Warning! This story contains various genres and some of the scenes will not be so happy and nice.

A/N: This 'story' contains the five rounds of the Battle of the Drabbles we are hosting at The DG Forum. Detailed information can be found at the forum (link is on our profile).

Quick facts:

- Each week a prompt is given. The writers have one week to write and submit. All submissions are anonymous until the end of the challenge (Monday 5th November).

- There will be a voting poll made for each round on The DG Forum profile page, with two votes allotted per person. Anyone who has read the submissions is encouraged to vote for their favourites. Weekly results will be announced.

- There are five rounds and at the end the Overall Most Awesome Author (OMAA) and Overall Most Awesome Drabble (OMAD) will be announced.

- Submissions will be divided between two chapters for each round (with six drabbles listed for each). Note that this may vary depending on the word count.

So, without further ado . . .

-xXx-

Round One (I)

Prompt: Write a DG piece inspired by the selected picture, which was of a maze.

Word count: 750 words.

-xXx-

Submission One

Lost

Ginny swore under her breath. Yet again she had reached a dead-end turning surrounded by ridiculously high green hedgerows. This place seemed to be never ending. Stupid Hermione for talking her into doing a Muggle maze with her. Stupid Ronald for making it a competition and splitting them up. And stupid her for leaving her wand at home thinking she wouldn't need it.

Cursing again, she turned around and started to retrace her steps. This place was a nightmare – the ground was covered in gnarled roots and she swore someone had deliberately blocked the route to the centre just to annoy her. It was ridiculous. Grimacing, she reached a crossroads and turned left, hoping that for once this would actually lead somewhere different. Somewhere she could sit down, have a firewhiskey and relax. Rather than trooping through this ridiculous shrubbery.

Suddenly, she collided with something in front of her.

"Watch where you're going!" It snapped.

Ginny tensed. She recognised that voice... and it was the last person she expected or wanted to be here.

"Malfoy?" She questioned, glancing up.

There was no mistaking that white blonde hair and sneering face.

"Weaselette. Just as clumsy and disrespectful as always I see." His tone was, if possible, even more condescending than it had been at school.

"Oh bugger off." Ginny growled, brushing herself off and making to step past. However, her route was blocked by Malfoy manoeuvring himself in her path.

"That's not a nice way to speak to your superior, Weaselette." Malfoy drawled, folding his arms leisurely. It was at that moment Ginny's eyes were drawn to his chest – he was, amazingly, wearing a Muggle shirt and jeans, and the top few buttons of the shirt were open exposing a rather well defined chest...

"Pahh." Ginny pulled herself out of the trance. "Superior my arse. You may have been found innocent but you're still Death Eater scum. What the hell are you doing in the Muggle world anyway?"

In a flash, Draco had grabbed her arms and shoved her backwards into the hedge, pinning her there.

"Don't you DARE accuse me of being a Death Eater again." He snarled. "I joined the Dark Lord to protect my family, not because I wanted to. I might not think much of Granger but that doesn't mean I hate all Muggle borns for their blood. I hate Granger because she's a smart arse and I hate Weasleys because underneath their 'we're so friendly' attitude they treat all other purebloods like they're scum. Now stop making accusations because you haven't got a clue about my life."

Ginny was staring open mouthed. Malfoy was still a git, but perhaps he was slightly less of a git than she thought. Besides, he was pressing into her and his muscular chest against hers was making her feel things she hadn't felt in a long time.

"We wouldn't treat you like scum if you didn't treat us the same way." Ginny managed to get out, hoping she wasn't stuttering. Her stomach had started to fill with butterflies. Godric, she hoped she wasn't beginning to like Malfoy.

Malfoy scoffed. "I don't believe that for one second and you don't either. Malfoy's and Weasley's have never gotten on and never will. We hate each other."

"I don't hate you. I think you're a smarmy git with a God complex, but I don't hate you." The words came out before Ginny could stop them.

Malfoy almost looked shocked for a moment, then smirked.

"Fallen for my charm, have you? I knew you couldn't resist me." He was still holding her arms, and as he said this he moved in even closer.

