I know this chapter has no Draco/Ginny interaction, but it is important for the story line. Next one will be from Draco's POV, so stay on alert for updates!

Hugs to all those who reviewed, specially veronica21! Do tell me what you all think of the Blaise/Ginny friendship.

The next morning, Ginny woke up earlier than planned. After freshening up, she put on a short robe over her tank top and denim shorts and decided to visit the owlery. It had been a while since she had written to Fred and George, and she missed them terribly. Breakfast wouldn't be served till an hour atleast, so she had to pass her time somehow.

The common room looked like it was still empty as she got out of her dormitory, but as she walked by she heard a slight snore coming from near the fireplace. Craning her neck, she saw Dean Thomas sprawled on the couch infront of the fireplace with one arm over his eyes and another hanging from edges. A heavy book lied on his chest with a few parchments and a quill scattered on the floor infront of him. He must've gotten up to study sometime during the night.

Her heart clenched with guilt. It had been very hard for her to break up with him. They had had a rather a good thing going on, but she had to end things. Her conscience wouldn't let her keep dating him after she got the Mark. She was tainted, cursed and he was such a sweet and understanding boy. Even now, he was polite and cordial to her. Considering the reason she had given him for breaking up was "It's just not working for me", she felt shame everytime he smiled at her.

Sighing, she walked away from the sight of Dean and got out of the portrait hole. There was no point in reliving the past. What had happened has happened, there was no going back. She was a slave to a monster and she had to do what was necessary to keep her sanity.

The owlery was situated at the tallest tower of the castle. By the time Ginny could hear the hoots of the owls, she was panting. Grabbing a few owl treats from a nearby barrel, she went inside to look for Nyx, her owlet. It was easy to spot the little ball of energy. Nyx was as black as a raven, with neon green eyes and a bronze beak. It had been a gift from the twins on Ginny's 15th birthday. When it spotted it's mistress, it flew down with surprising speed for such a tiny creature and perched on her shoulder with a happy hoot.

"I'm glad to see you too, pretty birdy." Ginny crooned to Nyx with a smile and some treats.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Startled, Ginny jumped and turned towards the speaker. She couldn't help but grin a little when she saw who it was. Blaise Zabini was leaning against the door to the owlery with his arms crossed over his chest. Dressed in a grey polo tshirt and faded jeans with his black hair slightly disheveled, he looked like a Greek god. He was smiling slightly and it made a small dimple appear on his left cheek. Even though he was just a friend, she couldn't help but appreciate his looks.

"Well hello there, stranger." said Ginny.

If someone had told her she'd be friends with Blaise Zabini 4 months ago, she would've referred that person to St. Mungo's. But it was true, they really were friends.

Flashback:

It had been a month after she had gotten her mark. She couldn't eat or sleep properly or concentrate on her studies, always thinking about the Mark on her back and where she went and what she had to do, when it burned. Ron was concerned, but not knowing how to make Ginny feel any better, he owled Fred and George about her condition. When she got their letter, she wrote her heart out on a parchment and had gone up to the owlery to send her reply. But she just couldn't tie her letter to Nyx's leg.

Voldemort had warned her he would kill whoever she told about her mark to. However secretive she tried to be, she knew he would find out eventually. Fear and hopelessness crashed down on her at that moment and she cried while petting Nyx's head. Just then, Blaise Zabini walked inside the owlery and stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He was a Slytherin and Ginny was prepared for a mocking comment at her weakened and pitiful state, when all he said was, "Are you alright?"

Slightly shocked, she just nodded and was about to leave when Nyx hooted and pecked at her neck, demanding a few treats before she left. Not really wanting to be in the Slytherin's company, but knowing how cranky Nyx could get when refused treats, she took some and held them up on her palm to feed Nyx.

"You've got a beautiful owl. What breed is it?" asked Zabini after a few moments of silence.

Surprised at the fact that he was making conversation with her, it took Ginny a few seconds to reply.

"I'm not sure. It was a gift from my brothers."

"Ah, I see." was all he said. He then took out a blue envelope from his trouser pocket and walked around to look for his owl.

The polite thing to do would be to ask him a few questions in return, but Ginny felt unsure about that. It wasn't everyday a Slytherin queried after the well being of a Gryffindor. She honestly had no idea why he had even tried to small talk with her. Confused and slightly uncomfortable, she cleared her throat and decided to just leave.

