Dragon Heartstrings

Chapter Seventeen

SHE walked towards him and he watched her as if she was the only one outside and in the entire world.

Ginny's hair really was her crowning glory and today it shone like wild fire. Her simple yellow dress should have clashed horribly with her red locks but instead it complimented her fair skin and seemed to make her dazzling amber eyes sparkle all the more. She looked beautiful. She was utterly enchanting.

When Draco ran a slightly restless finger inside the collar of his very expensive, black dress robes, he heard the appreciative murmur from the wedding guests gathered around them. Drawing in a steadying breath, Draco's chest lurched, reminding him that he was indeed still in possession of a heart. He blamed Ginny for enticing such feelings in him of course. Deciding to behave during the wedding at least, Draco gave her his classic smirk, his grey eyes piercing as he allowed her to see that he was openly admiring her.

Her cheeks blushed spectacularly, in that special way that made her so endearing for him. Then Ginny overcame her moment of shyness and looked him up and down, taking in his immaculate appearance before giving him a sultry wink. 'Not bad.' She mouthed and he couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips. Draco thought that maybe his threats to Blaise and Lovegood, after their interference, had been slightly harsh after all.

A week Earlier …

Draco was more than surprised to find Ginny Weasley bending over a cupboard while an enthusiastic, two headed dog snapped playfully at her heels when he floo-ed into Blaise and Lovegood's flat earlier that week.

"You're an impatient little bugger, aren't you?!" Her laugh was warm and uninhibited and still did funny things to Draco's self control.

Draco assured himself that in the past one year, four months and six days since he had last seen, her that he was well passed any feelings he might have once had for her. Seeing Ginny after such a long time had simply caught him off guard and the sudden increase in his heart rate was not due to any emotions he might still harbour for her.

"Well, I do have more important things to do than stand around and listen to you talk to an animal, Weasley." The blonde drawled, thinking that sarcasm was the safest way to go in such an unexpected situation. He could have slipped out again, but he did not want her to turn around, see him and think he was fleeing from her.

Ginny whipped around, her brown eyes widening with pure surprise at him standing before her. He was glad to see that he had the same effect on her that she had on him, and was grateful that he had at least had the time to mask his emotions before facing her. Draco watched her quickly hide all her astonishment, offering him a detached smile instead, and he commended her efforts in his mind.

"Like what, Malfoy? Looking at yourself in the mirror?" She arched an eyebrow at him and he gave her a small smirk in reply.

She hadn't changed much since he had last seen her, though she did look somewhat slimmer in her Muggle pants and knitted jumper. Her hair was longer than he remembered, the lengthy waves falling below her full breasts and his fingers twitched as he remembered how he used to run them through the red tresses, its silkiness caressing his bare skin as he slept.

He gave her a small shrug. "Maybe."

Ginny grinned at him and he was surprised to see her face void of any malice, sadness or whatever the hell else he was expecting when he imagined seeing her again. Draco had spent much time in France, repairing the damage Theo had done to Sea Dragon and dabbling in other investments, so much so that he had eventually taken up permanent residence in the country. Even with their mutual relationships, they had managed to avoid one another strategically and it had all been like one big game of chess for them. Until now that was; when they had no choice in the matter.

Their friends and family had taken their separation fairly well, and while he was subjected to the not so subtle comments about her well being or whereabouts here and there, he had listened carefully but never acknowledged that he had heard them. Draco suspected that everyone was well aware that he was always listening anyway, and that was why they kept informing him on Ginny's well being. While Molly Weasley was still ridiculously pushy and not in the least bit tactful – something her youngest son had inherited from her – Draco was glad that they had respected his and Ginny's decisions and not pushed them to reconcile.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, breaking through his reverie.

"Lovegood asked me to feed her dog." Draco looked over at Ginny piling up the creatures bowl and then frowned at the scrawny mut whose heads were so big he should not have been able to stand upright. "Well, if you can call it that." The blonde wizard added dryly.

