A/N: Back after not to long a time away! I felt like I owed it to you guys! Now...pay attention, because this chapter will be a little different than the others... And, it won't all be in Ginny's POV like usual. I'm very strict about keeping it to her POV, but I couldn't help myself... hehe Enjoy!

I am going to thank all my reviewers NOW, because for this chapter, I don't want to have an author's note at the end. I just want the end to be... the end.  I mean not the end of the story but... Well, anyways *lol* I just want to do the thank yous up here today! So...Thanks to everyone who reviewed ch 6:

Kristen Michelle, StephanieCook, Ginny1946, Lioness-07863, Jessika Organa Solo, Princess Amelia, Shyanne, eva (Having something from Harry's POV would ruin everything!), Punkin, OliverPhelpsLover (*hugs back*), Wizzabee, KeeperOfTheMoon, hpdancer92, AmaraDragon, weirdo_without_a_clue, Julie101, Chocolate Muse, dan fan, Angel St. James, Killer Angel, Difinity, Ejin, Kirunai, Darcel, Lord Sauron, chrystieluv, Christina, and goobersprinkle!!

...You guys rock!!

I never expected over 200 reviews in less than 7 chapters.  Thank you sooo much, as I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, your reviews mean the WORLD to me!!

Thank you Kristi, for putting up with me. Not just last night when I e-mailed you an extremely long whiny e-mail (though that took a lot of putting up with!) but for as long as we've been chatting. Over a year. Because at least twice a week I make you put up with SOMETHING about me *lol* Including, updating this rather than WYDK. I am a traiter. Hehe!

Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

***

"Draco."  Calling him by his first name still sounded weird coming from my mouth. Like it didn't belong there.

Malfoy looked up. "Ginny."

And yet, my name came perfectly from his lips. "I want to... talk."

"Whatever about?" Malfoy said sarcastically, feigning interest.

I sighed. Usually I would have scowled, or retorted but I wasn't in the mood. "About what you asked me at dinner."

Malfoy looked at me annoyed, picking up the pace to get to the Gryffindor common room where he always walked me to after dinner. "Ginny, unless someone was taking notes on the conversation, you're going to have to enlighten me."

And of course, right when I needed his sweet side most, it wouldn't show. I grabbed his arm to stop him.  I couldn't talk to him when we were having a speed-walking contest. "You asked me what was wrong..." I hinted. "I want to tell you."

His expression stayed neutral. He shrugged. "I honestly don't care anymore."

"Then fine!" I shouted, my temper getting the better of me. "You should have never pretended like you cared in the first place!" I stormed off, hating every single person who looked at me in bewilderment. Didn't they have their own stupid problems?

I hadn't realized Malfoy was following me, until he roughly grabbed my shoulders, and turned me around. His face was set, but his eyes were searching. "What is wrong?"

I blinked. "You care, then?" He shrugged. "Why?

"I don't know."

I bit my lip. It was better than nothing.

I dragged him into the same room that had led me to Ron the few hours before. I almost felt guilty for not being able to tell him that going out with Draco was just pretend.

"I sort of... ran into Harry today." I plopped down on top of a desk, swinging my legs back and forth. Draco sat across from me.

"Well..." Malfoy said slowly. "You are in the same house..."

"And he said something really strange," I continued, ignoring Malfoy. I then replayed the exact events of what had happened, from when I had 'frantically stumbled' into Harry, to when I had walked away.

Draco nodded approvingly. "'Well get used to it!'" He repeated, in almost a proud voice. "Good move."

I stared at him, open-mouthed. That was all he had to say to me? "Er... Thanks," I mumbled. "Listen, I was sort of wondering if you could tell me what you thought he meant by saying I knew nothing about anything that went on that night."

"Er..." Malfoy began. "I think he means you knew nothing about anyth—"

"No kidding!" I interrupted.

"Well isn't it obvious?"

"Obviously not!" I retorted.

Draco laughed shortly. "Obviously," he agreed, in mock superiority. Not that I was doubting that he thought he was superior to me.  "Ginny... What makes you think that you're right about what went on That Night?"

