Ginny stared at Draco, a touch of sadness in her eyes.

"Draco, you really don't want to hear it. It's all so dramatic I'll start crying."

Draco chuckled, but didn't back down. He knew Ginny enough to know that there would be one dramatic time in the last few years, if not two.

"I want to know, Ginny. I worried about you. Go on, sock it to me."

Ginny smiled and stood up, heading for the door of the Pub.

"I'll tell you when we get to my place." Ginny said, looking over her shoulder.

Draco nearly shivered at the words. Was that a seductive little purr he heard? No, that was the whiskey from his drink talking. Draco took his butterbeer with whiskey ever since he was of the drinking age.

Whatever the girl meant, Draco decided to go with her.

He examined her from behind as he went to catch up with her. She had a little rhythm as she walked, her hips rotating perfectly and her flaming hair swinging as she walked.

Ginny stopped walking and turned, her hair swinging around and over her shoulder as she did.

"Draco, aren't you coming?"

Draco gulped, and grinned at her.

"Just wait up, Ginny."

Ginny waited for him, standing with her hands behind her back, and smiled when he reached her.

"Just to tell you now, I'm living with Ron and Hermione." She said casually. "Oh, another thing. Don't be so shocked when you see Hermione."

Draco sent her a quizzical look, but follwoed her into the apartment house. Ginny took out her keys and opened the door to the apartment.

Hermione swept up to the door to see Ginny right away. Harry was sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs, staring into the fire with a depressed look on his face.

"Ginny, where were you-"

Hermione stopped when she saw Draco. Her eyes widened, and she looked him over warily.

"Draco...what are you doing here?" She asked, putting her hand on her belly.

Draco's eyes were drawn to Hermione's stomach. It looked as though she had stuffed one of the Muggle basketballs into her shirt.

"Hermione, I see you've been busy." Draco teased with a sly half-smile.

Hermione blushed, with embarassment and annoyance.

"Well, at least I'm with somebody. From your owls, I would say that you haven't even gone to dinner with a girl ever since we last saw you."

Draco shrugged and draped an arm over Ginny's shoulders. He got a nasty look from Harry, but ignored it.

"Well, am I allowed in? Or do I have to take Ginny hostage?"

Draco put his arm over Ginny's throat playfully, and she pushed him off, giggling.

"Cut it out, Draco. Hermione, it's okay."

Hermione stepped aside and let them in, her lips pursed and her eyes on Draco. Harry turned back to the fire, slumped in the chair like a rag doll, and ignored them.

Draco watched Harry smugly as he walked past him to Ginny's room. Harry's eyes must have popped out of his head when he saw where they were going, but he didn't say anything.

******************************

Ginny closed the door to her room behind her, and plopped down on the chair at her desk. Draco lay back on her bed, his legs over the side as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Draco, you've been sending Hermione owls?" Ginny asked, leaning over to glance at him.

Draco nodded, biting his lip. He looked anxious as he sat up and looked at her through those intense gray eyes.

"I wrote owls to you, but I never sent any of them. They were all just too...stupid, I guess. I'm sorry, Ginny."

Ginny sighed and turned her pivoting chair away from him.

"Do you know how lonely I've been? Ever since school ended, and everybody scattered, I've been lonely. I just miss the days when the whole gang would to go to Hogsmeade on weekends and get butterbeer from the pub, and that candy store..." Ginny turned back to Draco with a sad smile. "Do you remember the candy store? Well, that old woman finally died and they shut it down. I cried when I watched them nail up the windows. Don't laugh! It was almost like watching an old friend die."

Draco held back his laughter when Ginny talked about the candy store, she saw it. But he understood what she meant.

"I suppose you think I'm a twit, now. You probably have people hanging off of you at the Slythering Castle. Especially the girls, if I remember corectly." Ginny ended her comment with a short round of giggles.

Draco bit his lip again, but grinned wickedly.

