Been forgetting the disclaimer, but not this time. *Insert standard legal babble* All things related or pertaining to Harry Potter are copyright to JK Rowling, and are reproduced for entertainment purposes only, not profit. So don't sue.

~*Ch. 3- A Truce*-~

The bells rang soon after, signaling the students to get to their first class. The Great Hall emptied out gradually, the corridor filling with chatter and the sounds of moving feet and swishing robes. No one came into the washroom with Draco. No one disturbed him.

Draco sat on the floor, his back against the wall, just letting the coolness of the polished stones seep through him. Theoretically, he knew he had to get up, he get books and materials, get to class like everyone else. But he didn't move.

When the bells rang again, announcing the start of class, Draco was still sitting there, staring at the far wall, concentrating very hard on feeling nothing for once. The hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach expanded outward, numbing the rest of him for a brief moment. The bitter taste in his mouth gradually faded into the background. His mind remained at a flat line, barely registering anything around him.

When the bells rang once more, for the end of first class, Draco finally snapped out of his stupor. His back and legs were very stiff from sitting like a corpse for over an hour. Bones creaking, he forced himself to stand up. After stretching a bit, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes, wandering out into the halls. He walked without a particular direction in mind. After a few minutes, he found himself, alone again, out on the empty Quidditch field.

He turned his face up, his pale eyes watering a bit in the bright sunshine. The bells rang again. Another class missed. And on the first day. He couldn't summon the energy to care.

A quiet desperation began to fill him. The nightmares were getting worse. The one about Ginny… he didn't know if he could survive another nightmare as vivid, as real as that had been. He wasn't sure if he'd want to survive it.

Draco toyed momentarily with the thought of killing himself, just putting himself out of his misery, but discarded it after a minute with despair. Death couldn't hide him from what he feared. Death was no barrier to Voldemort. As he'd already proved.

Leaning against the pole of one of the Quidditch goals, Draco had a revelation. This was a punishment. For all the cruelty he'd inflicted upon others. It was finally coming back to him, and threefold. It was almost poetically ironic.

*

Ginny had managed to wave Hermione off with the excuse of going to freshen up and dry her tears, but it was more of an attempt to be alone. Thankfully, the bell rang, making the last occupant of the bathroom, a first-year girl, scurry to the class she had just become late for.

Staring at herself in the mirror, Ginny couldn't have felt worse that day. Maybe she was just pushing herself too hard. What she needed was a good walk, some air. Drying her tears and doing the best she could to salvage her makeup, Ginny left once she was satisfied she looked decent.

It was strange, walking down the hallways of Hogwarts when they were empty. She felt like her footsteps echoed loudly, and they seemed to in her ears. Air... She needed air. She needed to see the blue skies, the green grass.

Glancing around, she made her way carefully outside. She didn't want to leave the grounds, so her walk was very limited. Once she was outside though, away from the classes being taught on the Care of Magical Creatures, she felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted off of her chest.

The day was surprisingly beautiful despite the slightly overcast skies leftover from the rain they had had the previous day. Taking a seat on the grass, Ginny soon found herself lying back, staring at the gray clouds in deep thought, an occasional patch of blue breaking the monotony.

*

Shaking his head at himself, Draco pushed away from the goal post. He needed to get back to his classes, make excuses to his teachers, or else his absence would be noted and made known to his father.

As he began to move across the pitch, his eyes fell upon something he hadn't noticed before. A person, laying down, looking up at the sky. With her long auburn hair spread like a cape of silk around her head. Ginny Weasley.

He stopped, starting to change direction, to take another route to avoid her. But something made him hesitate. Maybe it was the memory of the nightmare, or her tears, or her offer… but he felt he owed her something. At least a cordial hello. An acknowledgement of her presence. And there was no one around. No one to see. No one to take it back to Lucius Malfoy.

