A/N: I have to thank echo for letting me (reluctantly) borrow her pairing of Katie Bell with Percy from “Absolutely Spiffing” (a great read by the way). I like constructive feedback. tigereyes320@hotmail.com
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Chapter 5 – Part 3

“Well, never let it be said that a Malfoy walks away from a challenge,” Draco drawled, right before he brought her lips down to meet his. It felt warm and complete. Draco pulled Ginny into his arms and was about to deepen the kiss when they heard the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat.
Draco and Ginny jumped apart and faced their accuser.
“Hermione? ” Ginny gasped, her face flushing.
“Need a room?” Hermione asked with eyebrows raised. “You do know what would be happening right now if Ron had been with me?”
“I was—“ Draco started.
Ginny said at the same time, “We were just—“
Hermione held up her hand. “I don’t want to know. I just wanted to let you know your parents are leaving and want to say goodbye to you. They’re in the common room.”
“I’d better go say goodbye, then. I’ll talk to you later, Dragon,” Ginny said, reaching up and kissing his cheek. “By the way,” she whispered. “You passed.”
“Dragon?” Draco asked, arching a single eyebrow.
“What, you’d rather I call you ‘precious’ or ‘pookie’?”
“Well, if I get a nickname, so do you.”
“Fine.”
“See you later, Flame.”
“Flame, eh? I could get to like it,” Ginny said as she gave him a wink. “Coming, ‘Mione?”
“I’ll be there soon.”
Draco and Hermione watched Ginny leave the library.
“Gran—“ Draco began.
“Draco, Ginny is a big girl. If she wants to kiss you, it’s none of my business. I will tell you this though. If you are using her or hurt her in anyway, it might behoove you to remember she has SIX older brothers who would love to tear you apart if you harm a hair on her head. That isn’t including Harry, who also cares deeply for her. And if that isn’t enough for you, there isn’t a spell around I can’t master,” Hermione said threateningly.
Draco let out a low whistle. “And they say Slytherins are scary. If it’ll put your mind at ease. . .we’re just seeing where it goes. No harm, no foul.”
Hermione nodded. “That’s what I thought. Word to the wise. . . Don’t let Ron see you putting your mouth on any part of Ginny. I don’t think he could handle it. See you around, Draco,” she said as she left.
“Gryffindor house sure grows their witches good,” Draco said to himself appreciatively, as he watched Hermione walk away. Then he sat back down to finish the letter he had started to his father.
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Draco sat on a windowsill in the Astronomy Tower, thinking about what a strange turn his life had taken since he decided to play hero a little over two months ago.
If I had been told two months ago I’d be a spy for the good guys, I’d have told them they were nutters.
Draco’s father had embraced the idea of Draco “seducing” the Weasley girl for inside Ministry information. Ginny had already “provided” a few dates when raids were to take place. Draco, unbeknownst to his father, in turn gave Ginny any names he heard his father mention.
Draco swung his leg as he looked up at the dark sky filled to bursting with stars. He and Ginny had been spending a lot of time together. They’d played Quidditch just the other day. Ginny was planning on trying out for Chaser or Beater next year as all the Chasers and both Beaters were leaving at the end of the year. The way she flew, Draco knew she had an excellent chance of making the team.
Her brother Weasley was already Keeper for the Gryffindor team. Draco rolled his eyes. He’d rather be dressed up in pink ruffles than admit Weasley was actually very good at it. Quaffles rarely got by him during a game.
Draco smiled as he remembered picking on Weasley and Granger; he just didn’t have it in her to call her a Mudblood anymore. If there was one thing that hadn’t changed, it was the fact that he, Potter and Weasley still had a grand time insulting and fighting with each other. It was especially satisfying see them grind their teeth at his relationship with Ginny. The Dream Team knew the score, but that didn’t mean that Ron liked the idea of any part of Draco’s anatomy being anywhere near his baby sister. However, neither Ginny nor Draco told Ron about their occasional late night rendezvous in the Astronomy Tower.
Draco closed his eyes, and a picture of Ginny appeared in his mind. He wasn’t able to describe what Ginny did for him. Draco could talk to her about anything or nothing at all. They would sometimes sit outside by the lake. Sometimes they would meet in the library and work on their homework together. Draco would occasionally help her with Potions when she got stuck. Of course, that wasn’t often. He found out that, while maybe not at the top of her class like Granger, Ginny was very smart.
