Title: Call Me Ginevra

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I don't own any characters except those you can't research on the lexicon and aren't mentioned in the books. The plot is my own. Any resemblances to other plots are pure coincidence. Think about it this way, great minds think alike.

Full Summary: The war has the Weasley's worried about poor little Ginny. After checking her resources McGonagall claims she has the best caretaker for Ginny. Too bad it turns out to be Narcissa Malfoy. While at Malfoy Manor Ginny faces growing up, a strict regiment and Draco on a day-to-day basis. Can Ginny and Draco brave the unknowns of friendship? Will the buds of relationship form? What will Harry do when he finds out that only Ginny holds the key to defeating Voldemort?

Pairings: Draco/Ginny (I guess this sort of answers the "buds of relationship" question in the summary, huh?)

Rating: Eventually M, but pace yourself. (I will give fare warning of the chapters which that rating applies.)

Chapter Note: No, Draco doesn't come home in this chapter. Although I would love to push fast forward on this tale, get it all written super fast so Draco can come home and finally we can get some questions answered, problems solved, and other stuff done to complete this D/G circle… The plot still knows where I live. As such, this chapter is important because Ginny did change while she was at the Manor and it's important to show that. It's also important to show how she didn't.

Author's Note: I would love nothing more than to give an accurate and detailed description of the finer workings of Draco's mind at the moment but I find that the story loses a bit of umph if you guys know too much too soon. Sit back, enjoy the ride, and be observant (as I have found via reviews that many of you have been). Oh and I'm not at 200 reviews!!! Woohoo!

Chapter Eighteen: Spider's Webs

Ron turned and looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise. "Gin?" He half shouted, a smile spreading over his features. Ginny didn't realize she had practically flown down the steps until she was wrapped in her brother's tight embrace.

"Oh, Ron I missed you so much!" She cried, arms firmly around his neck.

She felt him chuckle, squeezing her tightly in return. "Missed you too Gin!" They parted and she took him in for the first time since she'd left. He'd gotten taller and his shoulders were wider. He had definitely grown into his height but he was on the thin side. She assumed the voices she had heard were from her mother scolding Ron for not eating enough. Ginny wrapped her arms around her brother once more and sighed.

"I was hoping I'd be able to see you."

Ron ruffled her hair and they sat down in the living room. Ginny related her story to him, Narcissa meeting up with her and her parents in some abandoned building, the attack on the Ministry (Ron went pale when he heard Ginny had been there), the balls, the dinners, her experiences with Lucius, her lessons, meeting Pansy Parkinson's mother…

"And Malfoy?" Ron asked, something in his tone that Ginny thought was bitterness but sounded more like worry.

Ginny had to keep from taking a deep breath but shrugged. "It's hard to explain. We went about hating each other for a couple of months but living under one roof with someone isn't conducive to hating them." She bit her bottom lip. "It was strange, getting to know him. He's so much more sad than I would've ever guessed."

"We talking about the same bloke?" Ron needled.

Ginny smiled. "Surprisingly, yes. You know, I mentioned coming home to him and he said I was lucky. Lucky to have a family I missed. Said every time he went to Hogwarts he was glad to be away from home." She realized then that she hadn't told anyone yet about what she had learned about the Malfoys. She nearly shivered at the thought. "Oh, Ron, Lucius is awful to Narcissa and Draco both. It's as if… it's like if they don't fit into his plan for them they have to be punished."

Ron frowned and touched Ginny's arm which he always did to console her. He had always felt awkward being close with her, hugging her a lot. He had gotten used to being much larger than her and that he did have to be more delicate with her, instead of roughly shaking her shoulders or other signs of affection he displayed with her other brothers, he touched her arm to show he cared.

"I remember this one night-" She had to stop and wonder whether or not she wanted Ron to know the whole story. About Blaise and everything. She knew he would find out eventually for she rarely kept anything from Ron of all people.

