Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related nor do I own the song Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional.

A/N: I finished this a while ago and I finally got around to publishing it. I'm not sure what you'll think of this fic, at first I wasn't so sure if I liked it but now it's grown on me. Draco may seem somewhat OOC but that's the way he's supposed to be. The whole fic is about how he has changed going along with the song. If you did not see in the summary, this is a one-shot songfic.

Update: Song lyrics have been put back in. Please note that I do not own the song Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional. I can't say it enough.

Vindicated

Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in
So mesmerizing, so hypnotizing
I am captivated, I am…

Draco Malfoy never was the generous type. He never cared much for others. He always wanted things to go his way and only his way. No one else really mattered. Many people saw him as a cruel cold-hearted arrogant person. In most ways he was. Until recently. Until he had finally discovered that being like that didn't help in many areas of life.

A few years ago when he was in his last year at Hogwarts he developed some sort of relationship with a Weasley, Ginny Weasley to be exact. The relationship wasn't a normal one. He wasn't in love with her at the time, or at least he didn't think so. It wasn't a friendship the two had. It was something different, a kind of relationship that only Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley could have. In this relationship, there were times where he wasn't the nicest to Ginny. Draco was his usual arrogant self. Then there were the times where the two got along quite well and enjoyed each other's company. The relationship they had centered on a range of emotions, including pain and anger but also excitement and security. The two could never fully explain the relationship they had.

When Draco had graduated from Hogwarts, the two had lost contact with each other. The war ended that year and both Draco and Ginny went their separate ways. Draco moved out of England while Ginny finished her last year at Hogwarts then continued to live in England in her own flat. Their unique relationship had faded away into almost nothingness.

Now Draco had come back to England. He was on a mission to find Ginny and talk to her. While he was away from the country he grew up in, he had realized many things about himself and decided that something had to change. Draco had finally found hope. Hope in that he could become a better person. Hope in that he could finally set things straight in his life.

Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
I swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself

Draco stood silently at the doorway of Ginny's flat. After all the years, he wondered what Ginny would be like. He wondered what she would think of him. But he wasn't here because he wanted to know how she felt about him. He was here because he wanted to let Ginny know that he was finally becoming a better person. He was finally becoming the person Ginny had always wanted him to be. All he wanted to do was tell her this and to put closure on the relationship they once had.

He reached his hand out and knocked on her light brown door. A moment passed and he heard nothing. No moving about. Silence. He waited in the doorway for another moment wondering if maybe he should leave and come back another time. Ginny probably wasn't home.

Then…the door creaked opened.

"Sorry I was just-" he saw Ginny's eyes widen and then she turned silent. She was almost exactly as he remembered her. Except he could tell that she had grown older, she looked more like a young woman than the girl he remembered. She had really grown into her looks. Though she still had most of her freckles that spotted her face and her brown eyes still sparkled with life.

"Blimey, I wasn't expecting this. How are you?" Ginny spoke once more with a look of slight shock sketched into her face.

"I'm good." Draco noticed the look of surprise on her face.

"Well, er, that's good. You want to come in?" She gestured her hand inside her flat.

"No, I'm fine." He couldn't take a step in. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn't.

"Okay…" Ginny paused and thought for a moment, wondering what to say. "Why are you here at my doorway anyway?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that Weasley," he smirked. "What do you think I'm here for?" He couldn't help but tease her a bit. She was always fun to tease.

Ginny hesitated. "I - I don't know."

"Oh I think you do know."

"Whatever you're doing Malfoy, don't do it. Not now." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke with slight annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry Weasley. I didn't mean to cause your temper to flare."

Ginny glared at him without replying.

Her glare reminded Draco of why he was here in the first place and he became serious once again. He knew that he had to tell her now.

"Fine enough of that. I'm not the best at this, actually I'm quite horrible at this but," he paused debating once last time before continuing, "bloody hell I'll just say it, I wanted to let you know that I'm trying to become a better person and it's because of you."

He waited a moment to see if she would reply, but Ginny couldn't seem to speak and only kept her eyes on his.

He started once more with a bit more confidence in his voice. "I see myself in your perspective now. I've realized that I was and still am a bit selfish, arrogant, and cruel. I'm sorry that I was like that during Hogwarts." To himself it felt so weird hearing those words come out of his mouth and Ginny seemed to feel the same way.

Any anger Ginny held previously towards Draco had been forgotten in the surprise of his words. She was silent. She couldn't find the words to say in reply. The Draco Malfoy she knew did not apologize. This couldn't be the same Draco Malfoy…

So clear
Like the diamond in your ring
Cut to mirror your intention
Oversized and overwhelmed
The shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me
So isolated, so motivate
I am certain now that I am…

In the silence, Draco noticed a ring on her left hand. The diamond in it sparkled underneath the hall light.