That was exactly how he said it, too. Like it should be capitalized. I contemplated. "Well, I supposed the way Cho said it—"

"Is that it?"

"And..." I hadn't ever told Draco about my witnessing this. I hadn't told anyone. "When he kissed her," I muttered. "Just... A few days later."

"He kissed her!?" Draco boomed. I jumped a little. "Just days after That Night?" His eyes held something I didn't like. "Who knew he had it in him..." he marveled.

I felt sick to my stomach. "Yeah."

Draco looked at me for a second. "Weasley..." I felt my stomach flip in an uncomfortable way. I had wanted him so badly to call me Ginny. "He was right."

"About what?" I hated myself for pretending I didn't know what he was talking about, while I knew perfectly well – as though stalling would actually change his response.

"You assuming. It's his word against Chang's."

"B-But," I stuttered. I knew I should have never said anything to him. Why didn't I just ask my friends for advice? I then felt a pang as I remembered I hadn't even told them that going out with Draco was just a crazy plan. I wasn't worthy of them. "The kiss..."

"Hey... Guys have needs."

Anger coursed through me. "You're sick!" I screamed. It was fine that he couldn't 'lose his reputation' in front of other people, and that was why he was usually a jerk, but we were dealing with my heart, and I hated the thought of Harry's just being a guy who went around sucking face with different girls in hopes of... of getting there with one of them. "He's not like that!"

"Why the hell are you defending him?" Draco spat.

"I'd rather defend him, than defend you!"

"God you're so delusional, Ginny!" Malfoy yelled, hopping off the desk. I did the same as well, barely even taking in how close together we were now standing. "I was just trying to tell you that you probably shouldn't be wallowing in self-pity so much, because there is a chance that you may have got everything wrong!"

I opened my mouth furiously to argue, but found nothing to say. Draco was defending Harry. And that's when I knew that he wasn't just saying these things to make me feel bad. Because Draco Malfoy, would not have just defended Harry Potter unless it was what he really believed.

"Don't," I snapped. "Expect to see me at Hogsmeade tomorrow!" 

Draco held his eyes level with mine. "I wouldn't want to go with filth like you, anyway." He gave me one more hard stare, before pushing me aside, and stalking out of the room.

I heard his footsteps fade down the hall, as I massaged my shoulder from where he roughly pushed me out of the way. I fell back down on the desk, every fiber in my body hating him.  "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him..." I chanted silently to myself. I had to get it out. I needed to, before I hit the harsh reality of the fact that the only reason of why I hated him was because I really didn't hate him at all.

***

"Oh...Sharon," Beth sighed for the eightieth time that night.

Sharon sniffled. "I'm sorry, guys!" She burst out. "I just... I think I loved Colin!"

I threw Beth a look, and she shook her head, mouthing 'what can we do?' to me. I sighed. According to Beth, Sharon hadn't stopped crying since Colin suddenly told her that he liked someone else.

She was right. She was very, very, VERY right.

"Sharon," I reasoned. "Hadn't you two only gotten together through mail over winter break?"

"So?" She sniffled.

"But, Sharon," Beth took over. "That's not a long enough time to fall in love!"

"Nuh uh!" Sharon shook her head eccentrically, her ponytail slapping her in the face. She pointed at me, and I was afraid she was going to bring up the brief period of time when Colin claimed he was in love with me. I did not want to relive that portion of my life. "B-But Ginny and Draco, they've only been together for a few weeks and they're in love!"

Okay, the Colin mentioning would've been better. "I-I... I never said that!" I shrieked.

Sharon and Beth looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Well, I didn't," I said a little more quietly this time. What a crazy idea, this girl had. "What made you think we are?"

Sharon shrugged, pulling more and more tissues rapidly out of the box. "I don't know," she muttered. "It's just... He always glances at you when you're not looking at him, and he looks..." She bit her lip. "So extremely not like him."

