Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter of Phantom of the Opera. And Draco's spell belongs to Lauren, who was nice enough to lend me her spell from Latin class.

I've had this written since forever. I doubt anyone's actually reading this, so I don't feel that bad about not posting this. I'll write and post faster if you review… -hint hint- And thank you SO much those who did review. It made me happy!

Umm… the "Insolent boy…" line doesn't really belong but I REALLY wanted to have it in. It kind of refers to the second paragraph of this chapter, so yeah.

I'm currently watching Phantom for the 27th time since the beginning of December. XD

It had been two weeks since the duel between Ginny and Blaise and the whispers had ceased for the most part. Ginny hadn't been to the Angel's room since the night she saw him in the mirror. There was a strange twinge in her gut every time she thought of him. She decided it was guilt for leaving him alone for so long.

Actually, the part about the rumors was untrue. There was a rumor going on that Harry was the one who had taught her wandless magic, even though he couldn't do it (yet) and he had been gone until just that morning. And the worst part? Harry hadn't even been denying it.

Classes were going well, if you could count her teachers telling her to use her wand even though she already was. Snape was being a greasy git, but he was always a greasy git, so Ginny didn't lose any sleep over it.

Harry was acting strangely around her, always staring at her but avoiding her eyes. He had done that last year when he fancied her, and it made her worried. Not for herself, but for the repercussions that were sure to come back to Harry. Not to mention, she didn't feel butterflies in her stomach when she looked at him or heard his name.

"Here, I've got a riddle for you," Meg said, grinning. It was dinnertime and Ginny and Meg were done with eating. "Here goes: What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor man has it, the rich man needs it, and if you eat it, you die. What is it?"

"I don't know. What?" Ginny said. Meg always had the weirdest riddles.

"Nothing!" Meg answered.

"…Wha-?"

"That's the answer to the riddle. Nothing. Nothing is greater than God, more evil than the-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ginny said, laughing. "Interesting."

"I learned it from my little brother before-" Meg looked down, and Ginny knew why. Her little brother had died from a Muggle disease called leukemia last year. He was only nine. Ginny leaned to the side and gave Meg a hug.

"Ginny, can I see you for a sec?" a voice said from behind them., ruining the moment. Ginny turned around and glared at the offender.

"What?" she snapped, irritated at him for ruining a moment. Harry looked taken aback and Ginny sighed, her expression softening. "Sorry. What do you want?"

"To talk with you," Harry answered. Ginny sighed and looked at Meg, who gave her a small smile and motioned with her head to go. Ginny got up and looked at Harry.

"Where?"

"Not here. Somewhere private." He led her by the wrist over to an abandoned classroom. Ginny looked at him questioningly.

"What did you want to talk about? It had better be good."

Harry fidgeted. "Um… I was wondering if… if…"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Get on with it. I don't have all day."

"Well, we kind of broke off suddenly last year and I've regretted it. A day hasn't gone by that I haven't thought of you, even when I was gone. I think Ron near killed me in my sleep a couple of times."

Ginny stopped breathing. Was he really expecting her to go be all "Oh yeah, Harry, I will definitely go out with you after you broke up with me for no good reason. Oh, kiss me already, Harry!"? Was he really going to ask her out again?

"Ginny, will you go to the next Hogsmeade visit with me?" Harry said, more confidently, evidently thinking that her lack of protest meant that she was thinking about it.

"Um…" Ginny said slowly. "I don't really think that's the best idea."

"Why not? We dated before, why not now?"

Because I don't like you, you twit! Ginny's mind screamed. Instead, she said, "Harry, we went our separate ways. Your destiny is to fight Voldemort and win, and mine is to play the helper to the helpers role. We're two very different people, and I don't think it would work out anymore now than before."

Harry looked crushed; he had obviously been expecting her to jump into his arms the way that most girls in the school would. Then his eyes narrowed.

"It's someone else, isn't it? Someone you've found while I was gone?"

Ginny's mind floated to the figure in the mirror and the voice in the room. "Yes, I found someone. But even if I hadn't, I don't like you like that anymore."

"Who, Ginny? Who?"

