Chapter 5

Throughout the next week or so when Ginny was allowed to attend classes again, Malfoy kept her in the back of his mind, kept everything Taka had told him. Whether to believe it or not was becoming more difficult as time pressed on. He had taken a seat in the back of Mc Gonagall's room, fervently scribbling on a piece of partchment, his quill sounding more and more like the echo of nails on the chalkboard as the students quieted and a loud voice rang out bitterly, "Mr Malfoy! Kindly stop that."

"Yes, sorry," he murmured softly and someone tapped his shoulder, he turned his gaze and swept his hair from his eyes. "What?"

Dark eyes lit up slightly and a mouth curled distainfully, and a voice whispered, "So, how was she?" Draco turned his entire body around and took a hold of his mates robes.

"You ought to check those fucked up sources, Zabini. Nothing happened!"

"Draco, what are you doing?" Pansy shrieked.

"There's nothing going on between me and the Weasley girl." He shoved Blaise back so that his desk toppled and he fell off of it. "I was just following orders."

"Who the hell do you think you are, Malfoy?" Blaise growled as Pansy Parkinson came over to help him up, glaring at Draco hotly. "You don't like her, yet you're defending her?"

"I've a reputation to uphold, Zabini," said Draco smugly. By this time, Professor Mc Gonagall was fuming, her nostrils flaring, and her pointed hat falling off of her head in irritation.

"Mr Malfoy, detention tonight, in my office. I cannot believe how childish you are all being in regards to this young girl's infliction. And you," she sneered at him "were instructed to keep her safe, and what do you do the week she is not permitted to be in your room? You cause a scene and disrupt a class. How dare you? If Miss Weasley were here, do you have any idea what she'd think of you?" The room had gone perticularly quiet.

"She'd think he was still human, therefore he has all the rights in the world to stand up for me, even if people disagree. He has heart, Professor, I guess you've all forgotten that because of what he is to become, who his father is, and what he did to me." Ginny was standing by the door with her head tilted slightly wearing something that rendered Draco from breaking his gaze; a deep rich green tank top and a short black shirt, her long hair fell over her eyes, which gleamed darkly do to the eyelinder and shadow. His mouth hung open and everyone looked behind them. Blaise tried in vain to stifle a groan as he looked at her legs, which were covered in black fishnet. Malfoy politely slapped the back of his head and he coughed.

"Miss Weasley, where are your robes?" Mc Gonagall seemed thoroughly unimpressed that her student was dressing in such a manner.

"I seemed to have misplaced them." She smiled tenderly but Draco caught the look she gave him and his heart thundered. She was not willingly acting this way, though her words may have been her, the outside was definitely not. Her eyes shimmered with a questioning glance as he stood and headed towards her. He could feel his mind desolving as he touched her shoulder and she spoke softly, "We need to talk." She pulled him from the castle and out onto the grounds and behind a tree, she leaned and stared at him. "What happened back in there?"

"Why are you dress that way?" He was averting the question and they both knew it.

"Draco," his name sounded like poison from her lips. He suddenly had the strangest urge to kiss her but he shoved it away. "Tell me."

"Blaise had said something about you," he shrugged "that's it."

"If there isn't anything going on with us like you politely indicated, then why are you defending me?"

"You said it yourself back there."

"No, I want to hear you say that spending nearly two weeks with me in your dorm has still made you despise me. I want you to say that you never want to see me again, I want you to tell me that I'm sick and you can't handle that. I want you to tell me how you really feel." She was pushing for a different explaination, one that he could give her, for once in his life, he didn't see a reason to lie.

"It's not that simple, Weasley," he whispered softly. "Because I can't lie to you. You've been through so much and it isn't fair. My father and Tom were just the the beginning. No one, except Dumbledore, thought you'd make it out of the darkness that you were caged in, and when you did, you brought something with you."

"I did what?" Her voice was slow and scared.

"You brought an ancient priestess with you."

"What the hell do you mean?" Her eyes searched his slowly and she frowned.

"I don't know how, but Taka explained it to me, he told me that inside you is Kuro Megami and she's going to destroy their world. But Misturi, he's Taka's possessor, is trying to take Kuro's power."

"When did you see him?"

"I fell asleep and it was weird. I saw you too." He could not tell her what he really saw. "You were lying in my dorm by the fire."

"Why?" She was threading in deep water.

"I don't exactly know," he lied. She stared sternly at him as if she could detect the false confession. When her eyes narrowed he blinked. "I'm sorry I can't help you more. I think it would only hurt you in the end." You just don't know how much if you let her take control, he added silently. "And since you're better, you don't need to be around me anymore. I'd like it if you left me alone." He sneered, forgetting everything and glared at her, waiting.

