Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own plot

A/N: I wrote the first section in first person POV from Ginny, but in the following chapters it will go on in third person POV. If I kept it in Ginny's POV, it would be impossible to show what the other characters are thinking and feeling or doing when Ginny was not around, and that is an important part of the story that I have planned.

I remember, it seems all so long ago now, thinking there was nothing more in the world that I wanted than I already had. Oh, how simple minded I was. I thought I had my whole life painted out before me. Harry was the only thing on this Earth that I believed I could find happiness in. Back then I was ignorant enough to think that he was my everything. To me he was the very life and soul of me, he made me the happy person I was. He was my life and my breath, without him I thought I would not survive. I could not live without him.

That was before he left me, left to save the world along with my brother and best friend. He said I could not go, that it was too dangerous. He was only trying to protect me. He wanted to be my savior, my knight in shining armor. He wanted to keep me safe. I tried to understand, but I could never see reason with his leaving. I wanted to go, needed to. Oh how I had wanted to slap those luminous green eyes out of his precious scared head.

To me he didn't care. If he had cared for my safety he would have taken me with him. Surely he must know that I am not some child. My sanity would not be safe not knowing where he was. He was too controlling. He kept treating me like I might break at any moment. I wanted to live. I wanted to help fight for the cause I believed in, but for his sake, because he demanded it of me, I stayed at the Burrow, alone, for the whole summer while they were off, who knows where, finding horcuxes and defying Lord Voldemort himself.

But he had promised he would come back to me. He had said that even though he was gone for now, it wouldn't always be like that, and that once the dark was defeated he would be with me forever. He said I was the only thing that he wanted.

He gave me a locket, and every time I looked into my mirror, I would see it. My locket. My safe keeping he had said. The one thing I kept close to my heart. He had given me the necklace, which for the longest time hung around my slender neck, and told me that no matter where I was or who I was with it would always keep me safe. He said he loved me, and I him, and I had meant it.

It has been an eternity since then. My life has changed, I'd like to say for the better. I feel content and complete. But almost everyone disagrees.

So I will now share my life altering experiences, which I have found led me to my happiness, or as other say, to my undoing.

--

Chapter One

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything except the plot.

She was late. She was very, very late. Just a couple minutes until 11:00, until the Hogwarts Express leaves. And she, Ginerva Weasley, if she did not hurry her little arse along, was going to miss it.

With her conspicuous auburn curls flying everywhere, and her usual pale face flushed from rushing, she had just stepped through the barrier of Platform 9 ¾, to see her scarlet destination puffing steam and screaming its horn.

Cursing, she lugged her heavy trunk, weaving and occasionally shoving through the many parents blowing affectionate kisses to their children and saying their farewells.

If only they hadn't left, Ginny thought, the sudden loneliness crashing down upon her.

It would only be her this year. Her parents were urging her to try and make some new friends in her year, but try as she might, Ginny just couldn't see that happening. She didn't want new friends. She wanted her old companions, and she'd rather go without friends altogether than go without Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

But even so, she reassured her stressing parents before she left that she would try, and that had been satisfactory enough for them.

Everywhere she looked as she neared the train, people were holding each other or smiling and talking to one another. And for the first time since Harry and the others left, Ginny felt completely and utterly alone.

Being alone at the Burrow all summer was bad enough, but now being alone in a place where everyone had someone was just downright depressing.

Maybe I wont be completely alone. Maybe Ill end up meeting someone to take my mind off of Harry, she thought as she climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express.

Just as she closed the door behind her, the Hogwarts Express jolted to a start, gaining speed and rounding the bend, out of sight of the waving and calling parents.

And as the train jolted to a start, it also jolted Ginny into one of the nearby compartments, her trunk following and landing on her with a loud thump, and promptly knocking the breath from her.

"Well at least that saved me the trouble of actually finding a compartment," she murmured once she could breathe.

But apparently she had spoken too soon.

As she looked up, still on the floor of the compartment, she realized she wasn't completely alone as she had thought.

Dusting the invisible dust off her clothes, she got up and tried to assess who the only other occupant in the compartment was.

Whoever he was, she couldn't tell. He was lean, but covered head to toe in a fine velvet cloak, with the hood drawn up around his head. He was leaning, hunched upon the glass of the window, and from what she could tell, he was blissfully ignorant of her presence. In fact, he seemed blissfully ignorant of the whole world. She could've sworn she heard him snore.

From her position by the door she could hardly see any aspect of him to give him away. She could hardly even see his face.

Quietly, carefully, as to not wake the occupant, Ginny lugged her trunk from the floor, and tried in vain to life the heavy thing above her head to the above rack. However, it appeared she had packed too much, and after several failed attempts to place the trunk in its rack, she decided to ask for help.

She carefully placed her luggage down, and inched her way towards the sleeping figure.

Without touching him, Ginny leaned over his slouched form, trying to glimpse his face beneath the cloaks hood. She placed a hand on the window to herself steady, and bent her face close to his. All she could see under his hood was his white-pale cheeks, straight pointed features, and white-blonde hair.

He itched vaguely at her memory, but because he was still somewhat obscured, it was hard to tell who he was.

Ginny, still looking at the side of his face thought him distinctly handsome.

She moved her free hand over to his hood and slowly started to ease it down.

However when Ginny leaned too far over it was at that moment that her foot, which was planted firmly beside the strangers feet, suddenly slipped out from beneath her, and she promptly fell on top of the sleeping figure.

