A/N: Hello and, needless to say, here's another chapter. This is going to be a somewhat lengthy author's note, because there are things I have wanted to mention for some time now. If you don't like authors' comments, please, feel free to just read the chapter – I'm not going to say anything that important.

First of all, let me thank all the reviewers! Thank you very much for your comments and please keep it up! :)

Secondly, I should respond to those who said that my Draco Malfoy is horrible and cruel to Ginny. I agree with you! Moreover, I'm very sorry to say that he is at his best (that is, worst) in this chapter. Still, let me explain a couple of things. I have started writing this story just after I began to read another romance about Draco Malfoy suddenly becoming a nice, sensitive boy totally in love with Ginny, or maybe it was Hermione. The point of the matter is – he was so utterly out of character that I was revolted. Not that I'm so against out-of-character-ness. I guess I'd just read one such fanfic too many. So I wanted to create something different, something perhaps a bit more realistic. I started to write what was originally planned as a pretty dark fic. I wanted Draco Malfoy to be Draco Malfoy and no one else; even though I think what he says and does isn't nice at times, I cannot do anything about it. It's just he. So yes, he's horrible, but it's Draco Malfoy you're dealing with. It isn't Tom Felton, who is a nice guy in real life. In other words, it's a very very unpleasant young man, who clearly has two good sides: he is undoubtedly witty and, well, damn rich. :) He cannot be any other way, or at least not yet. He's been this way for 20 years, for crying out loud… People don't change easily at this point in life – if they change at all, that is. Naturally, he wasn't just born bad and he is a human being (even though it doesn't seem so), but still… Draw your conclusions.

Thirdly, I'd like to say a couple of words about Narcissa Malfoy. She isn't nice, kind or generous. She is just extremely well-mannered, elegant and composed. She knows exactly what she wants and no one knows exactly what she feels. Ginny used to think in black/white terms (Weasley – good, Malfoy – bad), but Narcissa Malfoy made it more difficult for Ginny, because she doesn't seem either black or white…

Then, to answer whether this is Harry/Ginny or Draco/Ginny story, I can say only this: Harry Potter was part of Ginny Weasley's world, but it's not guaranteed that Ginevra Malfoy will share that sentiment.

Yes, I know I've done a lot of talking and I'm sure I've bored some of you, but maybe it will make you feel a little better if you know that I haven't said half of what I'd like to say :) Without further ado, I will stop speaking and I do hope that you will enjoy the next chapter, which is…

Chapter 5

The two following weeks seemed to pass in a faint blur for Ginny. On the one hand, a thousand and one things were happening; on the other, she couldn't tell where those two weeks had gone even if her life depended on it.

She had been around Narcissa Malfoy a lot, that was certain. The woman entered Ginny's world in a determined, graceful walk and seemed to get Ginny's entire life in her strong, but elegant grasp by the end of the first week. Narcissa Malfoy's presence was simply overwhelming. Not that Ginny resisted a lot; she was never the one who could fight outside control really well, even less so after the encounter with Tom Riddle in her first year at Hogwarts. Naturally, Narcissa's influence had nothing to do with dark magic; it was purely psychological. She just had certain charisma about her, which made it very difficult for Ginny to object to her. Narcissa never shouted and never said a cross word; still, there could be metal in her voice which could send shivers down one's spine, but since she's never actually threatened with anything or acknowledged that she was forcing any control over Ginny, it was hard to charge her with any conscious wrongdoing.

In fact, Narcissa wasn't doing anything wrong. Ginny was looking better by the day, her wardrobe now buldged with heaps of new clothes, her bathroom was full of creams, perfumes and make-up and her brand-new jewelry box could already be proud of some pretty good specimen of precious stones. It's not that anything Ginny was guided into was wrong; it was just so utterly un-Ginny, that Ginny became horrified with herself sometimes. Looking into the mirror at the pretty girl who was staring back at her, Ginny felt as if it was some stranger she was seeing, whilst the real her was hiding somewhere behind the mirror, chased out of her body by Narcissa. Sometimes she felt just like a soul-less doll, which moved around, laughed, joked, talked, tried on her wedding dress and had absolutely no clue what was happening to her in reality. It was as if she was in some kind of a trance; not enough to stop her from reacting to the outside world altogether, but enough to stop her from realizing what was actually happening to her.

