Hiding

Chapter One

Hiding behind a smile … hiding the real me … I'm hiding from the world

Draco sat in the front row of a muggle fashion awards with his mother. Usually he wouldn't be caught dead near such a place but in order to keep his mother happy sacrifices needed to be made. He looked up from the brochure he had been reading and looked at the model now entering the catwalk. He stared at her as she walked along, he couldn't put his finger on it but for some reason she looked extremely familiar. Like he knew her from somewhere, but where? He didn't have a habit of socialising with muggles, and there was no way a witch would be the model for a muggle fashion awards night. As the night went on Draco saw the model a few more times, each time increasing the nagging feeling that he knew her.

It wasn't until the end of the night that Draco had finally gotten the woman off his mind. Narcissa and himself had been invited to one of the after parties, and his mother, being the person she was had accepted excitedly. Therefore he was currently heading towards what was no doubt going to be a boring evening full of drunken people he didn't know, nor did he want to know them.

Once they had arrived Draco separated from his mother and headed towards the bar. After awhile he decided to leave, he had fulfilled his fun quota for the night and headed towards the door. Once he was outside he went around to the alley that joined onto the club. Just as he was about to apparate a side door opened and out stumbled a woman, right into him. He stopped the person from falling and they mumbled thanks to him. Draco stepped back and looked at the person he had just helped when he realised it was the woman from the show.

'Sorry, but do I know you?' he asked, trying to sound as though he wasn't hitting on the woman, after all it was a genuine question.

'Malfoy?' the woman questioned when she finally looked up at him, 'What the hell are you doing here?'

Draco was honestly shocked when the woman recognised him, apparently she knew him as well. He looked her up and down and lingered on her face and hair. Red hair, freckles, loathing look in her eyes. He had definitely seen that look a million times in his youth.

'Merlins beard, Weasley!' he said, it suddenly dawning on him why she looked so familiar, but before he could say anything else she had wandered out onto the street and disappeared into the crowd.

Draco sighed and apparated home to the manor. Ever since the war and his fathers imprisonment the place had belonged to him, along with everything else that went with the Malfoy fortune. It had been five years since the end of the war, and a lot of things had changed since those times.

Towards the end of his sixth year, just after Dumbledore had been killed he and Snape had headed back to the Dark Lord, he had called them to him. He had witnessed the Dark Lord about to kill Snape when he found out about the unbreakable vow that had been made between his mother and the potions master. It had hit him then that he could not lead this life, the things Dumbledore had said to him still reverberating around in his head. He had quickly grabbed the potions master and apparated them to one of the many manors that nobody could access, not even Voldemort. They had then headed to the Orders headquarters and sought the help that had been offered. Of course there had been trials and doubts and it wasn't until after the final battle that they had truly accepted and believed him, after he had risked his life to save Harry and Ron's. And ever since he had become what you could call friends with the pair and had even partnered up with them at the Auror's headquarters.

Therefore due to his friendship with Potter and Weasley he knew of the youngest Weasley's disappearance after the final battle. She had played a large part in the battle as well, being the one to apprehend Lucius, even duelling with Voldemort until Harry had arrived. He knew that the family would be ecstatic to know that Ginny was alive and well, after all they hadn't spoken to her in five years. But Draco had a feeling that Ginny didn't want to be found just yet. He had no idea what he should do. He could just let it be and forget that he had ever bumped into her, he could rush over to the Burrow and tell the Weasley's or he could bide his time and find more out about this 'disappearance' before he decided what he was to do.

Draco gulped down a headache potion and lay back on his bed, deciding that he would wait until tomorrow to make his decision.

'Malfoy?' Ginny questioned when she finally looked up at the man who had helped her, 'What the hell are you doing here?'. Before he could answer Ginny rushed out onto the street and into the crowd, hoping that he wouldn't follow. For all she knew he wouldn't have recognised her anyway. He had seemed rather drunk. Hopefully he would have forgotten their encounter in the morning. Ginny however would not be able to forget it.

