Chapter 3

Ginny sat across from Harry at breakfast once again. They were discussing Quidditch practice. Their game against Slytherin was rapidly approaching. Joanne was getting better with every day of training, but they feared it wouldn't be enough.

"Harry!" Hermione said suddenly. "That's Katie. Katie Bell."

Harry's sentence dies mid-word and he stood up. Ginny watched as he made his way towards their teammate. She heard Harry call to Katie and saw the brunette turn around. They spoke quietly. Katie shook her head at something Harry had said. Then Harry looked up suddenly, his eyes turning murderous. Ginny followed his gaze and she saw that Draco Malfoy had just entered the Great Hall. He looked panicked when his eyes took in the scene before him. Ginny watched as the blonde Slytherin fled the Great Hall.

The young red-head moved to slip out and follow him when she saw Harry run after him. She sank back into her seat as Harry's raven hair disappeared from sight. Oh Merlin. I hope Harry doesn't find him.

Ginny sat impatiently, wringing her hands. Half an hour had passed and neither Harry nor Malfoy has returned. What's going on? I hope he isn't hurt. That thought made the young Weasley pause as she realized that she wasn't sure who she had been thinking about.

Harry didn't reappear during breakfast. Nor did Ginny see him in the halls. At lunch, however, she found him. She also found out the events that followed his disappearance. Harry recounted the morning in its entirety to those around him.

As it turned out, he followed Malfoy into the boys' bathroom. When Ginny and Neville asked him why, Ron jumped in, explaining that they believe it was Malfoy who gave Katie Bell the cursed necklace. "Oh, it wasn't meant for her, but she still got hurt." He told them. So to get back at Malfoy for hurting Katie, Harry, in a blind rage, began firing hexes at him. And Malfoy fired back.

It was Ginny who noticed that Malfoy was absent from the Great Hall. "Harry," She hesitated, "Where exactly is Malfoy? He isn't here."

Harry looked away.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, equally curious.

Harry looked back up at them. "Well, er. One of my spells, it hit him."

Ginny gasped. Oh no. "Which spell?"

"Err... Sectumsempra..." Harry mumbled.

"Sectumsepra?" Hermione repeated, "Isn't that the spell you found in that awful potions book?"

Harry nodded.

"And you used it?"

Harry nodded again.

"Merlin, Harry! What's wrong with you?" Hermione shrieked. "Using a spell when you don't even know what it does!"

"I know Hermione. I feel bloody rotten already. Seeing him laying on the floor, covered in his own blood. Merlin, not even Malfoy deserved that."

"You need to get rid of that book, mate." Ron told Harry, clasping him on the shoulder.

Harry nodded. "I know. But how?"

The group was quiet. Ginny looked up suddenly. "I know where. We'll do it tonight, okay?"

Ginny led Harry down the hall after dinner.

"The Room of Requirements?" Harry asked, familiar with the walk he had so often taken the year before.

She nodded. "Harry? How are you? I mean, with everything that happened today."

Harry sighed. "I don't know, Gin. Part of me feels horrible for what I did. I can still see him soaked in a puddle of his own blood. He was dying Gin. Because of me."

Poor Harry, Ginny thought as she saw the look of anguish on his face. It must have been horrible. Watching something like that.

"Alright. Close your eyes Harry." She said, turning to him when they were in the room filled with junk. "Close your eyes." He did. "Don't look." She whispered as she slipped the book from his hands.

Ginny hid the potions book in an old jewelry chest. She turned back to Harry and remembered the pained look on his face. She wished she could make him forget. Make him smile. Ginny stepped towards him. Harry's eyes were still closed as she gently touched her lips to his.

She stepped back. "That can stay hidden in here too, if you like."Ginny said softly.

When Harry opened his eyes, she was nowhere to be seen.

Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant. Draco thought. Stuck in this second rate excuse of a hospital. Father is going to kill me! He groaned and tossed his head back.

"Are you in pain?"

Draco's head whipped around, looking for the owner of the voice. He saw nobody.