He made up his mind. Clasping his wrist behind his back, he continued his purposeful walk, stopping when he was next to her. He searched for the most noncommittal thing to say. Something that wouldn't reveal anything of his thoughts, his fears, to her. She had already seen too much of those by accident.

"Nice day, isn't it?" He commented casually, shading his eyes and joining her in glancing upwards.

At first Ginny's reaction was of surprise, and she was going to sit up, but something seemed to calm her all of a sudden. Instead of tensing and trying to distance herself emotionally from Draco, she felt relaxed. Perhaps her mind was just too tired to comprehend that it was Draco Malfoy who was talking to her, not Harry Potter.

Her eyes shut slowly for a moment, then opened, her gaze turning upon him. "Yes, it's a wonderful day. I just wish those clouds would clear up and go away." And as she watched him, it suddenly hit her. It was as if she saw Draco Malfoy for the first time.

He could be a real person. Not some cold, distant monster, a Slytherin. But he could be decent.

And suddenly, she felt herself saying words she hadn't thought she would ever say. "Would you like to join me, Draco?"

Draco stiffened in reaction to her words, but as his eyes flew over her face, searching her expression, he realized it was an innocent request. Not a ploy, or a trick, or a lie. Just an honest, simple question. No hidden motive, no scheme, no evil plot.

That was real warmth glowing at him from her eyes- not contrived. He slowly relaxed, but only marginally.

He should tell her no. Just say, very easily, "No thanks." And then walk away. This girl already knew too much. And she was a Weasley. Sworn enemy of the Malfoy's. Not only should he tell her no, he should do so with a sneer, then kick grass at her, or some such thing. It's what was expected of him.

He stared at her, hiding his confusion. Why wasn't she afraid of him anymore? Because he knew, could tell from her face, that she didn't expect him to react in his normal way. She looked as if they sat together on Quidditch fields everyday, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

In spite of the fact that he knew it was crazy, wrong, and even dangerous, Draco found himself folding at the knees, moving into a sitting position. His mouth opened, and he said words that he was hopeless to stop. "I'm sorry about this morning." As soon as the apology left his lips, he cursed himself inwardly.

Of all the things Draco could have said, that was the one thing Ginny didn't anticipate. It brought a slight tear to her eye, but she wiped it away quickly. Yet, it was followed by still more. Her voice was slightly choked with emotion, but she managed to speak.

"Thank you... So much. You don't know what that means to me."

Taking a deep breath or two, she managed to calm herself down, her gaze still staring at the sky. There was something in the air today, and it made her feel like taking risks with Malfoy.

Her gaze turned to him slowly. "Draco," she paused. "What would you say if I asked you if we could start over? If I said that I wanted to start fresh with you. The real you, the real me, just the honest truth. Everything." She continued to watch him, looking closely for reactions.

"No one would ever have to know, outside of us. It'd be just us. I..." She trailed off, not continuing what she was going to say, but merely falling silent.

Draco drew in a breath sharply, looking to her with surprise, for once unable to disguise his reaction. The breath weighed heavy in his lungs, and he released it slowly.

To be free. To be able to act without having to consider and reconsider every word, gauging it for appropriateness. To be able to say what he truly thought, for once, and not be afraid of the consequences. To not have to constantly force his face into a mask, hiding his real expression. To not have to play the role of Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, the right hand of Voldemort.

He knew he shouldn't, but he wanted to so badly. Because he was tired of being alone. The loneliness was almost worse than the fear.

Ginny was offering him a fresh start. But Draco saw it as a chance to get away from the aching rawness that had been consuming him since his seventeenth birthday.

And maybe… just maybe, if he allowed himself this chance for friendship with Ginny Weasley… then the nightmare wouldn't return tonight. And he wouldn't have to again experience how it felt to hold her limp, lifeless body in his arms.

For that, he was willing to risk it.

He looked to her, his blue eyes now like open windows to his soul, showing the fear that was within him, the desperation. And now… the small amount of hope.

