Sorry about the wait, but hopefully this was all worth it!

MWAHAHAHAHAHA

R&R

It's been two days since the 'Dream Dress' was given to Ginny for free.

I have lost count of the number of times I have tried it on! Of course no one knows I have it.

Ginny had only seen Draco a few times in the corridors and whenever she did she would smile sweetly, until she got out of site then she would start grinning and jumping around wildly like a bludger.

Huff, I am not that bad. I was just a little happy.

Every time she had a moment alone she would run her hands over the smooth fabric of the dress.

Emotions were flooding her; Weasley's never accept charity from anyone let alone their worst enemies.

But my date got it for me, and he is not my enemy. But I put it on…and I feel like it is a dream, where it is not really mine and it is going to be snatched away from me at any moment.

She would feel that she was too good to wear such an expensive dress, and she would feel her stomach tighten at the thought. The dress was too good for her to wear. After always growing up expecting certain things, never anything great it was a change to her to have been given something so beautiful.

The day after Ginny had left Hermione at the Three Broomsticks to meet the boys Hermione had been asking her if she was OK but was surprised by Ginny's light hearted mood, how she was always smiling.

'Have you found a dress yet Ginny?' She would ask.

'Hmm' would come Ginny's dreamy reply.

'You did? What is it like? How come you never showed me?'

'Oh, well I want it to be a surprise, like my date. Haha' Ginny quickly laughed and walked off.

But since then Hermione had stopped asking questions but still gave her side-glances.

&&&&&&

So, two days Hermione's urgent shaking later woke Ginny up.

She could hear two of her roommates Clare and Gemma arguing over the shower.

It wasn't long till Clare overruled Gemma and was in the bathroom.

'What is it? Are you trying to shake me to death or something?' Ginny snapped at her.

Hermione gave a look as it to say, "Was that meant to be a joke? Because it's really not funny" but settled for saying 'Can you hurry up please? I stay in here for five minutes everyday just to be polite, having to spend twenty minutes trying to shake you awake while this lot try to murder each other is going over the limit!'

Ginny stared at Hermione for a moment. She looked annoyed so she quickly jumped out of bed.

'Can I use your shower upstairs?'

'Yea the girls will be done, just hurry please!' Hermione smiled.

&&&&&&

When Ginny arrived at breakfast she was still in her happy mood.

The boys were already there still half asleep, but not failing to eat as much as they could.

Harry seemed to bit more awake than Ron as he was starting up conversation, mainly with Ginny but Hermione involved herself as well.

'So how is Quidditch practice going?' Ginny asked.

Well I might as well take a stab at acting like I don't care about it, by asking how it went. Also I am hoping he will tell me that Dean fell off his broom because his head was too big and that the whole team is desperate to have me back.

'Its going OK actually, the team is progressing well' He told her.

Gah, no such luck.

'Oh. That's good. What about Dean? Is he as good as he was in the try outs?'

'Um… well, I think he has been practicing a lot lately. So yea, he is good. I'm sorry'

'Hey don't worry about it. I can keep practicing and try out next year right?' said Ginny.

Next year… that's a long way away.

'Definitely'

After Breakfast all four of them got up to leave. Ron and Hermione were walking ahead whilst Ginny and Harry stuck behind, not wanting to get involved in the argument that was about to happen.

'Listen Ginny, have you really got a date for- ah for the ball?' Harry asked her nervously.

'Why do you want to know?' She grinned at him.

'It's just because…well – Hermione said no one knows who you are going with, and that you didn't get a dress when you were in Hogsmead. Also she said if the dress was delivered it would have come with the morning owls, and…well it hasn't.'

Ginny gave him a dark look.

'Why does everyone care so much about what I do? If I have a date or not. Why do you lot always look into the little things I do?' She snapped.

'No! No, Ginny I didn't mean it like that at all' Harry said worriedly.

Ginny sighed.

'Then what did you mean?'

'I meant, you could still order one and- well if you wanted- I could...accompany you to the ball'

Ginny smiled sweetly at Harry and grabbed his hand.

'Harry, that's really sweet of you but I do have a date for the ball, and I do have a dress. I said I was going to this ball so I am. You will see my dress and my date at the ball, so you can all stop worrying. Thank you for the offer though'

Harry's face seemed to fall a bit, but he did not let go of her hand.

Just then, the last person Ginny wanted to see at that moment walked around the corner.

Pansy!

Ginny was just about to let go of Harry's hand when he seemed to grip a little tighter.

'Ooh well Pot head has found himself a little lady friend' She cackled.

'Leave it Pansy!' Ginny snapped at her.

'Pansy!' A deep voice rang behind Pansy.

'Dracie' Pansy shrieked.

'Well, well what do we have here?' Draco smirked at them, and Ginny noticed as his eyes flicked down to her hand, which was still locked with Harry's, and immediately she unclasped them.

Oh no!

She saw Harry stick his hand in his pocket, and like a mirror Draco did the same.

'Well Dracie I just caught these two love birds at it' Pansy giggled.

