A/N: This is the chapter where the action starts, I promise. I know some people seem a bit OOC, but believe me; everything has a reason and an explanation later on.

Also, some things seem a bit abrupt, but for the last time, it makes sense.

Oh, and I am sorry about the weird and sort of confusing start of this chapter, we can just get passed it and get to the fun part- finding out what's going on. Then in the next chapters, the really fun parts- snogs and bickering.

Thanks for sticking with me, here is chapter three. ^_^

-*-

Chapter Three: Trapped in your Reflection

A week had already passed since the start of school, and it had indeed been a very long week.

Ginny stared idly at the parchment in her hands, rolled up into a neat tube and ready for her. She knew what she had to do, she'd been thinking about it all week in fact. During Quidditch practices, at mealtimes, and those dreaded periods in the common room where it was inescapable.

And now, after a week, she had drug it out long enough.

A tawny owl swooped down and landed on her shoulder, as if encouraging her in the difficult task. This would have seemed odd if she hadn't been in the Owlrey, at sunup, in order to be able to be ready before breakfast.

It wasn't like what she was doing was hurting her. No, it would hurt him far worse.

But two years was a long time to just throw away.

Thinking of every sufficient good reason she had for the terrible act she was about to commit, she sucked in her gut and began scrawling her message across the smooth parchment.

The sun was beginning to glint through the windowsill as she signed her name.

"Deliver this to Harry Potter for me, would you, love?" Her whisper was sweet as she carefully tied the letter to the owl's leg.

With an affectionate nip, the owl took off through the window in search of its destination.

Surprisingly, Ginny found she had no sob to choke back. She had good reason. A perfectly good reason. Besides, it wasn't like he treated her like a girlfriend anyway. It wasn't so much that she was upset about what she'd done; it was more like she didn't want to see his hurt face.

Besides, Tom had told her to do it. And she couldn't disobey Tom.

On her way back down from the Owlrey, she detoured by the Great Hall and found herself walking toward the Quidditch Pitch. She wasn't hungry, anyhow.

-*-

Harry was sitting casually at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, with Hermione across from him. A lot of people were missing this morning, he noted, looking around. Ginny, and Ron, for one thing. Plus a handful of Slytherins left empty seats dotting their table.

The most unusual absence, however, was that the whole lot of Hufflepuff was missing from the Great Hall. Their table sat forlornly desolate, without a trace of a single student.

Hermione was chatting about a lesson she'd had in Arithmancy the day before, and Harry was trying his hardest to pay attention to her but found his mind wandering. He was extremely hungry and it was taking a lot longer for their food to arrive this morning.

It only took a few more minutes for Harry to realize this delay was because Dumbledore was standing up in his seat to make an announcement from the front of the Hall.

He nudged Hermione, and she immediately quit talking.

Their Headmaster cleared his throat soundly. "I would like call your attention to the major absence in the Hall today. The entire House of Hufflepuff is not going to be coming to classes or meals today, because of an odd occurrence that took place last night."

The few students that hadn't noticed now turned in their seats to see that he was right, the table sat vacant as stated.

"I mean not to alarm you, but upon waking up this morning, every single Hufflepuff student found a diamond shaped gash in their left arm."

A gasp followed his statement, as the students soaked up the news of their fellow classmates.

"Nobody is hurt in any other way, and that's why we are concerned. The thing behind this left no clues or gave us any idea why these students were attacked. The Hufflepuffs will be checked for further leads throughout the day, and I ask the rest of you to go about your day as usual. That is all." He sat back down, almost immediately to start up worried conversation with Professor McGonagall.

Hermione turned to Harry with an alarmed look. "You don't think it's…"

He frowned, remembering the conversation he'd had with Ginny after his scar had hurt at Quidditch practice. Something had seemed off about the ordeal, and he couldn't quite place what it was. "I don't know, Hermione. I hope not."

She was about to respond when the daily mass of owls bombarded the Hall, dropping letters in front of students. To his surprise, a tawny brown barn owl swooped in front of him, dropping a small note in his lap.

"Expecting something?" Hermione inquired, peering over at the owl. Somehow, it looked almost sad.