"Don't be ridiculous." Ginny squeaked, trying desperately to appear unaffected.

"Ridiculous? A Malfoy is never ridiculous, Weaselette." He was practically purring; his face now inches away from her ear, whispering in it.

"I..."

Ginny was interrupted by a sudden shout.

"Ginny? Where are you? We're going home now!" It was Hermione.

Malfoy tensed, then pulled away and grinned at Ginny predatorily.

"I'll see you around, Weaselette." Smirking, he planted a kiss on her cheek and strode away.

Ginny blushed and cupped her cheek. When Hermione came round the corner a minute later she couldn't understand how Ginny was so quiet – or why, when they met up with Harry, she treated him with no more than cold indifference...

-xXx-

Submission Two

Devotion

Ginny smiled up at Draco, brushing a thumb lightly across the back of his hand as she held it firmly in her own. His skin was smooth even as the curve of each knuckle was beautifully scarred and weathered by time, and she admired the way his hand fit so perfectly in her own.

He didn't return her smile, nor did he respond as she pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, her stiff joints creaking as she stretched to meet him. He continued glowering stoically across his domain, an endless sea of green she had lost herself in countless times over the years as she searched for her love.

She pressed her body against his, taking comfort from his immovable form. It had taken her longer than usual to find him this time, and her smile almost faltered at the thought that he had gone to the trouble of hiding himself from her so thoroughly. But Ginny knew her Draco would not be so cruel to her - never to her. Perhaps it was her body, which had not withstood the passage of time nearly so well as his, that had caused it.

The sun was rising, and the golden rays licked at her body, warming her as Draco could not. She lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against his hair, trailing them across the smooth line of his jaw. "There's nothing to fear when we're together, my dragon."

The remark was futile, and she knew it well. She had spoken to him countless times over the years, but nothing she said or did would smooth the crease of his brow, or lift the hard frown of his mouth.

It had been so long since he had smiled last. She would have forgotten what it looked like had she not protected her treasured memories so fiercely, nor dreamt of him so often. Even now, she could see him smiling handsomely when she closed her eyes, though he never looked at her. His smiles were always at others, but she knew - she knew - the secret smiles were for her. Their love was forbidden, and it was the greatness of his love for her that made him protect her so staunchly.

The ground rumbled beneath her feet, as though woken from a deep slumber, and she knew she had stayed too long. Leaves rustled behind her as branches delicately caressed each other, and the walls of Draco's chamber closed, locking her inside.

Perhaps it was finally time to emerge from the shadows, to let the sun look down on her love and envy its brilliance. Her smile brightened at the thought that she might finally be free of the secrets that had plagued her for so long.

Draco watched her as she reached into the pocket of her robes and removed the tiny crystal vial she had stolen. Her hand steady, she removed the ornately sculpted stopper and downed the contents, giggling when a small hiccup escaped her lips. She placed the empty vessel in the curve of his hand, then pressed both of her own against his chest to steady her shaking body. She smiled through the pain when she looked up at Draco, determined to stay strong for him, and she thought his frown might have lessened slightly, his furrowed brow perhaps in anticipation of what might be.

She gave him one last adoration filled kiss, her mouth curving in a blissful smile despite the pain raging through her. Her body grew cold, her skin blackened and veined like marble and she joined her soul mate in eternity.

-xXx-

Submission Three

Meet me at the Center

Draco unfolded the note and stared down at the thick black letters on the parchment.

Meet me at the center.

Ginny's writing. Ginny's perfume, subtle as the warm breeze that blew all round him as he stood outside the rounded hedge. So like her, he thought. No begging. No explanation. No excuses. But no invitation, either; not really. What would happen if he did find her at the center of the hedge maze? Would she accept him then? He folded the note back up and saw that something was written in tiny letters on the other side.

No magic.

Creative swearing would most likely not be the way to appease the gods, so he stifled the words that rose to his mind and entered the maze through a gap between two hedges. After all, how hard could it be?

An hour later, he stopped and glared at the endless winding hedge, wiping the sweat from his brow. Dead ends, sharp branches scratching his skin, and a furtive, futile attempt to use his wand—it had all led to this! He felt something crumple in his hand and realized that it was the note.

