"Fuck you both. I'm going to a real healer."

He disapparated while flipping them the bird.

Draco landed on his knees near Healing Hands. It was dark out. He made it through the wards easily. He was really going to have to do something about that. His face was hurting pretty badly, and he was feeling so weak. He knew it was an easy fix though. He just did not have the skill to do it. Draco stumbled towards Ginny's office. 

"Gin?"

He fell through the door. Draco tried to grab the door frame to regain his balance, but just ended up twisting oddly and landing on his back just inside the door. He decided to black out for a little bit then.

Ginny had been sleeping when her wand lit up like white phosphorous. She shook her head, not realizing what had happened to wake her up. When she finally opened one eye, squinting at her wand, she flew out of bed, scrambling over Dean to grab for her wand. "Nox!" She looked around, panicked, not recalling where her bottoms had been thrown.

Dean shifted in his sleep and Ginny winced, grabbing a pair of his trousers and slipping them on over a pair of Harry's pants. She ran out of the room, grabbing a pair of shoes and struggling to pull them on, nearly breaking her neck as she came down the stairs. "Emergency. Emergency." Finally pulling on the other shoe, she threw open the front door, apparating the second her feet hit the sidewalk.

A little disoriented, she shook her head as Healing Hands appeared before her. She pushed open the doors, only slightly worried that they'd already found their way inside. She ran down the hall, her eyebrows furrowing when she realized they'd gone into her office. Wha-

She slowed when she saw the pale form on the floor just inside the doorway. She dropped to her knees, hands hesitating over his chest, her eyes darting over his body. "Draco..."

"Mmmm?"

Draco opened one of his eyes slowly. Ginny. Thank Salazar. Finally he'd get some relief from the pain he was in.

"Stinging hex to the face," he said tiredly. "Shouldn't have looked 'round the sarcophagus. She was waiting for that. Few cuts. Burned my shirt off of me. I'll have to remember that one. It was interesting. Some hex... unspoken... made me tired. Slowed me down. Went to Mungo's cos I knew you were mad at me... hours. Wouldn't even help me. Rock paper scissors. Wouldn't help me because of my arm. My face hurts. Please fix it, and I'll stop bothering you."

She shook her head, only pieces of what he'd said making sense. "Who did this to you?" She leaned over him when it seemed he'd fallen asleep. "Draco?" She slapped at his face. "Draco? Wake up."

She looked over her shoulder. "Fuck." She looked back at Draco. Using a levicorpus charm on him was risky, but he'd already stumbled into the clinic, so obviously moving him wouldn't do much more harm. She flicked her wand at him, leading his body into one of the exam rooms. She froze for a second once he hit the table, not sure where to begin.

She took a step towards him, looking at the burns and marks on his arms first. They were superficial and would be easy to heal. She ignored them. The fact that he said she'd hit him with something to suck his energy was more alarming. She'd only heard of one such spell, and she couldn't remember the counter-curse. "Fuck!"

She turned in place, racking her brain before turning back to look at him, her eyes wide. She grabbed her wand, slashing it in his direction. "Navitas!"

Draco's eyes snapped open, and his skull suddenly felt like it had been cracked open and had hot lava poured into it. He shouted a string of fairly foul swears. The right side of his face was hurting so bad he was sure he might vomit.

"Oh, this is unpleasant. Stinging hex to the face. Can we please do something about that before I have to start crying?"

Ginny pursed her lips, grabbing his chin in hand and turning his face to survey the damage. "Who did this to you?" She touched his cheek, frowning when he winced. "Lente."

"Well, you know those rumors of Alecto Carrow's death? Greatly exaggerated. She's pretty pissed at me. I got her brother Amycus all sent to Azkaban, and it seems he's up and died in there. Not that she was the sanest person before, but I do think this has sent her 'round the bend. She's been waiting near my family's crypt since I returned to England apparently. She was waiting for me to visit my father. It was insane, and I couldn't apparate form the crypt because there are wards on it... though how she knew this, I'll probably never know... but she did. She knew. Somebody fucking set me up. That pisses my shite off. Ow!"

Draco glared at her. He knew she was not trying to hurt him, but an angry tirade just was not an angry tirade when pain interrupted you.

Ginny rolled her eyes. The superficial cuts and burns along his arms weren't bad and he was fidgeting like a child. It was good practice, she supposed, but it was still annoying. She pointed her wand at him. "Sit still."

