RING. The phone went off.

“Ginny,” Draco yelled, “can you get the phone?!” He had just gotten home from work. He was the CEO of a huge broomstick manufacturing company, and although he had to go to the store from time to time to check on how it was doing, he was so used to going there every day to work that he went anyway. Ginny didn’t like him going to work when he could be at their flat helping her get the place ready for the baby. It was due in August, only three months from now.

“Ginny,” he yelled again. He wasn’t in the mood to go charging around the house looking for the phone, and Ginny usually kept the phone near her since most of the phone calls were for her. Hermione would usually call to ask Ginny how she was doing and to ask for her advice on what to do to solve things like having morning sickness, having to go to the bathroom constantly, and other things like that that annoyed Ginny.

RING. The phone rang again. They only had a phone in the house because Mr. Weasley thought that it was much faster to communicate with than an owl, which, according to him, could fly all over the place before getting to where it was going, and by that time it might be too late.

“GIN-” He stopped. Ginny had left last week. They had fought over something. It was over something so stupid, something so pointless, something so trivial that he couldn’t even remember what it was. Maybe, just maybe, if they had sat down and calmly reasoned it out, she would still be with him. Maybe Ginny would have calmed down, and it would have been another stupid thing to add to the list of stuff they had argued about since she had gotten pregnant and laughed about later. It was completely his fault. She was the one with all the raging pregnancy hormones; he really couldn’t blame her for blowing up like she had, but he really hated himself for blowing up back at her.

That night, though, he had gone back to the shop. It always made him feel better. He was scared that if he stayed at home, Ginny would get angry at him again. He hated it when she was angry at him. He loved her so much and seeing her mad at something HE had done hurt him terribly. When he came back from the store late that night, Ginny was gone with only a note left in her place. ‘Draco,’ it said, ‘things really aren’t working out between us. I need some time to myself. Ginny.’

At first, it threw him into a rage. She had just decided to leave him, without a warning or anything. He literally destroyed the place in the throes of his anger. Then he sank into a deep depression for a few days, drinking fire whiskey, crying, and sleeping off the headaches. After that, he moved on to pretending that Ginny was still there, that she hadn’t left, that they had never argued, that they were the perfect couple everyone wished they were.

Gotta change my answering machine
Now that I'm alone
Cuz right now it says that we
Can't come to the phone
And I know it makes no sense
Cuz you walked out the door
But it's the only way I hear your voice anymore.

‘Hey, you have reached Ginny and Draco Malfoy. We’re not available right now so please leave a message after the beep and we’ll get right back to you. Thank you.’ It was Ginny’s sweet voice on the answering machine. Sometimes he wished that he could beat up the stupid little box; other times he relished listening to her voice. It was like music.

His thoughts drifted back to the days when they had first met. Ginny had walked into the shop back when he was still an employee. She had come in with her beautiful auburn curls bouncing on her back as she walked. It was her brother’s birthday, and she wanted to buy him a new broom. Draco treated her as he would any customer. He had long gotten over his childhood hatred for the Weasley’s. After Voldemort lost the war, his family had been ruined. He, a Malfoy, had to swallow his pride and start from the bottom of the hierarchical pyramid and move to the top. Draco helped Ginny find a broom that would suit her budget and would serve as a good gift for her brother, although she never specified which one.

Later, Ginny would come in just to look at the brooms, or so she claimed, and soon after they started going out. Draco started coming to her house for the family gatherings and no one was surprised when he proposed at Christmas dinner. They got married in September with Ginny’s family and his best friends there. It had been the happiest moment in his truly miserable life. The moments he spent with Ginny were blissful. He felt so full of love when he was around her, that sometimes he thought she could feel the love radiating from him.

“Hey, Draco.” The caller's message began. “This is Blaise. Just wondering if you wanted to join me in a night of chess. Men’s night out. Call me back soon. Bye.” A night of chess would be a nice way to spend the evening, especially when compared to a night wallowing in misery. He immediately called Blaise back telling him that he’d be there at seven.