"I would say... Yes." He answered her carefully.

Ginny felt her spirits rise at Draco's words, and she instantly sat up, looking into his eyes, reading them. And there was that fear in them. Draco Malfoy was afraid. She smiled again, faintly. He wasn't like he used to be. He'd become real. He was no longer a monster. He was a real person, that knew fear, pain, hurt.

She nodded to him quickly. "Then I'm asking if you would like that, Draco." She let her eyes trail over him. "Because I feel like you need it right now." She looked to him, then lay back down on the grass, staring at the sky.

Her voice was more distant, like she was describing a place rather than talking to him directly. "You aren't the Draco Malfoy who teased my brother and I so badly that we almost hated you. You aren't the same Draco Malfoy that I know. You're different. You aren't like you used to be. And it's almost like suddenly I've become aware of you... aware of how much of a real, caring person you are."

She smiled. "It probably sounds lame, Draco, but I believe you're becoming something... Something much better. Someone much better. You're stepping away from everything you've ever known and becoming who you really are. And I'd be honored to help you, Draco. Which is what I want to do."

Draco shut his eyes at her words. "You're wrong, Ginny," he told her, opening his eyes, looking at her with that lost, haunted expression. "I admit, I… I have changed." He drew his knees up to his chest, unconsciously curling protectively around himself.

He shook his head sadly. "But I'm not better than I was. I-I…" He choked on the words. It was still hard for him to open up like this, in spite of his agreement to do so. Finally he forced them out, barely above a whisper, not meeting her gaze.

"I'm terrified."

Ginny moved to sit up, her eyes focusing carefully upon Draco's own. As if to prove her seriousness, she moved again, taking his hand and placing it in her own, squeezing it gently.

"Draco, I don't want you to be afraid. There shouldn't be anything to be afraid of. You're strong, Draco. You can be strong if you try. There is nothing you need to fear." She hesitated, wanting to discover the source of his fear.

"But since you seem so scared.. would you at least tell me who are what you are afraid of? Is it Harry?"

Draco frowned at the mention of his old nemesis, Harry Potter. He hadn't thought about the Boy Who Lived all summer. It was hard to get past sixth years of rivalry, to think objectively about it.

For the first four years of school at Hogwarts, Draco had taken every possible opportunity to hurt Harry- with taunts, insults, sabotage, practical jokes. Now he wondered how he would have acted if Lucius Malfoy hadn't encouraged him to do so at every turn, pouring his poison into his son's ear, training him to be the perfect Death eater, the perfect weapon for the master, Lord Voldemort.

But during the fifth year, after Voldemort's return to flesh and power, that's when Draco first had started having… uncertainty. To him, the idea of the Death Eater's had been almost abstract. Hate was like a game that his father had raised him to play, and play with ruthless calculation.

Things changed for Draco, however, when that game became reality. When people started dying. People he had never met, never had any personal problems with. It didn't matter that it was for Voldemort's "cause". He couldn't stomach it.

But Draco had kept on with the game, especially the rivalry with Potter. Partly because his father told him to, and partly because it had become sheer habit.

So what was he to do now? Now that his old sense of self had deserted him? Now that following all his old habits made his teeth grind and his stomach turn? Playing the game made him feel like the worst version of himself. Like he truly was becoming a younger copy of his father.

Draco sighed heavily, slipping his hand out of Ginny's grasp. He considered her question as fairly as he could, without the old prejudices. "I may have never liked Potter, Ginny. But I never feared him." He finally answered her.

Ginny winced as he pulled his hand away, and she mentally kicked herself. Wrong thing to say, Ginny Weasley. You thought mentioning Harry would help you? You'd just better hope he doesn't remember that you've had a CRUSH on Harry since you've been at Hogwarts... a crush on his most hated enemy.

