Draco Malfoy looked across the table and said, “Potter, have you lost your mind?”

Harry sat back with a smug expression on his face. “It’s not like you have anything better to do.”

Grinding his teeth, Draco refused to rise to the bait. When he’d surrendered himself at twelve Grimmauld Place years ago, he’d never expected to be placed under house arrest. He’d envisioned himself fighting on a battlefield and going out in a blaze of glory. The reality had been quite different.

He was politely asked to attend meetings where they used his knowledge to help strategize. Then they all went off to fight and left him alone with the two female Weasleys. It was the younger of the two Weasleys that Harry was asking him to baby-sit.

“Ginny doesn’t need a baby-sitter. She’s nineteen. If you didn’t try to keep her locked up, she wouldn’t keep trying to get out.”

Harry took a deep breath. “She’s a nuisance. I can’t keep worrying about what she’ll do next.”

Loud cursing could be heard from the other side of the meeting room door.

Draco chuckled. “Shouldn’t you have soundproofed the room before you made that statement?”

Objects could be heard smashing against the door as Ginny reacted to Harry’s description of her.

Draco shook his head. “I would not want to be you right now.”

Harry stared down at the table and frowned. “I don’t know what we’re going to do with her.” He looked back up at Draco. “Distract her. I don’t care what you do, just distract her. I’m tired of worrying about her.”

Draco Apparated into the kitchen. He ducked as a soup pot went flying past his head. “Hey,” he shouted.

Ginny glared at him. “You heard what I was doing. You should have Apparated to another room.”

While he walked out of range, Draco noted that she looked good when she was angry. Her face was flush, and her hair seemed to have taken on a life of it’s own. He’d spent many a sleepless night imagining that hair spread out on his pillow. Pulling his mind back to the task at hand, he said, “Sorry to interrupt your tantrum in progress, but it isn’t going to do any good. You know how Potter is once he gets an idea in his head.”

“More like a stick up his arse,” Ginny shouted as she slammed the ladle down on the counter. “I don’t know what I ever saw in that arrogant prat.”

He smirked. He’d never heard her say anything like that before. Maybe Potter had pushed her away one time too many. “Since I’m to be your new playmate, I think we should make plans.”

“What sort of plans?” she asked.

“Plans that will make Potter regret the day he threw us together.” Draco walked over to her. “How good of an actor are you?”

“I can burst into realistic tears at the drop of a hat.”

Draco could hear Molly Weasley coming in the front door. “That’s perfect. Turn on the waterworks, and follow my lead.”

“Do you want dignified crying or messy sobbing?”

“Let’s start out with some dignity. We’ll save the sobbing for later.”

Draco watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She gave a breathy little sigh, which he found disturbingly sexy. When she opened her eyes, there were tears dripping over her lashes.

“You should just ignore him,” Draco said in a voice loud enough for Molly to hear. Ginny sniffled, and he handed her a handkerchief from his pocket.

Molly caught sight of Ginny just as the door to the meeting room opened. Harry came out yelling, “Ginny your behavior is inexcusable.”

Ginny took a few more breathy sobs, and Molly Weasley turned on Harry. “What have you done?”

Harry seemed to be taken off guard by Ginny crying and Molly yelling at him. He looked around blankly. “She threw things at the door.” He pointed to the soup pot and the other pans that littered the floor.

“He called me a nuisance,” Ginny told her mom in between louder breathier noises that Draco was finding increasingly distracting.

Molly rushed to her daughter and enveloped her in a hug. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He’s under a lot of stress.”

Draco cringed as Ginny stiffened in her mother’s arms. When she pulled back from the hug, the look of hurt on her face was far too real. “You’re taking his side?” she asked in disbelief.

“I’m not taking any side. It’s just that there is a war on and Harry is very busy.”

Draco walked over to the cabinet where the liquor was stored. He grabbed a bottle of wine and said, “Ginny, why don’t you come with me? There’s no winning an argument against the Sainted Potter.”

Harry and Molly both objected, but Ginny followed Draco out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the attic. He walked ahead of her and listened to her curse Harry and her family. “Good lord, Weaselette. I don’t even use some of those words.”

She snorted. “Sorry to offend your delicate sensibilities.”