'At what exactly Pansy, Talking?' Ginny snapped.

'Oh but it was more than that. They were holding hands and starring at each other with puppy dog eyes, hey Potter?'

An evil smile spread on Pansy's face and she gave Ginny a small wink.

'Just shut up you stupid weed' Ginny spat and grabbing Harry's arm she dragged him away.

Just as she walked past Draco she caught his eye and he frowned ever so slightly, but Ginny saw it, and it was gone as soon as it came.

Crap, crap, crap! He is going to start jumping to conclusions. Damn.

'What was that?' Harry said mostly to himself but Ginny heard.

'That was a stupid uptight jealous bitch trying to start rumours about me'

'No I don't mean Pansy, I am talking about Malfoy.' Ginny looked at Harry the moment he spoke Draco's name. He was frowning with concentration.

'Did you not see that? He said nothing when Pansy was trying to make us look like a couple. He didn't even try to take the piss out of me. Actually he spent most of his time watching…you' Harry was speaking in almost a whisper now.

'What are you talking about Harry? You always look into things way too much with Dr- ah Malfoy!'

'And? I have every right to. Listen Ginny I will catch up with you later.' And with that he turned and walked down another corridor.

&&&&&&

It was fifth period, and a free one for Ginny.

She took her broom and headed towards the Quidditch pitch.

He can take my position that I love so much from me, he can take the thrill of competing from me, he can take the rush of the crowd from me, but he can never take my passion for Quidditch from me. Dean Thomas cannot win.

Ginny spent a whole hour flying. She made drills for herself, and then she just relaxed and flew just thinking.

It was just when she started to fly to the ground when she noticed something in the stands.

She turned to have a look when she noticed blond hair, and green school robes.

A smile spread on her face as she flew towards Draco.

'You have taken to stalking me now have you?' She grinned.

'Only in your dreams' He smiled.

Ginny could feel awkwardness between them and she dismounted her broom as sat next to him at the back of the stands.

'Listen-' they both started at once.

Ginny laughed 'Go on, you first.'

'Err yea, well I just wanted to say sorry for kissing you, it's obviously not what you wanted'

'Wow, I didn't think I was such a bad kisser' Ginny said.

'No, its not that at all, you were but-' a grin wickedly started to spread onto her face 'but I just didn't think you wanted it seeing as you ran off'

Ginny laughed.

'Aw that must have been a blow to your ego! Nah you heard what I heard and I panicked and ran' Ginny told him bluntly.

'Um, what did I "hear"?' He asked.

'The sound of a camera. Someone is snooping and I panicked and wanted to find out whom it was.'

'Ok, but if it was a camera don't you think something would have happened by now?' He asked.

'Yea…true… but what else could it have been?'

'Well we were in a kitchen. There were plenty of elves at work, and they could have dropped anything. You just assumed the worst'

Wow, I did assume the worst. Talk about paranoia.

Ginny and Draco sat out in the stands for a while when the Griffindor Quidditch team came for their practice.

Neither of them noticed until Dean Thomas flew straight past them and did a take back when he noticed her.

'Ginny, trying to beg Malfoy to let you onto the Slytherin team now are you? Wow you really are getting desperate' He laughed

'Oh bite me!' Ginny snapped 'I am surprised your broom can take off with a head as big as yours'

Ginny grabbed her broom and started to make her way towards the front of the stands where she could mount and leave before Harry noticed her.

'Ah but at least my broom can take off' He smirked.

'You really should have been put in Slytherin, there is nothing nice about you Dean Thomas, and the day you are brave, or stand up for your friends is the day-'

'- You get kicked off the Quidditch team? Oh no wait! That's already happened. Just because I beat you Ginny, does not mean I am not brave and would not stand up for my mates'

There was a cough and a loud laugh from the back of the stands, and Ginny turned round forgetting that Draco was there she saw him laughing.

'Don't make me laugh Thomas. The fact that probably your only mate is Finnigan, and you don't even look brave enough to be flying' smirked Draco.

'Whatever Malfoy, anyway what are you two doing up here then? Trying to have a moment alone. Really Ginny, you are betraying the Gryffindor house' he glared at her.

'Shut up Dean! You make me sick, just get out my sight.' And with that Ginny mounted her broom and flew straight past Harry who was on his way towards the stand.

'Ginny?' He called but she didn't stop, she just flew till she reached the comfort of her cove.

She sat there and just let the anger evaporate from within her.

He is not worth it, he is not worth it, he is not worth it.

About ten minutes later she heard footsteps approaching, and was not at all surprised to see Draco walk around the corner.

'Thanks for leaving me with Scar head and Thomas.' He smirked.

'Sorry, I bet a lot of questions were asked'

'Maybe, but that doesn't mean I answered them. But I do want to ask about you and Potter. Is that old candle still burning?' he said, and she was sure she heard a bit of resentment in his tone.

'What? I was talking to him because he asked me to the ball'

'Oh right and your hand just happened to fall into his I suppose? Well seems like you got yourself a better offer' He smirked, but she could see in his eyes that he was serious.