Taking a deep breath, she looked back to him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were..." She shook her head, trying again. "That came out wrong. I'm sorry." She looked at him with open curiosity. "But what is it you're so afraid of, if that is the case? What is it that keeps you from becoming the person I know you can be, Draco?"

Draco laughed shortly, humorlessly. Then he swallowed. "What else could it be? The one wizard who inspires terror in the heart of the entire magical community. So much so that we can't even bring ourselves to say his name. The former Heir of Slytherin. Opener of the Chamber of Secrets… You-Know-Who…" Draco's voice dropped again, the timbre going hoarse.

"None other than Lord Voldemort, of course."

"Lord Voldemort."

As Ginny echoed the words, they sent a chill and an involuntary shiver down her back. Lord Voldemort. Tom Riddle. The name was all too familiar and all too uncomfortable for her.

She paused, looking up at him, deep fear and terror in her eyes. "I'm afraid of him too, Draco. I'm afraid of him more than anything." Tearing her gaze away him for a moment, she felt herself drifting back to thoughts she had hoped to bury forever.

And when she spoke again, she didn't sound like she was really there. Her voice was distant as she recalled the memories of her first year at Hogwarts. The year in which she had talked to Voldemort himself, without even knowing it.

"I was so alone that year. I felt so much of an outcast, with secondhand robes and books because there was no money to get me new ones. My brothers were no help either. They teased me, all of them. I felt like such a freak... so different. No one wanted me. And then, there was the diary. I poured my heart out to it... and all that time I was telling Lord Voldemort my deepest secrets. I was telling Tom Riddle, whom I had no idea was really him." She shuddered again.

"And then I let him use me. He was my only friend, and yet it was him, the one so hated, so feared. It scared me. More than anything. And he used me... I did all of those things, I opened the Chamber of Secrets. I told him all about Harry... And I was just used by him. I thought they were going to throw me out... I thought they were going to make me leave Hogwarts for good..."

Finally, her eyes returned to normal and her saddened gaze turned upon Draco once more. "So," she whispered "I am just as afraid as you are, Draco. Because Voldemort knows me... Personally. He knows my secrets, my hopes, my desires..."

For the first time in months, Draco felt a slight raising of his spirits. It wasn't at Ginny's fear, or how the memories obviously still pained her.

No. It was because, for the first time that he could remember, Draco simply felt… understood.

And, for the first time, he felt as if he were not alone. Ginny knew what it was like. The way she spoke about being used by someone she had trusted… it exactly mirrored Draco's feelings towards his father.

He wanted to say something to her, something that would comfort her. Ease the pain that he knew was there, because it was his pain, too. But he didn't know how. Insults, lies, condescension- he was familiar with that territory. But this… this was something entirely different.

So instead of saying words, Draco did the only other thing he could think of. He took her hand in his own, echoing her earlier gesture. Only his eyes revealed how vulnerable and unsure he felt in that moment. But he had to do it.

Ginny blinked in surprise as her hand was taken into his, and despite the pain of reliving her first year at Hogwarts, she felt herself smiling. He understood. It was suddenly as if all of her cares had been lifted off of her, and here was a pure, unbiased relationship.

It was suddenly as if she had a connection with someone, not based on friendship, but on pure, unequaled understanding. Somehow, he felt exactly as she did. And he managed to get through it. Only his was a lot more recent then hers, she could read it in his eyes.

If only there were someone who had befriended her like this when she had needed it. I'm going to make it right for him, at least. I'm going to make everything okay.

She looked to him, the smile curving across her lips. "Thank you, Draco."

Slowly, Draco found his own mouth moving into a smile, returning hers with a sincerity he couldn't recall ever feeling before. It was amazing, this feeling of rapport, of connection.

If someone had told him a year ago that he'd being skipping class to sit in a Quidditch field to hold hands with Ginny Weasley, he would have laughed in their face. Or, even worse, he'd have probably pulled some familial strings to get that person's family bankrupted and thrown out of the streets, as well.

