First and foremost, just because I don't think I say it enough, thank you all sooooo much for continuing to support my story. Honestly, I've gotten really close to giving up on it recently due to some family issues which are making my normally busy schedule suicidally so. However, you guys remind me of why I love writing. It's not very long, but it shows three points of views and I'm almost done with the next chapter where...well, let's just say... something happens. -teehee- -grins like mad-

Enjoy!

Chapter 23:

Ginny's Point of View

It was a morning like any other: she grumpily made her way out of bed, struggled with a spell to make her hair look like something other than a rat's nest, and headed in a semi sleepwalking state towards the dinning room for breakfast. Only then would her morning cup of coffee get her on track for the day, her typical spunky personality kicking in with a few good doses of caffeine. She smiled from behind her mug, relishing in its warmth. But as her eyes fell upon the Slytherin table, she spotted what had been bothering her for more than a few mornings. There, on opposite sides of the table, seemingly unaware of each others presence, sat Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

Odd, she considered, taking a rich sip as she considered the situation before her. A year ago, she would have sworn those two were thick as thieves, paired up probably by the Dark Lord. Most notorious Slytherin bad boys: one sleek haired arrogantly beautiful Malfoy, who could make anyone run away or melt with an icy glare, and the other, the smooth suave Zabini who could charm his way in any girl's heart only to leave them for a better kick elsewhere. And now, here they were, siting as though they were nothing but strangers.

Something had changed. Far from her visions of Malfoy last year, she now knew, with a certainty that scared her once devoted Harry-loving heart, that he was not and would never be a Death Eater. He probably wasn't a good guy either, but he wasn't downright rotten, which gave him some props. And then the events but three days past, when he had stood up for Hermione with a passion that bordered on ... what? Loyalty? Duty? More?

'And what about Zabini?', she pondered, putting down her cup as she studied the boy from where she sat. Had their fallout been due to Malfoy's change? No, that couldn't be it. Draco hadn't changed, she concluded, it had simply been a matter of getting to know him beyond the snide remarks. And as close as the two boys had been, it would have been unlikely for such a major character trait to have remained hidden.

'Ah... I see' she thought, as the wheels in her head finally began to put two and two together. Unless Hermione was wrong, which she seldom was, Ginny Weasley had just found her answer. Leaving her cup aside to be taken by an inconspicuous house elf, the youngest of the red headed family boldly dared to walk to where none of her kin had dared to go before: the Slytherin tables.

Zabini's Point of View:

Slow.

It was the only conscious thought that crossed his mind as he continued, ever so carefully and ever so slowly, to eat his morning cereal.

Slower.

Nothing had happened. Nothing had changed. It was as though his entire life has drastically and inexplicably come to a sto...

"Stop"

He blinked, once, twice, not sure if he had indeed heard his thoughts voiced.

"I said, stop", repeated the voice. He turned to face it and was shocked by the sight of none other than Ginny Weasley.

"Excuse me?" he dared, the usual snarl he reserved for Gryffindors momentarily missing as he struggled with the sight before him. Why in Merlin's name would a Gryffindor, a Weasley no less, visit the Slytherin tables and talk to him?

"You are excused" she replied with a smile, pushing his books aside as she took up a seat besides his own, ignoring the odd glances from, well...everyone.

"What I meant to say" he explained, "was, what exactly did you mean by 'stop?'". His voiced bordered on annoyed, as he struggled to maintain his composure at the clear break of his normal morning routine. He needed that routine. He needed that degree of mindless normalcy in his life. It was the only thing that kept him from losing it at Hogwarts as the once cheerful Zabini found himself alone in a crowd of strangers.

"Oh, I thought that was obvious" she replied, with a grin. "What I meant was, stop sulking. Doesn't suit you. No matter how stupid Malfoy might be at the moment, he still holds you in a higher regard than he's willing to admit to if he's giving you the silent treatment this way. What shocks me is that you aren't doing anything about it. So much for the notorious Slytherin drive".

"Stop" he commanded with a broken whisper, daring her to speak further. "You have no idea what you are talking about. Go back to your happy-go-lucky friends and stay the hell out of my business".