She gave him a reproachful look before petting both the dog's heads, cooing over the fleabag as if it were a newborn baby. "Don't listen to him, boys, he's just jealous that you're prettier than he is." Draco snorted at this; hiding his amusement over her antics and the rush of pleasure he felt that she thought he was pretty. She then looked at Draco thoughtfully. "Blaise asked me." She said apologetically.

"Those interfering mongrels." Draco muttered as he realised that this had been a set up.

Before Lovegood and Blaise had left for their pre-wedding trip, to look for Merlin knew what creature the nutcase drew from her warped imagination, the blonde witch had basically shoved the responsibility on him. Draco had been unable to outright refuse her when she had given him that searching look with protuberant grey eyes and he had felt so uncomfortable, much to Blaise's delight, that he had eventually just muttered he would do it just so she would stop staring at him.

He watched as Ginny gave him a small shrug. Clearly she was just as surprised as he was but she didn't look taken aback. "Maybe they just wanted to ensure that we would behave at the wedding and not blow anything up."

Draco snorted knowing that she was referring to the loss of his precious control the last time they had seen each other. He had destroyed the bedroom they had shared by blowing up everything in the room.

"I doubt it." He assured her.

Ginny gave him a long assessing look and he stared at her, equally appraising, his expression kept blank though. Then her lips tilted into a mischievous smile. "Let's raid Blaise's drinks cabinet before we go then."

Without waiting for a response Ginny turned around and pulled out her wand, flicking it at a cupboard further away from her before rummaging through a neatly organised draw above her head that Draco knew Blaise stocked alcohol in. Since Lovegood was such a ditz, Blaise was the only one capable of putting a decent meal together and so the kitchen, thankfully, was his mate's territory. While Lovegood's eccentric touch could still be seen from the bizarre plants sitting on the windowsill or strange spices hanging from the ceiling, the kitchen was a safe zone compared to the rest of Blaise and Lovegood's flat.

Ginny came back with a bottle of Firewhisky and Liquorice Liquor in hand, nodding towards the round table that wasn't quite in the middle of the kitchen. Two goblets magically floated towards them and Ginny poured them each a shot.

Draco hesitated. While Ginny's decidedly mature reaction over seeing him was brave and went well with his unaffected one, he didn't quite think that one civil meeting prepared them to have a drink together. He was not even sure of what possessed her to suggest such a situation. However, he knew she was right. Blaise and Lovegood probably thought they needed to talk before the wedding and they were too stubborn to do it themselves, so he joined her at the table.

When Blaise had brought Draco a wedding invitation for the upcoming nuptials to Lovegood, Draco had immediately known that his time to face Ginny had arrived. He knew, given recent circumstances, that he could not avoid her forever. Although, when he had pictured seeing her at Blaise and Lovegood's wedding, he had imagined that he would only have to deal with her with a perfunctory nod at most. He had never, in the wildest of scenarios, imagined that they would be tricked into seeing each other before that and willingly sharing celebratory drinks with one another.

"For old time's sake and to the wedding." Ginny raised her goblet and Draco couldn't help but notice that her tone was slightly mocking.

Arching one eyebrow in response, he simply clinked his glass to hers and raised it to his mouth. He watched as Ginny took in a large gulp and then set her glass down, her finger tracing the rim. It was then that Draco realised, that for all the confidence she was showing in his presence, she was uncomfortable by their situation and even slightly nervous to see him. That would explain the alcohol.

"I'm peckish." Ginny declared suddenly, not meeting his eyes but turning in her stool slightly to flick her wand at another cupboard, conjuring up some snacks to the table.

She offered Draco some odd looking sticks that looked spicy and he shook his head, declining silently. "You look like you know your way around here." He commented off-handedly.

Ginny finally looked up at him and then shrugged. "I stayed here for a while after ..." Draco had known this of course. Blaise regularly updated him on how Ginny was doing. Draco had never asked, but whenever Ginny came up, he had never told Blaise to shut it either.

"Why didn't you go back to the Burrow?" He watched her over the rim of his goblet.