Beth nodded. "It was the way you used to look at Harry."

Sorry, no comment from me. I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor.

Sharon sighed wistfully. "It's that look that you can't... describe it. You just know it when you see it."

Collecting myself, I began to take this information in. "What – No, when?"

Beth and Sharon shrugged. "All the time," they said simultaneously.

"At breakfast—"

"At dinner—" Sharon piped up.

"Lunch—"

"In the hall—"

"Okay!" I cut off Sharon. "You guys were watching?"

"Well..." Beth said. "We're only you're best friends."

"Yeah, Ginny. And this secret life you're living... Well, we have to fill ourselves in on it!"

I opened my mouth. "Well... Draco is not in love with me!" I said laughing awkwardly. "Trust me."

Sharon shrugged. "Okay, Ginny."

"He's not! And I'm not in love with him!"

Beth looked at Sharon. "We said, okay."

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, 'okay' is right." I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. "Sharon, are you going to be okay about Colin?"

Wrong question.

Sharon jumped up and flung herself face down on her bed. "I almost forgot about him!" She wailed.

Beth looked like she was about to murder me. "Sharon you're not in love with him!" I tried again.

"How do you know?  You can't even tell when someone's in love with you."

I glared at her, wishing we'd stop talking about Malfoy. "Look, he's not in love with me. He made it pretty clear today, okay? I know what it's like to be in love."

Sharon looked at Beth quickly. "Sorry," they both muttered.

I sighed. "Sharon, I know you don't love Colin because if you did... You wouldn't have said you thought you loved him. Loving isn't about second guessing."

Sharon breathed in extra deeply. "I know I'm not in love with him," she moaned into her pillow, dejectedly. "But I could've been."

"You know what you have to do?" Beth said.

"What?" Sharon's voice came out muffled.

"Go to Hogsmeade tomorrow and pick yourself up a real cutie. And find the one you're for sure to be in love with."

Sharon sat up, looking just a little better. "It's not that easy."

"Of course not," I agreed. "But you never know."

She smiled.

"Here," Beth said, tugging on Sharon's hands and plopping her down on the floor. "I'm going to make you look so gorgeous for tomorrow!" She started unscrewing her nail polish, and manicure kit.

We all giggled ourselves hoarse, until a slight interruption.

"Ginny...er..." I heard a knock at my door, and then the unsteady voice of Hermione. "Can I...er..." I rushed up from my bed, panic-stricken and threw open the door, revealing a rather pale Hermione. "...Come in?" She finished.

"You look like you just saw McGonagall snogging Snape in the Potions room!" Beth exclaimed, as she began painting Sharon's toenails. Sharon nodded in agreement.

I shook Hermione's arm violently, as Hermione had sort of spaced out with this odd look on her face. "Are you all right? Should I get Ron? Professor McGonagall? Well not if she's snogging Snape..." I added as afterthought, cringing. "But should I get Madam Pomfrey?" I said urgently. Beth was definitely right. Hermione looked like she had seen a ghost. Not like that would have been odd at Hogwarts... Oh, it was just an expression.

"No...No," she said suddenly. "It's just..." she looked around my dorm, taking in Sharon and Beth's wide eyes, and eager faces. She lowered her voice a notch. "Can I talk to you... Er, out in the hall?"

I nodded, stepping out into the hall with her and closing the door, my mind speeding a mile a minute. Had she and Ron broken up? Had someone died? Had Ron died? Had Harry died? Had Ron and Harry died??? "Hermione what's going on!?" I shrieked, feeling the slightest bit uptight. If she didn't tell me soon, I was going to drive myself crazy, killing off family members and ex-boyfriends.

But Hermione didn't look precisely upset. She had this sort of floaty look about her. "Oh my God..." I said suddenly. "Did Cho die?" I hadn't meant to sound that happy – oh hell... of course I did.

Hermione came out of her trance and gave me a stern look. "That is a horrible thing to say," she snapped. Well, she was right, but I made myself feel better as I assured myself that Cho had probably wished me dead on numerous occasions.