*******************

“Checkmate,” Blaise said. The two of them had been playing for quite a long time, and Draco had yet to win a game. “What’s up, Draco?”

“What?” Draco had been lost in his thoughts of Ginny again.

“Well, something must be wrong. You have never lost a game of chess to me and suddenly, in one night, you’ve lost twenty, maybe thirty, games together,” Blaise pointed out.

“She left,” Draco muttered. Now that he'd finally said it, it made him feel all the worse. It made it sound all the more real. “She left me about a week ago.”

“You know mate, with women, they’ll never come back to you unless you go get them, and they’ll never leave unless they truly feel unloved and unwanted,” Blaise replied. “In other words, I’m saying you should go after her.”

“I don’t think I should. What if she’s not ready for me to be there? What if she really hates me? What if she found someone else?” Draco whispered. It was the first time he was voicing these thoughts that had been swimming around in his brain during the past week.

“Well, you won’t know until you try,” Blaise pointed out.

“I still think I should wait. I don’t think she’s ready. Anyways, I should be going, Blaise. I’ll drop by another time, or maybe we can have another chess night.”

Blaise cocked his eyebrow. It was only 11:00, not that late at all. “I expect you can show yourself to the door,” Blaise said. Draco nodded and walked out into the pleasant June night.

(It’s ridiculous)
It's been months
And for some reason I just
(can't get over us)
And I'm stronger than this
(enough is enough)
No more walkin round
With my head down
I'm so over being blue
Cryin’ over you

And I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing you were still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?

“Check mate,” Draco said. It was a hot July night and Draco and Blaise were spending the night in the sitting room playing chess by firelight. Both of them were wearing thin T-shirts and boxers, and they were drinking ice-cold lemonade.

“I think we should call it a night, Draco.” Blaise said. “The heat is affecting my brilliant brain. Any other season and I’d beat you.”

“That’s what you always say, and you have yet to beat me in a fair match,” Draco retorted.

“Except for that night after Ginny left when you lost thirty games in a row!” Blaise pointed out.

“Yea. Except for that night,” Draco was now off in some far off land thinking about what life would be like with Ginny.

“Look Draco, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.” he stuttered.

“That’s fine,” he said nonchalantly.

“Draco,” Blaise said carefully, “Did you look for her?” Draco shook his head. “Inquire about her?” Another shake. “Wonder about where she was?” A nod this time. “And you didn’t do anything about it? Mate, don’t you think you’ve given her enough time? It’s been two months.”

“Yeah, I should do something. Any other man would. What if…there’s someone else by now? I mean, she isn’t exactly someone who would find it hard to…” he trailed off. It was something he didn’t even want to think of.

“Look, mate, what are you going to do? Sit in your flat remembering your times together as if you’re already old?” Blaise’s voice suddenly became soft. “You don’t do anything other than come to my house and play chess. You don’t even visit the store. You used to look so alive, but now, Draco, you look like you’re dying.” He stopped. He didn’t want to burden his friend with his own worries. Draco had enough for a man his age. We need a distraction, he thought to himself. He took his wand out and turned the radio on.

Draco’s head snapped up. It was the first song he and Ginny had danced to. They had gone to a ball celebrating his promotion to CEO, and he had been scared that Ginny would say ‘no’ if he asked her to dance. She had looked stunning in her Tinkerbell green robes that night. She had pinned her hair up, leaving a few auburn curls to frame her face. Draco had felt on top of the world that night. He would have jumped for joy if it weren’t completely undignified.

The next song was Ginny’s favorite. She loved to sing it while she was cooking or cleaning; sometimes, she would hum it while reading a book or looking for something. Most people had tired of listening to her hum that song, but after two wonderful years of marriage, Draco still wasn’t tired of hearing it from her.