Startled awake, the boy's head flew up to see what was crushing him. His hood slipped down and Ginny found none other than Draco-bloody-Malfoy scowling down at her.

"Weasley!" He growled out her name, "Kindly remove yourself from me," he said, pushing her off of him before she could react. She stumbled back into the seat opposite him and sat down with a scowl now marring her own features.

"Get out!" He spit out at her, raising his thin hand shooing her out.

"I don't know who you think you are Malfoy, but I have no intention of leaving." She harrumphed and stomped angrily toward her trunk, mightily heaving it above her head and trying to put it onto the rack…and failing miserably. The heavy trunk thundered to the grown, slamming on her right foot.

"Shit!" She gasped and started to hop around the compartment grabbing at her foot, and cursing like a sailor. Malfoy had the grace, if you could call it that, to not laugh aloud, but a smirk was planted firmly across his face.

"I think your trunk has the right idea and doesn't want to stay," He drawled, getting up and moving over to her trunk, opening the compartment and throwing the thing out into the hall. "Now if you'll so kindly get out, before I throw you out too."

Ginny only glared at him and exited into the hall. Malfoy sneered at her and right when he about slammed the door in her face, she lugged the trunk back into the compartment giving him an almost innocent smile.

"Sorry Malfoy, but the trunk and I are staying."

"Sorry Weasley," he growled out, "but you're not."

So there, halfway between the sliding door and the hallway, Malfoy and Weasley battled it out. She was pushing on her trunk from the outside, and he was pushing back with all his might.

"You might want to give up, Weaselette," he said, giving the trunk a hard push. Ginny fell backwards, and would've fallen down but landed on the lunch trolley as the plump lady was making her rounds.

Embarrassed, Ginny apologized, giving her a timid smile, and turned around, shoving the trunk and Malfoy into the compartment in all her rage and slamming the sliding door shut.

She sneered at him and sat down.

"Like it or not, Malfoy, I'm not leaving. This train is packed. If you don't want to be around me, then you leave. But that's not my problem." She leaned back and folded her arms across her chest, daring him to try and make her leave again.

"Fine!" He spat at her, and got up. For a moment, Ginny thought he was actually going to leave, but instead he went over to her trunk and threw it up easily to the rack. Glaring daggers at her, he turned back and sat back down, mimicking her gesture and folding his arms.

This is going to be one hell of a trip, Ginny thought to herself before leaning back and focusing her gaze out the window and onto the passing scenery.

--

Ginny didn't know how right she was. The first half of the trip to Hogwarts passed in a very uncomfortable, awkward, deadly silence. The majority of the time she spent gazing longingly out the window, or exchanging harsh insults with Draco.

"Where are your friends anyway? Did Crabbe and Goyle actually grow a brain and learn to walk away from you?"

Draco just sneered at her. "I didn't need them so I told them to leave me alone. Unlike someone, I don't need to rely on friends."

But right as he said that, Blaise Zabini opened the sliding door, and bearing a large grin sauntered over to where Draco sat. He slapped his mate on the back before eyeing the only female in the compartment.

"My, my, Draco. Did you catch this little redhead here?" Ginny kept a wary eye on Blaise, but couldn't help noticing that he at least used a light and joking tone, opposed to Draco's harsher one. She also couldn't help but see him checking her out. Apparently neither did Draco.

"Ugh, Blaise. I thought you had better taste than that! I mean, honestly, blood traitor filth like her? I couldn't even get this scum out of this compartment!" He rolled his eyes as Blaise just continued to inspect her very nice, developing features.

Blaise got up, and walked over to Ginny's side, sitting down beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, squishing her to him.

"Aww, Draco, don't be so harsh. She's a cute blood traitor," He said, rubbing his thumb over her arm. Ginny turned red to the tips of her ears, blushing violently. But she also seemed to be trying very hard to control her temper. Draco seemed to be getting annoyed at his friends actions, and had taken to glaring at Blaise. This only caused Blaise to laugh, and egged him on. He brushed back a strand of Ginny's hair behind her ear, and his thumb that was rubbing her arm slowly slid around more, starting to rub her chest.

Ginny looked as if she was about to blow, but she thought better of it. It was clearly obvious it was making Draco fume, so why not just get him going? She starting giggling like a school girl, and hitched up her skirt a little. Blaise reacted just as she had planned, and started stroking her thigh with his hand. Draco looked away, pretending he didn't see the scene, but a pink blush stood out against his stark white skin.

Blaise caught on quickly with the act, and his hand starting reaching higher and higher up her leg. Ginny groaned out his name in fake pleasure, squirming under his touch, and right when Blaise's hand was about to reach her underwear Draco stood up.

"Enough!" He growled out, yanking Blaise up from his perch beside Ginny, and roughly shoving him down beside himself.

"Aww come on Draco! I was just having a little bit of fun!" He pouted, bashing his wonderfully long eyelashes. His silky black hair got in his way, and he shook his head to get it out.

"Yea 'come on Draco! I was just having a little bit of fun!'" She mimicked Blaise, now smiling openly.

"See Draco? The littlest weasel wants to have some fun. Lets show her a good time!" He winked at Draco, but Draco just scoffed and turned away from his friend.

"I choose not to associate myself with mudblood loving traitors." He snarled.

An uncomfortable silence stole upon them once more, and was interrupted by nothing. Blaise just rolled his dark eyes at his friend and smirked at Ginny.

This really was turning out to be one hell of a trip…just like the fast approaching school year.