"Well... What is it then, Hermione!? I'm dying here!"

She opened her mouth, pausing for a moment. "You have to... You have to go to Hogsmeade with Draco Malfoy tomorrow."

The eagerness I was feeling fell away, along with my smile. "Says who?" I asked. Why was it relevant to anything?

"Draco."

"No... Who?" I asked, assuming she had misheard the question.

"DRACO," she said clearly. "He, sort of, cornered me in the hall."

Suddenly I understood Hermione's pale, astonished expression. "He what?"

Hermione swallowed. "He cornered me in the hall. He said he wanted a favor." I raised my eyebrows. "Well, of course I wouldn't just go ahead and do something for him, so I asked him to give me one good reason why and he said becau—" She stopped herself very quickly, though she knew perfectly well the rest.

I looked at Hermione. "Well?" I asked impatiently. "'He said because'...What?"

She let out a breath. "Um..." I stared at her, she wasn't telling me something. "He...said, er... he didn't really say anything," she said quickly.

 I looked at her skeptically. "He just glared at me. It was really intimidating. Scary, actually. You know what I'm talking about..." she looked guilty, but I had no idea why she would be protecting Draco, so I just went with the idea that she was still pretty shaken up about actually having a conversation with him.

And I knew how scary that could be. "So..." I said. "What was this mysterious favor?"

"Well..." She paused. "He's sorry, Ginny. For whatever he did to not make you want to go to Hogsmeade anymore."

I stared at her. "He said that?"

She nodded. "He did."

I widened my eyes. He had actually apologized. And, it wasn't exactly directly to my face but...he was being civil to Hermione just to get to me, and that was something I had never expected. I was so happy. Then, maybe Hermione wouldn't hate him anymore. I didn't even know why I cared who hated Draco Malfoy though, because ten minutes ago I was one of those people.

"Did he say anything else?" I heard myself ask.

"No... I think he really didn't want to be seen with me. He just said that, he was a jerk, and he wished you would forgive him." She paused. "That's it." She laughed a little awkwardly. "I better get back to my dormitory." And she ran away so fast someone may have thought that there was a stampede of blast-ended screwts behind her.

I shrugged, drifting back into my room.

"Well?" Came my greeting from Beth. "Were Snape and the old lady, hooking up?"

Sharon sniggered. Beth didn't like McGonagall much, ever since she had given her detention for talking back, which Beth defiantly stated that she wasn't doing. It was true. She wasn't. She was full on arguing.

I smirked. "Nope," I said, bouncing down on my bed, and collapsing onto the pillows. "Better."

***

Hermione felt guilty about not telling Ginny what Draco had said.  She still didn't know what to think about it herself, and wondered why Draco had even told her in the first place.  She had just been walking down the hallway when he had caught up with her…

***Hermione's POV***

"Mudblood." Came a stern voice from behind me. I knew who it was right away, of course.

"Go away, Malfoy," I spat. I was in a good mood, and I didn't need him ruining it. I kept on walking, until I felt, rather than saw, him fall into step beside me.

"Do me a favor." It wasn't a question, it was a command.

I then stopped walking, to look at him like he was crazy. I loathed every part of him, but to say that I wasn't the least bit curious about why he was daring to walk beside me in public was a lie. I was definitely curious. "You must think today's you're lucky day," I glared, "To actually believe that I would ever do something for you."

He completely ignored me, of course. "Tell Weasley--" he then did the strangest thing. He paused, and corrected himself. "—Ginny. Ginny," he continued, "That I'm sorry."

My mouth dropped open, and a million thoughts rushed through my head, starting with,  "For what?"

"None of your business," he growled. "She'll know what I'm talking about."

"Well," I huffed. "What makes you think I'm going to tell her anything for you?"

The look Draco gave me made me shrink to two inches tall. "Is she your friend?"

"Of course Ginny's my friend!" I said defensively.

"Then do this for me."

"Give me one good reason why."

Draco's eyes burned into mine. "Because I'm in love with her."