In The Shadows

Disclaimer – Me no own, you no sue, got it?

Author's Rambling – It's seven thirty in the evening here. Normally, if I'm writing on a computer, I write between eleven AM and two PM. If I'm writing by hand, I write at midnight. I'm way outta wack.

I fear that I'm setting a trend I can't possibly keep up with. On Friday, yesterday, I went back to school, so I'll only be able to update at weekends. Maybe not even that, this is a big year for me. Exams at the end of the year, work needed during the year… I'm stuffed.

Yeah, some of you may have noticed that I've changed my name. I've been JB-LIRIMAER since I first started here, which was ages ago. So, I'm ready for a change. My full name is Thelongestnameintheworld,butican'tbebotheredtowriteitoutsoishallbecalledA.Nutter, but this site won't let me have it, it's too long, so I am A. Nutter.

Thank yous to Parody-of-an-Angel – I can't write long chapters! I'm going to try with this one though. Is this soon enough?

Lily Dwarf – I have found a kindred spirit. Another rambler. Lol. Why was your head pounding?

Ashen – Yep, you're right, it will be a good story! I hope, anyway. Maybe your CD player is psychic. Lol. Or maybe it's just one of those things. Thanks for the toast to my soul, lol. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

ArcticAngelz – Arctic, I'm sorry that you thought my last chapter was boring. I'm going through writer's block at the moment, and I find that the best thing to shift it is to concentrate on another story. Yeah, a lot of people do use Evanescence; I've thought that. Especially Bring Me To Life, it seems to be Ginny's anthem. Hope this chapter is better.

The Iviest – You confused me with your review, but I'm glad you liked the chapter. I shall certainly try to keep it up whilst making it better.

Full Summary – Virginia Weasley has been in the shadows of her brothers all her life. There is nothing she can do that one of them hasn't already done better.

She's been watching. She's been waiting in the shadows for her time. But when will it come?

Current music – Greenday, Basket Case. I may use it in a future chapter. Or even this one, I don't know. I add the songs after the chapter is written.

A/R2 – This chapter is going to switch from Ginny's point of view to Draco's point of view, then back again. Just making sure we all clear.

Chapter Three – Basket Case

Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything all at once

I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone no doubt about it

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
I'm just stoned

I went to a shrink
To analyse my dreams
She says it's lack of sex
that's bringing me down
I went to a whore
She said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause
it's bringing her down

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah

Grasping to control
So I better hold on

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
I'm just stoned

Greenday – Basket Case

Only three days into the school year, and already Ginny had a detention. She had been late for Potions that morning. Hey, it's not my fault that I got the graveyard shift for patrol last night!

"Miss Weasley, you are fifteen minutes late, so I think we'll make it fifteen points from Gryfinndor and a detention. Dear dear, the Head Girl being late? Whatever is this school coming to, Draco?" Snape had said.

"I don't know sir, but in my day, I was never late." That short statement had caused a few giggles from the Gryfinndors. Draco Malfoy was Head Girl?

Ginny sighed, and sat down to eat her dinner in the Great Hall before her detention. Could this day get any worse?

Draco Malfoy was not having a good day. At breakfast, he had received a letter from his father informing him of The Dark Lord's plans and the part he would have to play in the downfall of Hogwarts.

And to top it all off, he had a letter from Pansy begging him to go back to her.

God. Could this day get any worse?

Both of our heroes were thinking the same thing as they trudged down to the dungeons. Draco had been asked to oversee Ginny's detention because Professor Snape had other things to do.

"Ahh, Draco good, right on time. Miss. Weasley here will be cleaning out the cauldrons without magic. All you have to do is to watch her." Professor Snape said, already leaving.

Outside the door, he leant against the wall and said, "Forgive me, Draco."

Inside the room, Ginny was yelling at Draco. "I bet you planned this, didn't you? I bet you begged for this, cause you're sure as hell not gonna get any action now that you're away from your slut-"

He whirled around from where he had been putting her wand away. "OK, that's enough! Whatever your damage is, taking it out on me will not help matters. And I bet you arranged it just so you could gaze adoringly at me. Now that Saint Potter's left, who else are you going to worship?"

Her hand flew through the air, stopping a mere centimetre from Draco's cheek. He stroked her palm. "Now, Virginia, I'm afraid we have to cut this little argument short. I do have things to do tonight you know, and you need to get some sleep. You look like hell. The sooner you finish, the sooner we can both get out of here."

