Hey everyone!! Okay so I loved the reviews once again, and for the heads up I think I'm going to delete Ice Box apparently none of ya'll reviewed it so I'm guessing it was that bad lol, lol, lol…anyway I didn't like it either so I'll take it off (Mind you it was my first songfic lol), so I hoped you like chapter 16 becomes here comes chapter 17!!!! Hope you like it, ENJOY!!!- DM16

Hermione pulled up a chair next to Ginny's bed. The room fell silent and only Draco and Ginny's breathing could be heard. Ginny knew something had to be wrong, she felt it in her stomach, and she looked over at Draco and knew he felt the same way. Ginny never knew the real reason for Draco's curse or the prophecy but by the look on Hermione's face, she knew she was going to find out.

Draco stared at Granger with the most serious face, he didn't know why but he felt knots tighten in his stomach. What was going to happen? He did not know but what he did know was that it wasn't going to be good at all. He looked across at Ginny and wondered if she felt the same way.

"I've been given a pass from Professor McGonagall to use the restricted section in the library." Hermione said leaving in a moment of silence for awhile she looked at Ginny's banded up arm suspiciously but said nothing, and then she continued.

"I've been going through it all day and I've never came across such extraordinary readings in my life"

"Hermione, what is it?" Ginny said, as she began to feel impatient. Draco kept his eyes on Hermione though not moving a soul out of place.

"Apparently, the witch who cast the spell on Esmeralda was named Brutta Vecchia. And like Voldemort Brutta was one of the followers to Salazar Slytherin."

"Wait, you mean Salazar Slytherin had followers too, Why?" Ginny said

"Why else, like Voldemort he too wanted to vanquish muggles, muggleborns, and half-muggles. When Salazar Slytherin got kicked out of Hogwarts for trying to accomplish that, he had to build an alliance of leaders who will follow him to the very end, although it didn't quite turn out successfully as he planned since Godric Gryffindor knew and killed him."

"Godric Gryffindor killed him, so what happened to Brutta?" Ginny asked.

"She was with the rest of Salazar's followers; they knew they would be captured later on after the fall of Salazar so they hid. But Brutta wanted to remain true to Salazar and do the job for him, that's when she heard the prophecy about Esmeralda and decided to kill her" Hermione said.

"Well how did she know it was Esmeralda she had to kill?" Draco said Hermione looked at him as if she noticed him there for the first time.

"Well, she knew because of the prophecy, the prophecy particularly said that the child with the birthmark on it's back shaped like a scar would kill Salazar Slytherin's future great, great, great, grand child" Draco's eyes widened at this. Ginny looked at him with a concern look.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Draco looked at her.

"I….have that" He said. Ginny looked at him confused

"You have what?"

"Ginny, lift up my shirt" He said. Ginny looked at Hermione who only shrugged at her then decided to lift up his shirt. Ginny slowly lifted up his black short sleeve polo shirt from the back, and revealed a long tan like birthmark that looked like a deep cut that was already healed right in the center of his back. Hermione looked astonished as much as Ginny did. Ginny released his shirt and said nothing. Draco moved uncomfortably in his seat.

"Ahem, so uh…..what…what does this means?" Draco said Hermione furrowed her eye brows.

"This is serious, according to the books, Brutta had found out about her birthmark, but the thing is she realized that Esmeralda was really powerful…..she uh…. she transforms" Draco stared at Hermione confused. "Transforms, what do you mean transforms, she transforms into what…exactly?" He said. Ginny now faced her head towards Hermione searching her face eagerly for answers.

"Into…. a creature…a monster to be exact" Hermione looked worried as she stared at Draco, but Draco didn't say anything he wanted her to say more. As if Hermione knew what he was thinking she continued on.

"Look, for some reason Esmeralda knew about her powers but sometimes she didn't know how to control it, of course she had help from her family but it was hard for her to not transform, you see, Esmeralda's transformation has something to do with her anger, when her emotions hit the limit she transforms-"

"Like a werewolf?" Ginny finally spoke, but Hermione shook her head.

