Secret Pain

IMPORTANT! READ THIS NOTICE! I combined the first two chapters into one long one because it was one day. DON'T BE CONFUSED. I also re-did the end of it.

Ships: D/G, R/Hr

Summary: You know… the typical fire and ice story line. Hopefully not too typical, in which case this would be completely pointless. Draco Malfoy discovers not all is fun and games with Ginny Weasley and stumbles across a terrible secret which causes him to turn against his fathers wishes. Ginny also discovers a new side to Draco.

Disclaimer: I don't own Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ginevra Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Colin Creevey, William "Spike" the Bloody, Angel, Buffy Summers… Heh! Getting carried away… Anyway, I don't own anything from the Harry Potter Series. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling, who is a genius. Unless Draco turns evil and doesn't get together with Ginny. OK, ON WITH THE STORY.

Chapter One- A New Year

DRACO'S POV

Draco wondered through the halls of the Hogwarts Express. He wasn't looking for a compartment, he had left Crabbe and Goyle to guard the one he had sat in since first year. No, he was looking for Harry Potter. Ever since Harry had humiliated him in front of everyone else before the Sorting, he had sought sweet revenge.

"Bloody scar head Potter…" He mumbled quietly to himself as he strode purposefully down the corridor.

He peeked through the windows into the compartments until he saw the telltale red hair of a Weasley. Thinking it was Ron, he pulled the door open and walked in and started to say, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty, the Weasel, and the Mudblood."

Instead of Ron and the rest of the Dream Team, he saw a lone figure resting on one of the benches, looking out of the window. She was wearing robes that were too big for her and slightly masculine looking. The red Weasley hair was still prominent, but it was a girl. The youngest Weasley, he thought.

The girl eyed the exit, obviously petrified of him. Ginny! He exclaimed mentally, that's her name! The one that practically worshipped the ground Potter walked on. Why was she all alone? Thinking he should protect his image by actually insulting her instead of walking back out to find the Dream Team, he quickly spoke up.

"Ah. The littlest Weasley. Why aren't you with your little scar headed lover? Is he ignoring you? Again?" He said like he was talking to a baby. She looked almost scared enough of him to try and crawl out of the window, instead of facing him. It was puzzling him a little. He hadn't done that many things to her in the past, so why was she so afraid?

"Bugger off, Malfoy." She said, sliding a guarded expression into her face with little difficulty.

GINNY'S POV

Ginny gazed at the scenery passing her by at amazing speeds through the window in the train. She rested her forehead on the cool glass and saw her breath cloud the window pane. She gathered the edge of her hand-me-down robes and wiped the condensation off. Another year, she thought glumly.

She was all alone in her compartment. Her one true friend, Colin Creevey, had gone to see some Hufflepuff acquaintances about some new way of developing film. She didn't mind, she enjoyed the alone time. She had gotten used to it. After her first year, with that whole Chamber of Secrets incident, it was an everyday occurrence when at school. She wasn't sure how everyone knew she had been the one who had opened the Chamber. As accidental as it was, the rumors spread like wildfire. She had been too ashamed to correct any of them back then, and now they were just accepted as true. She understood the sideways glances she got when she walked into the Great Hall. She would have done the same thing if it hadn't been her.

Even though Colin was one of the people who had been petrified, he had been the only one who had asked her what happened. He had become her first, and only, true friend.

She was thinking about this when the door slid open. She turned around, thinking it was Colin. She caught a glimpse of the white-blond hair and her heart almost stopped. She looked at the door, wondering if she could make a quick getaway. He was standing in her only exit.

She looked again. It was Draco Malfoy. The son of the man who had given her Tom's diary in the first place. The son of Satan himself. He seemed disappointed about something. He gazed at her in her old, worn robes. They were an old pair of Ron's, but her parents couldn't afford any new robes.

"Ah. The littlest Weasley. Why aren't you with your little scar headed lover? Is he ignoring you? Again?" She quickly took a deep breath and put a controlled and collected face easily. She had had a lot of practice over the years.

"Bugger off, Malfoy." He looked a little shocked that she had actually said that. She was a little shocked herself.

"No, I don't think I will." He replied, smirking. She had to get him to leave!

"You will or I'll-I'll Bat-Boogey H-Hex you into next week!" She said, stuttering, terrified. He has to leave! She thought.

If he was intimidated at all, he hid it and sat down.

"I'll take my chances. Nice robes. They belong to all of your brothers before you?" He said taking another poke at her.

