I love my reviews, and I love all the private message notes. You guys kick ass! This chapter is dedicated to:

marinka & nutmeg44; I love your honesty and true comments. Thanks so much for being loyal thus far. Here is the next chapter...

Xx Everybody's changing

And I don't know why

So little time

Try to understand that I'm

Trying to make a move just to stay in the game

I try to stay awake and remember my name

But everybody's changing

And I don't feel the same xX

Chapter 5

She was infuriated to say the very least. Who was Malfoy to accuse her of anything? He had been the one to knock into the shelf! He had been the one who knowingly knocked the books to the floor! And he had been the one to get them kicked out of the library! All she was trying to do was get an issue of the stupid Quibbler. She paused and looked down in her hand. The folded copy of the magazine was clutched tightly in her hand. She had snagged a copy after all. Hell she had read some of the articles! The smile twitched back to Ginny's lips and she stole into the first open classroom she could find. It was just nearing lunchtime now so most students wouldn't be occupying the corridor. Personally she could skip lunch if she wanted to. She wasn't very hungry, and since the Carrows had missed breakfast she was certain they would be there for lunch. It was bad enough she was going to have to endure one of them this afternoon for classes. She could do without seeing them twice in one day.

Making sure the coast was clear Ginny closed the door behind her and moved towards the back of the classroom. There was enough sun coming in from the windows that she didn't need to light the room or use her wand. Her bottom found one of the seats and she eagerly opened the magazine and began looking for the place she had left off from the library. There were two articles on Harry present in the issue. One was praising his retaliation from the Ministry, and another was a list of all the greatest feats he had performed while stuck in school. The Chosen One. Ginny couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the thought. If any of these people knew Harry like she did they would easily know that Harry hated these titles. More than that he hated being the center of attention. But he did it anyway. Harry was always there to save the world from every dark thing imaginable. Ginny only wished she could have been there at his side to help.

She sighed and flipped the page again. Didn't he trust her judgment? Didn't he understand what a great dueler she was? It was like all those things he had praised her for in the past were pushed aside once they started dating. Oh it was the noble thing to do of course. Ginny admired that about him. Yet she also hated the way everyone treated her as some sort of child. This was a time of war not time to lock her away in some playpen and expect her to be sheltered.

"Bloody gits."

Her eyes flickered over the page, and landed on what she had first assumed to be another lame article on the war. It was towards the bottom of the page that her breath hitched in her throat. Her hands moved so rapidly that she torn the corner of the page. She must have read it wrong.

She read it again and felt the same hitch in the back of her throat. There was just no way that this made it into magazine without the Malfoy's throwing a fit! Not only was Draco mentioned, but Parkinson and Nott had made the article as well. Ginny read through it several times before placing it down and rubbing her temples. Was this the reason Malfoy had looked so miffed in the library? If that was the case was he angry because it was a lie, or was he angry because-

"This is stupid."

She closed the magazine and tossed it in a nearby trash bin that was sitting against the wall. Had Malfoy really fled the Death Eaters? She had to admit he did look awfully different this term. There certainly was something different…

"Yeah he's an attempted murderer." She reminded herself silently though the thought of Malfoy redeeming his ways sat at the forefront of her mind.

The only thing that made the article somewhat questionable was the mention of the two other Slytherins. Parkinson staking claim to the good side of the war was like asking Ron to jump around in a vat of spiders. It just didn't happen. And Nott. Well Nott was the biggest prat on the face of the earth. Granted he wasn't half as bad as the blonde haired git.

Then again it was Malfoy who had mended the wound on her cheek after the welcoming feast. It was Malfoy who had stepped in to the compartment and fixed her up after her head collided with the window. It had very much been Malfoy who stayed behind after detention and finished her section of the storeroom. He head spun with even more questions. What was going on with her? It was Malfoy for Merlins sake! He had hit her for Merlins sake! Not to mention his own father had back handed her in her very own house.

Why was she trying so hard to find truth behind the article? Every single thing that Luna's father had placed in that piece of work was rubbish. It was the reason Malfoy was acting so wonky. He was probably just angry that someone like Mr. Lovegood would spread such heinous things about him.