"Not really, but part of her did had to live off of blood, that's why she had her partner"

"Partner?" Draco asked

"They say that Esmeralda was blessed with a partner, her lover to be exact, and that only her lover lets her feed off of his blood, Eric was his name. Anyway Eric, like Esmeralda, had a special power of his own… and that was his blood to heal and feed Esmeralda… to protect her. Him and him alone was the guardian of fate that brought them together, that it was destined for them to be together in order for Esmeralda to control her powers so she doesn't hurt others" Draco just stared at her, surprised but eager to know more. It was as if it were connected to him in some way.

"So…do you think Draco…um…has this certain power, to transform I mean" Ginny said as she looked at Draco then back at Hermione.

"That's why I had to tell you this Ginny, that's why I needed to know if any one in his family had Coraggio Forzato, because it just so happens that anyone in Malfoy's family may have passed it down to him, because they too had the transformation sealed up inside them protected by the curse. Brutta gave Esmeralda the curse to seal up the real power that's inside her so the prophecy won't come true…..she did it because… because…Brutta was pregnant with his child…..with Salazar Slytherin" Draco's eyes widened again.

"It's says that the curse only gets skipped two generations down, it's possible that Malfoy may have that curse sealing his true transformation."

"So, what is this creature she transforms into exactly?" Ginny asked. Hermione hesitated for a minute then continued.

"Well, it's a cross between a dog like demon and something like a snake I suppose….a hybred, is what it's called." Hermione said. Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing and she knew Draco felt the same way.

"So what about this whole partner thing does Draco have one too" Ginny said but she had a feeling she knew the answer to it. Hermione said nothing but looked at Draco and Ginny back and forth. Then she sighed and looked at Ginny.

"You…you don't think that I-I'm his… but… well that's just silly-"

"But it does make perfect sense, don't you see Gin, there's a connection between you two and it's not just love…it's something more something powerful you both have when you're together. We all know what this means the only great, great, great, great, great grandchild to Salazar Slytherin…is…is-"

"Voldemort" Draco said. Ginny shivered at the sound of his name and Hermione stayed quiet.

"Does this mean that I'm the one that needs to stop Voldemort?" Draco said solemnly.

"It could be; we all thought it was Harry that needed to do it, but now this could mean something different. It could be that Esmeralda Lane was Irma Black; she changed her name to Esmeralda Lane when she got married to Eric."

"Irma Black, hey that's my great, great, great, great, great, grandmother but everyone said that she was murdered and her body had vanished." Draco said

"Well, I can understand why that lie was made up" Hermione said Draco raised an eyebrow at this. "A lie?" He said

"Yes, why do you think she changed her name to Esmeralda, when she found out about the curse given to her she probably heard that there was a way to destroy the curse and the transformation with it but it was never found. Soon Esmeralda had gotten pregnant with Eric but I believed that she didn't want the baby to suffer like she did, not knowing that the baby wouldn't have the power and the curse like she did because the curse and the power itself only gets skipped down two generations, but Esmeralda wanted her to be safe so she left the baby with her mother Callidora. And she ran off. I guess her mother thought she was a disgrace and told those lies about her being dead, Callidora never really appreciated the fact of Esmeralda leaving her child with her and for the fact that she married a Muggle-born." Hermione said

"Eric was a Muggle-born?" Ginny asked

"Yes, a full blown one at that, anyway Esmeralda and Eric ran off hoping that they would break the curse and the power sealed inside it….sounds like they never got that chance." Hermione said

"And…and what about this hybred thing... what does all of that mean?" Draco asked.

"Hybreds, in the wizarding world, are very rare. Usually when you get bitten by a contagious creature such as a werewolf or a vampire, there venom; like any other poisonous creature will affect you in the most dangerous and affective way, a gift but a curse as well. But Hybreds are most different they don't get bitten they get chosen just like that out of nowhere, no one knows how or why, they just get it. It says that your soul or personality will choose the creature you will become and once that is decided their transformation will be skipped down to two generation after the next two. Strange, nobody for a thousand years has ever heard of a hybred… they were extinct." Hermione said lost deep in her thoughts.

"What if it changes?" Ginny asked. Hermione looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what if this tradition doesn't get skipped down every two generation, what if a hybred gene was instantly passed down to the child after it's parents hybred gene?" Ginny asked. Hermione stared at her for a minute then answered her question.

"That's a very interesting question, you know I never really thought about it, but if it was to happen which I doubt that it will then there's a possible chance that the baby would die" Ginny gasped. Draco said nothing.