"Sing me a new one sometime, Ferret." She said, pulling a book out of her knapsack, and beginning to read. She thought if she acted boring enough, he might leave. To her dismay, when she looked up a time later, he was still there. He had gotten a book himself from someplace unknown and was reading it.

"What do you want?" She asked finally. She slipped her book away, preparing to make a quick getaway if necessary.

"What makes you think I need anything from you, Weasley? Red heads aren't usually my type, if you know what I mean." He replied arrogantly. She turned bright red at the implications and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

DRACO'S POV

Draco watched as Ginny pulled out a book and read. He could tell she wanted him to leave, but he wasn't done with her yet. He had taunted her about her robes, and she had brought up the embarrassing ferret memory. So he pulled out a book of his own from within the depths of his designer robes and read.

"What do you want?" She asked, putting away her book.

"What makes you think I need anything from you, Weasley? Red heads aren't usually my type, if you know what I mean." She blushed deeply. He couldn't help but notice how cute she was when she did this. SQUASH THAT THOUGH! He commanded himself. He also noticed that under those big robes, there was a nicely filled out body. Her red hair curled down past her shoulders. Her freckles had faded a little, but were still very noticeable against her pale skin.

The door slid open and Colin Creevey walked in. Ginny looked very relieved. Colin didn't notice him at first.

"Hey, Gin-bean, Ro— Erm…" He wound down slowly, looking from Ginny to Draco.

"Shut the barn door, Mud Blood, you're letting the flies in." Draco said mildly before looking back at his book. He could see Ginny, looking furious at his choice of words, out of the corner of his eye. She spluttered a little before speaking.

"How dare you." She said, glaring at him, "Caputus Amittos!" She said as she pulled out her wand. At her words, he felt his hair vanish, leaving him bald. He barley had time to process this before she dragged at laughing Colin out of the compartment.

"My hair!" Draco croaked miserably.

GINNY'S POV

Ginny sat in the Great Hall, waiting for Malfoy to come in. She was very proud of her hair loss charm. She had always been good at Charms. Colin had told the story to everyone in sight after the incident. She could see others craning their necks towards the Slytherin table, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hairless Malfoy. Despite the fact that it had been she that had cast the spell, it was Colin who was thanked. She didn't mind. She was used to it. Or so she told herself.

She looked down at her plate, which was empty. Dumbledore had yet to give his customary Beginning-of-the-year-speech.

She suddenly thought about how Malfoy must feel. If he does feel, she thought. She had always been the outcast, the one people made fun of. The one people talked about behind her back. She tried to squash any thought that resembled guilt. Despite the Chamber of Secrets, she had always been a compassionate, innocent creature.

The door was flung open, and Malfoy strode in. The whispers increased, adding to her sense of guilt. She saw the unmistakable hint of concealed embarrassment in his beautiful grey eyes. BEAUTIFUL? She thought, mentally berating herself.

"Oh, bugger." She whispered.

DRACO'S POV

Draco walked up the stairs towards the Great Hall. He had spent the last hour in the train compartment trying to find a spell that would quickly grow his hair back. It had been unsuccessful. His head felt very cold without anything on it.

At the door to the Hall, he took a deep breath. Flinging his expensive coat on and flipping the hood up, he walked in.

He had always had people whispering at him, mostly in hate. He was used to that. But this new form of amused whispering unnerved him. He had come up with a plan inside the train, while panicking about his hair. He would thank her, for he always wanted his hair to suddenly go POOF! But who would he fool with that?

He completely ignored the stares and whispers. He also ignored a certain redhead, whom he would have liked to murder. He had reached his chair. He took another deep breath. Ok, Draco, why do you care what they think? You don't. He told himself mentally. He quickly unbuttoned his coat and shook it off his shoulders. Right as he did this, he felt a rushing wind and his head felt curiously warm. He had his hair back.

It must have had a time limit or something, he thought, relieved. He turned to gloat at the youngest Weasley, and was incredibly shocked at what he saw. She was slipping her wand away, looking thoroughly disgusted with herself. The Great Hall had erupted into excited whispers. He heard snippets of them, but was otherwise completely absorbed by his own thoughts.

Why did Weasley, whom he had never said a kind word to, undo the charm? He glanced towards her a few times during the rest of the meal. She looked completely isolated, barely talking to anyone. He didn't understand it. Weren't Gryffindors supposed to stick together and all that crap?