There was this strange look on her face like she wanted desperately to tell him something but afraid at the same time. She used her wand to conjure her robes and put then on, never taking her eyes off of him. When she opened her mouth to say something he heard a low whine and he inclined his head just the tiniest bit. Absentmindedly he placed his hand on the tree, his fingers twitched next to her head, and leaned in. Her brown eyes widened almost instantly at his closeness and she forced some type of emotion which he missed. His eyes, she saw, had the faintest shade of blue in them, and his blonde hair hung in loose strands around his aristocratically weak features. It was only then that she noticed how his robes were open, exposing all black clothing, and a necklace half hidden inside his shirt; it was on a silver chin, gleaming lazily in the sunlight. Hastily and without premission she let his hand curl around the chain and pulled it into view. It was a tiny red ball encased in silver lines. "This is-"

"Yours, I know. It fell off of you the morning you were released. I meant to give it back to you, so," he reached around to unclasp it and held it out in the middle of his palm. "here."

She shook her head dismissively and said lightly, "No, keep it. I've had it forever."

"That's very generous, but it doesn't belong to me." He grabbed her hand and uncurled her fingers, placed the necklace on her plam and closed her hand around it. "Please just take it." He ran his unoccupied hand through his hair and smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you," she whispered and shut her eyes.

He watched her hair fall against her cheeks but she hadn't moved again. She stood against the tree and then something happened. It was loud enough to wake the dead. His hands went straight for his ears as she slumped at his feet and wailed, her voice carrying through the leaves, causing the birds and squirrels to panic. "Stop...it's okay, Gin, stop." He grasped her wrists and yanked her up when she finally ceased, and stared up at him with a tear-streaked face, mouth opened and breathing coming out in horrible gasps. He had stopped cringing momentarily before her eyes rolled back into her head and she slipped forward, knocking them both onto the ground. Her breathing was slow as she lay still on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and staggered up, her cheek resting against his chest as he trudged back inside.

The corridors were empty. The slate walls glistened as Draco held her tighter and went to the right. He needed to find Professor Dumbledore. "Malfoy! What are you doing?" He froze. It was Pansy. She rounded on him and looked at the scene in front of her.

"Parkinson, where's the headmaster?" He wasn't up for her shit.

"Draco, why is she-"

"Where is he?" He snarled and leaned against the wall.

"He's in his office." Pansy frowned and walked off. Draco headed that way until he was stopped again. Bloody hell!

"What's happened?" a tired voice asked and he turned to meet the black eyes of Snape.

"She collapsed again," he said quietly. "and I know what's causing it."

"Do you? Now that's intriguing. The headmaster hasn't found much out. You were on your way to see him, yes?"

"I was until I had two interruptions," Draco said with mild annoyance. Snape frowned at him then then walked towards Professor Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle sprang to life immediately and they stepped back. The headmaster stepped out and blinked.

"I thought this might happen," he nodded as if confirming this thought and ushered them down the hall and into an part of the castle in which Draco had never seen. There was an old wodden door to his left which was opened slightly. Dumbledore pressed gently and the door swung more to reveal a furnished room with a long crimson couch and a bed on the opposite wall; torches lit up the space as Malfoy stepped through. "You are instructed to keep her here now. There are vials in that cabinet there," the Professor pointed towards the tiny box in the corner. "We had to keep her with you for that time as this room was not ready. Severus tells me that you know what has caused these abnormalities to occur."

"Yes, sir, I do." Draco smiled lightly given the circumstances. The adults watched him closely and he felt her stir against him. Her eyeslids fluttered and her face colored slowly. "His name is Taka and he's somehow been influencing Ginny, but for a reason. He told me that when she escaped Riddle that she brought something with her, her name is Kuro Megami. Someone had posessed Taka on his way here to find us after he had a vision. Misturi is here to take Kuro's power without destroying Ginny. But my part in all this is to desolve Kuro's existance."

"I see. It is essential that we get Kuro out of Miss Weasley."

"How do we do that? It's complicated."

"You can't," she murmured in his arms before her eyes opened and she groaned. "She won't let you hurt her."

"She's using you as a shield." Draco replied curtly.

"What is she afraid of, Miss Weasley?" Severus asked quietly, speaking for the first time since they had been there. "Why is Miss Megami so keen to keep you quiet?"

"I can't tell you that. She says if you want to speak to her then you must speak to her." Ginny's eyes glanced over slightly and she gave a tiny yelp. Draco had placed her on the couch and turned back to the other two.

"Should we inform her brothers and Potter?"

"I think that would be wise," Dumbledore smiled contently.

When the door shut and the voices died, Draco sat next to her and cradled his head, his fingers threading through her soft red hair. "I don't dislike you. At first having you in my dorm was kind of irritating, but then I had realized how smart and couragous you are. You don't understand much about me and you don't seem to mind," his nails skimmed softly against her cheek as he maneuvered his body so that her head laid on his chest. "but strangely I feel like you should know what I feel, how I can even feel for anyone what I feel when I'm around you. How pathetic am I?" He chuckled nervously and bit his lip. "I can't say this to your face, I had to say it when your most vulnerable, when Kuro or even Misturi can get at you. I won't let them hurt you." He quickly bent his head and pressed his lips to her forehead but pulled back almost immediately. "Shit."

It was like he was touching fire.