Author's Note: Thankyou to every one who has read this so far, to all reviewers and people who have added me to their alerts or favourites, it means a lot! Hope you like this chapter, its longer and i really enjoyed writing it.

--

When Draco got back to Hogwarts it was the early hours of the morning, his nerves were shot, all he really wanted was coffee and sleep, or maybe something stronger than coffee. But instead he had to sit and recount everything to Dumbledore.

By the time he had finished with Dumbledore it was nearly breakfast and Malfoy was fit to collapse. But he knew, as he walked into the great hall, that he wouldn't rest until he'd found her and talked to her. His tired eyes swept the Griffindor table, upon finding her he found no smile was possible. What am I supposed to say to her? How on earth can I tell her? I hate my father.

Ginny saw Draco entering the hall and before anyone else had even turned to look she was hurtling down the aisle full pelt, eyes shining and heart leaping from her chest. But as she skidded to in front of him Ginny new something was wrong, his eyes gazed over her head. Draco's looking at someone else. I'm not who he came back for. He gently pushed Ginny aside so he could continue walking. Ginny's world began to fall in slow motion, she actually thought the sky was crashing down around her; Draco's smile was for Hermione alone.

Draco knew he'd confused her, it was written all over her face, but he'd never felt so happy as he took Hermione by the hand and led her away from the hall. So many people were staring. Cho had left Harry's lap to stand by Ginny, Ron had dropped a glass, Parvati and Padma had stood either side of Ginny as if to protect her. Whispers were flying faster than snitches, but Malfoy didn't care, he only had eyes for one person.

Ginny was hardly ever weepy if she could possibly help it. Even now she merely stood with jaw hanging wide open and did a gold fish impression. Her brain was working over time, fuming, she couldn't figure it out. Hermione! What had she done to deserve this? Ginny's fist slammed hard on the nearest table, making some first years jump and shuffle along hurriedly. Her eyes met Ron's. She rarely agreed with her brother but now she merely shook her head at him. It can't be true. Not him with her. I'm so sorry Ron.

-­-

"Draco what is this about? Do you have any idea what you've just done to Ginny? You left her without a word, and then you're being like this with me. What the hell are you playing at?" She raised her voice to yelling volume and placed her hands on her hips,

"Will you cool it Hermione? I need to talk to you without it becoming world news. And I swear to you now, I have not played Ginny." Hermione didn't look convinced and took a step towards him threateningly. Draco raised his hands in hurried surrender.

"Hermione you're my sister."

"Pardon?" She spluttered "Are you INSANE? You total prat. How dare you suggest such a load of…well…frankly such a load of balls! I am an only child and so are you. For god's sake Malfoy you've gone mad." He had to laugh, he didn't mean to, but the stinging sensation after a satisfying smacking noise told him he shouldn't have done it. Rubbing his check he continued.

"Listen Hermione. My parents were totally ashamed when they thought they'd produced a squib, my father wanted to kill the baby. But mum obviously let maternal instinct take over and decided to send it to a Muggle adoption centre. I have the vaguest of memories of playing with this other child, a little girl. But my parents saw to it that both of us had our memories removed. Hermione you're not just my sister, you're my twin."

"Draco you're scaring me. Seriously, Hermione Granger not Malfoy, you know. And that is the most pathetic made up story I've ever heard. Ever. I don't remember you at all. I can't believe you think I'd fall for that. You're a total asshole you know."

"Hermione listen, please." The tone of almost begging must have got through somehow, because she closed her mouth and raised an eyebrow expectedly.

"Hermione, our parents never named my twin because they thought you were a squib. Your stepparents named you. And if you don't believe me, take this…I've just had mine returned to me." He held up a small vial of memories. Hermione snatched it from him.

She uncorked the bottle and muttered an incantation. Slowly, delicately, the memories floated back into the side of her head, and Hermione gasped suddenly. She felt so many things rushing back to her.

The flicker of a warm fire through the bars of the cot and the smell of clean blankets all around her. Her and Draco fighting over her teddy bear, it belonged to her not him. Daddy not wanting to pick her up. Not being allowed to see Draco, why not? The room was now dark and cold. It was raining and Mum was taking her somewhere, and she was crying for Draco and Daddy, Mummy is crying too but she won't go back. The place wasn't nice, so many children crying; strange children, but no Draco, and Mummy still hadn't come back. Now friendly arms picked her up, a nice smell, not Mummy or Daddy but it was still nice.

Hermione's eyes welled with tears and Draco rushed to embrace her. They clung desperately to each other, she grabbed tightly to the back of his robes and he stroked her hair. It's been so long, I can't believe it. He thought happily.

"I remember Draco, I remember." She whispered softly as she attempted to stem the tears.

--

A considerable time later Draco and Hermione had explained everything to Ron, Harry and Ginny. They had congregated in Draco's tower room and skipped lessons. Ginny still hadn't met Draco's eye. Not surprisingly she was finding everything a little hard to take in.