"Or the other possibilities could be that the child may or would be the most powerful but dangerous infant the wizarding world has ever seen, but I doubt that a child coming from its first hybred family will inherit his or her parents power"

"And... me being Draco's partner do- do you really think that I'm-"

"Ginny do you love Mal-….I mean, Draco, do you love Draco?" Hermione asked. Draco looked surprised at Hermione calling his first name. Ginny on the other hand looked dumbfounded. Her mouth dropped all the way down to the cold white marble stone floor. When she realized this she made and awkward cough and straightened her self up in bed. She didn't expect for Hermione to ask her this question usually that's a job for Ron to ask… but either way she knew the answer. When she looked at Hermione's dark brown eyes she relaxed and sighed.

"Yes…yes I do…very much." Draco looked at her and smiled. Hermione smiled as well.

"Then that's all the answer you need, fate had brought Eric and Esmeralda together not just because Esmeralda needed a protector but a love so strong that not even Salazar Slytherin himself could stop. I know this is all strange and trust me this is strange for me as well but this could be a very, very important journey for the both of you. This could be something to get rid of Voldemort once and for all. You both need each other and you know it." Hermione said as she smiled at both of them.

"What are we going to do now?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I'm going to have to tell Dumbledore about all this, he needs to know"

"Especially if it involves the true meaning for my curse" Draco said Hermione nodded and got up from her seat.

"Feel better Gin, ok?" She said as she walked towards the door. Ginny smiled.

"Ok, thanks, and oh Hermione?" Hermione turned around.

"You have to promise, not to tell Ron or Harry about this… about us too" Ginny said. Hermione nodded then left the room closing the door behind her. Draco let out a big sigh as he leaned forward drowning his face in his hands. Then he lifted his head back up took a deep breath and said: "This is incredible"

"What's so incredible about it?" Ginny said as she now sat up letting both of her feet swing above the cold stone floor.

"It was sarcasm Gin" Draco said but Ginny knew there was something on his mind; she gave him the look to prove it. Draco sighed.

"It's just that, all of this happening now you know, I thought my curse was some kind of disease that will go away due time. My mother always said that it will go away as I get older but Gin… I'm sixteen now, you can't tell me that it would go away in my twenties." Draco said as he gave a little chuckle.

"I can't believe she didn't tell me about this, about any of it."

"Draco, don't say that maybe your mother didn't know, I mean by the way your father treated her it sounded like she was locked up in her room for most times of her life" Ginny. Draco stared up at her then turned his head away and sighed. "Yea, she did, but I have a feeling that there's more to this Gin… that there is something else hidden" Draco looked back at her again.

"I had this dream" Ginny raised an eyebrow at this

"A dream?"

"Yea, but it felt like it was so real, like I could feel the objects right in front of me….and the girl-"

"Girl, what girl?" Ginny said paying more attention to his word but Draco just shook his head mentally as if lost in his own thoughts and smiled at her.

"Forget it, it was just a dream the fall to my head gave all sorts of crazed up dreams" Draco laughed but Ginny didn't she wanted to ask him more but by the 'forget it' tone in his voice she decided to leave it alone, maybe he'll bring it up later. Then suddenly Draco smiled at her as he pulled her off of the bed and into his lap, Ginny giggled at this.

"Sooo, winter is almost coming" He said as he snuggled his head into her shoulder. Ginny sighed.

"Yea I know, hard tests and cold nights what a lovely month close to the holidays."

"Well you know I'm always here to help you study… and keep you warm at nights too. " Draco said as he started to give butterfly kisses up her warm cinnamon scented neck. Ginny melted at every kiss he made on her neck.

"But you know after the tests the big winter dance is coming up." Ginny froze at this and turned her head towards his face, his warm shallow breath warming the tip of her nose.

"What are you trying to say?" She said but she knew what was coming.

"I think you know Gin, come with me, be my date for the dance" Draco said. Ginny's heart leapt up with joy screaming at her to say yes. "Say yes! Say yes you buffoon!! Go on say it!! OMG YOU ARSE SAY IT NOW!" But she knew she had to be reasonable about this.

"Uh, no" Ginny said as she got up and sat in the seat Hermione was originally seated in facing towards Draco.

(Ginny's Heart: WHAT THE HELL!?!)

Draco's face frowned "No?"

"Yes no" Ginny said feeling a guilty.

