Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. Nor do I own enough money to by the copyright from J.K. Rowling. If I did though, I'd make that money back tenfold! I'D BE RICH! … Instead, I fail at life and own no such thing.

First off, if this chapter kind of sucks, please don't get mad. I wrote this sometime between three and five-thirty in the morning while running on no sleep. Grammatical errors will have slipped through the cracks, I'm sure. As for the content of the chapter itself… well, I'll just wait to pass judgment on that till I hear what you guys think of it. If it sucks, blame lack of sleep.

Now, as I wrote this, I realized how close to the end we truly are and now I feel like crying, though that may be due partly to the lack of sleep and pain in my back and neck from being hunched over this laptop since about the past 8 to 9 hours. When I get in the mood to truly do some writing, I can't be stopped for something as trivial as sleep!

So, guess what! Since this story is coming to a dramatic end soon (*insert sad face here*) I thought it was about time I thought up so new story ideas! That's what I was working on for the better part of the night, before my brain turned to mush. I had a brilliant idea for my next Draco/Ginny story and I even got the entire first chapter written, probably the longest chapter I've ever written too I might add. You guys want a sneak peek? You'll see it in the end author note!

I'll keep you no long from the story….

Without further ado…

Chapter 57

Ginny POV

"What do you think they're up to?" Draco questioned me quietly as we sat on the tree swing, the gentle summer breeze ruffling my hair.

I shrugged, perplexed. It had been a month and a half since the horrible battle in Hogsmeade where we'd one of our own. Ever since that night, Harry, Ron and Hermione kept to themselves and now for the past week they took it to the extreme of locking themselves in Ron's room. I'd only see them a few times since then, only when they ventured out for food. "I'm not sure," I said honestly. I had my suspicions though. "The last time they acted like this when they ended up breaking into Gringotts and escaping on the back of a dragon. I think they're planning something, but I have no idea what. They won't tell anyone."

"Hmm," Draco sighed, perplexed. "If they really are planning something, don't you think they should let the rest of the Order in on it?" He shook his head with a sigh before lying it down on top of mine. I could feel his breath as he breathed in. It hadn't taken me long to realize he liked the smell of my vanilla shampoo.

"You would think," I agreed with him. But, I understood them better than Draco did. I knew Harry was feeling really guilty about Mundungas's death. "I think Harry's drawing away from everyone but them because he's afraid of more people dying for him. He's really torn up over Mundungas."

Draco said nothing, obviously not caring much about how Harry felt. They still weren't on good terms. Draco had tried, but Harry just wouldn't see sense. It didn't take long for their old animosity to come back with full force. At least now, Ron and Hermione kept him in check rather than egging him on or agreeing with him. Still, there were tense moments in the house they had to share.

Turning the conversation away from the touchy subject, I instead turned it to the weather. "It's so nice out," I said with a sigh, relaxing into Draco's arms. "It's perfect Quidditch weather, not a cloud in the sky. I wish we could play."

Draco nodded his agreement. "It would be nice," he agreed. "I can't remember the last time I rode a broom. It seems like Hogwarts was ages ago." I could hear the regret in his voice and understood. Those were simpler times. Even the year I'd ended up hiding in his dorm room was simpler. That was before the war really swung into such force. Nobody had died then. No battles fought, other than when they took over the Ministry.

"Maybe Mum will agree to let us play in the field!" I exclaimed, jumping from his lap, sending him sprawling to the ground under the swing. Seeing him down there, his feet still propped on the swing, had to be the single most hilarious thing I'd ever seen. I broke out in laugher before I could stop myself, gasping for breath within seconds.

He got to his feet gracefully and brushed off the dirt while I laughed, raising an eyebrow at me. I merely laughed harder. "Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" he questioned calmly, a smile playing on his lips. Before I could stop laughing long enough to say anything, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me back to the house. By this point I was laughing so hard tears were streaming from my eyes, soaking his shirt.

"S-sorry," I manage to stammer out between giggles.

