Chapter Two

A/N: I've heard from your comments and I need a beta for the rest of this. Interested? Email me KAYKEL1207@msn.com


Draco sighed softly. He was all alone at the first feast. Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be found. It was apparent that they followed in their fathers footsteps and took the one step he couldn't make himself take. Last year, he had heard them mention it. What am I supposed to do this year? He thought annoyed.


He smiled to himself always could go pay the nurse a visit, he felt like he was going to be sick. He wondered if Weasley sort of had a point.


~*~*~*~


Hermione stared at Ginny from across the table, she looked very preoccupied. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked.


Ginny shook herself softly. " Sure Hermione," she laughed "I'm all right."


"Are you sure?" Hermione wondered if this had anything to do with Draco. She also wondered if it would be too rude just to tell Ginny what she saw. Would she be offended?


"Yes, why are you asking?" she said softly. Hermione was staring at her rather oddly.


"Uh... I don't know." Hermione got up and left.


~*~*~*


Draco still thought a lot. If he told about what was going on... would his father be able to touch him? Could he live without becoming a Death Eater. He felt really stupid to think it too, he was becoming like the Weasleys. Still...


The more he thought about it, Ginny Weasley had been right about everything. Maybe he wasn't in it to save the world like they were, but he was looking out for himself. Nurse office, here I come. He could at least help himself live to be sixteen.


"What is it Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey asked sounding more than slightly annoyed."Better be for real this time, I mean it."


"It is," he looked down at the floor feeling stupid "Please, I need

you to check something."


"Well?" she asked suspiciously "What is it?"


He showed her the same injury that Ginny Weasley had examined. She gasped a little "How did this happen?" she asked suspiciously "This isn't your regular thing."


"Uh," he said. He sort of froze. Why was here? Because a Weasley told him to.... that was dumb. "I... I ... my father did."


She looked at him. His father did? He was an older student, he didn't actually mean his father caused this. "Malfoy, does your father hit you often?"


No, he thought suddenly my father hardly ever does... the train station was nearly the first, he uses the curses. "No..." he said but, watching her face go back to normal he shouted out and told the whole story. Including his fathers occupation.


"I... I... let me fix you up and then... straight to the Headmaster."


He sighed. He couldn't decide if what he just did made him weaker or the opposite. Madam Pomfrey looked him over. She used a few healing spells on his injuries and nodded. She told him to follow her.


They walked until they were outside of a room. "Hold on please," she said and turned the hall. Five minutes later she came back and said "Albus says to take a seat and he'll see you in a few minutes."


Draco sat down. A minute passed peacefully and then going down the corridor he spotted Ginny. She saw him and approached shyly, as if they had never met.


"What are you looking at Weasley?" he asked "You won, you know. I told the nurse everything and now I have to see Dumbledore!"


"Good," she whispered "I'm very glad you decided on it. Honestly, I didn't expect...."


"Neither did I." he snapped, but he was a little bit glad he did. He couldn't be so mean, "Consider it your first job, I guess you taught me the right things."


"No, don't go blaming me. It was your choice, I just convinced you."


She looked at a clock hanging on the wall "Sorry, but I have to go... I'm helping my friend Erica with her transfiguration homework."


He watched her leave and almost immediately he was approached by Hermione Granger. "What's going on?" she asked angrily.


"Whatever do you mean Granger?" he asked wishing she'd go away before Dumbledore came down.


"What is it with you and Ginny? I saw you on the train, and just now. If you are doing anything to Ron's sister... we'll all..."


"Relax." he snapped "I don't even want to associate with the Weasley girl. Stupid brat keeps annoying me, why don't you ask her what her problem is."


Hermione looked like she was going to yell more, but she walked away. Draco sighed. What if she had heard what they had said on the train. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to leave. If he told Dumbledore about everything too, maybe everyone would know. What if he became the outcast because of it?


His worries were immediately interrupted by the Hogwarts Headmaster. "You can come up now Mr. Malfoy ..." he called and Draco followed him up a long staircase.


"Sit down."


