Heyhey all! I have to rush this but before U read here's my disclaimer.

Disclaimer- I admit, my life is shit. My life is shit b/c I own nothing and U might sue me! Sobs

LoL, enjoy!

Until Dawn Rises

Now, out of all the things I have encountered in my life, none have ever been quite as clear as this one memory. The reason still plagues me so. I have seen many more important and exiting things, been to many better places, met more fascinating people, but still, this is the clearest thing I can remember.

It was a couple of years ago. Back in my days of glory. I will admit, I was a bit snottish. True enough, that's what my father's family was famous for, but that was really not a legitimate reason for me to act so irrationally.

This memory, now fading like all the others, started back on my last year at Hogwarts, where I, Draconis Pluribus Malfoy, was a wizard in training. Back then I didn't of it that way though. Oh no, back then I was the Malfoy heir, a pure blooded ruler. I was superior to all. That's the way I looked at it.

Let me simply take you back. Where you can see how my past brought me my future, and how clear this memory is to me.

This memory starts on the very first night at school, during the sorting ceremony. It was, as usual, dreadfully boring. And those two goons I called my friends, weren't really helping.

I needed something interesting to look at, something to keep me from thinking how boring this really was. So naturally, I looked around. And that's when I saw her. She had beautifully long, silky, luscious, red hair, which was, in its own way, magical. Her eyes were like the topazes that my mother had on her expensive jewelry. Her skin was like the shining marble that made our floors and statues, and her lips, her lips. Her lips were the one feature of her amazing face that I remember the most. Her lips were full, and glimmered all the way across the hall like rubies that outshined even the Malfoy gems.

She was, all in all, a gem herself. But not just any gem, the gem. The gem I wanted. The gem that I wished to call my own. My gem. But how was I to get it? I wondered. And while I wondered, the headmaster finished his speech and food appeared.

But I didn't notice, until she started eating. But suddenly, I wasn't hungry. Not for food at least. I was hungry for that gem, someone to talk to, think about. But, being a Malfoy, I couldn't let my face show it.

In fact, I was so dazed, that a first year had to drag me out of the hall and yell at me to show them the common room and where to go to get there. Somehow I had forgotten. So I walked them there and then after that I ran to the girls' bathroom.

We boys weren't allowed to go into the girls' bathroom, but if Potter could go in his 2nd year and get away with it, so could I.

And then I head singing, it was different, but still beautiful, I looked around but saw no one, just a portrait standing in one of the stalls. But that's where I heard it the strongest, so I tried guessing a password. It only made sense; the girls' would have a password to enter where they showered. We did, so why didn't they?

It took a while, but I finally guessed it, "Lemon drops."

The portrait swung open and that's when I saw exactly who was singing. It was that same girl. I didn't really see her, but more or less, her silhouette. The girls had a neat bathroom set up there. The showers had screens, instead of glass, so that you could see their shadow, not their body.

However I just knew it was her, it had to be. I closed my eyes and embraced the song for a while.

She sang, "Light in the darkness, Shadows I see. The power I harness, the light in me. Let the darkness twist and fade, like a sword without its blade. Seemingly harmless, but danger is well hidden. What we long for, always is forbidden. What are we, to want what we can't have? Darkness in the light, moonbeams I see. The power running wild, taking over me. Cut the light, let it fade. I don't want to be afraid. Such a delusion, a thing I see. Watch the vision, looking at me. What are we, to want what we can't have?"

I stood there for what seemed seconds before the water stopped and the portrait started talking... I ran and hid because if I was caught, that could only mean disaster. The portrait smiled at her, "Ginny, dear, that was lovely but the only problem is you've been there way too long."

Ginny? Her name was Ginny? It was pretty. I had to admit. What was her full name though? She answered it.

"Maria, please. Call me Ginerva. I'm tired of Ginny," She wrapped a towel around herself and started walking towards a pile of clothes, "Besides, can't I at least finish making up my song?"

Maria chuckled, "You can tomorrow, when you don't look like a prune."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Who am I trying to impress?"

The portrait chuckled some more and something bad happened, she saw me. But, she didn't explode or anything. Actually, she winked at me and smirked at Ginny, "One of these days now, you'll suddenly care about what the boys think."

She spinned with her clothes behind another screen and I watched her silhouette again, "Right, I'm going to become all girly and stupid, like oh my god."

I had to hold my breath to keep myself from snickering, she sounded just like that Brown girl, Lavender, I think it was.

However Maria huffed, "We don't sound like that."

Ginerva finished and carried her towel over her shoulder, "Sure you don't."

After that she left and Maria turned to me, "What's your name? I don't think I've seen a young man so determined."