Ginny pulled Harry's invisibility cloak off. "Sorry. I forgot I was wearing it." She appologized when she saw Draco jump.

"It is you." The blonde boy said. "What are you doing here? It's late. Past curfew. And where did you get that cloak?"

"Oh, it's Harry's cloak." Ginny mumbled.

Draco eyed her. "And Potter let you use it, did he? To come see me?"

The young witch looked away. "Not... not really. I, er, borrowed it."

He smirked. "So a Weasley, a Gryffindor, and a thief. Isn't that something?"

"I-" Ginny stopped, realizing that she didn't know what she was going to say. There was no reasonable explanation as to why she was here. May as well go with the truth. "I, uh, that is. I wanted to see that you were okay. I heard what happened."

His smirk was gone. "Why?"

"W...what?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why would you care how I am?"

Ginny looked away.

"I asked you a question, Weaslette. I understand that you weren't brought up with the proper understandings of a pure blood but even the lowest of purebloods know that it is rude not to answer."

The red-head looked up at him. He saw the uncertainty in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I don't know." Muttered the young Gyffindor. "I was in the Room of Requirements earlier and I just, I don't know. I wanted to see for myself that you were okay." She moved closer to Draco's bed. "So are you? Okay, I mean."

"Yeah. I'm fine." The Slytherin said, sitting up in the bed. He winced. Ginny moved closer, reaching out to help him. "I said I was fine. Just a little sore."

"Stay still." She said, ignoring his foolish pride and puching him back gently. The sheet slipped down his chest and Ginny gasped. Draco's chest was completely wrapped in bandages. Blue-purple bruises were peeking out from beneath it. "Oh my. Draco..."

His eyes turned stormy as he looked up into her water brown eyes. They were glazed with unshed tears. Tears for him. He realized. His hand raised to rest atop hers on his chest. "Why...? Why do you care?" Draco asked quietly, curious at this odd sensation.

The young witch moved slowly closer to the blonde Slytherin. "I... I don't know." Her eyes searched his as she moved closer still.

Draco winced as he pushed himself up in the bed, closing the small distance between them. His lips brushed her soft ones and he felt her freeze. He had been about to pull away when she relaxed suddenly. Draco moved slightly to pull her down beside him on the narrow bed. His hand moved to her nape, holding her close to him.

He pulled her closer and his moouth moved on hers. It's strange, Draco thought, she's a Weasley. A Gryffindor. A blood traitor. 'So are you', whispered another voice. 'You're a traitor, just like her.'

His hand tightened and Ginny flinched, biting Draco's lip.

"Ouch." He growled.

Ginny pulled back. "Sorry." She apologized. "But you squeezed my neck a little hard. It startled me."

Draco shook his head. "It was my fault. I should not have done that."

The Gryffindor nodded and looked down. There was silence. It stretched awkwardly between them.

Draco reached out to her, his hand resting lightly on her leg. "Ginevra?" He waited until she looked up at him. "What did Potter tell you?"

Ginny jumped, startled. "What do you mean?"

"That day, in the Great Hall. During dinner. Potter told you something. Whatever it was, it terrified you. And I think it had something to do with me." The red head turned away. "Ginevra, tell me. What did Potter say to you?"

She looked up and the fear he saw that day was present again in her eyes. "Harry- Harry said that they made you a-. That you're a, a Death Eater. That he saw you mark..."

The Slytherin stared into deep, chocolate eyes. Then his eyes fell to his arm. Hers followed. Her small hands grasped his forearm and her fingers traced over the skin. Ginny moved to turn his arm but his free hand covered hers and she looked into his eyes. "Don't do it unless you really want to know, Ginevra." Her eyes dropped back down ans she turned his wrist over.

She gasped, her eyes leaving the black ink that marred his perfect skin to look into gray eyes. She could see the pain and questioning in them. The uncertainty. She noticed that he was not moving, sitting perfectly still instead, as he waiting for her to say something. "Why?" She asked him in a hushed whisper.

"Why? I had to, that's why. I was meant to. It's been in my future since the day I was born. I was raised for this. To support him. To help him purify the world of those with dirty blood."

