Disclaimer: If I give you a cookie, can I say I own it??? Huh???

Pam: lol! This is my favourite of all the fics I have written, mostly cuz it is fun to write, the characters are so easy to create, but you can still mould them to be what they really are supposed to be...lost yet? Lol. You always write the longest reviews, so I figured, why not dedicate it to you? You make me smile most, so, the last chapter was all yours! You can have the Draco in that chapter if I can have the Draco in all the other chapters, you can poke him all you want! Lol, The truth about Ginny's eyes, now don't tell any 1, it is a secret! I knew the ring was going o be important, but I didn't know WHY yet, so, I had finished half of the chapter, before I went to go see 'Catwoman' with Hally Berry with one of my friends, needless to say, I was obsessed with the movie at the time, so I went to finish the chapter, and I was going to make Draco call Ginny 'Kitten' again, then I realised, Kitten...cat eyes! So, that helped me get over my obsession with Catwoman, and gave her wicked cool eyes that I want! I mean, to be able to see in the dark...how awesome is that? Plus, I want green eyes! I hate my eyes, they change colour every day, one day their grey, the next thir blue/green, then their hazel, then their brandy, then their silvery green with blue near the edges...IT DRIVES ME INSANE! So, she has cat eyes so she fits her nickname better.

The line you put in ur review: He never knew what to do with people when they were crying, except maybe taunt them to make them cry harder.

That was the best line of the whole friggin story! Cuz it is such a 'Draco' line, I mean, that is something JK Rowling's Draco would say, but then he goes and comforts her any ways, I started laughing when you put it in ur review, cuz I was so proud of that!!! Lol.

I think I might actually use ur idea...you know, the room of requirement...hmmm... you'll just have to wait and see! I can't wait to read ur story! Hurry and get it out! I am going to leave you long happy reviews just like you do for me! But for now...Cheers!

Laina3: NOBODY IS HOTTER THAN TOM FELTON!!!! NEVER!!!!! Lol, I love the little 'Kitten' thing too, I wish all guys were as sweet and wise and mysterious and hot as him!!!!! Ya, I am a dreamer...of well! Thanks for the review and the compliments! They are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Babykelyse: LOL, Don't we all! Thanks for the review!

Morgan Martin-Jordan: Well, of course, boys never WILL be like Draco, so we can just make Draco like Draco and pretent his is all the guys we know! I MAKE NO SENSE! Lol, That's why I like to write, cuz anything I want, I make happen, and nobody can say 'You can't do that!' Cuz I can, because it is my world of fiction! grins am I right? Or am I right?

CrazyFoxForever: YAY! I made you squeal! My first victory of today!

Bigreader: HEY! That happened to me too! You know, the bumpy guy bump into me thing...we can be invisible together! YAY!

lady of scarlet darkness: Thanks! I feel so good that I can make you smile! I wish my boyfriend called me Kitten!

Ilona Darkmoon: Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Slytherin Queen: Well, I was planning on having a Ron/Hermione relationship, because I can see that coming in the real books, but I am going to have interactions with the dream team and Draco's friends, to help them understand the relationship between Draco and Ginny...Hmm...actuall, I just had the most awesome idea cuz of you! Thanks! I will deticate the chapter to you when I write it, alright? Thanks again for the review!

Dark Angels: Thank you for reviewing! They are certainly welcome!

FilidhNiamh: That is such a great Idea! I would have never thought of that! It ties in with the story so well, Ginny being the Kitten, and Draco being the snake! How did you come up with that? It is so perfect! Purr-fect! Lol, You think I am talented? You make me feel like I am such a good writer! I am going to read your story soon! Thanks for the review and wonderful idea!

May the rain fall with you rather than against,

Ashen

BlondeChicky: Well, you see, the problem with making the chapters longer is, that every chapter, I end it with a closing paragraph, and the closing paragraph has to fit in with the thoughts and feelings of the characters, I don't plan the endings to my chapters, they just come when the time is right, but I will try to update more to make up for it! Thanks for the encouraging review! grins

duckiez143: Now, if I told you, that would ruin the story, wouldn't it? Lol, you'll have to read and find out!

[A/N] Hey! Well, I am staring at the white empty piece of digital paper right now, making last minute preparations to write a chapter that I hope will be full of D/G goodness! I honestly don't know how this is going to turn out, so I am going for the ride as much as you guys! Soooooo, enjoy!... I hope...

An Emerald Ring

Chapter Seven: Guilt

Ginny slipped into the dark room after Malfoy, not having any idea where they were, though it seemed familiar...then it hit her, she was in the Room of Requirement. As soon as the thought planted it's self into her mind, the dark room lit up, revealing the perfect place to take a defence class. The floor was a giant mattress, as were the walls, cushiony soft and bouncy, the light in the room seemed to come from cracks in-between the cushions wallpapering the walls, giving no chance of candle flames catching fire to the flammable fabric. In one of the corners was a shelf, it was the only part of the room that did not bounce when you touched it, and it was lined with styraphoam, so there was not way to hurt yourself on any sharp edges. On the shelf lay many weapons, a few that Ginny had seen before, and many that she had never even had the faintest idea existed. She grinned at Malfoy, and he almost grinned back, but it quickly changed to a smirk.

