Secret Pain

Disclaimer: Sigh Alas, Harry Potter does not belong to me.

Here's Chapter Three, Folks! I'm SO, SO, SO, sorry for the wait—and the length. I was on vacation and then I got the flu, and now I have this horrible cold and I can't talk. I missed a week of school, and basically watched TV, slept, or read other G/D fanfics. I found even more really good ones! Wee hee go me! OO THAT RHYMED! Delirious, I tell ya, delirious. Luckily I had my friend Stephanie's Season 5 DVDs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to keep me company. Anyway, on with the story…

Chapter Three: The Potions Assignment

DRACO'S POV

Draco walked towards the owlry, clutching a piece of parchment in his long aristocratic fingers. It was a letter to his father, which he dutifully wrote once every two weeks. It was his typical letter with news of his good grades and high Slytherin house points. He had decided not to ask his father about his dream, thinking if it was true Lucius would deny it and Crucio him, and if it was false, Lucius would deny it and Crucio him.

I'll just pump little Weasley for information. She would know about the Chamber of Secrets if she was there, he thought. There was also the added bonus of pissing the Dream Team off while doing it.

He reached the owlry and stepped carefully over the feather and dropping covered ground. He tied his letter to a tawny colored owl.

"Take this to Father… Lucius Malfoy." He said before the owl took off in a swirl of brown feathers. He picked his way out of the dirty room and went down to eat breakfast.

When he reached the Great Hall, he strode purposefully inside. His eyes scanned the Gryffindor table, searching for the curly red hair of the littlest Weasley. He caught sight of her sitting near the end of the table next to Creevey and across from the Dream Team. She was talking and nodding to something the Mudblood, Granger, had said. She looked extremely relieved. The Creevey boy had a dark look in his eyes. He stood up and said something. Ginny looked down at her plate, ashamedly, her hair creating a wall on the two sides if her face. He continued talking and Draco unconsciously leaned forward to hear what he was saying.

GINNY'S POV

Ginny ate her eggs in silence. Colin was sitting stiffly next to her. He was still mad at her for reversing the hair loss charm on Malfoy yesterday. Hermione, Ron, and Harry walked in and sat down across from her.

"Hey, Ginny." Hermione said. She and Hermione had become pretty close in the years since Hermione had known Ron. They talked almost every day and Hermione had always known and forgiven her about the Incident, but she was really Ron's friend.

"Hey, Mione." She greeted glumly.

"What's the matter, Gin?" She asked. Ginny tilted her head towards Colin.

"He's mad at me."

"Why?"

"Erm… I reversed the hair loss charm on Malfoy yesterday." Ginny replied sullenly.

"Oh, yes I saw. But I have to say you did the right thing. You could have gotten in trouble! And no one deserves to be humiliated, not even Malfoy." Ginny was relieved. Hermione thought the same thing she did! She almost smiled. She turned to look at Colin and saw a deep frown upon his face, something that rarely happened. He looked at her and began to speak.

"Well, I don't think it was the right thing to do. He's Malfoy! He's barely human; I doubt he would even care. But that's only part of the reason I'm upset with you, Ginny. You're kind of like Malfoy yourself," He said in one breath, as if he had rehearsed what to say.

Ron and Harry were looking at him as if he was insane. Ginny unconsciously lowered her hair so it blocked her face. He took a deep breath and continued.

"You act like you don't care that everyone else whispers about you. You're so depressed all the time and I don't have time to deal with it. I have a life with problems, too, without having you moping around all the time."

Ginny was getting really mad now. Her family had horrible tempers, and she was no exception. She supposed it was good to feel something besides the cold that usually resided on her soul. She felt red hot now.

She glared and huffed and puffed for a while before realizing it was true. Everything he had said was true. The momentary warmth she had felt vanished, leaving her feeling empty. She didn't know what to say. Hermione began to speak.

"Colin Creevey, how dare you. Ginny does care about your problems, too. She has had a rough time here at school and doesn't need you to make it worse. You can apologize or leave." The bushy-haired girl said. Ginny felt an overwhelming sense of sisterly love for Hermione. Colin gave them both one last look and left the Hall. Harry was glaring at his back as he left the room. Ron got up and made like he was going to beat him to a bloody pulp, but Hermione stopped him, saying he would get in trouble. Ginny felt happy for the first time in a long time. She had never appreciated the three of them more and smiled.

"Thanks guys." She said.

DRACO'S POV

Draco listened in to what Colin was saying. It was quiet at first, but his voice quickly gained strength.

"Well, I don't think it was the right thing to do. He's Malfoy!" Ahh… so the little Weasley had gotten in trouble with his friends because of him.

"He's barely human; I doubt he would even care. But that's only part of the reason I'm upset with you, Ginny. You're kind of like Malfoy yourself." Draco let the comments about him slide. He had not done anything contrary to this image. Now things were heating up.

