Draco felt sick. He had been in his room for two days since the murder of Charlie Weasley. He had told his parents he was doing his homework, or writing private letters to Pansy (the thought of which made him gag). This way he had been uninterrupted. However, being left alone wasn't such a good thing. He tried to make his mind blank, but it never worked. The image of Charlie Weasley staring up at him made him want to gag. His mother was very worried about him, and his father was indifferent.

After he had seen the murder of Charlie, he couldn't remember much. Somehow he had gotten home, and he remembered his father congratulating him on not showing any sign of fear throughout Charlie's torture, and the fact that he showed disdain on his face. Draco wondered how in the world his father could've thought he was showing disdain when he was trying not to show horror, but he didn't question him, knowing his father would leave him alone for a few days.

Suddenly he looked up. He thought he saw a movement somewhere to the left of him, right out of the range of his vision. He dismissed it as his imagination and looked back down at his bed again. He was still trying to finish his essay for Professor Binns on the goblin rebellions.

"Not those goblin rebellions? Does he ever change his curriculum?"

Draco sat straight up, looking around for the source of the voice. Not seeing anybody, he asked tentatively, "Who's there? And where are you?"

"By the curtains," was the only answer he got. Draco stood up and walked over towards the curtain.

He finally found the source of the voice. It was a ghost, and he looked at Draco intently. Draco was quite used to seeing ghosts, as there were many in Malfoy Manor. However, they were all ancestors of the Malfoys, but this one didn't look remotely like a Malfoy. From what Draco could tell, the ghosts had short hair, was short and stocky, and had…freckles.

"Oh, no," Draco moaned, and sat down hard.

"Yup, that's right. I'm Charlie Weasley. Nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand, and then drew it back, remembering that he was a ghost.

Draco glared at him. After all, he was still a Malfoy, and Charlie was still a Weasley, dead or alive. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Well, I'm a ghost, right?"

"No, really?"

Charlie ignored him and kept on talking. "Ghosts are supposed to haunt people, right?"

"So why can't you haunt your own family? I'm sure you're more welcome there."

"Yes, but your father killed me, and you were the last person I saw before I died. Which means I can haunt you."

"Oh, wonderful. If I'm not already scarred for life at seeing you be killed for no real reason, now I have to have your ghost haunting me?"

Charlie the ghost looked like he was suppressing a laugh. "Well, it does make it convenient for me. Now you can carry messages for me to my family."

"W-what?!" Draco sputtered.

"Well, I'm coming with you to Hogwarts, if I'm to haunt you properly."

"Are you nuts?! I can bring you up in front of the Ministry and they'll take care of you!"

"Yeah, but don't you think your trauma will heal faster if I follow you around telling you it's not your fault?"

Draco glared at Charlie, almost wishing he was alive again so he could kill him again by the mere poison in his look.

"Okay, I'm glad that's agreed. Now, will you please carry messages every now and then to my family? Please?"

Charlie looked so desperate, and Draco immediately thought of the look on his dying face. He involuntarily shuddered.

"I can't," he said stoutly.

"Why not?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you're the only okay Weasley."

"What, just because I'm dead?"

Draco couldn't help but smile a little. "Well, your twin brothers would probably play some stupid prank on me if I got within a mile radius of them, and your other brother, the one who's friends with Potter, I can't remember his first name…"

"Ron?"

"Yeah. I never call him that, so I forgot. Anyhow, he'd probably hex me if I tried to convince him I had a message from you."

"That's probably true. He's okay, you know. I think that he'd actually like you once he got past your rough exterior."

"My rough exterior! Are you a psychologist or something?!" Draco's face was getting flushed with anger.

"Okay, okay, sorry. What about Ginny?"

"Ginny? Isn't she the one who's head over heels for Potter?"

Charlie sniffed huffily. "Maybe. What about her? She isn't the type to hex you or play a prank on you, that is, unless you get her temper up." He got a glassy look in his eyes, and Draco supposed that he must have been thinking about Ginny's temper.

"Maybe I'll give her your messages then. But I refuse to give them to her if she's mooning over Potter."

"Jealous?"

Draco looked like he was having a fit. "Jealous? Of Potter? For having a Weasley like him?"

"Excuse me! She's still my sister. Will you do it or not?"

Draco looked like he was thinking hard. Maybe if he did it then he could get rid of his feeling of guilt. Plus, it would probably keep Charlie around him, and as much as he hated to admit it, even a Weasley was definitely better company than Crabbe or Goyle. And all he'd have to do would be to talk to Ginny every now and then. Sounded okay to him. But, being a Malfoy, he had to make a deal of some sort, no matter how silly.

"I'll do it. But…"

"But?" Charlie asked warily.

"You have to help me with my homework and my Quidditch skills."

Charlie let out a breath. "I can do that."

"Starting now."

"Fine with me. I thought you were going to make me play pranks on my brothers or teach you hexes. I'm surprised at you, Malfoy, or Draco, or whatever you want to be called."

"Call me whatever you want. And don't give me ideas."