A/N: Thank you so much to my reviewers! I promise you, this has a happy ending. How? You ask… well keep reading. The tale will make sense… all in due time my pretties. J

Before she knew it they were being awoken and shipped through Platform 9 ¾ to the Hogwarts Express; her whole body was sore as she carried her broom and trunk to the train.

Draco followed a step behind her as they rushed through the platform and stowed their luggage away. He could tell that Ginny was still feeling under the weather so he helped her with her luggage.

Ginny sat huddled in the corner of the compartment next to Draco while Crabbe and Goyle sat across from them. She had mixed emotions when Harry, Ron and Hermione burst into the compartment to "save" her.

Ron ran to his sister and hugged her, "How are you?" he asked, glaring at Malfoy. "You can come sit with us if you like."

Ginny smiled sleepily, "I'm fine Ron. I'll sit here."

Harry scoffed, "You'd rather sit with this bloody git rather than your own friends?"

Ginny could feel Draco readying himself for a fight, "I think I'd sit with my husband rather than my brother's friends." She said as nicely as possible.

Hermione's eyes widened, "Oh I see, come on boys. Let's go finish off some of those sweets we bought."

"I'm not actually feeling hungry right now." Ron spat, "I'd like to speak with my sister alone." He eyed Crabbe and Goyle and then Ginny.

"You know the rules Ron. Draco is my fiancée and we'll be married on Sunday night whether you like it or not. So please stop insulting Draco and his friends. I'll talk to you later." She said hotly. She was feeling sicker than ever and Ron wasn't helping in the slightest.

Hermione pulled Ron from the room, "See you later Gin." she said and then acknowledged the other three, "Crabbe, Goyle…Malfoy, nice to see you."

Draco gave a curt wave and looked over at Ginny, "You don't have to do things like that, and I can handle myself in those situations."

"I don't want you in those situations to begin with." She replied and rubbed her flipping stomach gently to try and relieve some of the pain. She looked up and saw Draco watching her. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked concernedly.

"I'm feeling a bit under the weather but I'll go see Madame Pomfrey when we get in." she said nonchalantly. She rode it off as the after-effects of the potion Voldemort had given her.

Draco nodded and went back to looking out the window at the vast English countryside. It was soothing him to see it rush by in a familiar blur.

The train came to a halt when it was very dark outside… and Hagrid was out collecting first years while the rest of them took the longer route to the castle. Ginny ignored how Draco held her body close to him as they walked to the castle. She turned to him, "I'm going right up to Madame Pomfrey…"

Draco nodded, "I'll save you a seat." He told her and walked into the Great Hall with all the other students.

Ginny made her way through the dark halls blindly until she reached the Infirmary. She greeted Madame Pomfrey warmly even though she was dizzy, "Good evening…"

Madame Pomfrey bustled around preparing the hospital wing, "How can I help you Ms. Weasley?" she asked as she straightened a bed.

"I feel so ill… I'm throwing up everywhere and I feel cold but a simple flu charm didn't work." Ginny said cautiously, "And I feel lightheaded."

Madame Pomfrey immediately stopped what she was doing and had Ginny sit down. "That doesn't sound too serious; I think what you really need is to eat something. It sounds like nerves to me; go down to the feast and get something in your stomach. If it's still bad, come back later."

Ginny nodded, "Alright then" she composed herself and made her way past Argus Filch and his cat, past the bathroom where she opened the Chamber of Secrets and then to the Great Hall. She saw Ron and Harry flagging her down but she stiffened her posture before walking to the Slytherin table where Draco saved her a seat.

Draco had debriefed everyone on courteous behavior before Ginny even sat down, but he never expected their conversations to halt and for them to stare at her. "Ginny, these are some of my friends." He went down the line introducing her to Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Millicent Bulstrode and some little rat faced girl Ginny recalled was named Blair Wood (she was Oliver Wood's little sister).

