Chapter One
A tall, pale youth stalked silently through the shadowed grove, until he came to a clearing, hidden from view on all sides. Sighing, he took his long, black cloak from his shoulders – revealing a silver and green knitted vest covering a white shirt – and spread it over the ground. Lowering himself regally onto his cloak, Draco Malfoy laid back to look at the stars. His pale skin seemed to glow eerily in the scarce moonlight, making Draco appear ghostly, unreal. It was matched by the look on his face, one which most people would mistake for daydreaming; few could tell he was worried.
Draco remembered his parents' shouting, as the argument which had made him flee from his house so earnestly was replayed in his mind. He couldn't get it out of his head; the image of his mother, curled on the floor, begging for his father to stop, tears streaming down her face, and his father standing there laughing, muttering another "Crucio!" under his breath.
And I ran, he thought, disgusted with himself. Instead of defending my own mother, I ran. Tears began to leak from his eyes. Stop it! He commanded himself, wiping away the tears fiercely.
He knew he'd never have enough courage to stand up to his father. He didn't even have enough courage to stand up to that Mudblood, Granger. He also knew that once he went home, it would be the same as all the other fights his parents had had. When he went back, his mother and father would pretend that the fight had never happened, and lecture him about disappearing at night and pretend to be worried about him. Then life would go on, but with the constant memory of the fight on everyone's minds, shown by the renewed cold tension in his parents' voices when they talked to each other, by his mother's silent weeping when she thought no one was around to see.
But Draco saw. He saw his mother's 'business trips' as escapes from his father, and returning to Hogwarts a safe haven from his father's fury, from his mother's fear. He saw every chance to taunt a Mudblood, to scare a first year as a way to make himself stronger.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud "Hey! What are you doing here?"
He sat up, glaring at the intruder. However, when the figure stepped out into the light, Draco couldn't help but let out a small gasp. The girl, red-headed and freckled, clad in a worn, patched robe, returned the glare.
"Well, look who it is, the Weasel." Draco had regained his usual, regal air. "I didn't think they allowed blood-traitors around here." he sneered.
"Well, I didn't think they allowed self-centered, bratty, stuck-up prats, either!" Ginny Weasley retorted, blushing. "And I'd rather be a blood-traitor than a Death Eater any day!" She looked around the clearing. "You know what, Malfoy? I'll just leave. You've ruined this place for me. I'll just leave you alone, which is clearly what you prefer!"
Draco felt something very cold growing inside of him. He realized that, for the first time in his life, he didn't want to be alone. He was tired of being alone.
"Wait, Weasley!" he called out, clambering to his feet. Ginny twirled around, eyes sparking, ready for a fight, to find Draco just standing there, a helpless look on his face.
"What, Malfoy?" she demanded.
"You- you can stay, if you want." he said, his voice very quiet. "I- I'm sorry."
Ginny couldn't believe her ears. Malfoy, actually apologizing! She was so stunned, in fact, that she walked back into the clearing and sat down next to Draco.
Very slowly, like he was in a dream, Draco sat back down too.
They sat there for a few minutes, just looking back at the night sky. Then Ginny, nervous by the strange silence stated "I've never heard you apologize to anyone before."
"Me neither." he replied, shifting nervously on the cloak.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" Ginny asked, truthfully curious.
"I didn't – I don't know." Draco lied, afraid to tell Ginny the real reason. "So, what are you doing out here?" he asked, veering Ginny away from the dangerous topic.
"Oh, well, um… My dad and Percy are fighting. Percy has been spending a lot of time at work lately, more than even Dad. So when Percy got home tonight, he was all excited because he had gotten promoted to a position in Fudge's personal office, but Dad was suspicious because Percy had recently gotten in trouble at the Ministry. He expected Dad to be impressed, only Dad wasn't."
"Why not?" Draco asked.
"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore. Dad says Fudge made it clear that anyone's who's in league with Dumbledore can clear their desks out. Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit weird, because of his obsession with Muggles. Dad reckoned that Fudge only wanted Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family- and Dumbledore. Of course, Percy didn't…" She trailed off, suddenly realizing something.
"Why am I telling you this? I don't even know you that well. And you're a Malfoy!" she said, shocked at herself.
"Well, I did ask," Draco pointed out. "And I guess while you were talking to me you forgot who I was."
"You're right, I did." Ginny said, blushing slightly. "You're very easy to talk to."
Draco stared at her, taken aback by her unexpected compliment.
"Do you want me to continue?" she asked, not seeming to mind that he was a Malfoy anymore.
Draco nodded.
"As I was saying, Percy didn't take that so well. Actually, he went completely berserk. He said- well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he had had to struggle against dad's lousy reputation since he started at the Ministry, and that Dad hasn't got any ambition, and well, by that time, Mum was in hysterics, and Fred and George had locked themselves in their room and set up a Silencing Charm around it. That's when I left. I thought I could get some peace and quiet here." she sighed, lifting her face up to the moonlight.
"My family was fighting, too."
Draco's cold whisper sent shivers down Ginny's back. Draco had never used that tone before, not even when he was speaking to Harry. Ginny thought that she had seen the worst parts of Draco. She realized then that she was wrong. Draco literally seemed to be radiating pure hatred and spite. He glowered at the trees as though he could burn them down with his eyes.
Ginny felt awkwardly out of place.
Glancing at her watch, she jumped to her feet, startling Draco from his glaring.
"What's wrong?" he asked, pulling himself to his feet.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to go." she said.
"Oh. Well, okay. See you around." Draco said, picking up his cloak.
"Bye." Ginny headed off into the trees, but then turned around. "Same place, 3 PM, okay, Draco?"
Draco nodded, stunned. Ginny had never called him by his first name before.