you've given me a chance and I just...I just to tell you that I really appreciate it." He gave her a brief flicker of a smile, before reaching a shaky hand back towards his coffee cup.

It didn't sound as intimidating when he said it like that, Ginny thought. It was true... she hadn't been nearly as quick to believe the rumors as most. Oh, to hear what her brothers would have had to say about this. Trusting Draco Malfoy. Fraternizing with the enemy. The smile she'd tried before that had been stifled by the look of dumbstruck realization found a place on her lips at the thought of Percy screeching at her 'till his head exploded. "I think we're in the same boat in some ways," she replied, "We're both trying to do the right thing... we've just got different ideas of how to go about it. Though I like to think that they're not as different as they seem to be sometimes. But I just... just thought you deserved a chance, the same as anyone. But no one deserves to live in constant fear, Draco, and certainly not you."

"Thanks," he said. He glanced down at his hand and smirked as though its shakiness embarrassed him. He placed his other hand over hers, slowly and gently this time, not grabbing it like he had in their last meeting. "It means a lot. I don't feel quite as frightened as I use to. It helps a lot when you talk to me. You make me laugh." He gave her slightly sheepish smile.

Ginny's gaze turned to his shaky hand for a moment, wanting for a moment to laugh, but instead, just smiling softly. His hand was warm from holding his coffee, and not a sticky, uncomfortable summer warm. Just warm. "I'm glad our talks have helped you as much as they've helped me. Especially glad that I make you laugh. With me, hopefully, and not at me. They say it's the best medicine." She felt like the tips of her turning red, and shook her hair loose from behind her ears to hide it.

Draco had absolutely no intention of moving his hand if Ginny did not mind it being there. He used his free hand to take a sip of his coffee and watched her red hair bounce in the light as she shook it. "Have I been helping then?" he asked still smiling. He was feeling much lighter and easier now. "Just because I make you laugh or...?"

His hands were soft - about as fair, but far less freckled than hers, she noticed. She took another sip of coffee to give herself a moment to think, "Yes, actually, you have," she replied, fighting a blush that was creeping into her cheeks at his smile, "Well, that's part of it. But it's not just that. When I talk to you, things just don't seem as bad. Life doesn't seem as bad. And I feel like you listen to me... I don't know. I like being able to talk to you."

"We'll have to keep it up then," Draco said with smile. He repositioned his hand so his fingers were holding hers. "I just wanted you to know I have to hold back sometimes, because of that off chance of someone intercepting the messages. I have to be careful how I phrase things, have a ready defense for every line. I had a feeling you understood that, but it's nice to say things plainly for a change."

"Yeah, I guess we will have to," Ginny smiled softly, meeting his eyes again and curling her fingers around his. "I do know what you mean. You can’t say everything you would like to in letters when you know that the ministry sometimes intercepts post - and I'm sure there are people on the other side who are doing it, as well. That's one of the nice things about talking to you in person, really. We can just talk freely." And without fear of her brothers finding their correspondence.

Draco wondered if his fingertips betrayed his increased heart rate. "We'll have to do the in person thing again too when we have the opportunity," he said.

Ginny nodded, hearing her own heart beating somewhere close to her ears - or at least, as loud as it sounded, it seemed like it must have been. She kept thinking about his hand - probably because it was holding hers softly like that. "We really should. It's nice talking to you... but I like seeing you. In person, I mean."

Draco started to say something about how it was nice talking and he liked seeing her too, but realized they were headed into the sort of conversational loop it was easy to get trapped inside. He picked his brain for a topic that would make use of their chance to speak freely. "Ginny, do you think...?" he began to ask for her opinion on some of his speculations about Snape, but decided that might not be the best idea. Horcrux's were out as a conversation topic. He wanted to ask her to keep an eye on Blaise for him but could not decide how to approach the topic. In a desperate attempt not to leave her looking at him expectantly for too long, his brain tripped over his new wireless, and he finally said, "Do you like Bare Naked Ladies?"

Does she think.... she looked at him expectantly waiting for the next piece of information before he said that. For a moment Ginny gave him a startled look - had he just asked her if she liked naked women? - before she realized that he was talking about the Muggle band. She gave a little laugh at herself before responding, "Oh, yeah, actually. I haven't heard much of them, but... but yes, I do like them. I'm surprised you know them."

Draco realized after the words left his mouth how bad they sounded and worried how Ginny would react if she had not heard of them. Thankfully, she had.

"I got a Muggle wireless a couple days ago," he said. "I thought the band name was kind of iffy, but the music is pretty good. Sort of sticks in your head."

"You have a Muggle wireless?" Ginny asked, sounding a little more excited than she'd have liked to. Her father must be rubbing off on her, she thought, "I've used one before, but I've never had one," she explained, "The name would have been enough to turn me off of them if I hadn't heard them first, but they were sort of catchy like that. I guess you're staying in a Muggle town, then? Must be if you can pick up radio."

"It was a gift," Draco said. "And I'm afraid where I'm staying still falls into the category of things I can't talk about. But, yeah, I've had to deal with Muggles more than I'm accustom to lately."

"That was nice of... someone" Ginny replied with a nod, "Ah, I forgot for a moment. Or just didn't think about it, anyway. Dealing with Muggles can be difficult sometimes because there's so much about you they couldn't understand, but they're really not so bad. A lot of Muggles around here, obviously."

"Difficult is one way of putting it," Draco said. "Annoyingly pushy lot. I'm afraid I'm still of the opinion that Muggles and wizards shouldn’t mix, but I don't think...certain people are going about it the right way." He glanced about at the Muggles in the room and could not help feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Do you wanna go for a walk? Show me around your hometown?"

Ginny bit her lip and decided to dismiss the fact that he still felt the way he did about Muggles - he did say he didn't agree with the way certain people were going about it. "Yeah... you can't even read the newspaper anymore without hearing about the people who are going about it the wrong way," she said, taking another sip from her almost empty cup. "You know," Ginny said, smiling and looking up, at him, "I would like that. Anything in particular you'd like to see?"

Draco shrugged. "It's your hometown. You'd know the best spots." He drained the last bit of his coffee flavored cream and stood. He acted as though he was offering Ginny his hand, but as he had not really let go of hers, this was clearly a formality.

Ginny smiled and nodded, "I could show you where Samuel Taylor Coleridge grew up," she started, "Or I could show you St. Mary's church, or I could just walk around and show you some shops, or we could start with what's close and see what we get to. What's your preference?" She asked, giving a slight laugh when he offered her his hand, and lacing her fingers with his.

"I have been underground both literally and figuratively for the past few months so anywhere is fine," Draco said. "Who's Samuel Taylor Coldfridge anyway?"

Ginny laughed lightly, "I guess you have a point there... Just see something different. Anywhere above ground, I'm assuming," she corrected. "Muggle poet in the 18th century. Wrote some very unusual stuff. Especially while on opium."

"Hm." Draco wondered what or where opium was but decided that he didn't want to look too ignorant. He gave Ginny's arm a light tug to encourage her towards the door. "What's your favorite spot? We could start there."

