Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah...you know the drill.

AN: My apologies to people who thought that Ron was being more dense than usual, I noticed this as well too and I love Ron, but when it comes to a younger sister and a guy.. brothers can be worse than usual. I am so glad that you all like my story OH AND I HAVE OVER 210 FREAKING REVIEWS...THANK YOU ALL!

Chapter 13: Why?

Draco had never been more confused in his entire lifetime. 'Why was Weasley so nice? Wasn't she supposed to hate him? I mean, that is what the Malfoys and Weasleys were brought up to do..exactly that...HATE EACH OTHER, so why did he keep hearing the thought 'I don't hate her' running through his mind?' He sighed in annoyance and anger, why in the hell did she have to be so nice? Draco took the first thing he could get his hands on and threw it at the opposite wall.

"Hey!" Blaise yelled walking into the boy's dorm. "That was my bloody broom!"

Draco snorted. "So, you can get another one...it's not like you don't have the money."

He sighed. "That's not the point, dumbass."

"Yeah, ok," Draco replied, sitting at the desk by his bed.

"What's up dude? You're in a pissy ass mood."

"Blaise, you're very stupid if you don't know."

"Ohhh." He pulled up a chair next to Draco. "This is about the Weasley girl, innit?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "No, it's about Pansy."

"Oh, well if its about her then.."

"You idiot, why the hell would I want to talk about her?" he asked, disgusted.

Blaise laughed. "Man, I am just pulling your dick. I know you want to talk about the Weasley girl."

Draco put a hand on his head. "Right. So..."

"You're wondering why she almost saved your life?" asked Blaise.

"Right."

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"Thank you for your wonderful help, Blaise," Draco drawled, with annoyance.

"Man, why didn't you ask her yourself?"

He sighed. "I did ask her."

"And..."

"And nothing. She is really confusing," Draco replied.

"Well, what did she say?"

"A lot of shit, man," he said, picking up a quill and tapping it on the desk. "One thing that stuck in my mind was, 'you choose who you want to be, no one else can do it for you.' What the fuck did she mean by that?"

Blaise smirked. "I think that she was talking about this." He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and pointed at the mark on his forearm.

Draco's eyes widened. "You think she knows?"

"Dude, you're a Malfoy, everyone who is on the good side probably knows that you're a Death Eater."

"I forget she's a Weasley sometimes."

"Yeah and that isn't a good thing." Blaise looked at him seriously. "Man, I know you, and even though you won't admit it, you have some feelings for this girl...whether it is hate, or like, or love, or whatever. I don't know." He shook his head. "But I do know that you can't get involved with her."

Draco snorted. "I don't have feelings for.." He stopped at Blaise's glare that stated, 'do I look stupid to you?' "Ok, lets say that I do like her a little bit, it's only because she makes me think...I don't think anyone has ever made me think." He jumped up out of his chair and started to pace. "See, I told you she made me think!"

"Maybe she just wants people to be who they truly are," Blaise replied.

He stopped his pacing and glared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You and I both know that we would rather work for Dumbledore, than bow down to Voldemort's ugly ass anyday."

He shrugged. "Your point is.."

"Well, she obviously knows that...or she might have faith in you."

"Faith?" Draco laughed.

Blaise nodded. "Yeah, faith."

And the Weasley girl made him think some more.

Stephanie sat at her favorite spot under the Willow tree reading a letter that her mother had sent to her.

My Dear Little Girl,

I have not a doubt in my mind that you are grieving for your father, I miss him as well. Although he is gone, everything will be fine. My brother Lucius has made sure of it. (Stephanie snorted bitterly at this.)I hope that when the time comes, you will make the right decision for yourself. You know what I speak of. Lucius wants to make sure that everyone of the Malfoy bloodline is made a DE. Hopefully this summer you will have made the right choice. Since your birthday is on June the 25th, that is when the event will take place. Please do not ruin this for us, we can have a very good life together if you just agree to the terms.

Your Mother,

Jasmine Malfoy

Stephanie threw the letter down in disgust. 'She wasn't even calling herself by her married name now? What the hell was wrong with her?' Well, there was no way she was going to become a Death Eater. "Why daddy? Why did you have to leave me all alone?" she asked,whispering to the cloudy sky, tears cursing down her cheeks.

"Stephanie?" came the hesitant voice of Harry.

She looked up to see the object of her affections walking towards her. "Potter?" she asked in surprise, trying to wipe the tears from her face before he noticed.

Harry stood a few feet away from her and stuck his hands in the pockets of his baggy muggle jeans. "Umm, are you ok?"

He looked so hot in those clothes, and his hair was everywhere. She really wanted to run her hands through-

"Stephanie?"

She blushed slightly at the little smirk that graced his lips. He had caught her checking him out! Stephanie took the rest of what was left of her pride and smirked back.

Harry's smirk turned into a smile, but then he frowned. "I asked if you were ok."

"I will be," she replied, looking over at the letter.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her, noticing the attention she gave the crumpled piece of paper on the ground.