There were still many things he wondered about, only he had decided that it was not his place to ask any longer. There was also the issue of his pride, which kept telling him that he should no longer care. Draco's biggest curiosity remained though, eating away at his resistance every time he thought about Ginny. Why had she not returned to Potter after Draco and she had gone their separate ways?

Ginny gave him a small smile. "I just wanted some time to myself. It's hard to get that at the Burrow, you know. How have you been though?" She changed the subject quickly but he could tell that she was also genuinely interested in his reply.

Draco shrugged his broad shoulders. "I've been fine."

What else could he tell her? That she still haunted his sleep whenever exhaustion forced him to close his eyes, that even his waking moments were disturbed randomly by thoughts of her unless he kept himself so busy he forgot to breathe.

She looked as if she had expected the stilted reply but continued. "Congratulations with the Guard services catching on so well. Ron loves that he's his own boss now."

Draco stared at her. "It was a good investment."

She eyed him through lowered lashes and Draco felt the past stir something deeply buried inside of him. Stomping down on his lingering emotions he watched Ginny. "I'm surprised, is all. Visiting my father and opening a business with Ron is not what I expected after things didn't work out with us."

"You still have monthly sojourns with my mother." Draco returned. When Ginny gave him a half guilty, half understanding look he decided to continue. "You're encouraging her you know."

Ginny lowered her eyes before looking defiantly up at Draco. "I'm doing no such thing. Like you, it was somewhat difficult to cut ties with everyone at the drop of a hat. After the War relationships became more valuable, you know that." Draco gave nothing of his feelings on the matter away.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while and Ginny sighed. "Well, as fun as this has been, Draco. I should get going." She stood up and took her scarf from the table, wrapping it around herself.

"Why aren't you with him?" The question left his lips before he could hold it back. It burned his tongue, tasting bitter and the sensation passed through in his words because he saw Ginny glaring at him rebelliously.

"I think it's a little too late to ask that question." She said angrily but didn't move, watching him with unhappy eyes. "One year, four months and six days too late." At her muttered words Draco's head shot up, surprised that she too had been counting. He was too stunned to react and Ginny gave him a derisive smile. "Yes, you were wrong."

This time Ginny turned around but Draco shot up, knocking his stool over. He felt his cheeks pinken when Ginny turned to face him curiously. "I was." He admitted to her.

What else could he say? That all this time he had just expected her to go back to Potter because he had not wanted her to go through the painful process of choosing? Should he say that for him, it had seemed like the only rational thing to do at the time? After the strange but oddly comforting visit from Weasley, Draco had come to see that he had been truly accepted by the Weasleys in the end and they had not just put up with him for Ginny's sake. However, Draco had still not believed that he was better than noble, selfless Potter when it came to making Ginny happy.

Ginny glared at him as if his admittance meant nothing to her and Draco swallowed. Even though she had not gone back to Potter, Draco could not see it as time wasted. He would have never been able to live with himself if he had continued to stay with Ginny. That kiss between Ginny and Potter had haunted him more than nightmares of the Dark Lord had.

Finally the red head sighed. "And you were right." Ginny said softly. She smiled at Draco's surprised reaction. "I did need the time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had been living for all the wrong reasons and hiding for so long that I hadn't even been my own person. I don't regret it anymore. I don't hold it against you."

It was her sincere forgiveness, given so freely, that made Draco realise that she knew he was sorry. She did know him well enough. Mr Weasley had been right though, she didn't know why he had done it but he doubted it would make a difference to her now. She had forgiven him but had not forgotten.

"It wasn't you, you know – "

Ginny interrupted him. "Oh, no Draco, don't. Being selfless doesn't suit you." There was no bitterness in her voice but it sounded so empty that she might as well have slapped him in the face. "As much as you doubted yourself, it hurt more that you did not believe in me. You didn't have faith in the way I felt for you, even when I said I loved you. After the way I had mourned for Harry, you should have known better than anyone that I don't throw those words around casually. So forgive me if I'm not completely convinced with your logic."

