A/N: This was written for the 2021 Draco/Ginny Fic Fest on AO3 where it won the "Best Portrayal of Draco" and the "Best Response to the Prompt" awards. Woot! Thanks to Lancashire Witch for beta reading this story.

Prompt: A classic "Malfoy did it!" scenario in which Ginny suspects Draco of doing something he hasn't actually done and won't stop until she's revealed him as the culprit. You can make the crime as trivial or as serious as you'd like.

Must Haves: Ginny tailing Draco to gather evidence and witnessing him say/do things that support her suspicion. Bonus points if all her evidence has an embarrassing explanation.

No-No's: Adultery. Non-con. The crime Ginny suspects Draco of committing cannot be sexual assault.

Note on Rating: Rated M for sex and reference to torture and violence. Rape is mentioned a few times (as a general concept/possibility/etc.), but never occurs.

Chapter 1 - Trapped

Ginny was in a cage, trying not to panic. She had her wand on her, but none of the spells she'd tried so far - not even Lumos - were working. There was some sort of protective spell on the cage that kept her from using magic. She sighed and pulled her knees closer to her chest as she waited for Malfoy to return.

Or, well, she hoped it was Malfoy who came for her. She actually didn't know who had erected the cage. It had been invisible until it had clanked shut, locking her inside. She assumed it was Malfoy's cage, since she'd been tailing him when she'd stumbled into it.

What if someone besides Malfoy found her? What if it was one of the Carrows? She shuddered. Ginny considered calling out for help but knew that was a bad idea. Instead, she hummed to herself as she waited for someone to find her.

"Hmm, it appears I caught a weasel," a familiar voice drawled from the doorway.

Ginny stood up and wrapped her hands around the bars of the cage. "Let me out of here, right this second!"

"Or what? You'll tell on me? Hex me? Tell me, Weasley, what will you do if I keep you in there?"

Ginny glowered at Malfoy but stayed silent. There was nothing she could do and they both knew it. Malfoy was one of the most powerful people at the school. He outranked all the other Death Eaters, besides Snape. He could kill her right this second and no one would blink an eye. He'd probably be rewarded. Ginny's stomach turned.

No, a voice in her mind argued. It was the same voice that had got her into this mess. He's not evil. He won't hurt you.

Ginny studied his face, to see if there was any truth to these words, but there were no emotions there. How did he do that? Ginny couldn't control her thoughts and feelings from displaying plainly on her face.

Malfoy crossed the room and stopped in front of her cage, just out of reach. "Stop. Following. Me," he said dangerously.

"I know what you did that night in the forest and I won't tell if that's what you're worried about. I know how dangerous that could be for-"

"Enough!" Malfoy turned to leave the room.

"Wait! You can't leave me in here!"

Malfoy turned back to face her, grinning wickedly. "You're right. The Carrows are teaching a Dark Arts class here tomorrow morning and we can't have them finding a Blood Traitor in a cage. Who knows what they'd do with that temptation?"

"Exactly. So let me out."

"Get yourself out." Malfoy pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it into the cage. Ginny squinted and saw a metal file on the floor.

"You expect me to file through the bars?! That's going to take me all night!"

Malfoy crossed his arms. He was still smirking. "Maybe while you're filing, you'll think long and hard about what happens to nosy Gryffindors who meddle where they shouldn't."

Ginny yelled after him but she saw a glimmer of silver appear on the door as he left and figured he'd cast a Silencing Charm.

"Prick," she muttered as she picked up the file. She wondered if he'd check on her in the morning, just to be sure she got out. He wouldn't really leave her for the Carrows, would he? And he'd want to vanish the cage, right? Ginny didn't want to risk it, so she sat on the floor and started filing.

As she worked, she thought about the series of actions that had landed her in this predicament. She thought, too, that maybe Hermione's assessment that she was too impulsive was right. Ginny's heart clenched at the thought of her friend. Was Hermione okay? Were Harry and Ron okay?

Yes! You would certainly have heard if they were captured.

Ginny nodded and focused back on Malfoy, that confusing idiot. What was his deal? She'd been convinced he was working for their side, but now this. It didn't fit. Was someone on to him? Maybe he needed to tell the Slytherins about this to appear mean and evil. But, if that were the case, why not parade them through here and show off his prank? Why bother to hide her and cast a Silencing Charm so her yells wouldn't attract any attention?

Because he's a confusing idiot, that's why.

Ginny sighed and kept filing. It all started a few weeks ago when she was serving detention in the Forbidden Forest. She'd been separated from the group and was making her way back to them when she heard someone hiss, "Ginevra."