"I like the bay," Ginny said after considering it for a moment and leading him towards the door, "Though it is a bit of a ways. It's nice going down where you can see the water and all the boats, and everything."

"That does sound nice," Draco said as they stepped outside. He lowered his voice a bit. "Maybe you could explain Muggle money to me on the way. This is the first time I've ever had any, and I have no idea if they gave me correct change back there."

He thought it better not to say anything about their interlocking hands as they walked down the sidewalk. This was turning into a very good day, and he didn't want to risk spoiling it.

"Very relaxing, you know," Ginny replied, turning so she could see his face as she said it, "Well, let's see what they gave you, and you tell me what you gave them. Then I'll show you how it works."

She was still smiling softly as she looked at the road ahead of her, trying not to think about school starting tomorrow or her brothers, or anything serious that wasn't especially important. She found that she couldn't quite do it, and asked, "Do you ever wish you were getting on the train and going back to school with everyone else tomorrow?"

Draco was watching the road through his lenseless glasses and nodded when she commented on it be relaxing. He felt relaxed...may a little excited, but it was relaxed sort of excited.

He showed her his pounds and coins and listened while she explained.

She asked him if he wished to go back to school with them. "Sometimes. If I could erase last year, I would in a heart beat. But somehow I think if I snuck on the train tomorrow, I might not make it off again."

She continued leading him down the street - it would be a bit of a ways to walk, but she wasn't keen on getting home soon. She'd been cooped up at the burrow for weeks - it was nice to get out, lovely to see Draco, and she hadn't been to the bay since the beginning of the summer. Today was turning out to be a lot nicer than she could have expected.

Ginny took a moment to explain that a Galleon was about three pounds, a pound was about five sickles, and so on and so forth. It seemed that the cashier had given him proper change - though she must have been confused by the large increments of money he'd been paying with. Probably part of what had peeked her curiosity.

She nodded at his statement, biting her lip, "Last year had its high points, but on the whole, I can see why you'd say that. But you know, you're probably right. I have a feeling that, if you made it off, it would not be of your own accord."

"I could always keep you around to bat bogey my potential attackers," he said attempting levity. "I dunno. I miss what Hogwarts was. I want to time turner myself back to fourth year. I think if I actually could go back now, it wouldn't feel the same anymore."

"For you? I would be happy to." She replied with a smile. "Well, if you did that, you would be awfully old for a fourth year," she joked, knowing that wasn't exactly what he meant, "But yeah, fourth year. Third for me. That was when everything started to change, wasn't it?"

Draco eyed her suspiciously, couple years ago he'd been on the receiving end of that hex, but he liked the way Ginny said for you so he decided not to bring it up. Boy had things changed. "Yeah...and it was a pretty good year before the end. Yule ball was a fun. The visiting schools were fun. My grades were doing pretty good too. Missed the Quidditch tournament but scrimmaging with Durmstrang students made up for that." He snorted in a self-derisive way. "You know you put so much effort into establishing your place in the Hogwarts world, but it's such a passing thing. Almost feels like wasted effort."

Ginny gave the slightest little laugh at the suspicious look Draco gave her and raised an eyebrow at him, realizing that, a few months ago, he probably would have been the target of the hex rather than the person it was protecting. "Well, the whole year for me consisted of worrying about Harry from time to time, doing well in school, enduring Ron's complaints about the Yule ball and Hermione's date for it, and going to the ball with Neville. A much better dancer than you'd think, knowing him. And that was a year before I tried out for the quidditch team, so I can't say I was involved in any scrimages. How were the Durmstrang students, anyway?" Ginny frowned at this, "You're right. With my family, I never really had to establish a place, always 'someone's sister,' but establishing my own... I put a lot of effort into that, which won't matter in two years. It's just so fleeting, isn't' it? In general, your school reputation won’t get you anywhere after school."

"Don't let me depress you. Father still has a lot of connections from his Hogwarts days, so I could be wrong about the whole not mattering thing. Durmstrang had Krum...they were pretty impressive," Draco said, answering her in reverse. "You went to the Yule Ball with Longbottom? Just a friend thing or did I miss that particular bit of gossip?"

"You don't depress me, you make me think. There is a very big difference. Well, maybe some of it matters, but it doesn’t matter to the extent that some people think it does. And peoples' reputations always seem to put them in a box of who they can and cannot associate with. But Krum... it's really too bad I missed that. It would have been a really exciting opportunity, you know," Ginny mused, tucking her hair behind her ears again, "I did, actually. He'd asked Hermione, but when she said she was busy, he asked me. And I thought, well, I won't get to go otherwise, so I said yes. Funny thing was, I would have gotten asked by someone else anyway. But I don't regret going with him. He's a good friend."

Draco tucked a stray hair back behind Ginny's ear. "That makes sense. Pansy usually kept me up on all the who's dating who gossip. Been a bit out of touch this summer...but it's good to have good friends that are just friends." Smooth he chided himself.

Ginny smiled softly when he tucked a hair behind her ear, and the tips of his fingers brushed her face. She was almost sad to see him drop his hand to his side. "Yeah, I remember that Pansy always seemed to be up on the gossip. Knew things about me before my I did, which was almost funny, really. Granted, most of them weren't true," Ginny looked away a little when he said friends that are just friends, nodding, "Yeah, friends like Seamus, Dean, and Neville."

"I thought you dated Dean," Draco said with a small frown.

"Yeah, before we were just friends... things didn't work. It seems like we never really talked, and we didn't have a lot of chemistry," She replied with a shrug.

"I see..." Draco still had his light frown. "And you dated him because?"

It was Ginny's turn to frown this time, "I don't know... he asked me, he was a nice guy, it bothered my brothers, and it seemed like another way to establish myself. But those reasons don't seem like the right ones anymore."

"No, they don't," Draco agreed. "So what are you looking for now?"

"The right reasons are pretty much all the things I didn't have with Dean," Ginny replied with the hint of a derisive laugh, "Someone I can talk to about almost anything, someone who cares about me, someone I have chemistry with, someone who likes me for who I am as a person. It's more or less what everyone wants. I'm just realizing I shouldn't settle for something less."

"No you shouldn't," Draco agreed. His light frown melting into a light smile. "Sounds like good advice in general. Maybe you should start a column in Colin's paper."

"Funny how long it took me to figure that out. I guess sometimes it takes doing things the wrong way to know how to do them right," she returned his smile and squeezed his hand for a moment. "Oh, that would be great. I could be a regular 'Dear Abby.' Give advice on everything from annoying older brothers to fighting dark wizards who are trying to kill your brother's best friend."

"Sounds like a plan," Draco said. "I'd read it regularly. Assuming of course that I could get a copy regularly." His mind wandered off on an odd train of thought, and he spent a few minutes staring at the sidewalk before he realized he had gone silent. "Is that the bay?" he asked when he looked up.

