Disclaimer: The title and song I used to base this story on was sung by B*Witched. I'm not sure if it was a copy and I don't know who wrote it. But I'd like to say that I love your song and please don't sue me for borrowing it. I have rearranged the verses a little to make my story make sense.

I also don't own the characters, they're JK Rowlings if you didn't know, and if you didn't – shame on you!

A/N: Well my first Ginny and Draco story. I have loved them for some time and have now attempted to write one of my own. I hope I do them justice. Please read it and if you would like to review be my guest, but I am not forcing you J

Just one last thing, I would like to dedicate this entire story to my best friend, Katy, for without her challenge or support I would not have done this. Love ya!

Enjoy.

Like the rose

Chapter 1

Every little word

With every lesson learned

I think I know why hearts are made of stone

Black and White. The only colours that were in my room, my house and my life. Admittedly there were other colours about but the most prominent were black and white, it was all around me and I was sick of it. The coldest, emptiest colours that take all meaning out of the word colourful. Now don't get me wrong I didn't want a bright red room or anything, I'm not a colourful person but a little colour would've been nice, something to break the black hole I was in.

But it wasn't just my house; my whole life was black and white, usually black to be honest, my father's influence. Black is the colour of evil, darkness, always has been and probably always will be and my father was one of the darkest people I knew back then. Of course that meant that everyone expected me to become just like him, well almost everybody but I'll come to that later on. Just like him? How wrong they all were. Anyway I didn't want to be anything like him. Okay, I admit I was really evil in my first years but you could say that I decided to change that, I wasn't cut out for that evil lark, too tiring. Of course I wasn't suddenly going to become a goody goody and be really nice, sending out apology letters to everyone I'd insulted, far from. I just didn't want to turn out like my father. I was getting deeper and deeper into his plans and I didn't know how to get out of them, was it even possible? Apparently it was.

* * *

1st September, first day of my 6th year at Hogwarts. The sun was shining brightly through my curtains that morning and I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. I jumped out of bed and threw open my curtains to let in the golden light of the morning sun. Standing in front of my window I let the rays bathe me in warmth and reflect off of my red hair that I had had cut earlier in the summer, not really short, just past my shoulders so it wasn't unmanageably long. I liked it and I thought it made me look older, my mum sadly didn't think the same but it was too late by then.

Turning around I looked at my room for the last time taking in the bright yellow of the walls and the deep blue of the ceiling, the bright orange sunflowers on the bedside table and the fresh green of the duvet in a heap at the end of the bed. I'd like to say now that I know they aren't the best matching colours but that was the way I liked it, I didn't think that this was well designed, I still don't but I couldn't get enough of the vibrant colours that filled my room with personality. Whenever I found something brightly coloured I always knew of the perfect place that it would fit. No wonder my room was full of so much junk.

I grabbed my brush, turned to look at my mirror on the wall opposite and looked over myself. I had grown a lot over the summer, not only in height and shape but mind as well. After my stay at Sirius' house I had matured, it seems weird I know as I never actually did anything but seeing others go through the emotions was enough. Then with the upcoming war, a sense of dread had filled the school and everyone had had to grow up a little. It made me see that everything I thought about the world was wrong. I knew my world wasn't perfect with Voldemort and all but he was one person. I soon realised my mistake, my world turned upside down once more. Wait, would that mean that my world was the right way up? I mean there aren't two upside downs before the right way up, would that mean-oh no I've gone cross-eyed.

"Ginny are you up?"

I shouted back downstairs "Yea Mum," before grabbing my things to get dressed. That day was going to be a busy one, even more than I realised.

* * *

Well I was on the train to Hogwarts for the last time and once more sitting in the same compartment as the two goons. I can't say friends, to be honest they weren't, I mean could you be friends with two guys who spend their lives eating food and talking about food, I wouldn't have been surprised if they slept in a banana. Don't ask me where that came from. The only downside to being in Slytherin was the fact that there was no one worthwhile in the house but me, not trying to sound arrogant but there was no one worth talking to. Of course that would be the same in the other houses, I believe I would've killed myself if I were in any other house, if my father hadn't done it first. Stupid man, I hated him so much. Anyway, Crabbe and Goyle only hung around with me to gain off of my Malfoy power and suave, okay maybe not suave but you know what I mean. They made me look important! Did you say shallow? I think not.

