(a/n: You guys are so super-awesome, I LOVE getting your reviews! And all your questions will be answered in time, but this chapter doesn't do it, sorry! That's just not important, in my opinion...right? they kissed, and that's important, right? right. I think so...so don't hate me or stop reading:) because I LOVE YOU!)

Chapter Ten, More Than Friends

"And if we were walking down a dead end street,
would you be the one to let our eyes meet?
Or would you just keep on walking, down to the turnaround?
Cause you know I'd be proud,
If you'd call my name out loud.
If you'd call my name out loud.
Do you suppose that I would come running?
Do you suppose I'd come at all?
I suppose I would..." -'Out Loud', Dispatch

Ginny spent most of the rest of the break in silence. She complied with any and every request, even ones that involved chores, and missing out on Order meetings. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione had moved into Grimmauld Place pending the restoration of their almost completely destroyed home. The battle had taken its toll on The Burrow. That night...that Christmas Eve...changed everything. She'd never been so scared, so angry, so confused, so happy...all in two minutes. She wasn't sure what to make of anything, so she just bowed out of anything she could, and retreated into herself to figure it out.

Her favorite part of school these days was their late nights together...the things he said, the way he said them - something in him understood something in her, and it was comforting. They fought often, and when they did it could be a blowout, but they always ended up on the same side. And then...the kiss...her head went reeling every time she thought about the kiss. It was completely unexpected, she didn't think those were the kinds of feelings she harbored for him, but...it was...amazing, to say the least.

But she kept wondering if he felt the same way. She hadn't heard from him since that moment, when they'd pulled apart and rejoined the fight. She saw him put the mask back on, and that was it. She hadn't even seen Nally, so he still had her things.

Sometimes, late at night, when she was feeling particularly lonely, she pulled out his cloak and stared at it. She hadn't given it back, like he'd given Harry's cloak back. It was so big, and so warm...she felt safe, like she could hide under it and the world around her would just disappear, so when she was feeling brave, sometimes she'd even put it on. Falling asleep under the heavy cloak made her feel protected in some odd way, like he was actually there and she wasn't alone.

Harry had kept up his prolonged absences, although after the Christmas Eve battle, they became more frequent and sometimes even included Hermione and Ron. They even missed the Hogwarts Express back to school because they were off on one of their adventures. Ginny didn't feel like socializing at the moment, so she went to the back of the train and found an empty compartment.

She sat down and looked out the window, unsure of what she hoped to see. She shivered, and it wasn't until then that she realized just how cold it was. She pulled her cloak tighter around her, and debated taking out Draco's cloak just because it was heavier, but decided it wasn't worth the risk of someone seeing her and having to deal with their questions.

She got out her diary and began to write. She didn't know where to begin, so she just wrote whatever thoughts passed through her mind, about Draco's cloak, about the kiss, about her pictures and necklace, anything really. A few minutes later her compartment door opened.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Weaselette." Drawled a familiar, sarcastic voice. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Well, well, well," she mocked, "If it isn't Hogwarts' biggest prat." She looked up at his smirking face with her eyebrows raised, and noticed Crabbe and Pansy flanking him on either side. "In case you hadn't noticed, Malfoy, you're missing a minion." She commented neutrally. Crabbe's eyes narrowed, Pansy's nose turned up, but Draco just smirked.

"Well, thank you for that. I'm sure that if you hadn't so keenly observed, I wouldn't have noticed."

"Probably not, with the amount those two say."

"At least my friends are here," Ginny had to use everything in her not to laugh out loud at that - his friends? ...riiight. "Where are yours? Dead, I hope."

"My friends?" She asked innocently, "No, last I heard they were alive."

"So they aren't coming back to Hogwarts? Pity. I'm sure Granger's throwing a hissy fit about her duties." Then something hit him, "Oh, no." he began, shaking his head, closing in on Ginny. "When is she coming back?" Ginny looked up, surprised.

"Draco, why do you care?" Pansy asked haughtily.

"Because if she's not here that means I have to do all the work by myself." He spat viciously. Ginny giggled,

"I don't know when they're coming back. You might just have to get used to that." His eyes narrowed as she went back to doodling in her diary. "Get out of here," she stated.

"Aw, look, the littlest Weasel needs time to whine to her diary. It's a shame Potter had to go and destroy the last one she used." Pansy mocked, stepping next to Draco so that she was almost behind him. It was because of this step that she didn't see the color drain out of Draco's face, or his eyes widen for a second. It looked like she was a child, hiding behind her parent for fear of getting in trouble for her comment.