She looked into his eyes, eyes like hers and realized why people thought they were twins. Their hair had miraculously taken the same shade of red their mother's had where all the other children had taken their father's hair coloring. Their faces were shaped the same, soft around the edges but pronounced facial features. They were both fairly tall, pale, and had big smiles.

"Ron I'm going to tell you something you can't tell mum or dad and I can't do it here where they could walk in on us." Ginny whispered. Ron nodded and they walked upstairs under the premise that she was going to show Ron her new things. They went into her room and she shut the door behind them, crawling onto the bed and sitting cross legged, Ron sitting at the foot.

"Well?" He asked expectantly.

Ginny prepared herself for what might come from this conversation. "There's a lot that happened. So I want you to try, to just let me finish first. I know it'll be hard for you but just try. Please?" Ron nodded and she started. "At the first ball I went to, it was sort of a 'here's Ginny everyone come and meet her' ball. Narcissa had told me that unless I could find another suitable partner that Draco would be my escort. Now this was right after I moved in and Draco and I hadn't found any common ground so of course I tried to think of a suitable escort.

"I couldn't think of anyone though. But one day the Zabini's came over, Blaise and his father and Blaise was very nice and very charming." The words stung on her lips and made her sick to her stomach to remember how foolish she had been. "I asked him to go to the ball with me and he said yes. That night everything was lovely until he escorted me to my room and…"

She had clearly paused for too long because Ron, she noticed now that she looked up at him, had gone very still, was pursing his lips so tightly they'd disappeared, and was extremely pale. "He didn't do anything but he tried." She hurried to explain and saw Ron relax just slightly. "He had ripped my dress and hit me so hard I was sure I'd go unconscious." She stopped looking Ron in the eyes for effect.

Maybe, just maybe she could tell him about Draco. Although Ron and Draco had a long-standing feud that would probably never end, he may be someone she could go to when she needed to talk about it. "Draco broke through my window, said he'd heard me scream, and ruined Blaise. Threw him out the door."

Ron's eyes widened but quickly resumed their normal size. No doubt he's expecting me to say that Draco expected repayment, Ginny thought to herself. "He helped me that night, let me slip in his bed while he slept on the floor. Even though it was Draco, I just couldn't be alone that night, you know? And he wasn't a prat and didn't make any snide comments. I later asked him about having to hit someone that was his own friend and he said he'd do it again any day for what Blaise was doing."

"Let me get this straight." Ron said slowly, his fists unclenching for what must have been a long time since his knuckles were still white. "Blaise Zabini tried to… to… and Draco, he beat up his own mate to save you? And then he let you sleep in his bed?"

Ginny winced at how obvious it must've sounded. If she were Ron she'd think Draco wanted something in return too. "It wasn't like that Ron. I asked him to stay. I couldn't go back to my room and I couldn't be alone. I was too embarrassed to tell Narcissa about it and well, Draco had already helped me that night. Besides we stayed up most of the night playing chess." She grinned. "I won a lot from playing you, Draco is terrible at chess."

Ron had to keep from smiling a bit at the news. Ginny continued. "Anyways," She told him all about how Lucius treated Narcissa, about when she went to America with Narcissa and Draco and found out about Narcissa's secret love. By the time she was done explaining everything from America, to the ball where Blaise had gone after her again but Lucius had stopped him, she had arrived at one final thing to talk about.

Draco himself.

Ron sensed that there was something left Ginny wanted to say, knew it because she was his sister and they were so close that he sometimes wondered if he had mastered legilimency with her. "Gin, what is it?" He asked, patting her knee.

Ginny looked up at him and for a moment she questioned whether or not it was a good idea, the right thing to do, a smart decision to tell him all about Draco. Omitting a few intimate details of course, but explain how they had begun to become attracted to each other and now he was… Well, he was gone.

"Promise you won't freak?" Her eyebrows were knit in worry and all Ron could do was nod so that she would say what she needed to and stop looking so torn.

Ginny sighed. "Ron, Draco and I sort of started dating when we went to America."

