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Chapter 21

"Ginny, Thank God," Liane called, rushing across the Gryffindor common room to embrace her best friend. As she shooed the rest of Gryffindor House away from Ginny to take her up to the confines of the room, Liane noticed a sense of calm about Ginny that she hadn't seen in weeks. "So?"

Ginny crossed to her bed and fell down, laying her head on her folded arms.

"Ginny, are you going to tell me where the hell Malfoy took you or not?"

Ginny turned to her side and propped her head up with one elbow to face her friend. "Well," she started, pulling at her hair as she tried to determine what information she would share with her friend.

"Don't even think about it Weasley, we've been through this. Now tell me everything," Liane interrupted, knowing that Ginny was mentally filtering the afternoon's events for this conversation.

Ginny looked at her friend. She knew that Liane had probably been mental with worry for her and felt guilty for the sense of happiness and relief that was surging through her. Sighing Ginny smiled hesitantly and turned to Liane, her eyes shining brightly. "I know that you were worried and want a good reason to go and hex him but,"

Liane walked over and sat on the bed cutting Ginny off by taking her hand, "Gin, enough with the bull shit. I know you think you love him, I've seen it in your eyes. I know that you think he's something that the rest of us don't see, and for your sake, I hope that you're right. I just want to make sure that you're alright!"

Ginny felt her eyes tearing as she reached out to hug Liane. Not only did she and Draco talk and decide to pursue whatever they had started, but she had the support of her best friend. "You're amazing Liane, I never would have thought that you would accept him, especially not after today."

"I'm not that amazing Gin," Liane retorted chuckling, pulling away from Ginny and looking into her eyes. "I don't think I could ever accept that bastard, and so help me, if he EVER pulls a stunt like this again he won't breathe long enough to tell the tale."

Ginny's shoulders slumped as she listened and searched Liane's eyes in confusion.

"Relax Ginny. I haven't accepted him true. But I will tolerate him. I'm your friend and will do whatever I need to do to show that I have accepted YOUR decision."

Smiling, Ginny reached and hugged Liane. "I know it doesn't make any sense. But I love him."

As Liane listened to Ginny's account of the afternoon's events she tried to be enthused for her friend. There was no denying that Ginny was happier than she had been since the night she came back to their room after leaving Draco in the Room of Requirement.

"I think I even got him to think of his families allegiance to Voldemort," Ginny squealed as she talked on and on about Draco's wariness of any repercussions to their involvement.

"So, he didn't want anything to happen to either of you, so that's why he did what he did," Liane questioned.

"Well yes. I can't believe I didn't even consider his father might actually try to hurt us if he found out we were involved."

Liane looked at Ginny's expression as she giggled as if she were a mindless twit who would lose her head if it weren't affixed to her shoulders. "Okay Ginny, what's going on? I know the thought crossed your mind that Lucius could be dangerous. I also know that you've been determined since your first year not to allow anyone to control your actions, out of fear or otherwise."

"It's nothing. Draco just…"

Liane rolled her eyes before cutting Ginny off. "Never mind, it's not important." After witnessing Ginny carrying on with almost no will of her own for years behind Harry Liane had been ready to pummel him for allowing it to go on for so long. And she liked Harry. She definitely wasn't ready to process the possibility of Ginny losing herself in Draco in the same manner. "It's still not making sense to me," she muttered under her breath.

Ginny looked up at Liane, "Come on, I know you don't like him, but if it's so hard to understand him trying to protect me, keep in mind that he could be in danger as well."

Liane looked at Ginny, realizing that she had spoken aloud. "No Gin, it's not that. I mean, Malfoy is a pretty rational and calculating guy. He doesn't strike me as the type to get carried away without thinking. If the reason for his treating you like his concubine that night was simply to avoid any danger, I don't understand why he let the relationship get that far."

###

"I am not some trophy for you to parade around in front of those buffoons," Ginny forced through gritted teeth as she tried to pull away from Draco.

"That's for sure," Draco responded reflexively, snickering as he let go of Ginny's waist.

"You are positively mental," Ginny screamed, holding her head in frustration.

Laughing heartily, Draco retreated to his desk and sat down in the chair. "Ah, ah, ah," he warned as Ginny reached for the doorknob.

Ginny froze and took a deep breath, composing herself before turning to face Draco and his smirk.

"So, you think I'm mental Weasley? Do tell," he prompted with amusement in his voice.

"Fine Malfoy," Ginny stated calmly. "One minute, you are indicating how you were just 'dying' to get me alone in the Room of Requirement," Ginny started as Draco raised his hands to cover his heart in a show of anguish. "You made a point to assure me that you wanted to spend time with me. You can try and act like you don't care now, but I know that you do."

"What's your point Ginny? Yes, I enjoy spending time with you. Yes, I wanted to spend time with you tonight. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy thinking of what conclusions your brother's overactive imagination might be drawing right now; or that I have lost my desire to keep up certain appearances."

"My point is that if you care about me, you will not use me. So I might not be the 'trophy' for you to show off to your friends. But I will not be your running joke either."

Ginny crossed her arms before moving to sit on the end of Draco's bed.

Draco stood and sighed before crossing to sit next to Ginny. He put his arms around her hips as she tried to scoot away from him. "Look at me," he stated forcefully. Although it wasn't quite an order, it couldn't really be considered a request either.

Ginny coughed a laugh at Draco. Over the past five years, she had thought that she could think no worse of him. His cruelty, arrogance, and elitism had sickened her since she had first stood between him and Harry in Flourish and Blotts so many years ago. But to see him act just as cold and cruel, while acting as if he cared for her, roused a deeper feeling of disdain in her. Standing to leave, Ginny looked at Draco with coldness in her eyes. "Tell Professor Snape what you like. I will not be subjected to this any longer."