"Can I ask why?" He said with disappointment.

"Draco you know why, what do you think people are going to say when they see us walk in to the great hall together, what's Ron going to say or Harry or-"

"Who the hell cares Gin, I don't… I don't care anymore about what people think about us, at first I was because how people might treat you, I was also afraid that father would know about us… he always knows… and… and he'll do something dreadful to you, that's why at first I had to keep a distance away from you I couldn't handle it Ginny. That's why I want to be with you that's why I've decided to be with you because I want to protect you from that… from him I want to be there to always protect you from danger. I can't stand the thought of something going wrong and I'm not there to be there with you to hold you and tell you everything is going to be okay. Me knowing that you're happy makes me feel happy as well Gin and that what matters most to me for you to be happy." Draco said as he grabbed Ginny's hands. Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing, she felt like crying right now.

"Remember back in Dumbledore's office you asked me what were we talking about?" He said Ginny nodded her head.

"Well, he knows about my curse too, and he was the one that told me about my father escaping from Azkaban" Ginny's eyes widened at this

"Your father escaped but-but how"

"How else, one word… Voldemort" Draco said. Draco squeezed Ginny's hands

"I won't let him hurt you Gin or anybody else for that matter. So who cares what people think we've got each other and if people or your brother or Potter doesn't like it tell them to screw them, you want to do this and that's what your gonna damn well do" Draco said Ginny laughed at this. Draco then leaned forward and pecked her on the lips.

"Go with me Gin" he said smiling

"I love you so much" She said. Draco then looked at her suspiciously but was still smiling.

"Sooo…is that a yes, a no, a-" But Ginny cut him off as she pushed her lips up against his and kissed him deeply then pulled away.

"How's that for an answer" Draco laughed

"I love that answer" Draco said as he kissed her back as deeply as she had done. Then they pulled apart panting. Ginny got up and smiled at him.

"I have to go it's getting pretty late" Ginny said as she glanced at the window and saw night fall already plastered on to the sky.

"If you insist but I'll be pretty lonely with out you" he said giving her a cheesy grin.

"Draco, you live in the head boy's dorm how can you be lonely?" She said

"Uh, hello big room plus big bed equals pretty lonely" He said Ginny laughed

"I'll see you tomorrow" She said as she kissed him on his fore head then got up out of her chair and left the room. Draco sighed. 'Can this get any better?' He thought.

Draco walked inside his head boy common room, he sat down on the green couch and stared into the dancing red, orange fire. He sighed as he poured himself a glass of fire whiskey that he conjured up to his room. He couldn't believe what just happened he felt like all his feeling were poured out of him and spread out on to Ginny like toast and jam. He smiled, he thought about Ginny's reaction to it all and all she did was smile. Gosh how he loved her smile, it brightened up everything around him, and now he's going to the winter dance with her. What can be better than that, to hell with the students and Weasel and Golden boy, he had someone who cared for him who's there for him no matter what, and hopefully someone who would never leave him alone. He had Ginny.

"Nothing can ruin this Draco ma' boy" Draco said to himself as he sipped his whiskey smiling to himself. Then suddenly a pop was heard from behind him, although Draco didn't here anything until the cold empty voice started to speak.

"Draco" Draco snapped his head around the couch to find himself staring a cold grey eyes, colder and greyer than his own…His father. Draco stood up quickly as he dripped his glass of whiskey on the soft green carpet.

"F-father" Draco felt his heart beating fast and his stomach burning, setting itself on fire, he wanted to throw up. Lucius just looked down on the green carpet where Draco dropped his glass

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's going to stain son" Lucius said then he looked up back at Draco, seeing the fear across his face. Draco slowly backed up against the wall near the fire place, Lucius just simply walked to a chair in the far corner behind the green couch. He sat down and folded his hands neatly on his lap. He gave Draco a cruel smile and said.

"We need to have a talk son" Draco eyes widened as he slowly slid down the marble wall and onto the green carpet floor.

Yay me that was chapter 17 every one hoped you liked it chapter 18 will becoming up real soon ok? So for now review, review, and review!!!!! That just shows how much you love me k!!! BYE LOVE YA!!!!- DM16

P.S- I would like to thank all of my friends out there for supporting me with my story (you know who you are don't front!) LOVE YA ALWAYS OKAY!!!!- DM14