He ignored her comment as he removed various spells from his door. “I hope you like what I’ve done with the place." He pushed the door open. “Ladies first.”

Ginny shot him a look, but she walked into his room. He’d taken over the attic, because no one else wanted to step foot into the drafty dusty space. It had taken him weeks to clean the place out and make it habitable. It was the first time in his life he’d had to work at something he really wanted. He hoped she would be impressed.

She turned in a circle and looked at his room. There was a four poster bed at one end of the room, which he’d found in a box and reassembled. He’d also managed to assemble a fairly decent sitting room with an old couch and bookshelves he’d found under sheets. All of the wood shone from the hours of cleaning and polishing spells. The whole space smelled of beeswax from the candles he’d been burning.

“Did you do all of this?”

Draco nodded and gestured towards the sitting area. “It was all up here. No one else seemed to want it, so I took it.”

Ginny took a seat on the couch. “I’m impressed.” She looked at the wine Draco was pouring. “What did you nab for us?”

“I have no idea. There wasn’t a label.” He filled two glasses, passed her one and took a drink. “It’s not bad.”

Ginny pulled her legs up underneath her. “What’s the next step in your plan?”

It took Draco a moment to remember what she was talking about. He swirled his wine around in his glass. “I think we should avoid every one as much as possible.”

“That isn’t much of a plan,” Ginny pointed out. She looked around the room. “Do you have any snacks up here?”

“I have a connection.” Draco stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. He rang a small bell that was on the second shelf. The house elf popped into the room a moment later. “Yes, sir?”

“Could we have something to eat?”

The elf popped out of the room. He popped back a moment later with a tray containing cheese and crackers.

Ginny looked on in awe. “How did you manage to get on his good side?”

“He’s from my mother’s family. When I first came here, he presented me with that bell. I’ve been using it ever since.”

Sipping her wine, and eating the cheese and crackers, Ginny told Draco everything he’d never wanted to know about her relationship with Potter. When she was finished, she looked over at him. “Harry’s not the person I was in love with. He’s changed.”

Treading lightly, Draco said, “People do change. I’d like to think that I’ve changed.”

“Of course you have.” Ginny covered a sudden yawn with the back of her hand. “The Draco Malfoy I knew in school wouldn’t have listened to me pour my heart out. He would have taunted me and been happy over my suffering. You’re not like that any more.”

Draco set his wine glass down. “I suppose I should take advantage of this moment and apologize for being such a prat when we were in school.”

A smile graced Ginny’s face. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“We’ve more or less tolerated each others company over the past few years. Maybe we could move on to being friends.”

“I think I’d like that.” Ginny yawned again.

Someone knocked on Draco’s door. Knowing the peaceful interlude was over Draco answered the door. Ron stood on the landing looking quite peeved. “Is Ginny in there with you?”

“Yes,” Draco answered, resisting the urge to smirk.

“Why is my sister in your bedroom?” Ron demanded in a slightly strangled tone.

Draco leaned insolently against the doorframe. “I could tell you, but it’s much more fun to watch you try and figure it out.”

Ron snarled, and Draco shut the door in his face. He ignored the pounding that followed. When he turned to talk to Ginny, she was leaning on the armrest with her eyes closed. “Do you want to deal with your brother?”

Ginny yawned and said, “I want to take a nap on your couch. Is that all right?”

“That’s perfect.” Draco opened the door and saw that Harry had joined Ron. “Would you mind keeping it down? Ginny is taking a nap.”

“Why is she taking a nap in your room?” Ron bit out.

Draco faked a yawn. "Harry told me to distract her. I distracted her. Now, she’s tired.”

Ron opened his mouth to yell, and Draco slammed the door in his face again. He placed a silencing spell on the door to block out the ranting coming from the other side.

“That was far too easy,” he muttered as he walked back over to Ginny. She was out like a light, so he sat next to her and gently repositioned her so that her head was on his chest. Her instincts seemed to kick in, and she snuggled up against him. Relaxing back against the upholstery, he closed his eyes.

***


Ginny woke up feeling warm and cozy. It took her a few moments to figure out where she was. The warm muscular chest she was leaning against felt wonderful. The arm around her waist felt reassuring. It slowly dawned on her that the warm male who smelled so good had to be Draco Malfoy. She looked up at the platinum blond hair surrounding the angular face and confirmed her suspicions. She was canoodling with Malfoy. It felt oddly right. His eyes opened as she looked at him. “Hello there.”

