Ginny kept her distance from him on the way to the village so they wouldn't make a scene in front of the students. But when they arrived in Hogsmeade she approached him cautiously.

"I think we should talk."

"I think you've said enough actually." He said stonily and walked away.

"Draco…" Ginny said, following him down the street and into the Hogshead.

"Don't you have some quills or something to buy?"

"I would like to talk with you first."

"Would you now? A fire whiskey please." He said to the owner before turning back to her, "And what if I said no?"

"And for you?" A gruff impatient voice asked her.

"Oh, um just a butterbeer please." She replied, "I'd still talk."

Draco roller his eyes as he took his drink, "I figured so."

Draco found a seat in a corner, next to a grimy window. When Ginny had her drink she walked over and sat across from him.

"I'm sorry for what I said."

"You were telling the truth though, right?" He asked after he took a drink.

"No I-"

"See, I thought I had changed since Hogwarts, since my father died. But apparently not so much."

"You have changed; a lot."

"Obviously not enough."

"I'm not going to beg you to forgive me Draco. I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it; I don't know what else to say. Until you grow up and learn to forgive people, I think we're done here."

"Fine by me."

"Why are you being such an ass!?" Ginny exclaimed, standing up.

"Because I was raised differently than you Weasley!" Draco said raising his voice. "I was told time and time again that the only thing weaker than apologizing is accepting an apology and I for one am not weak, nor will I ever be weak."

Ginny stepped back. She wasn't sure what hurt her more; him implying that she was weak or him referring to her by her surname again. She nodded silently and left the pub.


The day passed by without incident. Ginny didn't see Draco again for the rest of the visit and by 4:00 the last groups of students were making their way up to the castle.

When she arrived at the castle she went straight to her room and went to bed, skipping dinner.

She laid (A/N alright… so I really suck with the word "Lay" or "Lie" I never know which one to use sorry if I use the wrong word…) on her bed for was seemed like hours, staring up at the ceiling. She was nearly asleep when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." She called, not taking her eyes off the ceiling.

"Um… look." Ginny looked towards her door when she heard Draco's voice. "About this morning…."

Ginny looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I accept your apology and I'm sorry I didn't earlier."

Ginny was silent, unsure of what to say.

Draco smirked slightly at her silence, "I know what you're thinking, and yes I did just come in here and say things that I swore to my self I'd never say."

"It wasn't just to yourself; you assured me it would never happen too." Ginny mumbled.

"Well, it did." Draco said, taking a step into the room.

"You can sit." She said moving her legs to make room for him on the bed.

He sat on the bottom corner and looked at her.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked.

"You." He said simply.

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"I realized, after you left the pub this morning, that I didn't like arguing with you. I realized that I enjoyed having you as a friend. And maybe I was being an ass…"

"You really were." She said, with a smirk.

Draco leaned back onto his elbow, his body twisted so that he lay on his side but his legs hung off the bed.

"Then again, when am I not an ass?" he asked, "it just wouldn't be Draco Malfoy if he was polite and courteous."

"That is true." She said with a laugh.

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Er- well I was sleeping…"

"It's not even 7:30 and it's Saturday!"

"Yeah… but…"

"Are you really that tired?"

"No I guess not…"

"Good. Then let's go out."

"Go out where?"

"I dunno. London?"

"A bit far don't you think?"

"Nah, not if you apparate."

"Alright, just let me get changed."

"OK. I thought we'd go to Muggle London, so dress Muggle-ish."

Ginny stared at him.

"I don't hate Muggles." He said, rolling his eyes, "I never did, but I had pretend that I did for the sake of my Father's reputation."

Ginny nodded then pushed him out the door so she could get dressed. She emptied her closet looking for something to wear. After looking at several different outfits she groaned in frustration before opening the door to her room and crossing over to Draco's.

"Come in." He said when she knocked on his door.

Ginny entered and immediately started blushing.

Draco was in the middle of changing. He had on a pair of loose fitting jeans that hung low on his hips, allowing his pelvic bone to stick out above the waistline and a silver chain. In his hand he held a black T-shirt and a black button-down dress shirt.