Close your eyes.

"Mad," he said aloud. "Impossible. I've probably been wandering about for days. I haven't been able to find anything with my eyes open—"

More writing appeared.

That's the point.

He felt the tips of his fingernails digging painfully into his own palms. I'll die out here. I didn't bring food, I didn't bring water. And now she's asking me to do this! I ought to turn around and leave. No girl is worth it. But it would be just as impossible to find his way out.

Trapped between two dooms, he stared straight ahead, fingering her note over and over again. A few minutes passed. He realized that he was reading the new words with his fingers, tracing the minute embossment of the ink as clearly as a blind man reading Braille.

Come to me.

Draco closed his eyes. Then he began to walk surely, solidly, like a man reaching a destination he has known by heart all his life.

Ginny sat at the very center of the maze, her red-gold hair glimmering over her shoulders. She lifted her head when she saw him, and the sun set her beauty ablaze. He approached her hesitantly. She held out her hand. He took it in his, and then he had to shut his eyes more tightly, because he had begun to cry. A Malfoy never cries, he thought. But then, Malfoys are never supposed to do a thousand things that I've already done for her sake.

He felt her pick up his hand and raise it to her cheek, and he felt the wetness on his fingertips that meant she was crying, too.

"I knew you'd come through, Draco," she said at last.

"What happened to Potter?" he asked.

She motioned for him to sit next to her. "Oh, he's wandering about somewhere in the maze."

"I think we should leave him to starve," muttered Draco.

Ginny shook her head. "No. I feel sorry for him, really. He'll never understand how to find the center."

"So what's the secret?" asked Draco.

"Well, how did you find me?"

"I followed the instructions on your note, even though I didn't want to in the least," he admitted.

"You didn't trust me?" Her golden eyes looked sad.

He shook his head vigorously. "I swear that wasn't it, Ginny."

She leaned closer, and he felt the greater warmth of her body against the heat of the sun. "Perhaps you didn't trust yourself."

He looked away slightly. "Perhaps."

"You still don't know what it is, do you?" she asked.

"Mmph." There had to be a limit to non-Malfoyish activities at some point, thought Draco. Admitting that he was wrong seemed like a very good place to stop.

But she scooted closer, and he no longer cared very much. "You wanted to find me. But even more than that, I think you wanted to find yourself."

He saw himself mirrored in her huge golden eyes. No longer a boy, he thought. Not yet a man. Never the man my father wanted me to be. But a strange thought struck him. Perhaps he really could find the man he wished to be, even as he had found the center of this mysterious maze.

And when she leaned in and kissed him, he was sure of it.

-xXx-

Submission Four

Scare

Ginny shivered as a gust of cool autumn wind brushed against her bare arms. More than anything, she wished she had remembered to take a jumper with her before she'd left her flat; it was October, after all, and the evenings had been quite chilly for the past several weeks. But as she continued to move forward through the tall grass, the focus she initially had on her gooseflesh became less, and her increased awareness of the darkness that seemed to envelope her moved to the forefront.

Instinctively, her arms wrapped around her midsection. It was a weak attempt at protecting herself from any ghosts or ghouls that could possibly turn up to scare her, but it was all she had for defense. Her wand had been taken away as soon as she had entered the premises, and she was beginning to worry more and more about what she was going to do when she came across her foes.

As she continued to creep through the fields, her breaths became shallower and her heart began pounding heavily in her chest. The violently rapid internal rhythm was almost audible. With each step she took, the tension she felt throughout her whole body continued to expand until her stomach was bunched up in knots. All she wanted was to go home and curl up in a ball, to feel safe and secure in her own bed rather than feel her entire body grow stiffer and stiffer with trepidation.

A footstep broke through the silence. The indisputable sound of a shriveled autumn leaf being cracked under someone's shoe resonated through the loud silence. Ginny froze in place and attempted to remain invisible. Maybe if she didn't move, she'd be safe. Maybe they would just go away and leave her alone and then she could finish her way through in silence.

