AUTHOR'S NOTE ~ I'm obsessed w/ Cassandra Claire's Draco Trilogy, so I decided to write an alternate scene for a chapter of Draco Veritas…you definitely should have read that fic in order to read this fic!! Otherwise, it won't make a BIT of sense…anyway, I don't even know if I'm allowed to write alternate parts to OTHER people's fics, but I'll try and if I'm not allowed, someone PLEASE TELL ME! Thanx a bunch and enjoy ~ this takes place after ginny has to go to the infirmary b/c of her fall during the Quiddith match…

DISCLAIMER ~ obviously hp characters belong to JK Rowling, but the plot belongs to Cassandra Claire!!! Go read her fic at schnoogle.com!!!

Ginny opened her eyes to see…Draco?

"Draco? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

"Hey Gin," he said softly. "I brought you something."

Draco held up her copy of Passionate Trousers with a smirk.

"Great ending by the way…You know, the incident with Rhiannon and that other guy, what's his name?, seemed kinda familiar to me, like a certain tow-headed prat who cries at the drop of a broom, and has been following a certain Weasley around like a little lost puppy. Anyway, I especially enjoyed the part where Rhiannon and Tristan went into his bedroom and…"

Ginny cut him off sighing. "As much I really do appreciate you returning my book that you stole in the first place and poking fun of the only boy who's ever looked at me twice…this is the first time I've woken up without being stuffed up to my ears with drugs. And I just really want to see Ron and Hermione and Harry and try to figure out what exactly happened to me. So, um…if you don't mind…"

"That's not true. About Finnegan being the only boy who's ever looked at you twice I mean. I've looked at you multiple times as you should know," Draco commented.

"Have you?" Ginny felt a blush creep into her cheeks.

"Sure thing. Doesn't mean I enjoy what I see though," he replied a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh for goodness' sake Draco. You can't even pretend to be nice to me can you? Not even when I'm in stuck in the infirmary! Will you just please get my brother for me? Or at least try to find Harry? That shouldn't be too hard for you since you always seem to know where he is. Just pretend you're doing a favor for Hermione instead of a person a hate, ok?" Ginny's eyes had a pleading look and he couldn't resist.

"Yeah, yeah of course. No problem. I'll try to find Weas- uh, Ron for you. You know, I was there today…if you want me to tell you what happened?"

"What? Oh. Um, ok. Thanks." She gave him a small nod to continue.

"Well, Potter and I were racing toward the Snitch, I was closer than him of course…" Draco trailed off as he saw Ginny about to open her mouth to yell at him. He quickly went on, "But then I heard a scream, I knew it was you and I just stopped in midair. I saw you, I saw you falling from your broom to the ground and I flew over there as fast as I could. I couldn't reach you in time though, obviously. I ran over to you, you were on the ground and there was…blood flowing off from you into the snow." Ginny paled as she heard this and Draco took a deep breath.

"I tried to, I wanted to help you, but I didn't know what to do, and then that stupid son of a- " His eyes narrowed and seemed to turn black. "The foolish git pulled me away and told me to leave. Asked me what I was doing when it was one of his teammates. Like, he could do anything differently to help you…So I, I asked him, quite politely of course, to move out of my fucking way before I broke every bone in his body."

At this Ginny burst out laughing, "Oh no. Poor Seamus."

"Poor Seamus nothing! He wasn't solving anything by trying to throw me out. Needless to say, I got thrown off the pitch after that, by Harry no less," Draco shook his head like he still couldn't believe what had happened.

"Thank you, for trying anyway. It means a lot to me, to know that you care enough at least for that," Ginny smiled warmly at him.

"You expected any less of me?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come one Draco, honestly!" she said impatiently. "You're not exactly open with your feelings, especially with me. This may sound surprising, but I often get the impression that you hate me."

"I wish you wouldn't," he looked her in the eye and grabbed her hand. "I could never hate you Ginny, please remember that, no matter what happens or what I say otherwise. Remember, I don't lie, but sometimes, ok a lot of times…I react to things sarcastically because that's the only way I know how to react."

"I still, I wanted things to work, between you and I, you know? Maybe we could…"

"No," Draco said sternly. "It's too dangerous for me to…get involved with you, even if I want to. Besides, I've got Blaise…" though as soon as he mentioned her name, Draco felt a dead weight in the pit of his stomach.

"Right, Blaise. And we can all tell that you care about her just so very much," Ginny said sarcastically. "And if 'It's too dangerous' is the only reason you can think of to not get involved, that's just, well, it's stupid is what it is. Harry and Hermione are together. Why is it ok for them and not for us? I don't understand."

"Harry needs Hermione too much to ever be without her. But I, I love you enough to stay away."

"Ok, then," Ginny tried unsuccessfully to hold back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "We can still be friends thought right? I mean real friends, like you and Hermione. You at least owe me that!"

"I don't owe…" Draco started firmly.

"Anyone, anything, right, right. I forgot, sorry."

"Anyway, Hermione and I aren't friends. Not really. We can't talk to each other in public, you know that."

"Then we can, we can owl each other, or maybe, um…meet in Hogsmeade once in a while…" Ginny was grasping at straws by this point.

"I don't know Gin, that doesn't sound like such a good idea."

"Ok, I'm sorry. Of course, whatever you say…" she said bitterly.

"Look…if it means that much to you, um…the Charms corridor, 3rd room on the left, every other Tuesday ok? And bring your Quidditch pads."

"My Quidditch pads? You aren't planning on setting up a pitch in a deserted classroom are you, because I don't think it would fit," Ginny asked, confused.

"I'm going to teach you how to duel. Because if you insist on hanging around me I can't have you getting yourself killed now can I?" Draco gave her a small smile.

"Oh, duel…wow…if Ron ever found out, but I won't tell him, don't worry!"

"Good, because I was getting a little nervous, I mean Weasley's pretty scary!!" Draco said sarcastically.

"Draaaaaaaaaaaco darling!!" They suddenly heard Blaise calling for him. "Are you in here??"

Draco cursed as he gave Ginny's hand one last squeeze and hurried over to his girlfriend.

"Hey," he called out. "I'm right over here."

"Draco, whatever are you doing in here? I was looking all over the castle for you and Malcolm said he saw you walk in here a while ago," Blaise looked suspiciously at Ginny laying in the hospital bed.

"I was just getting some first aid supplies from Madam Promfrey…for the Prefects' bathrooms. Those damn Gryffindors keep using up all the Little Mermaid band-aids" Draco said with a straight face. Ginny however, had to clap her hand over to mouth to stop the laughter from escaping.

"Right," Blaise said. "Anyway, lets go down to dinner, I'm simply famished!"

"Of course, right away dear," Draco said as her linked his arm with hers and began to pull her down the hall. Before he walked out the door, he looked over his shoulder at Ginny.

She had been just wondering if Draco really meant what he had said. That they could meet every couple weeks and stop insulting each other so much in public. The only Weasley girl glanced up just in time to see Draco Malfoy give her a small wave and a huge exaggerated wink.