Ginny had started, then followed the voice to a nearby shrub where she'd found a young witch in her twenties with a small, dark-haired girl, about two or three years old, with brilliant blue eyes. "Mummy!" the girl had cried when she'd seen Ginny, then buried her face in the young woman's neck.

The witch was trembling with fear and had folded herself around her daughter. "It's okay, Ginevra. You're okay."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Ginny said quickly. "I'm a student from the school, not one of the Death Eaters. And my name's Ginevra, too. How can I help?"

"Do you know Disillusionment Charms?" the witch asked.

Ginny shook her head.

Just then, there was a sound at the edge of the clearing. Several men were yelling at each other. Ginny guessed by the way the witch had twitched and tightened her grip on her daughter that these men were looking for them. "I'll distract them," Ginny whispered before rearranging the bush to hide them better, then rushing toward the voices.

As she ran, she set off red sparks to alert Hagrid. When the men appeared, they all stopped, surprised to see her. She cast a Shield Charm in front of her, just to be safe, but it was clear the men, who she later found out were Snatchers, wanted nothing to do with her. Once they found out she was a student, they were almost scared of her.

Ginny guessed they had orders to avoid hurting the students of Hogwarts. That was obviously a job reserved for the Carrows. She wondered absently who had given the order.

As soon as Hagrid arrived, he grabbed Ginny by the arm and dragged her away. Once they were out of earshot, Ginny told Hagrid about the mother and daughter, but he said there was nothing they could do right then. He said he'd return later and hopefully, they'd still be there.

"But, Hagrid! We can't just-"

"We can' save ev'ryone. Come on, let's get yeh back ter the others."

Ginny had looked back toward the clearing, tears streaming down her face. All the Snatchers would need to find the woman and girl was a quick spell. Ginny's stomach turned at the thought and she strained her ears for a sound of a cry or shriek. That's when she saw it.

Someone was flying on a broom out of the forest near the spot where Ginny had found the woman and girl, toward the mountains. She couldn't make out the person on the broom, since they were covered with a cloak, but she knew the broom; she was excellent at identifying brooms. It was Malfoy's.

What had he been doing in the forest? Had he seen the woman and girl? At the time, she'd been sure Malfoy being there was a bad thing and meant certain death for the two runaways.

Later, Hagrid said that when he'd returned that night, they were gone, and Ginny feared the worst. She thought about the little Ginevra and her mother nonstop for the next few days.

That weekend, she heard a message on the radio program her brothers put out. "To the family of Nora and little Ginevra Collins-"

At this point, Ginny's stomach had dropped. This was them, she was sure of it. And she was also sure she was about to hear about their death or capture. "-mother and daughter are safe. They avoided the Snatchers, found their way to the Order, and were smuggled out of the country. We'll leave it there, to protect their location, but just know they're safe."

Ginny had let out a huge sigh. But she had no idea how it was possible. They'd been trapped, one spell away from being found out, and then, miraculously, they'd escaped? She remembered Malfoy. He'd been there, very close to where the mother and daughter had been hiding, had he helped? He must have. That was the only explanation. They wouldn't have been able to escape without help.

Helping runaways get away was a big crime against Malfoy's side and if anyone found out about it, he'd be in grave danger. If he was trying to help, Ginny wanted to assist. He was well positioned and might be able to lookout for Harry, Hermione, and Ron, or maybe help the rest of her family in some way. There was a lot Malfoy could do at Hogwarts, too, to protect the students from the Carrows.

So, Ginny had set out to prove her theory. She studied Malfoy and began following him around and that's when she decided he wasn't evil. He never tortured anyone, and he easily could, and when he was forced to watch other people tortured, he kept his face eerily blank, though there was a slight twitch in his jaw that gave away his true feelings.

It wasn't much to go on, but Ginny had a feeling deep in her gut (call it witch's intuition), that Malfoy wasn't a willing Death Eater. Even Harry had told her as much. At the end of last year, just after Dumbledore's funeral, he'd told Ginny all about what had happened at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

But before Ginny approached Malfoy and tried to get him to help the DA, she needed more concrete proof. She wasn't about to give away the DA's secrets on a hunch. She'd been tailing him for a solid week and found nothing besides the slight hesitation when he watched others being tortured.

Tonight, he'd been looking suspicious after dinner and had made a pointed effort of breaking away from his friends. Intrigued, Ginny had followed him into this classroom and found herself in a cage. What a disaster. Well, he obviously knew she was following him. Then again, he hadn't hurt her or reported her.

