Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Draco sighed, letting his head fall back on to the cushy backing of the train seat he was on. With nothing to do, except stare at the tiny water stain at the top of the compartment, Draco settled into his thoughts, which even he had been avoiding.

Well, this year, I'm truly alone. Glancing to his right, Draco felt himself frown, but only slightly. Crabbe's off to Beaubaxton. It's incredibly unfair, the poor bloke doesn't know a bit of French. Draco lulled his head back into the center of the cushion. He didn't even bother looking to his left. Goyle's at Durmstrang, learning the Dark Arts under that traitor. This is the one year where I really could've used their support.

"My life... is shit..." Malfoy said with a sigh, reveling in his own self pity.

His father had been arrested and taken to Azkaban not long after his induction into the Order. Of all the times, when he needed his father's guidance the most, it was being stripped away from him.

And he most certainly did not like it.

Clenching a fist, Draco released something of a growl, feeling his nails beginning to bite into his palms. Bastards! Who are they to treat him that way, after all my father has done for them! The morons, do the honestly expect the Dementors to stay loyal? What have those Ministry fools ever done to help the Dementors? Nothing. Not a damn thing. They fucking force them to live on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere and they think that the Dementors would like that more than freedom?

No creature deserves to be imprisoned.

He sighed, though, releasing the upper crust of his anger. No no, it does me no good to think these thoughts. I'll just end up going in circles again. For the first two weeks after his father's arrest, Draco had done nothing but rant to anyone who would listen how ridiculously unfair the situation was. He only stopped when his mother had softly reminded him that murder, however justified it might seem, was simply murder. Draco did not think his mother a traitor to his father for that thought though. He knew she loved him as one can only love their spouse, but he also knew that she could not justify a lie any better than he could. She could be silent and cold in her ambiguity towards the issue, and Draco could whine like a little boy.

Goyle's parents sent him off to Durmstrang to keep him out of England and to keep his training going. Same reason why Crabbe was sent off to Beaubaxton. Why Mother won't just send me to one of those schools...! I can't believe that going to this godforsaken school will help me to learn anything of use. All they teach us here are bug beater spells and third rate magical creatures. When was the last time we studied something worthwhile? Second year, with Expelliramus. That was it.

Draco felt his anger beginning to grow again, and this time closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

His hand unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck where his tattoo lay hidden underneath his hair. It had been a bother at first, to un-slick his hair and grow it out, but his mother has refused to allow him to parade his new mark around to the world. He secretly agreed with her, but that didn't make him feel any better about having hair in his face all day.

The door to the compartment unceremoniously chose that moment to slam open and admit a most unwelcome sight.

"Dean wait till we're inside!" a girl giggled, backing into the compartment, pulling well, Dean apparently, after her.

"Gin, it's been all summer! How am I supposed to wait?" the boy moaned, releasing her hands and loping his arms around her waist.

Draco raised an eyebrow before raising his voice.

"Out. Both of you. Now." The two whirled around, the girl pressed back against her boyfriend. Lovely. A Gryffindor couple. He eyed the two of them during the split second pause, and made a second discovery. A Weasley and another Gryffindor.

"Hey Malfoy, what makes you think you can talk to us like that?" Dean demanded, pulling Ginny protectively against himself.

"My compartment. Get out." Ginny regained her senses and shot the blonde an angry glare.

"We made a mistake in compartments," she spat, turning around and pulling Dean after her. "At least you weren't rude about it."

"Fuckers." Draco heard the door slam with extreme enthusiasm and smirked. He loved tormenting people like that. Oh, he knew very well that the youngest Weasley would take that last parting word like it was the most awful thing in the world. That whole family is raised to belong to some sort of children's storybook, he thought with a snicker. I bet the poor dear would wet herself if she ever saw a anything slightly illegal.

Smirking one last time, Draco settled into a sort of conscious nap, letting his mind sleep while his body was still awake. The compartment door slid open again, but was quickly shut after whoever it was noticed who exactly was there.
***
"Did you catch the look on his face?" Dean said, voice filled with laughter.

"I did, I did! It was classic, the epitome of Malfoy's arrogance and stupidity!" Ginny replied, choking for breath between giggles and tears in her eyes. Dean began his laughing anew, pulling Ginny onto his lap as he sat in the empty compartment they had found.

The laughing slowly died down, and when it did, Dean seized the opportunity to look Ginny in the eye before pulling her down for a kiss.

"Mmm...we need to talk," Ginny said, pulling back. Dean winced, shaking his head.

"C'mon, Gin! I already told you that nothing happened!"

"But why didn't you tell me when you first started going around with those girls?" she demanded, pushing his hands off and standing. Dean leaned forwards, placing his head in his hands.
B "I honestly don't see why this is such a big deal! Nothing happened! I went out with maybe five girls, and each time nothing happened!" he exclaimed in seeming despair. He glanced up at Ginny through the slits in his fingers.

She was standing back to him, hands on her hips. Her shoulders were drawn up slight, and she was tense. He could sense in the air that his answer was not to the question she had asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice was almost toned down to a whisper. Dean inwardly cheered, thinking that Ginny was all but ready to take him back.

"Because I knew you'd react this was, love."

Because I'd... he... Ginny felt her hands clench into fists on her hips. That is the most ridiculous, 'please the little women' line I have ever heard! How can he think he's reading me correctly if he thought that would send me flying back into his arms?! She sighed, shaking her head, and walking to the compartment door.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked quickly, standing to follow her.

"I think it's time we took a break," she said simply, sliding the compartment door quietly shut. As if possessed, Ginny flew down the hallway to the bathroom, not caring as a prefect reprimanded her. Inside her haven, Ginny locked the door and pulled herself onto the sink.

He doesn't really mean that much to me, as a boyfriend at least, she thought, putting her legs into an upside down V over the basin. As a friend, I'd hoped he would've been more open with me, but I guess all guys think they know women like the back of their hands. She sighed again, resting the side of her head against the mirror.

Honestly, he didn't do anything wrong, but I don't know why that omission bothers me so much! It's not like he was the one flinging himself around, but I don't know...

"What do I want, if Dean couldn't be it?"

The answer eluded her, and she slowly rocked along with the train until arriving at Hogwarts.
***
A/N: Well, they had to end some way ^_^ Jessie: I hope you meant wow in a good way... quill-angel68: Heh, you flatter me! I get the feeling a lot of people forgot about the whole Ginny/Dean bit... ^_^