Draco recoiled from her harsh words, yet he knew them to be true. "That kiss."

This time Ginny did give a bitter laugh. "It was just a kiss that you blew out of proportion. It was preposterous. A goodbye kiss between old lovers caused you to leave everything and flee. It was a coward's way out and you know it."

Unable to deny it any longer and feeling somewhat exhausted by the revelation that Ginny did not want to hear his reasoning, Draco came to the conclusion that it really would not make a difference to her. She was angry that they had spent so much time apart, time wasted. He had left her.

"Yes." He admitted softly. "It was."

Ginny stared at him for so long that Draco didn't know what to expect from her. Then she sagged, her anger leaving her as abruptly as it had come. "Look, as I said, it actually did me a lot of good. While you could have found any number of different ways to make me understand, I guess your complex feelings towards Harry had been stronger than anything you might have felt for me."

Draco did not know how to reply to that. For the first time since their separation he started to feel ashamed of his actions. He wasn't quite sure how to push out an apology but he wanted desperately to do so. Ginny grabbed his arm, and Draco looked down at her nimble fingers pressed against him, making his skin burn through the material of his clothing. Then his gaze turned on her brown eyes. "It's over, Draco. We're both different people now, but at least we're better people."

She gave him one more awkward smile before departing. As he watched her go Draco wondered if what she had said was true. He didn't feel like a better person. Instead he felt worse than he had since before his stint at Azkaban. He turned and caught his reflection in a mirror on a side wall. Images of the pointy, spoiled brat he had been flashed before his grey eyes. It blurred with the disillusioned troubled man he had been evolving into before he finally met the face he wore today. Older, experienced but still a bloody idiot.

. . .

The glint of the tiny radish looking things in Ginny's hair brought Draco back to the present. He knew the blasted things to be dirigible plums, because he was wearing a small arrangement pinned to the front of his robes as well. Apparently they warded off nargles or some other imaginary creature that was supposed to ruin weddings. Draco wanted to roll his eyes but was stopped by Lovegood floating towards Blaise.

The wizard next to him straightened and Draco just smirked at the lovelorn look on his friend's face. Draco couldn't deny that today, as Lovegood floated towards them, with her surprisingly elegant off white dress floating around her waist – offset with a flare of orange organza material of course – she looked almost sane. Almost.

Then again, looking at the pillars that surrounded them, adorned with what looked like devils snare and the chairs with ornaments of miniature creatures that almost resembled fire-crabs on them, Draco wasn't quite sure she could be described as anything but completely loony.

He caught Ginny's eye as the official wizard bound Blaise and Luna together and something in her brown gaze made Draco still. It was clear as day. This could have been us. He knew he wasn't imagining the way her eyes swam with unshed tears, her look not shy but direct, and something that seemed eerily like their past flashed in the honey depths before she gave him a sad smile.

Then she turned her smile towards Blaise and Luna, it morphed into genuine happiness, embracing them affectionately and he felt a sudden loss watching her warmth enfolding others instead of him. Yes, Draco had awoken to a cold reality that he had told himself he had been completely content with right up until he had seen Ginny again.

Following a threatening floo conversation to both Lovegood and Blaise, after setting him and Ginny up, telling them that he would not show up for their wedding if they did anything so foolish again, Draco had been tormented with an aching restlessness all over again. He had spent months after he had left Ginny trying to regain some semblance of a routine and ridding himself of memories of her, and while he hadn't succeeded, he had at least been able to drown himself in business. Now though, he suddenly lost his appetite for everything that had once given him an ounce of satisfaction. Every other thought besides Ginny had been driven from his mind and he was starting to feel the edges of his control fray.

The formalities was a bore and Draco was more than pleased to have Pansy Parkinson back from her travels around the world to keep him company. She stood beside him, nursing a drink and made comments about all of Lovegood's guests. Draco felt an odd sense of comfort at her mean but meaningless slights, feeling like he was still at Hogwarts, when his biggest worry had been how to get Potter expelled and make Weasley's face purple.

