(A/N) So as far as I know this is my first Drinny fanfic on this site. Took me long enough. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :)


"What do you mean it's too dangerous for me to come?" She stood there, feet planted in the ground shoulder width apart with her hands firmly on her hips. Her fire engine hair draped over her right shoulder in a low ponytail. Her big, chocolate eyes staring up at him with as much malice as she could muster in that current moment. Ginny Weasley was angry. Not her usual stroppy-teenager-angry but fiercely annoyed. She was overwhelmed with frustration. She could feel the tears beginning to form in her eyes but she willed them not to come, not then. If they rolled down her face then she knew she'd definitely never get the chance to accompany the Golden Trio.

"You're not strong enough for this if you're crying now," they'd say.
"You're needed here."
"You'll be safer here."

She knew what they really wanted to say, she just didn't want to accept it. "We don't need you to come, you'd be better off here." She already knew that, she wasn't dumb. She wasn't going to pretend that the Trio would suddenly be overjoyed by her asking to go. She knew they respected her, as did she them, but she knew that they didn't think she was capable to join.

"Gin." A soft voice spoke to her, snapping her back to reality. His hand reached out for her and he gave her a sad smile. This was the boy she would never say no to. She would always gladly accept any offers he made to her and yet he didn't seem to do the same. He seemed too willing to say no to her. Others could argue that he was only looking out for her. Ginny wanted to believe that. She wanted to believe that so desperately that it hurt her but she couldn't. Not when she knew that she wasn't worthy of being the Chosen One's lover.

"Harry," she replied, changing her look of anger to one of sadness, "It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I understand."

She turned on her heels, she could feel the salty tears eager to stream out of her eyes. She needed to get out of there, she didn't like looking vulnerable at the best of times. After all, she was Ginny Weasley; the fiery red-head female of the clan, sarcastic and humorous, strong and brave. She wouldn't cry, not in front of them. It would make her look weak.

She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She didn't want to turn around and she knew that they weren't going to force her to. They knew that nobody could force her to do anything, there wasn't any point in trying.

"Please just listen to me. Can we talk in private?"

Ginny sighed. She wanted to say no, but she couldn't. Who was she to say no to Harry Potter, the love of her life, the Chosen One, the one everyone was relying on. "Sure."

He ushered her away from Ron and Hermione who tried to look considerate by walking in the opposite direction for a few feet - although Hermione had to half drag Ron away, he was stubborn. He wanted to keep an eye on his best friend and his sister but Hermione wouldn't let him. "Leave them to it, Ronald."

When they had gotten out of ears distance he began to speak. "Look, Gin, you mean a lot to me, you really do. That's why I don't want you coming. I don't want you to get hurt. I know how Voldemort works, I know what he'll do-."

She cut him off. "So do I, Harry! Or have you completely forgotten?"

He looked taken aback. "I remember the Chamber, Ginny, I was the one who came after you, how would I be able to forget it. Since you know how he works that should be enough for you to know why I don't want you around us!"

She couldn't hold it back anymore as a flood began. She didn't even try to hide it. "You don't want me around," she whispered. It was barely audible but loud enough so Harry would hear it. "Go."

"No, Gin, no, that's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Leave me alone, Harry. Just go. Please."

He hesitated for a moment, considering giving the crying girl a hug but he thought against it and walked back to his friends. He knew if he tried to do otherwise he could end up on the end of one of Ginny's infamous Bat-Bogey hexes and word on the street was they weren't pretty.

Ginny walked in the opposite direction. Great, crying in public, how pathetic. She almost hadn't noticed she was heading for a group of people. She almost hadn't noticed that those people didn't realise they were heading for her. She almost didn't notice platinum blonde hair poking out of the top of the crowd.

THUMP

She definitely didn't notice that she walked straight into someone, their books going everywhere. As she stumbled to pick all the things up while trying to avoid to stain them with tears she heard them speak.

"Watch it would you."

"I'm sorry," she said between sniffs, handing the person their books. She wiped her cheeks with her robe sleeve and looked up, taking a step back in disgust. "Oh, Malfoy, what a pleasure."

"You'd wanna mind where you're going, Weaslette," he hissed, not looking at her face.

"Me? ME! You can't just blame me, you obviously weren't looking where you were walking either!" she shouted. She lost her temper very easily. This didn't help the whole trying-not-to-cry-in-public problem as it started again, like a water fountain.

