Disclaimer: Sorry, anything HP related is still not mine. But the plot is, which is kinda neat.

Author's etc.: My humble thanks to my patient readers, le finis.

Chapter 12

"So Ginny, how are the OWLs coming along?" Hermione queried as she slid into a seat across from Ginny, for once, not with Harry and Ron in tow.

Ginny, barely paying attention as she munched her toast, uttered in return,

"No Mione, post hasn't arrived yet, owls should be here soon."

Her head came up when she heard Hermione start to giggle, a very un-hermione-ish thing, that surprised half the table.

"Oh, Ginny, you are such a laugh! I meant OWLs, ordinary wizarding levels, silly goose! The ones you've been studying for since the beginning of the year..."

Sweet Proserpina!

She had forgotten all about OWLs, being so worried about her animagus test. Ginny thought quickly,

"Of course Mione, I was just kidding around," she glanced around the Hall, eyes briefly meeting Draco's, a faint smirk formed on her face. "In fact, I've even got a tutor to help me prepare. Well, I better go, er..hit the books, and all that."

Ginny stood abruptly and gathered her things before walking out into the corridors. Hermione tried to call study encouragements to her as she left, but Gin barely heard them as she was too busy wondering how she could sucker Draco into helping her study.

"But Draco, you already know what a good teacher you are. Come on, pretty please, pretty please with a Mrs. Cremwick's Super Sweetie on top."

He grinned at her evilly. He was just going to have a little teeny bit of fun with her. She'd laugh at it all later, he was sure of it.

"Pardon me, sprite, what was that? Draco Malfoy is the greatest teacher in the entire Wizarding World? Is that what you said?"

She narrowed her eyes at him leaning so casually against the Quidditch bleachers.

So, she hadn't been able to come up with a sneaky plan to convince Draco to tutor her this time, so what? Merlin above! There was a reason she wasn't sorted into Slytherin. Instead she had resorted to, embarrassing though it was, begging.

She sucked up her pride. "Yes, that's what I said, Draco Malfoy is the greatest teacher in the entire Wizarding World." She mimicked.

"Oh, you little witch, say it like you mean it or else the deal is off." He replied gleefully, loving the fact that the tables had finally turned. Or so he thought...

"But Dray-co, you know, that I know, that you are good, otherwise why would I ask you this little teensy smidgeon of a favour?" She pouted, pulling her orphan Kneazle face that always got her the last biscuit at home.

"Enough, enough, I can't take that face. Fine already, just please don't start batting your eyelashes. Gin that face is utterly unnerving, that face could control small countries, you are aware of that, right?"

She smiled brilliantly and jumped up, giving him an enormous hug. He gave her a quick squeeze back, but reluctantly let her go quickly, knowing that it would be easy for someone to spot them out there. And without their test results, they had no way to disappear quickly if someone came along.

She giggled as he let her down, poking at him in the arm.

"You really are getting soft, you know. Six months ago you would have scorned my orphan Kneazle face."

"Ah ha! Conniving little witch, so you admit that that face is a planned tactic".

She smiled secretively at him in response, then poked him again for good measure.

"What happened to that strict Slytherin boy I blackmailed at the beginning of the year?"

He rubbed his upper arm where she had poked him and gave her a mean look, though a faint smile hung on his face, but he just shrugged his shoulders, unable to answer. He bent and picked up his bag from the ground, slinging it over his shoulder. School beckoned.

"I'll see you tonight, Little One."

"You bet." She said as she snuck a quick peck on his lips. He smirked down at her then started to walk away.

Calling over his shoulder he teased.

"Don't forget to bring your books." Then, he walked around the pitch and back up to the castle, off to his Arithmancy lesson.

"Brat!" Ginny yelled after him, watching him go. She stood there for a minute or so with a silly grin on her face before she too left for class.

The month of March went by at an amazing rate. Both Ginny and Draco had feared that it would creep endlessly, but what with studying and classes it seemed to be, if not enjoyable, at least bearable.

On a foggy Monday morning at the end of the month, Ginny found herself dully walking towards the Great Hall and breakfast. She was only half awake. Although, in her drowsy state she did happen to notice that she had unwittingly entered the Great Hall with a group that also possessed a wide awake Draco Malfoy. "Him and his running" she mumbled to herself as she tried to rub the sleepiness from her eyes.

Before they had a chance to turn towards their respective tables, a voice halted all activity within the Great Hall.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Weasley. Wonderful, wonderful."

Both had stopped in their tracks, waiting for what Dumbledore had to say. The other students that had been standing around them found their tables quickly, and sat with their friends, watching the proceedings with interest.

Draco raised an eyebrow inquisitively at Dumbledore. Ginny kept glancing back and forth nervously between Draco and the Headmaster. Was this it?

Dumbledore broke his gaze with the young Malfoy, and swept it across the expanse of students.

"What you are about to witness, children, is an amazing thing. There were two amongst you that took it upon themselves to do something miraculous this year. Something that required more than just wand waving and magic words, something that I hope will encourage all of you to strive for the impossible and the impractical." He grinned a little and winked.

Slowly all the heads in the room turned towards the two standing quietly at the back. Ginny's eyes were now as big as saucers, and though Draco managed to keep a calm demeanor throughout the speech, his fists were clenched tightly in his robes.

Waiting.

"May I be the first to offer congratulations to you. You have both passed... with top marks, no less!"

"Aaaaaaghhhh!!!" Ginny squealed and jumped on Draco, an enormous grin lighting up her face. He grabbed her tightly, only slightly slowing the enthusiastic jumping for joy of his little sprite.