Draco watched as Ginny danced with someone he did not know. She looked to be pretty comfortable with the bloke. The wizard was wearing tailor made robes and had his hand a bit too close to Ginny's bum for Draco's liking. The oaf could simply spread his last finger and graze her rounded flesh there.

Pansy snorted next to him but he did not look down at her. "You know, this is even more enjoyable than watching Loony's guests make complete idiots of themselves."

Draco knew what she was talking about, of course, but he continued to ignore her. His feelings were not up for discussion. She had eventually caught wind of the entire Theo fiasco and came back home from her travels to get the full sordid mess from him and Blaise. She had almost laughed herself into a stupor when Ginny had been mentioned and discussed at length. Even when Blaise had assured her it wasn't a joke, Pansy had insisted that they take Draco to visit St Mungos if he really had indulged in a relationship with a Weasley.

She had admitted that while the Weasley girl had always been pretty and loads of boys in school had fancied Ginny, Pansy could not, for one moment, believe that Draco had been in a relationship with Ginny Weasley.

"You had sex with her?"

If Draco hadn't been so annoyed with the topic of conversation he might have found the situation quite funny. When Draco had refused to dignify that question with a reply, instead giving her a hard glare, Pansy had been shocked into silence for almost a full minute. Blaise had almost floo-ed her to St Mungos.

Suddenly Ginny laughed loudly and Draco sneered at the intimate sight of the other wizard whispering something in her ear. "Oh, I think I might just be sick after all." Pansy muttered dramatically, grinning when Draco finally turned to face her.

"Would you like to dance, Pansy?" Draco asked mockingly.

Pansy rolled her dark eyes. "As much as I've always enjoyed dancing with you, Draco, I don't think it's me you want to dance with."

"Nonsense." Draco negated reflexively.

Pansy raised a challenging eyebrow at him before the scent of flowers assaulted his nose and he involuntarily looked up to see Ginny walking past them. Pansy suddenly spoke, her eyes still fixed on Draco with a glint of mischief in her dark gaze.

"Why, Weasley, were you trying to look like a canary cream in that dress?" Pansy's voice was mocking but she grinned good naturedly at Ginny.

Ginny's head whipped around, her eyes roving form Draco to Pansy. Instead of her anger flaring up or giving Pansy a snippy retort, Ginny just stared at the other witch blandly. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Draco watched as Pansy's face reddened. He hid back a grin by sipping at his drink. He knew very well that Ginny was aware of exactly who Pansy was. The look in her brown eyes told him so and by her equally sarcastic tone, Pansy knew it too.

The older witch recovered quickly though. She pushed at her black hair, which was still short from her Hogwarts days, and tilted her round nose in the air. "I guess since you've become on such close terms with all the other former Slytherins, it might be best if I properly introduce myself, then." Pansy's emphasis on the word close wasn't lost on Ginny or Draco but Draco had to commend his childhood girlfriend for her aplomb. Maturity had definitely made his ex girlfriend less annoying. He felt somewhat fortunate at having her as a friend now.

Ginny took Pansy's hand, eyeing the other witch with narrowed eyes. "It's nice meeting you, Pansy." Ginny said pleasantly but there was an air of formality behind it.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine. I'm so glad I finally get to the meet the one witch who single handedly managed to wipe out a small team of old Slytherins."

At this, Ginny raised an auburn eyebrow, but Draco saw the way her shoulders stiffened. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure I understand."

Pansy gave Ginny a small smile that clearly said, oh, but you do. "I mean, look at it, Ginny. Theo is in Azkaban, Astoria is dead, Daphne has fled the continent, Blaise has lost his mind and Draco is so – "

"Let's dance." Draco immediately grabbed Ginny's arms, dragging her with him as he made his way towards the dance floor and away from Pansy.

There was no way he was letting Pansy finish with that line of thought. He artfully turned Ginny around, so she wasn't facing Pansy any longer and gave the dark haired witch a hard glare. This only seemed to please Pansy all the more and the smug witch raised her goblet to him mouthing the words you're welcome. The redhead in his arms shot him a stony glare but did not move away from his embrace.