Harry and Ron, looking thoroughly dazed eventually persuaded Hermione to come to last lesson with them. Seeing the tact in leaving Ginny alone with Draco, Hermione reluctantly followed them from the tower.

Draco and Ginny sat completely silent in the room, it echoed with bitter thoughts, all the would have's and might have's floated between them and Draco couldn't think of a single thing to say to her. He wasn't sure what was wrong, why is the fact that Hermione is my twin such a problem?

"It wont be the same again will it?" Ginny asked bluntly and Draco shrugged in an awkward manner,

"Guess not. If you mean that you're not the only one I have to protect now, you're not the only girl in my life any more, you're not the only one who can understand me now…"

"I'm not the only one who can LOVE you…yes please do rub it in some more! I've been with you a matter of weeks and I've already broken my heart over you Draco. Now you have someone who can truly understand you, how do you think I feel right now?"

Draco left the room but Ginny heard him linger outside the door. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry, nor the gloating pleasure of knowing she would leave the tower room because she couldn't bear to stay. That was not something she would do. Ginny waited a good hour before removing herself, and several possessions she had left previously, from the tower and making her way back to her dormitory. She slept with difficulty that night, knowing full well that Draco needed only one woman in his life and it was not her.

--

Draco's joy at finding Hermione soon evaporated when it began to sink in what affect this had had on Ginny. He knew she thought he'd used her, he really hadn't, but him and Mione had become so caught up in each other he knew it must look like it. In truth he didn't miss her. Somehow it hadn't quite been love, it had been so much physical attraction and now when he saw her walking past he still felt a little sad that she wasn't lying next to him that night. She was young, she wouldn't understand how hard he found it to love, to care, to believe in anyone. He could only trust himself, his childhood had taught him that, he'd only just got his memories back and it was hard to trust anyone after having that much stolen from you. The only person you can trust is yourself. Hermione practically is me, I can trust her.

Ginny felt so alone as the month flew by. She had been invited to the Halloween party in the Slytherine common room even thought it was technically only for older students, she knew she'd get in with some guy, any guy, that was what happened after break ups. She didn't want to but as soon as she was drunk she knew she'd need to. And hell she needed to get out of herself. Ginny found herself pointlessly flirting with older boys for the sake of having someone who would touch her, she also spent hours in front of the mirror ensuring that she looked perfect only to not go out at all in case she saw Malfoy. Ginny knew she was falling to pieces, so did Hermione but there was nothing she could do to stop her.

Draco saw Ginny walking with a group of girls from the hall probably on her way back up to the dormitory.

"Ginny!" he called out, cringing as the girls gave him looks that would fell any tree,

"What do you want Malfoy? I'm going to get ready for the party, Seamus will be expecting me." Ginny's tone was cool as ever, her eyes sparkled when she was angry and Draco noticed the fire he had first seen on the train this September, she really was the only Weasley he would ever respect.

"Ginny go and get ready for the party, but come down and meet me just outside the doors, there's another party and I want to take you." He was childishly blunt but it was a sure fire way of getting through to her. Malfoy was blushing to his roots, hurry up and answer woman, how difficult is that question?

"You can wait for me if you like." Ginny replied coldly and turned to walk back up the stairs. She didn't smile till she was out of sight of Draco, she knew she would go and meet him.

An hour and a half later Ginny was still searching for something suitably sexy to wear. She found herself in the same position as she had been first night of term, only this time it mattered so much more. Draco wasn't in love with her, and she wanted him to be. Parvati and Lavender had already gone down to the party and Hermione was doing a last check on her outfit.

"Ginny dearest, are you coming?" Hermione knew with a glance at Ginny's face that there was somewhere else she wanted to be,

"Mione can I tell you something?" She nodded, "Draco asked me to come to another party with him, I really want to go. God Mione, I think I actually love him."

Hermione nodded, sadly, Ginny had fallen for the wrong guy. He was her brother and she loved him, but she knew that to be connected with him meant danger and pain, Ginny was walking into a death trap.

"Ok Ginny, I understand-I think. Be careful." She rested a hand on Ginny's arm and turned to leave, "Oh and borrow anything of mine you need, I know you want to look good tonight."

"Thanks Honey."

Ginny did another scan of both wardrobes and found a suitable red dress, pinafore style, which she put with black high-heeled boots and a black neck scarf and wore a red hair band in her hair. Quickly she ran from the tower down to where she had arranged to meet Draco. To her relief he was waiting for her, looking absolutely gorgeous and slightly nervous.

Draco saw how beautiful Ginny looked. He took her hand and smiled nervously, tonight was another test to see where this would go, every step was so unsure, it was all like a game.

"Draco are we going out of school?" Ginny asked curiously,

"Yeah there's this little club halfway between here and Hogsmede, mainly used by the older students because we're the only ones who know about it, quite exclusive really." Ginny smiled, the idea of dancing the night away with Draco was a lovely one.