'Well,' he thought, as he held onto her for dear life, 'might as well go all out' and he kissed Ginny soundly on the lips.

He didn't care, he was glad to finally get everything out into the open. His success was intoxicating. He felt euphoric. They had done it. Alone. They had managed to capture a little bit of power for themselves. Now no one could take it away from them. Though standing firmly on the ground his soul was soaring up into the highest cirrus clouds. He shook his head slightly to get back to earth.

As his mind became aware of the present again, he noticed an irate Ronald Weasley barely being restrained at the Gryffindor table by what looked liked the entire first string of their Quidditch team. It looked like they were tempted to let him go too. Somehow it seemed of small importance to Draco all of a sudden. Let them come. What was a fistfight in comparison to this feeling of power, he was now in control of his own destiny and there was no going back. Dumbledore, after watching the chaos that ensued when the little Gryffindor had attacked the mean Slytherin, interrupted the crowd.

"Now, now, it is not so very strange that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin may find a shared interest. We are all just wizards, after all, aren't we?"

The Slytherin and Gryffindor table looked at Dumbledore skeptically.

"Well then, don't listen to me. I'm just an old man in a funny hat." He turned his attention to Draco, who had an arm firmly around Ginny, asking permission with a look and getting a positive response, he continued. "I think it high time a demonstration was in order. Then maybe you will all see what a good thing these two have accomplished."

The Hall quieted and attention focused once again on the lonely two at the back. Draco took one step back and held out his arm. Ginny turned her head and gave him a small smile, then turned to face the group. With a quick hop she morphed into Red Feather and perched herself on her usual location, side stepping up Draco's arm until she reached his strong shoulder. She sat there for a moment, watching everyone with her keen vision as they all blinked their eyes and gasped as the reality settled in. The hawk they had all gotten used to seeing on Malfoy's shoulder around school was, in fact, Ginny Weasley.

In a smooth motion she took off and flew up towards the Headmaster. Ron, for once in his life, was speechless. His little sister... his littlest sister... the one whose jumper he used to put on the cat, was an animagus! Incomprehensible.

So involved with watching the red-tailed hawk make its way around the room, that when a second, larger bird, one whose wings spanned two metres across flew up behind it, the students were struck dumb in astonishment. Many kept looking back at the place where Draco and Ginny had stood, trying to understand the implications of what had just happened and hoping the world would right itself again after its brief minutes of being completely upside down.

Draco and Ginny landed as reality began to set in for the hundreds of Hogwarts students. It was Professor McGonagall that started clapping first, followed by the rest of the staff and then the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Draco and Ginny's own houses were slow to pick up the applause, but soon were drawn in and were clapping along with everyone else.

"Draco, this is wonderful!" Ginny squealed.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Little One. You realize, that tomorrow they will all come to their senses and despise us."

She sighed a little bit, but kept smiling. "Yeah, I know. We can't change their opinions about inter-house stuff in one night. But now," she raised her eyebrows at him, grinning, "at least we can escape it all whenever we want."

"Right you are, witch." Draco conceded. "Absolutely right..."

It was that philosophy that got them through the rest of the school year, past Easter hols, through Ginny's arduous OWLs and onto the Hogwart's Express.

Their impressive accomplishments had earned both of them the grudging respect of all the Houses, however, the unusual relationship that existed between the two was harder to comprehend. The students of Hogwarts didn't exactly despise Draco and Ginny for it, they just had absolutely no idea what to make of it. According to gossip, Hogwarts Halls hadn't seen anything like it since the fabled Tarwen/Kensey-Owens affair of 1724, and that had sadly ended in a suspicious and fatal splinching incident.

Accordingly, Draco and Ginny faced no open hostility during the reminder of the term, though they were careful to invite none either, usually flying outside of Hogwarts grounds to spend time together.

Well, almost no open hostility. One wizard in particular, deemed it his personal duty to be as contrary as possible towards this new development in his little sister's life.

"Ginevra Weasley! Unlock this train compartment this instant! You think I'm trouble, just you wait until Mum finds out about this... she's waiting for you missy, right now on the platform!"

From the safety of their compartment, Ginny sighed into Draco's shoulder.

"This is going to be a long summer."

"Yes."

"I don't know if I can make it."

"Well," he said kissing her temple distractedly, "I am going to be rather busy over the holidays... what with work, study, flying with you..."

She perked up. Then heard Ron yell another obscenity through the door.

"You get your slimy hands off my sister, Malfoy!!"

"The distance between Devon and Wiltshire is not so very far, as the crow flys..." He smirked at her and was rewarded with a bright smile. He gave her one last kiss and then turned her around so she was facing the door.

"I'll see you in a few days, witch." He whispered as she burst out of the compartment, startling a very red-faced Ron.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, have you no tact? Did I do that when you were saying goodbye to Hermione?"

"Gin! Shut it." He glanced around him, hoping no one had heard.

Ginny just rolled her eyes at her beloved brother and pulled him off the train to where their mother was waiting for them.

It was going to be an incredibly long summer.

Author's etc.: Thank you, thank you, thank you! To all my faithful reviewers, to all my faithful readers, to Holly, to Tiff, to Holly's friend who egged me on, even though I have never met her...grin I hope this last chapter finished things nicely for everyone. Hard to say whether there will be an epilogue. I am working on an idea for a darker story within the same world, only three years in the future. So, keep your eyes out for updates. Gosh, you're just all so great, to put up with a slowpoke like me, Tim Hortons doughnuts for everyone!

As ever - sweetp