Draco's Redemption

Advance A/N:  This is my first Draco/Ginny fic…and only my 2nd Harry Potter fic.  I will take any and all criticism.  However please remember this, when I write I write how I see the characters, which does not always match JKR's version.  Please don't obsess with OOCness.

Disclaimer:  Since she beat me to it, the Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling, and JK Rowling only.

Chapter 1

Arthur and Molly Weasley were just starting to settle in for the evening when they were interrupted by a loud knocking at their door.

"My word, Arthur.  Who could that be this late?"

"Go to bed Molly.  It's probably somebody from the ministry."

"At 2:00 in the morning?  I doubt it."

The knocking came again, but a little bit fainter.

Arthur opened the door only to have a bruised and bloody person collapse in his doorway.  Molly stifled a cry of alarm when she saw the figure lying there.  Arthur quickly shut the door after checking to see if anybody would be following.  "Who is that Molly?"

"We will worry about that later.  Let's get him into Bill's old room and get him cleaned up."

Just as Arthur had started to pick up the unconscious person to move him, Ginny appeared on the stairway. 

"Mum, Dad, what's going on?"  Ginny said, rubbing her eyes.  "Who IS that?"

Ginny was suddenly wide-awake.  She ran to her parents' side.  She noticed the silvery blonde hair and new immediately who it was. "Oh Gods, that's Draco Malfoy!!  What happened to him?"

Molly put her hand on Ginny's arm.  "We don't know that yet.  We're putting him in Bill's old room.  Come help me."

Ginny looked at her mother in shock.  "Mom, I've never told you this, but I've had a crush on Draco since my first year."

Now it was Molly's turn to be shocked.  "You've had a crush on Draco Malfoy?  Why?"

Ginny grinned and blushed.  "Well, after Harry saved me from the Chamber of Secrets, Draco came to see me in the hospital wing."

"Are we talking about the same Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes Mum.  He apologized for what his father did to me, even though it wasn't his fault.  He stayed with me and talked for a few hours.  Ever since we've had this, well, distant friendship.  We've kept it a secret because, well, he and Ron don't really get along at all and it's unheard of for a Gryffindor to be friends with a Slytherin."

Molly thought this over for a split second.  "Ginny, right now he needs our help.  We'll talk about this 'crush' later."

~~In the room

Ginny watched as Molly performed spells to heal the bruises and cuts that Draco had.  With six boys, Molly had become almost as good as any Med witch with her healing.  Draco hadn't stirred since he was brought into the house.  Ginny soon became lost in her thoughts.

"Miss Weasley, you have a visitor."  Madame Pomfrey said, "but only a few minutes.  You need rest."

Ginny sat up in bed, pulling the cover up around her neck.  She nearly jumped when she recognized Draco Malfoy in the doorway.

"Expecting Potter?" he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

"I certainly wasn't expecting you.  What do you want?"

Draco moved to occupy the chair next to Ginny's bed.  "I want to apologize."

Ginny seemed shocked.  "Apologize for what?"

Draco sighed as he leaned back in the chair.  "For what my poor excuse of a father did to you.  That was wrong.  He took advantage of a weak mind."

Ginny got angry at being called weak.  "I do not have a weak mind!!  Do you have any idea what it's like to live in the shadow of the dream team?  To have six older brothers, two who were Head Boy and one who's best friends of the boy who lived?  That puts a lot of pressure on a person.  It's a lot to live up to."

Draco surprised Ginny by gently taking her hand.  "I didn't mean to call you weak.  My father just assumes that anybody who doesn't have two Knuts to rub together doesn't have the brains of a flobberworm."

Ginny blushed and looked down at her lap.  Talk of her family's lack of money embarrassed her.  She hated coming to school in used robes and using hand me down books.

Draco lifted her face to look at him.  "Ginny, please don't be embarrassed.  Your family may not have monetary wealth, but you are wealthy in something my family doesn't have."

"We are?"

"Yes.  Your family is rich in love.  If I had been taken into the chamber, my parents wouldn't have been here within the hour.  I'm sure Father would have shown up to look good, but Mother wouldn't have come with him."

"Draco, I'm sure your parent's love you."

"No.  I've been told many times that I was a mistake.  I was basically raised by the house elves and hired nannies because my mother couldn't take the time out of her society functions to bother to raise her son.  Father only pays attention to me when I've done something better than Potter, or to punish me when I'm not.  Why can't Potter just lose once."

They had spent the next hour playing Exploding Snap, and Draco tried to teach Ginny how to play chess.  Ron tried, but didn't have the patience with beginners.

"Ginny, dear.  Come help me.  We need to get him undressed so we can clean him up."

Ginny was shocked.  Her mother was asking her to undress the boy she's had a crush on for the past 5 years?  "Mother!!!!  You want me to undress Draco Malfoy?"

"Well, Ginny, you can't expect him to get cleaned up with his clothing on."  Molly waved her wand and Draco's shirt was on the floor.

Ginny gasped.  Draco had the most beautiful chest she'd ever seen!!  Then again, the only chests she had seen were her brothers, and those weren't anything to brag about.  She'd accidentally seen Harry once as he was leaving the shower.  He had his shirt on, but it was unbuttoned.  Back then she thought that was the most beautiful chest she'd ever seen.  But Draco's chest was more muscular.  He must work out during the summers.  She gasped again when she noticed her mother starting to wave her wand over Draco's pants.

"Ginny, you have six brothers, it's nothing you haven't seen before." Molly said, getting a little exasperated.

"But Mum, this isn't one of my brothers."  Ginny blushed.  "I can't look."  She closed her eyes.

Molly smiled.  At least now she knew Ginny's crush hadn't gone past the friendship stage if even a bare chest embarrassed her.  "Ok Ginny, why don't you hold the blanket for me."

Ginny held the blanket in front of her face.  But even though she couldn't see what was going on, she could hear the sound of the cloth dipping in to the water, and couldn't help thinking that Draco Malfoy was lying, completely naked, just inches from her.

Ginny felt the blanket being removed from her hands.  "I'm finished."

Ginny opened her eyes to see a sleeping Draco, looking as handsome as ever.  Molly had done an excellent job healing his cuts and bruises.  He would only have a faint scar over his right eyebrow.

"You can sit with him for a little while.  I'm going to make some soup and send an owl to Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?"  Ginny asked

"Well, I'm sure he has a right to know what happened to one of his students doesn't he."

"I guess you're right, but it'll be all over the school when term begins that the Weasleys took care of a Malfoy."

Molly smiled at her daughter.  "I think it's more that you don't want your secret crush to get out."

Ginny blushed.  Molly giggled as she left to the kitchen.

Ginny sat facing Draco.  She reached out to move a stray hair out of his face, and heard him groan. 

"Draco?"  Ginny looked into his face, waiting for him to open his eyes.

Draco vaguely remembered running from his father and Death Eaters.  Damn, Death Eaters.  They could have followed me. No, they couldn't.  I Apparated.  So where am I now?  Oh, yes I was going to Arthur Weasley.  So this must be…

"Ginny?"

"Shh Draco.  You're at my house.  Mum is getting some soup.  She cleaned you up pretty nicely.  Mum is going to send an owl to Dumbledore.  Meanwhile, Mum and I are going to take care of you."

"Ginny, you may be in danger….Death Eaters."