"Charming, she is, that Parkinson." Ginny muttered as she casually placed one small hand on Draco's shoulder and the other in his palm. Suddenly she turned accusing eyes on him. "It almost felt like I was back at Hogwarts."

Draco smirked at this. Hadn't he thought the same thing only moments ago? "Me too."

His words angered her. She stilled, not moving and her eyes burned holes in his face. "I can see why a snotty girlfriend like Pug faced Pansy would appeal to your more cutting side, but after all these years, you should at least be able to control her, Draco."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her annoyed rant, nudging Ginny so she would start moving again. Her scent was intoxicating. Having her in his arms again made his mind race with images he had tried to sear out of his brain. The innocent brush of her knees against his legs, as they danced, felt like the most erotic thing in the world.

"She isn't my responsibility any longer, hasn't been since school actually." Draco corrected. He instinctively pulled Ginny closer and was extremely pleased when she offered no protest. She eyed him sceptically though and he looked searchingly back at her. Then a small smirk tilted one corner of his lip. "Is that green colouring your face?"

Colour bloomed on Ginny's cheeks, only it was not green. Draco's smirk widened and Ginny made a noncommittal grunt that made him think of the Weasley King. Then he pulled her closer and she allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. Had they ever danced before? He felt regret squeeze at his chest when he thought about all the things they had not had a chance to do together.

Then Draco heard her sigh, moving closer towards him, and he closed his eyes. For a moment he could let himself believe that things between them were the way they used to be, before Potter had showed up and ruined everything. He could remember how it had felt to have her as an integral part of his life, next to him, holding him with a tenderness and passion that blew his mind away when combined. He could recall her words of love for him and savoured them, imagining she had just said them to him now.

"Draco?" She whispered and he hummed next to her ear in reply, burying his sharp nose in her hair, inhaling her again. "The song is over."

It took a moment for him to realise what she was talking about and the fact that his eyes were closed. He blinked them open, straightening quickly he looked down at Ginny. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted and her eyes wide, pupils dilated.

His hand reached out of its own accord, tucking a stray tendril of red hair behind her ear and she bit her bottom lip. His thumb trailed her jaw line and moved to her bottom lip, releasing it from her hold. She remained still, not moving and he felt like he had been thrown back in time. His head lowered but he inwardly cursed the moment he saw Ginny's eyes widen. She took a step away from him, terror clear in her gaze, and before he could call out to her she spun around and fled away from him. Draco realised then that his hand was still outstretched, reaching for her long after she had gone.

. . .

He found her standing on an embankment, watching the sun setting. The orange highlighted her hair, making it burn before his eyes and he thought that he had never witnessed anything as beautiful as the sight of her before. He walked casually towards her and he saw her shoulders stiffen as he came to stand next to her.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, the slight breeze carrying the whispered words away but she had heard him.

Ginny pushed the rebellious hair that had blown across her face away from her eyes before turning to look up at him. Her body relaxed somewhat and he looked at her with all the remorse he could muster. Draco was not the best at expressing himself, especially when it came to apologies and emotions, but he wanted her to know that he was sorry for leaving. That she had been worth his affections and that he had been a fool for abandoning her. He was guilty of holding her doubts against her when ultimately it had been his own misgivings that had led him away from her.

Draco wanted Ginny to see that he was taking full responsibility for the demise of their relationship. He had sent them into the downward spiral that ripped them away from each other, not Potter and not unfortunate circumstances. He could have handled things better, and while he wished he could have blamed it on inexperience or leave all accountability at Potter's feet, Draco finally knew that he could no longer fault anyone else but himself. Losing Ginny had been something that had seemed so tangible in his mind that he had started to believe it, that Draco had been the one to push her away in the end.

Ginny had returned to him, every single time after Potter had came back, but he had been the one trying to send her back to a place she had not wanted to go to. Her past. She had worked so hard to overcome her old feelings of obligation that Draco had been so caught up in his history that he had not been able to see that he had been his own greatest obstacle.