Sometimes Ginny felt anger at Narcissa Malfoy build up inside; sometimes she wanted to snap and to blame her for making this doll out of her. However, no words ever came; Ginny was too polite to just blow her top at someone who wasn't giving her a direct reason for doing so. After all, it was her own choice – taking Narcissa's advice for everything, wasn't it? Once or twice she was dead close to snapping, but then Narcissa would simply raise her eyebrows and ask what was wrong with Ginevra dear. Ginevra dear would then bite her tongue and say that she was just tired/hot/cold/sleepy/anything else not to the point.

Occasionally, Ginny had a fleeting feeling that Narcissa knew exactly what she was doing and that it was part of her strategy: being decisively nice and not giving Ginny any obvious reason to revolt, but in fact pushing her own hard line.

Then again, Ginny could be just imagining it. Or thinking it up as an excuse to cover for her disgraceful lack of protest at what was happening to her.

Of course, Ginny knew her family was indignant and her mother was worried about the way Ginny said that "Narcissa advised this" or "she and Narcissa bought that". She could see that in their faces, in the way they spoke… or didn't speak to her. Ron, for one, only talked to her when he had some snide remarks to make, and even though she was sure his reaction was the healthiest of all in her family, she was forced into ignoring him, which served little to cheering her up.

Fortunately, she wasn't seeing much of Malfoy all this time. In fact, sometimes the notion of why she was around the Malfoy household so much escaped her; sometimes she would forget that she was getting married to Draco Malfoy. Not seeing him was a relief, she guessed; it made the reality of their impending marriage seem less distinct and gave Ginny a blissful chance not to think about him. About him and his insults, his arrogance, the horrible life that she was bound to have with him… and she still remembered the way he kissed her right in front of her family – with that air of power, as if he was allowed to do whatever he pleased…

… So far it was more like she was going to have a long and unhealthy marriage with his mother rather than with him, because it was his mother she was seeing the whole two weeks, not her supposed fiancé.

However, she wasn't seeing someone she'd really want to see, either. Someone seeing whom was a pain and a bliss at the same time; seeing whom made her heart do somersaults and sink in despair; seeing whom made her want to laugh from joy and to cry from pain… Harry. Her Harry. Harry that should be hers, but happened to be Hermione's by some horrible mistake of the Fate. Harry, with his emerald green eyes, with his boyish smile, with his unruly hair, with his way of running his hand through it, with his gentlemanly manner, with his light sense of humour, with his heroism, his lips that would never kiss her, arms that would never hold her…

Every time she understood the finality of her loss of Harry, she felt a steely hand close around her lungs, preventing her from breathing freely, inflicing great pain inside of her; her heart seemed to be breaking open from pain…

Maybe it wasn't really the idea of marrying Malfoy she was trying to avoid all along. Maybe it was the fact that Harry would never be hers. Perphaps, the fear of facing this pain made her avoid realizing what was going on around her. Maybe that is why she let herself be manipulated; maybe this is why she readily obeyed when she was told what to do… It let her keep her mind blank; she did not need to think – and when she didn't think, it hurt less, because the only thing she was really capable of thinking about was her hopeless love for Harry.

She would busy herself with clothes, with her wedding dress, she would listen to Narcissa's talks about manners and jewelry and style… she would come home exhausted in the evenings after having spent the whole day with Narcissa and it would make her too tired to think about Harry. She kept crying at nights, though; she couldn't help it. Also, it was becoming increasingly difficult to spend time with her family. She couldn't stay in her house, where everyone talked of Harry and kept reminding her of Harry. In that way, her meetings with Narcissa were an escape; Narcissa was always so composed and certain of everything that she sometimes had a calming effect on Ginny's nerves; temporary, but calming nonetheless.

However, the wedding day approached stealthily, without her realizing it – and all of a sudden, she was getting married today.

She wasn't ready for it. Most definitely not. Then again, she would never be ready to marry Malfoy. She would never accept the thought of her wedding to him – in front of Harry's eyes. Yes, Harry and the Weasleys were invited to the Malfoy Manor for the occasion – Malfoy was definitely working on his public image. They agreed to come grudgingly, probably because they valued Ginny so high that they were ready to forgive her the decision to marry a Malfoy. It thouched Ginny to the heart; she wished she could express to her family how grateful she felt to them for being there for her on that dreadful, ill-fated day, but she couldn't say anything of what was on her mind without revealing true feelings about the marriage – and Malfoy would probably kill her if she spilled the whole truth.