And in trouble she was, Ginny placed her diary on her lap and took a deep breath. Her face was a brilliant shade of red now, and her blood was raging.

"Get. Out." She said softly, but with more venom than ever. "Now. You stupid. Cow." She turned her glare up to the trio. She rested her gaze on Pansy, who shifted behind Draco just a little bit more. So she glared at Draco, who looked like he was frozen.

"Or what, Weasley?" He prodded her, and she drew her wand.

"I said get out!" She yelled as she stood up to face them. "GET OUT!" Pansy and Crabbe scrambled out, but Ginny knew they weren't gone yet, they were just outside waiting for Draco. She advanced on him, and was surprised that she wasn't yet breathing fire.

"Don't do anything stupid." He whispered.

"Get out." She hissed. "Get out now." He locked eyes, and she saw that he knew what Pansy had done was over the line, and that he was sorry. She didn't care, though. He nodded curtly and left, and she saw Pansy and Crabbe follow him back to the front of the train.

She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. How dare she say something like that...how DARE she. Ginny hadn't wanted to fling insults at them, because she wasn't sure where she stood with Draco, but if he let them say things like that...

She went back to her diary and started writing furiously about Pansy and what a...well, there were lots of things about Pansy. And about Draco, and about the whole ordeal.

When her hand got tired a few minutes later, she just leaned back and looked out the window. She heard the compartment door slide open again and she shut her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone." She said in a dispassionate voice. She was greeted with silence, so after a moment, she looked up. Draco was standing there, just waiting. "Oh, it's you..."

"Should I go?" He asked tentatively.

"No...it's fine...whatever." She said, looking back out the window. She couldn't bear to face him.

He sat down, and after she gave him a surprised look and glanced at the door, he understood.

"Don't worry, they're eating - the lunch cart is coming around and I said I had to patrol." She could see that he'd locked the door and put something over the window, so no one could see in. She sighed, she knew she wasn't going to get out of this one.

They sat in silence for a moment, Ginny really didn't feel like talking.

"I'm sorry," he began, "for what Pansy said...it was out of line." His tone was so proper, she had to roll her eyes. From what he was saying, she couldn't get a read on whether or not he felt it was wrong, or if he'd just seen how she'd reacted, and was apologizing as a formality. Whatever the reason, she didn't respond.

"I have your things back in my compartment, I can give them back later on." She smiled, she'd almost forgotten about them. That brought back all the memories, everything that had happened. She turned and looked at him, and he stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She could see the walls up behind his eyes - he was on his guard.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for that...for Nally." He seemed to relax a lot when she softened.

"Of course," he said nonchalantly. "You were lucky." She nodded,

"I know." The silence that surrounded them seemed more awkward than usual. Ginny supposed it was because of the kiss, and just hoped it didn't last. Losing Draco's company was the last thing she needed right now.

They heard a knock on the door, and someone called 'Lunch cart!' through the door. Draco opened it, and stood up as if to buy something.

"What do you want?" he asked her. Ginny stood up and went to her trunk.

"Nothing, thanks. My Mum made me a turkey sandwich." She said. He looked at her like she was crazy.

"You're not actually going to eat it, are you?"

"Of course I am, what else would I eat?"

"Red, what do you want off the cart?"

"I already have a sandwich, Draco, I don't need anything."

"I didn't ask what you needed, I asked what you wanted."

"Draco, I'm fine!"

"Red," he said warningly. She tried to supress a laugh, she couldn't believe they were fighting over what she was going to have for lunch.

"I have lunch, Draco, and it's perfectly fine."

"C'mon, who wants a turkey sandwich when you can have Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes?" She rolled her eyes and decided to try a new approach as she opened her sandwich. He grimaced at it...it did look pretty gross. She'd put it in her trunk with everything else, so it'd gotten smushed and a bit soggy on the ride.

"I don't have any money." She said, getting ready to eat. Draco rolled his eyes and turned to the lady with the lunch cart, who was waiting impatiently

"Well? What'll it be?"

"Six Cauldron Cakes, four Chocolate Frogs, two Pumpkin juices and one Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." He said.

"Pig." Ginny muttered amusedly.

"I heard that," Draco called, "and shut it, Red - half of it's for you."

"Draco!" She said, "Stop it!"

"You're not eating that." He admonished her sandwich. She rolled her eyes - it didn't look appetizing to her, either, and she was done fighting with him.

So they locked the door again and sat to eat. Every time Ginny went to grab something to eat, she would ask Draco first, and after the first three treats he began to get frustrated and throw things at her before she could ask for them - it made her giggle.

