It had already been two weeks, and Draco and Ginny still couldn't walk hand in hand down the hall, without collecting the gaze of most of the students.
"See you in class," Draco whispered planting a kiss on Ginny's cheek before they parted ways, him to the right, towards the Slytherin table, and her the left towards the Gryffindor's.
"Ginny do you want to study for ancient runes together during your free period?" Hermione asked, as soon as Ginny sat down.
"Sure," Ginny grinned, loading her plate with eggs, making a mental note to mention it to Draco, so that he could casually run into them at the library.
"Great," Hermione replied, turning the page in the prophet.
"Any news?" Harry asked, as he and Ron arrived, taking a seat next to Hermione.
"Hmm?" Hermione responded, not looking up from her paper.
"In the prophet, any activity?" he asked his voice lowering.
"There were a few death eater raids near London, and reports of suspicious behavior near Wiltshire," Hermione responded sadly, closing the paper and handing it off to Harry.
Harry gingerly took it, opening it up and losing himself in news of Voldemort.
Ginny finished her eggs in silence, after Harry scanned the paper he Ron and Hermione carried on a whispered conversation that didn't include her, and barely took notice when she got up and left, ready to meet Draco for Transfiguration.
There was something about their conversation that tugged at something in her mind, something familiar that Ginny couldn't seem to place.
Ginny and Draco walked hand in hand in silence as the headed to Transfiguration, Draco seemed to realize Ginny was lost in thought and resolved not to interrupt her.
When they reached the Transfiguration classroom, they lingered outside the door, waiting along with the rest of the students for Professor McGonagall to arrive.
"Could you stop staring Weasley," Pansy's shrill voice called.
Ginny didn't seem to hear her, as she stared off into space.
"Oi, Weasley, I'm talking to you," Pansy said, walking towards Ginny.
Ginny was taken by surprise as she regarded the short haired girl in front of her.
Ginny tensed and looked up at Draco and back towards the angry Slytherin standing across from her.
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, confused.
"What are you deaf as well?" Pansy asked, placing her hands on her hips, as the Slytherin's behind her snickered.
"I'm confused," Ginny responded, her eyebrows scrunching up, as she looked at Pansy baffled.
"Obviously if you think Draco-"
"Oh shut up Pansy," Draco cut in, "Jealous because I've finally found someone worth my time?" Draco's voice rang out across all the murmurs of people who had stopped to watch the encounter before heading off to their classes.
"You're kidding right, she's a blood traitor and a slut," Pansy responded, rolling her eyes.
"Don't you dare-" Draco responded, his hand reaching for his wand.
"Don't mate, she's not worth the detention," Blaise's voice said softly, as he appeared behind his friend, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"She's not worth anything actually," Draco said as his hand came to rest by his side.
Just then, Professor McGonagall opened the classroom door, and Draco grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her into the classroom behind him.
Draco led Ginny to a table at the back, Blaise following behind them silently.
When class started McGonagall asked someone from each table to come up and get bunnies as they were going to use a colour changing spell to change the bunny yellow.
Draco went up, still in a sour mood as he kicked Pansy's bag on his way by her table.
"He really likes you," Blaise said as he reached down to grab his bag from under his seat.
"What?" Ginny asked not sure if she had heard him correctly.
"Draco, he really like you, he wouldn't have defended you if he hadn't," Blaise stated.
"It's complicated," Ginny sighed, wishing for a little while that it really wasn't.
"Only because you've both made it complicated. I've known Draco since we were little. He's my best mate, I know when he's pretending," Blaise said as he stood up. "And he's not," he added whispering.
Draco walked over carrying three rabbits with a curious expression on his face. Blaise grabbed a rabbit with a small smile and a nod, and he walked off across the room to sit with another Slytherin boy.
"What was that all about?" Draco asked raising an eyebrow as he handed Ginny her rabbit.
"I honestly don't know," Ginny sighed.
"Ginny, are you even paying attention?" Hermione whispered, from where she sat across from Ginny at a table near the back of the library.
"I'm sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind," Ginny sighed dropping her quill and rubbing her temples.
"I can tell," Hermione smiled slightly, putting down the textbook.
"Maybe we can finish the essay tomorrow?" Ginny asked.
"Sure, maybe you should go lay down, you still have a little over an hour before Charms class," Hermione offered, looking at her friend with concern.
"Draco was going to meet me here," Ginny said, remembering she told Draco to find an excuse to 'casually' run into the pair. "If he comes, can you let him now I'll meet him in class?" Ginny asked, packing away her books.
"Sure," Hermione smiled. "You two have been getting awfully close," Hermione grinned, gazing over at her.
"Well he is my boyfriend," Ginny responded.
"It seems like it's more than that," Hermione pressed.
Ginny shrugged her shoulders, as she contained her smile at Hermione's interest.
"Don't forget to tell Draco," Ginny reminded, throwing her back over her shoulder.
"Of course," Hermione agreed smiling as she watched her friend leave the library.
Ginny headed towards Gryffindor tower, and crawled under the soft sheets of her four-poster bed.
Ginny still couldn't shake the trios conversation from this morning, something Hermione had said sounded so familiar. She closed her eyes as she laid her head down on her pillow, and before she knew it she was sound asleep
"Ginny, did you honestly believe that I could forget you?" Tom's asked, as he stood in front of her in the Chamber of Secrets.
He took a step closer, his dark hair brushed to the side so that his dark eyes shined. Despite how dirty the chamber was, Tom's robes remained clean and dry.
"No," Ginny said with a smile. She had longed for this day when Tom would return telling her she had no choice but to leave her and how he regretted it.
"Then you are far more pathetic than when I last saw you! Being amongst muggles and mudbloods and weakened your pathetic emotions. Because you are just that Ginny weak!" Tom spat, his dark eyes turning red.
Ginny took a step back, finally seeing Tom for what he really was. Gone was his silky locks of black hair, and his kind brown eyes. In their place were lifeless eyes, eyes that were darker than the blood on the floor. Looking down again she saw in horror that the blood was dripping from claw marks on her arms.
Tom's lifeless laugh rang through the Chamber.
"You are weak Ginny Weasley, and such a shame to waste your blood, when there are so few pure bloods left," Tom stepped closer to her, and gave her a sympathetic smile that never reached the laughter in his eyes.
"No," Ginny said taking another step back.
"There is still a chance for you Ginevra, your time will come when you will fight for what is right along my side," Tom said as he closed the space between them, stroking her cheek causing her face to burn.
Ginny recoiled in disgust.
"You will join me Ginevra it is your destiny," Tom whispered, with a smile as he raised his wand.
Ginny sat up in a cold sweat and glanced around the room. Looking over at the clock on her nightstand she could see that it was well past midnight and all the other girls were asleep soundlessly in their beds. But even with five other girls in her dorm, Ginny didn't feel safe. Hopping out of bed, her school robes a tangled mess, Ginny slipped her feet into shoes as she dashed out of the room, and towards the one person who could make her safe, and it didn't matter that it was past curfew, she would do anything to see him.