Disclaimer: Please note chapter 8.

Chapter 9: And Pigs Will Fly.

Draco sat on his bed and watched as Ginny walked out of his room in tears. For the life of him, he could not figure out what had her knickers in a twist. She was finally getting what she wanted from Potter so what in bloody hell was she crying about? Everything that she had done since this all started was just an act. 'Keep telling yourself that maybe one day you will believe it too.' Draco groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"...it's not what I want anymore…."

He surged to his feet, grabbing his cloak as he raced out of his room. He had to find out if she meant it.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ginny ran through the corridors. Blinded by tears, her only goal to get as far from people as she could so she headed for Moaning Myrtle's loo. Empty just as it normally was she collapsed against the back of the door trying to get herself under control before making an appearance in the Hall for supper. Getting up off the floor, she headed over to the sinks to splash water on her face. She stared at the stylized snake on the side of the broken faucet next to her. She quickly dried her face, glanced in the mirror a final time before fleeing the bathroom almost as fast as she had entered it. She now had the overwhelming desire to be surrounded by people. That lavatory always made her want people around her.

Ginny entered the great hall and almost groaned aloud. There was Harry sitting with the rest of the trio and waving franticly to get her attention. She almost headed over to the slytherin table even though Draco was not there, but figured she had to get this out of the way sooner or later. And maybe, just maybe Harry would not make a scene in front of everyone. 'Yeah right. And pigs will fly out my arse any minute.' She scoffed to herself before heading to the gryffindor table.

Settling across from Harry, she started putting food onto her plate when a throat cleared in front of her, catching her attention. Looking up, she met his startling green eyes. She braced herself for the painful tug that always came whenever she was able to look in his eyes and gasped when it did not happen. They were just normal green eyes. Studying Harry just as hard as he was studying her she started to grin. 'so that's why it hurt so much when Nikki told me Harry has feelings for me. I don't want to hurt him by telling him I like someone else…a lot…more then a lot…oh dear goddess what am I going to do?' Ginny abruptly quit grinning and put her head in her hands with a slight moan of despair.

"What's wrong Ginny? You look like you just walked through Sir Nicholas." Harry asked with concern evident in his voice.

"Nothing is wrong I-I just realised something. That's all."

"If you're sure you're okay. Listen I wanted to talk to you. Can we go outside?"

"Harry can't you just tell me here? I'm really hungry and had to skip lunch today. So either spill it here and now or wait until I'm done." Ginny looked down at her plate and started eating while trying to ignore the incredulous looks on the trios' faces. "Fine! If you won't let me eat in peace, we might as well talk it out while I'm eating." She paused and stared at Harry, "well?"

"If you want. I would rather say this in private so I'd like to wait."

"No. Never mind, it's now or never Potter. I need to talk to Draco when I'm done."

He looked a bit shocked, and it took her a minute to figure out it was caused by her calling him by his surname. "Ginny, what has gotten into you? I think you really need to break it off with Malfoy. There's a Hogsmead trip tomorrow, why don't you come with me?"

"Yeah Ginny, go with Harry. Then you two could meet up with us at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Like a double date." Ron threw in.

"That would be great. Do you want to Gin?" Hermione asked.

Ginny let out a bitter laugh and stood up, "oh yeah that's just the thing to make me leave Draco. Dangle the fucking proverbial carrot in front of my nose. You people are just too much, really you are. You do not give a shit about anyone else I ever dated, but the minute I start to even look at someone that is not your friend or for some reason socially unacceptable you flip out, and heaven forbid that I actually fall for them. Well let me tell you something. All of you need to BACK THE FUCK OFF! I DON'T NEED YOU NOW, NOR DID I EVER NEED ANY OF YOU TO PROTECT ME." Her voice dropped to a whisper that they could hardly hear with her shouts still echoing in the hall. "The one time, the only time I needed you, any of you, all of you, you ignored me. Even when I did try to tell you."

She grabbed her books and fled the hall. She bumped into someone who had been standing directly behind her, but with her hair in her face, she could not tell who it was, so she just mumbled a quick sorry and tried to skirt around him or her. Just when she thought she was free, a hand grabbed her making her books scatter across the floor. "LET ME GO YOU SODDING PILLOCK!" Who ever it was did not let go. Instead, they pulled her into the soft comfort of an embrace that she knew, and an instant later she relaxed against him, started crying, and kept saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Draco's hand ran soothingly up and down her back while his other hand tangled in her hair and held her, shaking, to him. He whispered soothing words into her ear while leveling a death glare at each of the trio in turn before demanding, "What in the bloody hell did you do to her?"

"We haven't done a damned thing to her; we care about her and wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Which is a shit load better then you treat her. All you want from her is information about me and what I am up to; you don't care about her at all. Everything you do is just to get her to trust you. You think we can't see what you're up to but we know Malfoy. We know you have the mark." Silence blanketed the hall after Harry made that accusation. Soon an angry murmur rose around the hall.

Sneering at everyone around him, he pulled Ginny away from his chest and brought her eyes up to meet his. The minute their eyes locked his entire face softened and he asked, "Are you ok?" When she nodded, he turned to face the trio once again smirking. "The Dark Mark huh? I do not have the mark. I would never get that foul thing on my skin. I would never let that foul creature close enough to me to get it in the first place." Draco rolled up both of his sleeves past his elbows, turned in a slow circle with arms extended for everyone to see, then rolled his sleeves back down and gathered Ginny back in his arms. "Come on love. Let's get out of here. I asked Blaise go get some food from the kitchens. He will meet us in my rooms."