"I don't think you want to listen," she said, squinting to see his face, because the sun had peeked through the clouds.

Harry sat down next to her and put his back to the tree. "Try me," he replied.

"Well, lets just say that my family wants me to be something that I don't."

"Oh," he said, realization dawning on his bright green eyes.

She gave him a curious look. "Oh..oh what?"

"Nothing."

"No...no that 'oh' wasn't a nothing."

"It's nothing really," he replied, gulping nervously.

Stephanie stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Fine. I don't need to talk to you anyway. Why the hell did I think I could talk to you?" She started to walk away.

"Wait!" Harry called out to her.

She turned around and walked back to the tree. "What?"

He stood up.

"Wow, you're really tall," she said in amazement, raising her head to look up at him.

He laughed. "No, you're just really short, I'm only 5'11."

"5'3." She shrugged, "I can't help it." She put her hands back on her hips. "So what do you want?" Stephanie asked, raising her eyebrow.

Harry sat down again in the same position and she followed. "If I tell you what I know, you can't get mad for any reason. Deal?" he asked, giving her his hand.

"Deal," she replied, taking his hand into hers. His hand was so big compared to hers and it made her tingle from head to toe. Jerking her hand back, she asked, "So?"

Harry had felt the shock also, and was amazed that a Slytherin could make him feel this way. Shaken out of his thoughts by her soft voice, he replied, "Right. Well lets just say that I probably know what your family wants you to become."

"Oh really, and what would that be exactly?" She asked him, curious to know if he knew.

"Well, a Death Eater."

Stephanie gasped. "How did you know?"

"You're a Slytherin," Harry said simply.

"Oh, and I suppose that just because I'm a Slytherin that automatically makes me a Death Eater?" she asked, getting angry.

"No!" he cried out in alarm. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Yeah, right," said Stephanie, doubtful.

"Ok, maybe I did, but can you honestly tell me one person who has been in Slytherin, that isn't a Death Eater?"

She sighed. "That isn't the point, Potter. You think that just because people get the dark mark, that automatically makes them evil? What if they were forced to do it?" she demanded.

"I've never thought about it that way," Harry replied, guilty. "So that's what happening to you then?" he asked, nodding at the letter on the ground. "Being forced to become a Death Eater?"

"Yes," she spat. "But you can bet that I will never become some slave to Voldemort."

He looked over at her and smiled slightly. "So you don't want to support him?"

"Of course I don't," she snapped at him. Seeing his smile she became aggravated, "What in the bloody hell are you smiling about?"

"Nothing. I just always wondered why I liked you and now I know," he grinned.

Stephanie smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Thanks, Potter." she replied, grabbing the letter and standing up.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked her.

"Well, I still have to get stuff ready for the ball tomorrow."

"Oh, that's right, you weren't at dinner, so you must've not heard."

"Heard what?" she asked.

Sadness filled Harry's eyes. "There was an attack at Diagon Alley today, about thirty witches and wizards were killed and about fifty muggles. Dumbledore thought that it wasn't exactly a time to celebrate, so we're going to have a quiet Halloween this year, I expect."

"Oh." Stephanie sighed morosely. "And you asked me why I didn't want to become a Death Eater. That was only one reason on my list of a million."

"Yeah, sorry about that, it was a very stupid question," he apologized sheepishly.

"That's alright." She smiled. "So I'll see you around then?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Bye," she paused, "Harry."

He smiled widely. "Bye, Stephanie."

"Oh, Ron, this is so horrible! Why did this have to happen now?" Hermione cried.

"Mione, everything will be ok."

"How can you say that?" She asked him, pacing the little closet they had used to make out in before. "All those people were murdered, and it was in Diagon Alley as well. Hardly none of them were purebloods, it was only muggles and mudbloods!" she spat. "Oh, that piece of shit Voldermort can go to hell."

Ron's blue eyes widened, suprised at her cursing that he didn't even notice she had said 'the name.' "Hermione you don't have to worry, we are safe here at Hogwarts, Dumbledore has made sure of it," he promised.

"Diagon Alley is too close for comfort, Ron. You know that there have been many Aurors everywhere, but they still somehow got into Diagon Alley!" Tears leaked from her eyes. "Ron, they only want muggleborns and..and..half- bloods. What if something happens to me?"

He walked over to her and grabbed her by the arms. "Hey! Nothing will happen to you, I won't ever let it!

"I know, Ron, but what if something happens to you or Harry or even Ginny, I couldn't bear it," she worried.

He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Hermione, why did this attack upset you so much? We have been having them since last summer."

"I don't know," she murmured. "I think that the situation has just now gotten to me. Maybe I worry to much."

Ron snorted, "You think?"

She moved back and hit him on the arm lightly. "It isn't funny, Ron."

"I know it isn't, but its my job to lighten up the mood so.." he said, taking her small hand.

Hermione smiled at him. "I know and you do a very good job."

"Really?"

"Really," she replied, and raised her big brown eyes to him, sighing. "I don't ever want to lose you."

