Wow. In two days, I got like twenty-four reviews or something on chapter eleven. So to thank you, I'm writing a chapter, to put out today. And I'm going to try to make it really long. I don't know if I'll be successful though. Well, thanks to all my reviewers and all my readers, but my hit counter isn't working, so I don't know exactly how many of you there were . . . here's the next chapter! This has a bit of comic relief.

Chapter Twelve

Draco and Ginny went to bed late that night after having exhausting conversations about their visions all day long. Draco, of course, being the gentleman that he was, gave Ginny the bed, because he could tell from her red-rimmed eyes and her shaking hands, that she needed to go to sleep soon. This resigned Draco to sleep on the couch, with a thin green blanket and a fluffy green pillow.

Draco, however, was not used to sleeping on anything less than the best. All his years at home, he had the best beds, with the best mattresses, and in his years at Hogwarts, he'd had the best beds and mattresses. However, this couch did not rate on the top 100 best mattresses, more like on the top 100 worst mattresses. Draco lay there, not sleeping, for half an hour before he made up his mind to do something.

He quietly stood up and left the room that he was sharing with Ginny, closing the door softly and heading off through the building to the dungeons. He was doing it for two reasons. The first one being the fact that the couch had hurt his back, and walking seemed to ease some of the tensions. Secondly, he couldn't stand a man who hit women, so he had some unfinished business. Why do it in the middle of the night? Because he promised Ginny that he wouldn't do it at all.

He scurried down the hallways until he reached the door to Slytherin dungeon, thankful that he hadn't seen anybody in the hallway. He whispered the password (I'm a purey), and stepped into the dimly lit Slytherin common room.

He tiptoed into the boys dormitories and shuffled around to Blaise's bed. He cast a quick 'silencio' charm on the bed and opened up the hangings so that he could see Blaise's face to hit him. Unfortunately, Blaise was sleeping on his stomach, and though it went against his reputation, Draco felt bad about hitting his former best friend from behind.

He grabbed Blaise's shoulder and shook it roughly. The boy opened one eye. And that was enough for Draco. He knew that Blaise had seen him so he pulled back his fist, and punched him in the jaw. Hard.

"Ow. What the hell was that for?" shouted Blaise as he put his hand up to his fast swelling jaw and his bleeding lip.

"For hitting a lady," said Draco simply, and he turned his back and walked back to the room that he shared with Ginny, with a much clearer conscience and a much clearer head.

The next morning, (Draco had ended up sleeping on the floor), Ginny woke up at seven o'clock on the dot. One glance into the room where Draco slept peacefully gave Ginny the reason. Draco had snored. Ginny walked softly over to where Draco lay, not wanting to wake him up, and kneeled on the floor by his head.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered to Draco's form. Unable to tell why she was doing it, she reached out and brushed her fingers against Draco's cheek, liking the feel of his silky soft skin under her cold fingers.

Perhaps her fingers were a little too cold, for with this gesture, Draco stirred and opened his eyes to see Ginny inches away from his face. He jumped up, shirtless. "Woah," he said.

Ginny's face turned red. "I'm sorry," she looked at her feet. "You look so peaceful when you sleep."

"Thanks. Did you enjoy the bed without me?" Draco asked, smiling.

"My arms are cold."

Draco looked at Ginny's arms, covered in goosebumps, and pulled her close to him, in a hug. It was weird, Draco thought, that Ginny didn't resist his hug. Perhaps she had gotten so used to being around him, in the short time that they were around each other, that she had come to regard him as a friend, and therefore wouldn't pull away, because it was a friendly hug. A friendly hug was something that Draco couldn't understand. He had never had a friendly hug before, they were all either sexual, or, well, usually they were sexual. He found himself pulling Ginny in closed to him and holding her there before he heard a quiet voice, muffled against his naked torso.

"Draco, I can't breathe."

"Oh," Draco let go of Ginny, "sorry."

"It's okay."

Draco looked at Ginny, looking at him, and decided that she was a morning person. And he would have to break the news to her sometime if he didn't want to get hit when Blaise walked into breakfast.

"Ginny?" he began.

She looked up at him, eyes sparkling.

"I have something to tell you." He paused and took a deep breath. "I know I promised not to, but, I can't stand a man who hits women."

Ginny's eyes lost their sparkle. "What did you do to him?"

"I, well, I hit him."

"Draco," said Ginny. "I told you that I would take care of it myself. And when I say something, I mean it. So if I say to you right now that I am going to use Blaise's punishment, the bat bogey hex, on you instead, what would you do?"

"I would…You have got to be kidding. I was protecting you," Draco protested.

Ginny's eyes flashed. "Want to bet?"

"Actually," said Draco, "I do." He had an idea. Before Ginny could open her mouth to respond to him, Draco had picked her up and thrown her on the bed she had slept in the past night, and jumped on after her, tickling her sides and the tender skin behind her knees. Ginny had begin to squirm the moment that Draco's fingers reached her sides, and Draco let out a large breath, glad that he had, for now, escaped the terrible bat bogey hex.

"Draco," Ginny squealed, "Stp . . . sto . . . stop!"

"You give in?" he asked. "Promise not to hex me?"

"Yes," Ginny breathed, "I promise!"

"Okay." Draco stopped tickling Ginny and watched her, laughing, as she tried to catch her breath. To him, it seemed as if she was being overly dramatic. "Want to go down to breakfast?"

"What time is it?" Ginny asked, still breathing hard.

"Seven-thirty. Why? Classes don't start till eight-thirty," Draco said, still watching Ginny with an amused expression.

"It seemed as if you were tickling me for eternity," said Ginny, laughing. "Now it's your turn." Ginny lunged at Draco, grabbing onto his legs so he couldn't leave the bed to avoid her tickling ministrations. Her hands were flying, (with five older brothers, one learned where to look for one's ticklish spot), touching Draco in all sorts of strange places. She finally found his spot, behind his neck, and focused on tickling him there, enjoying hearing his squeal. She resisted after a few minutes and laughed at his outrageous expression. "I see you liked that," she chuckled.

"Oh, you little...little…"

"Weasley?" she asked.

"That's what I was going to say," said Draco, regaining his breath.

"Ready for breakfast?" asked Ginny.

"I guess I am now," said Draco, "you seem to have prepared me adequately. At least I'm wide awake."

They headed down to breakfast together, only to be confronted by Blaise Zabini, the last person that either one of the wanted to see. "Zabini," nodded Draco, grabbing onto Ginny's arm protectively.

"In your own words Malfoy, 'I would never want to hang around a scum poor, red-headed Weasley, or one of their stupid friends either.' Well said Malfoy, well said. I'll use your own advice and go away now. Perhaps you should eat outside today. If you eat with us, there might be some nasty surprises." Blaise then walked inside the great hall and down the rows to the Slytherin tables.

Draco looked over at Ginny to see her eyes brimming with tears. "Did you really say that? Even more, did you really mean it?" She yanked her arm out of Draco's grasp and turned on heel, headed for the kitchens, afraid to set foot inside the great hall because of Blaise's warnings.

Draco ran after Ginny and stopped her by grabbing her hand. "No. I mean yes. I did really say that, and at the time I meant it, but I know you better now, and I don't think I mean it anymore. I'm sorry Ginny."

"Any other day, I wouldn't have believed you." Ginny still walked towards the kitchens, but slowed her pace so that Draco could walk beside her.