But what if-

Leaning back into her chair Ginny closed her eyes and let out a groan. What would Ron or he family think if they knew she was trying to justify Draco Malfoy? What was worse was the though of Harry's reaction. Harry loathed Malfoy even more then she did, and that should have been enough icing on the cake to let the whole thing go. But she was a Weasley! Curiosity ran like wildfire through her blood. Her Mum had always said she was a spot on for Fred and George. Her high interest in curious things was always getting her into trouble, and she had a very good feeling that this sudden discovery was going to get her into a heap of it.

Suddenly retching her from her closed thoughts a voice sounded just outside the door, and Ginny snapped her eyes open. Someone sounded very angry and was just beyond the wooden door. Holding her breath she slipped from the seat and crawled across the way towards the door. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest as she neared it. All she needed was to get caught out of the Great Hall.

The voices were louder now, and she could make out a male and female conversation. They weren't students. Both voices were elder and strained. At first she had assumed it was the Carrow idiots looking for students to punish while roaming the halls. Upon further listening she realized it wasn't the Carrows at all.

"Listen Snape" Bellatrix Lestrange hissed, "It needs to be done immediately. The Dark Lord has told me twice already."

"I know Bellatrix." Came the drawled out voice of Severus Snape. "The Dark Lord has also informed me. Just because Headquarters is at your residence does not mean that he has left me dry of information. The Dark Lord has been more than willing to keep me abreast."

Ginny pressed her ear harder against the door. What was Bellatrix Lestrange doing in the castle? Furthermore why did she sound so desperate? It was very unlike the woman to sound so out of control. Had something gone amiss within the group of Death Eaters? It wouldn't be the first time they screwed things up. Hell, last time they had been hoodwinked by a group of teenagers. If she could hear something incriminating, anything at all, she could send word to Harry and the others. Perhaps they'd realize she'd be help after all and come rescue her from the horrid term she was already having.

"Well then you should heed his word Snape and get it done. We need it -" Bellatrix paused and turned her attention to the door. "You are quite sure we are alone?"

Ginny felt her heart stop beating. Literally. An icy sweat had formed along her brow line, and she pressed herself back against the wall. It had been frightening enough to be at the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand once. The memories from the Minsitry fiasco still loomed in the back of her head. Now to be on the receiving end when there would be no one to come save her, well that wasn't a comforting feeling at all. She held her breath as the doorknob turned slightly. Bellatrix stuck her head in the room, and Ginny waited for the curses to come. She was right in eyesight. There was no way for Bellatrix to overlook her despite the darkness in the room.

"Would you feel more secure speaking in my office then?" Snape questioned which caused the dark eyed woman to turn her head back towards the lanky man.

Ginny still held her breath as if waiting for Bellatrix to turn on her without word and kill her. But it never came. Instead Bellatrix slammed the door shut and sneered loud enough that Ginny felt as though her face was positioned right beside the wild looking woman.

"Office." She scoffed again, but began moving along the corridor. "The only reason you have an office at all is because the Dark Lord gave you this position. It still does not mean-"

Their footsteps moved away from the door, and Ginny waited until the echoed noise in the corridor died down before letting out her held breath. How could she be so utterly stupid? Wandering around the castle when she should have been at lunch! It was a wonder that she hadn't been on the receiving end of some awful punishment. Ginny was one to test the limits of things, but this feeling of fear was growing tiresome.

Pushing herself up from the floor she waited a few more minutes before grabbing the doorknob. Instead of meeting an empty corridor Ginny opened the door to find two watery orbed eyes staring back at her. She screamed and stumbled back into the classroom.

"Luna!" Her hand clutched tightly over her heart as the blonde haired Ravenclaw waltzed into the room.

"I saw you come in here earlier." She looked around the room observing the place. "I was going to come in after you, but I saw Professor Snape and that Death Eater woman come down from the other way."

"Well you gave me a fright." She gasped for air and waited to return her breathing to a normal pattern. "What are you doing this way anyway? Shouldn't you be at lunch?"

Luna shrugged. "Oh well…I wasn't very hungry. Not with the way things have been going." She twirled her butter beer cork necklace in her fingers. "My Dad says that he thinks Inferi are going to start wandering the corridors to keep up in line." Her wide eyes, if at all possible, became wider.