Draco didn’t seem surprised to find her laying on his chest. “Hello. Have a nice nap?”

“I did.” Ginny looked around the room. “Why isn’t Ron in here pitching a holy fit?”

Draco shifted her weight a little bit. “He stopped by earlier. I told him you were taking a nap.”

“I’m sure that went well.”

“I enjoyed it immensely,” Draco told her with a smile.

The sound of his door opening surprised them both. Molly Weasley stuck her head in and spotted them on the couch. “I just wanted to let you know that dinner is almost ready.” After looking around the room, she added, “You’ve done a lovely job with the attic.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.” Draco watched in amazement as Ginny’s mum ducked back out of the room and pulled the door closed behind her.

“How did your mum get through all of my locking spells?”

“She knows every locking spell in the book. The twins kept trying out new ones, and she figured them all out.” Ginny reluctantly pulled away from the warmth of Draco’s body. “I guess we should go down to dinner. Do you have a mirror?”

Draco pointed at the dresser by his bed. Ginny walked over and noticed how neat he kept his things. She straightened out her hair and her clothes. When she spied boxes with a sheet thrown over them, she couldn’t resist the urge to investigate. What she saw made her suck in her breath. “Did you know there was a dollhouse under here?”

Good lord, fate really loved him. He couldn’t wait to tell Potter that he and Ginny were playing house. Turning down the wattage on his smirk, he joined her to see what she’d discovered. “I’ve never seen a doll house.”

Ginny was running her fingers over the roof a miniature mansion with an excited gleam in her eye. “I always wanted one. Mum said it wasn’t practical since I was the only girl.”

“I could help you clean it up if you like.”

“Really?”

She was acting like he’d offered her the deed to a diamond mine. “I’ll help you on one condition. You can’t tell another male in this house what we’re doing. If Potter knew I was playing with a doll house I’d never hear the end of it.”

“It’s a deal.” The scent of fresh baked bread wafted through the air.

“I’m starving,” Ginny declared.

Draco followed her downstairs while she chatted about the supplies they might need to work on their project.

Harry waited at the bottom of the stairs blocking their path. Ginny stopped on the fifth step up. “Find another place to stand or lose a body part,” she told him flatly.

Draco was disappointed when Harry moved aside.

Dinner was a delight. Ron glared, Harry brooded, and Mrs. Weasley refused to allow either of them to speak ill of Draco or Ginny. When they were finished eating, Ginny pulled her mother aside and whispered in her ear. “Mum, we found a doll house upstairs. Draco promised to help me fix it up as long as we keep it secret from all the men in the house.”

“That sounds like a lovely project.” Her mum didn’t bother to lower her voice.

“What’s a lovely project?” Mr. Weasley asked.

Ginny gave Draco a pleading look. He rolled his eyes. “Fine, but he has to keep it to himself.”

Mrs. Weasley whispered to her husband and he chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep it under my hat. You might want to look in the cellar. There are odds and ends of wood and paint down there.”

Draco suddenly had a vision of his neat orderly bedroom becoming a terrible mess. “That’s a good idea. I believe we should take inventory of what we have before we bring in any new supplies.”

“Can we get started tonight?” Ginny asked.

Draco led the way up the stairs.

Ron met them coming down the steps. “Gin, where are you going?”

“I’m going to Draco’s room.”

Ron opened his mouth to protest.

She cut him off. “Mum knows where I’m going. If she isn’t disturbed by my plans then you shouldn’t be either.”

Once they were locked inside his room, Ginny set to work unpacking the boxes. Draco sat back and watched as she cooed over miniature dining room tables and place settings. While the miniscule furniture held no appeal for him, he did enjoy watching her reactions. Wanting to appear helpful, he took on the roll of grouping the furniture by room.

Ginny noticed what he was doing and laughed.

He shot her a glare. “There is nothing wrong with being organized.”

She nodded, stood, and crossed the room to his dresser. A small stack of books sat on top of the dresser. After smiling at him, she touched the top book and turned it slightly to the right.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She moved the bottom book to the left. The result was a messy stack of books. “How long can you leave this before it drives you crazy?”