"But that's not right. How could you want that?" She asked, hurt and repulsed.

"Don't be stupid, Weasley. It's not about what I want. I have to do it. I have to do whatever he asks. He'll kill my family if I don't. Then he'll kill me."

"What do you mean? What has he asked you to do?"

He shook his head. "I can't tell you that. Surely you understand that, Ginevra?"

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose I do. Will you tell me something though? Harry says it was you who gave Katie Bell that cursed necklace. Is Harry right?"

Draco nodded, looking away. "She wasn't supposed to open the bloody box though." He froze, cursing himself. "Merlin, why did I tell you that?"

"I won't say anything Draco."

"Why wouldn't you?" He asked, searching her face for some trace that she'd been lying. "You're a Gryffindor and a Weasley. Your brother hates me. Hell, your whole family hates me. So why would you protect me?"

Ginny shrugged. "Harry already suspects it. Besides, what am I going to tell them? That I stole Harry's invisibility cloak out of the boys' dormitory and snuck out after hours to see Draco Malfoy in the hospital wing. Then he showed me his dark mark and admitted to giving Katie Bell a cursed necklace that almost killed her."

Draco laughed. "I don't suppose that would do you much good, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't. Imagine trying to explain to a family as big as mine why I wanted to see you, of all people."

He huffed indignantly. "And what's wrong with me?"

"Come off it Draco." Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "You're a Malfoy!" She trailed off. "Oh no. Oh Merlin, no..." She quickly got to her feet.

The Slytherin reached for her, grabbing her hand. "What's the problem, Ginevra?"

"This. All of this!" She breathed. "Merlin, you're a Malfoy!" She said, attempting to pull her hand from his.

"Com here Weasley." Draco said, pulling her to him. He winced as he did so but pulled anyhow. Draco drew her to him and kissed her.

Ginny moaned quietly before gently pushing herself away. "This is wrong Malfoy!"

Draco shrugged. "I'm a Slytherin, Ginevra. We live to do what is wrong."

"But doesn't it bother you?"

"What? Kissing a blood-traitor who happens to be a Gryffindor and a Weasley to boot?"

She gasped. "Malfoy!"

"What, Weasley?" Draco rolled his eyes. "It's true. And if you want to pretend that it's not, you may as well run back to Potter."

"Why shouldn't I?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "It would be better that snogging an arrogant, egotistic, insulting Slytherin. And as if that weren't bad enough, the fact that you are a Malfoy just adds to the problem."

Draco grinned. "You've got quite a temper, Ginevra." He said and pulled her back to him, capturing her mouth once more. "You really think I'm egotistic?" He asked a moment later.

It was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes. "I don't think I know anyone more absorbed with themself than you are." Then she added after a short pause. "Well, maybe Parkinson."

"I am not absorbed with myself. What you mistake as egotism is actually pride. I am a pureblood, raised properly and with manners. That, I am proud of. Why should I not show that pride?"

"So you're saying that Pansy Parkinson is only a bitch because she's proud. Oh, what a relief! I'll be sure to let everyone else know."

"No, Pansy really is quite awful. I truely regret knowing her." Draco said, grimacing.

"So why do you put up with her then? I've seen how you treat people you don't like. Believe me, it's enough to make anyone keep away."

"I have to put up with her if we're to be married one day."

"Married! Why in hell would you marry her?"

"It is what our parents desire. For me to marry a well mannered Pureblood witch. Pansy has been chosen as the witch." He explained.

"Surely there must be a better solution. Someone much more suitable that her." Draco stared at her in silence. "What?" She asked.

"Why does it bother you? Why do you care who I am to be married to. It is none of your concern."

"It doesn't bother me. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, it does, Ginevra. I can see that it bothers you very much. I just can't understand why."

"I just-. I mean, it's Pansy. She's absolutely horrid. Pureblood or not, she's just not fit to marry you." Ginny's eyes grew wide and she stood. "I didn't mean that. I- I have to go." She pulled Harry's cloak over her and was gone.