It wasn't until he started laughing that she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. In one swift motion, she turned to her boyfriend, smacking him in the shoulder with the back of her hand. She did not feel even an ounce of guilt at the pain she'd inflicted on him. The git knew that this bloody haunted Halloween maze scared the life out of her.

"Damn it, Draco!" she cried, placing a hand to her chest in exasperation. "I thought it was one of them!"

"Ow, Gin," he answered, still laughing at his frightened girlfriend. His hand rubbed over his point of injury. "You do realize that they'll only go after you when you act like you're afraid, don't you?"

"Who's acting?"

He continued to laugh as he wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling him into her protectively. "You should know by now that I'd never let anything hurt you, love."

"Yeah, whatever." She huffed indignantly. "How much further do we have to go before we can get out of this bloody thing?"

The blond sighed. Obviously she was just not going to appreciate Halloween festivities in the same way that he did.

-xXx-

Submission Five

Martyr for the Stars

She cannot move. There is blood dripping down her wrists, staining the metal digging into her flesh a deep crimson. The cloth wrapped around her eyes is itchy and damp, and as she licks her cracked lips she can taste the salt of her tears on her tongue—the only liquid she has had in what feels like days.

Hands grip her shoulders—bruising, unforgiving hands that make her feel like her collarbone is going to snap. Instinct makes her struggle, but her legs and arms are bound too tightly to the chair. She is helpless.

"Where is he?" a voice growls. "Where is the Lux Stellarum?"

She spits in the direction of the voice, defiant to the bitter end. Something hard collides with her cheek a second later, making her head snap back from the impact and her ears ring with such intensity that she is momentarily deafened. A metallic tang fills her mouth and she vaguely realises that she must have bitten her tongue. The pain does not even register; it's becoming so difficult to focus now, and the darkness is just so thick. She knows that she will not last much longer.

More hands touch her face, forcing her head up. The man's breath is hot on her cheek as he leans over her. "Your silence cannot save him," he murmurs in a twistingly soothing voice. "I know you've got the information we need tucked away in that little mind of yours, and I will have it whether you want to cooperate or not."

Something hard digs into her temple—a wand. She squeezes her eyes shut behind the blindfold, heart pounding in sickening flutters. Any minute now they're going to use Legilimency on her. They'll delve into her mind like termites, searching and searching, but they won't find him. He is the star shining at the centre of her world, and she will never give him up. She will never let them hurt him.

After all, he taught her well.

"Your mind will always be your ultimate weapon, Ginevra. Remember that."

"What do you mean?"

"All of our knowledge and memories are locked inside our heads, but there are layers and, within those layers, you can use Occlumency to create false paths and walls to stop people from extracting your secrets. You can make them wander for hours through the web of your thoughts and they'll still never reach the truth."

"So it's like a maze."

He nods. "And you have to make sure they get lost, because once they reach the centre, it's game over for all of us."

"But what if I can't do it? Draco, I—"

"Shh." He places a finger on her lips, silencing her doubts. "I know you're strong. You can do this."

She stares into his eyes, so beautiful in their unique shade of grey. Whispers of unspoken words fill the space between them, and it's as if something just falls into place. Her breath catches as he brushes his finger caressingly against her bottom lip, and then he is kissing her—kissing her so desperately that she knows he is just as afraid as she is of what the future might bring. The shadow has cast its hand over them all, and they both know they're running out of time. That he is running out of time.

But she will not fail him. She will never fail him.

Ginny tightens her grip on the chair, conscious of the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. The incantation has already been spoken, allowing the wizards to penetrate her skull and search her memories. She cannot move and the blood is still dripping down her wrists, but then that doesn't matter. Her mind is her weapon, and she will draw them all into her web. She will let them wander through her thoughts, whispering lies and false images for them to follow until they can no longer perceive the truth. Until they are so lost in her maze of illusions that they will be forced to flee or risk losing themselves completely.

Until there is no breath left in her lungs and all they are left with is an empty shell.

This is what she has been trained to do, and she will protect her secrets to the end. She will protect him. Because he is the star shining at the centre of her world—of all their world—and she cannot let him die.