She wore a heavily guarded expression. He could tell, he knew about guarding feelings. He should.

All of his life, he had been taught to hide his feelings, his thoughts, his dreams. His father had taught him, and taught him well. When his mother, who he had loved dearly, died last year, he had barely shown any surprise or sadness, both of which he had been racked with constantly. Draco remembered that day clearly.

FLASHBACK

Draco was eating breakfast with Crabbe and Goyle, as usual. He wasn't paying attention to Dumbledore or any of the other teachers in the front of the Hall. He was too busy plotting his next move against the Dream Team. Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned, surprised. It was Professor Snape.

"Professor." He nodded, showing his respect. He noticed a look of extreme pity upon the potion masters face. "Sir? What's wrong?" He suddenly wanted to back away. He knew something bad had happened.

"Come with me, Mr. Malfoy." The professor had said. With growing dread, Draco picked himself off the bench and followed Professor Snape out of the Great Hall. Everything was blurring.

"Sir, my mother. My mother is fine?" He was having trouble keeping the panic out of his voice. Snape didn't answer the question. Draco knew then that something had happened to his mother. He had never been a very religious person—not many wizards or witches were—but he found himself praying—begging someone—anyone who was listening that his mother was fine. In his mind, of course.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans." The professor said and they made their way up to the principle's office. Draco sat down and was told his mother had died. He had barely nodded and turned around and walked out of the room. He had walked around blindly for days after that. His grades had dropped until his father made a surprise appearance and curbed that bad habit.

END FLASHBACK

The memory of those weeks still almost brought tears to his eyes. Almost, of course. He hadn't cried or mourned outwardly in any way. He couldn't… wouldn't.

GINNY'S POV

She walked out of the Great Hall before anyone else had finished eating. She couldn't bare the disappointed looks from Colin. He had seen her reverse the charm and was upset with her for it. She wanted to yell, "SORRY! BUT I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE RIDICULED." He'd be sorry then, but she didn't want him to see her like that. He probably already thought she had lost her mind, everyone else did.

She heard footsteps behind her, but thought nothing of them until a hand touched her shoulder. She almost jumped a foot, grabbed the offending hand and flipped the person over her shoulder. She had taken a self defense course and didn't like to be touched. Ever since the Tom Riddle Incident.

It was Malfoy.

"OUCH! Bloody hell!" He yelped.

"I am so sorry!" She squeaked, helping him up. She then backed up a few steps. He couldn't be trusted. He looked amused.

"I won't bite, you know. Usually..." He said, smirking. She remained a few feet away, knowing all too well that they were alone. He sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I just came to…" He started and puttered off.

"To?" She prodded.

"I came to say thanks." He said quickly. She looked shocked for a moment before hiding it.

"You're welcome." She answered and pushed past him, heading towards the common room, leaving him looking after her.

DRACO'S POV

Draco Malfoy was utterly bewildered. He had pushed down his pride, and thanked the bloody girl and all she could say was you're welcome? He shrugged it off.

She's some kind of strange… he thought to himself. He had heard the rumors about her opening the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, but didn't believe them. A Gryffindor? Yeah right. Obviously the stupidity of the rumors had gone over the bloody house's heads and they believed them and had ostracized the girl. He felt pity for her and shook himself. Pity for a Weasley? No way. He turned and headed to the nearest stairs and walked towards the cold Slytherin dormitories.

He lay in his bed a few hours later. He couldn't get the Weasley girl out of his mind! It was driving him bonkers. There was something tugging at his mind. Something his father had said at the start of his second year. He couldn't put his finger on it. Something about the Muggle-loving Weasleys getting what they deserved. Something particularly about Ginny. She couldn't have opened the Chamber, could she? And his father surely wouldn't have helped… The Chamber was dangerous. No, he tried to convince himself. But it was bothering him. He would owl Lucius in the morning, he finally decided and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

"Now those Mudblood-loving Weasleys will get what they deserve. Their youngest will bring shame to their family name, I swear to you." Lucius said coldly.

"Father?" A younger version of Draco asked, "What will become of her?"

"Nothing good, I assure you. It serves them right. Mudblood-loving fools." Lucius vanished in a wisp of smoke. The twelve year old Draco wondered through Malfoy Manor. It was empty.

"Draco! Help me!" Narcissa Malfoy called to him. He couldn't make out where the voice was coming from.

"Mother?" He called out, "Where are you? I can't find you!" Her voice seemed very far away.