'No. Not at all, I told him I had a date already, and he looked downtrodden so I gave his hand a squeeze just as Pansy walked round. It was bad timing that's all' Ginny snapped.

'Oh, right well its just Pansy talking and over exaggerating then' He grinned sheepishly.

'You think?' She smiled.

Ginny gave a small sigh.

'I hate the fact I know people are talking about me' Ginny sighed 'I mean, after the ball we are going to be the main focus of conversation. I don't think I could handle that'

Draco starred at her for a moment. She looked at him and could not make out what he was thinking.

'What?' she asked him.

'You are worried about what some silly little school children are going to think whereas I have my father to worry about. Do you know what he would do if he found out I went to the ball with a Weasley?'

Ginny stared at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say, but he was looking at her for an answer and she didn't know what to do.

'I couldn't give a shit what your father thought to be honest' Ginny said bluntly.

And that was when she noticed it.

For the first time in Merlin knows when, Draco put his mask up for her. He was not in the company of a crowd. It was the well practised mask that his father had made him put up to anyone, the mask he had never taken down for anyone apart from Ginny and Blaise.

'Don't you dare speak of my father like that Ginny!' He growled.

'What? Don't tell me what to do. I can say what I like when I like. He is a bastard.' She said bluntly.

'Watch what you say' He growled at her.

'Oh, I am sorry! Should I speak nicely about him, with respect? I mean after all he did try and get me killed!' Ginny shouted at him.

'What are you talking about?' Ginny noticed his light grey eyes had turned a darker shade and she didn't know whether to be worried or not.

'You should know, he is your father! Think back to your second year, my first'

'The chamber of secrets?' He asked

Ginny gave him a stiff nod.

He sighed loudly with his head hung and then looked up and looked Ginny in the eye.

'How did you find out?' He spoke quietly but directly to her.

Ginny's eyes opened in shock.

WHAT! You- you… you stupid BASTARD!

Rage was pulsating through her veins and she could feel her cheeks getting hot with anger.

'What?' she whispered to herself 'Wh- What? You knew what was going on and you didn't think to do anything about it? I could have died!' Ginny screamed at him.

'I didn't know at the time! And anyway you were always an enemy to me.' He snapped.

Ginny felt like she was having trouble breathing, he breathes we short and heavy and she found she could not even look at him.

'I was so close to death then. I had been possessed by Voldemort himself,' Ginny saw Draco visible recoil at the name. 'I set that snake out and could have killed my best friend! AND IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID FATHER, WHO YOU THINK; BY THE WAY I SHOULD BE RESPECTFUL TOWARDS!'

Ginny could feel tears brimming at her eyelids; never had she let out what she really felt about that time in her life.

She was breathing heavily, and was desperately searching his face for a sign of emotion, but his face stayed emotionless and the mask still in place.

Again he looked down to the floor and when he brought it back up she noticed the mask was no longer there.

He looked at her with his deep sympathetic eyes.

'Ginny, let me explain' He sighed.

'Do I even want to hear it? Don't you dare make excuses for him Draco! Don't you DARE!' she screamed.

'Just listen. In my second year, I was all about working up to my name, everything bad that happened I thought was "great", but also I had been brought up to think like that. I soon started to get closer mates with Blaise and realised differently. When the chamber opened I didn't know it was you opening it. I like everyone else thought it was Potter.

'It was a year later when I overheard my father explaining something to my mother in a panicked voice and I heard him tell her that he shouldn't have given you this diary or something, and it was the wrong time to open the chamber. He said that the Dark Lord was getting stronger and is going to be mad at him for it. Then I heard him say that giving it to a Weasley was stupid because she was to close to Potter and that he was under such close guard by Dumbledore at the time. He said something about he just panicked, but I gathered what I needed to know.'

There was silence for a moment when Draco spoke again.

'So don't think it was a matter of me wanting you dead, because I didn't know. But I am going to this ball with you, risking a lot. And all you are risking is people talking about you.' He said.

Ginny's mind was spinning. She was trying to digest everything he had told her and found that he had nothing to do with it. He was risking a lot just to be with her for one night.

'Does your father know you heard him?' Ginny asked

'He never found out. To this day he still thinks I don't know'

'I am not only risking the fact that people are going to be talking about me, Merlin I am not that shallow' Ginny said.

'You are only risking your friends being annoyed with you, and I can understand why. Merlin all the girls are the same when it comes to mates, but I will never hear the end of it with my father Ginny, your friends will come around. I don't even want to think about what will happen to me' He gave her a faint.

'I have my over protective brothers as well y'know' Ginny smiled lightly.

'Oh sorry yea you really should be scared shitless right now' He grinned at her.

'Sorry' Ginny whispered and looked up at him where he smiled kindly at her, he gave a little shrug and she could see he was genuine.

She took a deep breath, ignoring the heavy weight on her heart and spoke.

'Sorry, but… I can't go to the ball with you'

Hope that wasnt TOO evil

Review and tell me what you think!

Thanks to MAZMMH for being my beta!

PLF

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