It had been five years since her disappearance from the wizarding world and this had been the first time in the time she had been gone that she had run into anyone, or anything to do with her old life. After the final battle she had gone home, showered, spent the night with her family and then left in the middle of the night, leaving a note saying that she needed time alone and would be back one day.

Apparently they had accepted her wish and left her alone, believing she would be back soon. That was five years ago however, she knew that they would be giving up hope of ever seeing her again. But she just didn't know if she was ready to go back to that life yet, it had been so long since the last time she had been around anything remotely magical.

At least I wont have to worry about Malfoy telling anyone about me even if he does remember me in the morning, I mean its not like he would have anything to do with anyone that I knew back then, that would simply be beneath a Malfoy, Ginny said to her cat that was currently laying on her stomach as she was lay on her bed, mulling over the events of the night.

She soon drifted off to sleep, figuring she would deal with the situation in the morning.

Draco awoke, groaning as he rolled over in his bed and sat up. He really was not in the mood to go to work today, he still hadn't decided what he was going to do about the Weasley problem and wasn't exactly up to facing Harry and Ron when he was hiding something from them. They would see through his act in a second, however he didn't have a valid reason to skive of work and so went to get ready.

Draco left the manor and apparated to the ministry, heading straight to his office. Thankfully he had missed Harry and Ron on the way up and was hoping he would have some simple paperwork to fill out today so he wouldn't need to interact with them to much. However it seemed the Gods were simply not on his side today, as soon as he entered his office he noticed Harry and Ron sitting there.

"Ah Draco, we were wondering when you were going to get here. So hook up with any hot models last night? You look like you haven't had much sleep" Ron questioned, grinning at the state of Draco.

"You're right, I haven't had much sleep, and no that is not because I had some hot model in my bed.'

"Right, then why are you looking worse for the wear, care to share? " Harry questioned

"Nope, it's nothing important" Draco lied, hoping the two men in front of him wouldn't pick up on it.

Ron and Harry looked at each other before Ron shrugged. They both stood and headed for the door, Ron turning before leaving.

"Well if you want to talk about it, you know where to find us, right Harry."

"Right!" he answered before the two closed the door behind them.

Draco slumped into his chair, resting his head in his hands. He could only hope that the two would forget about it and not ask him again. As Draco lifted his head he laughed to himself at the ironic nature of the situation that had just occurred. Five years ago Harry and Ron would have happily helped kill him, and now they were offering to be there to listen to his troubles. It had taken a long time to kick his old ways, but eventually he had noticed the idiots his father and Voldemort were. He just couldn't believe he had followed them for so long before he came to his senses.

After awhile he decided he would try and find out as much about Ginevra Weasley as he could and see what would come of it. Until then he wouldn't tell the Weasley's or Potter about her, it was up to her if she wanted to tell them.

Draco left the office later that night, the number of the modelling agency featured at the fashion show safely in his pocket.

Ginny had finally started to relax, not watching her back every two minutes. It had been a week since she had run into Malfoy and was beginning to believe that he either hadn't recognised her or couldn't remember, or most likely didn't care. Therefore when a knock sounded on her door one night and Ginny opened the door to find Draco standing there she very nearly fainted.

Ginny stood there, silent, looking at Draco who had tracked her down.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Ginny demanded, having finally regained her voice.

"Don't worry I haven't told Ron or Harry about you being here if that's what your worried about."

Ginny looked surprised, "Since when have you been on a first name basis with my brother or Harry?"

"A lot has happened in five years you know, not everything is like it was when you left our world. Including me'

"You may fought for us in the last battle but I greatly doubt that you have changed completely Malfoy"

"You can believe what you will, but in my opinion it's a bit rich of you to pass judgement on me when you're the one that up and left all the people you love" Draco said, noticing the defeat in Ginny's eyes when he said this.

"You should probably come in, before my neighbours start to talk" Ginny said, stepping aside to let Draco inside her home.

Well there we gone ... review please ... I hate it when i don't get reviews ... even if it's a bad one ... so please review :)