"I can help." A voice whispered. Ginny Weasley was standing beside him.

"Please help me! I need to find my mother!" He cried out.

"But Draco, she's right here!" She said touching his chest, above his heart. As she did this, they appeared in a different room. His mother was sitting on her bed, smiling at him.

"Come here and look." She beckoned towards him with a thin finger. Ginny lightly pushed him towards her and then disappeared. He crawled onto his mother's lap and she pointed to a window. He looked into it and was shocked at what he saw.

"Here's what you deserve, bitch. You won't disrespect me again." Lucius said on the other side of the window. He was holding his wand up to another, older, Narcissa. "Crucio!" He yelled. His mother screamed in the window.

"Draco! Help me!" She screamed again and again. The Narcissa that was sitting on his side of the window smiled sadly and said, "Lucius, my love, my life, my destiny." The older Narcissa on the other side of the mirror stopped moving. She was dead. He tried to reach her, but the window was solid. He couldn't get to her!

Draco awoke with a start. He was covered in a cold sweat and was tangled in the sheets. He was breathing heavily, but couldn't seem to get enough air. He ripped the sheets off of him and jumped out of bed. He went into the bathroom and washed his face, scrubbing hard as if he could erase the horrible nightmare. He needed to get out of his room. It was constricting him. He was no longer hyperventilating and was thinking clearer. He headed towards the door.

GINNY'S POV

Ginny was used to nightmares. The plagued her nightly and had ever since the Chamber of Secrets. Everything seemed to remind her of that horrible time. The dreams had gotten better than they had been in her second and third years, but were still very traumatizing. She had just woken up from one and was headed towards the kitchens. She always found a glass of hot cocoa helped her get back to sleep.

She glanced around a corner, looking for Filch or Mrs. Norris. She reached the painting of the fruit and tickled the pear, letting herself in. The house elves were busy at work. She had wondered if they slept at all. One of them which she recognized as Dobby, whom Harry had released.

"Hello, Miss. Hows may Dobby help you? Hot Chocolate for the missus again?" He asked. She came down here often enough that they knew her order.

"Yes. Thank you, Dobby." She said. It was brought to her and she sat down at the table to drink it. It was always perfect temperature and tasted delicious. The door opened again and Ginny turned quickly, surprised. Draco Malfoy walked in, looking even more pale than usual. He didn't even notice her. He walked in and sat down, his head on his hands.

He was dressed in a faded pare of blue jeans. His black tee shirt was stretched tightly over his broad chest. His blonde hair, usually slicked back, was standing up in chaotic spikes, as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"Nightmare?" Ginny asked softly. For some reason, he didn't seem as frightening now. He started and jerked his head back so fast she almost winced. He sat up straight, gaining that aristocratic look he was known for. She marveled at how he could look almost royal even with his hair poking out in all directions and his eyes soft with sleep.

"No." He answered harshly after a while. His eyes now had a icy and hard look about them, but she could tell he was lying.

"Liar. No need to act all stoic, I'm leaving. Hot cocoa always helps me get back to sleep." She said quickly before exiting the room.

DRACO'S POV

Draco walked swiftly through the halls, not even bothering to check for any wondering teachers. His nightmare was the only thing on his mind. He had had some dreams that were this intense before, and in every single one of them, parts of them had become true. Was this one? He asked himself. It couldn't be. His father wouldn't kill his mother… he loved her! Right? But the beginning of it bothered him. It had been the exact conversation between him and his father before the start of his second year. Had Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets? Had Lucius helped? His head was swirling by the time he reached his destination, the kitchens.

He tickled the pear and let himself in the big room. He sat down at the table and lay his head on his arms, closing his eyes.

"Nightmare?" He heard a soft voice ask him. He looked up quickly. It was Ginny. She was dressed in an oversized tee shirt, some pajama pants, and a cloak. Her hair was a mass of fiery red curls. She stared at him curiously.

"No." He answered more harshly than he intended. She rolled her eyes and spoke again.

"Liar." He almost choked. How could she tell he was lying? His mother hadn't even been able to do that! "No need to act all stoic, I'm leaving. Hot cocoa always helps me get back to sleep." She finished before exiting. She had known he was lying. How? He was too tired to comprehend it and decided to take the Weasley's advice and asked the nearest elf for a hot chocolate before heading back to his room.

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So you like? R&R PLEASIE WEASEY! Shall I continue?