Harry's eyes flitted over the words quickly, and they bugged out when he reached the end.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione's worried voice could be heard in the background of Harry's pounding head.

He had to read it over again to make sure he was seeing straight, and when he was sure he understood it, he handed it simply to the anxiously apprehensive Hermione.

-*-

"She dumped me."

"What!?" Ron's stunned face loomed before Harry, not making the strangeness of the situation any easier to understand.

The first week of classes had seemed to pass by without much drama, nothing like the first day. Draco hadn't issued another word to Harry, and Ginny had seemed back to her normal self. Thinking back to the first meeting on the Quidditch Pitch, Harry cringed, knowing that he should have expected something like this.

His girlfriend had stood up for Malfoy, and Harry had just assumed everything was all right. Perhaps she'd just been experiencing a phase, he'd stupidly thought, one that would pass over Ginny soon enough.

So he'd continued going about his days with not even a threat of change crossing his mind, until he'd received the owl at breakfast this morning.

"Read me the letter one more time Harry, I'll see if I can make any more sense of it." Hermione had been sitting with Ron in the common when Harry had dejectedly joined them. She had been sitting next to him as well when the parchment had arrived for him by a school owl at breakfast, and witnessed the shocked expression on Harry's face.

Ron, however, hadn't seen the initial reaction and had to hear about it now, in the common room, after his two best friends had already had time to discuss it.

Mustering up the last bit of endurance he had on the matter, Harry yanked the rumpled piece of parchment out, from the pocket in his trousers.

"Harry-

I'm deeply sorry, but I don't think this perfect relationship is going to last much longer. You remember our conversation on the Pitch? Nothing has changed since then. I'm sorry Harry, but I need a break to do a few things with my own life, on my own.                                                                                                               Regards,

~Ginny"

"What- that's it?" Ron spluttered, grabbing the parchment from Harry's grasp. "This isn't like her. What could she possibly need to do with her life that's more important than you, Harry?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded.

Harry blushed faintly. "Well, at least she was nice about it. Maybe she was right, maybe I didn't pay her enough attention."

"That's rubbish, Harry. Any girl at this school would've given their wands to trade places with Ginny. It has got to be something else."

Harry cast Ron a dark look. "As much as I love to have you feeding my ego, I'm sure Ginny has her reasons for breaking up with me. Now don't be a git, Ron, by going and harassing her."

"That's right, Ron. Harry can go talk to Ginny on his own." Hermione interjected.

"I- what?" Harry cried. "Oh... right. Yeah." He compensated, seeing the warning look Hermione cast him.

"Eh..." Harry moaned, gathering up his books and other school supplies. "Double Potions with the Slytherins. Ready?"

Hermione stood up brightly and Ron lagged behind as the trio set off toward the dungeons. The walk that they had taken so many times prior seemed much longer to Harry today. He couldn't help but wonder silently in his mind, why did Ginny break it off with him so suddenly?

Students were gathering steadily in the dungeon, claiming their stools and partners, so they didn't get stuck with a member from another house.

Harry sat down next to Hermione, who was trying to cheer him up, leaving Ron to partner with Neville. He had grown up quite a lot in the last few years, although they assumed he'd probably never outgrow his clumsiness. But with a girlfriend like Luna Lovegood, things like that hardly mattered.

It wasn't long before Snape took his looming position at the front of the classroom, talking animatedly about wart-removing spells.

"Psst... Harry!" Ron whispered, jabbing his friend in the arm.

Harry leaned in to hear what Ron had to say. It was very difficult to whisper in Potions; Snape had eyes like an eagle.

"Look who was too good to show up for class today!" he whispered excitedly, pointing a finger to the opposite side of the classroom.

Turning his head, Harry glanced quickly around for an empty stool. There was only one, to the left of Blaise Zabini. Draco Malfoy's stool.

Harry grinned as well. "Malfoy's skiving off Potions? This is going to be a great year."

Ron looked thoughtfully. "Wonder where that nutter wandered off to..."

