A/N: My apologies about the nasty cliffie. It's all fixed now—I promise.

I'd thought I was ready for anything, but I was far from ready to see Harry Potter assaulting Ginny. For some reason, the fact that it was him made me even angrier—how dare he pretend to be her friend the way he had? How dare he?!

In an instant, I was upon him, my fists flying, my mind clouded with a white haze, separating me from everything but the rage. As I landed a good, solid punch to his temple, Potter tumbled to the floor, unconscious. I sneered down at him before I freed Ginny, severing the magical ropes that held her bound to a table. "You alright?" I asked slowly, my eyes resting on Potter.

She shivered, also staring. "I'm fine now." After a pause, she began, "Thank—"

"Don't thank me."

"Alright...sorry."

I nodded, turned, and started off. She grabbed my arm. "Draco...I don't want to be alone tonight," she said softly, her eyes averted, her cheeks flushed. Obviously she was embarrassed to ask this of me. "Can I stay with you?"

I looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded briefly before I continued on my way, silently. I did a lot of things silently back then. Eventually we arrived at the door to my rooms, and I lowered the wards before ushering her inside. She seemed fascinated with my living room, her eyes caressing the shelves upon shelves of books I'd managed to get my hands on. I showed her the door into my bedroom and watched as Ginny trailed her fingers along the spine and cover of a book I'd been reading. "So. Here we are," I said.

"Yes...here we are."

"You can sleep on my sofa," I said, but when I looked at where she'd been, she was gone. I glanced into my bedroom, and sighed when I saw her sitting on my bed, her hands splayed out appreciatively on the velvet comforter. "Or you can just invade my bed," I modified, walking over to the window and taking a seat upon a deep windowsill. I leaned down and prodded a log in the fireplace with my wand, nodding with satisfaction as a fire jumped to life in the grate.

When Ginny saw me sitting there, she came over and forced me to scoot, sitting down beside me, squishing herself into the windowsill. "I meant it, Draco...thank you for saving me."

"Twice."

"Yeah...thanks. For both times," she said, smiling shyly at me. I had no idea why she would be shy; I'd saved her often enough in the last seven years that she should have been more than comfortable in my presence. But for some reason, she still seemed to be uncomfortable at my side. How many times had I saved her, anyway? "Hey Draco?"

"Mmm."

"How many times have you saved me, anyway?" she asked.

I chuckled softly. "I was just wondering that myself."

We sat there in silence for a while, each of us left with our own thoughts. Finally, she spoke. "Draco, I'm afraid."

"Why?"

"Of...Him."

"The Dark Lord?" I asked, and she nodded. I hesitated as to what to say to that. Who in their right mind wasn't afraid of Him? "It's alright, Ginny. I'm afraid, too. But you have more reason to be afraid than I do, anyway."

She looked down at her hands with a soft sigh. "I know, but...it's so hard, to not be repulsed by Him...I have to stay so close, and it's..." She shivered, and I found myself putting a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"It'll be alright, you'll see."

"I hope so, Draco...I hope so."

There followed another long, tense silence. I looked at her, and said, "We ought to try and get some rest. It's been a long night."

She nodded, and stood up, going to crawl into my bed. I remained sitting on the windowsill, but I shifted sideways and pulled my knees up to my chest, knowing there was no point in trying to sleep, especially since I was such a horrible insomniac. I didn't pay attention as Ginny fell asleep, merely staring out of the window at nothing in particular.

I listened to her breathing in her sleep, and it finally lulled me to rest as well as into a dream...

"No...no, stop...go away...leave me alone!!!" I cried, getting up to my knees at the feet of Voldemort, my father standing behind me. "I don't want to, please don't make me, I can't, please...please don't..."My voice was weak and raspy, betraying the fact that I'd been screaming, due to the Cruciatus curse. The worst part about this nightmare was how real it was, how real it had been when I had really been screaming, writhing at their feet not more than a few minutes before. And then I was cursed again, screaming, "Please stop! I can't, I can't do this! Don't make me! Please..." The words echoed in my head, painful. But not as painful as the pain I was experiencing under that fucking curse...

I snapped awake, my body aching from the position it had been in. Groaning, I got up and stretched out; this wasn't the first time I'd had this nightmare, and it certainly wasn't the first time I'd fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position.

I noticed then that Ginny had left. My bed was empty, and I noticed a blanket tossed onto the floor. I assumed that was my own doing—the tossing, that is. I could only assume that Ginny was responsible for the blanket being there in the first place.

I sighed again, and walked into my living room, picking up the book I'd been reading, the one that Ginny had touched with her small fingers. I read for the rest of the night, knowing that I would be unable to return to sleep.

A/N: Aha! So we find out Ginny is somehow involved with Voldemort. Details will follow.