When Draco woke the next morning he cursed Blaise violently and fluently. He was totally to blame for how much he had had to drink last night, no question about it. Draco groaned and rolled out of bed to find he was naked.

"Great," he muttered, wincing and holding his head.

He pulled on some clothes and slowly made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, or in his case, coffee.

Eyes half closed and looking like hell he found his seat on the Slytherin table and sunk into it. The noise of the Great Hall was killing him but he desperately needed a cup of coffee and could not wait. Searching the table that was laden with food his stomach told him he definitely did not want, his eyes alighted on the coffee and he grabbed it and pulled the pot towards him. As he poured it into his cup he inhaled deeply, savouring the heavenly aroma of strong coffee. He added milk and sugar and took a deep gulp. It was warm going down his throat and he immediately felt better.

He saw Blaise approaching from the end of the hall and poured his friend a cup of the miraculous liquid. Blaise slumped into the chair next to him and rested his head on the table.

"Drink," Draco ordered him. "It will help."

"I don't think that that is possible," Blaise moaned.

"Fine. I'll add a bit of a potion Sev has been working on lately, it will help."

Draco slipped a small phial of the potion out of his pocket and stirred it into the coffee before handing it to Blaise. His friend wordlessly took it and drank half his cup in one go.

"You know, I actually do feel better now. Thank you."

"Anything for a friend. So do you actually remember anything that happened last night?"

"No, not a thing. You?"

"Harry-sodding-Potter could have killed Voldemort for all I know," Draco answered dryly.

"I think it's better that he didn't," Blaise said in an amused tone. And to Draco's arched brow he added , "There would be so much more noise."

Draco laughed.

"So...you fancy the she-weasel then?"

"No!" Draco said a bit too quickly. "I mean, I suppose she is attractive but she is still a Weasley."

"A Weasley who you like. Can't you just imagine her in a little bikini, begging you to take it off her because she is so hot," Blaise taunted.

"Blaise," Draco growled, "Don't."

"Oh look, here she comes now and she's even looking at you."

"I don't care," Draco said, turning to look anyway.

Ginny was walking into the Great Hall and, like Blaise had said, looking straight towards them. But the look in her eyes wasn't a positive one; it was one he didn't see often. It was pity. He frowned, what could he possibly have done to gain a Weasley's pity? He clearly hadn't done anything embarrassing because the whole school would have mentioned it by now. So what else could it be? Unless. His right hand instinctively went to his left arm, over his Dark Mark. No, he couldn't have. But what if he had?

--

Ginny was unsure how Draco was going to treat her after his revelation last night so as she was walking into breakfast she looked over at him. He was sitting at the Slytherin table with Blaise, both of them nursing cups of what she could only imagine was coffee. As she walked in they both turned to face her. She watched as Draco frowned and saw him place his hand on his left arm. Their eyes connected and she forced herself to look away. Shaking her head slightly she sat down at the Gryffindor table to eat with Neville.

--

Draco sat in the Heads' Common Room, waiting for Ginny. He needed to know what had happened and he was sure that she was the only one who could tell him so he would patiently wait. Twenty minutes later Ginny came into the room, telling Luna and Mia she would meet them in the library. She turned and stopped, startled when she saw him.

"Hey," she finally said. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here. Besides, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"About?" Ginny asked unsurely.

Draco got up off of the armchair he was sitting in and walked towards her. She backed up a few steps until her back hit the now closed portrait.

"So I was wondering why exactly you seem to be avoiding me today and what exactly it was that I said to you last night," Draco said, so close that he was almost touching her.

Her eyes widened. "You don't remember."

"Clearly not. So you are going to have to tell me."

"I don't know what you mean," she lied, her voice shaking and betraying her.

"Yes Ginny," Draco said quietly, "you do."

"You told me something about...your father."

"Ah yes, that's what I thought. Now let me make one thing clear to you," he took a step closer and pressed her shoulders against the back of the portrait. "If you ever tell anyone about this you will regret it for your whole life. Do you understand?" When she didn't answer he shook her slightly. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," she ground out, angry now. "Let go of me."

He slowly released his grip on her and took a step back. As soon as she was free she grabbed her wand and pointed it at him.

"Now it's your turn to listen. Don't try to threaten me again. I have six brothers; I more than know how to take care of myself."

"Ooo, I'm so scared. And my father is a Death Eater, as am I for that matter. Who do you think you're scaring?"

"Just like your father, aren't you?"

"I'm not my father!"

"Then don't act like him."

With that she pushed past him to her room.