DISCLAIMER; I do not own anything you recognize... it all belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling and her family of publishers! Please don't sue, I am a poor student and have no money anyways.

DISCLAIMER #2: (I might quote song lyrics as I feel it, andif I do, this applies) These song lyrics do not belong to me, and they are not meant to promote this story in any way. I love the bands, and actually buy the albums. If anyone is interested in any of the bands I list, I would love to pass on their greatness!

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No one was awake in the Weasley house, and Harry didn't expect them to be. In his letter informing them of his plans, he just said he would be at their house for his birthday, and not what time he was arriving. He stood a moment longer, soaking in the feeling of being home, and then started trudging across the muddy lawn with his trunk.

He unlocked the door magically; after all he was legal, but also because he didn't want to wake anyone. Setting his trunk down softly, he noticed a light was on in the kitchen. Hoping it was Ron who was awake, he peeked around the corner.

It was Ginny… but a blurry Ginny, as if she was a ghost or something. Harry shook his head, as if to clear the fuzzes from his eyes and stepped into the kitchen. Ginny, reformed and completely solid, jumped back.

Harry jumped too, but from a shock that surprised him. It tickled him slightly, and his heart sped up. After two months of nothing, getting shocked as soon as he got here startled him. And it was Ginny who gave it to him. But, the blurry vision? Harry chalked it up to his ride on the Knight Bus. He smiled at her; the shocks had started again…

"Hey… Harry! You're here early," she said in a whisper. "Happy birthday!"

"Yea, thanks. The Dursley's were terrible, so I left as early as I could," Harry smiled, keeping his voice soft so he wouldn't wake the others. He gave her a hug, Ginny looked very pretty, her red hair was loose about her shoulders, and she was wearing pajama bottoms and a shirt. She was obviously either going to bed, or had just gotten up. "What are you doing up?" he asked.

"Oh, just, um, finishing a letter," Ginny stuttered uncomfortably, grabbing the parchment from the table. "But, I'm done now. So, goodnight," Ginny smiled quickly, then turned and fled up the stairs.

Slightly confused, Harry shrugged it off and went to crash on the Weasley couch for the rest of the night.

-

Harry awoke to the smell of breakfast and the sound of Mrs. Weasley's scolding. Rolling over, he noticed his trunk was gone, presumably up in Ron's room. So, the family knew he was here.

He stretched and heaved himself up from the couch. Harry now reached an easy six foot height, though Ron and most of the other Weasley brothers were taller. He found his glasses and pushed his fingers through his unruly dark hair, then started for the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley saw him immediately.

"Happy Birthday, Harry, dear!" She wasted no time in bundling him into a tight hug. The other Weasley's who were deep into their breakfast, echoed birthday wishes also.

"Whaf time didg you gef her thif mornin?" Ron asked, his mouth full of breakfast potatoes.

"Eh, about half past one," Harry answered, taking a seat at the table across from Ginny.

"Why didn't you wake someone up? I had just gone to bed," Ron said, clearly this time.

"Ginny was up. But, I didn't want to risk waking everyone, so I just slept on the couch," Harry said, taking a big bite of the plate of food Mrs. Weasley had just put in front of him.

"Ginny was up?" Ron asked him, seemingly confused. Harry nodded, his mouth full.

"I didn't see her," Ron looked over at Ginny, who was fixedly staring at her plate. "Funny…" Ron dismissed it, and started in on his breakfast again.

"Hermioshne isf coming todaf, Harphy," Ron said through his pancakes. Mrs. Weasley scolded him, and he swallowed, then repeated what he'd said.

"Hermione is coming today, Harry," Ron shot a disdainful glance at his mother, who turned and caught him. "Anyways, we are going to pick her up in town in a couple hours."

"Great, I'm going to go for a run, then shower, yea?" Harry said, clearing his empty plate. He headed up to Ron's room, and changed into old sweatpants and a t-shirt, then headed out the door.

He began running in the early mornings when he learned that it was the only time when all the Dursley's were sure not to wake up. Uncle Vernon would listen late into the night for any sounds Harry would make, but as soon as the man was asleep he stayed that way until morning. So Harry would pick the lock on his door and would spend the two hours he could manage outside stretching his legs. Running had given him a nice physique, but he ran for the fun of it anyways.

The morning smelled like warm sun and Harry ran through the woods surrounding the Weasley's house into the small town just beyond them. Running past the bus station, he spotted Hermione, who had arrived early also, and helped her carry her things back to the house.

Ron was quite upset that Hermione had to walk the whole way, but she insisted that he stop being a prat and help her carry her stuff up to Ginny's room. Harry rolled his eyes, the bickering had begun already and they had not been together for five minutes.

That night, the family celebrated Harry's birthday in traditional Weasley style. Fred and George brought new inventions from their thriving shop in Diagon Alley. Bill and Charlie even came in from work, bringing their girlfriends. When Bill and Fluer arrived, Harry caught a suppressed jealous look from Bill when Fleur greeted him excitedly, pressing kisses on his cheeks. Ron even blushed heavily when Fluer decided he deserved a kiss also.