She remembered Alecto Carrow. Harry had told her all about the trial of Amycus and how they'd never really found Alecto's body in the rubble she'd supposedly perished in. She'd have to inform Harry that his suspicions were correct. "She'd been waiting around for you for a month? Now that's dedication."

She wasn't going to admit how her heart was still racing. Seeing his body on the ground, bleeding... Sarcasm was better. She touched one of the cuts. "Sano."

"I'll say. Here I was having this huge one-sided argument with old Lucius and she interrupted. I nearly pissed myself."

Draco sighed. He didn't know what else to say here. He just shut his eyes and let her work her healing magic. It was nice to see her again. He wished it was under better circumstances. He wished she had answered his owl. He did want to continue treating his arm.

 "You've been avoiding me," he said quietly, sounding a bit pouty. "My arm is all sad and stuff."

Yes, well you lying to me made me sad. The fact that I'd been feeling horrible for weeks, because you lied to me, made me sad. The fact that I thought I was starting to learn who you were, even a little, and then to find out that I was wrong? That made me sad. And pissed me off royally.

She said, nothing, continuing to move over his chest, healing the marks as she saw them. They were easy to see, since he was so pale, but she was slowly making work of them. "What were you and your father arguing about?"

Draco's jaw clenched and his hands fisted. Did he want to talk about this? With her? Well, he owed her something for what he'd put her through with his misinformation.

"The usual. My not being good enough, his disappointment in me because I don't like to go about killing people, him using death threats against my mother and Blaise to get me to behave... it's a long, boring, and probably horrifying to you list that's just another day of being a Malfoy. I think I have too much of my mother's side of the family in me. Father would look at me sometimes and start muttering about Mother's cousins. Can you hate someone and miss them at the same time?"

Ginny swallowed harshly and took a step back from him. She knew that feeling. Had dealt with it for years. "Yes." She looked away from, going over to the cabinet and grabbing a headache potion. The spell she'd used to wake him up worked wonders, but it also left you with a horrible headache afterwards. She held out the potion to him. "You're going to need that. How's your face?"

"A bit twinge-y, but better. Thank you for not turning me away."

Draco sat up and drank the potion. He sighed. What now? He wanted to ask her how she'd been and what she'd been doing and how he could make her not mad at him anymore.

"I told you when we first met that I wouldn't turn anyone away." Even if they are an arse.

She frowned. "We need to make an appointment to start on your arm again. Things have been... it's been a little busy since... since Halloween. I'm sorry I didn't reply to your owl. I-" banished it to the rubbish bin on Wednesday night, "misplaced it. I have some openings next week."

"Fine," Draco snapped, feeling prickly suddenly. He'd nearly been killed earlier and had been all but ignored at Mungo's. He was not in the mood to be lied to. Yes, hypocritical of him. Very much so, but she had no more misplaced that owl than he could misplace his own arse.

He also had an insane urge to kiss her. He wondered if she'd hex him then heal him.

"I don't care what day. Just whenever it's convenient for YOU." He honestly did not mean to sound so bitchy, but he was tired and cranky and still a bit sore. "I'll just go since my presence is so offensive to everyone apparently."

Now he sounded like he was feeling sorry for himself, which he was a bit.

"Oh, now you're just being ridiculous. You need to stay here. After that hex she hit you with I don't want you going anywhere in case the symptoms come back. If you faint while apparating you'll splinch yourself. I'm your healer. I'm not going to send you away if you're not well." She cast an antiseptic charm on her hands and pushed him backwards on the exam table. "Do you feel dizzy?"

Hands on the chest! Hands on the chest! Did he feel dizzy? When she touched him? Always. "A bit, but I don't think it has anything to do with the curses."

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. She cast a lumos charm and held her wand in front of his eyes. "Follow this." She moved it back and forth, watching as his eyes moved. She frowned. "Should I call Blaise? Or your mother?"

"Absolutely not!" Draco shouted. "They can't know about any of this. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

He tried to sit up again.

Ginny pushed him back down on the table with a grunt. "I said lay back!" She pulled her hands back when he gave her a look. She knew that look. She'd been ignoring that look. "Moving might not be a good thing," she finished lamely.

"Well, then bind me down!" he shouted, feeling frustrated and antsy. "I've a lot on my mind right now and my nervous energy is at an all-time high! I need pacing!"

