Disclaimer: I disclaim.

This is short. Thanks to everyone that reviewed before, I love you all. I'm really sorry I've not updated this one in so very long. I'm graduating high school (finally) and I'm kind of busy. Just be patient with me, and I promise to be a better updater.

Chapter 4: Seventh Year

Draco, now six years older and almost a full foot taller, walked back onto the Hogwarts' Express. He looked around, searching for any of the Slytherins he had grown up with. Blaise was the only one he found. The War, in which his father had been killed after an accusation of being a double agent, had also taken the lives of many of his schoolmates. Before his father's death, he had called Draco into his office.

"Draco, my son," he said, motioning for Draco to have a seat. "Draco, I want to know your stance on the war." Draco looked at his father, shocked. He had never been asked his opinion before. It had always been his way or no way.

"Well, Father, I believe that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that the Malfoy name comes out just as respectable as it went in." Draco tried to tell the truth without telling his father he did not support Lord Voldemort.

"Do what you must, Draco. Don't worry about what I would tell you to do. Do what you must." Lucius stressed the last sentence. "Now, I have a meeting to go to. If you are sure that you will do what's right for the Malfoy name, I will go. But if you will not, then you may want to attend this meeting with me." Lucius looked into Draco's eyes as he stood. "My boy, take care of your mother."

Lucius walked to the door to see Draco out, then apparated to the secret meeting place.

He never came back. Draco was named sole predecessor of the Malfoy fortune and denounced the rumor that the Malfoy family was all deatheaters. The Ministry came in and took all of Lucius' things from the Manor.

Now, Draco was returning to school. The Slytherin Seventh Year class had dwindled, now that most of the Deatheaters had transferred, went into hiding, or been killed. Blaise and Milicent had returned, along with Draco. Crabbe and Goyle had both been killed, the Parkinson family had went into hiding, and numerous others had been caught by the ministry.

As he became comfortable in the Head compartment, Hermione walked in.

"Malfoy," Hermione greeted him stiffly as she had a seat across from him.

"Hermione, I do believe we'll be working together quite a bit, and I see no reason to force last names upon each other." Draco's attempt at making the Malfoy name a name to be respected instead of feared included the acceptance of mudbloods–oops, muggle borns–and others of non pure heritage.

Hermione stared at him with her jaw dropped as low as it could go. She was supposed to be the bigger person, the one attempting to be nice, but he decides to call her by her first name and offer a truce? She was confused.

"Close your mouth, Hermione. It's very unbecoming." Draco smirked. "My father is gone. I'm not the horrid death eater everyone knew my father was. I don't live in his shadow or take after his dark arts tendencies. I don't use the killing curse or any others. I haven't since my father gave up on me five years ago. I am a respectable person and a highly intelligent student. So, if you don't mind, I don't want to allow the little spats our groups tend to have interfere with our duties and responsibilities."

Hermione sat in silence, still very shocked at what she had just heard. Draco silently reveled in the look that she had. It was positively one of the best things he had ever seen. Of course, he couldn't vocally scoff–it was still not the Malfoy way to show emotion.

"Hermione!" Someone was calling from the hall. It was a female voice that Draco recognized immediately. The young Weasley.

"In here, Ginny!" she called back, finally finding her voice. Ginny opened the door, huffing like she had been running. "What's wrong, Gin?"

"There's been a fight. A fourth year Slytherin attacked Harry! You've got to come quick!" Ginny gasped for air.

"Where are they?" Hermione was rising to her feet as Ginny was catching her breath.

"Near the last compartment. Harry's scratched a little, but the fourth year had a charm put on him by Ron's wand. He broke it again right before school started." Hermione ran out of the compartment, anxious to help Harry and Ron. Draco rose a little more slowly.

"Virginia." He greeted her. "Nice to see you. It's been quite a while." Throughout the years, the two had continued being civil to each other, sometimes even visiting in the potions classroom to work together on projects. They had kept the friendship quiet, because, as much as Draco didn't want to be, he was still under his father's control, and it would have put both him and Ginny in danger if they hadn't.

"Draco," she replied. "It's really nice to see you, too." She smiled. "Well, I'd better get back to Ron and Harry. They'll be wondering where I am." Ginny began to walk away.

"Ginny, I'll come, too. Hermione isn't the only Head person around, you know."

"But you can't be seen punishing a Slytherin," Ginny replied.

"I thought they would have told you. It's been all in the papers," Draco stated.

"What? Has something happened? We never renewed our subscriptions after the incident with Harry."

"My father was murdered by Voldemort. He was accused of being a spy for Dumbledor and was killed soon after. I'm the only Malfoy male, so I make the rules. My rules say I don't like Slytherins who support Voldemort, and that boy is obviously a Voldemort supporter." Draco began walking in the direction Hermione had run. "That doesn't mean I'm any fonder of Potter, but I've nothing against him." 'Except that he had your love,' Draco continued to himself.

"That's very big of you, Malfoy." Ginny smiled coyly at him as she walked a few steps ahead.

"It's Draco, Virginia, and that's not all of me that's big," Draco smirked like a true Slytherin as Ginny pretended to be appalled. "I might be the Malfoy heir, but I also happen to be a teenage boy. You can't expect me to be completely adult about everything." He laughed a little as she shrugged.

"Don't expect you to be, Draco. You've been through a lot," Ginny replied knowingly. As he watched her face, thinking to himself about how his father would roll over in his grave, if he saw his only son flirting with a Weasley, he began to feel the familiar pain of a soon to be blackout.

He regained consciousness some time later in the hospital wing. The room was dark, and he wasn't wearing his school robes as he was on the train. As he lay there with a splitting headache, he heard a rustling in the next room.

"Hello?" he called. "Is someone there?" He was shocked to see Ginny walk out from behind the wall.

"Oh, you're awake! Finally!" Ginny sighed. "I'm so relieved!"

"That's great; can we do a pain relief charm on my head?" Draco questioned with a slightly pained look.

"Well, I'll have to wait to ask Madame Pompfrey. I can't do any spells or charms without her permission. I'm sorry, Draco." She smiled apologetically as Draco winced at his first name coming out of her beautiful mouth.

"You're gorgeous," he heard himself say. "Absolutely gorgeous." He couldn't regain control of his voice. He didn't know what was going on, but as much as he thought these things, this was not him saying them.

"Draco? Are you okay? You're eyes–they're so red. What's going on?" she questioned as she stepped closer to the blond haired boy.

He regained himself momentarily and he cried out, "It's not me, Ginny, run, now!" His head snapped to the side as something inside him said, "Boy, don't contradict your father. I will have her, and you will not ruin our return."

Ginny stared wide eyed at the handsome young man who seemed to be talking to himself. "Draco? What's happening?"

"Ginny! I SAID RUN!" Draco yelled at her right before he blacked out.

He didn't remember when exactly he regained his mind. He remembered walking from class and realizing he was back, but that he could also remember the entire day. It was at least a week since he had blacked out. He, yet again, didn't know what had happened, or what he did, but he knew if Lucius was in his head, it wasn't good.

He also noticed a while later that his face was nastily bruised. On the way to dinner, he saw Ginny walking alongside Harry and Ron, a cast on her arm, and some nasty bruises along her legs.

Again, he wished he knew what he had done.

As the year progressed, the majority of the school began to treat him like the devil they always knew him as before that year. He ate alone, and he never had a potions partner without Snape threatening them. He also didn't have anymore blackouts that year. His only friend was his faithful journal, which he kept every detail of his life in.

Fin.

Please review me, cuz I don't really feel very confident about this story. I'm much better with the humorous. Also, check out my other stories. They're funnier.