Ron stood up quickly and turned around from facing her. Ginny nearly went into cardiac arrest as he stopped in the middle of her room, hand on his hip. He was mad at her, he was furious. She shouldn't have told him, it was a terrible idea. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she knew, she knew he was going to tell their parents. For a second he stood there. "Ron?" She barely whispered.

Ron exhaled raggedly. "I'm sorry, Gin, it's just I wasn't expecting that." His words were a little robotic. But then something happened, he turned to her and he just looked tired. "Or actually, I guess I was, I just wanted to think it wasn't going to happen."

"What do you mean you were expecting it?" Ginny was a little taken aback from his words and more so she was confused.

"I had talked to Hermione about it, she said it might happen. Two of you living in the same house so close in age, blah, blah, blah." He pushed out his bottom lip like he was prone to do when he knew he had been wrong about something with Hermione. "Told her she was wrong, said you were…" He stopped himself, thank god. Ginny wouldn't have been able to hear him say something like 'said you were smarter' or 'said you were inherently good and couldn't be attracted to someone like Malfoy'.

"Ron you have to understand, Draco's not the same person he was in school. I don't think he ever was that person. That was just a way to cope."

Ron half sneered but controlled himself. "Gin, come on. Everyone's known that if you've been sorted into Slytherin it's for a reason. I'm not saying he's evil I'm saying that he was probably sorted in there because he could manipulate people. He could manipulate situations. He knew how to hide all of his dirty little secrets by using those of other people. I agree it was probably because of what you told me and it's terrible that it happened to him but what do you want me to say? Congratulations? Should I expect him to following you here?"

He seemed serious and this, she knew, was where things would take a turn that could either infuriate her brother further or make him gleeful. "No because for your information we aren't together anymore." She said quietly, staring at her hands.

Ron made an 'O' shape with his mouth and sat back down on the bed. Ginny couldn't quite read the expressions that crossed Ron's face after the first few. The first, of course, was relief. The second however was guilt that he had felt that and from there things just got complicated and Ginny quit trying to keep up. "I'm sorry Gin." He looked at her sideways.

"We'd been dating since we'd gotten back from America and then his dad tells him that it's time for Draco to go to Death Eater training." Ginny spat the words more bitterly than she had intended. "He left the first of December. He dumped me yesterday." She finished and stood, crossing to one of the grimy windows and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Ron wrapped his arm roughly around her shoulder and pulled her against his side. "You'll get on okay, you always do. Besides if he was daft enough to think he could find anyone better than you than he doesn't deserve you."

Ginny smiled and rested her head on Ron's shoulder. Leave it to Ron to be able to cheer her up. She never understood why, but he was amazing at it.

Just then noise filtered up from downstairs and Ginny's head snapped up. "What's going on down there?" She frowned. She took off for the door, and walked into the hall. She stopped; knowing that behind her Ron was smiling. Slowly she turned back to look and yes; he was biting his bottom lip in effort to hide a smirk. "Oh how could you not tell me you terrible excuse for a brother!" She exclaimed and took off down the stairs again.

She lunged first at George, who was closest to the stairs and not expecting her small body to be thrown on his back. He nearly fell over but caught himself, turning his head to see her. "Damn Gin, you've gotten heavier!" He teased.

"Oh, George." Hermione tsked. Ginny unhinged herself from her brother and hugged Hermione. "Missed you so much." Hermione whispered in her hair. Ginny could only nod in reply.

She then turned to Fred and punching him in the arm first, she hugged him as well. She pulled back and looked around. "Did Harry not come?" She frowned.

"Harry's here!" A familiar voice called from around the corner and as she turned she saw Harry emerge. He looked tired, she thought, like he had been without sleep the entire time he had been away. They embraced and for a moment Ginny wished she could take all his sadness away.

They pulled back and she rubbed his arm affectionately. "It's good to see you've still got color in your cheeks." She mentioned in a maternal fashion quite like her. Turning back to where Hermione and Ron stood curiously close to each other she added, "I've been worried about you three."