But now that he was here, and experiencing it, Draco was hard pressed to remember a time when he had looked down on her, on her family, even hated them.

But he did remember. And he started to feel ashamed. He let go of her hand, to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Listen, Ginny… I know I've said things, done things in the past that have hurt you and your friends." He had a sudden flash to the dream, taking his wand and casting the Cruciatus curse on her, killing her with it. He shuddered inwardly, forced himself to go on.

"All I can say is… it wasn't me. It was my Father. I wanted to be him. Confident, self-assured... powerful. But then, after he-" Draco stopped himself, shivering.

"I don't want to be him anymore." He finished instead

Ginny watched him for a long moment, before she felt herself nodding. "Good. I'm glad you've finally stepped out of your father's shadow." She looked down, heaving a sigh.

"Maybe it's time I've stepped out of my brothers'."

Her gaze fell downwards, and she felt herself feeling impulsive again. "Hey, Draco? Did you... Did you want to go fly or something? Maybe it'll make us both feel a little better..."

Draco was a little surprised at her suggestion, but it made him smile nonetheless. "What about classes?" He thought of something. "Which reminds me, I never asked you what you were doing out here, all by yourself."

Ginny Weasley burst into a grin as she glanced over at him. "I'm cutting classes today, Draco Malfoy. Do you feel like joining me, or are you going to just lie around all day?"

With that, she got to her feet, continuing to smile to him. "Now, do you want to go for a flight?"

Draco grinned back. It was his usual, smug, arrogant grin. It was honest.

He thought it might be nice to get up on a broomstick for a while, forget about everything, just leave his troubles on the ground.

He got to his feet as well in a fluid movement, dusting off his robes. Reaching inside them, he pulled out his wand. Ten inches, ash, salamander bone. Not exactly ideal for charms, but he managed. "Accio, broomstick!" He Summoned. He could learn from Potter, after all.

The racing broom appeared after a minute, speeding to a stop at Draco's waist, perfect mounting height.

Suddenly, Ginny felt a bit embarrassed. Her own broomstick would be much slower. Her own, secondhand broom. She shut her eyes for a moment, then looked down. "Maybe you should go on ahead, and I'll catch up?"

She knew that was unlikely. Not unless he went at a snail's pace. Now, she was thoroughly humiliated.

Draco, after mounting his broomstick, looked over to Ginny with a serious, thoughtful expression, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. A year ago, this would have been the perfect opportunity to wound Ginny, to make the usual comments about her family, their monetary status or lack thereof.

But he just looked at her. Then he smiled. Not a malicious smile, or a calculating smile. Just… a smile. "Hop on behind me. We're less likely to attract attention, that way, right? If we keep to one broom."

Ginny couldn't help but smile, climbing on carefully behind him. "Thank you," she managed to murmur "Thank you so much." Wrapping her arms carefully around his waist, she used the opportunity to think,

He really has changed.

She felt strangely content as they lifted into the air, the wind whipping at their robes and hair, the scent of fresh air moving around them. She breathed it in, enjoying it as she held onto Draco's waist.

For a few minutes, she simply reveled in the familiar feel of flying, laughing with Draco as he did some tricks and stunt maneuvers for her, but after a moment, she could hear something. Something that wasn't there before. There was someone else in the air.

Turning her head back behind her, she blinked in surprise. "Draco... Draco! That's Madam Hooch behind us!"

Draco cast a startled look over his shoulder, and indeed, there was Hogwarts own Flying Instructor and Quidditch Referee, flying after the two of them with a grim look in her cat-slitted eyes.

Calmly- as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening, as if it were perfectly acceptable for students to run around during class time and fly their brooms- Draco dove for the ground, causing Ginny to squeak and clutch tighter at him for moment, before he leveled out and braked, the broomstick easing smoothly to a halt.