He started fisted and un-fisted his hands. He needed to do something suddenly, and he didn't know why.

"Don't yell at me!" His anger was making hers rise to her surface. She'd been fine just being professional with him, trying to ignore that anything had happened Wednesday night, but if he was going to yell at her, that just wasn't going to work. "I don't care what's on your mind. I care what curses you got hit with and apparently you got hit with one that makes you act like an arse, and until that curse is out of your system, you are going to sit on this exam table and not move!"

"But I have to do something," he whined. "Can't you lie to me and say you care a little? It might help. I know I've pissed you off, but that's what I do."

"Yes, you pissed me off. Yes, I know it's what you do, but that doesn't make me any less pissed off." She crossed her arms over her chest. "You whine when you're hurt. It's very unattractive."

"I do NOT whine," he snapped in an affronted tone. "I bitch. There's a subtle difference."

"It sounds an awful lot like whining."

"Well, it's not." Then he smirked at her. "How long do I have to lie here? I'm not a lying down person. Unless I'm sleeping or... doing other lying down things that are not sleeping."

Ginny turned, casting another antiseptic charm on her hands. It was becoming habit. "You'll lay until I tell you you can get up." She rolled her eyes at herself. "Actually, you're probably fine. Really. You're fine enough to bitch at me, you should be fine." She turned, hands on her hips.

Draco sprung up and immediately started to pace the tiny room. "Do I have to stay here? With you? Not that I mind... at all... but I think you might mind. Do I get to go home or do I get to sleep on the hide-a-bed or something? What's next?"

He was feeling a bit hyper. More than usual.

Ginny watched him pace the room with wide eyes. "You want to sleep in my office? You don't need to stay here. I said you'd be fine." She stepped in front of him, holding her hands up. "Stop."

"Well, you said I couldn't go, so that means stay here. I dunno. I'm all hyper and stuff. I probably couldn't sleep anyhow." He danced from foot to foot "What was in that potion? I feel all..." He did this bizarre little energetic river-dance-looking move in front of her.

Her eyes widened. She was mentally cursing Blaise for making a potion that would make him... dance? He was dancing. How-

"I don't know what's in it. Blaise made it. I don't do potions, I just give them out." He continued to fidget in front of her and she felt a surge of panic. "I don't know what's in it."

She pointed her wand at him, but lowered it. "I don't know what's wrong with you."

"I feel like I've had about a dozen Pepper-up potions." Draco cocked his head to the side. "Which knickers are you wearing right now?"

She watched him jump from foot to foot, her mouth open. She snapped it closed before glaring at him. "That's really none of your business." Ginny turned, grabbing the empty potion vial and holding it up to the light. She'd given him the right potion, that much was clear. She'd avoided Blaise all day on Thursday and Friday. Maybe she should have gone over his potions with him instead of acting like a first year. Perhaps this one was supposed to be diluted?

Ginny turned back and looked at Draco. "Do you want me to give you something to calm you down?"

He wanted to say, you can't think of a better way to dispel this energy? But Draco didn't want to make her mad. He did however pull out his rarely-used sad puppy eyes. Rarely-used because they tended not to work on him.

"I dunno... it's sort of... cool. I'm all I could have danced all night right now." Draco giggled. "I suppose it would be too much to ask you to dance with me, yeah?"

Her look said it all.

Draco sighed. "I thought not." He hopped up and down. "What do I dooooo?"

This was oddly reminding her of the Quidditch World Cup. Her brothers had been filled with restless energy after Ireland had won, Fred and George singing and Ron waxing poetic about Krum. Of course, this was before Hermione had met him and force Ron into his jealous snit that had lasted a full year.

Holding in a laugh at the fact that he was squirming around like he needed to go to the bathroom, she shook her head. "I don't know. What do you do when you have energy?"

Draco just smirked at her. He was already missing his shirt. He could be missing his trou and pants too.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Honestly. "I'll go get you something." She turned, heading towards Blaise's lab. She couldn't take him smirking at her. She just couldn't. 

Draco trotted after her, a bit more spring in his step than was normal. "You don't have to leave to get me something. It'll wear off, won't it? I don't want to put too many potions in me. There's been enough of that in my circle of friends of late. I'll just go run up and down the street a few times or something."

