A/N- Damn, so it's been a while, and I have been feeling so guilty for not posting a new chapter in so long! I was constantly busy, and even when I had a moment to spare, I admit I was completely uninspired. Writer's block is a pain, but a part of life. Anyway to my lovely readers, here it is chapter six. Can not say I'm very happy with it, but it was needed to move the story along. Hope you enjoy!

*xxxfire-feariexxx- Concerning you're question, all I can say is that all will be revealed... Eventually... (:

I won't soothe your pain
I won't ease your strain
You'll be waiting in vain
I got nothing for you to gain

I'm taking it slow
Feeding my flame
Shuffling the cards of your game
And just in time
In the right place
Suddenly I will play my ace- Eyes on Fire, by Blue Foundation

The change in him was evident.

The color was back in his cheeks, his hair was sleek and shiny once more, his posture perfect.

Yet he was tense.

Nervous? Anxious? Upset? She could not place it. He was pacing in front of the fire, arms running through his hair, muttering to himself quietly.

He had woken that morning, good as new. Fully healed, up on his feet, no longer in need of assistance whatsoever.

On one hand, Ginny was glad. It had been extremely difficult caring for Draco. He was whiny and needy and stubborn. It had been exhausting.

On the other hand, she couldn't help but be slightly saddened by his renewed state. As maddening as he had been injured, he had been different from his usual self. She assumed it was the potions mostly, but he had been so much more laidback and relaxed, carefree.

They had even managed to have actual conversations, without insulting each other. He had been almost like a friend. It made Malfoy Manor the tiniest bit less dreadful.

But now he was back, and apparently, he had barely any memory of his weeks in his injured state.

He would not recall giving her a wand, or the slight breaking of walls that had occurred between the two. Their intellectual and stimulating conversations. Even the jokes they had shared.

It would be back to hateful glaring, sneering, smirks and criticism.

Ginny cringed at the thought.

When she woke that morning, she had been expecting to be summoned by him, but that was not the case. She was woken, given a task list for everywhere in the Manor but his quarters, given her dinner and sent to her room.

Suddenly though, just a half an hour after being sent to sleep for the night, she had been summoned by him to his rooms.

She couldn't help but be curious about the urgency of it. The house elf that had sent for her had pressed that there was no time for dawdling. She had dressed quickly into her uniform, and hurried to go see the youngest Malfoy. The last time she had been rushed to his rooms this late, it had ended up as a night of horrible and excruciating pain. She wasn't exactly excited.

The door had been left half open, which was highly unusual. She had been about to knock, but than she had noticed him, pacing in a frazzled state.

After about a minute of staring at him, pondering the cause of his odd behavior, she finally took a deep breath and knocked, ready to face the music. Whatever he needed from her, it could not be worse than the pain she was still suffering on the inside. Her wounds had not healed yet.

He instantly stopped pacing, straightening even more, although that hardly seemed possible. He turned sharply, his face creased in worry lines. Upon noticing her standing carefully in the doorway, his expression smoothed, returning to his calm collected mask.

Oh, he was back all right. Bloody bugger.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked calmly.

Ginny knew that now was a time to lie. Obviously he was concerned with her seeing him in his anxious state. It wouldn't do any good to aggravate him at the moment.

"Just now," She replied quietly, looking him straight in the eye.

A small flash of relief shone in his steely gaze, and a small smirk appeared on his lips. "Well don't just stand there Weasley, come in. I did call you here for a reason you know."

She sighed, and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.

He gazed at her for a moment, his expression unreadable.

She shifted her weight, feeling self-conscious under his gaze. What did he want? Would it be something simple? Would he question and torture her again? She really didn't know if she would be able to keep up feigning ignorance as before.

Finally, he spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "First of all Weasley, I just wanted to thank you."

She blinked, taken aback. "Sorry?" Surely, she had heard him wrong.

He chuckled, "Thank you Weasley. For taking care of me when I was injured, and fully drugged from those potions."

She was stunned. Draco Malfoy had just thanked her. It seemed impossible, unreal. She gawked at him for a moment before composing herself.

She sniffed, "Well, it's not like I had much of a choice in the matter, did I?"

He shrugged, "No, not really. But you did take good care of me, even my mother admits it. And that is an achievement."

Ginny couldn't help but snort at the truth of that statement. Then there was another awkward pause. He was staring again.

"What are you bloody staring at?" She exclaimed. His gaze made her feel awkward, and small.

His smirk grew, "I might have thanked you Weasley but you should still remember you are my servant, and I am you master. You shall treat me as such."

She pursed her lips, but did not say what she was itching to say. She'd be cursed for it far too much.

"Good," He continued, "And I was simply noticing that you've gotten far too thin lately."

"Yes well, that tends to happen when you spend three weeks caring for someone constantly, every second of the day. Doesn't leave much time for eating you know." She replied casually.

He shook his head, "You and that sharp tongue of yours Weasley. It's going to get you into some serious trouble one day."