"Ginny pushed her hair out of her face and began moving with Luna towards the door. "Speaking of your father Luna" she chose to ignore the Inferi comment all together, " I just read his latest Quibbler issue."

"Yes it was a rather good one I thought." She stared dreamily across the way and followed Ginny out into the corridor. "He's been working hard getting people to believe Harry. I think it's been working a bit."

Ginny turned the corner of a corridor with her while being careful to chose her words. "Well that's what I wanted to speak with you about actually." Her hands flew up to her hand and Ginny began twirling a small piece within her fingertips. "Your father wrote an article on…on Death Eaters…their children particularly." She whispered it so softly that it was barely audible.

Luna began to nod slowly at this. "Well Dad got word from someone who said that Death Eaters were beginning to turn. I suppose that it was bound to happen. I mean You-Know-Who couldn't have expected everyone to keep believing in him…not with Harry around." She smiled. "How is Harry?"

Ginny swallowed hard at this. She wondered how Harry was doing every single second of every day. "Don't know really. Been trying to get things together here to help him out though." And then it occurred to her. "Have you spoken to Neville today?"

This brought Luna's face into a mad-like state "Oh yes. He told me everything you spoke about. I missed the D.A. so very much. It will be nice to get it together again and help the school."

Ginny led Luna down another flight of stairs and away from the main corridors. "Look Luna I have class in a bit, but before I go I just want to know something." She took a breath. Why the bloody hell was she doing this she would never in a million years find the answers, " How certain is your father with these articles? I mean those are some pretty bold statements he has made about…well you know."

It didn't occur to Ginny how vague her question really was until Luna scrunched her nose slightly. Ginny opened her mouth again to rephrase it when Luna received a very unusual look in her eyes.

"No one is always one hundred percent right you know. I mean its really hard to prove a lot of the things he writes about, but it doesn't mean they aren't true…or real. I think your best bet it to ask the person what you are thinking." She smiled almost too knowingly.

Ginny felt incredibly exposed. "I never said that-"

"I think I'm going to go study some. I look forward to helping with the DA Ginny." With that quirky little smile of hers, Luna turned down the adjacent corridor and skipped back towards the staircase that would eventually lead to the library.

Ginny stood there dumbfounded. Sometimes Luna was the smartest witch Ginny had ever encountered. She pressed her back against the wall and watched a group of small first year Hufflepuffs shuffle by her. Something very strange was going on inside the walls of Hogwarts. Bellatrix Lestrange was ordering Snape to do something that sounded quite important. Malfoy's name was being slandered in the Quibbler and yet instead of proving himself to be the same old prat he had helped her. Three times now. And the most unusual thing of all was the burning question going on inside of her head. Had he really given up on the Dark Arts?

Ginny didn't really know the answers, but she intended to find them out. Harry, Ron and Hermione may have been out on some heroic adventure outside the walls of Hogwarts, but inside she was discovering a mystery all her own.

His day had gone completely down the drain after the library incident. Somehow he managed to convince most of his house that the article was utter rubbish, but a large handful had said that he had gone too soft. He had actually come to blows with a fourth year wanker who called him a wash up. With others he confronted it was helpful enough that Pansy was mentioned in the article.

Goyle had been right in that respect. Most of his fellow housemates, and the Carrows, believed that it was just an attempt to discredit some of the more prominent families. Draco had once again played the face of a liar, but it came at a cost. His temper had teetered on the edge of explosion. He had always been a decent liar, but it was growing exceedingly difficult to harbor all of the mixed emotion going on inside his head. He had almost exploded in the middle of the common room for a second time after dinner. For a minute he wondered what would happen if he just let it all out.

It was maddening.

Draco Malfoy never once in his entire life felt so out of control. Every year he had managed to keep some sort of upper hand, but this term was proving difficult. He hated it. He hated trying to prove himself every second of the day to his Slytherin classmates. It was almost as if they were trying to prove him differently. Millicent Bullstrode had even accused him of becoming a Mudblood lover over the summer. Now as much as he had felt changes occur in him he would never in a million years become one of those filthy muggle lovers. That was the Weasley's job.

