Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters in this story except for additional members of the Weasley family. So please don't sue, J.K. Rowling.

Note: I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to take this long writing this fanfic! Unfortunately, school and Christmas shopping always go first before fanfictions. In the future, don't hesitate to make one of those stop-being-a-lazy-bum-and-finish-the-#$ing-story comments.

Chapter 3

Bill instinctively took a step in front of Ginny, blocking her from any potential hexes he believed Draco may attempt on her. Both Fred and George pulled out their wands instantaneously and pointed them at the intruder while Tonks leapt out of bed, wand at the ready. Draco made no move to protect himself whatsoever.

"Twelve o'clock," he repeated, motioning to the young woman who stood behind her eldest brother. "Don't you remember when I set the date this morning?" A wide smirk began to take form on his face. "Or shall I help you remember the details of that event?"

This was clearly enough to make her leap out from behind Bill and snarl,

"You wouldn't."

"Your family, not mine," he said silkily. For a moment Ginny looked as if she might throw something, but strode up to her foe, making a point to avoid the stares of disbelief that she received from her family and Tonks. "I'll have her back in an hour," he promised.

"The hell you will," George growled, and a stream of blue flames emitted from his wand directly at Draco. Unfortunately, the young blond man had already taken her by the waist and apparated out of the house.

--

"Get up, Weasley," Draco sneered once she found herself on the ground of an unfamiliar place. She obeyed him and looked around. They appeared to be in a dark alley with some of the most suspicious people she'd ever seen pass her by, each person giving her a look of slight disgust.

"Where are we?" she questioned. "I thought you said we were going to—"

"I lied," he said curtly. "Welcome to Knockturn Alley." Ginny stared at Draco, a great loathing in her eyes.

"I hate you." Draco gave her the same spine-chilling smile he had given her earlier that day.

"You don't mean that. Without me, you'd probably be dead in this part of Diagon Alley." Ginny involuntarily shivered and took a step closer to Draco, who was inwardly enjoying her terror. "We're getting lunch at the Dragon's Jaw. It's at the end of the alley," he told her. "Take my hand." Ginny stared.

"What?"

"Anyone could snatch you up without my knowing," he explained. "You could easily be killed or raped or—"

"You enjoy torturing me, don't you?" she hissed as she grasped his cool hand in hers.

"I didn't realize how uncomfortable you were until I noticed how your hand is shaking," he said truthfully. "This date is going better than expected." Ginny grimaced.

"Why do you want to see me if you've already got Parkinson?"

"You're prettier," Draco replied. Ginny stopped walking, catching him by surprise.

"What did you say?" He rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me repeat it. I'm not one to give compliments."

"Have you ever said anything like that to Parkinson?"

"Everything I say to her is something she deserves." Ginny watched the young man's face go from stoic to a cruel smirk. She guessed that he was recollecting a moment where he had said something particularly nasty to her. To Ginny's surprise, a strange expression of what appeared to be fear came over his face. He squeezed her hand and whispered into her ear, "Let's go."

Before she knew it, she felt as if a hook was pulling her back from the back of her navel; a sensation that always made her feel a bit nauseous.

Once the spinning stopped, she found herself on the floor in a sitting room of what looked like an old abandoned home. Spiders made their home in the cobwebs on the broken armchair, patched sofa, and table that threatened to collapse at any moment. Dust collected on the bookshelves that appeared to completely cover every inch of wall.

Before she could say a single word, Draco explained himself.

"I saw a Death Eater looking for me." Ginny's eyes widened.

"Why are they after you?" Draco leaned in toward her as if someone were watching them at that very moment.

"Just because the Dark Lord is dead doesn't mean that his followers aren't still doing his business," he said in a hushed voice. Ginny decided that this would be a long story, so she took a seat on the sofa. "After the Dark Lord was killed, all the Death Eaters scattered. All the wizards with a bit of common sense escaped and took on normal lives. The true followers clumped together and continued to do evil deeds. Now they're trying to recruit the former Death Eaters and create a new cult that's more inescapable than the Dark Lord's. Now they're trying—"

"To drag you in," Ginny finished.

"Precisely."

"So where are we now?" she asked, looking around the dilapidated house.

"Must seem like a mansion to you, doesn't it?" Draco said with a smirk. Ginny rolled her eyes and stood up to look around the room. "Don't touch anything. There are several dark objects in this place," he warned.