She turned, her hand on the doorknob to Blaise's lab. She took a deep breath as she looked at him. She supposed she should be used to him being shirtless. She'd seen it plenty of times. Of course, all but one of those times had been while she thought him gay. Knowing he wasn't sure made him look more-

"Don't run up and down the street. You're shirtless and it's late. Aurors might be called, there'd be panic in the streets..."

"I dunno... could be fun. Haven't seen any Aurors since I've been back. Unless you count my cousin Dora. I should owl her. Should probably tell her I've been getting death threats for a few weeks and somebody tried to kill me tonight. Well, not just any somebody. Alecto Carrow."

Draco sighed.

"And to think I was joking on Friday about having my mother divvy up my ashes if anything happened to me. It's suddenly looking like a damn possibility. I should make a list of things to do. Can I borrow one of your write-y things and some parchment?"

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about, divvying up your ashes? And you've been getting death threats for weeks? Why didn't you say anything to someone? The Aurors? If they'd known something was going on, you could have avoided getting your face almost hexed off." She wasn't sure why she was letting this bother her so much. It shouldn't be bothering her. She was mad at him. She was pissed off and not happy with him.

But she was a healer. She was a healer who couldn't stand when people put themselves in danger on purpose. Or, not so much on purpose, but knowing they were in danger and ignoring that voice inside of their heads that were telling them to get help, despite how proud they were or how much they didn't think they deserved it.

Draco looked at her. "Like they'd care. I'm sure the Ministry would love nothing better than if I disappeared off of the face of the earth. I remind them that they were blind once, that there were warning signs everywhere, and they did nothing until it was far too late. Another generation of young people lost to a fanatic."

It was awkwardly silent after that.

"I'll just go."

Ginny blinked at him. She had a lot of thoughts running around in her head. Her first inclination was to yell at him. 'Yes, let's all just go around ignoring the mistakes of the past and just let things continue in the fucked way they've been going. It's a brilliant plan.' Her second urge was to stare at his chest. She'd found that desire in her top three for a bit now, and it was very annoying.

"He didn't start out as a fanatic." She'd whispered it, staring into his eyes. She shifted her weight, feeling like an idiot for saying anything. She sighed, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "He wasn't always the monster he became and you can't blame everyone who followed him. He had..." She shook her head, stopping herself.

Every bit of him froze. Draco had only been in Voldemort's presence three times, and all three had left him feeling wretched and not wanting to sleep with the lights off. But how could she possibly know this?

"How do you..." He said before he could stop himself, then his gut twisted. Painfully. Right. There WAS that. Another instance of his father trying to destroy something. Draco's face screwed up. He felt the need to say something, something like he was sorry, but she'd probably hate him for even trying it. The man had been dead for near four years. Why could he just stay dead and quite interfering with Draco's life? Even from beyond he was messing with things.

He was an absolute IDIOT. Blaise was all too correct. He was a moron. Why would she want anything to do with the son of the man who'd tried to kill her? It made him very sad though. He needed to stop this. Draco never should have entertained the idea of her. He was all wrong in every way for her, and he should leave her be. Just be the patient and then move on when she was finished mending him... provided he could be mended.

"I'll stop bothering you and just go home then. I'm sure I can make it home." To pout. Doing the right thing sucked out loud.

She swallowed. Stupid little girl. He doesn't-

"Alright."

She was weak. Said stupid things at inappropriate times. Though, she'd been doing quite a few inappropriate things lately. At least, things she thought were inappropriate. She reached up and pulled at a lock of her hair. Fred did it all the time, and the motion calmed her just a little. "If you don't feel well, you'll need to come back. You probably shouldn't sleep for at least 6 hours. Just in case. Maybe have one of your house-elves make sure you don't nod off."

She turned, striding back into the exam room. "I'll send you home with some potions. In case you get a headache. Or if your muscles start hurting. Just to make sure you don't get an infection from the charms. I'm not sure what she hit you with and I just want to cover all the bases. If you start itching, you'll need this one. If you swell, then you'll have to take this one with some bread. Empty stomachs and swelling potions aren't very good. Besides, you'll want to eat something with the headache potion anyway. Maybe a sleeping draught. Just in case. You know, after the 6 hours are up." She turned, her arms full of potions.

