The conversation with Ron had gone better than Ginny expected, and as she and Draco returned to her flat after an early lunch, he stood just inside the door. She stood behind him, her arms around his waist.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know,” he said as he took her hand and pulled her inside. “Stay here.” As he crept down the hallway toward the bedroom, Ginny took a seat on the couch.
“Jesus!”
Thinking the worst, Ginny ran to him, stopping short, and her eyes wide as she looked into her room.
“Oh, ew,” Ginny moaned, putting a hand over her face. “That’s just wrong.”
Pansy looked at her, smirking. Then she looked down at the person with her. “I didn’t think you would be home until later.”
Ginny backed slowly out of the room. “I think I need to pour rubbing alcohol on my eyes. That was horrifying.”
Draco nodded as he followed her. They heard Pansy rummaging around for her clothes before she came out into the living room.
“We did-” she began.
“Stop, stop, stop,” Ginny murmured. She was facing the kitchen, too afraid to turn around. “How could you – in my bed.”
“Your mattress is better,” Pansy said.
“Ugh!”
“Ginny!” The voice grew closer, almost right next to her. “Gin, I’m sorry. I came over to talk to you and Pansy let me in and-”
“She decided to be hospitable?” Draco offered, smirking.
Ron’s face turned as red as his hair at that comment.
“What did you want to talk about?” Ginny asked, now addressing the stove. It seemed like a better idea than turning around.
“The third woman,” Ron said as he took a seat at the counter. “Um, I can’t really talk to you if you’re not going to look at me.”
“I can’t,” said Ginny.
“I’m dressed. Turn around.”
Ginny slid her fingers over her eyes and whirled around. “Alright, what do you know?”
A pair of hands came down on her shoulders and she leaned her head back slightly. “This works,” she said.
Draco chuckled, took hold of her wrists, and pulled. “I’m sure that it does but it makes you look weird.”
Ginny blinked, looking at him, and then turned her head to her brother.
“I got a call after you two left this morning. Someone heard from the girl. She told them that she met a man at a bar and went home with him, and then she woke up in her own bed.”
“That doesn’t sound too important,” Draco said. “Is there something else?”
Ron regarded him with narrowed eyes. “It is important, Malfoy. But that’s not it. The bar she left from is near this flat.”
Ginny’s eyes widened as she glanced around before taking a seat on the couch next to Pansy. Instinctively, she grabbed her friend’s hand.
“So you’re saying the killer is from around here?” Draco asked. He was holding a pot of coffee and frowning.
“Well,” Ron muttered, “I think he might be from this building.”
“Jesus,” Draco mumbled. “That’s just brilliant.”
“Don’t worry; we’re going to put extra security at the doors. I should have done that when this first happened. I’m sorry, Ginny.”
All Ginny could do was nod in understanding. This new revelation terrified her, and by the looks of it, it was starting to get to everyone else.
“It’s not enough,” Draco growled, slamming down the pot; coffee spread across the counter top and onto the mail. “She needs to be protected by someone who can be with her constantly.”
“You want her to move in with you, then, Malfoy? She’d be safer with you than anyone else.” It was Pansy who spoke.
Silence met her question.
“I think we have to discuss it first,” Draco said, glancing sideways at Ginny. “Right?”
“I think so,” she said as she stood and came toward him, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. “Or I could just say yes now instead of later.”
When she kissed him, Draco felt something spread through his body, and he gripped her waist. He barely cared that her brother was standing a few feet from them as he slid his tongue into her mouth and his fingers burned to touch every inch of her.
“Later,” he muttered against her mouth, “I’ll show you how happy that makes me.”
Despite the circumstances, Ginny smiled.
“Okay,” Ron said awkwardly. “It’s settled then.”
“Are you going to be okay by yourself?” Ginny said, frowning at Pansy.
Pansy waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, I’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll ask Blaise to come and stay a few nights. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
Draco rolled his eyes.
“Okay, so what now?” Ginny asked.
“Now you move your stuff into Malfoy’s place as soon as possible. We can’t really afford to take chances here,” Ron said, his tone implying he was uncomfortable with this whole situation.
“It’ll be okay,” Ginny said to him. “Have you let Mum know?”
“She’s not happy about it.”
“Of course not.”
“Yeah, well, you left and never wrote.”
“Now I have tons to tell them when I do.”
Draco held up his hand. “Alright, shut up. Ginny, we know you left without much of a word, and Weasley, just grow up, would you? There’s a killer on the loose and he’s murdering redheads, I think we have our work cut out for us.”
“Us?” Ron asked raising an eyebrow. “What do you think you’re going to do?”
“We’re going to help you,” Ginny said. “It’s already decided.”
“You can’t,” Ron said, shaking his head. “You’re not Aurors. I can’t let you go running around trying to catch this guy.”
“Then consider it our good deed for the rest of our lives,” Ginny said. “Please let us help you.”
“You’re at risk,” Ron said as he hugged her. “I don’t want him to get you. I’ll get him, don’t worry.”
“But I-”
“Draco will take care of you.”
“Ron-”
“I love you,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “I have to get going though. I’ll let Mum know what’s going on. She loves you too, you know. We all do.”
Ginny nodded and wiped her eyes, unaware that she had started crying. Her vision blurred as she leaned back against Draco. Then a terrifying thought occurred to her as he kissed her cheek softly.