Ginny had started sobbing again as Draco was talking about Voldermort and was shaking so hard with her tears that she could barely stand. Seeing how disconnected she was Draco swept her up into his arms and turned to leave, the crowd parting before him.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nikki stood slowly as she watched Draco carry Ginny from the hall. A hand settled on her shoulder and pulled her back against a hard male chest. Turning, ready to tell off who ever it was that dared lay a hand on her, Nikki found herself staring into the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen. She could not do anything but stare at the vision in front of her. From the long black hair and hung loose and straight to the middle of his back, the smooth satin of his olive skin, and the sad smile that graced his lips, she fought to take all of it in, she didn't know when she would be able to get this close to slytherins other sex god again.

"Blaise?"

He drew her close and hugged her tight before replying. "Come on squirt. She is going to need you." Blaise moved her to his side and turned her so they could follow Draco and Ginny.

"What the hell Nikki. Are you a house traitor too? Ran out of people in your own house to shag and finally had to go trolling about for snakes?"

She barely felt the imperceptible tightening around her arms before she flew over the table and had her fist quite firmly planted in the middle of Harry's face. The sickening crunch that followed the soft thud of her fist could be heard about half way across the hall. Drawing herself up to her full five feet of height Nikki closed the distance between herself and Harry. She could smell the blood pouring from his nose as she looked up at him.

"Just because I have turned down your overly enthusiastic offers down since my 3rd year, you think you have the right to judge me? You seldom ever talked to me except to try to get into my pants. You want everyone here to know just what a letch you are. I have absolutely no problem letting everyone know if you would like me to. Oh wait I guess I just did. Thank Merlin I have not gone into detail or Ginny would never look at you again. You know what, that is a fan-fucking-tastic idea. I think I will go tell her now."

"Nooooo, you can't. That was a long time ago. It is over and past now. You can't tell her. She wouldn't understand." Harry said dejectedly through the blood running down his face.

"A long time ago? Harry you call 2 weeks ago a long time. My gods you are a miserable excuse for a man. Ginny is better off with Draco. At least he tells her the truth." Nikki fled the hall with tears threatening to fall from her eyes while Harry stood there with a very angry slytherin standing in front of him.

"If you ever lay a finger on Nikki again I will disembowel you with great relish and string your insides around our common room for decorations. And if you ever look at Ginny wrong I can promise that what I would do to you about Nikki would be a picnic compared to what Draco would do to you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Blaise had just entered the entrance hall and was heading to where he heard muffled sobs coming from behind a suit of armor when someone touched his arm making him stop and draw up short. Looking over his shoulder, he let out an exasperated sigh before turning to raise an eyebrow as the only sign he noticed the girl in front of him.

"Does…does Draco really care about Ginny? I'm not asking if he loves her or anything like that just if he has any feelings for her at all or if the rumours are true and he is just using her." Hermione asked shyly, while searching his eyes for some sign that he would tell her the truth.

"Do you think he would have stood by her in there, or much less carried her out while she was crying if he didn't? Right know even Draco doesn't know what is going on with what he feels, but I can tell you this; he hurts every time he sees her cry. Warn Potter that if he wishes to live to defeat moldie Voldie that he needs to leave our girls alone."

"Our girls? Do you have a harem or something?"

"No. Just Ginny and Nikki. If I see him near Nikki I will kill him."

"But you don't even know her. Why would you do so much for someone you don't know?"

"Oh but I do know her. We have been dating since her third year. I always knew someone was trying to force his attention on her but I could never figure out whom. Now I know and you can tell your precious hero boy that I know everything. Moreover, it will stop or I will make sure he can never try again. You got that.

Hermione nodded mutely as she watched Blaise scoop up something from behind a suit of armor. He cuddled what looked like a bundle of clothes to his chest as he rose and started down the hall toward Draco's private rooms. Hermione could hear him murmuring to the buddle, shock widened her eyes as she realized it was Nikki in his arms. The loving things he was saying made her feel faint with the revelation that what he said was, in part, true.

"Shhh, it's alright love, I've got you and I won't ever let you go. Shh, I love you, it's alright…" Blaise continued walking down that hall oblivious to the audience of one that was watching avidly as he disappeared around the corner.

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A/N:I am sooo completely sorry but my chapters just seem to cut them selves off once in a while. I apologise to anyone who is a Harry fan but it just came out that way. Wasn't what I had planned on writing at all. Anyway, Now I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers for Chapter 8, ALL 9 of you. (gosh I feel loveinsert sarcasm here) but really thank you to Daisy Rae: Sorry that there isn't much happy here. But it made me giggle; Angelique Collins: yeah I am still hoping Draco tells her that one of these days; moonpixi; MCdoubleE: I hope this brought more chuckles to you; elf grrl: lurve and all that shite…PDP's!; GinnyGINvampire00 aka Evon:I have a beta thank the gods for her too. Wonderful Aurora!; KeeperofthePineNeedles: "Talking to yourself is never a good sign."; Juicyprincess; BabyKat Felton; deaths-confidantI know Harry isn't bad, He is just a prick sometimes.

All of you are wonderful but I would love to put an extra thank you out there to Aurora Rezayne my beta for putting up with me (And anyone who want to read about a beautiful torture session staring Umbridge check out her story To Torture A Frog).

And also for my comic relief elf grrl for keeping me laughing even though it is like 3 am for her most mornings. (If you like a good fast paced and slightly twisted fic Check hers out.)

And now to put this hideously long authors note to an end, I am also working on a one shot that will be called Secrets Beneath The Oxy Glow. Look for it sometime this coming week.