He'd followed her closely. She nearly bumped him when she turned around. Her arms were full. She would not risk wasting potions just to hit him, would she? Draco had never been very good at doing the right thing anyhow, and she smelled nice. And her hair was all sleep-mussed. And she was wearing men's trou? He'd just noticed that.

"All right," he said quietly.

Then he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, hoping she wouldn't punch him because he wasn't sure his face could take another hit just now.

She was eternally grateful to Blaise for putting shatterproof charms on his potion vials. None of them broke when they fell from her hands. To be honest, she hadn't even heard them hit the ground. He kept doing this sneak up and surprise kiss number, and she still wasn't prepared for it when it happened. She took a step back, her ankle turning when she stepped on one of the tubes. She caught herself on the counter. "Fuck."

He already had a hand on her arm. She glared at him. "Ow."

"Are you all right?" Draco said, likely sounding a bit panicked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He dropped to his knees and started gathering the bottle. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered to himself. He was one big hormone. He had never been good at keeping himself to himself. He was also pants about doing the right sort of thing when the right sort of thing involved him denying himself something he wanted, and he did want her. Terribly. He kept his head down and gathered the bottles, trying to figure out what to do now.

"Stop. I dropped them, I'll pick them up." She dropped onto her knees beside him and started grabbing vials. She knew she was blushing, but he kept doing this random things, mostly involving his lips, and these random things were driving her crazy.

She groped under the exam table for a tube of anti-pus-ing potion, which had seemed like a good idea to give him at the time. "Bugger."

Draco cursed the gods for making him stare at her arse in men's trou and liking it so well.

"Here," Draco said as he crouched next to her, reaching for the tube she was after.

Their fingers brushed across one another's, and Draco looked at her suddenly.

She ignored her heart started beating faster when she realized how close he was. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips reflexively. Her hand tightened around the tube and she pulled away. "Got it." She also decided to ignore how breathy her voice had just sounded.

Draco nodded. He got to his feet quickly and offered her a hand up. He needed to get out of here. This being alone with her business was going to get him hexed or punched.

She stared at his hand for a second before her eyes followed his arm up, staring at his face. She hesitated for a second before grabbing his outstretched hand and letting him pull her to her feet. She nodded. "Thanks."

Now she just felt like an idiot. A big idiot who kept staring at his lips. "How's your face?" She immediately rolled her eyes at herself. She'd already asked that before.

"Fine... thanks to you. Not afraid to touch me, not you." Draco moved closer to her.

He was going to leave. He really was. Any moment he was going to let go of her hand and leave.

Any moment now.

She wasn't sure what it was about him that she liked. She didn't know him. Obviously. That had been made apparent to her on Wednesday night. The physical attraction was there, yeah, but she'd like to think she wasn't that shallow. She'd been in 3 long term relationships in her life, and barring what she thought she'd had with Roger, she was still friends with both of them. So it wasn't the fact that she just wanted to...

So, she was stuck. He'd been an arse who had played with her feelings. She was still angry at him, but damned if she was having to consciously stop from closing the distance between them. Something about him, something she still wasn't sure about, was compelling to her. Something made her want to ignore that he'd lied to her.

"Why did you lie to me?"

She didn't know why she asked it. The second it passed her lips she regretted it.

"Ironically, it was because I wanted you to trust yourself with me," he answered honestly. "I could see it, you know. All there the instant you thought I couldn't be interested in you that way. You relaxed. The guard came down a bit, and I got to see you. I'm sorry I hurt you, I am. Please believe that, but I'm not sorry I did it."

"Not sorry you lied to me, or not sorry you kissed me? Because, if you're not sorry you lied to me, you're going to get hexed." He opened his mouth and she shook her head, slapping a hand over it. "Don't."

She took a step back from him. She almost didn't see it, but she saw the slight look of... something... cross his face. Ginny sighed. "Don't lie to me again. Ever."

"I think I can agree to that," he said, mouth twitching at the corners. "Honesty comes a bit easier these days, and I'm never sorry I kissed you. Ever."

Nodding, Ginny took a step closer to him. "Good." She'd never had a hard time with this part. She'd made that clear with Harry. Once it got to this part, she was fine. It was the uncertainty, the part where you weren't sure if your feelings were returned that she hated. Now that she knew, things were infinitely easier. "I know you didn't come here under the best of circumstances, but I'm glad you did. Sort of."