She sighed and went back to filing. She was about a quarter of the way through the bar, but one cut wouldn't be enough. She'd need at least two clean cuts to remove a piece of the bar. Then she should be able to squeeze through the hole left behind. She shook her arm out and tried her wand again. No luck.

"Stupid, ferrety, prick," she muttered as she picked up the file and continued shaving away the bar.

For a few days after the incident with the cage, Ginny plotted her revenge, but she knew the whole time it was only a dream. She couldn't actually act against a high raking Death Eater, it was too dangerous. But after the war, when their side had won, she'd corner him on the street and hit him with the most painful Bat Bogey Hex she could manage.

However, even in her wildest imaginings, she never settled on any punishments worse than that. Because deep down, she still thought he was good – even though he'd locked her in a cage. What did that say about her? Was this war driving her to madness? It seemed to be doing that to everyone. Neville, who had always been so cautious, was getting more reckless by the day.

Ginny's thoughts settled on Neville for about three seconds before drifting back to Malfoy. She sighed. This damn Slytherin had completely consumed her thoughts. She should be thinking about the next move for the DA, or about Harry and her family, but instead, she was trying to make sense of Draco Malfoy, his motives, his actions, and his true nature.

One night, she was with Neville in the Gryffindor common room, waiting with jars of dittany for the return of a group of Second Years who had been given detention with the Carrows. When the group walked in, they were joking and looked unharmed. Ginny and Neville exchanged confused looks.

"You're okay?" Neville asked. "They didn't hurt you?" Neville knew what went on during detentions with the Carrows better than anyone.

Tabitha, a mousy-hair girl, waved Neville away. "It was fine. The Head Boy came in at the beginning and said he needed our help with an important task. The Carrows were upset but I guess the Head Boy outranks them."

Ginny perked up. Malfoy had intervened? "What did he have you do?"

Tabitha shrugged. "Just catalogue Potions ingredients. I don't know why it was so urgent, but it didn't hurt or anything."

"Huh." Ginny looked at Neville and he looked just as confused as she did.

"Do you think he did that on purpose?" Neville whispered. "To save them from being punished by the Carrows?"

Ginny shook her head and said honestly, "I have no idea." But she was determined to find out and recommitted to her plan to follow Malfoy. She would just have to be more discreet this time.

The next week, Ginny discovered two more pieces of evidence to back up her "Malfoy is good and acting against his side" theory. The first was a conversation she overheard between him and Astoria Greengrass, a Slytherin one year below Ginny, just outside the greenhouses.

Astoria was asking Malfoy about someone who'd recently been tortured by You-Know-Who. Ginny strained her ears and wished she had a pair of extendable ears on her. "Of course, I turned him in," Malfoy replied sharply. "He snuck into your room and tried to assault you. If you hadn't screamed before he managed to Silence you - well - you know what would have happened."

"I just - I mean - he's one of your best friends. I don't know how to thank-"

"No need," Malfoy cut her off. "He won't do it again. No one will harm you. I told Pansy and Daphne I'd protect them and that extends to you too, okay?"

Astoria mumbled something Ginny couldn't hear and Malfoy responded gruffly with, "Don't speak of it again." Malfoy was acting very cold, even to Astoria, and Ginny guessed that was just how he was.

He marched back toward the path and Ginny had to dive behind a Sneezewort bush to avoid being seen. Thanks to that last move, she spent the rest of the day extremely disoriented.

The following day, when the effects of the Sneezewort bush had worn off, Ginny replayed what she'd overheard with a clear head. Malfoy had turned in one of his best friends to You-Know-Who because they'd tried to violate Astoria Greengrass. The thought made Ginny's stomach turn. She'd heard rumors that the Slytherin girls were being targeted in this way and had hoped they were just that, rumors.

Ginny had never been gladder to be a Blood Traitor and considered too disgusting to take to bed. She shuddered again. So, Malfoy had saved someone from assault, isn't that the bare minimum that should be expected of any decent human? And he'd said he'd protect Astoria, Daphne, and Pansy, but what about all the other witches in Slytherin? Was he doing anything to protect them?

But he'd apparently turned in his best friend, that wasn't insignificant. Ginny wondered who it was. Probably Crabbe or Goyle. Ever since they'd received their Dark Marks last month, they'd been strutting around the school with newfound confidence. Bile rushed into her mouth at the thought of finding one of them hovering over her bed at night.

Ginny was glad they'd been tortured, and by You-Know-Who himself. There must be rules on their side about violating precious Pureblood witches. So, they had standards. What a shock. But what did this say about Malfoy?