"You act like you don't care that everyone else whispers about you. You're so depressed all the time and I don't have time to deal with it. I have a life with problems, too, without having you moping around all the time." He didn't know why, but he felt like punching Creevey. To see someone as innocent as Ginny hurt by one of her "friends" made him mad. This feeling wasn't new to him, for he got angry at the Dream Team all the time, but he had never gotten mad because some Gryffindor was told off.

He was sure his father wouldn't be too happy about this.

He saw the anger building up in Ginny's eyes. She spluttered. He almost smiled. Hmmm, would she use a hair loss charm on Creevey or something worse?

Then her eyes filled with a strange emotion. Like she thought he was right. She looked down, her hair falling down again. What was this? Where was the little spitfire from the kitchens?

Granger began to speak. Draco couldn't hear what she was saying, but he could she was telling Creevey off because Ginny looked at her so admiringly and Creevey looked even angrier.

He felt a momentary sense of loneliness. He wished he had friends who would stick up for him. He squashed those thoughts.

Her brother and Potter looked like they wanted to rip Creevey's guts out. Granger put a calming hand on the Weasel's arm. He sat back down, but glared at the door Creevey had just gone out of. Ginny… wait when had he started referring to her as Ginny? He asked himself, shaking his head. Ginny smiled a true, happy, smile. Her eyes twinkled and thanked them.

She looked beautiful to him. He shook himself and started eating again.

GINNY'S POV

Ginny headed towards her first class of the new school year, Potions. She had it with the Ravenclaws. She didn't hate the class like the rest of the Gryffindors did. She respected Snape as a teacher and he didn't take points off of her. He was one of her few favorite teachers. She didn't dare tell Ron that though… he'd think she was insane. Ginny had had a knack for potions since she was little. It was just performing a set of exact tasks and she thought it was easy enough. It was exactly how it seemed, no surprises, no hidden, lurking things.

She reached the Potions room before anyone and walked in.

"Hello, professor." She said to Snape. He had his head down and looked like he was grading papers, but since this was only the first day of school she knew he was just trying to look commanding. He nodded his head at her and looked back down at his desk.

She put her knapsack on the desk she had sat on since her first year and sat down. She unloaded her potions supplies and looked at the board to see what they were to be doing during class. It was a simple enough potion, one she had done for extra credit in her third year. The professor must have looked up and seen her bored look, for he began to speak.

"Those of this class advanced enough will be making a special potion throughout the year with a seventh year partner." He said. Ginny smiled. This would be fun, she thought. Unless she got Ron… that would be horrid! Working with her brother? Ugh. The rest of the class started filing in, chattering loudly. Colin sat a few seats away from her. Ginny ignored him.

"I demand quiet in this classroom. Anyone who talks will lose themselves twenty points." Professor Snape said, his voice instantly taking on a hard quality he only used after class had started. "If any of you have noticed this is a potions class. No foolishness in here. I would expect more from a sixth year class. There is the assignment. It is due at the end of class. Michael Corner, Ginevra Weasley, Cindy Chase, Ben Lockley, and Luna Lovegood, see me after class."

The rest of class went smoothly enough, with few disruptions and point reductions. The class ended, releasing the students to lunch. Ginny slowly cleared her potions materials away, waiting for the professor to speak.

"Hello, Ginny." Luna said softly, scooting next to her. "What is this about?" Luna stared at her with huge eyes. Luna was the outcast of the Ravenclaws, as Ginny was to the Gryffindors. They didn't talk that often, for they didn't see each other except for this class and the occasional "Hi" in the hall, but Ginny felt they shared a bond of sorts.

"I think the more advanced sixth years are going to be working with some seventh years on a potion. I hope I don't get Ron, though luckily it's doubtful he'll be a partner since his grades in this class are pretty low." Ginny replied.

"Oh." Luna said in the mysterious, soft voice of hers.

"Now all of you, even surprisingly you Gryffindors, have some of the highest grades of the sixth years. You and some others from different classes will be working with a seventh year partner to work on an Invisibility potion. I hope you are up to the challenge. Invisibility potions required certain finesse which few posses." His eyes flickered to Ginny. "You will receive the ingredients and procedures when you meet with your partner. This is a mandatory project, and is worth points on your O.W.L.s. You will be spending some time in the seventh year classes. I have already worked this out with the other professors. I chose your partners, and they are as following. Mr. Corner, you will be working with Mr. Zabini. Mr. Lockley will be working with Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley with Ms. Granger, (AN: You thought it was going to be Draco, huh? I'm not THAT predictable… although it would have made things easier...) Ms. Lovegood and Mr. Malfoy, and finally Ms. Chase with Ms. Parkinson. That will be all. You will receive more information soon enough. Dismissed."

And again. Shorter chapter than last time. Sorry! It isn't THAT short though, is it? Review, review, review PLEASE!

It might be a while before I update… makeup work in school. Waaaaa!

Liv