Author's Note: Thank you for all your encouraging reviews. Please keep them coming.

Chapter 18 Evading Hearts

    Draco Malfoy stirred. He thought he heard a familiar voice, his father's voice……Father, are you there? Where am I?

    Then it struck him. Knockturn Alley. Virginia. Running away. Pain. Sky. And then darkness.

    I saved her, I wonder if she is alright?

    Father is talking to someone. Draco closed his eyes and tried to concentrate what his father was saying, but a searing pain suddenly shot through his body, and his concentration was broken. Merlin, that really hurts, he moaned.

    The talking seemed to have stopped. Draco sensed someone walking briskly towards him. The pain had subsided a little, and Draco slowly open his eyes. "Father," he called weakly.

    "Draco" acknowledged Lucius.

    "I have notified your mother by owl of your condition, and she should arrive to Hogwarts tomorrow. Pity she could not apparate here……" Lucius began slowly, one hand reaching out to Draco, helping him to sit up.

    "Father……"

    Lucius stepped back to look at Draco. The color was coming back to Draco's cheeks. He wasn't too worried, however, about his son's condition. The old mediwizard from St. Mungo's was truly the best mediwizard in Europe.

    "I heard you injured yourself trying to save the Weasley girl from MacNair." Lucius's eyes were boring intently down on Draco.

    "I……" Draco tried to explain but Lucius waved his hand.

    "The Weasley girl is a fine-looking young lady. However, there are countless beautiful women in the world that are more worthy to be associated with the Malfoy name. Weasleys do not fall into that category." It was a final statement. Draco understood what his father meant.

    "I, I don't like her……" Draco started again, trying to redeem himself, but then he saw the contradiction.

    If Virginia somehow had not mattered to him, would he recklessly save her like this? He had, for the first time in his life, panicked for someone……Virginia's life……when he saw her being held captive by MacNair. If it had another Hogwarts' student, Draco, in all sense, would not have cared. Let he or she be taken captive, especially if the student is a half-blood or mudblood.

    Draco looked down. He didn't want to meet his father's eyes.

    "Mother!" said Draco irritably. He loved his mother, but the way she was fussing over him was too much. He was sixteen years old, for Salazar's sake.

    Narcissa had came bursting into the Hospital Wing (in a manner very much like Lucis, only more subtle) when she had news that her beloved son was hurt. She had been enjoying herself in the wizards' fasion capital of the world, Paris, before her trip was abruptly cut short by Lucius' letter by owl.

    "Lucius" said Narcissa. "Those people have to be thrown into Azkanban."

    "I will see to that" said Lucius softly, his gaze fixed at Draco. "Since Draco is obviously out of danger, we should be returning to the Manor. I have other businesses to see to this morning."

    Narcissa looked at Lucius reproachfully, but she knew better than to argue. Afterall, Lucius was up all night with Draco, and he needed rest. She sighed and kissed Draco on the forehead. "Take care, darling, I will be in touch with Madam Pomfrey on your progress. Owl me if you lack anything."

    Draco nodded. Inwardly he had already started making a mental list of the goodies he will asked from his indulgent mother. But not now, not in front of Lucius, though.

    He watched as his parents leave the Hospital Wing.

    "What were you doing with Malfoy!" Ron shrieked at the breakfast table (For a boy, he shrieked pretty well.)

    Ginny had not spoken to anyone since the incident at Knockturn Alley yesterday. It had been very late when she left the emergency room in the Hospital Wing. By the time she returned to the Gryffindor common room, everyone was in bed. Unknown to her, the ever wise Professor Dumbldore had instructed Hermione to prevent Ron and Harry from looking for Ginny. "She isn't ready to answer questions" explained Dumbledore to Hermione, who nodded understandingly, although she herself was dying to know what happened.

    But by the time Ginny came down for breakfast at the Great Hall, she found herself being interrogated not only by Ron or Harry, but the whole school. Everyone wants to know what happened. Apparently, the teachers had not told the students. No one wanted breakfast anymore, they were all crowding around the Gryffindor table, nearly suffocating one another, Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws & Slytherins as each tried to get a word in to Ginny.

    Ginny stared at the hundred pairs of eyes around her. She felt a knot in her stomach. It didn't help that she was painfully shy to begin with. If it had been Malfoy, she thought, he would be relishing all the attention right now.

    "Students! I would urge you to leave Ginny Weasley alone for the time being. She needs to have her breakfast."  The Headmaster's voice came from the door of the Great Hall. Everyone turned their heads towards the Headmaster, and then, mercifully for Ginny, scattered back reluctantly to their respective tables.

    "What happened?" Harry urged Ginny in a low voice. He was geninuely concerned about her, but Ginny shook her head. "I, I cannot say now. Not yet." Ginny slowly begin to eat her porridge, although her eyes were staring into blank space. She felt very confused. Harry nodded, "Later then."

    "But Ginny…" Ron piped up, and then Seamus added in another word, and then the whole Gryffindor table was suddenly on Ginny again.

    Ginny stared at them helplessly. She made up her mind. Suddenly she stood up and said firmly "Excuse me" before walking out of the Great Hall. She knew exactly where she wanted to go. The Hospital Wing. To see Draco Malfoy.

Author's Note: Next chapter will be coming up shortly. Leave me a review, please.