He sneered at the thought of Weasley. She had taken off down the corridor with that blasted magazine in her hands. By now she would have read it. By now she would have decided whether or not she believed it. A vein pulsed in the side of his neck. Anger was an emotion that was common to him, but not the type of anger he was currently feeling. Between the magazine, his indecisive thoughts, Snape, detention, and the thought of the Dark Lord so close to his mother, Draco felt bursts of anger because he felt one thing he wasn't used to. He felt helpless. He even felt guilty. If he had avoided the situation last term Dumbledore would still be alive, and the chance of death for his family wouldn't be looming over him.

"You are going to be late, Mr. Malfoy." The voice startled him, but Draco didn't have to look up to know that it was Snape who was standing there.

"I'm on my way now." He retorted bluntly to Snape who was now leering over him. Draco made to pass by him without another word when Snape grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I trust you have plenty of time to think of things while serving your detention?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't want to send you to another sort of punishment. I doubt your father would be pleased."

There was a hint of something else in Snape's voice, but Draco cast it aside. "You stuck me with a Weasley. The only thing I'm thinking of is how to control myself from killing the twit." He tugged himself away. "And I'd prefer it if you'd keep these moments of advice to a minimum. I don't need your blasted meddling hand in anything this year."

He was sure Snape was about to say something else, but Draco slipped down a side staircase to avoid it. After all he did have that stupid detention to serve. Maybe the Weasel wouldn't show her face? Even if he did take the time to fix her shelf he still didn't want to share a detention with her. He turned the corridor and made his way down the staircase that lead to the dungeons.

It wasn't like he organized it for her because he liked her. He despised her. It was just that the guilt he had been feeling for everything else had mixed in with what he had felt after he hit her. Any other moment of the day he probably would have left her side the way it was. Hell, it wasn't his problem that she worked so bloody slow.

He paused outside the door to the storeroom. The vein in the side of his neck was still throbbing. His hand reached out for the doorknob and just as he had expected the redheaded Gryffindor was already in the room.

He quirked a brow, "What the hell are you doing?" He was not in the mood to be in the room with a Weasel. Not now. Not after having such a damn god awful day. He was tempted to back right out of the room and leave her there, but something was forcing him to stay. It was almost as though he wanted to fight with her. Perhaps blowing off a little bit of steam on Potter's little girl toy would ease the tension in his shoulders.

She was coming down the ladder with a tight smirk pressed to her lips. "I finished the last few on your shelf…but please hold the gratitude." She mumbled under her breath as she paused on the last step of the ladder. " You great ungrateful prat."

"No one asked you to finish it for me." he slammed the door behind him and the shelves shook slightly.

Ginny frowned. "Do you even have one bone in your body that isn't an insufferable arse?" She stepped away from the ladder, her hair swinging wildly behind her, and dropped to a bag on the floor.

"Not really" He felt that temper rising again, and he marched towards the ladder so he could start his second shelf.

Ginny's fingers fumbled through her bag and she yanked out the copy of the Quibbler. "I read this." She threw the copy at his back and grinned as it hit him square in the back of the head. With a sigh she slipped over towards her next work station. "So tell me…does it feel nice to finally be mentioned in an article? Are you finally achieving that level of Potter fame you desire so damn desperately?" This wasn't going at all as she planned. She wanted to actually be civil to him when he arrived. She had figured if she tried to keep her temper now she could ask him about the article. Perhaps try and get the truth out of him, but he had waltzed into the Storeroom like some bloody prince. Who the hell did he think he was?

He spun around, his eyes dropping to the magazine that was now on the floor. "Shut your filthy Mudblood loving mouth." Leaning over he picked up The Quibbler and scanned the cover. "I could give a flying bloody day in hell if I'm in this stupid waste of parchment." He threw it back at her causing her to narrow her eyes. "Your pathetic attempts to throw Potter in my face are really old Weasel."

"Oh Please!" She practically screamed, her hands pushing her up to her feet. Was it possible for them to go two minutes without wanting to rip each others heads off? "You envy everything there is about Harry."

A cold disgusted look crossed his features. "Right. Cause I really desire dead parents and a bunch of Mudbloods for friends. Not to mention the most slim chance of survival against the Dark Lord."

Ginny whipped out her wand. "What the hell is your problem Malfoy? How can you be so sodding horrible all the time? You make me sick! Everything about you is a blasted joke! And to think-" She threw her hands up in the air. " I was going to try and be civil towards you tonight. I was going to try and keep myself from wanting to kill you. I was going to thank you for what you did with this shelf " She kicked the door behind her.

