Disclaimer: Hey I don't own Harry potter. Or anything you may recognize it all comes from the deep depths of JK's brain. I'm just fooling with the characters to keep myself and others busy while I wait for the next book in the wonderfully astoundingly brilliant Harry Potter series. So please don't sue (you won't get much, only a couple oxidized pennies, and I haven't done anything wrong).

AN: Hey um this story I personally think is crap but if you like it yay. For some great reads (If you don't mind harry/draco slash) Go read Harry Potter and the Night Creatures, and also read Harry Potter and Gaining Momentum (it's also H/D slash). Oh and I don't write slash I just read it if it's recommended to me by one of my friends. Okay let's clear some things up. First of chapter 12 is ten and a half pages. Chapter 13 is eight and a half pages so the chapters are a bit longer. Next the skip ahead in time does occur in chapter 13 like planned before. And just because I haven't updated in a long time doesn't mean I've ditched the story. Remember If I'm going to ditch I will update with an authors note saying I have ditched the story (Though I don't think I'm going to ditch the story) so hang tight if I don't update in a long time it's probably because I have homework from school so I don't have time to write much. Sorry if this chapter is slightly short.

Thanks to my reviewers:

HOBOrules: Ya sorry about my "bloody cliffhangers". Glad I got the effect of sadness through to you and the other people. Doesn't anyone think Percy is and ass?

Arwentheelf: Thanks for reviewing and also for reading my AN. I think I will make a sequel.

MiSzjaYjOckSz: Yay a new reviewer. Keep reviewing. Wow you really think this is a good story.

Next I highly doubt any of you care about anything I have to say in the AN's so on with the story.

Ginny's mind raced with the thought and the idea took hold. She tried reasoning with herself but there was no point. Instead she got up and walked out of the dormitory. Silently she hid the rope inside her robes before crossing the common room. No one noticed the small figure skirting around in the shadows and through the portrait hole. Ginny traced her way through the castle to a spot that she knew would be empty. It was a secret room, though the secret rooms at Hogwarts usually weren't that secret to students she had full confidence that she would have the privacy she need. Lightly springing up on the balls of her feet she grabbed her wand in a smooth movement and tapped a corner stone in the low ceiling above her head.

She moved aside as a fair sized hole opened in the ceiling and an old silvery rope ladder fell out. Her mind still racing in the invincible hold the idea of suicide had on her. It seemed to the perfect answer to all her problems. No more worries, if she was dead she could finally help the world, do something good and she would finally be happy. Without a single nagging thought to pester her, she could be free of hurt and never hurt anyone else again. Never be the cause off ruin; never have to listen to anyone. She would be gone forever, her soul would scatter and she would end her memories on the last peaceful thought of finally doing something right. It would be the only thing she ever did right and that was all she was going to do now. It was such an appealing thought that it shut her from the rest of the world.

In-closed within her mind she didn't notice the hunched figure sitting in the shadows. A pair of silvery gray eyes shining in the pale light that came from a solitary window. The eyes followed Ginny as she stumbled though the heavy darkness. Ginny found herself knocking into the one tall stool that she knew was in the room. Without having to think about it she pulled out the coil of rope and her fingers worked the frayed cord into the deadly noose. Climbing up on the wobbling stool she fastened the other end of the cord into a broken old chandelier that glinted in the pale light. As she looked through the noose that hung before her no second thoughts came to rescue her.

"Wow weaslette it seems your braver than me," The voice was icy cold but had a half-hearted, solemn tone.

Ginny startled nearly fell off the stool. She realized that she had in her preoccupation walked right past the person sitting in the shadows. But once she was over her initial shock and had kicked herself for her stupidity she replied, "What are you doing here Malfoy, wait a minute I don't care, just get lost cause you're the last person I want to see right now,"

"Hey in case you didn't notice I complemented you, where are your manners. But seriously I wish I were as brave as some of you Griffindors. How I wish I could just kill myself, or maybe even gather enough courage so I could deal with my problem." Draco hardly seemed in the mood to make smart comments; in fact he seemed as though he hardly knew what he was saying.