"I tried to go to St. Mungo's, to leave you be, but they wouldn't help me. The soddin' mediwitches there were actually going to do rock paper scissors to see who had to heal me after I wouldn't take the hint and go. I was there for hours."

Draco leaned down slightly and rest his forehead against hers. She did have every right to stay angry at him, but he very much did not want her to.

She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. "You could have made this a lot easier on yourself and just told me you liked me."

"I'm not good at making things easy on myself," Draco whispered before he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers delicately.

One of the things about Ginny was once she knew she could finally do something she'd been wanting to do for a while, she didn't do it softly. She was now allowed to touch his chest, which she did. She was allowed, finally, to admit to herself that she wanted him to kiss her, that she wanted to kiss him, and could finally do that as well.

Is it wrong to thank Alecto Carrow for ridding him of his shirt?

She'd worry about it more if she wasn't trying to contain the moan that was threatening to escape.

Draco was going to do something she likely wouldn't want him to do if she didn't stop touching him so. She was being a bit aggressive though, and he liked that. A lot.

It would be very wrong, very wrong indeed, to push her onto the exam table and take her men's trou off. Very wrong.

"You have to tell me to stop," he whispered against her neck between nips and kisses.

"And if I don't want you to?" She ran her hands up his chest, one gripping at the muscles in his back, the other grabbing onto the hair at the nape of his neck. "You really were stupid, I hope you realize that. I won't let you live it down." She let her eyes flutter closed when he trailed his tongue along her collarbone.

"You have to say you don't want me to stop, don't you? Flattering yes, but I really do need to have a bit more self control where you are concerned. Yes, I'm stupid. I wouldn't be Draco Malfoy if I didn't do stupid shite. If you never let me live it down, you'll fit in rather well with my friends and family. Mother ought to love you if you remind me how stupid I am all the time. Be sure to do it in front of her."

Ginny took a large step back from him, both eyebrows raised. She gave him a look.

"What? I'm not saying you have to go meet her tomorrow or anything, but she's curious about you. Blaise is like her son as well, and I suppose your name has come up a bit recently. Mother's a good sort if you don't mind her affinity for getting pissed and hexing folk first and asking questions later. You two should get along famously. She was actually quite affronted on your behalf about the gay thing. I was planning on telling you the truth by then anyhow, but she did threaten to hex me if I continued to lie."

She held up a hand, cocking her head to the side. "Your Mum. Your mum knew that you were lying to me?" She pointed at him. "Your mum. Your bloody mum knows who I am? Is curious about me?" She shook her head. "Do you often bring up your mum the first time you snog someone? Because, I've got to tell you, it kind of ruins the mood."

"Sorry. I don't..." Somewhere in America Lindsay was laughing her bony arse off. "It just sort of happened. I don't mean to say things. They just happen. I have trouble lying to my family and close friends. I mean, I can lie, but they sniff it right out. Blaise was all mad that I'd put half-naked Hannah in his bed, so he told my mum I let you believe he was my boyfriend. It was really an unpleasant conversation. Things get out of hand with me. They always do. It starts out as nothing, and then there's stuff. I don't mean for it to happen."

Draco stopped and looked at her. "I'm babbling. Great."

Ginny's eyes were rather wide. "Has anyone ever told you that you really give a lot of information at once? I think you broke my brain. I don't-" She clapped a hand over her mouth when it opened in a yawn.

"All the time," Draco said with a smirk. "The only person who ever liked it was Snape. You're tired, and I've kept you quite long enough for tonight. Can I walk you home? Or do you just want me to go? Or we could always cozy up on the hide-a-bed. It's quite comfy, and I'd try not to steal the covers."

"There are no covers here. Plus, Dean's probably wondering where I ran off to."

"Excuse me?" Draco snapped. "Who?" She was already with someone else? What? She didn't kiss him like she had another bloke waiting at home, and now Draco was terribly jealous. He'd never been one for sharing. "Please explain before I do something ridiculous."

She grinned. "It'd serve you right if I didn't explain."

Draco stepped into her personal space utterly. "I mentioned the ridiculous, did I not? And I said please. That word kills a bit of my soul every time I have to use it. I'm unaccustomed to asking for things nicely. Now... please explain before you have a jealous Slytherin looming over you."

He was looking at her with intensity as he placed a hand on her collar and let his fingertips play along her pulse while staring at her mouth waiting for words. He brushed his thumb across the bones there.