"I imagine I could send them to you," Ginny replied with a shrug, walking along in silence for the next few moments and enjoying the calm, late-summer atmosphere. "Oh, yes it is, actually. How observant of you." She replied, walking towards the bay, where the wind was a little stronger and the air a little saltier, "It's nice, isn't it?" It was a decent sized bay full of different ships. A little ways away from them was a street lined with shops and a railing that separated the street from the sand, but where they were, they were more or less alone.

"Can't have that many owls flying in and out. Same reason I can't risk getting the Prophet," Draco said. "I appreciate the offer though."

Draco finally released Ginny's hand and leaned on the railing, breathing in the wind and the water. "Wanna steal a boat and see if we can make it Sweden?" he asked.

Ginny laughed and stood next to him against the railing, feeling much more at ease with the salty breeze in her face and hair, "Gosh, I don't know," she replied, looking half-jokingly contemplative with one hand casually stroking her chin, "If you can find one with enough fuel to get us there, I might be game. I don't fancy getting stuck in the middle of the ocean."

Draco smiled and gave up watching the boats to watch Ginny. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to check the fuel. Still don't know a thing about ships. Though stuck in the Middle of the Ocean might not be so bad. Just need a water purification spell, and fishing rod and you'd be set for a while."

Ginny watched the waves crash against the dock and softly sway the boats in the bay, looking back to Draco before she spoke again. "That's what's holding us back, then. I don't have the faintest idea of how to check either. I don't know how to work them, I just like to watch them. Sometimes imagine that the next one's coming to take me away from all this mess. You never know, maybe someday a boat captain will see me and invite me to ride to Sweden. I'll ask if you can come, of course," she smiled and gave a little laugh, "You know, all we really need is a fishing rod, then. Just sail away and stick around until the wind picks up."

"You really need to stop waiting to be rescued," Draco said earnestly, with only the faintest trace of a smile. "Princes can be rather clueless. If you want something, Ginny, you should go for it...or to it or away from it. Don't wait on someone to ask you, or you may be waiting forever."

"You know, you're right. I should just go for things. I can't wait for someone to fix things for me. It just seems like someone always has," she replied, the hint of a smirk playing on her lips as she turned to face him properly, "Do you suppose that applies to anything I want, or just leaving the country?"

"Well, it's supposed to be an issue or confidence rather than recklessness," Draco said taking on a slight professor-esque manner. "Weigh the cost and the risks and take those into account, but yes, it's advice meant for general application, not just leaving the country."

Ginny nodded reasonably, looking into his eyes through his lens less glasses frames, which, despite looking silly themselves, somehow did not make him look silly, "Well, I don't intend to be reckless. Though that would be the Gryffindor, as well as Weasley, way of going about things. I'll just try to stop waiting for other people to do things for me when I could do them myself. But I'm glad it has a wider application than just leaving the country. Partly because I've never been to Sweden, and I wouldn't know how to pack."

Draco remembered the glasses and decided they were rather unnecessary at this point. He took them off and slipped them into his pocket. "Starting to bug me," he murmured as he rubbed his nose where they had rested. He rearranged himself so that he was once more leaning cool against the peer and facing Ginny. "So now that you have this new resolve how do you intend to apply it?"

Ginny was glad he'd decided to pocket the glasses, though she couldn't have told you why. Probably because she could see his gray eyes much better now. "Oh, I don't know," she replied, trying to look serious through a slight smirk, "My ideas might just be a bit reckless."

"I'm intrigued," Draco said, raising his eyebrows. "Go on."

"You would be," she muttered, smiling, "But see, if I told you, and then I did it, it would ruin the surprise."

Draco leaned in a bit closer. "Now, you're just being cruel. Come on, tell me!"

Ginny swallowed, taking a step forward and leaning in until they were only about 6 inches apart, "Would it be alright if I showed you instead?"

"Yeah," Draco said keeping the distance. "Go ahead."

Ginny suppressed a nervous choke of a laugh and nodded, still looking up into his cool gray eyes. She leaned up, closing the already small distance between them, and before she had time to even consider what her brothers would think if they could see her now, not waiting around for someone else to give her what she wanted, Ginny kissed him.

Draco caught Ginny around the waist and returned the kiss. The small sunbursts going off inside him made the summer day seem even brighter.

Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, but her heartbeat didn't seem very important at the moment. Kissing him, on the other hand, seemed positively essential when he held onto her waist and returned it. Thanking God that one reckless decision worked out, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up into the kiss.

Draco thought he would be quite happy to keep this up for the rest of the afternoon, but that was a trap of sorts too. He pulled back for air and rested his forehead against hers. "Somehow, I don't think our parents would approve," he quipped.

If you'd told her this would have happened 3 months ago, Ginny would never have believed it. She shook her head with a half-laugh, heart still beating a good deal faster than normal, "For some reason, I think you're probably right. I'm still working on whether or not I care." she replied, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath.

Draco stroked the side of her face, brushing her hair back again. "Well, we can nix the whole running off and getting married secretly idea, because we both read the book and know how that turns out. So why don't we just let this be what it is and worry about what parents think after our larger concerns are taken care of."

Ginny smiled softly, hands still loosely draped around his neck, "You're probably right. Though I'm willing to bet that Romeo and Juliet didn't even think of stealing a Muggle boat and running off to Sweden. But I think that's probably the best way to go about it - let larger issues get worked out before we even think about our parents. Though I think we could both predict their reactions with alarming accuracy."

"Well, Romeo and Juliet weren't much in thinking department period," Draco said dryly. "So we've got one up on them already. I figure I'm fairly safe to stay for about another hour. Then I'm afraid it'll be back to not so plainly spoken words only. So what would you like to do with our hour?"

"I'm so glad to hear that we're beating fictional Shakespearian characters," Ginny started, "Since it would suggest that we are at least beating someone. An hour, huh? Well, not so plainly spoken words are better than none. But in an hour.... I'm not particular. Walk. Look into shops. Talk about things that are not on the list of things we can't talk about for various reasons."

Draco laughed. "I think that list consists of where I'm currently residing and Horcruxes. I'll lift the ban on the rest of it for an hour, so if you're burning with curiosity this would be the time to sate it."

"Hmm," Ginny thought it over, trying to think of something she wanted to talk about now while they could talk properly. She felt like she should pick something important... but she sort of just wanted to talk. "You said you'd been studying things on your own time lately. What sort of things? Unless that would encroach on one of the things we're not allowed to talk about, in which case, I would like to know who gave you your wireless, if it was a gift. Unless of course the wireless is a Horcrux."

"What a horrible thought," Draco murmured in regards to the wireless being a horcrux, but then it did bring up the thought that Voldemort's horcrux might be something right under his nose. He pushed the thoughts aside for later. In a clearer voice he said, "I've been studying Potions mostly...and well, chemistry. It sort of like the Muggle version. But it's get into this biomolecular stuff that we didn't go very deeply at Hogwarts, and it's really fascinating stuff." He was beginning to sound a little excited. He took one of Ginny's hands and held it between them to show it to her. "You're hand for instance. It has the obvious physical components finger, nails, knuckles. And all of that is made up of really tiny cells, like we discuss in herbology, and then cells are made up of even smaller things called molecules and the molecules are made up of tiny little balls called atoms, that are made up of central positive electrons and orbiting negative electrons which makes them look like little miniature planets, and those little things are made up of smaller things called quarks, and it seems like it could just keep going on for infinity. It's like there's an entire universe just inside your fingertips. And I think there's got to be some sort of cross disciplinary applications for that." He realized he was babbling and stopped with a sheepish grin.