He sat down in a big chair across from Dumbledore's desk. He was breathing heavily in his nerves. I'm going to die he couldn't help thinking over and over. "So," asked Dumbledore "Madam Pomfrey had told an interesting story... is it true?"


Draco looked at him surprised. Did he believe the story? "Yes," Dumbledore said softly seeing his look "I believe the story.... I just want to check facts with you."


"It's true. All of it." He was very fast to speak, he didn't want to go over every detail.


The Headmaster nodded "I can't say that I didn't suspect him all ready, there is just no way that I could have known for sure, until now. How long have these... events, how long have they been happening?"


" Him using the curse? I guess since I was about ten. Five years..."


Dumbledore nodded again "No matter how this makes you feel... I must say, it was brave to finally tell the nurse. May I even ask, what inspired this?"


He laughed "Somethings that someone said."


Dumbledore questioned him for an hour. He felt tired, yet somewhat relieved. He told the man what went on at his home all the time... how he didn't want to be part of it, and how he never wanted to go back.


"You will not go back, we will make sure of it. I must ask you, would you testify against your father if he is put on trial?"


Draco thought about it. Despite all of the assurance, he still figured that Lucius had the power to kill him. Yet again, he wasn't afraid. "Yeah... I guess I would. I don't care about him, if that's what you mean. As far as I'm concerned, he can go to Azkaban."


"As needed, I will speak to you later." Dumbledore assured "but for now, please live a normal year at Hogwarts ... or as normal as possible. It was good of you to come, now the staff will take care of it."


Draco left. It felt odd not to worry.... he was used to handling hid problems alone.


~*~*~*~


"Ron,can we talk?"


"Sure Hermione, what is it? You sound upset."


"I am, I really need your help figuring something out."


Ron threw his transfiguration homework aside. Harry also looked up from his intently. "What's the problem?" Ron asked.


"Well." she said nervously pacing up and down the room "It's actually Ginny, I think there's a problem."


"What?" he asked concerned. Hermione admired that he immediately was concerned for his sister, it was a nice quality in him, he defended his family.


"Well.... she's..." she didn't know quite how to explain the situation "Ginny and Malfoy."


Those words made Ron stand, books and parchment flying. Harry yelled as a book hit him in the head. "Ron calm down," said Harry.


"What does he got to do with her? What did you see Hermione? If he's hurting her I'll... I will..." Ron was cut off by Hermione.


"Calm down Ron," she urged "It's not a problem yet, it's just... I've caught her with him two times in the last day. They were talking, and uh... sort of hugging the first time. I asked him what was up with them and he said she was bugging him, but I think..."


"What do you think is going on?" he asked a mix of worry and anger.


"Something bad," Harry said straightly. It couldn't be good.


"I honestly don't know!" she yelled surprising both of them "I tried to ask Ginny but, I couldn't make myself do it. You know I worry, Draco Malfoy and anyone is trouble. Why don't you ask her Ron?"


"I think she's asleep now," he said " but yes, tomorrow I have to... if anything is happening, I'll..."


"Don't make threats," she warned " but I know what you mean."


~*~*~*


Harry, Hermione and Ron met in the Common Room the next morning. They were going to look for Ginny together. "She woke up really early for a Saturday," said a girl in Ginny's year " Said she wanted to go to the Great Hall early."


Once down at the Great Hall, they looked up and down the Gryffindor table for a sign of her. Finally they saw Ginny at the end of the table. Harry took the seat next to her and Hermione and Ron sat across the table. "What is it you guys?" she asked alarmed.


"Ginny, I need to ask you something." Ron said.


"So ask me then."


"... Well, Hermione says that she's seen you with Malfoy twice.... what is going on Ginny?"


"Oh!" she yelled embarrassed "Nothing at all..."


"Ginny, you better tell us," Harry added "He's never been anything but a lot of trouble for us..."


"And If he's hurting you... I'll kill him." Ron said "So what is going on?"


"Nothing," she said softly "I can talk to and be around anyone I want Ron. I never have told you who you could talk to. You're all bugging me just because I talked to a boy on the train? SO?"