"I appreciate your concern, Malfoy," Ginny said as she fingered through one of the bookshelves and retrieved a random book. It was a tattered old thing with a thin cloth cover and old yellowing pages. Its binding was torn in several places and clumsily slapped back together with what appeared to be the white sticky substance muggles used to keep things together.

"Why must you Weasleys always be so stubborn?" Draco growled from directly behind her. She ignored him and opened the book to its first crinkled page.

"It's a diary," she said with vague surprise.

"Don't you remember the last time you handled one of those?" Ginny made a face at him and pushed past him, making her way to the sofa. Draco took a seat next to her as she began to read.

July 17th

Found you in an alleyway, I did. Mother told me to put you down, but I slipped you in my robes anyway. So I suppose that you are mine now, Journal. I may not know your history, but I believe you have gone through enough to learn about myself. You may call me the Prince. I think the name suits me well; it's certainly better than the disgraceful name my mother gave me. Even Father finds it revolting.

October 19th

I think I may be going crazy, Journal. Every night I'm having the same dream. I'm swimming in a pond filled with water lilies and I see a figure at the very bottom. Then suddenly I'm swimming and swimming toward it like my life depends on it. And then I'm at the bottom of the pond, staring her in the face. She's so unbelievably beautiful with her scarlet hair flowing around her and her red-and-gold robes drifting against her body. Merlin, I want to hold her to myself and just stay there forever. But as soon as I come close enough to touch, her eyes open and she speaks, "James."

January 21st

I understand now. I know the reason why I keep dreaming about her. I know why I'm always working on one potion or another to remind myself of her. And finally I realize why I can't stop thinking about her. I'm in love. It's a pity it took me until fourth year to figure that out.

"Who used to live in this house, Malfoy?" she asked him. No response came. Ginny turned around to find Draco at the window staring out into the blue sky, a dazed look across his face. She strode up to him and looked into his pale eyes.

"You'll be staying here for the night," he told her without taking his eyes off the cloudy landscape. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"Maybe for a few days if things get really bad." He pulled his traveling cloak further up on his shoulders. "Don't leave this house while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" From behind a bookshelf Draco retrieved a broom.

"If I told you," he said as he opened the front door, "you'd follow me." Without another word, he was gone in a flash, going faster on a broom than she had ever seen Harry.

She reached into her robes to retrieve her wand.

"Must've left it at Mum's," she mumbled angrily after several minutes of searching. Ginny threw herself onto the couch and decided to do some recreational reading while he was gone.

February 14th

I never cared much for popularity. I don't want a fancy house or a nice broom. New things mean nothing to me. I wouldn't even mind if I failed all my classes. But the one and only thing I've ever wanted was her love. And he couldn't even spare me that. He could have anyone in Hogwarts. Any girl would be happy to be the one on his arm. But he just had to take the one person I loved. I've loved her for the past two years. Two full years of constantly trying to catch her attention. Two years of becoming a shy, babbling idiot whenever she walked by. Two years of dreaming of her every night and wishing that I'd never wake. The list goes on forever. But for some strange reason, all he has to do is wink and smile and she's his. What a great Valentine's day this is turning out to be.

February 18th

I swear that Bellatrix is trying to drive me insane. These past four days have been hell for me. Every time I'd walk through the hallways and see that boy's face I want to kill him from taking her from me. Sleep was contorted into a series of twisting nightmares until waking into the equally miserable world. And now Cissy tells me that what her sister told me was a lie. Lily isn't going out with him. I think this is life's way of telling me that I finally have a chance.

February 20th

If I could go back in time I would. Maybe I might have just stayed clear of Potter and his little followers the day that they flipped me upside down. Or maybe I might have chosen not to call her a Mudblood.

March 9th

Black knows. She knows. And she's going to tell. Just because I'm closer to her dear sisters than she is doesn't give her a reason to hate me. But nonetheless she's made a goal to destroy my life, and she's doing a pretty good job of it.

March 10th

I wish Black would die. Both her and her sorry cousin. For the first time I saw the two actually talking to each other and laughing as well during breakfast. At first I found it just odd, but the moment they glanced at me I knew something was gravely wrong. Hell is coming, Journal. With fantasies of my humiliation and a toothy demonic grin, hell is coming.

March 13th

And hell has arrived in the form of a disgustingly handsome boy and his crew. And, of course, Bellatrix Black. The five of them approached me during lunch, conveniently when Lily was directly behind me. They all found a way to squeeze in on either side of me at the lonely corner where I usually sat. And then they let me have it. Several below-the-belt punches of untruthful fantasies they made up for me about myself and Lily. A few hexes and curses later, Lily eventually stood up in fury and humiliation and told me that she—

"Weasley," a distant voice snapped. "Wake up." Ginny felt a sharp poke at her side. Her tired eyes traveled up to the face that hovered over her and the object he possessed.