Tables were set up outside, and Mrs. Weasley out did herself with the cooking, even with Hermione and Ginny's help. It was one of the best meals he had had in a long time, and he made sure to tell Mrs. Weasley that. Ron said it was because he had been starved for the last two months, and everyone laughed, except for Mrs. Weasley, who gave Harry little worried glances, over more helpings of pasta and sausages.

After the meal was over, and everyone was full of birthday cake, they all sat around admiring the stars and the beautiful weather. Ron teasingly asked Harry what the Dursley's got him for his birthday.

"Ah, that is actually a good story," Harry laughed. "I would have probably gotten another pair of old socks, but Uncle Vernon ran over some neighbor kid's Frisbee while they were playing and it got stuck in the wheel bed of his car. He made me go pry it out and then said I could keep it. He told Aunt Petunia that I had already gotten my birthday present, so I didn't get anymore socks." Harry laughed, and so did Hermione, but the rest of the table looked a bit puzzled.

"Exactly what is a frizzy-bee?" Ron asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. Harry, not thinking what he was doing, flexed his hand, and his Frisbee conjured itself in front of him. The Wealey's were so astounded at the flying disk, that they didn't notice how Harry had actually got it from his room without his wand. Except for Hermione, who just pretended not to have noticed.

Harry figured that they wouldn't notice his wandless abilities over Mr. Wealsey's sporadic bouts of laughter, but he tried to tear their attention away from the Frisbee anyways. Harry quickly started telling them about the 'present' he left the Dursley's. Before he had left, Harry had gathered every single pair of socks that he had gotten for his birthday and Christmas from them. Then, since he was allowed to use magic, Harry charmed all of the rest Uncle Vernon's socks, Dudley's socks, and even some of Aunt Petunia's socks to the walls and ceiling of the living room. The effect looked as though extremely ugly Christmas stockings were glued to the wall in very odd places. The charm lasted for about a week, which was enough time to make the Dursley's sweat.

Everyone laughed, and Harry smiled wickedly. However, he noticed that Hermione was watching him strangely, but she didn't say anything.

-

Draco's summer consisted of two things: dodging his father, and thinking about a particular red haired girl he couldn't wait to see again.

Avoiding his father was easy. Lucius was a rather loud talker, and the pungent cologne he insisted on wearing even though it gave his mother allergies announced his presence well in advance. However, evading his father usually wasn't necessary. Lucius never really minded that he couldn't find his son; Draco's fate was already set. But Draco had other plans until then, and most involved keeping away from Voldemort business.

However, trying to avoid thinking about Ginny was proving to be more difficult than he imagined. His so-called friendship with Ginny Weasley started his sixth year, her fifth. And so far, only a friendship was between them, and barely that, since it took most of Draco's willpower to stop himself from wrapping his hands around her throat in frustration. But, sill, he couldn't seem to get her out of his mind.

Ginny Weasley drove him mad.

He had first noticed her when she was sent to Remedial Potions, a class Draco actually assisted during. More like taught since Professor Snape frequently would not show up, which left Draco in charge.

Everyone knew that Ginny was bloody brilliant in Potions, and he couldn't understand why she was forced to attend. But one look at her beautiful red hair, and her evil blue stare (directed at him, of course) and Draco was in heaven.

Not a Good Heaven, with angles fluttering around him with silver wings feeding him grapes, but Draco Heaven, which consisted of a Weasley at his direction for two hours. He remembered being so excited he had laughed mischievously. Merlin, how wrong he had been.

Snape had assigned a simple Shrinking Potion, to be completed at the end of the two hours. Draco watched with interest as Ginny seemingly tossed her ingredients in her cauldron haphazardly. He then went to work, and taunted her mercilessly until he could tell by the flash in her eyes that she was mad as hell at him.

"I guess a Weasley shouldn't be expected to excel in anything, especially in something as difficult as Potions," Draco had sneered quietly at her. That had caught her attention; he could tell she was angry. But she said nothing, and continued working. He had paced around her then.

"Are you sure your small brain can handle this, Weasel? I was under the impression that you were the smart one of your poor, pathetic family," he sneered. "Obviously, you aren't as smart as Longbottom over there," he pointed over to where Neville and two other students were working hard on their potions. Neville had given her a halfhearted smile, then returned his attentions to his cauldron, obviously afraid of being picked on by Draco.

"I thought you were supposed to have a temper because of your ugly red hair," Draco said, catching one of her loose strands in his fingers.

"If hair is a reflection of attitude and personality, then it looks like you don't have much of either," Ginny said quietly, pointedly staring at his white blonde hair that was swept back from his forehead. Draco had scowled, and released her hair.

Ginny immediately caught the strand he had rubbed between his fingers and pointed her wand at it.

"Severitus," Ginny had said, and the silky end fell away in her fingers, and she dropped it to the floor. She had stared at him the whole time. "I would rather be bald, you filthy wanker, than have to have a reminder that you touched me." And with that, she took the large wooden spoon she had been stirring her potion with and flung it, along with a spoonful of Shrinking Potion, directly at him hitting him square in the chest.