The next song was the one they had danced to at their wedding. Ginny had looked like an angel. She was decked out in white robes and had her hair tied in a knot at the top of her head. Her smile that day was full of joy, and her eyes were full of laughter. Draco could still picture her that day as he was spinning her around. The next one was the song that was on the record Ginny had given him for their anniversary. Draco had wanted that record so desperately. Luck didn’t seem to favor him. Everything around him reminded him of Ginny.

“You know what mate, I think I’m gonna call it a night,” he said.

Blaise nodded, “That’s fine,” he said an understanding look on his face.

Gotta fix that calendar I have
That's marked July 15th
Because since there's no more you
There's no more anniversary
I'm so fed up with my thoughts of you
And your memory
And how every song reminds me
Of what used to be

That's the reason I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing you were still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?

Draco woke up the next morning and went to look at the calendar. There wasn’t anything special about it, except that it was the calendar Ginny had made. It was the one she had drawn and colored with her own long, slender fingers. He didn’t have the heart to throw it away. HIS Ginny had worked on it for at least a month, AND she had drawn beautiful pictures for the holidays. Draco gazed at the calendar.

“July 15th,” he murmured to himself, “our anniversary. Wait that’s…today.” He thought back to their last anniversary. How Ginny had looked even more stunning than she usually did. How soft her hands had been. And how happy she was.

The radio turned on. Draco was too lazy to turn it off, and the songs plagued him, reminding him of the many times they had danced together. He and Ginny must have danced together for every song that had ever played on the radio. They both loved to dance. It was an excuse to get away from Ginny’s brothers and other people who abhorred their union. It made her happy to dance, and it made him happy to see her happy. A tear started to slip down Draco’s cheek. He wiped it off with the back of his hand.

“Stupid love songs,” he growled. “Wish that they would just leave me alone.”

When he was little, he used to listen to the radio just for his enjoyment and get away from the homework and tests of Hogwarts life. It used to be so soothing, but now it caused him anguish.

(Leave me alone)
Leave me alone
(Stupid love songs)
Don’t make me think about her smile
Or having my first child
Let it go
Turning off the radio

Cuz I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing she was still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?
(Why can't I turn off the radio?)

Said I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishing she was still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
So why can't I turn off the radio?
(Why can't I turn off the radio?)

And I'm so sick of love songs
So tired of tears
So done with wishin you were still here
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
Why can't I turn off the radio?
(Why can't I turn off the radio?)
Why can't I turn off the radio?

He thought about their child that was due next month. He thought about how it would grow up without knowing its father. How Ginny may hate him at this very moment. Maybe she still held that childhood grudge against him that all her brothers still did. Maybe…

“Stupid!” Draco growled to himself. “I’m talking like I’m some old miser who’s lost all his money. I’ve got time. It’s like Blaise said, I won’t know what’s happened to her until I go find her. I’ll leave tomorrow morning,” he said as he started making plans to go find his Juliet. Draco felt full of energy all of a sudden. He would see his child and be a great father. He would teach her to play Quidditch and chess. They would be the perfect family, the one everyone wished they were. Draco went to bed with a happy heart that night, dreaming of the family he, Ginny, and their daughter would one day be.

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass and I'm homebound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
I'm making my way
through the crowd

Ginny was strolling down Diagon Alley. Her eyes were browsing the shop windows, but nothing made its way to her brain. Her original plan was to buy some clothes for her little baby girl, but ever since she had set foot in the Leaky Cauldron, she had been flooded with memories of Draco. She missed him so much. It was like there was a knot tied just below her heart that just kept getting tighter and tighter.

It had been three months since she had left Draco. Three painful months had passed where there were constant reminders of him around her, the worst of which was Athena, her little girl. She might have inherited Ginny’s flaming red hair, but her eyes were the ice-blue color of Draco’s that she had loved so much.