-*-

Ginny had hoped the Pitch would be empty, so she could just ride around on her broom in peace, but of course that wasn't the case. There were, in fact, two teams occupying it, and it looked as though their practice was just beginning.

So instead of flying, Ginny took up residence in the stands, staring off into space. The morning air was still cool, as clouds parted above her head, allowing for the sun to attempt breaking through.

Unbeknownst to the redhead, Draco was watching her from up above. He was supposed to be working on drills, but something about Ginny Weasley sitting there in the green and silver decorated stands would not let him concentrate.

He was supposed to be the one chasing her around. So why was she making it so easy for him? Coming to his Quidditch practices?

He was known to be the suave one, calling the shots, but this new Ginny, with such an air of confidence and trying wit, this was a whole different game. Lately, she seemed even surer of herself, even from their first meeting on the train.

There was something strangely odd about her as of recently.

Draco noticed vaguely that the Ravenclaws were leaving the field. It was breakfast time, but a silly thing like breakfast didn't bother Slytherins Quidditch players when they were serious about winning.

He remembered then his role as Captain, realizing no one could yell at him for taking a break. Signaling for the rest of the team to continue with the drills, he dove gracefully downward and landed neatly in front of Ginny.

She seemed very surprised to see him.

"Oh! Draco... hi." She mumbled, going slightly red in the face. Instead of clashing, her blush went rather nicely with her fiery tresses.

"I get my own personal cheer squad now, do I?" he asked tauntingly.

She didn't back down. "Who said I'm here to cheer on Slytherin?" Her voice was colder than he'd ever heard it before; it almost reminded him of his own.

He gave her a superior look, motioning toward the green and silver banners adorning her sitting area. "You're sitting in the Slytherin stands."

To this her blush spread rapidly. "So I am." She tried to make her voice sound amused, though the dawning realization written on her features was evident.

Leaning casually against the rail, Draco tried the taunting method again. It seemed to work well. "What would Potter say if he knew you were rooting for his enemy at your own game?"

This time it seemed to work too well. "I don't think Potter would have anything to say this time," she said in defeated response, mocking the way he'd said Harry's last name.

"Oh?"

"Not that you would care, or that it's any of your business," she said, glaring at him, "But Potter and I aren't together anymore. Or- we wont be, in a few minutes time."

This was interesting news.

"Am I allowed to ask why?" He pressed, leaning forward on his broom a bit.

Ginny was surprised to see that the look on his face was almost- anxious. But then she brushed it off; of course he was only excited about getting dirt on Harry. But for some reason, the conversation she'd had with Blaise Zabini the week prior still pecked at her thoughts. Well, if Draco were interested in her, anyway, the feeling definitely wasn't mutual. Even though she'd broken it off with Harry, she didn't do it because she liked Draco Malfoy.

And she convinced herself that she was only sitting in the Slytherin stands because of Tom. Even though it had only been a week, Tom was having such an influence on her that her thoughts were swayed enough to instinctively sit in Slytherin, not Gryffindor.

"I broke up with him. Via owl. This morning."

"Well, at least you didn't leave any details out," Draco said sarcastically.

"If you are asking why I did it, then no, you're not allowed."

He didn't reply for a while, which Ginny was grateful for.

Draco stood awkwardly next to her, thinking about his bet with Blaise. He couldn't help but think he'd gotten the easier task. Ginny had broken up with Harry on her own accord, and was now coming to him, telling him her miserable sob story. So far, he'd barely had to lift a finger and she was already flocking to him like a baby duck to its mother.

It never occurred to him that even in his thoughts he was conceited and bigheaded.

Another thing he thought of was that if he wanted the Weasley to fall for him, he had to act like he liked her too. Therefore, he had to think of some good things about her, so that he could set himself in the mood to seduce her.

Now, if he were a Weasley-lover, what would he say?

Sitting down beside her, he made sure their legs were brushing only the slightest bit. Then he leaned so that his breath would caress her cheek when he spoke. When he was positive that they were situated perfectly, he faintly murmured, "Are you all right?"

She hadn't seemed to notice how close he was until he spoke. When she looked at him, he noticed a mysterious glint in her eye, as if a wonderful idea had suddenly popped into her mind.