"I know we don't have to test our potions to see if they work, but I hope I get a little extra credit for this," Ginny smiled sweetly at him, as his robes began to shrink so tightly it had cut off his circulation, then walked directly out of the dungeon.

And that was the start of their tolerant friendship. It was more of a battle of wits, or something of that sort, since he never really got along with Ginny. But she was still the most interesting person he had to talk to, since Crabbe and Goyle had advanced to new heights of stupidity, and Pansy had begun stalking him around school again.

Most of their conversations, or rather heated disagreements, were during Advanced Concealment and Disguise. She was bloody brilliant at it, too, and he had to work hard to keep up with her. And Ginny made sure that he was constantly aware of it.

So did Lucius. His marks came at the beginning of summer, and somehow his father had found out that the littlest Weasley had out-scored him in not one, but two advanced classes. This was probably the reason he couldn't stop thinking about her, his father would not stop tormenting him about his grades.

Draco smiled crookedly, feeling slightly murderous towards the Weaslette for making his life hell this summer. He spotted Hades, his eagle owl, gliding towards the window, and opened the latch to the large bay window. Hades landed gracefully on Draco's outstretched arm, then took off for the owlery after he had retrieved Ginny's letter.

Sitting down on the wide leather couches in front of a large stone fireplace in the front room, Draco began to read.

Malfoy,

If you continue to refer to my Muggle-loving family, as you so eloquently stated in your last letter, in such a vicious fashion I will be forced to detain your (surprisingly) lovely owl until school starts. I can not imagine how such a wonderful animal could be raised by such a shit-head as you.

My summer has been great, especially because you are not in it. I'm sure you have been having a lovely time as well. Just to let you know, I've been studying hard and look forward to beating you senseless in Advanced Potions this year.

Gryffindor love,

Ginny

He smiled at Ginny's graceful lady-like handwriting incongruously contrasting her insulting letter. Draco wasn't angry at her despite her mean comments; it was true that he had said some rather rude things about her family. He didn't really know why he insulted her family in writing, for some reason it seemed more hurtful. It was Ginny, though, and he trusted her to insult him right back.

He laughed at her "Gryffindor love" closing. It was their inside joke, and the fact that she had included it meant she wasn't mad at his mean comments. Ginny had said once that she loved having him as a Concealment partner like a Gryffindor loves a Slytherin, insinuating that she hated him. He had laughed so hard he had gotten a detention. But after that, their goodbyes always ended with Gryffindor love, or Slytherin love.

He was glad that her summer was going well, though he wished that the school year would start already. He didn't know why he had the impulse to write her, maybe he missed her, or he didn't want her to change, after all they weren't that good of friends. Draco shoved that idea out of his head; Weasley was, well, a Weasley, and thus a problem. At least he had gotten in a good insult.

Draco caught a whiff of his father's cologne; Lucius was back from France with the other Death Eaters. Draco hastily shoved Ginny's letter in his robes and stood up just as Lucius walked into the room.

Lucius had made it clear from the time Draco was born that he was to become a Death Eater when he graduated from Hogwarts. But plans seemed to have drastically changed. Draco heard something had happened when they were in France, and it was a big deal. The Death Eaters had allegedly found and killed the Second Prophecy, who was supposed to be only legend. Something told Draco that it had direct affect on his father's plans of what to do with him.

"Ah, Draco, good to see you are around today," Lucius sniffed, his eyes narrowing and his aristocratic nose high in the air, obviously noticing Draco's lack of surfacing in the manor. He looked at Draco with distain, a slight smirk forming on his face. "I know I said that you would be initiated when you graduate from that horrid school your mother insists on sending you too, but as you have probably heard, plans have changed."

"So, there really was a Second Prophecy?" Draco asked, turning to face the fire in the fireplace.

"Yes, and your time has come. The Dark Lord has plans for you," Lucius said quietly. But Draco heard the excitement and pride in his voice, and quickly looked back at his father. Searching his eyes, he thought he briefly saw the emotion he had been looking for his entire life – love.

This was the chance to prove himself to his father, Draco though with elation, though he didn't let the feeling show on his face. After years of hard work and learning at Hogwarts, and privately tutoring himself on the side, Draco knew this was the opportunity to finally gain his father's respect.

Although, the feeling of wanting his father's love had waned significantly over the past few years, Draco looked as his Death Eater training with renewed vigor. His father would constantly cut him down, chastising him if his grades were perfect, then humiliate him if he slipped in one of his classes (thus his problem with the Weaslette). His performance on the Quidditch team was also the source of constant criticism, almost to the point where Draco would have urges to quit. But Malfoy's are not quitters.

Finally his chance to be something great had arrived, and he would prove his father wrong and become a powerful Dark wizard. With a little hard work, he would become more powerful than even Lucius himself.

"As you wish, Father," Draco stated simply, making sure his voice carried none of the eager emotions that were tearing through him, and glanced back to the fire.

"Excellent," Lucius clipped, again with excitement and walked out of the room. Draco followed without instruction.

Continue:D