Draco said something, but Ginny couldn't quite hear it, nodding softly before he said something in a much more audible tone. She handn't known any of that - Muggle science was really quite a mystery to her, and she was pretty surprised that Draco knew so much. Especially since he'd never seemed open to Muggle anything before. "Wow," she started, "I never realized my hand was so... complicated." She said with a bit of a laugh, "What got you so interested in the complex science of human hands?"

"Well, it's not just hands," he said. "It's everything. There's all these forces at work that we never notice or consider, but after you understand them you can learn how to manipulate them." He leaned back against the railing again. "As a slightly less abstract answer, one of the books I had on Potions Theory had a chapter on chemistry and made this big fuss about it. I was killing time in a library and ran across the word on a couple of book spines so I decided to give it a try."

"Muggles know about forces?" Ginny asked, considering him, "Mostly the right ones, or mostly ones that they made up that work alright?" she asked, "You killing time in a library - that is not the sort of thing I can easily imagine," Ginny joked, "But chemistry sounds interesting... not the sort of thing you could tell my dad about, or you'd never hear the end of it. He'd be terribly envious if he knew I was talking to someone who knew about Muggle science. Who else have you talked to this summer, anyway?"

"Not magical forces," Draco said, trying to touch on all the topics she had. "But gravity, inertia, electric, and magnetic...things of that nature. I thought we'd already covered the swottiness of my true nature...but the library is where I check my journal, I read your dad's too, but I don't really feel comfortable posting on. I've been tempted to ask him questions, he seems to know more about Muggle things that I do. I just sort of pretend I know what I'm doing when I have to deal with them...though I avoid that when I can. Mainly I have to deal with the grocer girl...we don't really talk though. Had some incredibly uncomfortable chats with Fenrir, a few with my father, but other than that it's mostly been Snape. He's not exactly the chatty sort, but we work together so there's some conversation there."

"Ooh, don't even get my father started on 'eclectricity,'" Ginny shook her head, "You would never hear the end of it. Well, we've touched on it, yes, but when you think you know someone and then you're completely - the little things still surprise you for a while. Especially things like that. And like you reading my father's journal. Well, perhaps that's not all together that surprising, since I've skimmed some of the death eaters' journals. I'm usually not really keen on reading what they have to say. But if you ever have any Muggle questions, you could always owl me. I could feign curiosity and ask for you." She laughed lightly, "Fenrir... sounds like delightful dinner conversation, really. People who bite other people for fun. Fascinating, at least," she made a face when he mentioned Snape, "I suppose. I think I would prefer Fenrir to Snape."

"You only say that because you've never met Fenrir," Draco said. His smile had faded away. "Snape protects me. I don't understand all his reasons, but I'd be dead if it wasn't for him."

"Well, I do know that he could have killed my older brother," she started frowning, "But at least he didn't actually. I guess you have a reason to trust Snape... but all I have are reasons not to."

"I wouldn't tell you to," Draco said. "You're taking a big enough risk trusting me. I'm not exactly an innocent either. I wasn't trying to, but I nearly killed your brother last year."

Ginny looked down and gave a little sigh, "I nearly forgot that was you. Seems like such a long time ago, now. I sort of thought you wouldn't have done it if you'd known Ron would be the one to drink it. But if it wasn't for that bezoar... thank God for Harry," Ginny finished, feeling guilty for the first time since she'd kissed Draco. Her relationship with Harry, who'd done so much for her family, had sort of been up in the air since the summer, and she knew he'd be upset if he found out about Draco.

Well, that was certainly a mood killer, genius, said a little voice in Draco's head. But he hoped it was better to talk it out voluntarily than let it sneak up on him. "Thank God for Harry," he repeated. He slid down against the railing until he was sitting on the ground, and tangled his fingers through his hair, pushing it away from his face and looking up at the sky. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

Ginny gave Draco a look of concern, sighing and folding her legs under her and to one side, the pavement leaving impressions on her legs, "Excuse me?" She asked, as though she hadn't heard what he'd said. Really, it was more along the lines of not having understood it. "Don't... " she started, but realized that she wasn't sure what to tell him not to do, "What is it?"

Draco pulled his hands free, running one of them back through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to put it back in order. He gave Ginny an apologetic look. His hand searched until it found hers again. He shook his head slowly, trying to find some way to explain the jumble in his head that tied him to Harry Potter. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be...I...you know what I said about forces we don't consider or recognize. I feel like one of them...some malevolent cosmic force with a really sick sense of humor decided to bind me to Harry Potter.

"He was like this weird bedtime story growing up, this intricate piece of my childhood. The Boy Who Lived, and I was going to be in his year at school. And I just knew I was going to be important to him. No one pitied Harry Potter as much as I did. The boy who lost his parents and was forced to live with Muggles. I was going to bring him home and share my wonderful life with him. I would be the savior's savior. I was going to be important.

"Only Potter wanted nothing to do with me. So fine," Draco made a dismissive gesture with his free hand. "I wanted nothing to with him. Except that I did...but time passes, and we grow up. And I was really ready and happy to have a life without any trace of Harry Potter. But it's like I can't get away now. I do things, I pursue things that have nothing to do with him, and yet they all seem to come back to him."

Draco released Ginny's hand to pull down his left sleeve, showing the skull and serpent tattoo burned onto the white flesh. "I Hate this thing so much. Death follows everything it touches. I've considered taking a knife to my arm to get rid of it...but I'm not sure that would undo the enchantment. The only thing that I know will take it away is Voldemort's death. The only one who can make it go away is Harry Potter."

Ginny stared a little blankly at the ground a few feet in front of her, considering what he'd said. Draco had wanted to befriend Harry, his rival in more areas than Harry was presently aware of, before things had become the way they were.

"That's..." Ginny started, looking tentatively into Draco's eyes, "Probably the last thing I thought you'd ever say." Short of 'Potter and I have decided to join the icescapades. "Things certainly would have been different if he'd taken you up on it, wouldn't they? You and I probably wouldn't be sneaking around in Muggle Ottery St. Catchpole, for one. And you - you might not have that thing on your arm." She pointed towards the dark mark, emblazoned on his forearm. Somehow, seeing it for herself was different from knowing he had it. Now, it was real.

"Do you think it means something? The way you're tied to him? Or just some cruel coincidence. But if it makes you feel any better... I have complete confidence in Harry. I know he can do it... I just don't know at what cost."

Draco really appreciated that Ginny was still talking to him. He shrugged in a resigned sort of way. "I don't know what it means. I'm just trying to survive this right now...preferably with a version of myself I can still face in the mirror." He looked at the mark on his arm with disgust before covering it up again. "I really want to say screw the cosmic forces. I liked what you said, about it being about our choices. The whole thing just gets so complicated when you look at all the factors, so I've been trying to look at issues simply as they come up, but then I feel like I'm missing something, and I...I stopped making sense a few sentences back, didn't I?" He gave her a wane smile.

