Ginny rolled over in her soft bed, cuddled by her silky golden covers. Sunlight streamed in through the tower window, basking the room in a warm glow. The other girls were still asleep, many with their curtains still closed to keep out the bright light. It was a Wednesday, so she had classes in two hours, but for now, she was free to enjoy the day.

Quickly jumping out of bed, she rummaged around in her trunk for black jeans, a white blouse, and black sweater. Once she found what she was looking for, she ran to the bathroom and knocked to make sure nobody was in there. Hearing no response, she walked in, and shut and locked the door. Running a hand through her messy red hair, she decided to put it up in a casual pony tail.

After a quick splash of water of her face, she quickly brushed her teeth and ran down the stairs to the common room. Harry, Ron, and Hermonie were the only ones there. They were sitting on the couch in front of the fire, laughing at something Harry had said.

"Hey guys. Does it feel as weird being back to you as it does for me?" Ginny asked as she sat down on the couch beside Harry. The other three wore guilty expressions that they quickly wiped off as the realized Ginny was looking at them.

"What? Oh yea. Weird. . . ." Harry said, trailing off oddly. Ginny glanced from him to the other two who were trying to keep from laughing. "What's going on? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, confused as to what they found so funny.

Hermonie and Ron suddenly couldn't keep it in any longer and burst out laughing. Harry's mouth twitched and he avoided Ginny's eyes. She glared at them, wanting to know what was going on.

"Fine! Laugh it up. Like I care," she muttered, getting up and stalking out of the room. Absently brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, she almost didn't notice Malfoy and Zabini in front of her. She quickly hid behind a suit of armor and watched silently, her breath catching for some strange reason.

"Look Zabini, I don't have time for this. Can't we just beat each other up some other time?" Malfoy asked in a bored tone, his gaze roaming around the corridor. His silver eyes narrowed as he spotted a flash of red behind a suit of armor. Just as he was strolling forward to check it out, Zabini grabbed the front of his expensive black robes and slammed him painfully against the wall.

"I don't think so pretty boy. You either admit that you're not in charge anymore or I make your life miserable," Zabini hissed, his wand now frighteningly close to Malfoy's eyes. Malfoy suddenly smirked at him. How clueless could he be?

"My mother is dying from depression, my father is in Azkaban awaiting a dementor's kiss, and I don't have any friends because half the school hates me for being a deatheater while the other half hates me for not being a true deatheater. I don't think it can get any worse," he said dryly, keeping a careful eye on the tip of the wand.

Zabini thought this over for a moment. He suddenly let go of Malfoy's robes and stepped back. "I guess you're right. So, stay out of my way, and I won't hurt you," Zabini told him with a self-satisfied smirk, and then walked away. Malfoy silently watched him walk down the hall and rolled his eyes. After a few seconds, he turned towards where Ginny was hiding and raised a pale eyebrow. "Well, did you enjoy my little sob story?"

Ginny quickly stepped out from behind the suit of armor and studied him. "Not really, no," she answered softly. A cloud passed over his face before he composed himself. She strolled on past him, intending to go on to the Great Hall. When she passed him though, she caught a whiff of the most delicious scent in the entire world. She jerked to a stop and quickly walked back up to him. Sniff sniff.

"Uhh Weaselette, why are you sniffing me?" he asked cautiously. She stared at him for a minuet then inhaled again. "Umm. . . .no reason. Bye," she muttered before hastily turning and walking away.

Malfoy stared at her retreating back, a bemused smile teasing his lips.