A wonderfully horrible idea in fact, Ginny thought. Tom didn't want her to have a boyfriend. At least not one like Harry, who would definitely give away their plans if he found out. But Draco… he wouldn't give anything away. He could maybe even help... Or she could at least string him along for a while. Who knows, Tom might find it amusing.

She suddenly grabbed the front of his robes and pulled him closer, snuggling in. "Not really."

It surprised him so much that he almost lost his balance. Almost.

If there had ever been a more terrible time to interrupt, they would never know, because the six remaining Quidditch players were suddenly surrounding the stands, staring up at Draco apprehensively.

Shoving Ginny's face so that it was hidden in his robes, he yelled angrily at the team, "What!"

One of the burlier ones, a beater, spoke up. "We're hungry, Draco, and we're missing breakfast! You're not even practicing, can we go?"

"Who's that you've got in your robes, anyway?" The keeper shouted, making a trying face complete with raised eyebrows.

"No one! Now get out of here! Practice is over!" Draco shouted, surprising them all. Usually he made them train through breakfast and straight until five minutes before their first class.

Goyle gave Draco a shocked look. "That must be some wench you've got up there, calling off practice…" his voice trailed off in suggestion.

Draco ignored them, and watched until they were all out of viewing range.

"Sorry about that… you can come out now."

A muffled voice came from inside his robes. "No, that's all right, I quite like it down here."

Laughing, Draco gently pulled her head up, to see that she too was giggling. "Don't get too comfortable, you know."

Ginny cocked her head at him. "Why not?" The innocence of her words was so obviously forged that Draco couldn't resist from laughing again.

"Because you're a Weasley. I hate you."

She knew all too well that he was being playful. Why he was being playful, she wasn't sure. But as long as he was acting like this, she wasn't exactly against his behavior. Especially since it was compatible with her own strange behaviour lately. "Do you really?"

"Are you questioning my authority?"

Ginny ignored him. "You know… I've heard that sex is the greatest when the two people taking part in it hate each other." She paused for a moment. "Especially if they really hate each other."

Draco nearly dropped his broom. He'd never known Ginny to be this… forward.

She burst out laughing at his notion. "Don't fret, Malfoy. I was just stating what I'd heard, I'm not making a move on you."

If Blaise thought she was going to win this bet, she definitely was wrong, thought Draco. At the rate things were going, he'd be declared champion by tomorrow. Ginny could barely keep her hands off him!

"Ginny." He said suddenly, holding out his hand. "What do you say we take the day off?"

She considered it for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Ditch classes. Hang out."

This time she put her hand in his, and with a wink said, "Sounds good to me."

They walked together, off of the Quidditch Pitch, and back into the castle.

-*-

"You were eyeing my table earlier."

Blaise Zabini had approached Harry after Snape had finished talking, and watched him silently de-legging his beetles for a moment before speaking. Hermione had noticed her right away, but felt inferior to the black-haired vixen, keeping herself quiet as her dark eyed gaze loomed over the table.

"Er… just wondering where Malfoy is, that's all," Harry replied, not taking his eyes off the lifeless beetles. Something about Blaise made him uncomfortable, besides the fact that she was Slytherin.

Blaise's expression clouded over. "And why exactly do you care?"

Ron snickered; she had a point. He had the decency to blush, followed by a shrug of the shoulders. "He's the best in the class-"

"Hey!" Hermione interjected.

"-and I was just wondering what would be more important than his favorite class?"

This was her opportunity. Eyes flashing, she pulled a stool up to their table, joining their group despite Hermione's disgusted face. "Perhaps a female?"

Harry scowled. "What do I care about Malfoy's love life? Beat it, Zabini."

She shrugged, and was about to stand and leave, when Ron suddenly stopped her. "Wait. Why are you telling us this? Is it a female we know?"

A shower of her long black mane fell over the table as she whirled around, delighted that they'd picked up on her hints. Even if it was the wrong boy who'd picked up on it. "Well, all I have are my suspicions…"

Suddenly it clicked in Harry's mind what she was trying to throw at him. She'd been standing nearby when he'd received the owl from Ginny that morning; she'd witnessed their argument on the Pitch… As a matter of fact, he could remember her 'standing nearby' in a lot of his memories of the last week.