Ginny wanted to reach out to him and tell him that things would get better... but she wasn't sure if it was true. And she knew that, before they got better, they would get much, much worse. "A reasonable dream, at least. I think most of us have a similar one. I guess the nice thing about being considered a blood traitor is how much easier my choice was than yours... I had my family backing me." She returned his smile lightly and looked to his face, his mark now covered by his sleeve, "When you started talking about factors, it started sounding like math and you started losing me. Though I did get the gist of it. But if you believe like I do that our choices make us who we are... what are you choosing?"

"I'm going to help Harry," Draco said. "Whether he likes it or not." He reached out for Ginny's hand again. "All I know for certain is that there are some things, some people worth protecting."

Ginny gave him a warm, albeit slightly sad smile. "Good choice," she said. Now, Draco wouldn't be safe. He hadn't ever really been safe - living under the thumb of the Dark Lord guaranteed protection, but only until you tripped up - but if he was helping Harry, he would be in more danger than before. She nodded, "But they're going to be the hardest to protect."

Draco nodded, perhaps a bit paler than usual. It was something he was all too aware of. He took a deep breath and rolled his legs to imitate her position. "I'm making this complicated aren't I?" he said, looking at their hands. "I didn't mean to."

Ginny shook her head, noticing how pale he seemed now. She took a deep breath. "No, it started out complicated. It's not your fault," she replied, squeezing his hand as if to remind him that she was still there for him in this, "But... tell me you'll be careful. And Harry knows this already, but if you ever need any help, and it's something I could help with, don't hesitate to ask me."

Draco smiled. Ignoring his own instincts to snark, he answered as simply as he could. "I'll be careful, and I won't hesitate to ask you." He leaned towards her. "I think I need to kiss you again. Do you want to help me?"

Ginny nodded, "Good, because I can't have something happening to you that could have been prevented. And I would want to help." She returned his smile, answering softly, "I'd be happy to," and leaning in to meet his lips.

There were certainly worse ways to spend an afternoon, Draco thought. He decided to linger this time. Ginny would have to pull away if she wanted out.

Ginny rested a hand on the back of his neck, not wanting to break from the kiss just yet. Tomorrow, she would go back to school, and he would stay in some Muggle town he couldn't tell her about. She might not see him until at least Christmas. She pushed the thought, "You might not see him at all" out of her mind and kissed him a little bit longer.

How on earth did you manage this? Draco marveled. More self-reproachful thoughts washed out before they formed. If this dream could be real, then maybe things would work out after all. He released control to her and followed her lead. Noses were for breathing after all.

The words "fraternizing with the enemy" popped into her head again, but now, they seemed funny and far away. The only thing that was close enough to give thought to was Draco Malfoy, and at the moment, his lips. Kissing Draco was different from kissing Harry, and couldn't even be compared to kissing Dean. She didn't know what to make of all of this at the moment, so she decided not to make anything of it while she still didn't have to. She broke away from the kiss long enough to take a breath and say, "I am very glad you decided to come down today," before brushing his lips with hers again.

"Me too," Draco murmured, not sure that came out intelligibly, because he didn't break away for it. It wasn't so much the physical sensation, but Ginny's kisses seemed to carry forgiveness. He felt wanted for what he really was, who he really was, and as though he was better for it. He was vaguely aware that their hour was leaking away, but it didn't bother him at the moment.

Ginny wasn't quite sure what he'd said, as it had been muffled by her lips, but it sounded agreeable and she gave a vague nod. She knew they didn't have much time, but at the moment, she couldn't think of any better ways to spend what little time they had. In a few minutes - or else a good deal more than a few - she might ask him how much time they had, but breaking away again seemed like a cruel and unusual punishment. Aside from the obvious, kissing him reminded her that she had some say in her life, even if most of the time it seemed beyond her control.

Despite his earlier conviction, Draco was starting to feel a little outclassed in this marathon. He sat back, giving Ginny an impressed smile. Potter is a bloody idiot, and I've never been so grateful for that. He laughed, feeling oddly shy, and really wanting to come off confident. "Any more questions?"

Ginny laughed at the way Draco was looking at her, leaning back on her hands a little, "Well," she started, trying to think of something else to ask him, "This is probably a bad time to ask, but I was wondering. What happened with you and Pansy? Did something happen, or did it just sort of fall appart?" She asked, more out of curiosity than anything.

"Oh," Draco said, feeling a quick rush of embarrassment and guilt. "I like Pansy. She's attractive, and she's nice to me. But I can't talk to her, not about the really important things. She still thinks this Death Eater stuff is some sort of exclusive club. I think we were drifting apart all last year, but it really hit me this summer that we're not meant to be. Before I started talking to you even."

"Yeah," Ginny started, feeling a little bit guilty for bringing it up, "A lot of people don't seem to take this war anywhere near as seriously as they ought to. It's just an exciting game for some people. But it's serious, I mean, people are dieing... but I guess it's not the sort of thing most people have to deal with in their lifetime, is it?" She asked, looking down at her feet, "Why do you think you and I started talking?"

"The truth?" Draco said, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a puff. "I got assigned to figure out what I could about the Order since Snape was out of commission in that respect. You said a couple of things that I was able to put together into useful information, and I thought maybe I could learn something useful enough to get me back into favor if I pushed the right buttons, said the right words...and then, I don't know. It got addictive. I got this idea that maybe it was better to try to convert the pureblood girls, cause I really didn't like that we were attacking other wizards... but I think I was just trying to set up an excuse. Pretty soon I had to admit that I just like talking to you, and you made a lot of good points. And it's not just a few things I'm uncomfortable with. I don't like Voldemort. He's bloody mad. I don't even think he has a strategy anymore. It's just all about Death now, and I don't think I like the world he's creating. I mean I grew up hearing about how great it was supposed to be if he had succeeded and pureblood wizards had their proper place, but I don't think I ever really thought about what would have to be done to bring that about or how much it would cost...and Ginny, I think Snape's been shielding me to some extent, but the things I've seen...no one should see things like that. Things like that shouldn't happen...not to anyone."

"You didn’t really think you could convert me, did you?" Ginny asked, trying to make light of the situation. She wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that the origins of their relationship had been Draco trying to get information about the Order out of her, though things did seem different now. She brushed off the thought that this whole thing might be a charade to get information from her. "Well... when I grew up, I grew up knowing that both of my uncles had been killed by Death Eaters, so there was never any household talk about how lovely things might have been if he'd succeeded, and a bit of talk around holidays about how different things would be if he'd never come around. You know my family, I suppose - father loves Muggles and everything to do with Muggles. And I haven't seen nearly as much as you of what's going on, I'm sure. But all that I've seen, well... our guys have been on the receiving end of it. And it's a bit terrifying sometimes. But the things that are happening to Muggles.... even if you thought they were animals, I still don't see how you could do those things to them."