Ginny forgetting what she was about to do, felt curious. What on earth was Malfoy on about, why would he ever want to kill himself. Her mind raced thinking of possible reason for the way Malfoy was acting. Nothing half-reasonable came to her so she burst out, "Either tell me what you're on about or get your bloody ass out of here!"

Draco sighed submissively and took a deep breath, "Okay, if you must know I got this letter from dear old dad," he said kicking the crumple piece of parchment that lay at his feet. And it pretty much telling me that I'm about old enough to join dear old Voldemort now." He smirked at the impression that was visible on Ginny's voice. He knew she was shocked that he was being so rude on the topic of the dark lord. "That means that I have to kill at least one person in my career if not more, and I just can't do it"

Ginny watched stunned as Draco broke down in front of her. She realized she had climbed down from the stool. She felt out of place and awkward standing there watching him in an emotional heap. "Hold on there," suddenly she felt positive that he was pulling her leg, this was no way for a Malfoy to act. "You're telling me that you're afraid to kill someone, after all these years of bragging and boasting about the dark side, it was all just a front. Oh and if you're so afraid why were you so eager about joining the dark side?"

"Well I've pretty much been down to join since I was born my father and mother being involved and all, but it's not as though I want to. If I tried to back out I would be dead and so I have to put up the front. Also in case you haven't noticed I have a reputation to uphold. I can't just let my life crash. Not that it matters now."

Draco looked so forlorn that Ginny couldn't help feeling some pity for him. After all these years he had teased her she was surprised at her reaction but maybe it was because she had a shrewd idea of how he felt. "Look why don't you go to Dumbledore?"

"Because if I do father will get wind of it and he can't be forced to release me from his custody unless they had solid evidence that he would harm me. So he would kill me as soon as I went home or the first chance he gets. And see that's the thing I'm afraid of death." For a moment he looked stunned at his own words, as though he didn't believe he had just told Ginny all those things.

"I'm sorry Draco," Ginny said. She really was and even more so as she saw silent tears break forth from his eyes. She had never thought she would see Draco cry but now she felt horrible about it. She went and sat beside him against the stone wall. Now all thoughts of suicide had left her mind. She finally understood that he had acted the way he had all these years, because he had to. She reached her hand out tentatively and placed it on top off his. It was cool to the touch and she watched his face for any sign of anger at her action. But there was no change in his expression. For a moment he sat frozen then lightly leaned his face onto her shoulder.

To him it felt comforting, and he had always had a thing for the calm and collective Weasley though he would never admit it. He felt his body relax and his mind calm down. He saw that Ginny was watching him. He smirked lightly and lifted his head from her shoulder. "Thanks Ginny, but I don't want to hear a word of this in the school." His voice wasn't commanding if anything it was pleading.

Ginny nodded, "sure thing. You can talk to me if you need to you know, " She thought he would refuse but felt she had to say it.

"Thanks maybe I'll take that offer sometime." And after one last smirk he got up and left.

Ginny could hardly believe what had happened but suddenly it hit her that she had a little thing for the side of Draco she had seen just now. Numbly she got up onto the stool and loosened the rope from the chandelier. She pulled the loop apart and stowed the rope inside her robes. She mentally kicked herself for even thinking of suicide and walked out the exit thinking about how stupid she had been. But now she had a new problem. She couldn't like Draco, not even for a day, but maybe that was it, maybe it was just for one day. For her own sake it better be she thought.

Draco found himself dazed and utterly confused over what had just happened. He had gone to the secret room in hopes of having some peace, something he couldn't acquire in the Slytherin common room. He had sat in the room for a unknown amount of time and had been shocked when the youngest Weasley had entered. He had thought that no one else who knew about the room would be using it in the middle of the day.

Then everything happened in blur, he didn't even know why he had spilled all his secrets especially to the weaslette. But then again it could have been the little fancy he had for the feisty redhead. But what he had done would surely cost him, he could of course hope that Ginny wouldn't tell anyone. But hope was for fools he had to take action, he knew somehow he'd be able to convince the redhead into keeping his secret. After all he was a Slytherin and they had their ways of persuasion. If he waited for hope his stupidity would be all over the school and his life would only go down the drain.