He wasn't a completely awful human and wasn't above turning on his own friends, so, one count for possibly being good and one mark against loyalty. But, wasn't being disloyal to You-Know-Who's side ultimately a good thing? She was more confused than ever but also intrigued.

A few days after that overheard conversation with Astoria, there was a cryptic message on the radio program. Ginny knew it was a code but had never been very good at deciphering codes. That was Hermione's expertise. Everyone listening at the time took down the information and later, it was Luna who had cracked it.

Ginny had to constantly remind herself Luna was in a Ravenclaw and was also a bit of a genius, when she wasn't being so odd and obsessing over creatures her father had made up. The code was: The Forbidden Forest is safe. Runaways – get to the forest and someone will help you.

"Who?" Ginny asked Luna. "Who could be helping them? And right under Snape's nose?"

Luna had a theory that the centaurs were behind it. Ginny waved her away. Of course she'd go for a magical creature, but the centaurs had never helped their side before. And look at how they'd exiled Firenze for agreeing to work with Dumbledore. No. There must be some other explanation.

That night, Ginny was sitting at the window seat in her dormitory, looking out at the Forbidden Forest when she saw Malfoy again, flying out of the forest on his broomstick. What was he doing? Was he the reason the forest was safe for runaways? Was that possible?

All she'd been able to glean about him so far was that he didn't like people being tortured or raped. But that didn't make him a hero. Helping criminals escape was a much more serious crime against his side than diverting students to nicer detentions and saving a fellow Pureblood from assault. Surely, if he was found out, he'd be killed instantly (if he was lucky). And Malfoy had never struck Ginny as an especially bold or brave person.

While she admitted that the evidence she'd gathered so far was pretty weak, and that she should give this whole thing up as a bad job, there was something undefinable that made her want to keep looking into him. There was a quiet power Malfoy possessed, similar to a quality Harry had, that made Ginny think that if he could just tap into it, he could be great.

And his eyes – the few times she'd looked into his eyes (before he'd had a chance to make them blank), she'd seen an incredible depth there, layers of suffering, uncertainty, and remorse that made it painfully clear that he was struggling in this war, almost as much as the rest of them. Maybe it wasn't absurd to think he'd act in some way to try to end it.

Ginny was in the middle of executing a very bold and quite possibly, very stupid plan. She'd trapped Malfoy in a cage. And if that act hadn't been reckless enough, she'd left him in there with a flask of Pumpkin Juice that was laced with Veritaserum which she'd nicked from Slughorn's Potions stores. Now, she was sitting behind a tree, out of sight, as she waited for him to give in and take a swig from the flask.

She'd also put an entire bag of food in the cage to make the flask seem more innocuous, but so far, he hadn't touched any of it. "If you're waiting for me to take a drink of whatever Potion you've added to the Pumpkin Juice in that flask, you're going to be waiting for a long time," he called out into the night.

Ginny swore under her breath, then slapped a hand over her mouth. How did he know she was here? And how had he guessed about the Potion? She considered ignoring him and simply waiting, but something told her he would be able to wait this out a lot longer than her – even though he was the one in the cage. She'd never been patient.

Ginny rose to her feet, pulled her shoulders back, lifted her wand, and marched toward the cage. "Well, well, it looks like I trapped a ferret."

Malfoy was leaning casually against the side of the cage with his arms crossed and Ginny wished she'd thought to make the cage smaller, so he'd have to sit. "Hilarious," he said in a bored tone, "now, let me out of here."

She ignored his request. "You're not the only one at this school who can work an Entrapment Charm. But I will admit, adding that ward to keep the captive from using magic, that was tricky, especially since erecting wards within Hogwarts' protective enchantments is nearly impossible, but I got it."

"What are you looking for? House points? Take ten points for Gryffindor, then let me the fuck out of here."

Ginny imagined ten rubies appearing in her House's empty hourglass before sneering back at him. "Of course this isn't about House points. This is so much bigger than that! We're in a war!"

"Is your side still calling it that? How cute. The war's over, Weasley. It ended as soon as the Dark Lord came back into power. Your side lost, in case you hadn't heard."

"Says the person in a cage," she challenged.

He just glared at her and she added, "And if the war's over, why are you fighting?"

She studied his reaction, but all she saw were his grey eyes widen slightly, before going blank. She cursed his ability to hide his emotions so effectively. "I don't know what you're talking about," he shrugged.

Ginny began counting on her fingers, "Saving the Second Years from detention with the Carrows, protecting your housemates from assault, and-" She cut off, hesitating. She didn't want to tell him about the radio message about the forest, in case he wasn't the one helping. She was trying to figure out what she could safely say when his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"And…" he pressed.

