Disclaimer: Not mine

The first thing Ginny noticed when she woke up was the fact that there was no sunlight streaming across her face, but she was very warm. The second thing Ginny noticed is that she was sleeping in the nude, something she normally never did at school. Ginny didn't open her eyes, instead opting to roll over, curl up, and have a bit of a lie in. It was a big surprise to Ginny, however, when she came into contact with something, or rather, someone. She opened her eyes sleepily and saw Draco lying there, his face peaceful and his hair fanned out on the pillow around him. The previous night's events came back to Ginny, and she smiled slightly at the sight of Draco. She rolled over back into the position she'd left in Draco's arms, and she would have fallen back asleep had it not been for the fact that she'd spotted the time on Draco's magical wristwatch.

"One? In the afternoon?" Ginny exclaimed as quietly as she could, but Draco stirred from his sleep. He started for a moment when he realized he was not in bed alone, but he relaxed when he realized it was just Ginny. When he saw her sitting up in bed, he looked at her quizzically.

"What's wrong?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist gently. She shot up out of bed as if the realization that it was one in the afternoon had just sunken in.

"I'm going to be so late to meet Hermione!" Ginny said, flying around the room to gather her clothes and robes. "It's one in the afternoon, and I'm supposed to meet her in Hogsmeade at two! I've got to go put on proper clothes and… what is that smell? I smell like sex, I can't go anywhere until I take a shower! Everyone will know!" Ginny pulled her white nightgown back over her head and wrapped her robe around her.

Draco watched Ginny hurry around the room in a frenzy, and he laughed slightly at her panic. "No one's going to know, sweet, unless your roommates realize you weren't there last night. Though I do admit, I'm rather glad that you weren't there." He smiled cheekily before turning and getting out of bed to put his clothes back on, and Ginny was quiet and watched for a moment.

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" Ginny asked him. She was referring to how he was gathering all his clothes and laying them out on the bed without attempting to put any of them back on.

"I'm going to whip you into such a frenzy of lust that you won't even think of looking at any other men while you're out in Hogsmeade." It amazed Ginny how Draco could say this with a straight face. He grabbed his wand and ran it lightly over his clothes, and in an instant, his clothes were wrinkle free and spotless, and the distinct smell of fresh laundry filled the room. Draco then put his clothes on, leaving a mystified Ginny looking at him.

"Where did you learn…" She began, but he interrupted her.

"Take off your robe." He said to her. Ginny cocked her eyebrow at him before complying to his request, and he pointed his wand at her. "Let me see if I can remember this…" He muttered. There was a flash of light, and Ginny's nightgown became a deep green sweater and a flowing black skirt, and her hair pulled itself back into an elegant knot at the base of her neck. Ginny even smelled elegant, a mixture of delicate floral smells and just a hint of mint. Draco looked smug at the result of his spell. "When I was a child, I always wandered into my mother's room in the nights, and she always used that spell to get ready every morning." He explained. Ginny nodded and smiled before pulling necklace out from under the sweater letting it fall to its usual position and dropping a kiss on Draco's cheek. He took her hand, and the two of them started walking out of the dungeon and up toward the castle entrance.

"Are you going to go to Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked quietly.

"No, I think I'm going to stay here and work on the essay I have due in transfiguration." Draco replied. "I'll see you later tonight after you get back, won't I?"

"Of course you will!" Ginny's hand tightened around Draco's.

Finally they reached the entrance hall, and Draco dropped a light kiss on Ginny's mouth as a goodbye. Ginny then set out for Hogsmeade, not quite sure as to how she would explain her lateness to Hermione.

Ginny walked through the door of The Three Broomsticks, shaking snowflakes out of her hair. Though it was nearly March it was snowing, a light flurrying of small white flakes peppering the air. Ginny looked around for Hermione and quickly spotted her at a corner booth, and she walked over and sat down in front of her.

