Draco looked into the darkened hearth for a moment, trying to hide his shock. Finally, he stood, without looking her in the face. "Let us go to dinner," He took her by the arm. She remained rooted to the spot. "I'll explain as best I can, but let's eat first," Draco said sadly.

Ginny relented and allowed herself to be led into the dining room. The table was set with china and crystal. Draco pulled the chair out for Ginny and she sat, still looking upset.

Draco opened the door to the kitchen and waved his wand. Platters of steaming food floated into the room and set themselves on the table. He sat across from her and could hear her stomach howling. He looked at her. Still, her eyes were filled with questions.

Quickly Draco dished the food onto the plates and he sighed inwardly when her attention was drawn to the food rather than him. He had to have a few moments to think, to make a decision.

If Draco told her the wrong thing. . . He thought of the look in Emily's eyes so long ago. They had gone from loving devotion, to horror, to anger and finally to dull hatred. He didn't think he could take it again. He shook himself. What did he care? He thought to himself, it wasn't as if he cared about hurting her, did he? He didn't have to answer. To his horror, he knew the answer. He tried to tell himself that he only cared because whatever he told Ginny could complicate the plan. He knew that wasn't the truth either.

By the time he waved his wand for the pudding, he had made a decision.

He cleared his throat and she looked up expectantly. He couldn't meet her gaze. "The other day, when you asked what we wanted of you . . ." he faltered and glanced up at her. She placed her spoon back in her dish and looked intently at him her head tilted slightly to the side. "You were partially right, the Dark Lord is dead, he cannot be resurrected." He took a sip of his wine. "But, that isn't the end of him."

"Do you mean the horcruxes?"

Draco nodded into his wine.

"They were all destroyed."

"Yes, they were destroyed. Every item that he encased his soul into was destroyed. But from one of the items, he was channelled into another vessel before it was destroyed." He looked meaningfully at her.

She dropped her hands limply to her sides and looked overwhelmed and frightened. "The diary," she gasped.

"Yes, the diary."

"But that means . . ."

"He is still there, or part of him." As he'd expected, she paled and stared into space, her eyes as big as dinner plates. Draco rose and poured more wine into her glass. She turned and looked up at him.

" Is that why I can . . . Is he trying to possess me again?" she asked, her eyes suddenly wild with fear.

Draco looked grave. He put the wine glass in her shaking hand and Ginny drew it to her lips but didn't drink. She sat it back on the table almost spilling it. "No, he can't . . .I won't . . . What can I do?"Her voice was barely audible. She looked up at him pleadingly, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Draco knelt beside her and looked her in the eye. "I'll help you, but you must trust me. Do you trust me?"

Ginny considered him for a moment then nodded and smiled through her tears. He gently brushed the tears from her cheek with his thumb. As he looked into her sad, brown eyes he felt like they were melted chocolate and he was being drawn into them. He felt an urgent need in his soul to stop those tears. Quite suddenly Draco found his lips against hers. She returned the kiss with such passion he was taken aback.

Lips merged and hands groped across backs. As Ginny slid from the chair, Draco drew her onto his lap, never breaking the kiss. Her heart raced, her breathing became laboured and her head spun. Her hands ran urgently through his blond hair and her body shook in anticipation. His lips, not his fathers, his silky hair, his hands, his body. The stress and horror of the last few days seemed to melt away and there was nothing but this moment, this man.

Draco broke the kiss first and looked deeply into her eyes. A fire burned there, but it wasn't anger this time. He hadn't expected this. This isn't how he had planned it to happen. His entire plan seemed to be falling apart, but to his shock, he didn't care. Her tears seemed to have found a part of him that he'd kept hidden for years. He felt free. His only need was to kiss those sweet lips and to hold that body against his.

Again their lips met. His lips answered hers. Her body responded to his hands. The moan that escaped his lips was met by her reply.

Ginny pulled away next. Without a word they conversed and decided. Slowly, without breaking too much body contact, they rose and proceed to Draco's chambers.

Lucius and Narsissa wove their way through the maze of people in the ballroom. Several of them turned and watched them pass. Even those who had never met Lucius knew who he was. His white blond hair and aristocratic air set him apart from the rest of the rabble in the room. Most of the people in the room had never been followers of the Dark Lord, but they were all pure bloods. Mud-blood and muggle baiting was no longer tolerated in this new tolerant society but it did not stop private gatherings such as this from only inviting pure wizards.

Lucius accepted a glass from a house elf and grudged-ly thanked it. 'House elves are people too,' the sickening public service announcement had declared after that mudblood and her friends had managed to lobby to have the enchantment lifted that had ensured the elves servitude for hundreds of years.

Narsissa went to greet their hostess who was chatting with a gaggle of women in the middle of the room and Lucius continued on across the room to their host.

Lucius didn't much care for Plum. Plum had been a prefect in Hufflepuff and in the same year as Lucius. He was also the junior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and in Lucius' back pocket. Money still bought favour. Unfortunately, Plum was as close to the Minister as Lucius could get, or for that matter, really wanted to.

"Ah, Lucius, you made it. I'm so glad." Plum greeted him heartily. "I see you found the free-elf-made champagne that the minister sent. Good isn't it?'

Lucius made a noncommital noise and sipped the purple liquid. Faced with thousands of unemployed house elves who refused to serve their old masters, even for pay, the government set up the Elf works project. Thousands of elves were working in several different industries for the ministry. There were even several hundred who worked for the muggle government.

"I was just telling Alvin here," indicating the short man beside him. Lucius and Alvin Flitwick nodded a greeting. " that there has been quite a bit of activity at the ministry the last few days. The minister seems to think there may be some dark activity going on. There have disappearances and a very curious theft from the Department of Mysteries. This is all hush, hush, you understand."

"Oh, yes, of course," Flitwick said.

"How very disturbing," Lucius stated. He looked down at Flitwick. "If you'll excuse me,"

He didn't wait for Plums response. He headed toward the veranda. Flitwick followed soon after.

Few people were on the veranda, the early spring air keeping most inside. Flitwick came to stand beside Lucius by the rail overlooking the garden.

"The Dark Lord is growing impatient."

Lucius glanced down. The pretender had taken the title now. He, Lucius, should have been the leader when Voldemort had perished, but the others did not follow him, choosing another to lead. Lucius had vowed to follow the new lord . . .He broke off this line of thinking to answer. "She will be ready soon. Draco is working on her as we speak. When we are done, she will be pleading with us to take it."

"The Dark Lord questions your judgement in using Draco. He has shown himself to be unreliable in the past."

"He came closer than most and if you remember, he did succeed in breaking through the schools defences. Something better wizards had never succeeded in. Still, he will not fail this time."

"It will be his last failure, if he does."

"Yes. I'll see to it with my own hand."

A/N: You all can thank Vixenfairy27 and ErenaC.T.Rose for my updating now instead of this weekend as I'd planned. It was their impassioned requests for update that motivated me to finish this chapter. And I'll admit being told you're enjoying my story is a great motivator. Any comments you all may have on how to make the story better would be appriciated.