He stood, moved to her side, and straightened the pile of books. “About that long.”

She laughed.

He shook his head and grabbed her hand, leading her back to the dollhouse.

Once they had all the furniture unpacked, Draco made a list of what was missing. “We need a bed for the master bedroom, a bathtub for the loo, several bookshelves-”

“I think we should clean the house first and then put the furniture in.”

Draco pointed his wand at the house and recited the same cleaning spells he used on his room.

“You are handy to have around,” she teased. The wood gleamed and the glass windows sparkled. The interior of the house didn’t fair as well. “What are we going to do about the wallpaper?”

“Is wallpaper a must?”

“Of course it is. Look.” She pulled him down to sit in front of the miniature parlor. “See. The pattern on the paper is tiny so it’s to scale with the rest of the house.”

He leaned in so his face was next to hers. “You can barely see the Fleur de lis pattern.”

She turned to speak and they were almost nose to nose. Ginny backed up and said, “We could paint our own wall paper.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Draco sat back on his heels. “What are we going to do with the furniture which is scattered about my floor while we spend untold hours creating wallpaper?”

“The furniture doesn’t take up that much room. I thought we’d just leave it there.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“Save that innocent look for your brothers. There’s no way in hell we’re leaving this mess on my floor.”

“Fine.” She pouted.

“That’s not going to work either.” He informed her with a smirk.

She huffed out a breath. “I suppose we could move it to the top of your dresser.”

“Not going to happen. I suggest we box it up by room, label each box appropriately and then restore the rooms individually.”

“I can live with that.” She went to work placing the furniture back in the boxes and jotting down the contents on the side of each box.

Draco found himself admiring her bum. When she glanced back and caught him, he said, “You can admire my bum the next time we walk up the stairs.”

She snorted in response. Once she had the furniture put away, she held out her hand. “Come on. I want to check the cellar to see what supplies we have.”

He took her hand, but planted his feet when he remembered something. “I found a couple rolls of fabric up here when I was moving things around. Let’s see if they will work for anything. If not, we can take them to the cellar.”

Draco pulled the bolts of fabric from underneath his bed and passed them to Ginny. “What do you think? The pale blue could serve as wallpaper.”

“We could draw on the blue to create a pattern.” She frowned at the green velvet fabric. “I don’t think this will be good for anything.”

Maybe it was the Slytherin in him that caused him to object, “The green velvet would work for carpets or table cloths.”

She grinned. “Good idea.”

He retrieved a pair of scissors from his dresser drawer and cut a rectangle of green velvet. “Let’s see how this looks.”

Ginny watched as he placed the rectangle of fabric in the dining room. There was only a small border of the wooden floor visible around the carpet. “That’s too big.”

“It’s not.” He retrieved the box she’s placed the dining room furniture in and placed the chairs and table on top of the rug. “See?”

“I suppose you’re right.” She walked toward the door. “Let’s visit the cellar to see what else we can find.”

Draco followed her downstairs. When they passed Harry and Ron he gave them a cheery smile. The glare he received from both males warmed his heart. Once they were in the cellar, he waited for Ginny to gather whatever supplies she thought necessary.

While she sorted through old cans of paint and scraps of wood, he checked out a few small wooden boxes. “One of these would work as the bath if we painted it correctly.”

She glanced up at him. “It’s too big.”

He started to agree with her when he heard footsteps and saw a shadow on the stairs. Knowing he had an audience inspired him.

“Ginny, I assure you it’s not too big. It will fit.”

“No. It won’t,” she replied. “Look at it.”

“It’s not that big.”

“Forget it, Malfoy.”

“Earlier in my room you voiced the same argument. I proved you wrong and I believe you were quite happy with how that worked out.”

“Fine.” She huffed out a breath. “We’ll give it a try.”

“Ginny, what in the hell...oh.” Ron had stormed down the stairs and now stood staring at the two of them.

“Can we help you?” Draco arched a brow.

“What were you talking about?” Ron bit out.

Ginny turned around blocking Ron’s view of what she’d been looking at. “Whatever we were talking about is none of your concern.”

Ron pointed at Malfoy. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”

Draco sniffed. “Most of the time, I don’t think you know what you are up to.”

Ginny chuckled while Ron sputtered and then stomped back up the steps.