"Hermione." Ginny said stiffly. Though Hermione hadn't reacted the way Harry and Ron did, Ginny still felt that Hermione should have at least said something to them about her being able to make her own choices and think for herself. Hermione looked very uncomfortable, her bushy head slightly bowed and her brows knitted together.

"Ginny." Hermione looked up at Ginny with a weak smile before continuing. "So… how's life?" It wasn't the best conversation starter, but it was better than nothing.

"Life is good." Ginny replied guardedly. She twisted her aura necklace between her fingers, and her nervous action drew Hermione's attention to the area.

"That's a pretty necklace." Hermione observed casually. "Where did you get it?"

"It's an aura necklace." Ginny said, clasping the necklace tightly in her fingers. "It was a Christmas gift."

"From him?" Hermione asked. By the tone of her voice, it was perfectly clear who he was. "That doesn't look like an aura necklace. Aura necklaces have swirling smoke that changes colour just slightly when your emotions fluctuate, and that necklace looks like it's solid orange…"

"I know what aura necklaces are, and this one did that until last night. Something happened to it that…" Ginny stopped; she did not want to let Hermione in on this personal of an aspect of her life. "Yes, it's a present from Draco."

"Oh." was Hermione's only reply. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, sipping their butterbeers. After a few minutes, though, the silence became too much for Hermione to handle.

"Do you love him?" The question took Ginny completely by surprise, so she looked at Hermione in shock for a few moments.

"Do I love him?" Ginny repeated. "Of course I love him. Once you get to know him, it's kind of hard not to love him. He's not the bad person you all think he is, he's just had a hard life. Underneath the sneering and the smirking, he's really kind and slightly insecure about what kind of a person he is. He's a good person, Hermione."

Hermione looked at Ginny sadly for a moment. Ginny had never been one to hide her emotions, and Hermione knew this. Ginny was truly in love with Malfoy, and even before she'd asked the question she'd known. There was something about the way that she twisted his necklace around her fingers for all the world to see but then shielded it when Hermione noticed, and the little half-smile that played at the corners of Ginny's lips when she'd said his name. Hermione knew what she was about to be a part of would break Ginny's heart.

"Erm, I have to send Harry and Ron a letter to let them know that I got here safe, seeing as how I'm going to be staying here tonight." Even as she said the words, Hermione hated herself. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." Ginny agreed. The two of them grabbed their cloaks and headed out into the brisk February air. The turned and walked toward the post office.

"Is that a new sweater?" Hermione asked, gesturing toward the sweater that Draco had conjured up for her that morning. Ginny blushed a slight pink and did not answer, and Hermione could not figure out why.

Out of nowhere, someone grabbed Ginny. She didn't even have a moment to cry out before she was swirling away as her captor Disapparated with her. Hermione sighed and shook her head; she knew this was wrong, but what could she do? She turned to see that no one had seen Harry Disaaparate with Ginny; satisfied that no one had seen, Hermione turned and headed back to The Three Broomsticks for another drink.

Draco sat in the library, bent over half-finished transfiguration essay and scribbling away. He stopped for a moment, leaning back to admire his work so far, when a cold, intense panic flooded through him. Someone was screaming, calling out for his help. It was Ginny's voice, but Draco reasoned that it couldn't possibly be Ginny, because she was in Hogsmeade. Something wasn't right, and Draco was determined to find out what it was.

Draco hurried down the wide street of Hogsmeade, scowling. Why he suddenly had the urge to go to Hogsmeade he did not know, but he figured Ginny should be happy to see him. He didn't have to tell her anything about his feelings of dread, he just had to say that he'd missed her.

Draco knew Ginny was meeting Hermione at The Three Broomsticks, but when he opened the door and scanned the room for the familiar mop of crimson hair, he couldn't find her. Panic started to flood him again, until he saw a bushy brown head bent over a table in the back. It was unmistakably Hermione and he made his way over to her. When he got to her, he could see that she appeared to be crying into her drink.

"Granger?" He said quietly. She jumped and turned around toward him, a wild look of fear in her eyes. She backed away from him, her eyes wide.