He tossed his robes into the corner, underneath the shelves, kicked off his shoes and socks, he was standing in front of her, on the thin matted floor in nothing but his pants. She blushed for a second and ditched her shoes and robes in the corner next to his, she wasn't wearing the standard school uniform under her robes as usual, and had almost gotten in trouble too, but she was wearing a respectable black tank top and little blue shorts that she had made herself from a skirt she had, had for years. She pulled her hair in a pony tail then collapsed cross-legged onto the floor, looking up at Malfoy expectantly, deliberately ignoring the fact that he was wearing no shirt and had a very attractive chest.

"So, what are we gonna do tonight?" She asked cheerily. Draco smirked at her.

"Well, do you know how to use and muggle weapons?"

"Why would I?" She asked, still smiling.

"Well, because, some one might do this:" He dropped down, almost on top of her for a split second, Ginny let out a little squeak of surprise, but he was already standing back up, only now, he had her wand in his hands.

"Hey! She said, standing up and grabbing for her wand.

"Ah, Ah, Ah," Draco wagged his finger mockingly at her, dodging her easily.

"Be a good Kitten now, and maybe you will get some milk in your saucer," Ginny rose her eyebrow at him and then stuck out her tongue.

"What, cat got your tongue?" He teased again, and Ginny smirked much like he did.

"I don't think I am going to trust you with anything sharp yet, and you need to find where your own body limbs are, before you cam even hope to manoeuvre a knife or a whip, even a club. So, lets see if what you can do." Draco said, he had adopted a very commanding, business like tone of voice, and it was making Ginny very uncomfortable, he was like a rock, she couldn't see what he was thinking any more, but she could see him so clearly, she wondered if her eyes were bugging out of her head, the edges of his body ended so sharply and acutely, that it was as it her were attached to his surroundings, but still being pushed forwards three dimensionally, she could see every muscle line in his chest as it they had been chiselled with a knife, and if she concentrated very hard, she could count the long blond hairs on his head. With out warning, he lashed out at her, his fists clenched, and she ducked, just barely getting out of the way, she tried to throw him a punch, but he caught it easily and spun her towards him, and held her close.

It was over so fast, that Ginny had barely realised that she was in his arms, but soon, the adrenaline that had fired up so quickly, fell away, and she was deathly aware of the warmth radiating off his skin, she could hear his heart beat, feel his breath on her cheek, then suddenly, heard his voice in her ear.

"I win." He whispered, his voice husky, this scared her even more than the business like tone he had adopted earlier. She ducked out from his arms, swung her leg clumsily through his ankles, and he merely stumbled slightly before she was back on her feet, throwing a punch at him which he caught, then another, he caught it again, then he threw a punch, Ginny clenched her eyes shut, and waited for the head splitting pain that would come when his fist hit her face, but it never came. She opened her eyes, his fist was suspended an inch from her nose, his hand on her back to keep her from falling, she was breathing hard, perspiration beading on her brow, and he was looking at her in a calculating way, as if he was trying to see her soul...her thoughts.

"Keep your arm up." He said, and she nodded, but couldn't pull away. Her feet must have been glued to the mat; she wondered vaguely what kind of an idiot would leave glue on the floor for some one to step in. But she didn't look down to see if there really was glue on the floor, because her eyes were currently attached to cold silver grey ones, pools of enchantment, twin orbs of mystery, staring in her own, the fist held in front of her face unclenched and came to touch her cheek.

"Malfoy-" She whispered, trembling, not with fright, not with excitement, but with apprehension.

Suddenly, there was a change, on the far wall, a fireplace suddenly appeared, with a couch and a rather large bookcase, but the rest of the room remained a training room...and then the door opened, Hermione walked in rather stealthily, and closed the door with a silent 'click' behind her, but when she turned around, she had to clap her own hand over her mouth to keep from shouting out. Malfoy immediately let go of Ginny, threw her a withering glare, obviously acting out a scene, for he also had a playful smirk on his face that to any one but Ginny would look menacing.

"Get your filthy hands off me Weasel," He hissed, in the most Malfoyish way he could, Ginny was so surprised to hear him use his old voice that she almost forgot to respond. She hadn't heard him talk like that since the beginning of her fourth year.

"Watch it Malfoy, or some one may turn you into a ferret!" Ginny spat, and suddenly, she felt her wand back in her pocket. Malfoy slipped into his robes, glared at both Ginny and Hermione, and slipped out of the room of requirement.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked, a wistful looking Ginny. Ginny sighed, pulled on her robes and made her way back to her common room. Ignoring the suspiciouse look Hermione gave her.

