Disclaimer: I own nothing in the HP world..
Chapter One
She saw him sitting all alone in the Leaky Cauldron. His blonde hair was free of gel, which was unusual. His shoulders were slumped over the table with his head resting in the palms of his hands. Very unusual. Although, everything was unusual these days. Ginny Weasley was so used to having to look over her shoulder at every turn; she didn't know how to relax any more.
It was strange seeing Draco Malfoy looking so lost. His parents' trial had been short. It did not take long for them to be convicted. The witches and wizards who decided their fate had been more lenient towards Narcissa Malfoy, while they believed she was more innocent than guilty. She received only a decade in prison. Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, was given a life term. The youngest Malfoy, however, did not receive any prison time. It was decided that he had been forced into this life of evil. While he had never been given the chance to be a "good" person, he had not turned into a horrible person.
Most of the Malfoy estate had been seized. Draco was given only half of the gold that had been in their bank vault, it was more than enough for him to live off of for a very long time. The rest of the money went towards his parents' restitution, likely to go towards the rebuilding of Hogwarts. As for Malfoy Manor, the Ministry determined it would be demolished.
Draco Malfoy could not care less. He was allowed into his child hood home one last time to collect his belongings that remained. There wasn't much he wanted. The mansion held mostly bad memories. A tortured child hood. A micromanaged adolescence. Not a life anyone would want reminders of. To be a prisoner at home, to be controlled still while away at school. Draco Malfoy never had much a life before Voldemort's defeat. Now was his time.
After his parents sentences were read, he left. No one knew where the young Malfoy went, no one really cared. His friends that were not dead were busy with their own trials, or those of their parents. They never really were friends, they only grew up together. Some were like him, forced into the Dark Lord's cause. Some came willingly.
"How are you, Draco?" The youngest Weasley asked as she sat down, uninvited, at the table.
"Why do you care?" Draco retorted, not looking up. They were never friendly at school, for various reasons. She was nothing to him and he was nothing to her. Why would she seek him out?
"Well, you're parents are sentenced and you disappear. All of your family is dead or in prison. Same with most of your friends. I know how it feels to loose someone you love. I know how alone..." She was interrupted by Draco's angry voice.
"You have no idea how I could feel. Yes I am alone. You, however, are surrounded by your family, Granger, and Potter." Dislike dripped off his tongue as he spoke the name. While he was grateful for Voldemort's defeat, he still didn't have to like the man who set him free.
"Don't you think it could be possible," Ginny stated with hurt in her voice, "That you can be surrounded by people and still feel so alone? I lost my brother. I lost friends too. Do you think any person in my family asks me how I am?" She held her hands on her chest over her heart to emphasize herself. "They're all over Harry, who is not ready to open up to anyone, except for Ron and Hermione-who are so wrapped up in each other they don't even remember I am still there..." She broke down into sobs and covered her eyes with her hands.
Draco didn't know what to do. Why did she come to him? "Listen, Weasley, don't come here trying to befriend me to get back at your family for ignoring you. I'm sorry you're having a tuff time..."
"Stop, Malfoy." She wiped the tears off her face. "That is not why I sat with you. You have the same look in your eyes as me. Voldemort took my child hood also. Do you not remember? The Chamber of Secrets? I have never been the same since. I see it in your eyes, you're lost. Like me. I need to find myself. I need someone who knows how I feel to help me. Help me, Draco, and I can help you too."
She was pleading with him. She even had a decent argument. She was right. He needed someone as much as she did.
"Fine, Weasley..." She interrupted him.
"Ginny," she said. "Call me Ginny."
"Alright, Ginny," Draco started, "I'm leaving in two days' time. Have your things ready. I will cover your expenses, for now." Draco stood from the table. "Meet me here on tomorrow morning and we will discuss this further. Ten sharp. I will explain more at that time but I do have an appointment I mustn't miss."
He quickly stood and walked away. Ginny sat at the table with her jaw slightly open in shock. Did he just invite her to run away with him?
It was 9:45 am. Time for Ginny to leave to Burrow to meet with Draco Malfoy.
Ginny was wrapped up in her thoughts as she was leaving the house. She had so many questions. Where had he been all that time after the trials? What was he doing? Most importantly, where were they going?
The questions swirled around in her mind during her short journey to their meeting place. She still had five minutes to spare when she walked into the Leaky Cauldron and she spotted him at once. He was sitting in the same booth as yesterday. He looked right at her when she sat down, and greeted her with a smirk.
"I didn't think you were actually going to show up," Draco said to her.
"I didn't think you were either," Ginny replied. "So tell me, Mr. Malfoy, where are we going?" Ginny rested her elbows on the table and gave her full attention to Draco.
"Would you like some tea?" Draco offered.
"Tea?" Ginny looked confused.
"I need to explain some things for you to understand why I chose the destination we're going to." He waved the waitress over to where they were sitting and ordered a pot of tea. "I need to tell someone my story. If we're going to do this together I need you to listen to me."
Ginny could see the need in his eyes; she could hear it in his voice. The Draco Malfoy sitting in front of her was not the Draco Malfoy she had known previously. This was a man who needed the same thing she did, a friend.
The waitress brought their tea, and Draco began his story.
Ginny poured herself a cup of tea as Draco began to pour out his thoughts.
"After my parents were convicted I did not know what to do. The Ministry representatives told me what was to be of our assets I knew I could not stay here. After the horrific acts of my father I knew I would not be accepted anywhere in Wizzarding England. Honestly I did not want to be in the Wizzarding world. So I left.
"I went Gringotts and had some of my gold converted to muggle money. After that I went to muggle London. I didn't know where to go; obviously my parents have never taken me there."
Ginny interjected, "Obviously."
Draco gave her a nod and continued, "So there I was with a back pack and a pocket full of money with nowhere to go..."
Ginny interrupted him again, "What did you do?"
"What could I do?" Draco threw his arms up in mock aggravation, "I was in a strange city I knew nothing about. I did the what every lost soul does. I went straight to the pub."
"To the pub?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, to the pub. I didn't want to have to think about what had just happened. I just wanted to forget so I went to get sloshed." Draco explained.
Ginny gave him a questioning look, "So did you?"
"Of course I did. I got so drunk I could not even walk. Thankfully I met a bloke who was much more sober and had plenty of pity for my sorry soul. He took me to the hostel he was staying at and got me in. Led me to an empty bed and didn't steal me blind.
"When I awoke the next morning I had the worst hang over and no potion to cure it. The same bloke who saved my life the night before saved me again by greeting me with a glass of water and toast. That was when I officially met Matthew."
A/N: Let me just say that I have not written in a very long time. I write in my spare time so I'm not sure when I can update. I could really use some feed back so please, tell me what you think. Like I said, its been a long time, so please be gentle. Thanks for reading :)