"Yeah, sure you are," he said, opening the door and striding into the kitchen. Mum was in there fixing lunch. From the look on her face and the laugher she was suppressing, Draco and I could both tell she's seen the incident through the window. The though made me laugh even harder, if that was at all possible.

Setting me on my feet, Draco released his grip on me, staring at me blankly until my laugher died down. "You done?" he asked after a minute, a bemused expression on his face.

"Yeah," I said with a grin, leaning into his chest as I turned to Mum. "Hey Mum, do you think it would be alright if Draco and I took a couple brooms out to the field to fly around for a while?" I asked her hopefully, giving her my best pleading eyes and poking my bottom lip out a bit, the sweet look that never failed. Draco snorted from behind me. I simply elbowed him into silence. "Can we?"

"Oh, I don't know Ginny. It's awfully far away," she said, very unsure and worried.

"It's not that far away though," I pleaded. "It's just right over there." I pointed in the direction of the large stand of trees visible from the kitchen window.

"But I won't be able to see you," Mum pointed out, putting down the knife she's been cutting the bread with.

"It's still within the bounds of the protective spells, isn't it?" I continued to give her the pleading look, hoping it wouldn't fail me now.

"Well, yes, but I'm still not so sure of the idea of not being able to see if you're safe," she said, standing firm in her resolve.

"Please Mummy! It's been forever since I was on a broom and I just need a little while to get away from everything. I won't go beyond the field and we'll both have our wands. We won't even stay out long, I swear," I pleaded, wanting so badly to feel the freedom of the broom.

Turning back to her bread cutting, she let out a sigh. "Oh, fine," she gave in. "But lunch will be ready in an hour. You need to be back by then."

I let out a cry of delight as I threw my arms around my mother. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I cried, excitement bubbling inside me.

"You're welcome," she said with a shake of her head, a smile forming on her lips even through her scowl.

"Come on!" I cried, grabbing Draco's hand and dragging him back outside, making a beeline for the broom shed. "There aren't many good ones," I told him as I opened the shed and grabbed my Cleansweep out. You can use Ron's if you want. His is the best here. That's when I realized Harry's Firebolt had taken up residence in our shed. "Oh! I'm going to take Harry's!" I squealed in delight as I put my broom back and grabbed his. "He said I could fly it when I wanted," I told Draco with a grin as he eyed the broom with envy. "Sure that was like three years ago, but the offer still stands!"

Draco let out a laugh at my reasoning before closing the shed without grabbing a broom. "We can share," he said with a grin of his own. "So long as you're on it, it won't really count as me using it."

"Okay," I agreed with a laugh. Letting go of the broom, it hovered in the air between Draco and I, ready to bare its riders. Draco swung his leg over it and without hesitation. Looking over at me, he raised an eyebrow. Taking his cue, I climbed on behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Without a second though, he pushed off and sent us zooming towards the field, wind in our hair and freedom all around us.

It wasn't the first time I'd ridden this broom, but it never ceased to thrill me. It was the fastest broom in the world and it handled so amazingly it like heaven. I let out a peal of laugher as we flew through the air. After about ten minutes of simply flying laps around the field as fast as possible, Draco settled down to a slower pace.

"I missed this," he said softly as we flew towards the trees.

"Me too," I agreed, lying my head against his back and enjoying the feel of flying. It had been one of my favorite things since the day Charlie first put me on a broom, much to Mum's horror. I'd only ben five when he's sat me on the Cleansweep in front of him and took off. I'd become addicted to the freedom of flying from that day on.

When he didn't turn away from the trees, instead flying strait at them, I began wonder what he was doing. Sure, he didn't like Harry but I didn't think he's wreck his broom while we were on it. Figuring I'd find out soon enough what he was doing, I kept my mouth shut. He flew strait to the tallest tree, up to the highest branches able to support weight. Stopping the broom in front of one such branch, he helped me off the broom and onto the tree, following quick before putting the broom safely between two branches.