&&&&

Morning came so swiftly, that Draco thought he might have missed a few hours, but was sure he hadn't. He felt horrible about taunting his Kitten, and was disgusted with himself for calling her Weasel. But the last thing he needed was the golden trio learning that he was not the rotten little rat everyone thought he was, and he trusted Kitten to keep up his cover for him, but he couldn't ignore the strange strangling feeling around his heart. It was a very different experience, and when he explained it to Blaise, he had laughed and told Draco that he was feeling guilty. Guilty? Was it possible for a Malfoy to feel guilty? Now there was a new thing to ponder over, and he decided to skip breakfast and wander his guilt off. He was walking down the empty second floor corridor and past an empty class room when he suddenly smelt the familiar scent of raspberries and cream, he knew his Kitten was in there and decided to go in and apologise. He walked into the classroom, but stopped dead as he noticed that in the centre of the brightly lit room three girls were standing. One with pale, whitish blond hair hanging loosely down her back, the other with black hair pulled up in mess buns on each side of her head, pieces of silky hair falling out, some braided, some twisted, and others just left straight, and when the light hit the girl's hair at the right angle, it shone blue. The third girl had long auburn hair in a ponytail, and Draco knew that was his Kitten. She turned and grinned at him suddenly.

"Hey Malfoy!" She said. Draco just nodded, suddenly very aware of the black haired girl's glaring blue eyes.

"Malfoy, I wan't you to meet my friends, Zoe Macramé, and Luna Lovegood." She said, indicating to her two friends.

Zoe immediately put out her hand and Draco shook it respectfully, only to have his fingers crushed.

"Hello, I don't like you." She said, and dropped his hand as if it burned her. Then cleverly ignored him. Draco suddenly decided he liked Zoe; he liked her attitude, so he smirked approvingly at her and answered,

"I look forwards to insulting you," He sneered, Zoe looked at him and bared her teeth in what a very dense person might mistake for a smile.

"I'm sure we will be sharing insults in the near future then," She hissed, and shoved her hands in her pockets glaring at him. Draco wanted to reply, but Luna interrupted.

"You have the hands of a musician." She said rather vaguely, and shook his hand limply. Draco shoved his curiosity behind a tired face and politely said,

"Sure...thanks." He admitted, if only to himself, that Ginny's friends were weird, but very fascinating.

"Oh, that is nothing to be proud of. Hands of an artist are so much more admirable." Luna said, obviously forgetting that most musicians were considered artists. Draco was about to point this out, when he heard an unmistakable;

"Ginny!" float down the hall, the voice being a male one. Ginny sighed, grabbed Luna by the hand and dashed out the door, looking back at Malfoy and grinning a quick good-bye.

Zoe stayed where she was, and waited until the door was closed to talk. Draco could read her like a book. Her she was standing tall, her head held high, her arms crossed over her chest, and most of her weight being held on the leg closest to the door. To Draco, this meant she was defensive, determined, dominant...and there was no way in hell he was going to worm his way out of talking to her.

"Ok, here's the deal Ferret." She said, and Draco knew this was not the time to start a fight. "I have already told you, I don't like you, but for some reason, Ginny does...Malfoy, if you hurt her...if you lay a finger on her, if you break her heart..."

Draco put his hand on her shoulder, as her eyes glazed over with tears that he knew she would never shed.

"I would never hurt your friend Macramé, I lo-like her too much." Draco suddenly almost collapsed at the confession he had almost made to not only Zoe, but to himself.

Zoe shook off his hand, stood up straighter and looked him in the eyes, chaining him into silence.

"I hope not, for more your sake than Ginny's, because, if you hurt her, I will hurt you, and you won't like it." She then strode out the door, and Draco suddenly realised what he ahd gotten himself into...and the worst part was, he didn't want to get himself out.

[A/N] Ok, the defence lesson was kind of a bust, but I knew it would be before I even wrote it, but it will be important for later chapters, the main focus on this chapter was Draco meeting Ginny's friend, and as you can see, Zoe is a very good friend, and she doesn't exactically trust Draco, but she trusts Ginny enough to make her own decisions, and just gave Draco a fair warning. The next chapter will have less Draco/Ginny interactions, and more Ginny/trio crap, including the slightly overprotective Ron, and a remorseful Harry, wich will lead to chapter nine...the chapter after the next chapet...I am VERY excited to write chapter nine! This chapter I think will be rather dull to read, and rath out of line with the story so far, but it will be important to the rest of the story...also, I am not very happy with my Draco, he was not very riddely! Oh well, maybe later. Well, I REALLY, REALLY need advice on the next defence lesson chapter, wich will come eventually, but see, I don't have any clue what to do with them in these chapters and need help...HELP ME!!!! Please leave a pretty review! And thanks for reading.

May the stars be with you always,

Ashen