His realisations pierced trough his flesh, cutting through open wounds and they bled out into his eyes. He suspected that if he cried now they would be a bright red but he was not about to lay any more guilt on Ginny, so he blinked and turned to focus on the setting sun instead. This was it, the moment when he knew he had to let her go so that they could both be happy.

"I know." She said just as softly and he could only nod, choking back a bereft groan at her words. "I just can't go back, it almost killed me when I had to leave you the first time."

Draco grit his teeth together as he realised that she was referring to their almost kiss on the dance floor and he understood. He had been so lost in the past that she had no doubt sensed that, felt it too because she had melted in his arms. She had felt the rush of their life from before and maybe for a moment she too had wanted to believe that they were happy again.

There were no words left to say and Draco could only stand still when she muttered a feeble excuse and left him standing there, staring at the setting sun. He did not dare to look at her retreating figure because he was too afraid of what he might do or say to make her stay. So he let her walk away, unable to bring himself to say goodbye to her a second time.

. . .

He was surprised to find her outside La Magiguérir and he wondered how she knew he was going to be there. She watched him with bright brown eyes and he decided to walk coolly towards her. He gave her a collected nod and she smiled timidly.

"Hi." She said softly and he saw her look at her feet before meeting his gaze again. "So, you finally made a donation to a magical hospital." Her voice was teasing but when he remained stoic her face faltered.

"What are you doing here, Ginny?" He questioned calmly, and he prided himself on his unaffected tone.

She shrugged. "This feels like de javu." When he said nothing to her she sighed before continuing. "I came to see you, I heard about the new wings you were funding here. That's magnanimous of you."

He shrugged. "Its good publicity, besides, I can afford to squander some of my excessive wealth on charity. And if you're here to ask, I already donate a sizable amount of Sea Dragon's profits to St Mungos every year.

She laughed then and the sound made his shoulders relax. "Only you would need to cover up a good deed with selfish reasoning."

They stood staring at each other for a while, taking in the familiarities and changes that had transpired between them since they had last seen each other. It had been three months since Zabini's wedding and not much had changed except she didn't look angry or confused at him anymore.

"Let's walk." He told her softly and she smiled sweetly up at him before falling into step beside him.

They walked in companionable silence for a while before she spoke. "I think it takes a lot of courage to ask someone for forgiveness, but I know it takes even more bravery for someone to actually forgive that person, because that means they can hurt you all over again."

Draco stopped walking and after a step or two, Ginny realised that he was no longer next to her. She stopped mid stride and when she looked over her shoulder and saw him standing still she backtracked.

"I'm sorry I over reacted at the wedding." She said sincerely. "I guess I was still so angry at you but I was holding onto that anger as a self defence mechanism, really. I couldn't admit that I was still madly in love with you and missed you like crazy. So I held onto my bitterness. Hating you again was easier."

Draco's throat dried up at her raw and open words. He felt himself feel hollow for a moment as he imagined the way Ginny used to feel about him. The hatred she had carried for him back at school scared him because he had experienced her love and he could not bear to go back to having her abhor him.

"I've had a lot of time to think, Draco and the truth is that I'm sorry I made you feel like I needed to go back to Harry. It did take me a while to figure out that what I was feeling for him wasn't love and while I was doing that, you were being convinced that it was. I'm sorry."

Draco blinked slowly. "No, you have nothing to apologise for." He shook his head slowly, his mind far away. "You were right, my old rivalry with Potter shouldn't have lasted as long as it did. I have spoken to him."

Ginny looked surprised by this but Draco should have known that noble Potter would have left Draco to tell her himself. "You have?" She asked and when he only nodded, no elaboration given, Ginny nodded acceptingly. He would tell her, eventually. "All right, well, I'm glad then. It just hurts you know, that we hadn't been strong enough to overcome our pasts together. The fact that we had to do it separately doesn't reflect very well on our relationship, does it?" She laughed ruefully but Draco could hear the sadness lodged in her throat, they came through loud and clear in her voice.