She looked beautiful in her shimmering white wedding dress, a diamond tiara and a thin delicate veil. She looked every single bit of what a happy bride should look like – except that she wasn't happy at all. She felt quite dull; she was still in that odd trance, which prevented her from fully understanding that she was going to marry Draco Malfoy, today, in a quarter or an hour, in his manor, in presence of about forty guests and that there was nothing she could do about it.

She looked at her image in the mirror with a tinge of sadness. There she was, looking like she dreamt she would look on her wedding day – her red hair done up elegantly, her face nicely made-up and glowing with beauty that she never knew she had. She had seen the skillfully decorated hall downstairs (she acknowledged that Narcissa had put a lot of money into this) and she had heard that the food was going to be wonderful.

In short, this was a perfect wedding and she was a perfect bride. The only hindrance was that she was marrying Draco Malfoy instead of any decent guy she could be marrying.

Ginny inhaled deeply and realized that it was probably time for her to go down. She didn't feel like doing it, but she forced herself to be calm. Somehow she was glad that there was no one else in the room with her. She knew that if Narcissa would be there, she'd make her go downstairs at once; and if her own mother was there, she'd burst out crying, probably, because it looked like Mrs. Weasley was about to do just that. Ginny's hands formed into fists and her freshly-manicured nails sank into her palms painfully. She could do it. She knew she could. She just really really didn't want to.

Ginny took another breath of air, inhaling the delicate jasmine and lotus aroma of her perfume. It would all be fine in the end. After all, it was just her nerves refusing to do this. Ginny strongly suspected her nerve cells just died, all of them, on the night when Malfoy asked her to marry him. The only proof that they were still around was the fact that she felt physical pain when she saw Harry with Hermione. Now, however, the nerve cells seemed to be back.

Harry was also another reason why she dreaded going down so badly. He would be there, watching her getting married to Malfoy… with his Hermione.

Somehow, that last thought made Ginny raise her chin stubbornly. I will not let him know that my world is revolving around him, she thought. I will not give my feelings away. I'm going to look like I'm freaking delighted to be marrying Malfoy over him. I will make him see what he's losing, I will make him regret, I will make him…

She didn't finish her sentence, because she suddenly started walking towards the door. Yes, Harry, my love, just wait and see, wait and see…

She descended the stairs, walked through a corridor and then entered the hall where everyone already sat waiting for her. People at the rows of benches turned around to look at her; suddenly, her father appeared at her elbow, smiling nervously. Ginny gave him a quick smile and looked ahead of her; Malfoy was standing by the altar, looking absolutely calm, as if nothing important was happening. Ginny bit her lip and she and Mr. Weasley began walking down the aisle, while music started playing. "The merry merry day when the wizard weds this maid…" She'd sung to that song so often when she was a kid, imagining her future wedding and how this traditional tune would play. Well, it's playing, there's no denying that… just the circumstances are horribly wrong.

She barely listened to the words that the celebrant was saying. It didn't seem to matter. Malfoy stood just beside her, but it felt like he was miles away; she felt dream-like, as if it was all unreal. Ginny wasn't aware of all eyes upon her and Malfoy. In fact, she was hardly aware of anything. One thought kept circling around her mind: "It is going to be okay… stay calm". She repeated the mantra all over and over again until she realized with a start that Malfoy was already saying his oaths, which meant that her turn would come soon too. She purposedly pushed all thoughts away and kept repeating, "It's going to be okay…" She knew she could not say "no" when she was asked whether or not she wanted to marry Malfoy, so she braced herself for saying "yes". It wasn't easy. Ginny wasn't sure she would be able to say anything at all, because it felt like her vocal glands stopped functioning.

Ginny repeated the oaths dully and forced herself to say "yes". She did it rashly, barely waiting for the minister to finish, afraid that if she was presented with the choice she would say "no". She and Malfoy then exchanged rings. However, the phrase "You may now kiss the bride", addressed to Malfoy, shocked her. She totally forgot about the wedding kiss. Malfoy seemed nonchalant, however; he just leaned in and covered her lips with his in a short, but deep kiss – much like the one he gave her two weeks ago. After the kiss Ginny pushed the veil back to hide her flushed face. Being kissed by Malfoy was bad enough, but being kissed by Malfoy in front of an audience was even worse…

Straight after the ceremony, people started coming up to Malfoy and Ginny to congratulate them. They both smiled and thanked people; even Ron came up to pass his good wishes on to her. He ignored Malfoy completely, however, which was the most he could do to show his disapproval (he'd received a huge lecture on how to behave from Mrs. Weasley prior to the wedding, as Ginny gathered). Harry, ever the gentleman and the fair-player, congratulated Ginny with a hint of awkwardness and concern in his eyes and even said a short "Congratulations" to Malfoy. Ginny blushed furiously when he approached them and was thrown completely off balance for quite a while after he gave way to other people.