Back to the story though. I couldn't put up with those brainless dolts any further so I decided to return to the prefect's compartments up front. Lost in my thoughts - Malfoy's do not daydream - I didn't notice one red head moving towards me in the other direction. My first mistake. Before I knew what was happening she had tripped, I had caught her and was gazing down into her warm chocolate brown eyes right in the middle of the train aisle!

* * *

So here I was lying in this gorgeous guys arms gazing into his steel grey eyes. Now at this time his eyes reflected such warmth and emotion I was pinned like a butterfly on a board - a weird muggle hobby I heard about, don't ask - and I was unable to even mouth a word let alone an entire sentence. Yet to be honest he didn't look too coherent either. A bang from another compartment brought me back to my senses.

"Th... thank you."

"No problem, you ought to be more careful next time. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine thank you," at this point he had set me down on my feet and my mind was on overdrive. On one side I was thinking - this fit guy has saved me from an embarrassing fall and wasn't laughing at me for it! He was being so nice. Yet on the other - smile, act normal, don't drool (Hermione told me I did that once, very embarrassing), you know the usual stuff. Yet going through everything I needed to do so I wouldn't freak him out I forgot to talk back.

* * *

Don't ask me why I had become nice all of a sudden, that isn't like me and trust me when I say I have no idea why I did this. If I was thinking clearly I would have stepped back, let her fall and laughed in her face. That is more me, no? But, as was described, I became Mr. Perfect, not that that was hard to be!

Once I had put her back on her feet we started to talk and she blew me away. Her red hair (funny how I didn't guess the signs earlier) looked so silky in it's elegant style, her sweet smile and the way her freckles (once again – signs) complimented her eyes. What was I thinking I hear you say, I was about to think the very same thing *cough*. Yet as I was on full charm mode (shut up) I could see her eyes glaze over as I could see the cogs working hard to make sure she wouldn't make a wrong move. I'm used to these funny women things.

"Hey Reds, still with me?"

* * *

Talk about trying to stay cool.

"Sorry, I'm here. What did you call me?"

"Reds"

Reds? What kind of a name is that? She asked me never to call her that again, I said I wouldn't, does she even know who I am?

"So, er, I haven't seen you around much, what's your name?" Apparently not.

I know that I had been to the gym a lot over that summer but I didn't think I had changed that much. Had I? I was about to answer when suddenly my name was called out for me, Weasel. He was already a tomato red and seemed to have his fists up in a fighting stance. As if he could fight me!

"Hey Malfoy, what are you doing with my sister?" I swear before then I had no idea that she was a weasel, even with all the signs. What to do now?

"Ah Weasel, come to watch your sister beg for money?" This was more like me. "I heard you had to buy third hand dress robes this year, I didn't think you could get any worse off, how wrong I was." Of course at this point I had completely forgotten about Reds to insulting Weasel, not for much longer.

"Beg?" she shouted...loud, "Me beg for money," she spluttered, "from you, Draco Malfoy?" She caught my name then.

* * *

Draco Malfoy! I couldn't believe it; I had been attracted to Draco Malfoy! Of course I denied it at the time. No way could I have even considered being attracted to him the enemy of my brother and his friends, I'd heard way too many stories. How did I not recognise that smarmy silver haired, grey eyed...ferret! He was being so nice before. But he hadn't finished yet.

"Yes Reds, remember you fell at my feet," he sneered at this point causing his face to look as if the corner of his mouth had a fishing hook pulling it up (Do not ask me where these are coming from). "Wanting to polish my shoes for a couple of Knuts?"

"How dare you?"

* * *

She dared to dare a Malfoy, what else could I do?

"I'm a Malfoy, my job is to step on people like you. I would have thought you would've been used to it being a Weasley. Who knows what...or who, you might turn to for money." To hit my point home I ran my eyes slowly up her body. She went pale and her eyes widened. I think I overstepped the mark, I never wanted to cause her pain in a million years. As I said I wasn't like my father, evil. But old habits die-hard.

"You are pure evil, you have no heart, that thing beating inside your chest is a lump of stone." Her heart must have been as hard as stone to be able to give a comeback after that, not a good one but a comeback all the same. Though she turned and fled in tears then. I wish I could go back and change that day.

* * *

I never understood how guys could be really nice one minute and horrible the next. I soon found it happened a lot but I never understood it any further than pride. Just one word. I learnt a lesson that day - why hearts are made of stone.