She wrenched her hand back and turned on her heel, going to the nearest cauldron.

Soon, sounds of scrubbing and Ginny's huffing filled the room. Draco sat in Snape's chair and tried to relax. His thoughts ran wild in his head, all about Virginia Weasley. I know I was out of line with the Saint Potter line, but why did she react so extremely? She grew out of that infatuation in fourth year. Contrary to popular belief, Draco didn't hate the Weasleys. If it wasn't for their connection with Potter, he might even be friendly with them, especially the littlest one.

Draco had followed the fortunes of the Dream Team diligently, if only to know what was going on in the world. At the end of last year, their seventh year, the Dream Team had tried to defeat You-Know-Who for good. It hadn't worked. The team of students that they had taken with them, believing they would win, were wiped out. Saint Potter, the Weasel King and the Mudblood had fled when Dumbledore was hurt, leaving the rest of their friends to be brutally murdered.

The reason Draco knew this is because he was there. He was there on the side of good, but acting as if he were on the side of evil. Nothing is just good or evil, Draco. There are a lot of grey areas. His mother's voice floated back to him as if from far away. Well, it was from far away. At Christmas last year, when Narcissa hadn't done what Lucius had asked fast enough, he killed her.

Hate, white hot and deadly flooded through him anew. I won't be your slave any more, Lucius!

He pulled out his father's letter from his pocket and tore it into tiny pieces.

"Great, something else for me to clean up?" Ginny asked from the opposite end of the room.

"Well, I know how you do like cleaning up after people, Weasley. It's what you must do during the holidays, living in that shack you call a house…"

Ginny was obviously trying to keep a hold on her temper. She clenched her hands and took long breaths. Obviously, it didn't work.

"Malfoy, have you ever seen my house?"

"I-"

"No, you haven't, so don't try to pass judgement on things you know nothing about. I do not live in a shack, we don't all sleep in one house, and I certainly do not clean up after everyone else." Her eyes were glittering a little too much to be merely angry. "Weasley, are you crying?"

"No! I've just got a little bit of soap in my eyes."

God, I promised they would never see me cry after the chamber. I promised that no Slytherin would be able to hurt me again. She wiped her eyes, and then jumped as Malfoy put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't touch me!" She screamed, leaping away as far as she could. But when she when into a desk, she knew she could go no further.

"Weasley, are you crying? You are. Why?"

She turned her head to the side as fresh tears started to form. "You wouldn't under stand, Malfoy."

"Try me, Weasley."

"No Malfoy, you wouldn't understand. I've just finished the last cauldron, I'm finished." And with that, she tried to move away. He caught her around the middle, brought her back to where she was, and trapped her with his body. She leant back so far she was almost bent double to get away.

"Weasley, try me."

"Why do you care?" She hissed, pushing him with all her might. He caught her wrists and bent them, not enough to hurt her, but enough to hurt if she tried to pull away.

"Because I want to know everything about this school. I'm aiming for a headmaster job here, and if I can't get to know my students, what chance will I have? And also, I'm a Slytherin-"

"Yeah, you're a Slytherin. That's half the problem. It was a Slytherin that first opened the chamber, and it was a Slytherin who made me do so. It was a Slytherin who always put me down, insulting me about my clothes, my family's state of money, who always called me 'Weaselette', and who called one of my best friends a Mud- a Mudblood."

"I didn't put you down."

"No, but you insulted my brother, and my family in my hearing, so it amounts to the same. You haven't changed at all, you never will change, Malfoy."

He stood in shock for a moment. "Weasley, I'm sorry, what can I say? I was a stupid little boy with a bad case of jealousy. I have changed."

"Jealousy? What were you jealous about?"

"Your relationship and closeness with Potter. Your loving family always there to help you. Everything that you had while you were growing up that I wanted. I wanted my parents to love me, I wanted to have a big family to share and argue with, I wanted everything that you had. But all I got was a DeathEater for a father, a vegetable for a mother and a big house that echoed when you walked down a corridor."

He let go, and turned away. Ginny rubbed her wrists that went numb, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry yourself, Weasley." He said, walking out of the dungeon.

What a strange creature! But… I really want to know more about him. Operation Malfoy, commencing.

A/R – Thank you all for continuing to read. It's Saturday now, so I'll update next week.

Thelongestnameintheworld,butican'tbebotheredtowriteit,soishallbecalledA.Nutter