Madam Hooch followed them a moment later, and came stomping towards the two of them over the neatly-trimmed grass. She seemed taken aback to see who it was that had broken the rules so unabashedly, but recovered and leveled a piercing stare at them both.

"Draco Malfoy, and Ginny Weasley!" She barked, sternly. Do you know how many rules you've just disregarded? From Malfoy, I could expect this, but you, Ginny?" Madam Hooch just shook her head in disgust. "I'll have to tell McGonagall and Snape about this. Look forward to Detention with Filch, at the very least."

Ginny nodded resignedly, having expected plenty of punishment for cutting classes. Her gaze turned to the instructor, and she smiled weakly. "I apologize, Madam Hooch. I didn't mean to break so many rules." She frowned a bit after that.

"It's just that I wasn't feeling so well today and I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my classes. I just went out for some air and ran into Draco, who also wasn't feeling very well today. We both decided that maybe flying would make us feel better, so we did."

She looked down a bit. "But I apologize, I should have just stayed in my room today."

Madam Hooch's mouth tightened for a moment, then relaxed. "Be that as it may, Weasley, there is absolutely no excuse for breaking rules." She turned back towards the school, and the two of them followed behind her, Draco carrying his broom in one hand.

He leaned closer to Ginny, muttering softly so Hooch wouldn't overhear their conversation. "I don't think our getting caught flying together is going to do much to quell those ridiculous rumors that got started this morning."

Ginny looked back to him and smiled. "I know. It's alright. The only people who really believe it are Slytherins, and they don't matter much to me anyway." She grinned. "They're mostly just biased."

She looked to him. "And if they're so curious as to what's going on, then why don't they just ask us?" She sighed a bit. "But my brother is going to kill me."

She shook her head again. "Ron holds so much against you."

Draco nodded, accepting. He glanced down at her, then forward again, his expression turning back into the bored mask again as they entered the school and began walking along the halls. "Listen, Ginny, it was sweet of you to share blame back there. But when you get to McGonagall… I want you to blame me. Say I provoked you, coerced you, cursed you, whatever. And when your friends and your brother ask you about what happened, tell them the same story. They'll believe you."

A ghost of a sad smile flitted across his face, before disappearing. "I know you'll want to defend me Ginny, tell them the truth… but you can't, alright? It's better this way."

Ginny frowned up at him. "Draco... I can't just blame you." She protested. "I can't just let you get in trouble on your own. It wouldn't be fair of me.."

She paused, considering. "Draco.. why do you insist on this? Why don't you want me to tell the truth?" She bit on her lip, as she realized the answer. "You don't want anyone to know you've changed, do you?"

Draco didn't look at her, only nodded shortly. "Remember your promise on the train, Ginny? Well, I won't cast a Forgetting Spell on you, but I will hold you to your word to keep this just between us."

Then he did look at her, his lips curving in a charming smile. "I can handle a Detention. I've done it before. Don't worry about me."

He reached out his free hand and squeezed her arm briefly in encouragement, before letting it fall back to his side. He looked to her once more, and opened his mouth, about to tell her something else, but then the bell rang for the end of class, and students began filing into the hallways. Draco's gaze snapped forward, and it was if he went through a transformation. His blue eyes turned hard, casting disdainful looks around, his body straightened, and he resumed his signature arrogant walk, casually putting his broom over his shoulder.

Ginny hated the thought of blaming it all on Draco, but she knew he wasn't ready. Not ready to face everything that changing meant. And so, she did what she could, and cast a glare in Draco Malfoy's direction as she followed after Hooch.

She had promised, and she was going to keep that promise, no matter how hard.

They reached McGonagall's office first, and Madam Hooch opened the door. Draco never broke character as they were waved into the room, instructed to stand and wait, his eyes never lost the hard look. Draco and Ginny weren't left alone for long, the Professor came in after a moment, her eyes glinting in surprise behind her spectacles as she beheld the two of them in her office together, just as Hooch had.