"You're mental." She sighed. He chuckled,

"And you like me, so what does that make you?"

"Mental." He chuckled and shook his head. She grinned at him, and they made eye contact. Both of their smiles softened, and she knew that now was the time to talk about...well, everything. She looked down at her lap, which held a squirming chocolate frog.

"Thank you..." she began.

"For what?" She looked back up at him, hoping that she really didn't have to go into the events of that night, and what could have happened if he hadn't shown up when he did. "Oh, yeah..." he said gruffly. She waited for a moment...still no 'I told you so'.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and watched him eye a jelly bean, trying to figure out the flavor before he dare put it in his mouth.

"Well?" She prompted.

"Well what?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to say 'I told you so'?" He eyed her, and she was trying to figure out what his game was.

"No," he said simply, popping the small candy into his mouth. His nervousness seemed to fade away, "Chocolate," he nodded. She kept staring at him,

"Why would anyone say something like that?" Ginny asked quietly. She didn't even have to tell Draco what she was talking about.

"Don't worry, she won't bother you anymore." He said stiffly. Ginny just shook her head, "I know," he said, "I know."

They sat in a more comfortable silence, neither one wanting to try and lighten the mood. Ginny stared out the window and watched the scenery shift, flying by her.

"Red," Draco began softly, she smiled a little at the nickname, and a tear slid down her cheek. She immediately wiped it away and took a deep breath. She looked at him, and saw a concerned face looking back. His silver eyes swirled with worry and care, and he looked as if he were about to reach out.

But he was Draco, so, of course, he didn't reach out. She smiled amusedly at that thought, and scooted closer to him on the bench. He moved their lunch trash out of the way for her, and put his arm around her. They held each other close as she finally let the emotions she'd been keeping bottled up since Christmas Eve out. She didn't cry, but she was scared and angry, happy and coy, sad and lonely, all at the same time. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, and looked up into his eyes.

"So..." she began, "Where does that leave us?" Draco smirked,

"Here you go with that 'us' talk, again..." he said, shaking his head. She smiled,

"Yes, here I go again. What...why did you do that?" She asked, referring to the kiss, but unsure of how to say that. Hopefully he would just get it, like he usually did. He smiled and shook his head again,

"What am I going to do with you?" She grinned and held him tighter. "You love me, and you know it." He raised his eyebrows, as if to challenge the statement, and she just stuck her tongue out playfully at him.

They both chuckled a bit, before looking at each other with identical soft smiles on their faces, and he leaned in again.

Ginny had never experienced a kiss like the kisses she shared with Draco. Something inside her just snapped when it happened, and she just wanted to smile all the time. His lips were so soft and welcoming, and she couldn't help but move closer to him.

He held her tighter, and she felt like they were the only people in the world, like nothing else could ever matter if they were to stay like this. The kiss deepened, Ginny couldn't figure out (nor did she care) who initiated it. She crawled onto his lap and kissed him more.

Finally they broke apart and stared at each other. Neither one seemed to want to break the eye contact or the silence, for fear of losing the moment.

Ginny smiled at him, and he broke the silence.

"So where does that leave us?" He smirked. She laughed openly, and smacked his arm.

"I asked you first!" She retorted.

"Well, isn't that a childish way of going about this," he scoffed. Ginny just giggled at him.

"Oh, shut it, you prat." They laughed, and looked at each other.

"I better go," Draco said, and she just nodded as she slid off his lap. She didn't want him to leave, she liked his company, but knew that if he stayed much longer someone would come looking for him.

"You'll come tonight, right?" She asked hopefully. He smiled down at her as he stood up.

"Yeah," He smirked, and with that, he was gone. Ginny smiled at the door and sighed. Her life was upside down, backwards and yet alright, all at once. She shook her head and went back to her diary, but found that there was nothing she could say. She was OK, and that was about it. She stared at the pages, quill in hand, for awhile, then finally put it all away and stared out the window, dreaming of what could be, what might be...

That night, after dinner, Ginny went to the hospital wing of -gasp- her own accord. She wanted to get a head start on healing potions for the new year - she was going to take inventory of what she and Madam Pomfrey did and didn't have, and what potions were out of date and needed to be replaced, and then she was going to make them all herself. She hummed a quiet tune while working, one her mother used to sing while she cooked, and smiled until it was time to go back to Gryffindor Tower.

She stayed in the common room for a few minutes, waiting for everyone to go to bed before she stole out. Once she climbed out of the portrait hole and made sure she was alone in the corridor, she almost skipped towards the library. As she rounded another corner, not paying attention to her path, she ran straight into Draco. She almost fell, but his Seeker skills kicked in again, and he caught her.