"Ah, but when it concerns what I'm convinced is only one of two non Death Eater Slytherins, I take quite an interest, thank you very much" his eyes widened at her words. "Now, here's what you do. You pick a place, private preferably. And you confront him. And you let him know who you are and where you stand. Grow some Gryffindor backbone if you need to, but just do it."

"Why..." he struggled, trying to find something in the girl's blue eyes that would explain her sudden revelations. She stood up and shrugged with a smile.

"I owed him one. He... did something, for a friend of mine" she meekly explained. "Let's just say I figured I owed him something back. Besides, having you depressed is making the Slytherin girls a bit vicious over any other bachelor out there. On behalf of the interests of all the single ladies left, I take it to make sure that the competition is distracted." He laughed, for the first time in ages, and didn't even notice as Malfoy's eyes shot up in recognition of the familiar sound. Standing up with a flourish, Zabini performed an elaborate bow before the smiling redhead.

"I'll be sure to keep you in mind, lovely fiery lady" he proclaimed, smiling his trademark grin.

"Yea, just make sure you keep that mind out of the gutter, my lovely perverted snake" she retorted. Ignoring his protests of mock indignation, she walked away with a triumphant skip in her walk. Now, if she could just get some more coffee, it would be a perfect day.

Draco's Point of View:

'Angry' didn't quite serve as a sufficiently strong adjective to describe his exact feelings towards the youngest Weasley. The meddlesome redhead had led him into more trouble than not as he now struggled with more thoughts and feelings than he ever wanted to confront. There she was, chatting with Zabini, as though unawares of the stir she was causing by her very presence. What purpose was there in his protecting Blaise by detaching himself from him when muggle loving families on the Death Lord's hate list insisted on fraternizing with him? Worst, he concluded as he recognized his friend's laugh, how dare she snap him out of his sorrow... was Draco's friendship really that easily forgotten and replaced?

No, he forced himself to conclude, not wanting to spiral down that path. He had pushed Blaise away. There was no need to blame Ginny for his own doings nor for her inability to foresee the repercussions of her actions. She was, in fact, just a Gryffindor, damn their impulsive nature!

But then there was the Finnigan incident. The very thought of the events three days past pushed him to the brink of shattering his once unwavering composure and border on what can only be described as murderous insanity. How dare that... filth... place his hands upon something as pure as Hermione! Granted, he had no claim, nor did he want any, on Granger, but that did not mean he was willing to allow some raging idiot who apparently just hit prepubescence mistreat what he was convinced was one of the few worth while individuals in the entirety of Hogwarts. Even more, the only person who had seen him at his extremes of rage, sorrow, anger, and depression and still managed to hang on. She was, in fact, a Gryffindor, damn their courage!

And yet, despite all she meant to him, he had been unable to face her since that day. They had traded the same exchanges as before, but he knew she longed to speak of it and he could barely stand the thought of discussing it. Because every time he considered it, and the actions he took at that moment, it brought him all too close to revelations he rather not admit. Because at that one moment, when he'd seen Hermione lip locked in the arms of Seamus Finnigan he had felt an emotion so unlike anything he had ever experience. In the mix of anger and indignation, there he found a trace of jealousy ...

Stop it, he ordered himself, not wanting to continue that train of thought. There are some truths better left ignored. It was safer. Wiser. After all, Malfoy's pride themselves in composure. Repeating it like a mantra to hold whatever sense of sanity he had left, Malfoy left the dining room in hopes of tearing himself away from the sweet memory of his best friends laughter and the heart wrecking image of Hermione Granger in another's arms.

Author's Note: Hope you guys liked it! More to come soon! Oh! And keep sending me your reviews and suggestions! I love hearing from you guys! Next chapter is dedicated to you (because after 23 chapters of waiting, you all deserve it P). Sorry, no spoilers beyond that! D Oh! And it is also nearly done (just need to proofread it a few times) so you'll have 10+ pages of romance gloriousness coming up soon! Stay tuned!