She shrugged, "I always seem to be in trouble somehow."

"That's my point," He frowned slightly, then turned away from her, staring into the fire once more.

"I admit," He continued, "I didn't call you here just for pleasantries."

He paused and turned to face her once more. Silver bore into chocolate. "You see, I have guests coming over soon. Just Zabini and Nott, but I would like you to go down to the grounds, and bring them here, as silently as possible. I mean it Weasley, you cannot be seen by anyone, even the houselves. Am I clear?"

His tone was incredibly serious His cold gaze was unforgiving, and she knew if she failed, the consequences would be more than severe.

"Yes," She finally replied.

A small smile graced his lips. "Good girl. Now I want you to take this," He paused and handed her a shimmering cloak, "It's an invisibility cloak. You are to use it at all times, understood?" He paused again, and she nodded.

It wasn't really surprising, Malfoy possessing an invisibility cloak. He was rich enough to have dozens, and yet, she could not but help feeling a little satisfied that it was no where near as infallible as Harry's.

"You will be greeting them at the gates of the Manor," He continued, "Where you will be giving them the cloak. The three of you won't fit. They will cast a concealment charm on you, which should be enough to keep you all hidden. But you will need to make sure no one sees you! It is crucial!"

She swallowed nervously.

Draco took a deep breath, "All right then. Go now, they should arrive soon."

She turned to leave, but he called out to her again.

"And Weasley, I would just like to warn you, do not try anything funny. I will know, and I will not be pleased."

She nodded for the final time before slipping the cloak on and exiting the room swiftly.

Ginny was utterly baffled.

What was going on? Why were Zabini and Nott coming over so late at night? Why was it supposed to be such a secret meeting? The pair had always been welcome at the Manor as if they were living there themselves.

Obviously, something was wrong. Very wrong.

Had, for some reason, Blaise and Theodore been shunned from the Death Eaters? No, she would have known about it, and from what she has heard, they were prized members.

Then what? What were those three hiding?

She couldn't help but be extremely curious. She walked down the long corridors of Malfoy Manor, tired, confused, and yet slightly… invigorated.

It felt good to be doing something active. Something secretive. Dangerous even. She missed the rush of her missions in the Order. Biting her lip as the pang of sadness filled her once more, she had finally reached the grand entrance doors of the Manor. This part was going to be slightly tricky.

The large oak doors were heavy and old, therefore they caused much noise to open them, and even more upon closing them.

She supposed she could try a silencing charm, but she wasn't sure it would work, or be powerful enough with her 'wand'. But it was worth a shot.

She carefully slid her wand out her apron pocket, and whispered the charm as silently as possible. Deciding to test her magic before making a fatal mistake, she knocked on the door lightly.

Silence.

She grinned at her small success. It always felt so good to perform a spell, and have it work, especially with a blocked wand. Quietly and swiftly, she tugged hard and opened the heavy door, exiting and closing it gently behind her. A rush of cold air hit her, and her breath caught in her throat.

She was out.

Outside the walls of Malfoy Manor. And it had been so…easy.

Her first instinct was just to start running. To run, as fast as she could, gain as much distance as possible from the Manor, until Draco noticed something was amiss. Hopefully by then, she would be far enough away and they wouldn't find her.

It was a marvelous thought, but it died almost instantly. He had warned her, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Malfoy was no fool.

Surely, he would know she would be tempted to run, and surely, he had taken precautions to ensure that she would not succeed. If she were to even try and obviously fail, he would know, and she would be punished. Badly.

It wasn't worth the risk, and with a heavy heart, Ginny walked briskly and carefully towards the Manor's gates.

Where had all her rash, Gryffindor courage gone? A few months back, she would have been outside the gates already, running for freedom at full speed.

But now, she barely did anything before calculating all possible outcomes before hand.

It seemed, that after spending so much time with Slytherins, she had started to think like one. And she had to admit, if she were ever going to escape, she would have to continue to calculate her every move, be sneaky, and worry about herself before all others. It was the only way.

Another wave as sadness washed over her at this realization, and her eyes prickled with moisture. She sniffed in annoyance and hastily wiped her tears. She had never been so dramatic before, and she was tired of it. Yet it just seemed to catch up to her every time she was least expecting it.

Finally arriving at the gates, she noticed the two tall hooded figures standing there, absolutely still and silent. If she had been simply taking a walk, she would have been incredibly frightened at the sight. But knowing that it was only Zabini and Nott, she felt relaxed.

Although the two were just as dangerous as any Death Eater, she could not help but feel comfortable by their presence. Perhaps it was because when it was only they and Draco together, they merely seemed like ordinary boys, joking around.

The gate was locked. That much was obvious, and certainly, charms were placed upon it to keep anyone from entering, or in her case, leaving. She needed to be careful with this next part. It couldn't possibly be as simple as opening the front door could it? But wouldn't have Draco at least warned her, so she would not trigger any alarms?