She didn't have long to muse about Harry, however, because Narcissa came up and ushered Ginny and Malfoy into another drawing room for taking their wedding pictures, which would then appear in magazines. Malfoy and Ginny had to pose for a while, which both of them found annoying; however, there was still no communication between them. Ginny, who hoped for at least a softening towards her from his side, was disappointed to understand that for Malfoy she would remain a hateful Weasley and that he wasn't about to start treating her better. He still didn't speak a word to her and she didn't talk to him either. This silence was positively depressing. She would have even favoured arguments better.

The first time Malfoy said anything was when one of the photographers expressed his wish to make a photo of the couple kissing. Then Ginny tried to protest, but Malfoy shot her a death glare and said "of course", after which she had to let him kiss her unless she wanted to make a scene in front of the photographers. Ginny was becoming increasingly incensed, but she still didn't fully comprehend what had just happened. She married Draco Malfoy… Draco Malfoy, of all people.

She spent the next part of her wedding talking to various guests – some of which were from Malfoy's side. She discovered that she was capable of actually communicating with them – much better so than with her own… husband. Draco Malfoy was her husband. That was a scary thought…

About two hours into the celebration, when she was standing near a column, sipping champagne from her glass and looking longingly at Harry Potter, deep in mournful thoughts, Ginny suddenly heard a familiar voice speaking softly behind her.

'I have two advices for you, my dear wife.'

Ginny wheeled around to face Draco Malfoy indignantly, swaying a little bit.

'And why would I care about your advices?'

'Because you're going to have to take them,' he informed with a cold smile. 'First, stop drinking.' Malfoy took the glass out of her hand, gave it to one of the waiters and handed her a glass with mineral water instead. 'Here. Drink this. It's bad taste to get drunk at your wedding.'

'I'm not getting drunk – and why would you care if I did, anyway?' Ginny asked irritably.

'Of course you're getting drunk, it's your third glass of champagne in half an hour. For a person who doesn't drink it's quite enough to get them… inebriated.'

'Whatever, Malfoy… why do you care, anyway?'

'Because I'm not letting you ruin the reputation of the Malfoys and their public face,' Malfoy growled with the same smile. 'You can get drunk when you're alone and I don't give a fuck if you do, just as long as you keep it quiet.'

'You're an idiot, Malfoy…' Ginny shrugged. She did feel a bit lightheaded, yes, but it was none of his business what she chose to do at her wedding.

'Come on,' Malfoy put a hand around her waist and led her across the hall to the balcony. Ginny tried to protest, but it would look weird to other people – now it just seemed that two newlyweds wanted some privacy.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm taking you outside, where you can come to your senses'.

'I don't need…'

'Do you ever shut up, Weasley?' Malfoy asked conversationally with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

'I'm not a Weasley anymore,' Ginny snapped. 'I'm a Malfoy, just like you…'

That idea was obviously new to Malfoy too. He was silent for a bit and then said:

'Well then I'm sure you understand why we need to keep your reputation up high. You don't want the newspapers to say that you got drunk at your wedding…'

Ginny couldn't care less what the newspapers would say about this whole farce, but she just couldn't bring herself to argue with Malfoy again. She found the whole wedding terribly draining and alcohol didn't bring the release she was looking for. If anything, champagne made her emotions even more acute… which meant that a couple of times she was on the verge of bursting out crying about Harry and the whole mess she was in.

Malfoy watched her as she leaned against the parapet of the balcony.

'Oh yes, and advice number two. Stop staring at Potter.' It was said in a cold, cold tone, which made Ginny flinch a little bit. She blushed furiously.

'I'm not staring at Harry!'

'You keep telling yourself that,' Malfoy spat scornfully. 'You're not taking your eyes off of him and not only is he the least interesting person you could find to stare at, it's also downright indecent.'

'Don't you dare play the moralist, Malfoy!' Ginny yelled furiously.