"Shut up, you blood-traitor, I-," he stopped talking when he looked down at her. A shocked expression spread upon his face. "Weasley, stop crying I didn't mean it." He tried to calm down the sobbing girl but to no avail, her sobs weren't going to silence any time soon and people were starting to stare. He sighed in annoyance as he brought the girl over to a quiet part of the hallway.

"Weasley, if I knew I was going to make you cry I wouldn't have said anything."

Ginny scoffed. "You didn't make me cry, don't flatter yourself, you pompous git."

His eyes rounded slightly in surprised, almost smashing his perfectly cold façade he had going on. "I didn't?"

She shook her head.

"Then who? You were fine before you rudely bumped into me."

"No I wasn't. God, you're such an idiot," she muttered. She didn't want to waste any more time in the presence of Mr Malfoy. In a weak attempt to go on her not-so-merry way she tried to push her way past him. This, of course, was useless as he put his hands on her shoulders and kept her from leaving the corridor.

"You're not going anyway, Weasley," he muttered. This girl was frustrating him. "Look, I'm trying to be nice, the least you can do is just let me."

"You? Nice? Don't make me laugh," she glared, although the wet eyes made her signature stare much less menacing.

"Look, I don't just go out of my way to try and help people, it's hard work. But if you want to just pathetically sob through the corridors then suit yourself."

He turned to leave. She didn't know why she did it. She didn't know what came over her but she did it anyway. She yanked on his robe causing him to turn back around and face her. The tears were coming faster now.

"Please, don't go," she whispered.

"And why not?"

She looked into his eyes. "I don't want to be alone." She sniffed.

Draco was conflicted, it would be very unlike him to stay with the sniffling Gryffindor, but it was also unlike him to associate civilly with one which he was already doing. If he was going to do anything, it may as well be now. Besides, it wasn't her he had something against, it was the Golden Trio. She was merely just a side dish to the main course he truly despised.

"Why? Why should I stay?" he asked, looking at her quizzingly.

She didn't know what to say to him. She couldn't come up with an answer to his question. All she knew was she didn't want to be in the state she was in alone. She'd rather be with Malfoy like this than be alone like this. "I don't know."

"That's what I thought," he muttered. He slid down the wall until he was sat on the floor. Ginny looked down at him.

"You're not leaving?"

"Should I?" he said, avoiding her gaze and choosing to look straight ahead at the opposite wall.

"I'd expect you to," she replied honestly. It was the truth. She did expect him to. Never would she expect a Slytherin to stay and chat with her, let alone the blonde idiot sat on the ground next to her now.

"So would I," he said. "But I'm not, so you might as well make yourself comfortable, Weasley." He patted the ground next to him, motioning her to sit down. He could sense she was weary about doing so, even without looking at her. Most people would be. Heck, even his own friends seemed weary about sitting with him. Except for Pansy. He could never get her to leave him alone if he tried. Sure, he considered her a good friend at one point and held some sort of feelings towards her, but now he couldn't be bothered being anywhere near the brunette. He just didn't care for her anymore.

Ginny, eventually, sat down next to him. She didn't want to get too close so she left a good four or five feet between them. Draco looked irritated at the distance and muttered, "I'm not going to bite you, you know."

This caused Ginny to shuffle ever so slightly to the left, not wanted to burst the personal bubbles but not wanted to leave Malfoy offended. She should be overjoyed that he actually stuck around for her, it was something that would more than likely never happen again, she should take advantage.

"Why did you stay?" she asked.

His face screwed up slightly as if he was trying to think of a reply to satisfy the redhead. "I just did, okay. I felt like it. Besides, I couldn't have you running off crying, everyone who saw you with me out there would just assume I was who made you upset."

She nodded at this, but when she realised that he wasn't looking at her she just hummed in understanding.

"So tell me, who made you this upset. It's not everyday someone sees you crying," he turned his face to her. A few small drops rolled down her cheeks but her sobs had been reduced to almost nothing by that point.

"Bloody Harry Potter," she muttered, almost incomprehensibly but he managed to decipher the irritated grumble.

He smirked. "Finally realised what he's like, eh?" He expected her to hit him, but she didn't. She didn't act violent at all. She didn't seem to react at all. The most of a reaction she gave was folding her arms across her body as if she was trying to hug herself. "What happened?"

And it was then that Ginny Weasley spilled her heart open to the person who was supposed to be her enemy. She spilled her heart to the pompous git sat next to her who, surprisingly, didn't mock or laugh like she'd imagine he would. She spilled her heart to the blonde boy in her company who didn't judge her and make snide comments. She spilled her heart to Draco Malfoy. And she didn't know why.