"Arent you going to send your letter?" he asked all of a sudden.

"Huh? How did you even know I didn't send it yet?" Ginny became suspicious then. Was he upto something?

"I saw you put it inside your pocket when I came in." he said with a shrug.

"Why do you care whether I send my letter or not Zabini?" She couldn't help but be a bit mean. It just didn't seem right that he was trying to have a proper conversation with her. Heck, she wasn't even sure he knew her name!

A flicker of annoyance flashed in his eyes. Then his face became blank and he said in a cold voice, "I don't care Weasley. I was trying to be polite. Obviously, you don't feel inclined to return the gesture."

Ginny had expected a scathing remark, as was expected from any other Slytherin, but not what he had said. It actually made her feel a bit ashamed. She certainly had better manners than that, but how was she to believe that Blaise Zabini didn't have an ulterior motive in talking to her. So she decided to speak her mind.

"Honestly, what did you expect? You're not acting like a typical Slytherin, you're actually talking to me. A Gryffindor, and a Weasley at that. Would you really blame me for thinking you have a motive behind it?"

He stared at her for almost a minute, making her flush a bit under his scrutinizing gaze. Then he sighed and started walking towards the door of the owlery.

"No, I wouldn't blame you for thinking that. And I just expected you to not behave like a typical Gryffindor, since I'm clearly not being a 'typical Slytherin'."

The way he said that, like he was disappointed with her words, oddly made her feel like a major bitch. It was unbelievable that Blaise Zabini thought differently of her from the rest of her house. It wouldn't hurt to apologize to him for her uncalled behavior, but then again, he was a snake. Snakes knew how to manipulate people to their own advantages. She had learned about that first hand. Calling herself ten different kinds of fools, she made up her mind and called out to him.

"Zabini, wait!"

Nyx flew off her shoulder as she jogged towards Zabini's retreating back. He didn't stop, just slowed his pace down the stairs. Trying to talk while walking down a spiraled staircase was bound to make Ginny's head spin. So she grabbed the hem of his shirt and stopped him.

"Look, I want you to know, I'm not usually as rude as I was back there. You just surprised me by being so polite. I mean, Merlin knows if your house mates ever found out, they'd make your life miserable!"

"I'm not scared of my house mates, Weasley." said Zabini, looking offended.

"I didn't say you were. I just meant-"

"I know what you meant." he said dismissively. "Let me tell you something, and hear me well because I think it would do you good."

They were at the bottom of the staircase with him on the floor and Ginny on the second last step. He turned and stepped up, so that they were the same height and only a step apart. With a slightly serious look, he said, "Remember, darkness does not always equate to evil, just like light does not always bring good." With that, he walked away, leaving a stunned Ginny standing on the stairs with her mouth hanging open.

After that, they exchanged a few words everytime they met in the corridors or in the Great Hall. Then one day, he helped her out with a Transfiguration homework which had been troubling her a lot. They stayed in the library, talking about random things from school work to Quidditch to what kind of books they liked. Blaise Zabini was nothing like Ginny had expected. Sure, he was proud of the fact that he was a pureblood and he was cunning and manipulative. But he wasn't prejudiced. Ginny also found out that he was a gentleman, as he walked her to the portrait hole one night when they had lost track of time in the library and it had gotten close to curfew.

"Thanks for helping me with that essay, Zabini. I would've gotten such a bad grade if you didn't correct my mistakes." she said with a grateful smile.

"You know, considering how many times we've ended up chatting in the library, I think we could be on a first name basis now." he said with a slight drawl to his words.

Laughing a little, she nodded. "Goodnight…Blaise."

"Not that I'm not delighted to be in your company or something, but breakfast will be served in half an hour. I don't know about you, but I'm terribly hungry." said Blaise.

"Damn, I better go and change so that I can make it to the Hall early." said Ginny, patting Nyx's head one last time before taking Blaise's offered arm and walking down the staircase.

Since her life had turned upside down, the only people who made her feel remotely at peace were Fred and George, and Blaise. He was so easygoing and sensible, and he used just the right words to make her forget about her troubles. The best thing about him was that he barely asked questions. If he wanted to know something from her, he'd just wait till she told him; otherwise he wouldn't bother with it. That suited her just fine.

