Chapter 3 Tough Choices

"Ms. Weasley, you have 24 hours to think over your options. But you are not to tell anyone the situation. I don't want anyone else to know about Mr. Malfoy's predicament. When you give us an answer about your decision than we'll talk about the details." said Dumbledore. "Now you must be tired, I suggest you retire to your dorms and Ms. Weasley think about your options.

Ginny got up followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Once they were outside the office Ginny turned around. "How could you not tell me about this?! How could you put me on the spot like that?!" yelled Ginny.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley you don't get it. This isn't about just you anymore. You need to think about the other lives at risk here!" Yelled Molly Weasley. "I don't know what has gotten into you. Ever since your party you've been so secluded. For once you need to realize that not everything is about you."

"No its all about 'the boy who lived' isn't it?" yelled Ginny as she stomped away.

That night Ginny lay on her bed thinking. She knew what she had to do; there was no question about that. She loved her brothers and she wasn't going to let them die just because she didn't want to get married at 16.

The next morning at breakfast Ginny was sitting next to Fiona. "Where did you disappear to last night?" she asked.

"Oh um I had to take care of some things" Ginny lied.

"Yea…would that business include a boy?" asked her friend with a devilish smile?

"No it was just some stuff. Hey look McGonagall is handing out schedules!" said Ginny trying to change the subject away from where she was last night. When she got her schedule she noticed she had potions first thing that morning. "Well I have to go get my stuff I'll see you guys in class." She said getting up.

Draco saw Ginny leave the great Hall so decided it would be the perfect time to talk to her. "I'll see you guys later" said Draco to his friends. He walked out of the Great Hall just in time to see her walking up the stairs. "Weasley" he yelled.

She turned around to see who had called her name. "What do you want Malfoy?" she snapped.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't want to get married anymore than you, but I also don't want to die." He looked at the stone floor. "I just want you to know that if you go through with this that you don't know the real me. I'm nothing like my father, and I'm not as much of an ass as you think." He turned around and began walking back down the stairs.

"Malfoy, I don't really believe I'm saying this but your dad didn't really leave much of a choice." She paused looking out a nearby window.

"So you really are a slut!" said Ron walking up the stairs.

"What are you talking about Ronald?" asked Ginny.

"Sleeping with Malfoy! What are you working for you know who too?" yelled Ron as he reached the top of the stairs. Students who were on there way to class paused to watch the scene unfold.

"This isn't what it looks like we were just" Ginny got cut off as Draco's lips crashed down onto hers.

"Ugh you slut!" yelled Ron as he walked away. Most of the school had now come out of the Great Hall on their way to class to see the two kissing.

Draco continued kissing her until he knew Ron was gone, and amazingly she kissed him back.

When he pulled away Ginny seemed to snap back to reality "What the hell was that?!" she yelled before noticing all the students watching them. Draco grabbed her arm gently and dragged her off into a deserted corridor.

"You were about to ruin our secret!" he said casually with a smirk on his face.

"So you kiss me?" she asks "there were other ways to stop me you know."

"Yeah but they weren't as fun, anyways we're in love remember?" he said as he began walking away.

Ginny was left there dumbfounded. He had just kissed her but what made it worse was that she kissed him back and she liked it. The bell rang signaling the start of class. "Shit" she said to herself as she dashed up the stairs.

By the time she got to the common room and grabbed her bag and made it back down to the dungeons she was 10 minutes late for class. She was in such a bad mood because of her brother, and that the school had seen her kissing Malfoy, and about being late. She walked in and took her seat. Snape was in his office, so she took out some parchment and began writing the ingredients off the board. All her fellow Gryffindor seemed to be mad at her, and she had a feeling it had something to do with Malfoy. The dungeon door opened again to reveal Kerrie Shilts, a six year Slytherin walking in.

"So is that where you were last night? Snogging with Malfoy?" snapped Fiona.

"You don't understand it wasn't like that." Said Ginny. She so desperately wanted to tell her best friend what was going on.

"Ms. Weasley, Ms. Shilts so nice of you to join us, you mind explaining why you were late?" Asked Snape as he emerged from his office.

"I over slept sir, someone seemed to have shut off my alarm. I'm really sorry." Said Kerry throwing her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Don't let it happen again" he said turning to Ginny.

"I don't have a reason sir" said Ginny.

"Well in that case 50 points from Gryffindor and you have detention." He said with a nasty smirk.

"Me why doesn't she get anything, she was later than me?!" yelled Ginny before she could stop herself.

"Ms. Weasley another 50 points from Gryffindor. Would you like to continue?" He sneered.

"Yea, take points for this." She got up put her things back in her bag and walked out slamming the dungeon door.

"Everyone back to work!" snapped Snape as he walked back into his office.

Ginny got back up to the common room and sat down on the couch. She knew she shouldn't have walked out but she was so angry. She decided to go try to get a little sleep since she knew she would be up half the night serving her detention. She went up to her dorm and saw an owl waiting on her bed. She went over and took the parchment from its leg.

Ms. Weasley,

Please meet us in my office at 8:00pm tonight. The password is sweet tarts. I already heard from Professor Snape about your tardiness, you attitude, then your leaving class. Your detention has been moved to tomorrow right after dinner. I will see you tonight at 8.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore.

P.S. And Ms. Weasley no more leaving class without permission.

Ginny folded the letter back up and let out a sigh of relief. She didn't have detention tonight. Maybe she could talk to Dumbledore about how Snape was being unfair with only giving her detention.

Soon it was time for lunch. She went down to the Great hall. As she walked up the table most of the Gryffindor gave her dirty looks. She sat down next to Fiona. "Hey" she said.

"Are you crazy?!" her friend responded.

"What?" asked a confused Ginny.

"First you sneak around with Malfoy, and then you give an attitude to professor Snape, then to walk out of class. What's gotten into you Gin?"

"Nothing I just didn't want to put up with his crap. Look I'm sick of all these people glaring at me so I'm just going to go. I'll see you later." Ginny got up and began walking towards the door.

"Yea that's right, leave why don't you go sit with your new Slytherin boyfriend!" yelled a short brown haired 2nd year. Ginny just looked back at him before continuing out of the Great Hall. Hermione got up and ran after her.

"Ginny, Ginny wait up." She yelled after the girl.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about what that kid in the Great Hall said."

"It's ok." She said clenching her jaw as to not let any tears fall.

"I guess we just kind of feel like you betrayed up, especially Ron. You being with Malfoy and all…then making us loose 100 points the very first day back. It just seems that you don't care about Gryffindor anymore." Said Hermione watching her friend.

"Look no offense but I don't really want to talk about it." Ginny turned to walk away.

"Just answer me one thing." Said Hermione to her friends retreating back. Ginny paused. "Do you love him?"

There was a silence before Ginny turned around and said "Yes, Hermione I love him."