"I don't know his name," Ginny admitted. Harry's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"Ginny, do you know how dangerous that is? Not to mention just plain wrong."

"He wouldn't hurt me," Ginny said instantly. "He's helped me with a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"It's none of your business, Harry," Ginny responded. "Go ask someone else out. There are plenty of girls who would love to be with you."

Harry started to protest, but Ginny cut him off. "Go or I'll hex you. Would you like bogies flying around your head?"

Harry left quickly. Ginny sat down and buried her face in her hands. Was she giving off Harry-attracting vibes or something? It was all fun and giggles last year, but now she was serious. They were in the middle of a war; who needed a boyfriend?

She got up to go, resolving to be normal as possible to Harry and the rest, even though Harry was sure to avoid her.

"Insolent boy, this slave of beauty, basking in your glory! Ignorant fool, this brave young suitor, sharing in my triumph!"

Ginny looked around; she didn't think the Angel was in any room besides the practice room. "Angel, where are you?"

"Closer than you might think," he said mysteriously. Then he sounded amused. "Who were you speaking of before, with Po-that boy?"

Ginny overlooked the 'Po-' temporarily as she blushed. "You…" she said timidly. The voice gave a heavy sigh.

"You shouldn't say things like that," the voice said sternly. "I am not someone to fall in love with."

There was something that sounded familiar in that voice, but Ginny couldn't figure it out. "I never said I was falling in love with you… who says I wasn't just saying that because I didn't want to go out with him?"

"Ginny, don't lie. You don't know anything I can do." He spoke coldly.

"Look, if you don't want to teach me anymore, just say so," Ginny whispered, tears stinging her eyes at the cold words. "If that's so, tell me, and I'll never go back to that room."

There was a pause, and then, "That's not what I meant."

"Then whatever did you mean?"

There was a longer pause. "Take off the sheet from the mirror in the corner," the voice finally said, sounding, for the first time Ginny had ever witnessed, uncertain.

Ginny tugged the sheet off indicated mirror and gasped. The person that Ginny had seen before in the practice room was in the mirror, complete with hat and mask.

"Come with me," he said, glancing behind him. "Ginny, you said you wanted to see me."

Ginny wasn't sure in retrospect why exactly she followed him, but she decided that she must have been so shocked that she was in a daze and would have done anything.

Not that she was complaining or anything.

She grasped his hand and stepped through the mirror, wondering only vaguely why she was able to go through the mirror. The man (or boy, she couldn't tell which) led her through tunnels, glancing back every so often to look at her. Neither talked.

Through the tunnels and across an underground lake (in a small boat) they went before floating into a cavern It was a good-sized place, quite large for one person to live. It was obviously where he lived, as it was adorned with furniture. The boat docked at the edge of the water and the man stepped out.

"This is where I live," he said, holding out his hand to help Ginny out of his boat. His voice definitely sounded familiar now that it wasn't loud and echoing. Ginny took his hand and pulled herself up and out of the boat.

"You live here? She asked, impressed. It was lit by torches, as Hogwarts was, but had none of the windows that the school did. All the same, it was brightly lit. The furniture was tastefully done, although Ginny couldn't figure out how in the world he managed to get a bed down there.

"You sounded like a needed a break," he explained.

Ginny nodded vehemently. "How did you know?"

"I know more about you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, than you will ever know about me," the Angel said mysteriously.

"How-? What do you do around here?" Ginny asked, changing the subject quickly.

He smirked. "Everything."

"Like what?"

"I write and I practice and I create new spells." The last activity was said with pride.

Ginny's eyes widened. She had only known one person who made spells, and as of last June (didn't everything always happen in June?), he was dead. And he was old, not like this Angel. "You make spells? Will you teach me one?"

"No!" he said forcefully. "They're not for young girls."

"I'm 16. That's not young."

"Some of them are a bit… dangerous for you."

Ginny was instantly on guard. No matter if she trusted him; she didn't know him at all. "Dark magic? Is it dark magic?'

"No," he said vehemently. "They're just not created for a girl like you. They're above your level."

Ginny put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. "A girl like me, how?"