"I haven't been," Draco said in a parched tone. "I swear I haven't. But I've had to pretend I was." He closed his eyes. Ginny couldn't imagine what it was like, and he really didn't want her too. He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "I couldn't go through with killing Dumbledore either. He was dying, Ginny, and I still couldn't do it. If anything scares me right now, it's that I'll be put in a situation where I will have to go through with it or blow my cover. I know s-others who have crossed that line, and I'm afraid I couldn't come back from it. S-someone told me, that killing rips the soul apart. It's almost like I can see it now...I'm so surrounded by torn souls, I forget what an undamaged on looks like."

"Yeah, I guess you had to look like you were doing something for them," Ginny replied, not completely reassured, but feeling a little better. Had he told Voldemort any of the information she'd given him to keep up the charade? He wouldn't do that to her... would he? "For that," She responded, putting her hands on her lap and sitting up straighter, "I am very grateful. How important is it to keep your cover? I mean... you wouldn't kill someone to do it, would you? You didn't kill Dumbledore. I mean... you couldn't. Could you? I've known aurors who've killed people - even in the line of duty, it changes you. I don't know that it still splits your soul, but you're never the same."

"I don't know," he admitted unhappily. "Mother said she doesn't like all that stuff either, and she's managed to avoid it somehow. I don't think I'll be nearly as useful if I can't keep my cover, but I...I don't know if I could kill. I keep telling myself that I can't cross that line, but if what I do or say indirectly leads to death, I'm not sure that's better. And I..." He wanted to tell her what he suspected about Snape, but if what he suspected was true then he could ruin everything by doing so. Make all the sacrifices vain. "If it went that far, could you still forgive me?"

Ginny looked down at her hands and signed softly, "I guess that would be a difficult decision to make... someone else's life, or your own," she said, thinking that, if it were her, she wasn't sure what she'd do, "I don't know. I mean, I guess it would depend on the circumstances. But I don't know."

Her words sunk through him. He hated the lack of guidelines on this edge. That's what he'd always liked about Potions. It had rules, cause and effect was relatively predictable if you understood what you were doing. Only he didn't understand what he was doing and no one had explained the rules. He hesitated before he spoke. "Tell me not to, and I won't. Tell me not to, and I'll do what you say. Whatever."

Giving him a pained look, Ginny touched the side of his face and jaw with her finger tips, "Don't do it," she began, considering the rest of what she would say for a moment, "but not because I told you not to. If that's your only reason... you're still just following orders. You have to make your own decisions." She finished, letting her hand linger on his face for a moment before she pulled it away and dropped it in her lap.

Draco did not want her to drop her hand away, but he was too slow to catch it. "It's not always a bad thing," he said. "To follow orders. Sometimes you have to listen to someone who understands things better than you do."

She kept looking into his eyes, considering his words, "It is if you don't have your own reasons. What will you do if that person isn't around to tell you what you should be doing. But...tell me that you won't do anything that you think would cross the line too far to come back."

"I won't do anything that crosses the line too far to come back," he said in an almost mechanical tone and gave her a wane smile, but he was meeting her eyes. "It's easier when you're accountable to someone. You start to doubt your own reasons, if they're all you have. I think that's what I need from you most, Ginny. A voice of reason, and you did say I should ask when I need help."

"Good. I'm glad that I don't have to worry about you making a mistake you can't recover from." She replied with a slightly formal sort of nod, "You're right, I did, didn't I? I'll hold you accountable, then. I'll be your voice of reason when you need one and help you with whatever I can in the mean time, if that's what you need from me."

"You're way too good to be true," Draco said. He stood up quickly and offered his hands to help Ginny do the same. "Enough of that. I think your very reasonable voice said something about shops and walks, and I'm really sick of hearing about myself. So let's talk Ginny or boats or whatever, and take a thirty minute tour of this potentially fascinating home town of yours."

"Alright," Ginny said, accepting his hand and standing up, "That voice was very reasonable indeed. So shops, walking and talking it is," she finished, facing him and taking a step backwards in the direction of town. "But since I was just asking you all the questions... is there anything you can think of that you want to know?"

"When's your birthday?" Draco asked promptly, as though this was the question he had been waiting to ask all along.

She gave him a slightly puzzled look, but replied, "August 11. During all of the wedding insanity. Yours?"

"June 5th. Bet yours sort of got lost in the shuffle like mine did," Draco said, and then a happy look spread across his face. "I can buy you a present! I've got some money now. You can pick it out."

"Certainly did," Ginny replied with a nod, "Oh, no, you don't have to do that," she added, feeling herself blush a little. Accepting a late birthday present felt oddly like a handout when she couldn't get him anything for his.

"But I want to, please!" Draco said, bouncing like a little kid. "If you don't pick something out, I'll just have to get you a new Q section for your dictionary."

Ginny laughed, slightly surprised that he even remembered about her Q-less dictionary, "Well... alright," she replied with a smile of resignation, "You could always get me a big patch to cover up the prefects badge so I don't have to hear anymore about how insane she must have been to pick me."

Draco's smile looked slightly abashed. "You'll make a very good prefect, and you ought to be proud of that badge. And you shouldn't listen when people say stupid things like that, they might not even mean them." He put his arm around Ginny's shoulders. "No, I'm going to buy you something nice. And I'm getting more and more sold on a new dictionary, so point the way to the nearest book store."

Ginny smiled, the pink blush still tinting her cheeks and clashing oddly with her freckles, "Considering how much hell Ron received for having that badge even from our family, it's a little hard to be proud of it. At least Fred and George didn’t say much about mine. It was mostly Slytherins, but no surprises there," she finished. He put his arm around he shoulders, and she took the hand that came down with one of hers, "A new dictionary would be lovely. As long as it has all its letters, of course. Just over that hill and a half a block on."

"I know Blaise can be a bit...difficult," Draco said as they were topping the hill. "And I don't expect you to like him or anything, but if you could sort of keep an eye on him this year...I mean let me know if he does anything really strange, I'd appreciate it. Pansy too...I worry about them."

"Just a bit?" Ginny asked with a laugh, kicking a rock on the ground, "I'm glad you don't expect that... I'm not sure if I would be able to do that for you. But I can keep an eye on Blaise and Pansy. Though you'll have to tell me - do you mean weird in general, or weird even for them?" She asked, knowing that there were few things either did that she didn't find weird.

Draco thought that over, playing his thumb over Ginny's fingers. If either of them knew he was here with her, he doubted he would ever hear the end of it. "Weird for them, I guess, though if you just mixed it in with general complaints I'd still see it on your journal."

"Easy enough," Ginny replied with a sensible nod, getting closer to their destination, "Complaining about Blaise and Pansy will certainly not look out of the ordinary. Do you think something would happen with them?"

"I hope not," Draco said. "But Blaise...well, he asked me about joining the Death Eaters. I talked him out of it, I think, but yeah, I'm a little worried he'll do something stupid."

"He wanted to join?" Ginny asked, feeling slightly surprised, "Does he know what they do? And he still wants to join?" they turned into the area where the book store sat, but she didn't go in just yet, "This is so insane... these young kids joining. They don’t even know what they're getting into."