"Keep away from me!" She said wildly, her eyes never leaving him. Draco stood there, puzzled; why was she acting so peculiar?

"Granger, where's Ginny?" Draco asked. "I wanted have a drink with her before we go back to the castle."

"Ginny?" Hermione's voice showed no recognition. "I wasn't supposed to meet Ginny, I haven't seen her since the funeral. What makes you think I'll have seen her?"

At this, Draco started to get angry. Was she trying to make him feel like a fool? He'd read the letter that she'd sent Ginny, he knew that they were meeting. "Just tell me where Ginny is so that we can go back to the castle." Draco said through gritted teeth.

"You're not going to brainwash her anymore! She's gone and you're never going to see her again!" Hermione quite nearly shouted at him. Draco reached out to grab at Hermione's cloak, but she's already turned and Disapparated.

Draco still for a moment, letting Hermione's words sink in. As soon as he realized what she'd just told him, he turned and sprinted back toward the castle. He didn't stop running until he was outside of Professor McGonagall's office, and then he stopped when he realized he did not know her password. It was then he began to pound on her door with his fists. After a few moments, Professor McGonagall opened her door with a disgruntled expression on her severe face.

"What in the…" She stopped whatever she was about to say when she saw the sight that greeted her: Draco was doubled over and panting, his face flushed crimson and his pale hair disheveled and messy.

"Professor… McGonagall." He panted. McGonagall ushered him into her office, and though he did not sit down. "They've done something to Ginny, kidnapped her or something! Potter is behind this, I know he is! You've got to get her back!" Draco was practically screaming.

"Slow down, Mister Malfoy. What is this about Miss Weasley being gone? Was she not out to Hogsmeade for the day? Is it possible that she is still there?"

"I went there and looked for her, she isn't there. I ran into Granger, and she was acting strangely. She said something about Ginny being gone and me never seeing her again. Then she Disapparated before I could question her any more. You have to do something, she's in danger!" Draco's voice was hard; it was what he hoped his father's voice sounded like when he was trying to convince others to do his wishes.

"And what leads you to believe that Miss Weasley is in any danger?" McGonagall asked.

"I just… I just know it." Draco said quietly. "I was working on my essay and something… something just felt wrong. She… spoke to me in my head. She's in trouble, she needs me, you've got to do something, I've got to know where they've taken her so I can go get her!" Draco's expression was pleading; this was something McGonagall had never seen before.

"If Miss Weasley has not returned by tonight, I can have a party organized and we can search the grounds, but as for now, we have no reason to suspect that there's anything wrong. She went out for a Hogsmeade trip, and she is most likely will return this evening. For now, good day, Mister Malfoy. If Miss Weasley does not return later tonight, be sure to come by later tonight and alert me."

McGonagall had taken hold of Draco's shoulder and was gently steering him toward the door. With her last words she gently pushed him out the door and shut it. Draco stood there for a moment, thinking. Maybe she was right, and it was all in her head. He went up to the common room to wait for Ginny to return from Hogsmeade.

McGonagall took a round compact mirror out of her top desk drawer as soon as she'd secured her door behind Draco. "Severus, I need you to come up here right now." She said into the mirror, before setting it down on the desk in front of her, her head in her hands. If there was any doubt in her mind about what Severus had told her occurred the night before, now it was gone. If Draco was feeling Ginny's extreme emotions, then their theory had been correct. Minerva just hoped that Draco was wrong about Harry having something to do with separating the two of them, because she knew if soul mates were forcibly separated, then the one being held would not survive more than a few days without the other.

Ginny finally let out a blood-curdling scream, but she was no longer on the main street of Hogsmeade. Instead, she recognized her surroundings as Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Ginny had a good idea as to who her captor was, and she whipped around, clawing at the air. Finally she came into contact with what appeared to be thin air, and she ripped off the invisibility cloak and came face to face with Ron.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, grabbing me and bringing me here!" She howled. Ron looked at her as if she were a rabid animal ready to bite, but there was also compassion and love in his gaze.