"Oh. Innocent, young, naïve… like most girls your age."

Ginny quelled a rush of annoyance. "And I suppose you're a lot better? By your voice. I'd guess you're not older than me."

"Wrong. I'm older than you and much more mature. And much more ready to handle these spells."

"Try me."

"No," he said flatly. "You are not ready."

"Fine. What did you bring me here for, anyway?" Ginny asked, letting the former annoyance seep into her voice. "If it was just to tease me with what you won't teach me, I'm leaving."

"Oh, but do you know how to get out?" the man smirked. "You'd better be nice to me or you'll never leave."

"Is that a threat?"

"Just a friendly reminder from your local Angel of Darkness. I brought you here to see you and teach you, nothing more."

At the 'see you' part, Ginny's stomach flipped over in a strange but not unpleasant way. "You see me all the time, God-knows-how. Why do you want to see me now?"

He spun Ginny around so her back was to him and put his arms around her. "So I could do this," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her neck, lightly brushing aside her hair.

Ginny relaxed against him, totally ignoring the part of her mind that was telling her to stop, that she didn't even know who he was. She turned around and cupped his check with one hand. He closed his eyes.

She couldn't give an excuse for what she did next except for that she was curious. She slipped the hand under the mask. The next minute she pulled off the mask and hat and exposed a familiar face.

He pushed her forcefully away from him and she fell to the ground. "Damn you!" he shouted angrily. Hiding his face in his hands.

Ginny stared at him in shock. "You're – you're-"

"Draco Malfoy? No, I'm his twin brother Phoenix." His voice and subsequent laugh were heavily laced with bitter, biting sarcasm. Ginny cringed. This was more like the Draco Malfoy she knew for five years at school thank the teacher she had grown to like and admire.

"But you're on the run!" she blurted out. It was been first somewhat coherent thought that she had. He smirked.

"You're not going to trick me into telling you my plans or motives, little Weasley. Nice try, though."

"I wasn't trying to!" Ginny protested. "It was an innocent question."

"You don't ask innocent questions Now, we are faced with a conundrum – what to do with you."

"With me?" Ginny squeaked, not liking the direction the conversation was going.

"Yes, with you. Don't look so scared, Weasley. I'm not going to kill you unless you make me kill you. The options are simple: either you promise not to tell under pain of death or I erase all traces of this, of me, from your memory. I can't have you exposing me. So what will it be? Will you be able to keep your mouth shut or will I have to guarantee it?"

The redhead gulped. "I- I-" A million thoughts ran through her head. She didn't want to lose her memory, but could she really keep a secret that big from everybody? It would be a challenge, but could she stand to lose all she had gained in those past few months? The memory of his breath on her neck came unbidden to her mind and she shivered. Ginny knew immediately what she had to do.

"I'll keep your secret," she said aloud. Malfoy smirked.

"I knew you'd say that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"To make you think you had a choice." He grabbed his mask out of Ginny's hands and put it on, hiding the top half of his face. "Come, we must return. Those fools at the school will be missing you."

"But I just got here!" Ginny protested.

He turned from where he was getting the boat ready. "So?"

"They won't be missing me yet. I don't have to go right now."

"And what do you propose you do, then, Weasley?"

"My name's Ginny," Ginny said. "Not Weasley."

"Oh, come on. I've always called you Weasley."

"Not recently. Not when you were teaching me. You called me Ginny."

"Things have changed since then."

"Like what? Nothing's changed, Angel. So I know who you are. Big deal."

"Weasley, don't lie. Everything's changed. Everything. You hate me now."

"I don't hate you, Angel," Ginny said softly. "Sure, I'm surprised as hell, but I think you've proven it."

"Proven what?" he asked suspiciously, standing up.

"Proven that you can be nice and civilized. Proven that you can say my name. Proven that…" she looked down, blushing, "that you like me."

"And what gives you that idea?"

"Well, you haven't killed me yet and you were kissing my neck. I think that qualifies."

"Weasley, is this going anywhere?"

"Now can I learn spells?" Ginny asked, her heart twirling oddly. He hadn't denied liking her.

