This is quite a long chapter without a great deal happening but it has a few bits of info that I realised needed adding before I went further with the story. I have a feeling this story may have quite a few chapters as I seem to be getting into the dialogue quite a lot!

Thanks again for any further reviews; I will try to put a bit more details in for some of the chapters.

Sorry if there are delays in updating, I'm getting married soon and have lots of planning to do (and everything keeps going wrong!!!!)

While she still didn't trust Malfoy and was undeniably wary of what he was capable of, she was definitely considering him in a different light.

Ginny awoke to someone gently nudging her shoulder, when she finally managed to open her eyes and her vision cleared Hermione was standing next to her with a questioning look on her face.

"Hmm?" Ginny mumbled before realising that Hermione was looking pointedly at her hands which were still clasped in Draco's grip.

"Oh!" Ginny's eyes flew open fully, "It's not-"

"Explain later Ginny. They want you downstairs, I've talked to them but I'm just as dubious as they are so I guess I didn't do a fantastic job of convincing them that your patient is a worthy one."

Ginny gently slipped her hand from Draco's and stretched her cramped body. "OK, I'm ready. How long have I been asleep?"

"I'm not really sure, but I left you a few hours ago, I had some other matters that I needed to talk to the order members here about and they took quite some time."

Hermione held the door open for Ginny and took a look back into the room. "Will he stay asleep while we're gone?"

Ginny followed her eyes to Draco's slumbering form "yeah, he's going to be out until morning. We don't have to worry about him murdering us all in our beds."

Hermione looked shocked "Ginny, how can you joke about something so serious. That's appalling!"

Ginny sighed "You're right and I'm sorry; I know you're worried about this. I've just woken up and you know I've got an awful sense of humour at the best of times. But it really is fine, he won't budge for tonight. I'm not stupid enough to trust a Malfoy."

Hermione still looked unsure "I'm just going to lock the room just in case. You checked him for a wand didn't you?"

"Yes Mione. Please can you have a little trust in me for once?" Ginny shook her head in despair, everyone still thought of her as a little girl, incapable of thinking sensibly.

The two girls walked the rest of the way in silence; Ginny was contemplating her actions and running over her decision to bring a Malfoy back to the order's safe haven. She just had a feeling that it was the right thing to do. Still none of her reasoning stopped her from taking a deep breath when the meeting room door loomed up ahead of her.

Ginny's hand reached out but Hermione caught it before she got to the handle. "It's ok Ginny, I'll go in first. They aren't angry or anything, just a bit worried about what might happen."

Ginny just nodded slightly, she knew that these were all good people; just that everything was so serious now and everyone except her took so well to being solemn. Ginny couldn't help but try to bring a smile to people's faces, it was just in her nature and probably the reason she was still treated as if she was a child; but her optimism wasn't what was needed anymore.

Remus, Tonks and several other less senior members of the order all sat around an old oak table strewn with paperwork and sinister and gnarled objects that Ginny knew they had been researching futilely.

Hermione cleared her throat to announce their arrival. Remus looked up at the two girls "Ah Hermione, Ginny. Please take a seat. Now Ginny - Hermione has filled us in but we would like you to tell us first hand exactly what happened earlier tonight."

Ginny retold her encounter with Draco and explained how he was the victim of the whole situation and it seemed as if he was no longer welcome in the ranks of the death eaters.

"Now Ginny, did it occur to you that this may have been a trap in order to get a spy - or worse - into our midst?" Remus asked.

"Well, I did consider it," Ginny started hesitantly, "but there were a few things that just wouldn't work. First, the spot that I found Malfoy isn't a place that anyone goes to regularly. There have been no reports of Death Eaters and we only go there rarely and only for medical supplies, that was the only reason I was there as I'm not allowed to go to dangerous areas." A hint of resentment sounded in Ginny's voice but she fought it down. "So if it was a trap surely they would have set the scene in a location where they were more likely to be seen or overheard?" Remus and Tonks both nodded in affirmation.

"Secondly, Malfoy was seriously injured and I honestly think the person there meant to kill him. Now I know they could have all been acting but it just seems like too much of a risk for them to take. Plus I can hardly imagine Malfoy volunteering to be tortured close to death for anyone's cause. He's just not that sort of person. Thirdly, he has no dark mark on his arm, I bandaged him so I would have seen it. I know that doesn't mean a lot for definite but it's another thing to think about."