"What no concern-"

"-for your loving brothers?" Fred and George teased, both ruffling her hair simultaneously. She chuckled and swatted at them.

"You don't need it! I have more concern for your victims than you two!" She replied.

They exchanged more colorful barbs in the safety of the living room would prevent Molly Weasley from scolding them for dirty language.

She was home. Ginny Weasley, or Ginevra Weasley, or whoever she was had finally come home. She sighed as she looked around the room; apparently it had been a meeting up for them as well. Ron was in deep conversation with Arthur in the corner about something. Ginny feared for a moment that it was about Draco until Ron caught her gaze and sent her a smile.

Fred and George were sharing repartee with Hermione and then Ginny realized that Harry had disappeared. Frowning, she looked around the room and sure enough his figure was gone. She got up from her seat and checked the kitchen, finding just her mother there fussing over dishes and muttering to herself.

Ginny climbed the stairs and found Harry in the room he had stayed in while under the surveillance of the Order. She leaned against the door frame and watched him reach out and touch the bed sheets. "All right?" She said softly so as not to startle him.

He turned quickly, a blush crawling on his rough cheeks from being caught in such a vulnerable moment and he smiled. "Yeah." He nodded.

She crossed the room and sat on the bed, Harry following suit. She and Harry had long since mended the distance between them from the whole "Cho" situation and from their failed relationship. They found that although they worked as a pair, they simply worked better as good friends, if not practically brother and sister. Ginny had always had an inherent sense of telling when Harry was in a mood and was honest with him when others were walking on eggshells.

He had been the only person she could bond with over what happened in the Chamber, though none of it was truly public. Over the summers when would visit the Burrow or during school when they happened to find themselves in the common room together, the subject had come up. It was refreshing to her to find someone else who could understand how an experience could make her feel so tainted.

Now they sat on Sirius' old bed in a filled silence that said everything they didn't have to. Everything would be fine, everyone would be fine, and they were still there for each other. Ginny leaned over and rested her head on Harry's shoulder and he did the same in resting his cheek against the top of her head. "You?" He asked.

Thrown off guard, for although Harry was a wonderful person he was terribly inept at returning questions concerning other people. Ginny's shock was more apparent that she had hoped for Harry smiled when she had lifted her head.

Returning his smile she nodded as he had. "Yeah."

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Dinner had gone better than she had expected. Fred and George cracked more jokes than most professional comedians did in their act, Ron and Hermione attempted to hide that they were holding hands from under the table but Ginny was sitting on that side and couldn't be fooled (she did keep their secret though). Harry actually smiled and despite themselves, Molly and Arthur exhaled for once in what seemed like forever.

It wasn't the Burrow, and it wasn't all of the Weasleys, but for the short time that everyone was there that night it was perfect.

Fred and George had left first, citing that they really needed to get back into town. Ginny had asked how they were doing, having to pretend their parents were dead, and they both shrugged in unison. It seemed life was easier for them than she had thought. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had stayed later but left before eight that night. Ginny found herself wrapped in the bedcovers of her own room and asleep before ten.

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Ginny's eyelids protested with the small amount of sunlight that pushed through the grime on the windows, but she was awake nonetheless. Sighing, she pushed back the covers and slowly sat up, head spinning with all the excitement from the day before. She swayed side to side, still half asleep as she went into the hall and washed up. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and after splashing her face with some cold water, was able to make her way downstairs without tripping.

Her mother was already almost through cooking breakfast, potatoes and sausage, and her father was reading The Prophet at the table. "Oh, Dad, don't you know not to trust that stuff?" She frowned. The magazine had quickly fallen under the influence of Voldemort and the likes.

Arthur took off his glasses and smiled sadly. "Sometimes it's the best way to get the news." He replied and patted her hand as she sat down at the table.

"You went to sleep quite early last night, you feeling alright?" Her mother worried, pausing from her cooking to reach over and pressed her forearm to Ginny's forehead.