"You haven't changed yet?" he asked, looking at her.

"No…" She said off handedly, still looking at his chest, "I mean- No, I haven't." She said, snapping back into reality.

Draco smirked, "Did you want me to do your hair or something…?" he asked, trying to make her tell him why she was in his room instead of changing.

"No." She said with a blush, "I um- I wanted to know how I should dress…"

"Well I was thinking a typical dinner and a movie… if that's alright."

"So casual is alright?"

"Yup."

"Wait. Where are we going to eat?"

"It's not a formal restaurant. It's very casual. Just wear what you feel comfortable in… preferably not pajama's though…"

Ginny smiled and nodded. She left the room just as he dropped his dress shirt and pulled on his tighter T-shirt.

'Hot.' She thought, smiling slightly.

When she went back into her room she looked around for a pair of light blue, tight fitting jeans that hugged her hips just perfectly. For a shirt she chose a black spaghetti strap to wear under a tight fitting, green, V-neck sweater that just reached below her belly-button, allowing a band of her creamy white skin to show between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her pants. She flung her hair up into a hair elastic and left her room.

Draco was already waiting, leaning up against their kitchen counter with his arms crossed.

"Finally!" He exclaimed.

"Come on, I wasn't that long."

"Let's go." He said, leading her out the door.

When they left the castle grounds, he pulled her to him and apparated them to a side street in London.

She noticed with a warm feeling that even though they had arrived in London, he kept his arm around her waist, his thumb brushing softly against her bare skin.

He led her to a small hole-in-the-wall style restaurant.

"Table for two?" A woman asked as they approached the counter.

"Please." Draco confirmed.

"Right this way."

She led them down a narrow hallway to a smaller room with only 3 tables. She led them to the one nearest to the large window that took up the majority of the wall.

"This table alright?" She asked them.

"It's fine." Draco said before pulling out a chair, motioning for Ginny to sit.

The woman handed them their menu's and walked away.

"What are you going to have?" Draco asked.

"I'm not sure…"

"I suggest the Stuffed Chicken. It's really good."

"OK." She said and snapped her menu shut.

When the waiter returned they each ordered a stuffed chicken and Draco ordered a bottle of wine for the two of them.

"Gin?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think we fight so often?"

"Well it's obvious; we were raised to hate each other. Our parents hated each other and my brothers hated you almost as much as you hated them. It was obvious that by the time we met, we would hate each other. Did you expect differently?"

"I guess not." He said with a small smile toying at his lips, "Hey Gin?"

"Yeah… you know you really don't have to question me every time you talk to me."

"I know… I'm just finding it… difficult… to talk with you tonight, I'm not sure why…"

"Oh, I know."

"Do you now, because by all means, enlighten me."

"You love me."

"Do I know?" He asked smirking.

"Maybe not romantically but I know you love me in some way shape or form. You can't imagine your life without me anymore. It just wouldn't be the same without me; you'd live a boring, monotone life. You'd lose all the drama you oh so desperately yearn for. You need me."

Draco laughed out loud.

"See… I am hearing no denial, therefore; it must be true."

"You're right Gin. I can't see my life without you, which in a way is good but in a way it sucks."

"Explain to me why it sucks."

"Well, you don't let me complete any of my plans."

"And what plans might you have?"

"For one? I was planning on hating you this entire year and then resigning before I'd have to spend another god forsaken term with you."

"Anything else?"

"There's one thing…"

"What's that?"

"I don't think you want to know."

"I think I do."

"Well I'm not sure I want you to know."

"Oh come off it Malfoy, we're both adults here."

"You'll take advantage of it."

"Oooh! Then you have to tell me!"

The two were quiet when the waiter came back with their food and waited until he was out of earshot before she continued.

"Come on Malfoy, you can't tell me that I have an opportunity of taking advantage of you and then just leaving it at that."

"Can't I?" He asked casually as he poured them each a glass of wine.

"No, you can't."

"I think I can."