She grinned up at him and he just smirked down at her.

"What are you doing out so late?" She rolled her eyes, "You know, I should take points for this...let's see...yes, ten points from Gryffindor sounds good." She got her footing and smacked his arm.

"That's not fair!" She gasped, and he chuckled.

"You shouldn't be out after curfew."

"You! ...you said...! But! I'm always out after curfew!" Ginny sputtered. He laughed and she pushed him away.

"Aw, that's no way to treat me!" He said, moving back towards her.

"You are such a prat." She stated with a grin on her face.

"Wouldja stop calling me that?"

"Would you stop being such a prat?" She shot back. "Why are you out here, anyway? No one's usually around when I come down here."

"With Granger off doing God-knows-what, I'm left with all the responsibilities around here. I have to patrol both my share and hers, stupid Mu--"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Draco Malfoy." Ginny said warningly, her face turning serious.

"What? You don't like me saying Mu--"

"Draco," She warned again, with a look on her face that said simply, 'don't push it'. They stared each other down for a moment, Ginny daring him to try again, her hand making its way to her wand inside her robes. Draco just shrugged it off after a moment, and started walking towards the library.

Ginny followed him and they sat down again in their normal fashion - they'd gotten used to sitting together on the couch, she realized laying her head on his lap was quite comfortable. He reached into his robes and pulled out the things Nally had taken from her.

"Here," he said gruffly, shoving them towards her. She looked up at the pictures - the one of her family had been taken just last summer, at Bill's wedding. It was rare that the whole family was in one place at the same time, and it had been nice. Then she turned and looked at the one of her with the Golden Trio, and smiled - that one had been taken not long after her fifth year had begun, before she and Harry had gotten together. Then she took a moment to look at the locket again - a special gift from her mother when she entered Hogwarts. It had been her grandmother's before, but her Mum had thought it was an appropriate gift. Ginny stared at the beautiful ruby.

"I don't know why you like that. It's so simple, so small."

"That's why I like it. It's beauty lies in its simplicity and size. It's not gaudy or ostentatcious. It's not tacky, it's just beautiful." She kept staring at the necklace - she would have been angry with him under any other circumstances, but she was under the spell of the beautiful trinket.

"There are many other necklaces out there that are far more beautiful than that." He scoffed, she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Not to me there aren't." She said simply. She smiled at him, and thanked him again as she sat up and rested her head on his shoulder. "So where does this leave us?" Draco sighed - boys were impossible sometimes, but she wasn't about to give in. "You keep doing these nice things for me and now..."

"Now what?" Draco prompted, Ginny turned crimson.

"Well...I..." She didn't know how she was supposed to say this, or why she really needed to say it out loud... "I really like you, you prat." Adding an insult always made talking to him easier. He smirked - he was always smirking, and she just rolled her eyes. After a moment she got a bit nervous, "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

"Wasn't planning on it." he replied.

"You're impossible, you know that? No boy I've ever met has been as impossible to deal with as you." She said, smiling and shaking her head.

"I try," Draco said, chuckling a bit. After they calmed down, and a moment had passed, he wrapped his arms around her waist and continued.

"You're something else, Red...something else."

"Oh yeah?" he nodded, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I like you, too, Weasel." He said impatiently, but playfully. She smirked and relaxed, it felt better to hear him say it out loud.

"So where does that leave us?" Draco sighed frustratedly again and so she continued, ignoring him. "I mean, I know we can't tell anybody about us...about this place, but..."

"But what? You mean you want to?" he inquired, looking almost confused. She gave him a look,

"You don't?"

"No."

"...oh."

"It's just a bad idea." He stated simply. He seemed so nonchalant about it, but his arms were wrapped securely around her waist, and so she didn't get angry - she knew he was right anyway. He seemed to notice something, "Don't worry, that doesn't mean I'm not looking out for you." She wasn't sure how to reply to that. She hated being protected. She really, really hated being protected.

"You know I hate being protected."

"That's what makes it fun." He jabbed, trying to lighten the mood. She turned and glared at him for a moment, before dissolving into giggles at his face - he was practically challenging her to continue.

They decided a few minutes later that it was getting late, and they walked out of the library together. She stood theree awkwardly, not sure if she should wait for a goodnight kiss or just leave, but he seemed to be completely cool. After he shut the doors to the library, he turned and looked at her. Then he moved closer and kissed her softly.

" 'Night, Red," he whispered. She smiled as they turned to go their separate ways,

"Goodnight..."