He gave her his big dopey grin. "You won't," he said, pulling her into another hug.

"Ron," she whispered.

"Hmm?" he asked, breathing in her scent, his mouth on her bare neck.

Hermione muttered something into his shoulder.

"What was that, luv?" he asked, placing light kisses on her neck.

She shivered and moved back to look at his face. "I said that I love you."

Slowly he smiled. "I love you too, Hermione." And with that they put the closet into good use.

Ginny sat at the farthest table in the back, researching her potions assignment. She threw down the book and sighed. It was no use, how was she supposed to think when Dumbledore's announcement wouldn't stop playing in her mind? Picking up the book and flipping through it again, a shadow blocked out her light from the nearby window. "Would you mind moving? You're blocking my light," she replied, eyes still focused on the page.

"I knew people thought I was dark, but I had no idea I blocked their precious light," a voice drawled.

Ginny smirked. "That was very lame, Malfoy," she said, looking up to see him smiling slightly.

"Yeah, I know." He shrugged. "There are only so many things one can say."

"Is the great Malfoy actually admitting such a thing?" She feigned surprise.

Draco rolled his eyes and sat down in front of her. "No." He looked at the object in her hand. "So what are you doing, Weasley?"

She threw the book down once again. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, already annoyed.

"I was trying to be civil, you stupid bitch," he replied, scowling.

She laughed to cover up her anger. "You call that being civil?"

"Well I was at first, until you had to start asking questions," he blamed.

"Yeah, because everyday you see a Malfoy being polite to a Weasley," Ginny said sarcastically.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, and everyday you see a Weasley saving a Malfoy's life."

"So this is why you're acting so strange? You're still on about that?" She started to gather her books. "Well don't worry, the next time a bludger comes your way, I will make sure I don't warn you."

He sighed. "Look, its not everyday a Malfoy is nice to a mudblood lov..." He stopped at her evil glare,"a pureblood who likes half-bloods and muggleborns, ok?"

"I still don't see why you are doing this. What happened in the past, is done. You're just making the situation harder than it really is... so the big question is.. why?" She looked deeply into his steel-grey eyes.

"Well you are a Weasley and I am a Malfo.."

She interrupted him, "Oh, so this is really why you're here? Because a WEASLEY saved a MALFOY?" she yelled.

He stood and knocked his chair back violently. "No, you little idiot.. and would you shut the bloody hell up or else Madame Pince will hear us?" he hissed.

"She won't hear us, you dumbass, we are at the very back," she hissed back, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail.

His nostrils flared with anger. "I was just going to say that my father has probably heard about you helping me. And I am not a dumbass, you mudblood loving bitch."

She walked towards him with quick strides and rared her fist back, but Draco caught it just in time and pulled her body to his. "Ah, ah, ah," he chanted, smirking. "Don't you remember what I did to you for doing that the first time?"

Ginny's face flushed with embarrassment at the memories. "Yes," she whispered.

Draco moved his mouth closer to hers. "I do too...and for some reason I can't forget it."

"Me either," she breathed, and then she was suddenly out of his grasp, "but I want too." Ginny sighed. "Why are you making this so hard for me?"

The lust in his eyes turned into confusion. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone." She picked up her books and started to leave.

Draco sighed. "Damn it all to hell." He followed her outside into the hallway and stopped in front of her.

"You stupid fuck, do you not know what the term 'leave me alone' means?" Ginny cursed him.

He looked shocked at her use of language and then smirked. "Yes. Bitch."

"Well then do me a favor and get lost," she said, her golden-brown eyes flashing.

"No, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why?" Ginny asked through gritted teeth.

Draco sighed and looked into her eyes. "I wanted to say thank you," he replied, seriously.

It was her turn to look shocked. "Wait..wha..what?" she stuttered.

"Don't push it Weasley."

"Why?" she asked him, curious.

He became aggravated. "Why do you ask so many damned questions?"

"You ask questions too."

"No, I don't."

"You just did." Ginny pointed out, smugly.

"Okay." He turned and walked towards the dungeons.

"Wait!" Ginny called after him.

Draco stopped. "What else do you want from me ,Weasley?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to.." She trailed off when she reached him.

"Well?" He asked her, acting annoyed, but he was actually curious.

Standing on her toes, Ginny pressed her lips to his cheek, then pulled away slowly. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she managed to say what she wanted to in the first place, "You're welcome."

Draco watched her leave through hooded eyes. 'Why in the bloody hell did she have to be so beautiful? And why did Blaise's words mean so much to him?' He could still hear the words ringing in his ear, 'or she has faith in you.' "Yeah, why would she have faith in someone like me?" he whispered to the empty hallway.

Well I hope you liked this chapter. Please don't get mad at me for the lack of D/G..if you are just dying for this story to have lots and lots of sex, then this is definitely not for you. Like I said, I already have this whole story planned out and I want it to seem real. Again I think you people for all your reviews and support.

The more reviews, the more I write just for you!

LilyK