After she had left, she fled immediately to the burrow, where her parents still lived with Harry, who had somehow managed to stay single. It was the first time she had come back home for a long while. She hated bringing Draco home with her since all of her brothers hated him with a passion and enjoyed openly insulting him. What hurt her even more was that her parents never did much to stop them from hurting her and her husband. It was as though they had disowned her to an extent ever since she had married Draco. The only ones who had supported her through this were Hermione and Cho. She smiled to herself. Cho Chang, of all people, had come through for her exactly when she needed her.

When she got to the burrow, she found that her parents had gone to a party regarding some important person’s promotion. No one had been home except for Cho, Harry’s girlfriend at the time. Cho took one look at her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes and pulled her into a warm embrace. After that, the whole story had just rolled out of Ginny’s heart. Even then, she had no idea what she and Draco had fought over; however, she had concluded that if it was enough to make her leave, then she daren’t go back. Cho had just pursed her lips at this comment and kept silent. She understood exactly what a person wanted when they had just lost their heart. Of course, she had been much younger when Cedric had died, but one doesn’t forget the feeling of emptiness that seems to take over their entity. She had advised Ginny to find a distraction of sorts to keep her alive, in a sense. She needed to find something else, or someone else, to live for.

A few weeks later, Ginny had given birth to her grey-eyed Athena. That little child had brought both joy and sorrow into her life. She preferred to lock the sorrow away into a corner of her broken heart and focus on the smile Athena had brought to everyone’s faces. She, of all her siblings, was the first to give her parents a grandchild. They all loved to shower both Ginny and Athena with gifts and it was Hermione, the Mythological Scholar, who had dubbed her with the title of grey-eyed. Ginny loved Hermione; she could take something, like Athena’s blue-grey eyes that belonged to Draco, and turn them into something so wonderful.

“Ginny!”

Ginny whipped her head around in the direction of the voice. “Cho!” she cried out, “I haven’t seen you in such a long time. What have you been up to?”

“Nothing much; ever since Harry and I broke up, I’ve had so much extra time that I don’t know what to do with it. How ‘bout you? What’s that little devil of yours been up to lately?”

Athena had proven to be quite a handful lately. She was barely two months old and she always seemed to be unsatisfied.

“She’s been quite subdued lately, but you never know when she’s going to break out again.”

“I wanted to ask you…are you still staying at the burrow?”

“Yeah, it’s so tense there. No one ever forgets that she’s also Draco’s baby.”

“Did you wanna come live with me? I know that this is kind of sudden and that you’re still all wrapped up with Athena and everything. But ever since Harry and I broke up, I’ve been looking for a place to stay, and I found this absolutely gorgeous place in muggle London, except its way too big for me and I was just wondering…”

“Of course, I’d love to stay with you. As long as you don’t mind Athena’s crying at night.”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t mind at all,” she smiled at Ginny, “Come on, lemme show you the place. It’s close enough to walk.”

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you.... tonight

It was at times like these when she missed Draco the most. She recalled the era when they were a newly married couple searching for a house. Draco was still an employee at the store then, and they had to find some way to survive on his meager salary. She remembered how quickly he had been repeatedly promoted. She remembered how happy they had both been, as though they hadn’t another care in the world.

She wondered if Draco thought of her at all. The knot tightened. She wondered if there was someone else. Draco had always been conceited, especially about his looks. It was something she had loved about him. Knowing him, he would have found a new chick to woo in a few moments. From what she remembered of their last conversation, he had virtually kicked her out of the house. No, he wouldn’t be thinking of her at all; on the contrary, he was probably relieved when she finally left.

Would Draco be wishing to see Athena, or would he have forgotten that he was a married man with a baby girl. She would love to see him, no matter what the cost. Sometimes the ache in her chest would get so painful that she actually considered going back after all he had done to her. She wouldn’t mind walking a million miles just so that she could get a glance at him, even if he had another chick on his arm, or if he was laughing with Zabini about the latest quiddich match.

She just needed to see his face: those beautiful chiseled features of his nose and chin, and the ice blue eyes of his, and that blond hair that was just barely visible since he had gotten it cut really close to his head so that it would stay out of his way.