Draco was numb as he watched Ginny walk to the door. In all his years he had been met by many different reactions. Awe, envy, disdain, loathing were all familiar reactions. But as he watched Ginny walk to the door with none of the fire in her words that he had grown accustomed to, he didn't know how to react. "Ginny wait," he barked.

"Go find another lap dog Malfoy, I told you I'm through," she responded without breaking stride.

###

Colin sat in his room, mindlessly sifting through his portfolio. As he sifted through the pictures, he came upon his favorite. Blaise was sitting at the Slytherin table at the beginning of the term and had licked his tongue seductively at Colin across the hall. He continued to stare at the picture dazedly before lifting his wand and touching it to the corner. "Incendio," he choked out and watched as a weak flame ignited the corner of the picture before extinguishing.

Enraged, Colin stood up and kicked his chair over. 'Bloody Death Eater has you so twisted you can't focus enough to complete a simple spell,' he thought. As he set the chair right again and held his wand at the ready to try and cast the spell again, a hawk owl swooped into the open window before dropping a letter in his hand.

"Get the hell out of here," Colin shouted as he watched Blaise's owl nip at her plumage, awaiting her treat. When the bird made no indication of leaving, Colin cast a banishing charm on it, quickly shutting his window.

Angered by the intrusion of Blaise's letter as he was preparing to destroy all evidence of his involvement with the boy, Colin cast an incineration charm on the letter. As he watched each attempt to destroy the letter fail, Colin realized Blaise must have an imperturbable charm on the letter to prevent its destruction.

As Colin inwardly debated whether to read the letter he considered that Blaise hadn't actually 'done' anything to him at all. 'If his parents were Death Eaters, he couldn't be expected to walk about broadcasting that information to everyone,' he rationalized as he opened the letter.

Colin, I'm sorry for what you overheard this afternoon.

Adrian and I heard you running down the staircase outside of the Astronomy Tower, so we both know that you were there.

I only ask that you hear me out before you judge.

Can we meet tonight? Send your response (and knut) back with Nathalie.

Colin read the letter over again. 'Cocky bastard,' he couldn't help but grin as he noted that Blaise knew that Colin would not refuse to see him.

Colin found a piece of parchment and sat down to his desk to hurriedly scrawl his response. He then went and fished the box containing his valued possessions from the bottom of his trunk. Colin pulled out the warn knut and folded it inside of the parchment before sealing it.

Just as Colin realized that he had cast Nathalie, Blaise's owl away, he heard a pecking at the window. He opened the window before lightly stroking Nathalie's head. "Undoubtedly he told you not to return without my response," Colin cooed, taking a biscuit out of a tin next to his bed. After Nathalie took her reward, Colin watched her fly off with his response.

"Ahhhhh," Blaise sighed as Nathalie flew back into his window, taking a drink from the saucer in the window. "He wasn't too stubborn was he girl?"

Nathalie flew suddenly over to Blaise's shoulder dropping the letter in his lap and nipping him sharply on the ear in response.

"So I have some fast talking to do tonight," Blaise chuckled as he opened Colin's letter and considered how upset he must be for Nathalie to react in such a way. Smiling Blaise unfolded the letter as the knut dropped into his lap.

Midnight.

'Some fast talking indeed,' Blaise thought.

To all of those that have been reading:

Thanks for sticking with me, and I'm sooooooooo sorry. I know I was updating really fast, but a lot of things have been hitting me, and I've realized I can't sit around and write fiction while everything else falls apart around me. So time has been set aside again for simple things. Dishes, laundry, cleaning, eating, sleeping, working, and the list can go on and on. Also, it's getting tougher as I realize the story is coming to an end. I am debating at what point it's going to end, so bear with me. I really really really really plan on finishing this, so put me on author alert, or just keep checking back. An update is coming!

ForbidenMaggiks: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Egads, has it really been over a week since my last update? So sorry. Hope you enjoyed this one!

maddi: yes I updated, sorry it took so long this time, but here's the update!

Dracomio: glad you liked it!

Social-flutterby: hehehehe, hope you didn't frown too hard on me. You ask me to speed up the story and I get all nervous and stuffeses and go into hiding. Naw, not really, work has been crazy, taking care of daddy has me worn out (please don't take this the wrong way, I really don't mind, it's just draining) and well, yeah, kind of stuck thinking about how to tie the story up. But here you go, UPDATE! :)

Yochy: Glad you like the fic, and glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well!

BigRed-2006: hehehe, yeah Crabbe and Goyle, comic relief each and every time. Dumb and Dumberer. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll try not to take so long for the next update.

LovesFantasy: I'm so glad you enjoy the story. Actually, I kind of like Harry, not in my story, he's only here, because well. There wouldn't be a Draco and Ginny without a Harry. And they're still in school. And well, it's based on Harry Potter books :) I'm really glad that you feel something for the characters, and am just in awe that I might have done that. Thank you so much for the review. Made me get all warm and fuzzy inside!

KawaiiRyu: I'm glad you found the story. I'm glad you're loving it. And here's some more :)

Becky d: You're so welcome. Thank you for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Here's the update!

No idea what to invent as a name: you get the prize for most creative name. Well maybe not creative and imaginative, but I laughed out loud when I saw this review! I'm so glad you really like the story. I haven't abandoned it, and intend to finish it! Hopefully soon, it's starting to wind down. I just haven't decided where I want this to end, and it's sequel to begin. Keep reading, and I'm looking for your review!