He stiffened. Why didn't he think there could be another guy she was interested in now? Why did he care if she had another man? He only came here to tell her one thing and to finally close a chapter in his life; the chapter that she was in. It's not like he loved her or anything… he hadn't seen her in years.

"Who's the lucky guy?" he asked finally breaking the silence between him and her. He was still curious about it. Though he could take a guess at who had given her the ring.

"Oh, it's not what you think," Ginny replied hastily, the shock of Draco's apology slightly wearing off now. She glanced down at the ring on her finger. "Harry proposed to me a couple days ago and I didn't say yes but I didn't say no. He still gave me the ring even though I didn't answer."

Harry. Of course it was Harry. Harry always beat Draco when it came to the things he loved the most. 'Wait…' he thought, 'I don't love her… or do I?'

"You're wearing it," he stated simply. "Why?"

"I don't love him. I'm going to give it back to him. I don't know why I felt like wearing it. I guess I wanted someone other than Harry to give it to me." Ginny slid the ring off her finger and set it aside on a small table by her doorway.

Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
I swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself

At her words, Draco was now the speechless one. He wasn't quite expecting that for an answer. He was tempted to ask who the "someone other than Harry" was but he didn't. He could figure out whom she was talking about.

"So you're actually apologizing for once? I never thought I'd see the day," Ginny spoke to break the silence.

"Me neither but it's here," he laughed dryly.

"You know…" she stopped for a moment and looked as if she was remembering something. "When we were at Hogwarts together I always thought I'd be able to help you become a better person. It was naïve of me but I thought that I could 'save' you from the dark side. I must have had some sort of impact on you since you didn't join the Death Eaters."

"I knew all along that you wanted to help me and you did influence me on the Death Eater issue. I remember being so stuck on joining the Death Eaters because that's the only choice I thought I had but then you...I don't know how you did it but you convinced me otherwise. And back then I wasn't easily convinced, but I thank you for that. I couldn't imagine what my life would have been like had I joined them."

"Even I'm not sure how I managed that," she paused then spoke again, "I've wondered about you ever since you graduated. I hope you've been doing okay."

"It's been an interesting few years of my life, I can tell you that. A lot has happened, good and bad."

"I can imagine."

There was an awkward feeling between the two.

So turn
Up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my finger tips
Trace the moment, fall forever

Ginny looked right into his eyes. She remembered looking into his eyes so many times before and every time that she did, she would get lost in those silver orbs. She had missed him so much and now for him to be here at the doorway of her flat…

"What ever happened to us? We-"

Draco put up his index finger on his lips to motion for her to be quiet.

"We can't," he said simply.

"What do you mean by that?" Ginny looked at him, the confusion clear in her eyes.

Draco saw the confusion in her eyes and regretted ever doing this. He didn't want to remember her like this. All he wanted was to see her smile before he left.

"Can I see you smile one last time?" He just wanted to see one smile to remember her by, one smile that will remain in his mind forever.

In response Ginny looked at him awkwardly, she was still confused, but then she did what he said and smiled. The smile only lasted for a moment but to Draco it felt like an eternity. The picture of Ginny's small smile would be painted in his memory forever.

Defense is paper thin
Just one touch and I'd be in
Too deep now to ever swim against the current
So let me slip away
So let me slip against the current
So let me slip away

After seeing Ginny smile Draco wanted so much to touch her smooth face and make her happy. He couldn't though. He had to go now. The longer he stayed near Ginny the harder it became for him to leave and let the past go.

"I have to go now. I can't stay any longer. I'm sorry. I only meant to stay for a moment. I only wanted to let you know that I've changed, all for you. Goodbye little Weasley."

Before Ginny could say anything Draco turned and started to walk away. Ginny watched his back as he was leaving. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to run up to him and forget about everything else. She wanted so badly to convince him that he didn't have to go.

Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
I swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself

"Draco!" she called out helplessly and hoped for him to come back.

Draco stopped and was motionless for a moment. He wanted to turn around and go back to her. He wanted to be with her forever. He never wanted to walk away. But another part of him wanted to just let it go. Ginny deserved better than him, so much better. It wasn't meant to be, a Weasley and a Malfoy.

But then again maybe it was.

Making a decision, Draco turned around to face Ginny.

"Yes?" he answered her, his eyes meeting hers.

Ginny walked up to him and spoke softly, "I won't let you slip away from me." She smiled at him. This time her smile was a true one. Not the fake one she wore that moment after Draco had asked her to smile.

Draco looked at her like he was looking at her for the first time in ages and he also smiled; an actual smile, no smirk this time. Maybe things will turn out to be much better than he thought they would. He reached out and took her hand in his and for the first time in a long time, he felt content.

Slight hope
Dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption...

A/N: I hope you liked it. I'd love to know what your thoughts about this fic are.