Ginny patted her mother's arm lovingly and pushed it away. She laughed and shook her head, "Mum, I'm fine. I was just really tired after seeing everyone yesterday, it was quite a shock."

"We did have a full house last night." Arthur nodded in agreement and folded the magazine in his hands, setting it aside. Just then Molly came by and set the sausage and potatoes on the table.

Ginny reached forward and filled her plate, followed by Arthur and then Molly when she sat down. "Are there any surprises planned for today?" Ginny looked over at her parents. They both paused and Molly quickly took a sip of coffee to avoid having to answer. Arthur smiled.

"If we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

Ginny grinned and went back to her breakfast. They ate around conversation and once Ginny finished she excused herself. Darting upstairs, she dug through her things for her bathroom bag and upon finding it, grabbed up her spare clothes and ran to the bathroom. She turned on the water and let the bathroom fill with steam before she made a move to undress. She sat on the toilet, head against the wall and eyes closed.

With a deep breath she opened her eyes and took off her pajamas. She hissed as the warm water ran over her body and adjusted the temperature so it was cooler. Inching more and more under the water she was finally fully beneath it and turned so her hair could get wet. Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts drift.

She wondered if she should write Draco back, just to make sure he was sure about the decision, maybe try to convince him to at least talk to her first. But then again, his owl had asked her to act as if nothing had happened. Maybe… Maybe, she thought, he was with this girl because his father had wanted him to be. Maybe that's why she couldn't act as if anything had happened, if she did it would give the fact that they were together away. Maybe he was in some kind of trouble.

She bit her lip and shook her hair to loosen the curls. She filled her hand with shampoo and tried to force her curls into submission. There was just no way to convince herself that Draco broke up with her without having a reason. But what reason that was, well, that was an entirely different matter. He just simply could not have broken up with her like that, after all their conversations and all they had been through, not unless Lucius had something to do with it.

She grunted angrily. She knew the more she thought about it, the more she would get frustrated. She turned to reach for her face wash and knocked over almost every bottle on the ledge. She was sure her mother and father could hear her scream from the kitchen.

She had to stop thinking of Draco before it ruined her visit home.

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Ginny looked up from her book as Arthur cleared his throat. "Ginny," He began; cheeks pinched as he fought back what Ginny hoped was a grin.

"Yes?" She quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Would you mind going and getting something from upstairs? There's a box in Sirius' old room on the bed, can you bring it down?"

Ginny's other eyebrow joined the first and she slowly closed her book. "Sure…"

She left the room with a glance to her mother who was trying to keep herself busy cleaning things she had previously just gotten done washing. Frowning, Ginny took two steps at a time up the stairs and peeked into Sirius' room. There was absolutely nothing on the bed but a thin layer of dust. Rolling her eyes, though thoroughly curious as to what was going on, she made her way back downstairs.

"Alright, Dad, what's the deal?" She called as she neared the entryway into the kitchen. "There wasn't any…" She trailed off, jaw going slack. "Merlin's beard." She whispered to herself as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Hello Miss Weasley."

Ginny gripped the banister with a tight fist and she felt her throat go a bit dry, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Professor Snape."

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If there was one scene Ginny wouldn't have been able to foresee was Molly, Arthur, and Ginny Weasley hosting Severus Snape at the dinner table at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Many things had turned Ginny's mind upside down, from the truth Narcissa had told her about the night Dumbledore had died, to the memories she had about Snape that were becoming all of a sudden very clear.

She had never thought twice about the grades he had given her, the critiques, and whatnot. But upon remembering, as she did after the day Narcissa told her the truth, Snape had punished her much less than any other student she could think of. Her grades, though not sterling, were always relatively equal to her Slytherin counterparts and his criticism always held at least one compliment.

She also discovered, after talking with Harry, that there were many things Snape may have alluded to even to Ron, Hermione, and Harry. There were times when he would give Hermione the grade she deserved or pass on humiliating her brother for rolling his eyes. After Sirius died, Snape didn't say a word to Harry for the whole first month of her fifth year. Even Remus had pointed out that Sirius had made the wolfsbane potion for him so perfect that he suffered less than ever before.

