I committed myself to getting another chapter in tonight. And I succeeded. Except now I'm dead tired, my neck is killing me, and my fingers are numb from the cold. Yay for freezing nights in dorm rooms with little heat. Oh well, I felt I owed you another one so I typed this up in a hurry. And if you're all extra good, I'll hurry to type up the next chapter. (It's got some steamy goodness smushed into it for viewer enjoyment. Unless, of course, you aren't a Draco/Ginny fan. In which case…cover your eyes. xD )

Musical Inspiration: "Oh Star" - Paramore

"Alright, Ginerva, what's the key ingredient to making Veritaserum?" Malfoy asked casually, followed by silence. "Ginerva, are you even paying attention?" More silence. He grumbled, got to his feet, strode across the room and stopped at his bed were the redhead lay on her back, her hair dangling to the floor and her emerald eyes glued to the ceiling. He towered over her, his irritation apparent on his pale face as he waved a large hand in front of her. She blinked, redirecting her gaze to his icy blue eyes.

"Sorry, did you say something?" she asked obliviously.

He growled again and narrowed his cold stare, "Honestly, Ginerva-"

"Ginny," she corrected.

"Fine. Ginny, then." his voice was dangerously low, "why the bloody hell would you ask for my help and then ignore me entirely when I give you just that?! I refuse to waste my time!"

She narrowed her eyes back at him, "Sorry, but studying from a Potions book isn't exactly what I had in mind. Being a bookworm isn't the kind of change I'm looking for."

"You want power? Well the only way to get it is to learn, practice, and study. If you want respect as an individual then you need power. It's a cycle, Ginny. If you want your aspirations to become reality then you have to start at the bottom and work for it. It is the only way." he explained, his voice stern.

She remained quiet for a minute, letting his words fully sink in. Eventually, she sighed and sat up, turning to face him, her red locks pooling around her face. "Fine," she began, "I'll try harder. I know my marks need improvement. Everyone always writ me off as an unintelligent waste of space because of my family, I gave up trying. I suppose I'll have to actually give it some effort now. You're right…no one can possibly respect a moron."

He nodded and flipped open the sixth year Potions book, handing it to her while fighting back a smirk, "Potions is challenging but with proper dedication it could save your life one day. Knowing antidotes and such by heart is a key to survival. Dark wizards do like to poison their rivals every now and then. If you do gain the respect you're after, you will also no doubt have many enemies."

"Like the Dark Lord?" she asked, "He had many loyal followers, but just as many enemies."

He didn't respond right away. He simply sat there and observed the girl in front of him. He analyzed her statement from every angle. She hadn't sounded bitter, angry, or even cheerful as most did when they brought up Lord Voldemort, now that he was gone. It was as though she were merely discussing the weather, like talking about him was easy. "Yes," he replied slowly, "just like that. But, of course, you won't be a Dark witch, so the odds of being poisoned are stacked against you. Good witches and wizards hardly resort to poison; they feel they're too noble to resort to such a simple solution."

Ginny nodded, her green eyes flickering down to his black silk blanket, she considered remaining silent but felt she owed him the truth, at the very least. Or part of it. "I'm not afraid of Dark magic, Draco." She had never said his name before, it felt strange, more intimate, but she liked the way it rolled off her tongue. "I was exposed to it as a child, and I accepted it. I…I liked it, though I know I shouldn't have. It made me feel safe. I knew it made me unique." she shrugged.

He was surprised by the turn their conversation was taking, but he didn't let it show, "The diary?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes flew up to meet his, she spoke slowly, "Yes. I don't care what Harry or Dumbledore or anyone else said. I know Tom wasn't going to kill me. Our minds were connected, his thoughts were mine and mine were his. I knew who he was from the beginning, I knew his plans, but I wasn't afraid. I wasn't being used. I wanted to help him."

Her confession had Draco's mind reeling. "You knew he was the Dark Lord and still wanted to help?" he asked, surprised, but impressed nevertheless, "Didn't you almost die from that connection?"

She smiled nervously, her eyes glittering as she shared her deepest darkest secret about the happiest time in her young life, "He never intended to kill me. Tom just wanted to use some of my power to create a physical form for himself. Afterwards he could have regenerated his own magical energy and would have broken our connection, but Harry found us before Tom could finish creating his body. He was running out of time. I told him to take more of my power so he wouldn't be completely defenseless. There was no way Harry would ever have understood. I didn't want to…to lose the one person who ever made me feel like I belonged, like there was something special about me after all, something worthy of respect. I was unconscious, but not dying. No, I was far from death."

"Tom planned to take me with him once he was revived, so had had me make it look as though I'd been taken to the Chamber by force. We had to make it look as though I would die there, where no one would ever find me. If people found out I was still alive when I was with him, the Ministry could easily find us when I used magic, being underage. If they thought I was dead, however, they wouldn't be looking for my magical trace. It was such a brilliant plan. Tom really was gifted. However…we never planned on Harry. He'd been the first person ever to find the entrance to the Chamber on their own. He ruined everything. He always does…"

"That…explains a lot." his voice was quiet.

"It does?" she asked, curious.

He nodded, "You refer to him as the Dark Lord, like the rest of his followers. No one else shows him respect but us -" he stopped abruptly, his eyes going wide for a brief moment, realizing what he'd said so carelessly, without a second thought.

Ginny giggled in amusement at his abrupt pause, "What's wrong, Draco? You look as though you've seen a Banshee!"

"I…uh…" he stumbled before clearing his throat and averting his gaze, "Nothing."

She smirked teasingly, raising her thin red brows in disbelief, "Draco, did you honestly believe that I didn't know you were a Death Eater? Sure, the trio has their suspicions, but I've known since the day you took the oath." she explained, reaching out and taking his hand in her cautiously. He looked at her with panic in his eyes and curiosity written all over his face.

"How can you possibly know that?"

She shrugged again, "I can sense it, from the Dark Mark I suppose. I must be more attuned to it than most, likely due to the connection I once held with the Dark Lord."

She turned his left hand over so his palm was face up and undid his silver cufflink. She slid his crisp white sleeve up his arm slowly, her eyes never leaving his. She didn't need to see it to know it was there. She could feel it as though it had its own pulse. There, tattooed on his forearm, was the Dark Mark. Tom's mark. The mark of the Dark Lord. The corners of her lips twitched slightly before turning up into a smile.

A/N: Yays! Two in one night! Off to bed now…maybe I can get a whole eight hours of sleep in. R&R to get the juicy goodness of the next chapter! Please? ^-^