Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. (Insert semi-witty comment here.)

Well, how's that for a fast update? I think it's a pretty good turnaround time! I'm also about halfway done with a chapter for My Captor, for those of you that read it. I may or may not be able to finish it today before I leave for work. But fear not! It will be up soon. I'll keep updating this one too, don't worry.

Anyway, onward we go! I'm sure you wish to read!

Without further ado…

Chapter 10

Ginny POV

The next morning, I knew I'd have to face the music. Whether I cared or not what Harry and Ron, and now surely Hermione as they'd have filled her in, had to say, I would get to hear it anyway. Pulling on my shoes, I glanced at my watch. If I left right now, I'd have plenty of time to eat before Potions this morning. I was sure, too, that like every other morning that the trio would be waiting for me in the common room.

I could always skip breakfast and slip into Potions at the last minute, but I'd still have to face them after class. There was no point in avoiding it. It made me angry that I had to deal with this, but at the same time, I understood. I'd have been yelling at myself for all of this a month ago. But that was before I knew Draco, really knew him.

Sighing, I grabbed my bag and headed down the stairs. As predicted, my brother and his friends were waiting downstairs for me, lounging on one of the couches. "Ginny," Hermione said, waving me over to them.

"Morning guys," I said in as cheerful a voice as I could muster. Maybe if I pretended nothing was amiss, then they'd go for it.

Hermione gave me a sympathetic look, and motioned to Ron and Harry. "The boys here would like to apologize to you," she said with a small shake of her head. Maybe she was on my side after all?

"Sorry," Ron muttered, not looking up from his hands.

By now I was really confused. Yes they had overreacted and embarrassed me but it wasn't anything unexpected really considering what they had walked up on. Getting an apology hadn't been what I'd expected walking down the stairs.

"Yeah, we're sorry Gin," Harry said, meeting my eyes with his own green ones. He gave me the smallest of smiles that, at one point, would have sent my stomach fluttering.

"You see Ginny," Hermione said, once they'd both apologized, "they just don't think things through. You may not even have realized it. I probably wouldn't have either. That's part of why that potion isn't allowed here."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, more confused than either.

"We know you," Hermione said, putting her hand on my arm and looking at my sympathetically. "Ron and Harry told me what they saw last night, and I explained to them what must have happened. Ginny, he slipped you the love potion you. That's the only explanation. And it's okay to be confused, like I said, the potion is undetectable by the person it's given to. That's why it works so well."

I stood there with my mouth slightly agape for a moment, trying to register what they were talking about. Draco didn't slip me anything. If he had, I'd have been snogging him senseless, not gazing into his eyes, when they came upon us. Was it really just that hard to accept that Draco isn't that bad guy that we'd always believed and that I've truly come to enjoy his company, and dare I say, even like him a bit?

Hermione took my silence as assent to what had happened and looped her arm though mine. "It'll be okay. I think it's worn off by now. The nature of that particular version of the love potion is that it only lasts between six and twelve hours," she was saying as I was propelled along towards the portrait hole, Harry and Ron trailing along with us. "When we get to potions, we'll talk to Professor Slughorn about what happened. I'm sure he'll take disciplinary action against Malfoy and we'll ask for you to be moved to our group."

I knew then I'd have to correct them. For a moment, I thought maybe this would be a good way out of the whole situation, but not if it meant getting Draco into trouble for what he didn't do. "Guys," I said, pulling my arm from Hermione's as we walked down the stairs. "He didn't slip me a love potion."

"He did," Ron insisted. "Like Hermione said, you wouldn't be able to tell."

"I know well enough to know he didn't give me anything," I said, more firmly this time.

"Come on Ginny," Harry said, walking to me and putting his hand on my back. "It'll be alright. We'll tell Slughorn what happened he'll sort this out. I'm just glad Ron and I came up on you when we did." He was looking at me with that little smile again, the one where the corners of his eyes crinkled a bit.

How was I ever going get them to accept that I wasn't just denying it because I didn't believe that I could have fallen for a love potion? "Listen," I insisted, stopping in the middle of a staircase. "Draco wouldn't have done that."

They all stopped too, looking at me as I used his first name, not his last. Ron's face started to gain some color and I knew he was getting upset. "Ginny," Hermione said, her voice sympathetic and full of logic. "Why else would you have been about to kiss him when Harry and Ron walked up last night?"

I let out a sigh of irritation. "Maybe, just maybe, because I've actually begun to like him," I said firmly. "Maybe because I've gotten to know him and know he's not at all like you guys say. He's not some evil Death Eater, a mini version of his dad. He's kind and he's got a sense of humor and he's quite a romantic. Alright? Maybe I've grown to like him."

"You're mental," Ron muttered with a shake of his head. "He gave you a love potion."

"He didn't give me anything!" I nearly yelled. "Now don't go lying to Slughorn saying that he did or anything like that. You leave him alone." With that, I left a stunned trio in my wake and stormed down the hallway.

I decided to skip breakfast, my appetite suddenly gone. So instead of heading towards the Great Hall, I turned towards the dungeon instead. I'd just wait in the Potions classroom for the start of class. It left my nearly an hour, but I didn't care. It would give me time to cool off. At least this time it wasn't an all-out screaming match, but I wish it didn't have to be anything at all.