Ginny sighed. "And when I was serving detention in the forest, I came across two runaways, a mother and a small girl. Snatchers were chasing them and you there, close by. Somehow, the runaways escaped and I don't think they'd have managed that without your help."

"And this is why you've been following me," he said in a flat voice.

Ginny nodded.

"Because you think I'm some sort of rebel? Committing crimes of sedition against the Dark Lord?"

"I can help you. You don't have to do it alone," she said carefully.

There was a flash of something in his eyes but before she could place it, it was gone. "Very well. Let me out of this cage."

"Is it true? Are you helping us?"

"Yes," he said quickly, "now let me out."

Ginny snorted. "Do you think I'm stupid? Drink a bit of that Pumpkin Juice and tell me again."

Malfoy went eerily still and they stood there staring at each other through the bars for several moments. Then, suddenly, he bent and grabbed the flask. She was alarmed by the quick movement, thinking he was going to reach for her, and jumped back from the cage, which caused him to laugh.

"If you're so sure I'm on your side, why did you expect an attack?"

She ignored his taunt and nodded down at the flask in his hand. Malfoy looked down at it. "Veritaserum from Slughorn's stores?"

Ginny knew it wasn't worth trying to deny it at this point. "Just drink it. I won't take advantage. I just need to be sure."

Malfoy studied her for a while longer, then opened the flask and took a long gulp. "Okay. Ask your questions."

Ginny was shocked. She'd expected him to put up more of a fight. What was the trick here? She couldn't see any holes in her plan. He was in a cage, unable to use magic, and had just taken a dose of Veritaserum. Maybe he knew this was his quickest way out of the cage. And maybe he had nothing to hide from her.

"Okay…uh…did you help that mother and daughter escape the forest?"

"Yes."

"Have you helped others escape?"

"Yes."

"Are you working for our side? Are you a spy?"

"Yes."

Ginny's eyes widened in shock. This was more than she'd hoped for. "Um, will you let me help you? And will you help us fight against the Carrows?"

"Yes and yes. Have I earned my way out of this cage, yet?" He was smiling, like, actually smiling. A real, almost charming smile. Who was this wizard? When had he switched his allegiances? And why? She wanted to ask those questions next, but she'd promised him she wouldn't take advantage of the Veritaserum.

"You're braver than I initially gave you credit for, Malfoy."

"Yes, very brave," he said, almost bored. "Now, where did we land on that whole, 'you letting me out of this cage,' topic?"

Ginny nodded and raised her wand. She gave him a final glance before wordlessly vanishing the cage. As soon as he was free, Malfoy took a step toward her and stopped just inches away from her. He was so close she could feel the warmth emanating from his skin.

He leaned in and whispered, "I expected Potter's girlfriend to be smart. He has a lot of flaws, but he's never been stupid."

Ginny leaned back and cocked her head in confusion as she tried to make sense of his words, but her mind was muddled with thoughts of nice smelling cologne and how long it had been since she'd been this close to a wizard. He placed his hands on the top of her arms and feathered his fingertips down toward her hands, causing her heart rate to quicken, and further confusing her thoughts.

Then, with the unexpected swiftness of a snake, he grabbed her wand out of her hand and stepped back. By the time she'd figured out what had happened, she saw him pointing two wands at her and grinning wickedly. "What -? I don't – "

"Snape had me replace the Veritaserum in Slughorn's stores with water at the beginning of the year," he explained.

"But – what do you mean? That was all a lie?"

Malfoy laughed darkly and began tossing her wand up and down. She lunged for it but he erected a Shield Charm between them and she collided painfully with the magical barrier. She tried to pick herself up as gracefully as possible, glaring at him the entire time.

She'd been so stupid, but how was she supposed to know about the Veritaserum? And now, she was unarmed and at the mercy of a Death Eater who wasn't working for their side. She tried to keep the fear she was feeling from showing.

"Give me back my wand," Ginny said carefully.

"I will, but not right now. You can come get it from the Prefects' Office tomorrow, after lunch." He pocketed her wand and turned back toward the path to the castle.

"You can't leave me out here without a wand! And how am I supposed to do my lessons tomorrow without it?"

"I could have made this much worse for you." He waved his own wand and after several moments, his broom zoomed into the clearing.

"Just – uh – get me out of the forest. Please? It's incredibly dangerous for me to be in here unarmed, especially this late at night. I know you're not evil! I know."

Malfoy gave her a hateful glare. "You know nothing about me. Now, this is your final warning, Weasley. Leave. Me. Alone."

He mounted his broom and didn't even spare her a parting glance before disappearing into the dark sky.