Maybe she loved him.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know,” he said as he took her hand and pulled her inside. “Stay here.” As he crept down the hallway toward the bedroom, Ginny took a seat on the couch.
“Jesus!”
Thinking the worst, Ginny ran to him, stopping short, and her eyes wide as she looked into her room.
“Oh, ew,” Ginny moaned, putting a hand over her face. “That’s just wrong.”
Pansy looked at her, smirking. Then she looked down at the person with her. “I didn’t think you would be home until later.”
Ginny backed slowly out of the room. “I think I need to pour rubbing alcohol on my eyes. That was horrifying.”
Draco nodded as he followed her. They heard Pansy rummaging around for her clothes before she came out into the living room.
“We did-” she began.
“Stop, stop, stop,” Ginny murmured. She was facing the kitchen, too afraid to turn around. “How could you – in my bed.”
“Your mattress is better,” Pansy said.
“Ugh!”
“Ginny!” The voice grew closer, almost right next to her. “Gin, I’m sorry. I came over to talk to you and Pansy let me in and-”
“She decided to be hospitable?” Draco offered, smirking.
Ron’s face turned as red as his hair at that comment.
“What did you want to talk about?” Ginny asked, now addressing the stove. It seemed like a better idea than turning around.
“The third woman,” Ron said as he took a seat at the counter. “Um, I can’t really talk to you if you’re not going to look at me.”
“I can’t,” said Ginny.
“I’m dressed. Turn around.”
Ginny slid her fingers over her eyes and whirled around. “Alright, what do you know?”
A pair of hands came down on her shoulders and she leaned her head back slightly. “This works,” she said.
Draco chuckled, took hold of her wrists, and pulled. “I’m sure that it does but it makes you look weird.”
Ginny blinked, looking at him, and then turned her head to her brother.
“I got a call after you two left this morning. Someone heard from the girl. She told them that she met a man at a bar and went home with him, and then she woke up in her own bed.”
“That doesn’t sound too important,” Draco said. “Is there something else?”
Ron regarded him with narrowed eyes. “It is important, Malfoy. But that’s not it. The bar she left from is near this flat.”
Ginny’s eyes widened as she glanced around before taking a seat on the couch next to Pansy. Instinctively, she grabbed her friend’s hand.
“So you’re saying the killer is from around here?” Draco asked. He was holding a pot of coffee and frowning.
“Well,” Ron muttered, “I think he might be from this building.”
“Jesus,” Draco mumbled. “That’s just brilliant.”
“Don’t worry; we’re going to put extra security at the doors. I should have done that when this first happened. I’m sorry, Ginny.”
All Ginny could do was nod in understanding. This new revelation terrified her, and by the looks of it, it was starting to get to everyone else.
“It’s not enough,” Draco growled, slamming down the pot; coffee spread across the counter top and onto the mail. “She needs to be protected by someone who can be with her constantly.”
“You want her to move in with you, then, Malfoy? She’d be safer with you than anyone else.” It was Pansy who spoke.
Silence met her question.
“I think we have to discuss it first,” Draco said, glancing sideways at Ginny. “Right?”
“I think so,” she said as she stood and came toward him, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. “Or I could just say yes now instead of later.”
When she kissed him, Draco felt something spread through his body, and he gripped her waist. He barely cared that her brother was standing a few feet from them as he slid his tongue into her mouth and his fingers burned to touch every inch of her.
“Later,” he muttered against her mouth, “I’ll show you how happy that makes me.”
Despite the circumstances, Ginny smiled.
“Okay,” Ron said awkwardly. “It’s settled then.”
“Are you going to be okay by yourself?” Ginny said, frowning at Pansy.
Pansy waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, I’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll ask Blaise to come and stay a few nights. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
Draco rolled his eyes.
“Okay, so what now?” Ginny asked.
“Now you move your stuff into Malfoy’s place as soon as possible. We can’t really afford to take chances here,” Ron said, his tone implying he was uncomfortable with this whole situation.
“It’ll be okay,” Ginny said to him. “Have you let Mum know?”
“She’s not happy about it.”
“Of course not.”
“Yeah, well, you left and never wrote.”
“Now I have tons to tell them when I do.”
Draco held up his hand. “Alright, shut up. Ginny, we know you left without much of a word, and Weasley, just grow up, would you? There’s a killer on the loose and he’s murdering redheads, I think we have our work cut out for us.”
“Us?” Ron asked raising an eyebrow. “What do you think you’re going to do?”
“We’re going to help you,” Ginny said. “It’s already decided.”
“You can’t,” Ron said, shaking his head. “You’re not Aurors. I can’t let you go running around trying to catch this guy.”
“Then consider it our good deed for the rest of our lives,” Ginny said. “Please let us help you.”
“You’re at risk,” Ron said as he hugged her. “I don’t want him to get you. I’ll get him, don’t worry.”
“But I-”
“Draco will take care of you.”
“Ron-”
“I love you,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “I have to get going though. I’ll let Mum know what’s going on. She loves you too, you know. We all do.”
Ginny nodded and wiped her eyes, unaware that she had started crying. Her vision blurred as she leaned back against Draco. Then a terrifying thought occurred to her as he kissed her cheek softly.
Maybe she loved him.
Leave a Review