When I arrived at the classroom, the door was locked, much to my dismay. Letting out an irritated sigh, I plopped my bag onto the floor and slid down beside it. As I sat, I pulled my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs, trying to stay warm. The dungeon was perpetually cold. Inside the classroom wasn't ever that bad, what with all the fires from the cauldron's simmering. Out in the hall though, it was very cool. This was going to be a long hour.

I'd known the Slytherin house was housed somewhere down in the dungeons so it wasn't too much of a surprise to see the occasional student walk past me down the hall. Most of them ignored me, a few made stupid comments worthy of their house. One boy who barely looked old enough to be a first year actually smiled and said hello. I smiled back at him and nodded as he walked past.

After half an hour of sitting on the frigid floor, the steady stream of people died off. A straggler here or there would pass occasionally, but not often. I buried my face in my knees and closed my eyes. I could have done with a few more hours of sleep last night, and I was still tired.

"Why didn't you just go inside?" I heard a voice above me ask, startling me from near sleep.

Looking up, I saw Blaise grinning from above me. "The door's locked," I informed him with a shrug, not moving. I was freezing by now and moving would expose new parts of me to the cold of the dungeons hallway. Blaise however, had other ideas. He pulled me up from the floor as if I weighed nothing, making me stand.

"You're a witch, are you not?" he questioned, pulling out his wand and unlocking the door with a spell, letting it swing open with a grin.

Laughing, I followed him into the classroom. "Thanks Blaise," I sighed, setting my bag at my usual spot.

"You're welcome, love," he said, hopping up onto our table. "But what brings you down here so early anyway?"

"My brother and his friends," I said sullenly, hopping up beside him and propping my feet on the stool I usually sat on.

"So what did the little pricks do this time?" I asked in a cheery tone, making me smile despite myself.

"Well, Ron and Harry kind of walked up on Draco and me…" I paused, unsure of how to put it. "Well, they walked up on us in a much too cozy moment for their liking. Naturally screaming ensued and Draco stormed off and then so did I. When I finally faced the three of them today though, they were apologetic and under the assumption that he'd slipped me some of the love potion that we brewed. They were going to tell Slughorn that and get him in trouble. Needless to say, they were not happy with my explanation as to why they were wrong."

Blaise listened dutifully while I spoke. He'd tucked one leg up under himself and the other swung freely to a beat inside his head. "Well, that's a bit of a sticky situation," he agreed once I'd stopped talking.

I let out a sigh and nodded. "I'm not even sure what to do anymore," I confessed, closing my eyes. "I think Harry, Ron and Hermione are wrong about Draco, I really do. And I like you and Draco both. I enjoy our friendship, though a month ago I wouldn't have thought it possible. And Draco, oh goodness, I'm not even sure what to think sometimes. He's got a side to him I didn't know existed and I find myself drawn to him. But is whatever could come from that worth more than my relationship with my brother and my friends?"

When I stopped talking, I finally opened my eyes again. Blaise was looking at me with a serious look upon his face, something that was very uncommon for the boy. My own brow furrowed at his expression. "There are many things I could tell you that would make this decision easy for you. I could tell you things that would make you side with your friends, but there are also things I could tell you that would make you want to hold onto Draco and never let go," he said in a soft by serious tone. "I can't though. The decision has to be yours and yours alone. I will tell you this. Draco has been misunderstood by many in his life, but deep down, he's a good guy and the best friend a person could ask for."

His words left me much to think about. As if he understood that, he stood up and put his hand on my shoulder. Wordlessly he leaned forward and kissed my forehead before turning on his heal and leaving, surely in search of food.

For a while I sat there, pondering what he'd said. What was it he could have told me that would drive me from Draco and back to siding with my brother? But then again, he said there were things he could tell me that would make me want Draco more than I already do. I wasn't sure what to think, what to do. While I sat there, the door opened again and students began to file in for class. Hopping from the desk, I took my seat.

I knew when Harry, Ron and Hermione walked in, and I managed to give them a small smile. They looked more concerned than angry, so that was an improvement. Hermione smiled back, Harry looked at me worriedly and Ron, well, he scowled but that was normal. After another minute, Blaise reappeared with Draco at his side and a piece of toast still in hand.

"Hey, love," he said, plopping down on my right while Draco took the seat on my left. "I brought you some toast."

I smiled at him, gratefully taking the toast. "That was thoughtful of you," I said, bumping my shoulder against his and taking a bit. "It was your idea, wasn't it Draco?"

Draco smirked at his friend over my head before nodding. "He told me you didn't have breakfast, so I knew you'd be hungry," he said, setting his bag on the floor by his feet, his hand brushing my leg lightly as he pulled it back up. His eyes met mine and I couldn't help but smile, knowing that my feelings for him were getting stronger every moment I was with him. But could I really choose him and push my own family and friends away? But would I regret it if I choose differently?

As I sat there, I thought back on Blaise's words earlier. Looking at the two boys at my sides and then at the three across the room, I knew what my decision would be.

Well, there we have it. I thought it was high time Blaise took on more of that wonderful friend role that I love him in so much. What did you guys think of it? What do you think she decided? Let me know! Reviews are like the air I breathe!

And as always, remember that a happy author writes better and faster! So review and make me happy!