"I suppose I do, once I think about it. But I can't stand any of them. And Pansy...let's just say that she's a hoar."

Draco and Ginny laughed, swapped embarassing stories, and Draco even told Ginny that Pansy had Apparated into his carriage to try and seduce him. Ginny had to laugh at that one.

Ginny pouted when Ginny tapped on the door.

"Ginny, dinner's on the table." She announced.

Ginny looked over at Draco. His usually neat hair was a bit mussed, so she flattened it down with her hand.

"We don't want anybody getting the wrong idea now, do we?" She murmured as she smoothed out a few strands of hair around his face.

Draco let Ginny groom him. He liked her gentle, tentative motions and the soft warmth of her hands when she touched his face.

"There now. Much better." Ginny said finally.

Draco reached out and smoothed the ruffled hair around her face as well.

"Are Ron and Hermione..."

Ginny giggled and nodded.

"It's a bit strange, yes, but they really are a cute couple. Hermione wants to have a boy so they can name it Ronald, and Ron wants a girl so they can name it Hermione!"

Draco chuckled and pat her on the cheek.

"They never did agree on anything. Oh well, let's go."

******************************

Draco sat next to Ginny at the dinenr table. Ron and Hermione exchanged wistful glances at each other the whole time, holding hands or patting the swollen belly of the matronly genius.

Draco was ready to die.

He hated the loving glances, the gentle caresses, the soft whispers. He hadn't known anybody like that, ever. And at times he thought he never would. Ginny looked as though she was in turmoil as well. Her eyes watered from time to time, and she would look down at her plate with flushed cheeks.

Harry glared at Draco the whole time, accompanied sometimes by Hermione and Ron when they weren't making loving gestures. Draco sneered at Harry, and saw his face get red with anger.

"Draco? Is something wrong?" Ginny asked, her mouth full of chicken.

Draco shook his head and flashed a smile.

"No, Gin. Nothing's wrong. But pass the salt?"

Dinner passed uneventfully, but Harry cornered Draco after dinner when Ginny had left the room to do the dishes with Hermione.

"What are you trying to do, Malfoy? Get Ginny into trouble?"

Draco pushed away Harry's accusing finger with a smug smile.

"And I suppose you think you're better, trying to go snogging after being with her for hardly even a day. I haven't even done anything, and why would I?" Draco sneered maliciously at Harry and continued. "It would spoil a perfectly good friendship. Besides, my other plan didn't work. We didn't do half as much as I had hoped."

Harry's eyes blazed and he threw himself at Draco. They rolled around, punching and kicking until they found themselves body locked on the floor.

Ginny stood above them, her wand emitting a thin haze of smoke from its tip. With that excuse of a dress on she looked like a blazing angel, Draco thought.

Ginny smoothed out the skirt of the powdery green dress, obviously annoyed.

"Just what do you think you were doing?" She demanded, freeing them of the minor curse.

Harry scowled at Draco, expecting him to answer. Draco decided to explain.

"Well, Gin. Harry here thought I would get you into trouble, the stupid git. And when I said a little something, he just pounced. What was I supposed to do? Let him pound me?"

Harry's mouth opened, but he snapped it shut when Ginny turned to him.

"And what's your story?"

Harry tried to stand up, but Ginny pushed him back down onto the ground with her foot.

"He said you didn't do half as much as he hoped you would."

Ginny looked surprised for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

Bells, her laugh sounded like those silver bells he hung at his window in Slytherin Castle.

"Is that all? Harry! What is wrong with you! Hermione can clean you up. Come on, Draco."

******************************

Ginny wiped the blood away from Draco's upper lip, careful of the cut he had.

"Draco...I thought you and Harry would get along after all those years." She murmured, washing off the dirty cloth in a bowl of warm water. "I was hoping you would. You know how much I hate fighting, unless I'm in on it of course."

Draco smiled, and winced.