Ginny paused for a moment before deciding that the order needed to know everything. "Lastly, well… Tonks - they killed his mother, your Aunt. So I wouldn't imagine he would be willing to help the people responsible for that."

"Did he tell you that?" asked Tonks. "I understand your reasoning so far but we only have his word that they killed her. I thought that Bellatrix's devotion to Voldemort might have saved Narcissa from death, but who knows with people like that. I'm ashamed to be related to them."

Again Ginny took a moment before answering "No, I gave him a sleeping potion and he was talking about it in his sleep so he can't have been lying. He seems extremely affected by the loss. That's why I was holding his hand Mione, no matter how much I disliked him at school or who he was before, he's my patient now and I can't decide to treat him differently from any other patient!"

Remus took in her flushed face and digested her words carefully. "Ok Ginny, why don't you go and get some food while we take a few minutes to discuss this. We understand why you helped him, now we just need to decide what to do from here onwards. I'll call you back in a little while."

Ginny rose from the chair, nodded her head to the group and made her way slowly to the kitchen. Once there she rummaged through the cupboards which she had made sure were well stocked. No point in going hungry she thought, plus the patients always need a good meal. Everyone loved Ginny's cooking, almost as much as her mother's. She sighed, I wish mum and dad were here. They were both at 12 Grimmauld place with Professor McGonagall and some other members of the Order. No one could enter that house without being first told about the location by Dumbledore and now that he was dead it meant that only those previously informed could go there. So several other houses had been found and the order had been split in to small groups which meant if they had any new members there would be no problems with them having meetings. While Ginny knew she had done a good thing by opting to stay here to help look after patients rather than going with her family, she couldn't help but feel a little lonely without them.

She hadn't long finished her snack when Tonks came into the kitchen; Ginny couldn't help but smile at her bubble-gum pink hair. Tonks was like the sister she'd never had and Ginny was glad that Tonks was happy again and had found something special with Remus.

"You can come back in now sweetie." Tonks said and led her back, occasionally bumping into the odd cabinet here and there.

When both of them had settled back into their chairs Remus cleared his throat and began. "Ginny, we've discussed it and we all agree that given the circumstances and location of what you witnessed it seems too far fetched to be a trap. However we still don't trust the Malfoy boy. I know you say he doesn't seem to be one of them... but, and I mean no disrespect here, you are very keen to see good in people, even those undeserving. We will have to interrogate him to find out what happened both before and after the events that we all are painfully aware of; see if he is a threat to us or even if he may be able to provide us with some useful information. However we will wait until you think he is recovered enough to talk to us. In the meantime the house will have several charms and spells placed on it to prevent him from leaving and while he will be able to roam the house at most times he must be restricted to an allocated room whenever we have meetings or visitors. I hope you will understand that our time is already extremely full and we have many pressing matters to attend to, so I would like to entrust the task of keeping Mr. Malfoy out of trouble to you."

"I understand Profes. I mean, Remus" Ginny still had difficulty calling her old Professor by his first name. "I'll do my best to do all that you asked and I'm sorry if I have put everyone in an awkward position but I honestly did what I felt was right. Thank you for listening to me. If there's nothing else then I'd really appreciate a proper sleep!"

"Of course Ginny." Remus smiled. "We will see you in the morning, Hermione said she has locked the room so if he wakes before us all will be fine."

Ginny walked slowly through the old house to her allocated room, to one side of the medical room. She changed into one of the few pairs of new pyjamas that she had treated herself to and slumped down in her small but comfy bed. As she drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but think of her what Remus had said to her and how Dumbledore had often said similar words in her many meetings with him in the years since her experience in the Chamber of Secrets...

"I can see in you a rare magic Ginny, I have met very few people with it and sadly in such days such a gift is in decline. I think that when you mature a little then this power will make itself known and will be most useful. What I am talking about Ginny is the ability to look at some one with no pre-disposition for whom they are; you can truly look into their souls and see if there is good in them.

When you reach your 7th year then I will take you in extra classes to show you how this magic can be harnessed, I will be teaching you myself as I happen to be fortunate enough to be one of those rare individuals who have this power. Although I think you may surpass us all when you blossom. Until then you must trust your judgement; even when people may doubt you, do not doubt yourself. I know you are a good, pure girl and you will always strive to do what is best."

She sighed, so far she hadn't felt anything different to how she had always felt, she was still unsure of herself and now that Dumbledore's trust in people had been misplaced she wasn't even sure what to think about his words… Look at where trust had got him.