Summary: After a chance run in with Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley finds herself getting past the prejudices the wizarding world had instilled within her. As the Golden Trio run off to save the day, the littlest Weasley undergoes many changes...

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the greatly talented J.K. Rowling. The plot is inspired from her works, and I take no claim to her genius. These characters are borrowed and I hope I can do Rowling's literary genius some justice.

Author's Notes: I am constantly revising the posted chapters and correcting continuity mistakes. Names and other seemingly 'trivial' things had been overlooked, but are now being corrected.


Chapter 1 – A Ride on the Hogwarts Express

Ginevra Weasley was annoyed. She was searching for an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express in which she could sit and ponder the upcoming school year.

Walking down the corridors, she peered into some compartments, recognizing many familiar faces.

To her left was a group of Ravenclaw sixth-years, one of whom she recognized as Luna Lovegood, otherwise known as "Loony Luna."

Walking ahead of her were Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, laughing and exchanging summer holiday stories.

She continued on her search for an empty compartment. On her right, she saw Neville Longbottom just settling into his compartment with her brother, Ronald, and his friends Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger. Not wanting to spend the train ride with the 'Golden Trio', she hurried past their door, slipping by unnoticed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny spotted a seemingly empty compartment at the far right of the train corridor. She quickly opened the door and seated herself on the bench, shoving her trunk on the bench opposite her.

"Bloody hell, watch where you're shoving that thing," said a currently invisible, and obviously male, someone.

Ah, Ginny thought, bloody perfect. There is someone under an invisibility cloak in here and I just had to pick this compartment. Bugger…

"Well, don't just sit there, girl, move your things before I make you move them!"

Realization dawned on Ginny. "Malfoy? Draco Malfoy? Why, pray tell, are you sitting in an empty compartment under an invisibility cloak?"

Draco pulled off the cloak as Ginny asked her question, all the while keeping a steady gaze on his intruder. His telltale smirk was plastered on his face with great disdain.

"Well, if you must know, I'm hiding from that slag of a girl, Parkinson. Well, that is if you can even call her a girl…" He drawled. "She seems to have taken a liking to me and I, for one, am not about to stick around to see where that leads. Have you seen how heavy she's gotten since 4th year?"

Why in the world is Malfoy, of all people, talking to me about his love life, wondered the confused redheaded witch.

"That's nice and all, Ferret, but that doesn't explain why you were sitting here hiding from the world with your cloak! You shouldn't have made it seem like this place was empty if you didn't want people barging in and shoving things on you!"

"I… Err... Bloody hell, Weaselette, enough with questions." Flustered, he seemed to be at a loss for words in an attempt to cover up his true motives for being where he was.

Over the course of summer holiday, Draco had been in hiding after the events of the previous school year. In his sixth year at Hogwarts, he had been in the Dark Lord's good graces, but after failing his most important mission, Lord Voldemort was fuming and had ordered Draco's death.

The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had been his murder target, but when he failed in his task, Professor Severus Snape, his Head of House and mentor, had stepped in and done the job for him. Unbeknownst to Draco, Professor Snape had made an oath to his mother that he would protect Draco and keep him from harm's way.

Severus had gone into hiding with Draco and his mother after these events, and it had been a gruelling time for all of them. At the summer's end, the professor had sent an owl to the Order of the Phoenix explaining what had happened and asking that they allow Draco Malfoy to return to the school under their protection. He was allowed entry to the school once more, but the new headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, put him under strict limitations.

Even though he had not murdered anyone or even had the dark mark on his arm, he was still thought to be a dangerous wizard and was to be watched carefully once on school grounds.

Draco appeared sickly and fatigued; a result of constant stress and worry over the past month or so. This was no change from how he had looked last year; he was obviously not well.

Draco looked closely at Ginny. 'The Weaselette actually looks concerned. Why is she not afraid of me after the hell I put everyone through last year? Does she not know how far into the Death Eater ranks I was meant to rise?'

"Weasley, I can't believe we're even having this conversation, let alone any conversation… Why are you not afraid of me? Walking onto this train, all I got were gasps and stares from just about everyone! How can it be that you're sitting across from me, with not even an expression of fear on your face?"

Ginny simply shrugged, "I'm not everyone." The fiery red head unfastened her cloak and placed it on the seat beside her in an attempt to show Malfoy that she had no intention of fleeing. She was trying her hardest to appear cool and collected. She was not afraid of Draco Malfoy and she would show him no sign of weakness. She was truly a Gryffindor to the core; bravery was her middle name.

A Gryff and a Slytherin, sharing a compartment and conversation! What is the world coming to? Ginny wondered to herself.

Ginny knew that behind his excuse about hiding from that Parkinson 'girl' was a deeper reason, something that he was not willing to share with the likes of her. That was all right, considering she did not really care one way or the other what he was doing there, just as long as they would go their separate ways once they arrived at Hogwarts.

The rest of the train ride was spent in awkward silence. Ginny stared out the window most of the time, and Draco had been quietly, but fervently, scribbling away in a journal.

Occasionally, when someone would walk by their compartment, he would throw the invisibility cloak over himself in an attempt to hide. This was a sure-fire sign to Ginny that he had been covering up something in their earlier conversation.

As the train pulled to a stop at the Hogwarts station, they both donned their school robes, one with a Slytherin Badge, the other with a Gryffindor one. Despite the time spent together, nothing had changed between them; they were still so very different.