" And all you can do is wish death and horrible things on people just because you can't get over the fact that you are not a bloody god!" She stepped across the storeroom so that she was practically inches from him. "You are not a hero Malfoy…you are pitiable fool who will never EVER be-"

"Do you think I want to be like this?" He was yelling now. The final sane part inside his head had snapped. "Do you think it's easy for me to come back to this place after everything that happened last term? After everything that is happening now? Stop pretending like you know everything."

"I'm not pretending!" She was yelling back at the top of her lungs, her hangs flailing around her head wildly. "I know what you are Malfoy! A terrified murderous git! You hate people that are different from you because you are jealous that they have family and friends! You hate Muggleborns because you are too thick headed to believe that there is more to people then just their blood. You hate my family because you will never have the sort of love my family has for one another! You hate- "

"I hate myself! I went on for an entire year afraid that my mother was going to be murdered by the hand of the Dark Lord unless I killed that Mudblood lover Dumbeldore! I was afraid that if I didn't do it he would kill me! He said he would destroy my family! He would take away everything that I had! So don't stand there and preach to me about what I am envious of Weasel. Don't stand there and make accusations on bravery and heroic acts. I did things to protect my family because if I didn't we'd all be dead. How many times has precious Potter made that choice? Murder or be murdered…" He was seething, but it hadn't even occurred to him what he had said until he saw her jaw slightly slack.

There was an awkward silence shared between them. Draco stared into her chocolate brown eyes, and Ginny couldn't rip herself away from his lifeless silvery blue ones. Was this what it felt like to be punched repeatedly in the stomach? He wanted to take out his wand and hex her right there. He had gone and spilled things that he hadn't even admitted to his own damn father. Yet he had lost his temper and let it hit the ears of the biggest blood traitor of them all.

"I- well you- it's not-" Ginny had only been left speechless twice in her entire life. The first time was in her first year when she had dashed down her stairs in a dressing gown to find the infamous Harry Potter at her kitchen table. The second had been when Harry had kissed her after the Quidditch match last term. This was the third time.

Malfoy spun silently on his heel and stormed up the ladder without another word. He had already said enough. He was afraid what would come out next if he opened his mouth again.

To a Bloodtraitor! Of all people! The vein in his neck pulsed again and he began to organize the next shelf frantically. Perhaps if he didn't speak to her for the rest of the night she would forget that it even happened.

"Malfoy…" Her voice was tiny now, but he continued to work diligently. " Malfoy look I didn't know. But if you had first gone to Dumbledore…"

"A little late for that now don't you think?" He didn't dare turn around to look at her. There was probably a triumphant glitter in her eye, and he didn't want to give her that satisfaction. "Drop it, Weasley."

"You had a choice you know." She continued on while not caring whether or not he lost it again. These were the things that got her into trouble.

"I made a choice, and obviously you can now see the outcome. Now I said drop it before I really follow through with what I was supposed to do to Dumbledore." He heard a sniff come from her. Was she crying? Out of the corner of his eye he cast a glance down at her and sure enough he saw her wipe her face. A Weasel was crying over him? Now that was downright laughable. In fact he stifled a sick chuckle.

Ginny sat back down on the Storeroom floor trying her best to keep her composure. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Perhaps the mixture of his words and the thought of her own family made her break down. It was like months of pent up worry over her own parents, family and friends came storming out of her. What he had said had probably been the most selfless thing that had even come from his mouth. Malfoy was a jerk. A big selfish jealous prat, and yet he had risked his own body and soul to do keep his parents alive. Wasn't that worth something? She sniffed back a few tears again. Oh what the wizarding community would think if they knew she was shedding tears over Draco Malfoy's words.

"Did you believe it?" His voice was very monotone. To Ginny it seemed like he was trying too hard to not sound concerned for her answer. "The article?"

She shrugged, but didn't look up at him. "Sort of. Kind of… well not really no…but a bit at first." Sliding two of the vials over she sighed. "I mean you go around for seven years belittling my family and my friends….what was I supposed to think?"