She will not let him die.

-xXx-

Submission Six

Of Fear and Truth

"This is student abuse! I want my wand."

"If you're so opposed to participating, Mr. Malfoy, you may join the alternative inside activity hosted by Professor Burbage ."

He scowled. "You'll be hearing from my father."

McGonagall remained unimpressed.

"Scared, Malfoy?"

He spun towards the taunting voice, unsurprised to find brown eyes staring him down. Weasley. Standing in frigid autumn air without a hat or scarf. Nothing to hide that glorious red hair—no, garish, he meant garish.

Her nose, cheeks, and tips of the ears were flushed with color, almost obscenely so. An urge overcame him to throw her one of his two scarves. I want that eyesore of a face covered up, he reasoned, removing his green cashmere knit and chucking it at her.

"Take it. I'm feeling charitable tonight, Weasley, since obviously your family can't spare the money to dress you properly." Inexplicably, he felt queasy after speaking.

She caught the garment and, surprisingly, wound it around her neck, smirking before stepping closer.

His heart thundered in his chest, which was ridiculous. He certainly wasn't afraid of her, but before he could prepare a witty retort, she froze him by leaning up to peck him on the cheek.

"You're cute when you pretend you don't care," she whispered in his ear.

All mental capacity eluded him as his brain replayed the feeling of cool, soft lips pressed against his skin. By the time he came to, she was disappearing into the crowd. With a swear, he disregarded decorum and ran. No one steals a kiss from a Malfoy and gets away with it. How dare she?

Eventually, he caught sight of red set against the green of his scarf as she disappeared into the maze's entrance. Ignoring cries of "Wait your turn!", he entered shortly behind her.

Inside, noise and light were subdued. Cornstalks loomed overhead, casting quivering shadows across the path that soon split into two. He didn't even like corn. Who the hell made mazes out of corn? Ridiculous Muggles, that was who.

Hearing a rustle, he pivoted around. A chill glazed his blood when he spotted a masked figured far down the path, carrying something that resembled a rounded blade attached to a bulky base, dripping with a dark liquid. The figure took a step forward, and Malfoy stepped back. Another step and it was running at him.

With an undignified squeak, Malfoy turned and bolted. A roaring, rending sound pierced the air, growing ever closer.

He took a turn and collided into another body. They stumbled, grabbing each other for balance.

Weasley, he realized when they'd come to a standstill and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her forward. "Run! We'll be killed!"

To his astonishment, she doubled over laughing.

"I'm not joking," he hissed. He could run, save himself, but damn, he couldn't leave her behind. The thought of it made him nearly sick.

The masked figure rounded the corner, moonlight glinting off the spinning blade—the source of the god-awful noise.

This was it. If he was to die then—Malfoy turned Weasley's shoulders to face him. Without ceremony, he covered her lips with his, swallowing her laugh. At least his last seconds would be sweet, literally, for she tasted of strawberry and honey, intoxicating enough to overwhelm his thoughts of impending death and pain.

"You brats, stop that. This isn't a zoo," growled a familiar voice.

Malfoy looked up, bewildered to see Filch before them, a mask and the now silent weapon in his hands. Ginny shook her head as if coming out of a trance and giggled. "You tuned out as soon as McGonagall mentioned the word Muggle, didn't you?"

He stared at her blankly as Filch left after warning them not to mess around.

"It's a haunted corn maze, Malfoy. In Muggle fashion, there's people like Filch dressed up after horror Muggle characters to scare visitors. His chainsaw's just an illusion though."

Malfoy almost wished he was dead instead. He avoided her gaze, but abruptly felt her soft body press into his side, her arm wrapping around his waist.

"Don't worry,"—she grinned—"Your act just now was rather endearing."

Her warmth was distracting, impairing his ability to think of an adequate retort.

"Glad you ran into me. It's more fun with another person, and stupid Blaise just kidnapped my partner."

Later, he would grudgingly admit that she was right. Despite the stupid Muggle things popping out at them, having her clinging to him all night was rather nice.

Note: The rest of the submissions for Round One can be found in the following chapter.