Draco watched her for a long time before shaking his head slowly. "No, it doesn't." He agreed before looking at her with the most clarity he had ever felt before. "We were so busy trying to mend each other that we didn't realise that we needed to fix our own brokenness first. But we could have done it together. I should not have pushed you away because I can't imagine anyone else being more worthy of my affections than you."

Draco flinched at his words. He took a hasty step back. Merlin's beard. Had he just waxed poetic? His cheeks pinkened and he wasn't quite sure what had possessed him to say such uncharacteristic words out aloud, but the truth was that they had been in his head since he had seen her at the wedding three months ago. He loved Ginny right to his very bones and the only issue he ever had was expressing himself.

He watched as her face split into a grin before she stepped towards him. Ginny placed a hand on his forearm and he jerked. He looked down at her fingers on him. It had been so long since Draco had been in contact with her, too long. Out of instinct he placed his hand on top of hers. His eyes widened as something familiar shifted between them and he raised his gaze to meet hers.

She was smiling brightly up at him and he took encouragement from that. He wasn't quite sure who had taken the first step, but suddenly he was bending his head and she was reaching up to him. His lips touched hers, tentatively at first, and she sighed against him. It wasn't the normal rush of passion at first touch that they normally dealt in, it was a little awkward to be involved so intimately after all the time they had spent apart, but the moment passed quickly and soon his tongue was inside her mouth, tasting her like a thirsty man does water in a desert. She groaned in undeniable pleasure, drawing him closer still, and it was all the encouragement he needed for his hands to make their way through her hair, holding her head so that he could deepen the kiss. She was gripping onto his shoulders now and then all he wanted to do was hold her.

So he did. He pulled her into his arms and inhaled her flowery scent, hugging her tightly, convincing himself that this wasn't a dream.

"Draco." She murmured and he hummed in response. "You're crushing me."

He stepped back quickly and when he held her at arms length and saw that she was perfectly unharmed he scowled at her. "You are very dramatic, woman."

She grabbed at the front of his robes and quickly placed a soft kiss on his lips and he shuddered at the familiar contact. It felt as if the year apart had been swept away with that kiss, bridging the gap between them. He wasn't naive enough to think that things would magically be fine between them; he knew that the future was vast before them and that there were many things left to work through and on, but for the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful. Draco took faith in the fact that they would do it together. That was what he had failed to understand the first time around. It wasn't just about Ginny or himself this time, it was about them, as one.

They walked down the cobblestone street hand in hand and it was like the world had become sharper, clearer and he breathed in deeply, elation filling his lungs, love in his heart and hope in his mind.

"You know, I still have my cottage here." Ginny gave him a small smile and with silent agreement they apparated outside the wide expanse of grassy plains outside her small home and looked at one another with open adoration. "I think we've finally come full circle." She said happily and Draco was inclined to agree with her.

Draco smiled down at Ginny and he saw her eyes light up at the unguarded notion. He lifted his fingers and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. "Yeah, yeah, we have.

The End

. . .

Author's Note: Two years ago, on this date, Dragon Heartstrings was first published. Therefore, it seemed only fitting to post the last chapter today. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who continuously supported me on this one, even when I reached a point where I wasn't quite sure I would complete this story or ever write fanfiction again. Thank you, thank, thank you!

I hope that, if you've come this far, you'll leave me a parting review, that would make the end of this story all the sweeter. I'm not sure if I did the last chapter, or even this entire story as a whole, any justice, but I wrote every line with personal feeling and deep thought processes, always trying to better the story and the characters in it. I may look back on Dragon Heartstrings years from now, cringe and wonder what the hell I was thinking, but for now, it's my baby, my first Draco and Ginny story and I'm sure you can tell by all this rambling, that I am sad to have it come to an end, but I have already started working on other D/G stories and this will give me more time to work on those and be involved in other fandoms as well.

A story is nothing without its readers, so thank you once again!

Nova*