"Sorry about the ruckus." He mumbled as Ginny wiped off some more blood and tossed the cloth into the bowl. "I was just fighting back."

Ginny cupped his face in her hands and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"It's okay, Draco. I understand what you're saying. But Harry..." Her voice trailed off and she turned away from him.

Ginny poured the pink-ish water into the sink, and began running the water to get rid of any bloody water that was left. Draco stood up, and straightened out his clothing: all black as usual.

"Thanks, Ginny. I should be going now." Draco mumbled, giving Ginny a quick hug and heading for the door.

Ginny grabbed his arm and held him still until she conjured up a quill and parchment.

"Write down where you're staying." Ginny commanded, holding out the quill.

Draco took it with a smirk, and scribbled down the name of his hotel.

"Now, I'm going. I'll see you later, Ginny."

Ginny led him to the door, and gave him a warm smile as she left.

"Goodbye Draco."

******************************

Draco lay on his bed in the hotel, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

That girl has grown up. He thought. But she's Ginny Weasley, the girl I think of as a sister, even if she is gorgeous...

Draco mentally slapped himself.

Idiot! What's wrong with you? Ginny wants you as nothing more than another brother, and you only want her as a sister! Draco scolded himself, turning onto his side and staring out the window.

He tried to remember Ginny when they were younger: tomboyish, foul mouthed, Quidditch player Ginny. She had been a damn good seeker after Harry had stepped down. Gryffindor hardly ever lost a game after she got that spot.

Draco smirked into the inky blackness of the night. He remembered Ginny's first game, how nervous she had been. He had gone against her, seeker against seeker, in a race to the Snitch. Ginny had swerved suddenly, and reached out just in time to grab the Snitch before Draco toppled into her, unable to stop himself in time. The effect had been three days in the Hospital Ward, under the watchful eye of Madam Pomfrey. After that, Draco and Ginny got along a bit better, which led to their sibling-like relationship.

See, she is like your sister. You just convined yourself that you never saw those faux-brown eyes and full lips-IDIOT!

******************************

Ginny slept uneasily, dreaming of her five-year torture.

"No..." She mumbled in her sleep...

*Ginny watched in horror as the followers of You-Know-Who took her parents' wands and pushed them into line with Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers. She was being held, her arms pinned behind her back, and a charm done so that she woudn't blink.

Her mother was pushed to the front first, screaming and crying as she tried to hold onto her father's hand. They were pried apart, and Ginny saw the evil man's lips curl into a twisted, sinister smile.

"Avada Kadavra!" He cried.

Ginny screamed. Her father screamed. Her mother let out a final despairing shriek and slumped to the ground, her eyes wide.

Ginny's father was pushed forward next, sobbing loudly.

"Avada Kadavra!"

He slumped to the ground next to her mother, and they were dragged off.

Ginny broke free of her captor and ran after her parents' bodies.

"Mum! Daddy!" She screamed. "Mum! Daddy!"

One of the followers, draped in a black cloak, grabbed Ginny and pinned her hands behind her back.

Ginny screamed and howled, trying to break loose again. Another follower came up behind her, and hit her over the head with a staff, making a sickening CRACK!

Ginny's head lolled to the side, but her eyes were still open.

"Blintosa."

Ginny's eyes closed, slowly, shutting out the world around her.*

Ginny woke up with a scream, cold sweat all over her body. Hermione was standing next to the bed, along with a groggy yet alert Ron.

Ron wrapped his arms around Ginny and smoothed down her hair. Ginny buried her face into Ron's shoulder and held his arm, sobbing heavily. Hermione sat behind her, and held her as best as she could. She had tears glistening on her cheeks, and so did Ron.

"Hush, Ginny. Everything will be alright..." Ron whispered to her.

Ginny shook her head and sobbed.

"No it won't! Mum and Daddy didn't do anything!"

Ron cast Hermione a worried glance, and she returned it. Five years and Ginny was still going through the hell of remembering their murder.

******************************