"I used to do this a lot as a kid," he told me absentmindedly as he pulled me to him, careful not to jostle me too much as we were residing a few hundred feet from the ground. "I'd find the tallest tree and just sit in it. Flying's the only easy way up to the high branches and provides the easiest way down."

Looking around me, I could see why he did this. From way up here, there was an unobstructed view of the beauty around us for miles. If I squinted, I could even make out Luna's house from here. Even the Burrow was visible, the trees that once obstructed the view much shorter than the one we sat in. "It's beautiful," I sighed dreamily, soaking in the beauty.

"I thought you'd like it," he said with a laugh, holding me close. "I'd escape to my little tree haven as a boy whenever my father became too much to bare. I'd just find the tallest tree and look out over the grounds of the Manor and the forest beyond. I'd pretend that all the bad thing never happened, that Father didn't hurt me and that Mother would read me stories every night while I lay in bed. I'd pretend I had brothers and sister sitting around me and I'd chat to no one in particular."

I stayed quiet as Draco recounted stories of his childhood. It was so rare that he would divulge such memories, even to me. In my silence, he continued on.

"Sometimes Blaise would come with me," he said, his eyes taking on a faraway look as he thought back. "We'd pretend we were tree people and that we lived there instead of at home. He didn't have a very good home live either. His mother was married nine times and each of her husbands died suspicious deaths. He doesn't even know who his father is, not even to this day. I used to tell him having a father wasn't so great. I'd offered to triad him places once."

He chuckled softly and closed his eyes. "I'd have liked to have it be just me and my mother. With no Father in the picture, maybe she would smile more. Maybe she would hug me and say she loves me. I had a lot of dream when I was little," he let out a sigh and lay his head back against the trunk of the tree, swinging one leg on each side of the branch. I settled against his chest in the same position.

Tears pricked my eyes as I caught a glimpse into his very sad childhood. What would it have been like to grow up without the loving acceptance of your own parents? At least he'd had Blaise, his very best friend. They were like brothers, the two of them. I could tell he missed him, having not been able to see him for a very long while. "I'm so sorry," I whispered tearfully. "If I could go back in time and safe you from all of that, I would." I snuggled into his chest and lay my face against his arm.

"But it's made me who I am, I don't regret that," he said softly, comfortingly. "I wouldn't be the Draco Malfoy you know and love if I'd grown up differently." He chuckled softly as we relaxed in the tree, time seeming to stand still. All too soon though, our moment of peace had to come to an end as we had to return to our lives and all the worries that accompanied that.

We flew back down quickly and raced to the broom shed, having the last bit of fun with the broom, before heading back inside. What greeted our eyes made my stomach drop. Dad sat at the table with Mum, both looking solemn. Harry, Ron and Hermione were there too, each with the same look. Something wasn't right.

"What happened?" I asked the second we stepped foot in the kitchen.

"You-Know-Who is heading to Hogwarts," Harry said quietly. "And we have to too."

Okay, so it wasn't too absolutely horrendous, right? I really should have taken a stab at this chapter AFTER a full night's sleep instead of forgoing sleep to write it, but you get what I give you. Did you like it at least? How did I do with Draco's childhood memories? Okay? Killed 'em (in a good or bad way)? Tell me what you think guys!

Okay, so as promised, here's your sneak peak of my new story: Thin Lines

"There is a thin line between love and hate. Maybe one day, you will be able to cross that line and when you do, I'll be waiting for you with open arms. Until then, this has to be goodbye," Ginny whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks as she ran away.

Woot! I like it! That's going to be the summary the world will see! Do you think that will draw people in? I hope so cause I love it! The story is going to take place after the war is over, four years later. The story will follow the books almost completely, opting out the epilogue of course. Do you think I should post the first chapter now or wait till Set in Stone is over?

Well, BJ and I were very disappointed in the number of reviews last chapter. There were only 5! I haven't had that bad of a turnout since the chapters Draco was gone. I feel like I'm failing you guys :( What am I doing wrong? Tell me people so I can make it better for you!

Anyway, a happy author writes better and faster! So review and make me happy!