Ginny nodded to each of them, "It's nice to meet you." She said cordially even though she knew they hated her already. She dug into a chicken leg and found that the food did settle her stomach. She devoured the thing and went on to eat a pasta dish, then a large piece of cake and pumpkin juice for desert. She ignored the blatant stares at her and looked over at Draco who was glaring at all of them. It was hard to hate the git when he was protecting her…

Draco finally got fed up, "Let's go. I'll show you the Slytherin common room and our room." He said as he took her hand; he led Ginny out of the Great Hall and down a dark corridor to an unattended painting, "I'm sorry they were rude."

"I was expecting worse." Ginny said with a laugh as he said the Slytherin password which turned out to be: cheer. 'No one would've guessed that…' Ginny said to herself and walked into the dark common room. A fire blazed but the lack of windows made it cast eerie shadows all around. She stuck close to Draco's side as he took him to their private room.

Draco walked her into the room and let her check it out, "It's nicer than those dorms." He said aloud.

Ginny nodded and saw that her clothes were hung up in the closet; clothes she had never seen before. She gasped as she looked at one of them, "Why do my Gryffindor robes have a Slytherin emblem on them?"

"You're a Slytherin now," he said simply, "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep." He pulled off his robes and pulled on a pair of green silk pants.

Ginny closed her eyes, "And I have to sleep in the same bed as you?" she asked as her body began to react to his chiseled chest and abs. Yes, she was a woman but she wanted to keep true to her values.

"Unless you want the floor." he said and pulled the comforter over himself.

Ginny pulled out a plain white nightgown and turned her back as she changed into it but she could feel his eyes on her. She donned the starched monstrosity and climbed into bed next to him but she couldn't sleep. "This is too weird." She said aloud after a few minutes.

"I know Weasley… you won't stop moving!" he nagged.

"Well you breathe too loudly!" she snapped. "You better not snore."

"Well you better not either!" he fired back, "Now stop moving and I'll try to control my breathing." He turned his back to her and shut his eyes tightly.

Ginny turned her back to his back and huffed in frustration. After a long while, the candles had been put out and she was sound asleep. Her deep, rhythmic breathing put Draco right to sleep as well.
The next day and then 3 days after that she missed 10 minutes of Charms because she was throwing up everywhere. Draco heard her retching every morning and it made him feel ill as well as he escorted her up to the hospital wing after the 4th day. Madame Pomfrey checked her out and blamed a new flu bug before sending them to class with passes.

Ginny was relieved after she made it through Charms, Double Potions with the Slytherins (or, as she had to say now, the Gryffindors), Transfiguration, Defense Against The Dark Arts and then finally Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid.

Draco was worried about Ginny all day and he had no idea why; he didn't even like her but she was starting to grow on him. He relished the Advanced Potions class he had first period, but then he had a horrible Double Herbology, Defense Against The Dark Arts (ha, like he needed this), Dueling and then Quidditch practice.

Ginny dropped her books into her cauldron before setting both in the corner of the room. She flopped down on the bed and stared up at the stone ceiling; she felt a lot better then she did earlier at least.

Draco walked in with mud caked all over his robes, "Feeling better?" he asked as he pulled out his wand and did a quick cleaning spell.

Ginny smiled, "Yeah, actually I am. Thank you for asking."

Draco nodded and sat down on the bed, "My mom sent an owl for you," he pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to her. "It's probably about the wedding. You know it's going to be huge."

Ginny opened the seal and spoke aloud as she read, "Ginny dear I'm sorry to hear you're feeling sick… blah blah blah… oh I'm wearing your mother's wedding dress and she's adjusting the sleeves so I can keep my arms from the chilly January air."

"Mum doesn't have the mark." He said with a chuckle, "Don't worry, she had a beautiful wedding dress but uh, she sent a picture too. I wasn't sure you'd like it." He pulled out a black and white photo and handed it to Ginny.

Ginny's eyes bugged out when she saw the dress, "I don't think it's the pearls that adorn the entire bottom or the lace or the neckline that plunges way below decency but the fact that your mother is 9 months pregnant here." She said and began to laugh, "I guess she's having it tailored."

Draco laughed, "Yeah, I guess so; I thought you were going to ridicule me for being a bastard."