Ginny smirked up at him, his fingers on her skin making her shiver. "Did you know your eye tends to twitch when you get a little annoyed? It's righhhhhht there." She brought her finger up towards his brow and crinkled her nose at him. "It's rather cute, actually."

"I am not now, nor have I ever been... cute. My tantrums are especially not cute. Please..." Draco winced. "Dean is your dog? Cat? Owl?"

"Dean is not an animal. Unless you get a few drinks in him, then the man runs wild." She shook her head, grinning. "I should go. That is, if you're sure you're not going to faint or splinch yourself on the way home."

"But..." Draco frowned. He didn't even know who this Dean was and he didn't like that he got to stay with his Ginny. Draco raised an eyebrow. "All right then."

He leaned down to kiss her goodbye, but bypassed her mouth and began sucking on her neck instead. Sure, she could go on home to this Dean... with Draco's love bite on her neck.

Her hands tried to push him away halfheartedly. His possessiveness would have pissed her off, if it wasn't enjoyable to her at the moment. She walked them backwards until her back hit the exam table. Ginny's hands tangled in his hair, bending her neck to give him better access. "Did I mention I sleep in the same bed as him?"

Draco growled a bit as he pulled back to look at her. "Sharing's not my favorite. Stop torturing me like this before I decide to do something truly ridiculous like pop on over there and tell him he's to vacate your bed. I don't think that'd go over well, and I'm already looking like an arse for lying to you about my sexual preferences... which right now... are completely narrowed down to red-haired healers with incredibly soft skin and kissable lips who answer calls in men's trou... these... these are his trou, aren't they?"

Draco started trying to remove them.

Ginny startled laughing, batting at his hands. "Stop!" She laughed again when he started pulling on the hem. "Draco!" She slapped at his shoulders. She gasped when the charm holding up the much larger slacks broke, letting them fall around her ankles. She rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "Usually men don't get me out of other men's trousers so quickly."

He stared at... her men's pants? BLOODY EFFING HELL! With little golden snitches on them? Oh HELL no. Those were Potter's. They had to be.

"Take those OFF," Draco said pointing. Then he started taking his own trousers off.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you my pants! I don't want you wearing Potter's pants when you snog me. That's bothersome. I find that more offensive than your sleeping in the same bed as this... this... Dean."

Then something clicked in his head quite suddenly.

"Thomas? Dean Thomas? Is that your Dean? Bloody effing hell." Draco said as he started taking his pants down.

Ginny only allowed herself a few seconds of staring as he started undressing. She'd seen him naked before, and she appreciated him as always, though it did help that now she knew she didn't have to feel bad about looking. She smirked to herself before looking at him with a glare, realizing what he'd just said. "And if he is? So what if Dean Thomas is home in my bed? It's my bed."

She looked down at the pants she'd pulled on and grinned. "Oh. I got dressed in the dark. I was in a hurry because I had a man bleeding and passed out on the floor of my office, unless you'd forgotten the stinging hex to your face."

"I know it's your bed, but I want me in your bed - not Dean damned Thomas." He handed her his pants. "Now take those tacky Potter-cootied things off and put these on."

She clutched his pants in her hand, having a hard time tearing her eyes away from his lack of clothing. She grinned to herself. He was comfortable being naked. She appreciated that. She wasn't complaining, per se, but him walking about naked in the streets of Hogsmeade probably wasn't the best idea. Her eyes flicked up to his face, shaking her head. She was only wearing a pair of black boy-short cut knickers under Harry's golden snitch pants, and while he was fine being naked, she tended to avoid doing it the first time she snogged someone.

"I'm not wearing much under them, so no, I will not be taking them off." She smirked. "You do realize you're now wearing less clothes than I am, yeah?" She shrugged. "What can I say? I work quickly." She threw his trousers back at him. She kept a hold of his pants, though. Those she'd be hanging onto. "Put your clothes back on and you can walk me home."

Draco did. He put the trou on, but not his pants. She looked like she wanted to keep them. He had a pair of her knickers and fair was fair. He was pleased with the fact that she was allowing him to escort her home. It was a start.

 

SUMMARY: Draco goes to Ginny for healing. Misunderstandings and anger are worked through. Jealousy rears its head. Not to mention a promise that will be very difficult to keep is made.