"My wand!" she squealed with delight as she tore the slim stretch of wood from his hand. "How'd you make it past my family?" Curiosity mixed with disbelief was evident in her tone.

"Who said I had to get past anyone? They were out looking for you." He smirked at his final sentence, "But I left a note."

"Oh, Lord…"

" 'Dear Weasleys, Don't worry. Your daughter is safe in my care. That is, unless you consider hiding out in a deserted house for the purpose of complete privacy for God knows what safe. Anyhow, I'll have her back in a few days at the most. Or the least. Depends on what takes place in this lonesome little cottage. We may want a bit more time. But never fear; I'm sure she's having the time of her life. Sincerely, Draco Malfoy'."

Ginny gave him a fiery punch on the chest and slap across the face. He flinched, but refused to moan despite the bruise that was beginning to take form on both body parts.

"You're sick," she hissed as she pulled her arm back for another slap.

And he let her do it. Over and over again. To Draco, this couldn't hold a candle against what he endured as a Death Eater. In fact, pain was now a distant prick which was a constant reminder of the life he had once led. And that was the only thing making him flinch with every strike.

"Well?!" she screamed several blows later, her original spark of anger flaming into fury. "Aren't you going to fight back, you coward?" He grasped her wrist when it was only a few inches from his face and wrenched it downward, causing her to gasp in shock.

"Don't. I may be everything else you call me, but I'm not a coward," he said in a voice so quiet that she had to strain to hear. She opened her mouth to say something snarky and Malfoyesque, but something in his eyes made her vote against it.

"I'm sorry," Ginny heard herself say.

"You should be."

For a moment the two did nothing but look at one another, her wrist clasped between his fingers and palm.

"So what did you figure out about the diary?" Draco said, breaking the silence with a sudden change of subject.

"Well," Ginny began as she reached for the diary, "I haven't found much." Her slight movement caused her wrist to slip out of his grip. He did not, however, let go of her; he held her hand now. She didn't seem to take notice to this and continued to speak. "He knew your aunt, Bellatrix. Apparently he didn't like her much. Oh, and he knew her sister, Cissy. Is that your mother? Anyway, he hates Harry's dad. He keeps taking this guy's girlfriend, Lily. Or maybe his crush. I dunno. But any way you look at it, this boy's got a really unnatural obsession with this Lily girl. Oh, where did I hear that name? Lily, I mean. It's so familiar. Oh well, I'm sure that's not important. I'm still not sure of his name, but—"

"You talk a lot." Ginny frowned. He shrugged. "Well it's true."

"You asked me a question and I'm answering it. You don't have a reason to be an ass about me talking." He gave her another shrug.

"It's ok. I like when you talk."

"What?"

"I like the way your lips move when you talk." Ginny was suddenly aware that he held her hand. He gave her a sly smirk. "It's very sexy if you ask me."

"What?" His smirk disappeared.

"I told you that I don't repeat compliments, Weasley." She looked into his eyes to ensure that his words were not some sort of sick joke. It wasn't. His pale eyes were perfectly honest about the situation.

"How long am I going to be here with you?"

"Until tomorrow morning. Do you want to stay longer?" Ginny didn't know what to say. Saying yes would give him the impression that he had her in the palm of his hand, she thought to herself. But a no may take him away from her forever. And I definitely want to see him again. Do I? He looked at her for an answer. Dammit Gin, think of something!

"Do you want me to stay longer?" You. Are. An. Idiot.

"Why not? You're a bit annoying, but I'm getting used to you. Maybe I'm even getting a little attached." Ginny laughed.

"A little?" She lifted up her hand, revealing that he still had his own wrapped around it. "I beg to differ." Draco shook his hand away.

"If you knew me, you'd understand that that is a little attached."

She seemed almost amused. "What would you consider more than a little attached?"

"Well, there's this," he said as he took her by the waist and dragged her across the sofa so she nearly bumped into his crossed legs. "Hell, that's barely a friend."

"Oh really?"

Draco pulled her further in so she sat in his lap with her legs at either side of his hips. Ginny couldn't help but lean toward him more than she needed to. Seeing her reaction, Draco smiled and moved his face no more than an inch away from her.

"Want me to show you a lover?"