A/N: This is the sequel to Slytherin Loyalty, but it isn't necessary to read it first. I would love it if you did read it, though! Also, everything belongs to JKR, except the title, which comes from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Chapter 1: The New Houseguest

Ginny Weasley was sitting in the kitchen drinking butterbeer when she heard the door open accompanied by a hesitant knock. She looked up, surprised that there would be someone coming this late at night. She shrugged, thinking of the frequent quick, furtive Order meetings with only a few memebers at a time and how rarely they had full meetings anymore. Everyone was so busy.

At first she had been resentful that Harry wouldn't let her go on his search for horcruxes, but now she took the disappointment in stride and helped Molly keep the headquarters running smoothly.

"Mum," she called, hearing the knocking again and figuring Molly hadn't heard, "should I get the door?"

"Yes, please, dear," Molly called from the kitchen where she was cleaning up before going to sleep.

Ginny, half-asleep, hoisted herself off the bench and thanked God that she hadn't changed into her pajamas yet. She opened the door and found the last person she could have expected standing there.

"Malfoy?" she said, incredulous. Just then she heard a pop and saw Harry standing beside her. She expected the sight of him to send her heart careening in her chest since she hadn't seen him in about two weeks, but she felt strangely detached.

"Sorry Malfoy, I got held up by Dobby," Harry told the boy at the door as Malfoy stepped inside.

He looked slightly nervous as his eyes took in his surroundings. "So," he asked, "no one is expecting me?"

"Sorry, no. You and Ginny stay here." Draco noticed Ginny's eyes flash when Potter ordered her. Interesting, he thought. The Wonder Couple isn't as perfect as everyone thinks. Then again, I'd hate to have someone like Potter ordering me around, too.

Harry swept out of the room to assemble a quick meeting during which he would tell them about the new houseguest.

"Come into the kitchen," Ginny said as she walked out of the entry. "I'll get you some butterbeer."

Draco nodded his thanks. Ginny sat down next to him and looked at him, as if expecting him to tell her why he was there. He didn't say anything except, "Life is so different not going back to Hogwarts, isn't it?"

She sighed. "I wish we could go back. Is the Ministry really dumb enough not to realize that it's probably the safest place in UK? Oh, well, I guess without Dum––" She stopped quickly and blushed crimson. She hadn't wanted to bring up anything that had to do with what Draco had tried to do last year.

"I didn't want to kill him," Draco responded, taking her reference in stride. "It's just––I had to try. My family..." he ended vaguely.

Ginny's nod startled Draco. He had figured she would yell at him for being a murderer, but she seemed to understand.

It was as if she read his thoughts when she said, "I can't hate anyone I understand." Abruptly she stood up. "Good night, M––Draco."

"Good night...Ginny." He glanced at the clock and was startled to see that it was 3 o'clock in the morning. He laid his head down to wait for Potter, but soon drifted into sleep.

About two hours later Draco felt someone shaking his shoulder. "Malfoy," he heard a familiar voice say, "Let me show you where you'll sleep."

He groggily looked up and saw Potter. Why is he being civil to me? Then he remembered. Potter trusts me now.

Potter led him up the stairs to a fair sized room and then left without saying anything. Well, he trusts me but he still doesn't like me, Draco thought as he laid on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

Draco came down to breakfast late the next morning as no one had woken him up. Ginny wasn't half-asleep like she'd been last night, so she noticed that he looked very different than he had three and a half months ago when he left Hogwarts.

His hair was still white blond, but it was cut shorter and Draco had apparently stopped using hair gel. His hair looks really sexy like that, Ginny thought as she tried not to scold herself for thinking that way about a Slytherin. He was also, she couldn't help but notice, considerably more muscular. The set of his face was different. He no longer looked as though he was superior to the rest of the world; he still looked proud, but it no longer seemed like an insult. His silvery eyes were as serious as they had been throughout his sixth year, yet they looked less worried and held more hope within them. Ginny thought he looked much better than he ever had before, then realized she had been staring for about a minute and quickly looked toward Harry.

Draco noticed her intense scrutiny but didn't make a snide comment about it. He thought that she looked different too. Her deep brown eyes were serious and yet still held the fire he had always secretly admired. She's beautiful, he couldn't help thinking. Her red hair reached her waist, and her figure was curvy despite her recent weight loss.

His thought changed abruptly as he looked around the room. It appeared that everyone had lost weight, not just Ginny. Worry, he figured, was the cause of it.

He realized that everyone had a reason to worry now, especially him. What would the Dark Lord do when he found out that Draco had run away when trying to fulfill his orders to find Harry Potter?

Well, I found him, Draco thought with a smirk. I just didn't bring him back.

Beneath Draco's smug thoughts were feelings of worry and confusion, yet at the same time a feeling that nothing, not even being killed, was worse than being a Death Eater.