'I'm not playing anything, my dear,' Malfoy said coldly. 'I'm just outlining some basic behavioural rules. You don't stare at people and I don't care if you have an undying passion for Potter, you can shove it up your...'

'That's good language to use with me,' Ginny interrupted, turning away and feeling tears welling up in her eyes. For once, Malfoy did hurt her.

'Oh and now we're acting all vulnerable? What are you hoping for, my pity? Well, keep hoping,' Malfoy sneered.

'I'm not hoping for anything with you.'

'No need to be so tragic. You just can't live without the drama, can you?'

'Just leave me alone, okay?'

'I'm afraid I'm gonna stick around for a while, at least until I can be sure you're gonna act normally.'

'What's normal for you and what's normal for me is obviously different.'

'If it's normal for you to stare shamelessly at another man at your marriage, please go ahead.'

'Shut up, will you?'

'Weak argument, my dear, weak argument.'

'I'm not your dear!'

'I thought you said you were a Malfoy from now on?'

'Oh just shut up…'

This wasn't going anywhere. Her marriage would be hell. Hell with Malfoy, hell without Harry. Tears welled up in Ginny's eyes. Malfoy was still watching her intently.

'Don't cry,' he warned.

'I'm not crying! Leave me alone.'

'I said, DON'T CRY!'

Malfoy made a couple of steps towards her, closing the distance between them; he grabbed Ginny's shoulders and whirled her around to face him. She looked at him with slight fear in her eyes – he looked cold and menacing; she had just realized how tall he was.

'Stop this bullshit. What do you think you are, a heroine of a Greek tragedy?'

'Just leave me alone, Malfoy, how hard is it?' Ginny said tearfully.

Malfoy looked at her, his hands still on her shoulders; then he sighed and brushed off a tear from her face with his thumb. Her eyes went wide with shock at his almost gentle gesture. Malfoy sighed once more and suddenly lowered his face to Ginny's…

The world went somersaulting around Ginny; sounds faded away, ground seemed to disappear from under her feet and her head was swimming; Ginny didn't notice Malfoy's hand slide down to her waist and didn't catch herself putting her arms around his neck. She wasn't aware of whom she was with; she just felt carried away by a wave of sensual pleasure and that was all that mattered at the moment. The scent of the man so close to her was making her light-headed; the spicy aroma made her go weak in the knees. The arms around her felt so right; she felt safe and protected with those strong arms around her. There wasn't anything else she wanted in life – just for this to go on… She ran her hand through the silk of the man's hair; he opened her lips with his tongue and she let out a small moan. Nothing mattered, nothing at all, as long as he held her…

Finally, their lips parted and the man stepped away from her, suddenly transforming into her hateful husband – Draco Malfoy. Ginny stared at him disbelievingly for a moment, unable to comprehend that it was him that she had such a magical kiss with – suddenly horrified at her own reaction – hopeful that he would go on being nice to her…

As Malfoy said before, she could keep hoping.

'You don't hate me that much after all, do you?' Malfoy sneered, not taking his gaze from her. Ginny's face blushed furiously and started radiating physical heat.

'Why did you do it?'

'Why did I do what?' Malfoy was clearly not going to make it easier for her.

'Why did you… kiss me like… like that?'

'Like what?' Malfoy leered. Ginny's blush deepened. Malfoy smirked and came closer to her again. Then he lifted Ginny's chin with his index finger; Ginny looked at him, wide-eyed, wondering what he would do next.

'It was the most effective way to stop your raging and crying,' Malfoy said, a cruel smile curving his lips. 'It was also the most enjoyable one… for both of us, don't you think?'

Ginny dropped her gaze, not knowing what to say and just wishing that ground would part under her and she would fall and disappear forever… After all, she did allow Malfoy to kiss her and she did dare to enjoy the process… Suddenly repulsed at the both of them, Ginny stepped away from Malfoy and looked at him with pure loathing in her eyes.

'I still hate you, Malfoy.'

'That's good,' he said, clearly not bothered. 'Hopefully, this hatred will keep you composed though the rest of the reception. Don't drink anymore.'

Ginny looked at him, wondering for a few moments, how on earth could someone be so bitter and twisted for the whole of their life. Didn't Malfoy have a heart? Okay maybe that was asking too much… What about a soul, then? Everyone was supposed to have souls… Obviously, there were some exceptions.