Never before did I get a clear view of her and I noticed that she was a mermaid. She had dark brown hair and reminded me greatly of the Parkingson girl that I knew. Except she had a beautifully pointed nose and aqua lips. Normally, I would have checked her out, but there were two things stopping me. One, she was a portrait and a mermaid. Two, I had my eye on that Ginerva.

I stumbled on a towel and muttered, "My name's Draco."

She smiled at me, "So you like Ginny, do you?"

I shook my head, "No, just interested. Malfoys don't LIKE people."

Her eyes widened and she gaped at me, then I had no problem believing that she was half fish, "You're the Malfoy heir?! You're interested in a Weasley?! Well, well, I guess Shakespeare DID predict the future."

I looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head looking at my feet, "He wrote a book, about two lovers, Romeo and Juliet... they were from completely different families. They were pressured to hate each other, to keep their families' reputations up. It got to the point where they committed suicide to keep away from the pain. Legend had it that his novels were based on visions that he saw. Legend also had it that he was the greatest prophecy seer of all time. I suppose it's true."

I was shocked, and didn't believe her, "Well, I'm not killing myself over her if that's what I mean."

She held her hand out as close as it could get to me, "Don't mess with fate, it could cause a lot of pain upon you, don't do it."

I, being the naïve boy I was, didn't listen to her and messed with it anyway, and that's what led me here. However, that's in the middle of the story, and we have barely even begun.

I walked away feeling that I had won, and it was only several years later until I had realized how much I'd lost. Anyhow, I walked away smirking that stupid smirk I used to wear all too often and saw her walking back on her way to Gryffindor tower. Then I decided to join her.

I approached her and slid an arm around her shoulders and smiled at her, "Hello Ginerva."

She pushed my arm off and kicked me in the stomach about as hard as she could, and even now I still say it hurt and felt as though someone had stabbed me with seven knives. I groaned and fell over... and to even my own surprise, I started coughing up blood.

She looked at me with her sparkling topaz eyes larger than dinner plates, "Who are you?! How did you learn my name?"

I could only say one thing, "Water..."

After that, my world turned black.

When I regained consciousness, I heard voices arguing. I recognized one of them as weasel's and the other Ginerva's and the last one was Madam Pomfrey's.

The nurse insisted, "Ginerva you are to take care of him until he grants you permission to leave."

Both of the younger voices screamed in union, "WHAT?!"

Weasel, Ron I think, (I never took the time to learn his name) yelled, "What do you mean?! She was defending herself against the creep! I think that he deserved every bit of it!"

Ginerva sounded like she was pouting, "Yeah Ma'am, he was going to hurt me, I needed to do something, and I didn't have my wand with me... so I kicked him as hard as I could."

The nurse was extra flustered, "Ginny! I would expect better behavior out of you! He had a twisted stomach, you nearly killed him! You will do as I said, I've already talked to the headmaster about it and he fully agrees with me. It is a just punishment."

Weasel stomped out and the nurse fled out so quickly, I could hear her skirt billowing behind her. And then I opened my eyes and saw her for the fourth time.

She was hovering over me and her eyes seemed to make the pain go away, even though it was still there. She pouted and her ruby lips seemed even prettier up close, "Sorry Malfoy."

I frowned because she wasn't talking; she was rather, spitting the words out like they were poison. I started mumbling, "You have good aim."

She actually smiled at me, "Well, after all the things Tom did to me, I decided to take self defense classes. My dad, being the muggle lover he is, loved the idea. And my mum, being the worry wort she is, completely approved. My aim had improved when I used the gnomes for targets. It's a lot of fun, especially when they're flying in midair."

I choked, even now I'm not sure what, but I choked, "Tom? You're the Ginny?! Ginny Weasley?! Well I most certainly don't blame you. My father played a nasty trick."

Her smiled wavered, "Er, yeah. That happened in my first year too. Wait a minute, you're not a death eater?"

I was offended by the thought of it, "Hell, no. my father is, but I work for the order. You have to keep that secret."

She merely nodded, "Er- yeah, sure. No problem."

I smiled a wan smile and whispered, "I wasn't going to hurt you."

She looked all surprised, "You weren't?"

I shook my head no, "Hell no, I was going to ask you if I could escort you to your first class."

She flushed red, "Oh. Well, I've already had my class. But... as soon as you're well, I suppose there's no reason for me to say no."

Somehow, she ended up seeing my very first smile. And really liked it, I could tell.

She smiled back, "You know, you don't seem that bad after all."

A/N Whew! I really liked writing this! I WILL UPDATE, THIS IS NOT A ONE-SHOT AND I AM GLAD b/c THAT ENDING SUCKED!

Thankies 4 reading!

As Always,

Marchwarden's Blueeyed Shadow (S)