"You think he's with Ginny." His words seemed to jolt everyone but Blaise; her expression didn't even flicker.

But then it melted into a caring gesture, as she reached across the table to grab Harry's hand. Hermione and Ron both flinched but Harry didn't seem to notice.

"It hurts me too, I'm sorry, Harry." As much as it pained her to call him Harry, she had to use it in order for him to trust her.

It looked as though it worked. "Were you… and Draco?"

Understanding his question, she nodded. "Very much so. We spent the summer together, but as soon as we got back to school he set his heart on Ginny. I don't understand it, it doesn't make sense, but that's how it goes, you know?"

Harry nodded, and then tore his gaze from Blaise to a reddening Ron. He was spluttering at the words he heard his best friend exchanging with the Slytherin girl. "That is a load of rubbish! She's just trying to get a rise out of you Harry, I bet Draco himself planned this. Ginny is safe in her class right now, I guarantee it. No sister of mine would ever even look at Draco Malfoy with more than a gaze of pure loathing!"

Ron's outburst had brought Harry back into reality. "You know, Ron is right. I know Ginny pretty well; I'll bet she just needed a break from relationships. I'm sorry about you and Draco, but you don't need to make others feel worse about their own relationships."

Blaise shrugged. "Well, suit yourselves. It's really not my problem."

Walking away, she thought in defeat, Phase One: unsuccessful. Be more direct and next time, without the male Weasley and furry Mudblood.

-*-

"It seems as though we've missed breakfast," Draco stated, still grasping Ginny's hand. The Great Hall was empty, and looked much larger when it wasn't packed with the bodies of their fellow students.

He'd planned this; of course, waiting until he was sure everyone was in their first classes before proposing the idea of ditching. But now his stomach rumbled loudly, almost making him regret his initial plan.

Ginny looked down at their entwined fingers, soaking up the situation. She surprisingly didn't find it awkward, or odd, that Draco was so attracted to her. He had reason enough to be, with all the changes she'd undergone recently. Especially now, that they were on the same side.

The only thing surprising her was that it had taken him this long to notice the difference setting her apart from her brothers, and the rest of their friends. Though, it had only been seven days. Maybe Draco was denser than she thought.

"I know how to get into the kitchens, you know." The simplicity of her voice astounded Draco, and he gave her a sideways glance.

"I've decided you're sometimes very handy to have around."

She shrugged. "I try."

Walking in silence, Ginny guided him without saying exactly which way the kitchens were. She liked leaving Draco with the element of surprise, and anticipation.

Draco, on the other hand, didn't like Ginny's constant control on their time together, but wasn't complaining as long as she wasn't running in the opposite direction in fright.

He figured it would take about another couple of days. Then she would completely fall for him, and he would win. He would beat the pants off a Blaise… literally, he thought, grinning at the idea. Then he could drop the little redheaded wench, and be done with this stupid bet perpetually.

He was lost so deep in his reverie that Draco hadn't noticed that they had stopped in a short hallway. The walls were bare except for one large and colorful painting of a giant bowl of fruit. The colors were splashed on in a way that gave the barren corridor almost an eerie look to it.

"You in there?" Ginny had an expectant look on her face that made Draco wonder just how long they'd been standing there.

"Yeah. Where are we?"

She grinned. "Oh, I think we're lost." Only to confuse him further, she tilted her head in a manner that could either imply that she was thinking, or that she was waiting for his response eagerly.

Draco tried to read her expression, but to no avail. "How exactly did you get us lost?"

Pretending to rack her brain, Ginny put the finishing touches on her idea. She knew Tom would like it if she had someone helping her out with her mission, but she wasn't sure if he wanted anyone else to know about him. At least not yet. Draco would make a good partner, but not with this new nice and friendly attitude he was withstanding around her. All she knew was that it had to go.

"Well, I think I know a way to the kitchens from here. But I'll only take you there on one condition."

Draco was about to argue when his stomach let out a mighty rumble of hunger. Biting his lip to stop laughing, he nodded. "All right. What is it?"