"Fine." She said and began to eat, "But until you tell me I'll scream."

"No you won't." He said, eyeing her skeptically.

In answer, Ginny opened her mouth, preparing a loud scream but Draco practically dove across the table and clamped a hand over her mouth, "Alright! Alright, I'll tell you."

"Yay!"

"Sometimes I question your age." Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh shut up and tell me."

"Fine, you make me say things that I have learned to keep to myself."

Ginny was silent so he continued, "Like this afternoon when I told you what my Father taught me when I was younger. I didn't mean to tell you, it just came out…"

"What's so bad about telling people about your childhood?" She asked, thoughtfully as she chewed on a piece of chicken.

"Everything."

"That's not an answer."

"See! I knew you'd do this?"

"Do what, Draco?"

"I told you something and you are trying to take advantage and get me to tell you more."

"No, that's not what I was doing at all. I'm trying to have a conversation with you Draco. Do you know how to have a whole conversation? Or do you just stick with half of one?"

"I know how to have a conversation."

"Then prove it. Why won't you talk about your childhood?"

"Because I'm embarrassed by it."

"And why is that?"

"Alright Gin, I'll give you the whole story, but only because i'm sick of your whole therapist thing and only on one condition."

"Name it."

"I will tell you only what I feel is important, if you feel it necessary, I will allow you to ask one question after I'm finished talking and one question only. After this I don't want to talk about my childhood again, alright?"

"It's a deal."

"Fine, let's see… as you probably could have guessed, I didn't have the greatest father in the world, well at the time I thought I did, but it didn't take me long to realize he wasn't the best."

Ginny nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Alright, well while I was growing up my Dad got me anything money could buy. I was the most spoilt boy anyone had ever heard of. My dad taught me a lot of things when I was a kid; how to fly, all about quidditch, stuff like that… but once I turned 10 my dad started to prepare me for Hogwarts. He'd tell me that there were going to be a lot of muggle born students and half-bloods and blood traitors and it was my job to show them there place.

"By the time I was 11 I had learned everything I needed to know about how to act towards people that were inferior to me. My dad had brainwashed me, I had to be in Slythering I had to be the best I had to beat Potter. I didn't have a choice. If I was seen being nice to someone like Granger my father would surly hear of it. He had warned me before I left for Hogwarts that he would know if I betrayed him while I was at school. I was terrified of betraying him. He had never hurt me but I had seen what he had done to others. I had seen more house elves come and go in my 11 years of life than 5 people do in a life time. And I never felt guilty for what I said to anyone. My father always told me that only the weak feel remorse and Malfoys are not weak. He continued to drill things into my head until I failed to kill Dumbledore. He told me that I was no longer his son, that I had betrayed the Malfoy name. He told me to wait for him until he got out of Azkaban, it didn't even occur to me to try and run from him. I thought he was going to kill me, and I'm sure he was going to, 'I'll deal with you later.' He told me. Lucky for me he was killed before 'later' could come, my Mother died soon afterwards, but we're not sure why.

"Ever since their death I have been trying my hardest to clear my head and come up with my own beliefs. It's hard though. Especially when you're surrounded by people who knew you from before. They never gave me a chance to change." He said and looked up at her, he smiled when he saw her face, "Don't look so depressed. You wanted to know my childhood, I told you. You couldn't have been expecting a happy story."

"I know… still… it's sad… knowing that you didn't get the childhood you deserved."

"I'm glad you shared it with me."

"I think I'm glad I did too." He said with a small smile, "Now, did you want to use your one question?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

"Can we pay and go see that movie now?"

"I would love too."


A/N

I am soooooooo sorry for the horribly long wait and i don't mean to make up excuses... but i have two reasons because of it first of all i've been working a lot... and secondly i've suddenly become hooked on Ginny/Oliver fics (by the way... if anyone's read a good O/G fic that's not from this site, please let me know... they are very hard to come by i've found) and because of my sudden addiction i have been finding it very difficult to write Draco's character (i'm not so sure that i did a very good job at it...) but enough of my excuses! hope you enjoyed it... please review!