Ginny in turn could make him laugh. Draco especially enjoyed hearing her tales of her older brothers’ exploits. The ones with the twins playing pranks on Percy were the funniest. He had to admit the best by far was when the twins teamed up with Charlie and Bill. In the end, they wound up getting Percy together with Katie Bell. Ginny confided in him that Percy was thinking of proposing to her right after she left school. From what Ginny said, Percy didn’t know for sure what he would do; the Cannons and Puddlemere were courting Katie for professional Quidditch after Hogwarts. Who knew the uptight Weasley had it in him to snog in a swing on the front porch in full view of his family? Ginny had also said something about them getting caught underneath the kitchen table.
Draco saw a pair of hands coming around to cover his eyes. Ginny. She was wearing the scent he gave her a week or two ago, that he had picked up in Hogsmeade.
Her breath was hot against his ear. Ginny whispered, “Guess who?”
Draco decided to play with her a little bit. “Are you Parkinson?”
“No ”
“Bones?”
“NO ”
“Granger Is it you? Here I thought you and Weasley were hot and heavy. He’ll have a fit about you being alone with me.”
“I’m NOT Hermione ”
Draco heard the edge coming into her voice. Damn, but he loved that Weasley temper she could display when provoked. “Then you must be my Flame Princess,” he said with a smile.
Ginny dropped her hands and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. “Your Flame Princess? Is that supposed to make me feel better for you not knowing me? Make me feel special?”
Draco grabbed Ginny and pulled her onto his lap. He took one of her hands and brought her hand up to his lips to kiss it. Ginny gave him a small grin. She put both her arms around him and snuggled close. Draco breathed her in. “You smell good, Flame,” he said as he skimmed his lips up her neck and under her earlobe.
“You should think so, Dragon. You bought it for me. Uuummmm, that feels so good.”
“I like the scent of lavender on you. I miss this during the day.”
“Me too. Sometimes it feels like time is going so fast. It’s already the beginning of March; soon it’ll be June. Then I won’t see you again until September first.”
“I know. We have to be careful. My father’s no fool. I won’t risk you.”
“I know that. Are we friends?”
“Yes, we are. Ginny?”
“Hhhmmmmm.”
“Do you think we’ll ever be more?”
Ginny smiled up at him. She enjoyed these moments with him. Just being held close to him. “Could be. Can’t you just see us ten to fifteen years from now? We’re married with a big house and a bunch of kids. Some looking like you, some like me, and a few mixed up.” Ginny frowned at the look on his face when she mentioned children. “What? You don’t want kids?”
“I don’t know. I was an only child. I did hate that, though. I guess I could handle three, maybe four. Of course, with twins running in your family, we might have that solved pretty quickly.”
Ginny closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Draco. Draco, in turn, wrapped himself around her. Who knew he’d be such a snuggle bunny? “How much longer do we have?”
“Not long. Filch will be back around here soon. I won’t be able to sneak away for awhile. The O.W.L.s are coming up. I have to get cracking if I hope to have a showing that will make my father proud. I’ll see you around soon.”
“Okay.” Ginny got up off his lap and walked over to grab Harry’s invisibility cloak off the floor.
“Ginny?” Draco asked as he came up behind her.
“Yes?”
Draco put his arms around her and turned her so that his lips could meet hers. Their arms intertwined around each other as Ginny dropped the cloak to pull him closer. Their mouths opened, and their tongues began their own intricate dance.
“MALFOY That’s my sister you got that ferrety mouth on. Oi ‘Mione, make it stop I’m gonna have nightmares about this for weeks,” Ron yelped as he saw Draco and his beloved little sister getting into their snog-fest.
Draco and Ginny broke apart reluctantly. Ginny looked at her brother with narrowed eyes.
“You know, for that comment alone, I should go off with Draco to his room and give him a good shag,” Ginny said with a raised eyebrow.
“GINNY ” Ron and Draco both exclaimed.
Hermione fought back a smile at Draco and Ron seemingly agreeing on something. “Draco, could you escort Ginny back to her dorm? As a prefect, you’re allowed to be out past curfew. Ginny, if I could have Harry’s cloak.”
Ginny smiled herself. “Sure, ‘Mione. You and Ron have fun now.”