She thought back once again to their carefree days as lovers. The warmth that had been absent for so long crept up her body and loosened the knot in her chest. She recalled how Draco had always brought her white lilies everyday when they met for lunch back when they were dating. Her apartment had never been devoid of them for months. Even when he was sent on a business trip, he would make sure that she received them in some way or another.

“Ginny,” Cho called pulling her out of her thoughts, “we’re here.”

She looked up at the house. There wasn’t anything that was really special about it, but the place warmed her heart, as did Cho’s presence, which had always been a comforting one, especially of late.

“It’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “When can we move in?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“I’m ready. Lemme just gather all my stuff, and I’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good,” she was grinning from ear to ear, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And wonder if you ever think of me

Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Livin' in your precious memory

Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you.... tonight

She and Cho had gotten on wonderfully for the last three months, and she had finally gone back to work at St. Mungos. Cho had been ever so helpful in taking care of Athena. Lately, they had been working her really hard despite the fact that she was still recovering from her pregnancy. Ginny had been urging Cho to not let herself and Athena come in the way of dating, but she had assured Ginny time and again that there really wasn’t anyone, and if there was, she would let her know immediately.

When Ginny did finally get some days off to stay at home, Athena kept her busy enough. Sometimes Cho did take over for her on these days and let Ginny sleep the day through. She understood how difficult this was on Ginny. She was once training to be a healer herself before she switched gears and became an Auror.

Ever since they had moved in, her thoughts of Draco had been slightly subdued, as had her pain. Lately she had been catching glances of him at St. Mungos. She always wondered if he was there looking for her or if he was looking for another girl. Either way, she didn’t want to talk to him and always managed to find a way to disappear before he saw her.

“You know Ginny,” Cho started one day as they sat on the couch drinking some coffee, “don’t you think its time that you talk to Draco about what happened?”

“I know I should, Cho, but I guess I’m kind of scared.”

“What’s there to be scared of?” Ginny looked away. “Oh, come on. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“There could be someone else,” Ginny whispered.

“No, he could be dead, and you could have never gotten a chance to say that you really did love him.” Ginny looked at her with wide eyes. “It’s quite obvious that you do. You wouldn’t be moping for this long if you didn’t love him.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think I could bear it if he told me there was someone else.”

“If not for yourself, then at least do it for Athena. Draco has a right to know his daughter, and she has a right to see her father.”

Ginny sighed, “I’ll look for him.” Cho understood that was as close to agreeing as Ginny would get and let the subject drop.

“I think that it’s time that you got out of the house. Come on, I’ll take you out to dinner.”

“And Athena?”

“I’ll talk to Hermione.”

And I,I don't want to let you know
I,I drown in your memory
I,I don't want to let this go
I,I don't

Makin' my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces past and I'm homebound

Staring blankly ahead
Just makin' my way
I'm makin' a way
Through the crowd

And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder

If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass us by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you..

wooooooooooooooo

If I could fall in to the sky
Do you think time would pass me by
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you

If I could just hold you...tonight

They had just entered a French restaurant when Ginny caught sight of Draco with Zabini.

“Cho—”

“You’ve gotta face him sometime. What better time than now?”

Draco caught her eye and started making his way through the crowd to her.

“Excuse me ladies,” Zabini said taking Cho’s hand and kissing it. “Ginny, it’s a pleasure to see you.” He then turned his eyes to Cho: “And who might this fine lady be?”

“That, Blaise,” she said smiling, “is my good friend Cho. Do be nice to her.”

“No need to doubt me. I’m a perfect gentleman, I can assure you.”

“As vain as ever Blaise,” she replied.

Music started up in the background. “May I have the honor of this dance,” he asked Cho cordially.

“Why of course,” she replied as he pulled her to the dance floor.

“I remembered when we once used to dance like that,” Draco said wistfully.

“It hasn’t been that long,” she replied offering him her hand, “I’m sure I would love to dance if you were up to it.”

“Gods Ginny, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to dance with you again.”