"One spell, and one only. The Face Inlapem charm. It turns living things into stone. There is no counter-spell."

Ginny looked horrified. "Can it kill people? I thought you said there was no dark magic in there!"

"Weasley, turning things to stone doesn't mean that it dies. It's just not living anymore. It's not Dark Magic."

"I don't even want to know what the other spells do," Ginny said, shuddering. "Why are you making these spells?"

"There's not that many of them; they take a long time to put together. But I need some way to defend myself. Plus, I'm bored."

"I need to defend myself too," Ginny said stubbornly. "Please, Angel, won't you teach me it?"

"I already said I would, Weasley-"

"Ginny," Ginny interrupted.

"-Ginny. But learning my spells without a wand is very tiring. It will most likely knock you out for a few hours. People will come after you. Do you want to be interrogated by Potter and his groupies?"

"No, but I'd rather be interrogated than not learn this."

"Very well," he said, walking over to her. "Repeat after me: face inlapem!"

Ginny repeated it, and he continued.

"Now find your center. Then whisper the incantation, concentrating hard on the thing and the effect you want."

"What do I practice on?" Ginny asked. He shrugged.

"Transfigure something. Make something living."

Ginny gave him a weird look, but transfigured a candlestick into another bunny and found her center. Then she spoke the incantation, concentrating hard. The rabbit turned grey, hard, and heavy. Ginny inhaled sharply.

"It's not dead, is it? It's just stone?" she asked.

"I don't know. Did you do it right?" A smirk on his lips told her that he was joking but she still turned the bunny over in her hands.

"It's stone," she said. "I did it!"

"Now do it ten more times, until you can do it perfectly." Catching her wondering glance, he said, "If you ever need to use this in battle, you need to have it perfect."

Ginny shrugged and conjured up ten more bunnies (and a box to put them in). As Ginny cursed more of them, the difficulty of the spell took its toll and her concentration wavered. Malfoy watched impassively, but moved forward to catch her when she fainted.

Ginny woke in a soft bed to a raging headache. She got up slowly, at first not knowing where she was. Then the candles and stone walls tipped her off and she looked around for her teacher. He was sitting at a desk on the other side of the island, pouring over old-looking books. He didn't look up until Ginny was right next to him.

"You're up? Good. Come on, we must go back. It's been hours; your absence will have been noticed by now. The last thing I need is a search party."

Ginny nodded. "I'm going to be in so much trouble as it is. Let's go."

Neither one talked much on the way back either, but as Ginny was about to pass through the mirror, she turned back.

"I'll be lighting a candle for my father tonight," she said.

"Is that so?" He sounded bored. "And?"

"And I'd like to learn a new spell."

"I told you; they're not nice spells and not appropriate for little Weasleys. Now go. You can't waste time here. And you will not tell about me, or I will use my new spells on you. Got it?"

"You'd better be there, Angel. I'll hunt you out," Ginny remarked as she stepped through the space that the mirror usually occupied. Now, however, it was slid over to allow passing space.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered to the man in a mask on the other side of the makeshift doorway. He nodded stiffly as he slid the mirror shut. His serious face was the last glance back that Ginny allowed herself before taking out the Marauder's Map that she still had from when she stole it from Harry and examining it. It looked like everyone was in class, and a quick glance at her watch confirmed her suspicions. She was supposed to be in Transfiguration.

She slipped out of the room and up the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she entered the main hallway and began walking to class.

OK, there ya go! If you ever want to talk or bug me to update, my AIM sn is Raven Greyson. And thank Lauren for getting me off my arse (even if she didn't know she was doing it!)!

Actually, I didn't like this chapter very much, but I think next chapter is better, so no flaming and hold on until the next chapter! Oh, and do you think I should post my actual PotO fanfic? Would anyone here venture over and read it? It's a high-school AU…

w00t, I just found out today that I'm going to Mexico to see Mayan ruins for spring break! I'm so happy… I love stuff like that, stuff with historical background. I mean, Disneyworld's great, but it's only skin deep, you know? So I'm VERY happy we're going there. Not to mention, I suggested it! XD