"You're not a bastard, your parents are married. The laws of legitimacy apply even if you were born and then your parents got married. And I would never call anyone a bastard." Ginny explained as she handed the picture back, "She was so young…"

"So are you." Draco pointed out.

Ginny shrugged, "I don't have a choice… I suppose your mother did but she chose marriage." She looked into his eyes and decided that she no longer hated Draco Malfoy. There was something about sitting and talking to him that made her feel… special somehow.

Draco looked back into her bright green eyes and saw that her heart was beginning to thaw; she herself was beginning to thaw after being in the freezing autumn air, "Are you up to going to dinner?"

Ginny smiled; "Sure," she got up and waited for him to follow before she made her way down to the Great Hall.

Dinner was served promptly and they ate their fill. Ginny decided that her second meal with Draco's friends was a bit more relaxed than the first and it just got easier. Pansy had even tried to hold a conversation but got bored quickly because of her short attention span. Draco talked to Blaise Zabini about Quidditch and then to Millicent about their latest Potions homework.

Dinner finished and Ginny and Draco went to their respective stations to work on homework that was assigned. They managed to avoid each other until it was time for bed. Ginny wore a Muggle tank top and a pair of pants. Her whole body felt different and she didn't like it much; it didn't hurt it was just strange. She stretched out on the bed and put her hands on her abdomen; she knew what he had done.

Draco walked in and dropped his books, "Finally, I'm done," he changed into a new pair of silk pants and sat down on the bed. "Feeling sick again?"

Ginny looked over at him and shook her head, "No, not sick but I understand." She sighed and stared back up at the ceiling.

Draco gave her a cryptic look, "Understand what?" he asked.

Ginny sat up slowly and looked at him. "If I tell you something, will you swear to me that you won't say a word to anyone?" she asked nervously.

Draco nodded, "You have my word, Ginny. What is it?"

"I—I'm pregnant… I'm sure of it. I've got morning sickness; I'm dizzy and a bit cranky. All the signs are there but I don't want to tell that to Madame Pomfrey because I'm not married." She said with a false bravado to her voice. She was acting brave when she really wanted to break down and cry.

Draco gasped loudly, "You're joking…"

"I wish I were…" Ginny said meekly and hopped off the bed, "So call off the wedding and throw me out because Lord Voldemort got me pregnant."

"We can't get out of this… and I don't blame you for being pregnant Ginny, it wasn't your fault." He said as he stood to meet her before she walked out the door. "Where are you going?"

"To kill myself." She spat bitterly but when she how much that scared him she shook her head, "No, I feel sick again…"

Draco folded his arms, "Don't joke around like that Ginny. I don't like it. We're not going to tell my parents until you start to show and by that time they'll assume it's my child."

Ginny had traveled several feet before she turned, "Is my hearing going out or did you just say that we're going to tell your parents that I'm carrying your child."

"No I said they'll assume it. You will be my wife and we've been sharing a bed. Put 2 and 2 together and they'll jump to that conclusion. We just won't correct them." Draco said, "Now go get sick and brush your teeth before bed."

"Yes Dad…" she joked and went to throw up her dinner in the can.

Draco leaned in the doorway and shut his eyes tightly; Ginny was pregnant with the new Heir or Heiress of Slytherin and he had just marked her as his own forever and always. He climbed into bed and contemplated what the hell he was doing but there was no simple answer.

Ginny walked back into the room with minty fresh breath. She looked over at him, "Thank you… for being supportive. I always figured you for a bloody rude git but you've changed that opinion somehow." She leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly.

Draco felt his cheeks flush, "Umm thanks, I think…" he extinguished the candle beside him, "Goodnight Ginny."

"Goodnight Draco." She said simply and closed her eyes.

Draco fingered over the tiny wet spot on his cheek were she kissed him; it was very different then from when other girls kissed him. Most of them were sloppy and hormonal but never sweet or innocent like she was. He hated to see her suffering at the hands of his father and Voldemort when she was so young and full of life and yet she knew horrors that people twice her age knew nothing of. He took a calming sense of contentment in knowing that he could protect her completely after Sunday.