"Ginny, you don't understand who you are messing around with." Ron said "Dad would be furious to see you've talked to him."


Ginny tried to say more but a voice from behind Ron interrupted her. "And do you think she always wants to listen to her daddy?"


Ginny smiled in disbelief. The familiar cruel voice, it was Draco Malfoy. "What he said." she echoed standing up and walking toward him.


"You." Ron said and stood up. Ginny cornered him off and stood in between him and Draco.


"That is the thing I've been trying to tell you!" she yelled "I can make decisions and I don't always follow the rules."


"Sorry," Draco said smiling slyly "but I was passing by and I heard my name being shouted by some Gryffindors. Wanted to see what it was all about."


"Get out of here," Hermione said "We don't want to look at you here. This is our table so stay away."


"Oh Granger, I'm hurt." he said sarcastically "I heard you talking about me, so I came."


"Don't bother," Ginny looked at him shyly " They just decided that they get to choose who I talk to."


"Sad." he said "Weasley, you're so powerless that you have too conquer over your sister's decisions to talk to people? And you Potter? No evil to rule over, so why not pick on a girl."


"Thanks," Ginny said "You make my point a lot better than I could make it."


Ron, not being able to take much more left. Hermione followed him "Ron wait!" Harry just stared at Draco angrily then said "You're not making very good choices, Ron was just trying to help you Ginny."


Ginny looked at Draco and smiled "I owe you for that," she said "I can't believe they did that to me."


"Actually," he said "I was just worried you were gonna tell them what we talked about. I don't trust you Weasley."


She was shocked "I said I would never tell."


"I know, I guess I'm not all trusting." He laughed to see her shock.


She recovered fast "No, you came to help me out. I can see though it... that's why I like you as a person. What Ron, Harry, and Hermione said... I don't really think they looked hard enough. Thank you, for coming and for helping me."


He was a little speechless "Don't mention it..." he finally said "ever."


She smiled "How did it go anyway? With Dumbledore?"


"Fine," he said "It went good. I owed you for that... unless my father turns around and kills me, then it's your fault Weasley."


She couldn't help but laugh at him. He was so pathetic. "Oh, all right... when you die you can blame me."


"I'll come back as a ghost and haunt your family." he warned evily.


"Try it," she dared joking and left "I'll be seeing you around all right?"


He turned "All right." As much as he hated to admit it he sort of liked the Weasley girl, she was all right considering her family.


"And please don't call me by my last name!" she called turning around "It's rather annoying and it makes you seem like you really hate me."


"Maybe I really do," he whispered but no one even heard.

~*~*~*~


Things went calmly and mostly normal for both of them. Ron, Harry and Hermione kept casting looks in Ginny's direction in the common room and they wouldn't talk to her. At first she felt very bad, but when she remembered what it was like to finally have some say of her own, she was happy.


Something was happening to her and she didn't understand it. She was pretty sure she was finally growing up. After the incidents during her first year everyone had began to protect her more than ever. All of her brothers had sort of come down on her. When she was away from her parents she was still treated like a ten year old.


Before he left Hogwarts Percy had taken up the job. She had sort of thought that when he left she'd be done with it, but now Ron was becoming protective and dragging his friends along to do it also.


Draco was also feeling that Ginny Weasley had liked it when they'd stood up to her brother. He smiled to himself and tried to remember her from past years, she was only a year below him. He remembered in his past seeing her a little. He didn't remember how he knew it, but he knew that she was in love with Harry Potter. They sure didn't look in love the other day, he thought. The more he thought about it, she didn't seem the type for Potter. No, she didn't seem like a kind to need a hero, she'd do fine herself.


He stopped himself and wondered why he was thinking of her. Was he bored or worried? And did he... no way, as much as he owed her, he did not have any feelings for her.

~*~*~*~


"Ron," Hermione said softly "Don't you wanna apologize to Ginny, I sure do."


"No!" he yelled "Did you see them? Hermione, they're friends... or more! My little sister associating with him! Do you understand how upset this makes me?"


"I do," she says " but she has to be allowed to make her own decisions."


"I don't want to apologize." he replied shortly.