With that, Ginny took Draco’s hand and went out the door. Draco put his hand on Ginny’s shoulder and motioned her back to the closed door. He put his finger to his lips for her to be quiet, so they could eavesdrop on Hermione and Ron’s conversation. They had a quick, silent argument on whether or not to do it. Ginny finally gave in.
They crept closer to the door. They overheard the sound of two people snogging like mad.
“’Mione?” they overheard Ron say, slightly out of breath.
“Yes, Ron?”
“I, um, I have something for you. I meant to give it to you at Christmas. It got so crazy because of everything; I never got a chance to give it to you. Then I thought maybe for Valentine’s, but you said you didn’t want anything. Don’t get too worked up; it’s nothing big.”
“What is it? You know I like anything you give me.”
They heard some rustling as Ron said, “This.”
“Ron It’s so pretty. Where did you get it?”
“It’s not the real thing. It’s just colored like your birthstone. I was helping Percy pick out something at the jewelers in Hogsmeade when I saw it. He thought it was quite pretty, too. One day, when I can afford it, I’m going to get you the real thing. Do you like it?”
“Ron, I love it. You don’t have to buy me pretty stuff. I don’t need it.”
“I don’t care if you need or not. You deserve it. Can—May I put it on you?”
“Please.”
They heard some shuffling.
“There you go.”
“It’s almost too pretty for me to wear.”
“Why do you keep saying that? ‘Mione, you have to know I think you’re beautiful.”
“Of course, I know you think I’m beautiful. Ron, girls with bushy, brown hair, muddy brown eyes, who read lots of books, and are ‘bloody nightmares’ don’t wear pretty things. They don’t look right together.”
“’Mione, the only thing that doesn’t seem to go together is me and you. You’re bloody brilliant. . . Me, I’m just average. Fact is you’re too good for me. I can’t give you lots of things or take you places. I’m not famous like Krum. Why in the world would Hogwarts’ smartest witch ever want to be with me?”
“Because she thinks you’re bloody brilliant. You’re a man who’s willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, like you did on that chessboard first year. You faced the thing you hate most, spiders, second year to try and save me. How could I not want to be with someone like that? You make me laugh. Maybe you’ll never be rich. You may never be a Playwitch centerfold, but there is no one on this earth I’d rather be with than you.”
“Well, there is no one I’d rather be bossed around by than you. There is no one I admire more or could spend the rest of my life looking at than you. Once Voldemort is gone and we are out of Hogwarts, if you still feel the same way about me, you think you’d want to marry me?”
“Yes. Once we leave here and help Harry destroy Voldemort, there isn’t anything I’d rather do.”
“Good. There is one thing I’d like, if you could manage it. I want at least one little girl to have her mum’s bushy, brown hair and big, brown eyes. If she could love to read as much and be as brilliantly scary as you, I think I’d really like that.”
“I think we could give it a go. As long as I get at least one redheaded, blue-eyed, arachnophobic, mad about the Cannons son.”
“You got a deal.”
Draco had his hand up over his mouth, trying hard not to laugh, as Ginny pulled him away from the door and down the hall.
“What?” Draco asked petulantly.
“We’re not eavesdropping anymore. We are giving them some privacy.”
“Why?”
Ginny turned and looked at him, with her hands once more on her hips. “Would you have wanted them overhearing our earlier conversation?”
Draco frowned and shook his head.
“So when do you think we’ll be able to meet again?”
“I’m assuming you mean other than our ‘public’ appearances.”
“Yes.”
“We have a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff coming up soon. So I’ll be practicing until late. Probably not for close to six weeks.”
They walked quietly for a time until they got to the Gryffindor common room.
“You’ll owl me with a time?” Ginny asked.
“Yes.”
“Be careful.”
“You, too,” Draco said as he kissed her cheek and walked away toward his own common room.
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“So they meet again, wight, Daddy?” Marissa asked, snuggled next to her sister and her “babies.”
“Well, they were supposed to,” Draco answered.
“But the Prince was in the accident,” Jason said.
“But that was when the Flame Princess really knew she loved the Dragon Prince,” Shannon firmly stated.
“Daddy? How’d the accident happen?” David asked from his bed.
“Well, it was just about six weeks later. We were now in the middle of April; the next Quidditch match was for the Cup. It was once again between Slytherin and Gryffindor, owing to the fact that Slytherin beat the pants off of Hufflepuff.”
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