Now, sitting at the dinner table and watching Snape have pleasant conversation with her parents, she wondered if the Snape she thought she knew back in school actually ever existed at all.

"Professor?" Ginny asked during a moment of silence. Snape sipped at the stew Molly had conceded to make at Ginny's request, then put his spoon down to listen. Ginny worried her bottom lip but kicked her courage into gear. "I was wondering… well, where you'd been all this time. I mean you weren't here when I got here and it seemed you'd never been. I understand if you can't say, I was just curious is all." Ginny stared at her stew, her face burning.

Well, at least if you didn't sound rude you sounded absolutely childish! She scolded herself.

Snape, however, smiled and folded his hands in front of him on the table. "Well, I can't say for certain which place I was at the longest. I traveled from city to city and stayed with different people. I've got to be careful to leave no traces of magic and the like."

Ginny nodded. "But you've been in safe houses, yeah?"

Ginny missed the smile on her mother's face. Snape nodded, smiling in the small way that he knew how in response to such apparent concern. "Yes, they were safe houses." He said no more and Ginny understood that he really couldn't. Ever since she had known Snape, he always had reasons to omit parts of the conversation or a conversation entirely. He was the man who knew everything and kept his mouth shut about it.

She wondered momentarily, as they all resumed eating, what kind of life that was… to know something and not be able to say it.

She realized in that moment that she truly admired Snape. He had done so much for the people she cared for and was hated for it in return. She knew now what kind of sacrifice he had made in order to keep a spy safe within the ranks of the Death Eaters, she knew now how carefully he had watched over her and her friends while in school. How he had cared for Draco as well…

As they always did her thoughts flitted back to Draco. She should really stop. This was becoming an unhealthy obsession. She would talk to him if she could whenever he got back. That was the resolution. She wouldn't beg him to come back to her, she wouldn't demand that he tell her exactly what was going on, but she would talk to him at least. Maybe then, if she saw that he was sincere and that he didn't mean ill will but was just searching for someone different… maybe then she could find closure.

They finished eating their stew. Snape stayed for maybe an hour afterwards and when he finally had to leave, Ginny was allowed to walk him out.

They stopped at the door and Snape turned to her. "Tell me something, Ginevra."

Ginny looked up at the man with his long hair, his billowing robes that were dirty and torn at the hems, the lines of exhaustion on his face. "Professor?" She asked, calling him his title out of habit.

His lips quirked but she wondered if she'd actually seen it or imagined it. "Tell me, how you're doing. And I want you to be honest. Narcissa has informed me of Draco leaving and of your recently received owl."

How does he know absolutely everything? She shouted in her mind. Nothing, positively nothing, could be kept from Snape no matter where he was. Ginny smiled and looked down at her folded hands. "Let's just say I'm getting along. There's a lot I don't know, a lot I don't understand and some of it…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip. "A lot of it I think wasn't exactly up to Draco."

Had Narcissa been there Ginny surely would have been struck down for using the phrase 'a lot' three times in one sentence. Snape, however, nodded understandingly and turned to leave out the front door. Ginny saw that McGonagall was waiting on the walk for him, probably to apparate with him. Snape stopped and turned back. He paused, considering something, his hands clasped behind his back as they normally were.

"Understand something Ginevra," He began, his brows furrowed in thought. "There are many, many strings that span the world in which the Malfoys live. They cross over and touch everything at least once, usually more, and they all lead to one place. They make a web and in the center where they meet, is Lucius. He creates and manipulates the world around him. I can not say for sure what is going on but I have every faith that Lucius' hands are somewhere. Never trust him, never close your eyes to him. He must have everyone in his web."

With those cryptic words Snape was gone with McGonagall and Ginny shut the door to the cold wind blowing outside. She slept dreamlessly that night, tossing and turning in her sheets.