McGonagall's face was set in hard lines. Hooch had clearly informed her of the rule breaking. When she came in she just nodded to them. "Explain yourselves." She demanded quietly.

Draco said nothing, just stared straight ahead with a bored expression, clearly leaving it up to Ginny.

Ginny swallowed a bit, looking down, her clever mind working as she thought up a story that sounded plausible. "Well, Professor… I wasn't feeling well today, so I was going to just skip classes and go lie down. However, when I was heading back to go sleep after breakfast, the bell rang and I noticed that Draco wasn't in class. I didn't exactly feel well, but I was curious as to what he was doing out of class, so I decided it couldn't hurt to take a peek before I went to lie down. So I followed him out onto the practice fields where he was about to get onto his broom. I hurried over and placed a hand on his broom to stop him, and asked him what he was doing, and he said he didn't feel like attending classes and that he was going to just fly... so I told him he shouldn't do that and he shrugged and hopped on the broom. I kept holding onto it, but he took off anyway, so I had to grab onto his waist to keep from falling off. Soon after he took off with me in tow, Madam Hooch spotted us."

Ginny managed a blush. "I'm really sorry this all happened. I just wanted to go lie down and he caught my curiosity."

To her amazement, Professor McGonagall believed her. "I'm sorry this all happened, too." She said first, then turned to Draco. "Ten points from Slytherin for endangering Ginny's life, and detention with Filch for cutting classes."

Ginny almost sighed in relief. She didn't get any punishment.

... or so she thought.

"However, Ginny, you did follow him and didn't report to Madam Pomfrey as you should have if you were feeling ill. I can look over that much, but since you did follow Draco, and you obviously seem to get along quite well, I've decided that you two shall accompany each other to the Anniversary dance next Friday evening. No exceptions. And I expect you both to be on your best behaviors. You are dismissed. I assume that shall be a more than adequate punishment for you both.

"Ginny, I suggest going to report to Madam Pomfrey, and Draco... I suggest you get to your next class before you dig yourself into any deeper of a hole. I'll inform Professor Snape for you."

Draco had been feeling rather proud of Ginny for coming up with such a good story, but at McGonagall's announcement, his mouth fell open in shock. At first, he didn't know how to react. But then he remembered he was in character. "What?" He exclaimed, horror written all over his expression.

"You're forcing me to go to the Millennium Ball with, with her?" He pointed at Ginny. "You've got to be joking!" Draco put on his best outraged glare. "I refuse! I won't do it! My father will hear about this, Professor." Yeah, right. He amended in his thoughts.

Wondering if he was starting to over do it, Draco lapsed into a fuming silence, while McGonagall just regarded him with a bemused look. "Yes, I can force you, Mr. Malfoy. And I will. By all means, send an owl to your father. I'll be happy to inform him exactly how much say he has in the matter." The Professor's mouth quirked, and Draco was extremely hard-pressed to stop himself from smirking, as well.

Ginny just stared wide-eyed. She had just 'gotten punished', in a sense. Being seen around with Draco. But at least he managed to react accordingly. She was secretly rather happy, but she shook her head in disgust as she stared at Draco.

"Boy, Ron is going to get a kick out of this..." She muttered to herself. "I'm going to the Millennium Ball with a Malfoy." She shook her head. "And I was always hoping Harry would ask..."

McGonagall sat back at her desk, rummaging through her scrolls, a sure sign that the discussion was closed. Draco sighed heavily, and exited the office. The hallway was empty, everyone having headed to lunch. His mind turned over the new development. This might not be so bad. As long as he didn't look like he was, he might get to enjoy himself at a dance for once, instead of being constantly harassed by Pansy Parkinson.

Ginny made her own way out slowly, moving towards Madam Pomfrey's infirmary to report to her so she could go lie down. She couldn't think about Draco right now.. or the ball.. it just made her want to smile. No. She had to pretend nothing happened.

Why did I have to make that promise?