"Gin, we don't know what Malfoy's done to you, but we're going to help you." He said nervously. "We know he's hexed you or cursed you or has you under Imperius or a love potion, and we're going to get you back to your normal self. We've just got to keep you here for a while so that he can't get to me."

"You can't separate me from Draco, I love him!" Ginny growled. She lunged for Ron, clawing at his face and neck, but he grabbed her hands and stopped her.

"Yeah, Ron, I'd say it's probably a love potion." said a voice from behind Ginny. She whipped around and came face to face with Harry. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"You." Ginny glared at both Ron and Harry, backing away from them. She reached in her pocket for her wand, only to discover that it wasn't there.

"Well, if it's a love potion, it should eventually wear off, shouldn't it?" Ron asked quietly.

"It should, but if Malfoy's kept the potion for a while before using it, there's no telling as to how powerful it is. What are we going to do with her while we wait for it to wear off?" Harry spoke as if Ginny wasn't even there.

"We should probably just keep her here, we can put her up in the room she was in when we stayed here two summers ago." Ron suggested.

"I'm not staying here!" Ginny screeched. It seemed that both boys had forgotten she was there until that moment, as she stood there glaring daggers at both of them. "I'm going back to Hogwarts, I'm going to be with Draco, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Ginny swayed on her feet; the room was spinning, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Ginny closed her eyes and Ron barely caught her before she fainted onto the floor.

"So you think that they've taken her?" Snape said quietly. He'd been in Minerva's office for a little over an hour, discussing the afternoon's events. "And you say Draco said he could just feel that she's in trouble? Isn't that confirmation of our theory?"

"Yes, Severus, that is most certainly confirmation of our theory!" Minerva hissed. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips for a moment before continuing. "Surely you realize, then, if Mister Malfoy is correct that Miss Weasley is in trouble, then she is in danger of dying if she is not returned to Mister Malfoy's side as soon as possible! I'm not sure where they could have taken her that would not arouse suspicion… the Burrow would be too obvious of a choice, and I doubt that Arthur would allow them to keep Ginny out of school there. I doubt Arthur knows anything of this plot. There is Grimmauld Place, but there are far too many Order members running around there for them to be able to adequately hide her. Where in the world could they have taken her?"

At that moment, there was a knock on Professor McGonagall's office door. She got up to answer it, and there stood Draco. Though he appeared to have calmed down, his face was even more pale than normal and his hair was disheveled, as if he'd been running his fingers through it for hours.

"She isn't back." Draco's tone that was accusatory and very disrespectful. "Find her."

Snape was shocked at the state of his godson. Nothing, nothing had ever gotten to Draco so badly that he let his outward appearance reflect his inner turmoil. Even when he lost his mother, Draco had looked impeccable, not a hair out of place on his head or the hint of bags under his eyes. It hit Snape then just how deeply Draco cared for Ginny.

"We will do all we can to find Miss Weasley, but first we'd like to ask you a few questions." Minerva ushered Draco into the room and he sat next to Snape, eying both of his professors suspiciously. It was McGonagall who spoke first.

"Draco, were you with Miss Weasley last night in an intimate way?" She asked quietly. Color rose in Draco's cheeks, and he remembered too late to put up the barriers around his mind around Professor Snape.

"He's probably going to tell you even if I don't, so yes. If you're going to punish me, at least wait until after we've found Ginny." He said. McGonagall and Snape exchanged a look.

"How much do you know about magical theory, Draco?" Snape asked. He studied his godson's face intently.

"I'm taking magical theory right now, but what does that have to do with finding Ginny?" Draco demanded. Severus was taken aback; he'd never known Draco to say something so blatantly rude to him. He chose to ignore Draco's rude comment.

"Have you come across in your readings, then, the theory of magical soul mates?" Snape asked.

"Of course we have. If two magical people are soul mates, then they'll have the same colour auras, and somehow their souls and auras will mesh somehow." Draco rattled this off as if he'd memorized it word-for-word from a textbook.