After a good couple hours of stewing up different plans he finally decided on the 'shut it or else' plan to start things out. He thought that Ginny would probably refuse but the or else was bad enough to turn her answer around. He hated to do this but it had to be done not only to keep his reputation but also to keep his father from finding out. He knew that he would pay dearly if word reached his father that he was reluctant to join Voldemort. And word would reach him if things were spread across the school, because Draco knew very well that Voldemort had his people in the school. Almost all the seventh years in his house had joined up with Voldemort.

He felt himself shiver lightly as he sneaked up behind the little Weasley. Something about her always got Draco worked up a bit, some people would say flustered but a Malfoy couldn't get flustered over a Weasley let alone a Griffendor. He placed a swift hand around the Weasleys mouth and another around her waist and pulled her into the small room behind him. Before letting Ginny go he shut the door and soundproofed the room. For a moment Ginny looked around for her captor then spotting Malfoy sighed heavily.

"And what do you want Malfoy?' she asked in a scathing tone.

Draco had to admit she had some style, she could almost be a Slytherin the way she acted sometimes. Wouldn't that make his life easy then he would have to worry about his little fancy for the weaslette. But he remembered without missing a beat what he had to do. "Well I'm just here to remind you that the conversation in the room didn't occur. You are to tell no one what I said there or else!" His cool manner was evident and the Draco that Ginny had seen in the room didn't seem to exist.

"Well I said I wouldn't didn't I, you may be a scum but it seems you have some emotions and so I hope it won't be too hard for you to understand that I mean what I say." Ginny replied almost immediately.

Draco was thrown by this answer, he had been expecting her to say 'or else what'. It had to be a trick right? But somehow he didn't think so. Without thinking he blurted out, "Really, do you mean that Weasley?"

"Of course I do Draco, I don't make it a habit of ruining others lives especially when the person in question actually has feelings." Ginny felt a Malfoy like smirk play across her face and felt a light flutter in the pit of her stomach as she watched Draco smile gratefully. Then it hit her that she was using Draco's first name and he didn't even notice. She felt herself going red and she felt his eyes on her.

Draco had a feeling that she would hold this over his head but found he didn't care. For a moment he felt his air of superiority slip and he glanced almost hungrily at the Ginny. Taking in ever curve and dip, then he looked back up at her face which he noticed with pleasure was going a fair shade of scarlet. He loved the way Ginny held herself most often with a unruffled air but he also loved seeing her flustered and nervous. He also realized he loved the almost Slytherin attitude of the fiery redhead.

Suddenly they both reclaimed their cool, restful composure. Almost at once Draco gave a dismissive wave and Ginny turned around in a flurry of black looking back only to give a light almost invisible smile. Draco felt a unique sense of pride and success swish through his mind not to mention a gush of warmth that filled him from head to toe. But on the outside he remained the composed and ice-cold Slytherin he had always appeared to be.

Ginny left the room heading for Griffendor tower feeling almost exhilarated. She hadn't felt this happy in ages. But it brought her hopes down when she thought of who had made her feel so giddy. Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin if anything, and also a Malfoy. But to think a Malfoy had feelings somehow made her think about all the house competitions. Why couldn't it be possible for a Griffendor and a Slytherin to get together? Then she brought herself back down to reality, first of all it was against the flow and would definitely not work and second why on earth would Draco like her anyway, sure he had feelings but did that mean he had any for her. Somehow her instinct told her he did have something for her but common sense banished the possibility.

She would just have to forget about him. But it wasn't that easy, his angelic looks and form filled her mind's eye and she sighed lightly. Maybe she could just figure out what was going on in Draco's head then she would have a better chance at ever having Malfoy like her. But this was a dangerous plan, because she couldn't be caught or noticed. Was she really ready to risk her pride for a crush? But it didn't feel like an ordinary crush, usually she had the giddy feeling almost as though she just a pre-teen school girl but looking at Malfoy arose a new feeling that completely overwhelmed her while still allowing her to think. This had to be done carefully and she couldn't think while standing in the middle of the hallway. And so she set off again before even realizing she had stopped. She was going to figure this out no matter what it took. - End of chapter 11 - TBC