Ginny Weasley pulled her cloak around herself as she stood in front of the manor's front door when the cold wind picked up again. Her hand wasn't even raised to knock on the door anymore, having dropped half an hour before. She wondered vaguely if he was even home anymore. She sighed, trying to build up her courage again. Taking a deep breath, she brought her hand up to knock on the door once again. As her hand went down on the hard wood she wondered if he would let her again.

She only had to wait a moment for the door slowly crept open to slowly reveal Draco Malfoy.

"Hello," he greeted her casually while his expression was of curiosity. Draco honestly couldn't believe Ginny Weasley was standing in front of him. He hadn't seen her in months... She had left telling him she never wanted to see him and she hated everything he stood for. He thought, then, there was dishonesty in her words, but he hadn't argued. He regretted never kissing her goodbye.

"Hello," Ginny whispered. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye and she wasn't sure she ever would be. She had left him, not the other way around, and now she was the one crawling back. Except she refused to crawl... she was just hoping he would hear the truth in her voice this time.

Draco sighed at her shyness. Wasn't this the girl who had fucked me relentlessly those nights? he asked himself silently. Seeing no sign of her saying anything else, he sighed again and asked, "What do you want?"

Her chocolate brown eyes widened slightly with his bluntness and for the smallest of moments, showed hurt. He pushed away the feeling that was telling him to say sorry for this meanness.

Ginny knew she deserved his harsh tone, but couldn't help but be hurt. He was hurt, she supposed, and had every right to be. Taking a deep breath and gathering her courage, she said, "Can I come in?" She waited with baited breath for his response and prayed for the right one.

Draco thought for a long moment about turning her down, but with one look into those hopeful eyes, he took a step back and gestured for her to come in. She took tentative steps into his home, as if she had never been there before, as if she hadn't lived there for a year. Draco watched her and wondered why she was here. "Now, what do you want?" he repeated, just as harshly as before, and again had to push away the urge to soften his tone.

Ginny stared at Draco without truly seeing the person who was standing before her. In her mind's eye, she saw who they used to be. She saw the smiles and laughter, that had reminded her of home; she saw the kisses and the sex that reminded her she was now a woman. She saw the man he used to be, the man she longed for him to still be. "Draco," she whispered, still not meeting his eyes. "Can we talk?"

Draco, still pushing away the urge to soften his tone, answered, "We are talking, Weasley." The hurt that flashed over her face made him want to wrap her in his arms. He refused to give into any urge.

"Draco, I fell in love," Ginny whispered to the floor rather than to his face. She dared to glance up at his face, purposely avoiding his eyes, and saw pain that made her heart ache. At least he still cares, she thought to herself, clinging to the hope that meant something.

Draco didn't have the time to even try to brace himself for her words, or what her words would do him. He felt his heart ache, and felt such pain he sucked in a breath as if he had been punched. She loves someone else, he thought wildly to himself. After a moment, thank God only a moment, he was able to regain control and forced an expressionless expression to his face. "Good for you," he stated simply, wanting to eat his words. Ginny stared up at him with a expression of such confusion, hope, and a bit of hurt he wanted to pull her in his arms and tell her how much the words hurt him, but he refused to give in.

His hurt was on his face so briefly Ginny thought she had imagined it. But when she looked into his eyes for the first time that night she knew she hadn't. No one else's eyes could ever match the beauty of Draco's. His eyes, tonight and that moment, revealed the pain of her words to her. Again, she clung to the hope that it meant something.

"Draco," Ginny whispered again to the floor, not daring to say it to his face, to his eyes. "I fell in love with..." She allowed herself to trail off. She knew she had to gather more courage to be able to finish her confusion. "I fell in love," she restarted, "with you."

She didn't dare look at his face even a moment after she uttered her confusion and she had to fight the urge to turn and run. She could barely believe she allowed herself to confess that. She could barely believe she had allowed herself to tell Draco she loved him. In their year of living together, they never said the "l" word because neither were ready, and neither loved the other. But in the time Ginny was away, she found in her heart only love for Draco. She dated, she searched, she kissed, so many others, but no one even compared to Draco. She felt tears gathering in her eyes at the prolonged silence. Why did I do it? she angrily asked herself. Why did I tell him I love him? She didn't bother to look up, instead she turned to leave, to run as far away from this moment as she could.

Draco could only stare at the woman as she uttered the words. She loves me? he thought to himself. Part of him had known she loved him, but he hadn't expected to hear her utter the words. She had left him, and he had been forced to live without her, forced to realize he didn't want to live without her. He had let her have her time, but always prayed for her return. Draco stood without respond for what seemed like a hour, awestruck, but his eyes never left her down turned face.

When Ginny turned to leave, without even looking at him, he felt his world was falling apart again. As quickly as his awestruck state would allow him, he grabbed her arm, stopping her. She didn't turn to face him, but stopped where she was and stayed silent.

"Ginny," he whispered hoarsely, "please look at me."

Ginny had to force herself to turn to face him. Her breath left her when she saw the look on his face. In her year with him she had never seen such a soft look on his face. She knew, in that moment, he must love her too. His silver eyes were no longer clouded with pain, but shining with a new feeling. She didn't have to force herself to look into his eyes for the first time that night. She felt like she was coming home when their eyes met and held in silence.

All the words were being said in silence.

Draco saw realization dawn on her beautiful face. When she met his eyes for the first time that night he knew he couldn't fight the urge any longer. He pulled her roughly into his arms, but gently brought his lips to hers. The kiss, at first, wasn't hard or deep, but quickly with Ginny's response, he deepened the kiss and their mouth opened under each other's.

Neither was sure how long they stood there, in the Malfoy manor's entrance way, but neither cared either.