She punched him in the shoulder. Or rather, tried very hard to. But after five years of Quidditch training, Draco had developed some muscles that Ginny had not, and it didn't hurt him at all. They both ignored it, however, and Ginny spoke. "You need to quit being so bloody nice and cheerful."

It took him by surprise. No, surprise wasn't the word for what Draco experienced, it was more of a flat out shock.

"What?"  He was too dumbstruck to think of something clever and witty to say in reply.

"One: I liked the cold, mean Draco better. Two: I miss the smirk. And Three: I believe the name is Weasley? What's with this Ginny nonsense?"

Well, that should be easy enough, if that's what she wants. I'll just be myself, he thought, resuming his usual pout and cold deportment.

"I just have one request."

She glanced at him. "Yes?"

"If you can call me Draco, then I get to call you Ginny. Fair enough?" He had a certain air about him that demanded that she agreed or else.

This time she laughed, and nodded. "Sure. Whatever you want." Without another word, she reached up gracefully and tickled a piece of fruit confidently. It was the bright green pear nestled in the colorful painting. The door swung open as she pulled her arm back down, revealing the kitchen and the hundreds of house elves who worked there.

"Hey! We were never lost, were we? You tricked me." Draco grabbed Ginny from behind, as she was about to step into the large room before them. He held her close, with an arm over her throat. It was meant to be unnerving but it ended up being rather intimate.

She turned her head to look at his face, his arm loosening as she did so, and whispered lightly in his ear, "Those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends…"

With a grin, she hopped in to the kitchens, and begrudgingly Draco followed.

-*-

"Ginny, I'm proud of you."

She was holing the silver hand mirror in front of her, clutching the handle firmly and staring into the center of it. The outer rim of it was ornately decorated with a silver serpent, as though it entwined itself around the face and ended at the handle. But instead of seeing the reflection of her face, with her freckled features and mussed red hair, she saw a sixteen-year-old male grinning at her with approval, and leaning casually against the edge of the mirror.

"Thank you, Tom."

"All of the Hufflepuffs? Every last one? You must be positive, if even one person is left unmarked then our plan wont work."

"I'm sure, Tom. They weren't even allowed to go to classes today. All of them had to stay back in their house."

"Well good. And how are you doing?"

Even though his voice was as cold as ice, Ginny was so relieved to be able to hear it again. Ever since Harry had mutilated the diary back in her second year, Ginny had missed Tom so. But she had assumed that sixteen-year-old Tom was gone forever, and she pushed it out of her mind, going back to the side of good.

But now, as this mirror had fallen into her hands at the start of the year, her memories had been reborn, and she was so glad to have Tom with her again. He was the best friend she'd ever had.

"Ginny? I asked you a question."

"Oh!" She snapped out of her thoughts and looked into the waiting eyes of Tom Riddle, staring at her from his prison of glass. "I'm doing rather well. The funniest thing happened, it seems as though Draco Malfoy has an interest in me. I thought maybe… maybe he could be my partner? It is a lot of work, you know."

Tom scratched his head from inside the mirror. "Draco Malfoy… Lucius Malfoy's son. He will be joining my ranks soon… stubborn little bugger, that one is. His father had to bribe him to become one of my minions. Be careful about that one, Ginny. Don't tell him about me, not yet."

She nodded obediently. "All right."

"Maybe after you get to know him… after I get to know him. We just have to be careful. You've gotten rid of your filthy boyfriend, I assume?"

Biting her lip, Ginny said, "Yes, Tom, I did it this morning."

"Great. You remember the plan, right? Ravenclaw will be next. But not too soon, give them a while to think everything is okay. The whole plan should be through by Christmastime."

Again, Ginny nodded. "I understand."

-*-

A/N:

A very different change of plot, am I right? Were you all surprised? Or had you all guessed by now what was going on?

So the tables have turned on Draco and Blaise's bet… it seems as though Draco is not the only one using people… stay tuned to find out more crazy stuff!

Thanks for reviews! I love everyone who reads this and reviews it!

Until next time,

Sakura