Then Draco Malfoy did something that he had promised himself he would never do. He dropped his head in defeat. "I'm not telling you this because I like you. In fact I still loathe everything you and your precious muggle loving kind stand for…" His hands clutched tightly to the sides of the ladder and he began to lower himself. "I couldn't kill him. I wouldn't have killed him…I just-" He broke off to stop himself from getting choked up Malfoy's did not get choked up.

"I don't like you either you great prat." She paused and listened to the rest of his words. Merlin's beard. This had to be some sort of sick dream. "He could have helped you, ya know. Dumbledore I mean."

"No…no he really couldn't. The Dark Lord would have killed them. He would have slowly murdered my parents and forced me to watch it. Or worse…" His feet found the floor again. " He would have forced me to do it. You don't understand. No one really does. You get in so far…and then you can't-" Suddenly his eyes lit up and he was advancing on her. "You will not tell a single person about this, Weasely. Not a single bloody Gryffindor." His wand was out and he pressed it into her side.

"Even if I did tell someone…." She swatted at the wand. "You think they would actually believe me?" She strained a laugh which caused him to blink in confusion. Apparently no one had ever laughed in front of him. At least not normally. "And would you stop sticking that in my side. Merlin Malfoy I won't tell your precious bloody secrets. Besides" She smirked, " I like having something to hold over your head."

Draco sneered, "You think your attempts to blackmail me with this will work? Good luck. No one blackmails a Malfoy."

"I just did."

He put his wand back into his pocket. "Don't get your hopes up, Weasel. This shared civility is a fluke. Tomorrow we are going to pretend that none of this happened. We are going to continue with this detention as though I said absolutely nothing. I continue to despise you, and you continue pretend you don't wish you had my good looks or money."

"You do know at this rate we are never going to finish this Storeroom. We can't keep fighting and storming out. Slughorn will start to notice." She picked up her bag from the spot on the floor.

"I'm really warning you, Weasley. Not one word or I will be forced to do something drastic. I may not have been able to do it last term" There was a hitch in his throat. Merlin the guilt continued to eat at him. " … but when it comes to my mothers protection…"

"Unlike you slimy Slytherins we Gryffindors can actually keep our word." She folded her arms across her chest. "And quit calling me Weasely…and Weaselette. I have a bloody name."

"I told you…this doesn't change things between us. I'll call you Weasely till the day I die." He never really noticed how short she was until he looked down at her right at that moment. She really was an awfully tiny thing. Her robes were far too big for her small frame, and her hair was wild and out of control. She looked like a deranged fire.

Ginny shook her head. "You've got a lot of things to learn, Malfoy"

"Right." He scoffed and then turned his back to sit on one of the crates that had been pushed to the center of the room. He needed to sit. Suddenly he felt incredibly exposed, and to Ginevra Weasley nonetheless.

"You know Draco…" She placed her hand down on his shoulder. He tensed beneath her touch, but she did not remove her hand. He may have been a brooding git, but she was not scared of him. "Feeling guilty…admitting all this stuff…it doesn't make you weak despite what you think."

Beneath her fingertips he felt a burning sensation in his arm. He jerked his arm slightly to shake her off. He didn't not want a filthy little Bloodtraitor touching him. "Get off…"

She sighed, and pulled away. "like I said it doesn't make you weak." She was backing up against the wall, her hand turning the doorknob of the storeroom. "It just makes you human, and that is not such an awful trait." With that she slipped through the crack in the door and left him sitting there on the store crate.

Draco blinked but did not move. Human? She had called him human? Not even his own parents referred to him as human. He was the son of a Death Eater. The Malfoy name was associated with everything but humanity. He swallowed unsure of the sudden lump in the back of his throat. The youngest Weasel had just learned his greatest secret, and she had sworn she wouldn't tell. What did that mean? Wouldn't she be itching to go off and rat this all out to Potter? It made him nauseous to even think about it. He couldn't even admit half of this stuff to his friends and he had just spilled it all out to a righteous little redheaded brat.

Draco lowered his head down onto his knees and let out a very deep frustrated breath. As much as he hated her knowing the truth behind his actions he couldn't stop himself from thinking the same thing over and over again. This must have been what it felt like to have a friend even if it was a poor redheaded Bloodtraitor.

"Merlin's beard I need a drink."

This chapter contained lyrics from Everybody's Changing by Keane.

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