"The way that their souls are meshed is the first time they consummate their relationship." Snape said quietly. "There is reason to believe that you and Miss Weasley are soul mates, so this is why we are questioning you on this issue. Did anything… unusual happen while you two were together?"

"The only strange thing that happened was that her aura necklace…" Draco began, but stopped himself. There was something that seemed wrong, disclosing his and Ginny's personal moment with his professors.

"Did the necklace shatter and then solidify into something that was the predominate colour of the necklace before the encounter?" Snape asked. Draco nodded, wondering Snape he knew that. "Do you know that Miss Weasley's necklace is now worth infinitely more than what you originally paid for it? What colour did the necklace solidify into?"

"Orange, sir." Draco said. He didn't know where Snape was going with this line of questioning.

"Very rare, indeed. The necklace that Miss Weasley wears around her neck is an orange diamond, and it possesses certain powers that other diamonds do not. Within that diamond is a part of both of your souls, so that if either of you dies before the age of fifty, it is possible for the other one of you to resurrect them. It has been documented in other cases of suspected soul mates that this same thing has occurred when an aura necklace was worn, but there has not been much study done on soul mates. Do you know why?" Draco shook his head. "Usually, soul mates are from two families that don't exactly get along, and when their families find out of their tryst, they try to separate them. This doesn't solve the problem; in fact, it is impossible to forcibly separate soul mates. The last case studied was Lily and James Potter, but the theory of the aura necklace resurrection was impossible, since Lily died in her attempts to prevent the death of her son instead of standing aside. If Lily Potter would have let the Dark Lord kill her son, she could have most likely resurrected her husband and she might still be alive today." Snape's voice took on an odd tone when he spoke of Lily. "But no matter. Tell me, Draco, when you heard Miss Weasley's voice in your head, did you see anything? Any distinguishing features that might help identify where she was taken?"

"It was… it was dark. There were wide bay windows, but the curtains were threadbare and moth-eaten. There was something that looked like a family tree hanging on the far wall, and there were glass cabinets…"

"He's never been to the place before, Minerva, but he's describing it perfectly. You do realize where he's describing, don't you?" Snape said quietly, almost excitedly.

"Of course I realize!" Minerva snapped.

"Where is it? Do you know where she is?" Draco's eyes lit up. He would be reunited with his Ginny in no time.

"We do, Draco, but unfortunately, it will be impossible to make the trip until at least midweek." Snape replied coolly.

"Midweek?" Draco said incredulously. "What the bloody hell do you expect me to do until then?"

"The only thing you can do." McGonagall replied. "Wait."

When Ginny woke up, it was apparent that she had to have dreamed the whole ordeal of Ron and Harry abducting her and bringing her to Grimmauld Place. Her eyes were sensitive to the light pouring into the room, and she was indescribably groggy, but she didn't feel as if she'd cracked her skull on the drawing room floor. Someone rapped smartly on the door, but Ginny just pushed her head under her pillow and groaned.

"Ginny?" The voice that called into the room was definitely not one she was accustomed to hearing around the tower lately, so she shot up out of bed. There in the doorway stood Hermione with a tray, and Ginny recognized at last where she was; she was in the bedroom where she'd stayed the summer before her forth year.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Ginny asked. All at once, comprehension dawned on Ginny that she'd been set up. Hermione set the tray down on the table next to Ginny's bed. "How could you?" Ginny hissed, her eyes narrowing, edging away from Ginny. "I trusted you, and you let them take me away from Hogwarts and away from Draco."

"I had no choice." Hermione said wearily, falling heavily into a chair beside the bed. She set the tray that Ginny now saw contained food in Ginny's lap, but Ginny threw it into the floor. Hermione sighed and got out her wand, cleaning up the mess Ginny made. "They're convinced that you're under some sort of spell, and I'm not so sure they're wrong. You've changed, Ginny; you're not that bright little girl that you used to be."