"He's older than I am," Draco said, letting his arm slip off Ginny's shoulder and leaning against the wall of a nearby building. "Honestly, he'd probably fit in better than I do, but it's still not quite what it sounds. Blaise doesn't make friends easily. His mother shunted him from country to country when he was young as she went through husbands, several of whom resented him, beat him, neglected him. It took us five years to get him to trust any of us as friends, and I'm his best friend. I had to keep so much from him last year, and I still do. He thinks I believe in this crap, and I can't tell him otherwise without making both our lives forfeit. I told him I needed him to stay Hogwarts as my eyes and ears, but I don't know how long he'll be satisfied with that." Draco chewed his tongue. "He's chronically unhappy, and he does it to himself. But he's...he's my friend. I just want to keep him out of trouble until he has a chance to realize his own potential."

"That's very...loyal of you," Ginny replied, for lack of a better word, "I had no idea he'd been through so much. I thought he was just mean because he was a Slytherin. Though I thought that about most Slytherins, so he wasn't unusual in that regard. But that's terrible..." she finished, looking down and biting her lower lip. She certainly did that often these days. Ginny was relieved to hear him call it talk about it like he didn't believe in it. The pureblood cause. It was insane, really.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Now see that's just sort of blanket prejudice motivating this whole mess." He grinned just a bit. "Not entirely unwarranted I'll grant you. Blaise has a rather cruel sense of humor, and heaven help you if you get in Pansy's way. But they can also both be exceedingly gracious in the right mood.

"But still, it's a bit unfair. We're not handed out mean sticks upon sorting or anything. There's a lot of Slytherins who'd like to see Voldemort buried and forgotten as much as I would, but they're afraid to speak out about it. With so many of us from the old families, you never know when something you say will reach the wrong ears, and these days the wrong words in the wrong ears can be down right fatal.

"There was no such thing as unguarded conversation in the Slytherin common room last year. But I still managed to hear things. A lot of people were rather the resentful that they never got an invitation to the D.A. We didn't miss that Slytherin was the only house excluded, but I still think there are a few who would jump at an invitation." Draco pressed his lips together, and then said. "Talk to Nott...or maybe Millicent."

"And yes," Draco continued. "It is terrible, but the last thing you should do is let Blaise know you pity him. He'd probably throttle me if he knew I told you all that. He's really got a decent life now, if he'd just learn to enjoy it. I'm hoping Tracey...but nevermind. Trying to recruit him to the Order would probably not be the best idea, just keep your eye on him as you can...and if it strikes his fancy to be nice for a change, try to forget he's a Slytherin and let him." He tried to say this last as though it was a request rather than an instruction.

Ginny returned his laugh and shook her head, "Well, that's how it is when you have a whole family of proud Gryffindors - don't tell me you as a Slytherin haven't made some generalizations of your own," She noted, "Though I will admit that they are certainly not all as bad as the prejudices would dictate. You know what's funny? Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were supposedly very close friends, but their houses as sworn rivals.

"I suppose you have a point about the DA," Ginny replied, considering him, "But honestly - if you were starting an illegal club at your school, and the last thing you wanted was for Dumbridge to find out, would you invite her favorite students who happened to be your sworn rivals? It wasn't really fair, of course. But I imagine it seemed a lot safer, especially considering how many Slytherins would have been resentful that Harry Potter, Gryffindor poster boy, was teaching them Defense Against the Dark Arts. But Millicent and Nott.... I'll remember that. I'll try to talk to them, if they're not too bothered by the thought of speaking with a Weasley.

"I'll keep in mind what you said about Blaise. Keep an eye on him, and everything. But I won't let on about feeling sorry for him. Who knows? Maybe he'll do something really insensitive the first day back, and I'll forget all about feeling sorry for him," Ginny joked. "But if he tries to be nice... I'll let the house issue drop. It's silly to be petty about house rivalry when there are more important things to worry about."

"You're right," Draco said. "The whole spiel. I'm certainly not claiming innocence. Just reflecting as the worst of the offenders." He took Ginny's hand again. "Maybe it's about time Godric and Salazar got reacquainted." He glanced at the bookstore. "Are you ready to go in?"

"I'm glad you've realized we Gryffindors are not all that bad," Ginny replied with a smile, "You're right, the rivalry has gotten absurd over the past thousand years. I'm sure that wasn't the intention when the school was started," she nodded, "Sure, let's go," she opened the door, and a bell chimed, signaling their arrival to the bored looking cashier.

Books were everywhere. It shouldn't have seemed that extraordinary to some one who had spent much of their time hanging out at a library, but there was just a different feel to a bookstore. Draco had always preferred owning books to checking them out. He touched the money in his pocket, and wondered if he dare get one or two books for himself as well. "So where would the dictionaries be?"

Ginny scanned the shelves of the bookstore, finding a section in the middle with a bunch of dictionaries, thesauruses, and other reference books. "There we are," Ginny replied, pointing towards it and leading him over by the hand. Draco seemed entranced by all the books, and Ginny gave him a slightly amused sort of look.

Draco missed Ginny's look. He knelt down to look at the dictionaries. There was a short fat one with a slick cover boasting the word DICTIONARY and listing its word count. "That won't do," Draco muttered. He found a larger hard back one with leather and gold cover. "Oo-oo, this one's pretty," he said, pulling it from the shelf and opening it to scan the contents.

Ginny glanced sort of nervously at the rather expensive looking leather bound dictionary, oddly intimidated by the illegible tag. "Oh, you know, I'm sure the other's about as good," and less expensive, she replied.

"Nonsense" Draco said. "This is hardback. It'll last longer. And see it's got a nice big Q section. Oh, look see quality, queen, quell, question, quip...I'd completely forgotten all these lovely Q words. What an under appreciated letter." He looked at Ginny and saw the uncertainty on her face. "Don't you think this one's prettier? I mean it's leather." He stroked his hand along the back of the book as though enticing her to do the same.

Ginny looked down at the dictionary, stroking a finger languidly down the book's leather spine and biting her lip. She did not have shiny leather bound books - all her books were either purchased secondhand, or passed down and 7th hand. "Well, of course I think it's prettier," she replied with a reluctantly eager look in her eye, "And it will last longer. And it's bigger. And it has a quite remarkable Q section that I'm sure includes such fine words as quintessential and quark. It's just...." expensive expensive expensive "I don't know. I don't want you to think you have to or something."

"Of course I don't have to, I want to," Draco said. "That's why they call it a present." He pushed the book into her hands. "Happy birthday."

Ginny smiled and traced an embossed letter on the jacket with the tip of her fingernail, slightly embarrassed to be this excited about a new book, especially in front of someone who probably had nothing but new books, but disregarding it at the moment, "Are you sure?" she asked one last time, "Thank you."

Draco smiled and kissed her temple. "You're welcome."

He stood up, looked about for a little something to remember the day by. "I wonder if they got any chemistry books."

Ginny smiled and hugged the book to her chest, afraid of dropping it or damaging it in some way. She wondered vaguely how Bill could have taken having new books for granted. It was certainly nice.