"You're so stubborn," she complained.


~*~*~*~*


Not much else happened. Then Draco got one thing he never expected in his life, a letter from his mother. He knew her writing the moment that the huge owl dropped the letter on his shoulder. Why would she be writing me, he thought turning it over We never talked as it is.


He opened it and read softly:


" To my son,

The headmaster of your school has written us about what you told him. Do you find that wise? What possessed you to tell him all of that? You know I don't approve of your father's choice to follow the Dark Lord, I've said it before, but I'd never object to it. He's powerful you know? He has a lot of skills Dumbledore can't even imagine. It was so stupid of you! He's going to come after you soon, you-know-who has spies spying on Hogwarts. It's a matter of days until Lucius speaks with you. He's furious! This is a warning, he is going to notify you soon. I'm sorry you had to be foolish.

Narcissa Malfoy

P.S. If you run this letter to anyone Lucius will kill you for sure so don't do it."


"Fine," Draco said aloud "Knew he was going to turn around and kill me." He wasn't going to go to the headmaster or anyone, he could at least handle this part alone. So, his father was going to notify him soon? Great... let him.


"I got myself into this," he said "I'll have to help myself get out of it alone."


Sure enough his notification came soon enough. A quick note:

" I will be in the astronomy tower at one o' clock. You will be there coward or I will look for you."


Nice, he thought Real nice and discreet... guess the Death Eater club is coming into the open. He'd be there at one like his dad said. He wouldn't have a teacher, or another student, it'd be him and his father one on one. Finally, after all the years he'd felt like killing his father.


~*~*~*~*


Ginny walked across the grounds, she liked to walk often like this. She was very surprised to run across Draco standing by the lake. "Hey." she said approaching him slowly.


He turned and nodded "Hi again...."


She smiled trying to be confident "So, what's up? What are you doing out here? I usually come out here if I need to think."


"I guess I'm thinking too." he said "You have a lot to think about Ginny?"


"Yeah," she smiled realizing he'd called her by her first name "I was thinking, thanks again for standing up for me. I really need to stand up for myself more often."


"It's good to." he said "Why do you let them boss you around?"


"I'm youngest... the helpless one."


"And sometimes you just wanna break free and be your own person? I see that, you're too much of a person to let Potter and friends boss you around."


She laughed loosening up a little. "What you said to Ron was right," she smiled "Sometimes I just wanna break the rules a little... not be so sweet and innocent."


"Really?" he said slyly "Well... to tell you the truth innocence looks good on you."


"Can you teach me to stick up for myself?" she asked earnestly.


"I could do that." he said "Starting tomorrow. That brother of yours would never be able to boss you around after I teach you."


"Great," she said excitedly.


Hours after their meeting, in the dark common room Draco realized that getting close to her was stupid. He might be dying tonight and he was getting involved with a girl! He wanted to face his father prepared to fight him and all he could thing about was her. Maybe he was having feelings for Ginny Weasley! It didn't matter if he did tonight. Then he glanced at the clock – 12:45 He had better get down there now. He wondered if Ginny would ever learn to be more bold.




Thanks: I was so nervous about this so thanks a ton!

Draco's gal (I'm glad you enjoyed it), Raven(I hope you still like it after this chapter), Neca (Good, I knew it was a familiar type of fic but, I'm glad its not so common to you), Rose Phoenix (Thanks for the encouragement), Silver Unicorn (Thanks),Atepogs (Will continue but lost the 2nd chapter so it took a while.),GoldenRed Phoenix ( I sorta think my fic is angst but, if not it will be), Iggie (I suck at grammar, but I can't find a beta reader), Danielle (Thanks so much),seekerpeeker (Please read and see where it went! But thanks much.), Raven Black ( Good, I was worried about characterization. I love D/G, this is my first attempt at it though.) Tuilindo (Draco's 5th year and Ginny's 4th. Sorry that wasn't more clear. I know, I need a beta badly), Tigress of the Night (I like evil Ginny too, maybe she'll pop up more later in this fic), Lee Velviet (Thanks, I love the movies so much too. Lucius was everything I imagined.)