"I was never an innocent little girl, I haven't been once since I was eleven." Ginny voice was so quiet Hermione had to strain to hear it. "Tom took that from me, but all of you were too stupid to see through the guise I put up. You didn't notice anything that happened in my life: the fact that I didn't eat for weeks at a time during my second through forth years, the fact that whenever I had a nightmare and you saw me at the breakfast table with bags under my eyes and didn't say anything, you three noticed nothing that was going with me. The only time any of you paid attention to me was when Harry suddenly showed an interest. But of course he had to go off and be a hero. It didn't occur to him that there are some things that are more important than fame and acknowledgement. Love is the most beautiful and wonderful thing in the world, but I know that all of you are too damn stupid to ever see that."

A single tear slid down Ginny's cheek, and she brushed it angrily away.

"You don't love him, Ginny; you're too young to even know what love is." Hermione said softly.

"You have no idea what you're talking about since you haven't experienced it, so I'll forgive you for your small-minded opinion." Ginny said quietly. She got out of the bed and walked over to the door. She found, though, that she couldn't even get close to it, and her temper flared.

"You mean to tell me that you're planning on keeping me hostage here? How exactly do you plan on getting out, since the door's been blocked." Ginny said incredulously. "What do the Order members think about that?"

"The door has only been set to keep you in, not to keep anyone else in." Hermione explained. "And as for the Order members… they don't know you're here. When whatever Malfoy's done to you has worn off, then we'll tell them and they'll go arrest him and throw him in Azkaban, I suppose."

"They don't know I'm here, do they?" Ginny said, smirking slightly. Hermione noted that Ginny had picked up Malfoy's smirk. "They'll know soon enough." Ginny started screaming and beating her fists on the floor, making as much noise as she possibly could.

"Really, Ginny, do you think Harry and Ron didn't think of that?" Hermione asked. "They made your room Imperturbable. No one can hear you, and no one will come see you."

Ginny sat down heavily on the bed, a sour look on her face. She laid back on the bed, and she could feel the emotions welling up in her chest. Ginny didn't like it when she had to be away from Draco for the few hours a day they had class; this experience was sure to be nothing short of torture. She didn't want to cry in front of Hermione, though.

"You know, they know what you did with Malfoy within the last few days. There was some kind of spell, Ron insisted they perform it to make sure that he hadn't taken advantage of you. They're going to get him back for taking your innocence." Hermione's voice was soft and what she clearly thought was soothing.

"Go away." Ginny said, her voice thick with the effort of holding back her tears. "I lost control of my powers last time I got this upset, so if you don't leave this room this very instant, I can't guarantee what will happen to you. I just have one thing for you to tell Harry and Ron, though; what I did with Draco was voluntary, and I'll do it again if I choose to. He's going to find me, I know it. Now leave." Ginny turned over to where she was facing the wall, away from Hermione. Hermione stood and walked over to the door, and it took all the willpower Ginny had to hold her composure until Hermione left.

The second Ginny heard the door snap closed she let loose the torrential flood of tears, soaking her face, the pillow under her head, and her hair. Ginny clutched onto her necklace for dear life, and a familiar but unnoticed smell struck Ginny's nose. She gently took hold of the front of the sweater she was wearing and pulled it up to her nose, sniffing delicately. There among the flowery, minty smell was a deeper, more masculine smell. It took Ginny no time to place this as Draco's scent, and this only caused to her to sob harder. She held the stone of her necklace in her hand; she held it so tightly that the facets of the stone dug into her palm and left angry red indentations. Ginny cried until there were no tears left, and then she fell into a fitful sleep. That's how Hermione found her a few hours later when she came to check on her; Ginny was rolled up in the blankets of the bed, shivering as if she were freezing but with a slight fever.

A.N.: That was a long chapter too, wasn't it? The next chapter should be up sometime soon. I think I'm going to try and finish this story out in two or three more chapters, and I'm considering doing a sequel to it as well. I'm getting kind of discouraged because I haven't been getting as many reviews as I originally got when the story started, so if you read my story, please leave me a review and let me know! As always, review, and happy reading!