'So what is it that you suddenly see in me, my dear wife?' Malfoy asked, startling her out of her reverie.

'I see nothing. Nothing which desperately tries to convince others it's worth something,' Ginny replied bitterly and walked swiftly past Malfoy and back into the hall from the balcony. Had she bothered to look at him, she might not have missed the expression on his face: a slight interest and amusement at her small tirade.

The rest of the party wasn't very interesting. Guests started leaving at about 11; some made subtle jokes about the wedding night. Ginny just tired to ignore them and the horror that rose within her at the thought of having to… No, it would definitely not come to that. Malfoy told her in the restaurant that he didn't expect her to sleep with him – and the agreement was definitely still on. Ginny also tried to shut out the thoughts of their recent kiss. She felt guilty for enjoying the kiss from her worst enemy – so what that he happened to be her husband! Her heart belonged solely to Harry – and Ginny felt she was cheating on Harry in a way. Memories of the kiss made her flinch in self-loathing; at the same time, a warm feeling spread somewhere around her stomach when she remembered the sensations she felt when she and Malfoy were kissing.

She and Malfoy kissing. Oh my, what a thought…

Finally, all the guests left. Ginny stood at the door, waving them good-bye, feeling totally exhausted. Looking at the retreating backs of Ron, Harry and Hermione, she thought miserably that they probably still considered her a traitor. They thought she decided to marry Malfoy willingly. They thought she bloody loved Malfoy. No wonder Ron still wasn't really speaking to her. No wonder Harry looked so grim. No wonder Hermione looked so awkward. The whole mess was much more complicated than they imagined it, however…

Ginny sighed and walked away from the door. Narcissa Malfoy was standing close by, talking to her son. Without even a glance at Ginny, Draco Malfoy nodded to his mother and went away. Ginny's eyes followed him hopelessly. She just couldn't believe he was her husband… Narcissa Malfoy walked over to her and smiled one of her usual pleasant smiles, which didn't reveal any of her real feelings.

'It was a nice party, wasn't it, Ginevra?'

'Yes,' Ginny said, sounding positively sad. 'Yes, it was.'

'Well, then now it is time for you to go upstairs and indulge in the exclusive treatment that Malfoy brides get,' Narcissa Malfoy said amiably.

Ginny's eyes widened as she thought Narcissa was referring to the first wedding night, but Narcissa continued:

'I remember loving the aromatherapy massage myself. Many years ago it was, but I still believe it was one of the most enjoyable things that ever happened to me,' Narcissa told Ginny, who sighed in relief…

An hour later, Ginny was totally not in the condition for understanding anything that was going on around her. She had just received wonderful spa/massage treatment, which left her feel completely boneless, peaceful and oblivious to whatever was happening around her. If she cared to raise her head up in her serene half-sleeping state, however, she would find herself in a very compromising position. She would discover that she was lying absolutely naked on a large four-poster bed with velvet burgundy covers; she would also discover that she was totally exposed and that the bed was obviously intended for two. Yet, since Ginny was far too comfortable to even think about moving and checking on herself, she knew none of these things.

Draco Malfoy, who walked into the master bedroom, realized her condition at once, however. He froze at the threshold and looked at her, stunned. He had known of some rituals about Malfoy brides before, but he never paid real attention to those things. He walked into the bedroom, definitely not expecting to find Ginny there and definitely not the way she was looking now. Before walking in, he had no intentions to claim his rights as a husband; he had actually concluded a deal with her before and he didn't want to break a word a Malfoy gave. Still, this was just too much for him. This would be just too bloody much for anyone, even for some frigid jerk like Potter. Ginny was lying on his bed, looking like some pagan goddess, shamelessly exposed and clearly not giving a damn who saw her like that. She looked like she invited him to do whatever he wanted with her – and there were many, many things he would want to do her now. Malfoy had to admit that her figure was flawless – which only made it more difficult for him to resist the temptation. That's what she was – a temptation. Hardly ever in his life did he have such a strong desire to give in and be tempted. Licking his lips, he thought of how this would mean going back on his word and having a fight with Ginny in the morning. None of these things seemed to really matter, though. The only thing that mattered was her, lying in front of him, making his need burn inside him…

There was just no way of fighting it. The last coherent thought that flew through Malfoy's mind before he settled himself on the bed was, 'Damn, my ancestors sure knew how to guarantee that our bloodline would never cease…'