"Would you mind waiting for me outside the Hall?" asked Ginny as they walked down the corridor leading towards the Fat Lady.

Surprised, Blaise looked down at her. "Are you sure about that?"

"Ofcourse I'm sure about that. But is it ok with you?" Ginny bit her lip as she waited for his reply. For some reason, she didn't want to enter the Great Hall alone. She knew his house mates didn't approve of him talking to her so much. Neither did her ones, but they knew saying that out loud would only make her angry. Seeing them together never failed to annoy the Gryffindors, and the Slytherins just kept their mouth shut because apparently, Blaise was someone of importance.

But obviously not someone of influence. That spot is only reserved for Malfoy.

Surprised and slightly agitated at the turn her thoughts had taken, she shook her head. Where had that come from?

"You know it is ok with me, Ginny. I was just surprised because you've never asked me to do something like that before." replied Blaise, bringing Ginny out of her musings.

"Well, there's always a first for everything." she said with a slightly shaky laugh. To be honest, the reason she didn't want to be alone unless it was totally necessary was because of Malfoy. She didn't want a repeat performance of yesterday night. Just thinking about it made her shiver.

"Hey, I'll be there, right outside the door. Don't be late though." said Blaise, giving her a reassuring smile and walking away.

Giving the password to the Fat Lady, Ginny climbed through the portrait hole into the common room. Most of the 5th and 6th years were up, as were a couple of 7th years. Among them was the Golden Trio. Her heart clenched as it always did whenever she saw Harry, Ron or Hermione. She had distanced herself from them in the past 6 months or so.

How I wish I could just disappear.

They hadn't noticed her yet, so she ran towards the girl's dorm, hoping none of them would see her. Even though she missed their company at times, she knew she was doing the right thing. Changing into the uniform, she combed her hair and was about to leave when Hermione walked in. She had been Ginny's closest friend and confidante once, but all had changed after she had gotten the Mark.

"Hey Ginny, going for breakfast?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah." was all Ginny replied back with, hurriedly getting out of the dorm. Knowing Hermione, she'd ask her questions about how she was feeling and what she had been upto. She really didn't think she could deal with all that. She also didn't want to keep Blaise waiting.

As he had promised, Blaise was waiting outside the Great Hall, chatting with a younger Ravenclaw girl who was looking at him flirtatiously. Ginny rolled her eyes at that. Girls couldn't resist his charm and looks even if they tried. He had once admitted it to her that one of the reasons he liked her company was because she wasn't interested in him in more than a friendly way.

"Ah Ginny, there you are." he said when he noticed her. Turning to the Ravenclaw girl, he smiled and said "Well, I'll see you around, love." Ginny smirked at that. If Blaise called a girl 'love' it meant he found her horribly boring.

"Ready to make an entrance?" he said, offering her his arm and putting on a smug look as he steered her towards the Hall.

Rolling her eyes again, Ginny said, "Really Blaise, does anything ever faze you?"

"Not if I can help it." he replied back with a wink.

Arm in arm, they walked inside the Great Hall. At once, Ginny felt a prickling sensation, as if someone was watching her intensely. They were halfway through and it was time for her to walk towards the Gryffindor table, so she patted Blaise's arm and asked him to meet her later by the lake. As she sat down, she felt the prickling sensation again.

Merlin, I'm becoming so paranoid. But then again, I guess it's justified.

Sighing, she filled her mug with pumpkin juice and buttered her toast. She felt someone sit beside her, and turned to see Harry scowling at her plate. He really was like one of brothers now. The time when she used to have a crush on him, the time when she was an innocent little girl, seemed so far away.

"You should eat more, Gin. We have Quidditch season coming up." said Harry.

She had bigger things to worry about than her health and Quidditch, but ofcourse Harry didn't know that. With an indifferent shrug, she went back to nibbling her toast. Ron and Hermione sat down infront of them, and the boys started talking about Quidditch strategies. Hermione was nose deep in some book. Not bothering to acknowledge her either of them, she ate quietly. Again, she felt that prickling sensation.

"Umm, Ginny?" Harry's voice made her look at him, to see him staring forward. "Why is Malfoy looking at you like he wants to set you on fire?"