She grinned at him, "You know, I think they do. Right over...here." She said, pulling him by the hand to another shelf of books on various topics.

Without releasing Ginny's hand, Draco scanned the shelves, not sure exactly what he was looking for. At last he found an intriguing title Explosive Chemistry Experiments You Can Try At Home. It looked a bit cheesy...simplistic, but he was a bit new to all this. "This looks good," he said, pulling it off the shelf.

Ginny looked over his shoulder at the book he pulled out, glancing at the title, "Does Chemistry explode?" she asked, slightly confused by the title, "Sounds exciting."

"Bubble, fizz, explode, yeah it is fun," Draco said. "Some of it's even useful. It's mainly a distraction for me right now, though. Been a little more interesting lately, but most of this summer, I have been assigned to the most mundane tasks you can think of...hardly had a chance to use any magic."

"Oh, don't say that," Ginny teased, "I'm sure that fetching the Dark Lord's dry cleaning is very important. What would he be without his power suit? It gives the impression of confidence, you know," then adding in a more serious voice, "But I suppose it's just as well that they're just little mundane tasks... that can't be worse than what he'd have had you do last year."

Draco had to clamp his lips tightly to keep from laughing too loudly. But her last sentence sobered him. "Father indicated he still might expect me to prove myself. I'm trying to think of something before he does...it may have to be...showy."

"Showy..." Ginny started, considering the implications of this word, and the fact that they probably did not mean something to do with flashy choreography, "You wouldn't do something terrible, would you? I mean, are you trying to prove that you're loyal, or prove that you're capable?"

"Not too terrible, but it may look bad...at first glance at least," Draco looked at the shelf so he didn't have to look at Ginny. "I won't go back on what I told you, I promise, but I might have to make it look like I have. I just want you to be prepared...just in case, something turns up in the Prophet or something. Try to trust me no matter what you hear."

Ginny nodded, somewhat comforted by the thought of the promise he had made to her. At least whatever he did, it would not be something so terrible that he couldn't step back to her side of the line. "Alright," she replied, looking at Draco, though he didn't meet her eyes, "I'll try. I'll try to take everything the Prophet says with a grain of salt, and I'll try to remember that whatever it is, it's probably not as bad as it looks."

I hope it's not as bad as it looks Draco thought. He knew he would have to do something soon, even Bella was starting to cast him suspicious look. Damn Lacy. He looked at Ginny again. "It may not be bad at all. I just don't know yet." He hoped she wasn't getting annoyed with random attempts to swing the mood, but he wanted her to have the best...what was this...a first date of sorts, that he could manage. "Anyway, books. Currency exchange, and then we can continue our tour?"

Ginny nodded, relieved by what Draco had said. If he played his cards right, things might turn out all right. Perhaps even better than all right. "Well, okay. We can just... wait and see what happens, then." She replied, adding, "That sounds good. How much time do we have left?" She asked, glancing at the cashier before walking in that direction.

"Don't know," he said. "I haven't been keeping track." He looked at his watch. "Ten minutes...I hate time." He took the dictionary from Ginny's hand and put both books on the counter. For a brief moment, he worried that he had misfigured his funds, but he managed to pay with a good bit of change left over. He handed the dictionary back to Ginny when the cashier had finished with it. "We still have option of taking a boat to Sweden, not too late to back out of going home."

Ginny held the book tightly in her arms, giving a sad little sigh that they would only have ten more minute together, "We should... perhaps another day. I'd want to be packed, and say goodbye to my family before I moved to Sweden. I think I'd miss them after while otherwise. I'm sure you understand." She half-joked, looking up at Draco with a soft smile.

"You're missing the whole point of running away," Draco said good-naturedly. He added as they walked out of the store, "But yeah, I understand."

"Well, yeah. I don't have a lot of experience in that area. But it's really not them that I'm running away from, so I thought perhaps an exception could be made," She replied with a shrug, still smiling as they began their trek down the street, "My mother would worry herself sick."

"Mothers are like that," Draco said. "I guess we should save the tour for next time. Why don't you show me a nice quiet place that I can Disapparate from?"

"Mine especially," Ginny sighed, "Yeah, maybe I'll see you around Christmas. Only what, three months? Four? I'll show you a place. There's one about a block and a half back in the direction of my house and down a side street.

Draco gave Ginny's hand a squeeze. Four months sounded like forever. He walked down the block with her, trying to think of the best way to say goodbye.

Ginny squeezed his hand softly in return, looking at the road ahead of her and thinking about how much she wished school wasn't starting tomorrow, how long four months sounded, and how weird it would be hanging out with Harry, Ron and Hermione now that she was sort of... with the boy they all considered public enemy number one. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to care what Harry, Ron and Hermione thought of him. She knew better.

The side road came up all too quickly. Draco wished he didn't feel so dumb. "This it?" he asked, determined to force some words out.

Ginny nodded, trying to say something like, Yes, and I'll miss you terribly. Write me often. Don't do anything you'll regret. I'm here for you if you need me. But only manages, "Yes, this is the place. Not too many houses around here."

Draco really couldn't think of anything else to say, so he pulled Ginny close and kissed her again.

Ginny, deciding that this was at least as good of a goodbye as anything she might have said, returned the kiss. She wondered vaguely if she could say that she was kissing her boyfriend, or if those titles were really even sensical in the context of their relationship. It wasn't all that important right now.

Draco broke away gently from the kiss and brushed Ginny's hair back trying to memorize the texture. Pansy's hair had always been short, soft in it's own way, but he could lose his fingers in Ginny's hair. This had not been how he had planned their meeting, hoped maybe, but he'd really only planned to ask her about...something...his mind wouldn't call up what, and steal another moment before she was out of reach. Before Christmas he decided. He didn't know how yet, but he definitely had to see her before Christmas. "I..." He kissed her again, hugging her at the same time.

He brushed her hair back, and she smiled, relishing the touch of his fingertips. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck softly as he hugged and kissed her, wondering what the rest of his sentence would have been, but not wondering enough to ask at least until the kiss was over. At least seeing Draco would be an excellent, excellent Christmas present, thought she wasn't sure how she was going to do with out this, without him, until then.

A little more or less than ten minutes did not matter. His deadline was self-imposed, though wisely so, but it spared him the trouble of checking his watch. Draco forced himself to break from Ginny, took her hands gently off his neck, and still holding one of them took a step down the side street. He looked back at her as he took a second step and let his fingers slide away.

Ginny breathed a heavy sigh, saying, "Bye" in a very soft voice she wasn't sure if he heard, and biting her lip. She really didn't want him to go, but she understood that he had to. It was just another fact of life with the war and things being the way they were.

He had a feeling he would think of a hundred things to say the moment he left, but they weren't coming to him. And it would just be harder if he ran back to her again. "Bye," he repeated softly. He took another step and disapparated.

He popped back into the side street a second later. Rushed back to Ginny, gave her another, slightly more energetic kiss and said, "bye" more firmly, before letting go and disapparating again.

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