She was confused, and not sure how to perform her next task. It annoyed her. Her anger at Draco began to bubble up once more. What was he even thinking, sending her to do this? If it was such a secretive mission, than surely, he could do it himself.

Perhaps it was a test of some sort? She was utterly baffled, and let out a sigh of frustration.

One of the figures suddenly cleared his throat, causing Ginny to jump.

"It's about time you got here Weasley, I swear Nott here was about to wet his pants in terror." It was Blaise who spoke, and Ginny could just picture the smirk plastered on his face.

She couldn't help but grin, and she removed the cloak swiftly. She had gotten accustomed to the two men. During Draco's recovery, they had come to visit him quite often. They had added some comedy to the dreary Manor, and they had a tendency to treat Ginny less like a servant and more like a friend. Of course there was a limit to that friendship, but she would take what she could get.

Theodore snarled, "You jumped at the sight of that peacock just as much as I did."

That shut Blaise right up.

"Honestly," Ginny guffawed, "You two, frightened of peacocks? Now that's just information that will keep me amused for the rest of my life."

Blaise winked at her, "I could find plenty of ways to keep you amused for the rest of your life."

She shrugged, "Yeah, the sight of you're face everyday would be enough."

Theodore smirked, "She has a good point mate. It's enough for me."

"Weasley I think its time you let us in, before I throttle Nott."

"I don't know how," she replied simply.

Theodore scoffed," Typical Malfoy, sends you out without any useful directions. Just tap the gate with your wand. Then just say our names, full names mind you, and it'll open."

She followed his directions, and the iron gates slowly and quietly opened. She stepped aside to let the pair through.

"Now hand me the cloak," Blaise said.

She did, and immediately the two huddled and threw it over themselves. They disappeared before her eyes, and suddenly she felt quite exposed and alone.

A second later, and she felt the odd sensation of eggs rippling down her head, and she knew she was nearly invisible as well. A sigh of relief escaped her. She had felt oddly vulnerable for a moment.

"Let's get a move on then," Theodore said quietly, and they began heading back to the Manor.

She did not know how they accomplished the feat of walking in absolute silence, without even the sound of the gravel crunching underneath their feet. It was eerie, and in a sense Ginny did not even feel as if she was walking at all. But so it was, and they reached the large doors in no time at all.

After placing another silencing charm on the doors, just in case, she tugged them open, and entered first. She waited a moment for the boys to enter, and she presumed it was them who closed the doors after entering.

After a small poke on her arm from one of the two, she continued walking silently through the large halls of the Manor. She honestly did not know what was the reason for these pointless, seemingly endless halls. Her only guess was that possibly the Malfoy's had some particular fancy in storming hallways for no reason at all.

Chuckling to herself at the mental image of Lucius Malfoy pacing the halls back and forth as a form of enjoyment, she opened the doors leading to the youngest Malfoy's rooms, waiting a few seconds for the pair to enter after her before closing them again.

Said Malfoy was apparently still standing by the fire, and he turned sharply at the sound of the closing door.

Blaise and Theodore removed the cloak, and a smirk graced Draco's face.

"Took you long enough, I was sure that Weasley had somehow screwed up."

Ginny cleared her throat in annoyance.

Draco chuckled, and Blaise and Theodore smirked appreciatively. Draco cast a quick spell, and Ginny felt the odd rippling sensation once more. She was visible again.

She glared at Draco, "I did it as quickly as I could, no thanks to your lack of directions."

The blonde smirked, "I'm sure you were simply chatting it up with my mates more than anything. But good on you Weasley, you all arrived in one piece. You may go now."

She huffed irritably, "I'd tell you to go fuck yourself Malfoy, but I have a feeling you do it anyway. Goodnight." She turned to leave and started toward the door when she was stopped by Draco's condescending tone.

"What was that slave?"

She took a deep breath to collect her anger, and turned to face him with a sickly sweet smile. "I'm sorry sir," she drawled, "I shouldn't comment on your sexual tendencies, it's rude of me. Enjoy your evening gentleman."

She turned once more, a small smirk taking place over her features.

"It would be much more enjoyable if you stayed Weasley," Theodore added as she turned the doorknob.

"Probably," She replied over her shoulder, and with that she exited, hearing low chuckles from the three before closing the door behind her.

Her full intention was to return to bed, but Draco's voice stopped her once more.

He was addressing his counterparts, and they obviously hadn't placed any silencing spells yet because standing by the door she could hear him loud enough.

"And now to business. We have a serious problem on our hands." His tone had lost all it's previous teasing, and was completely stern and serious.

Ginny's natural curiosity guided her and she placed her ear against the door.

"Yeah mate, it sounded really urgent. What is it?" Blaise asked carefully.

"One moment," Draco paused and footsteps were heard.

He suddenly flung the door open, causing her to stumble back as his eyes narrowed at her. "Go to bed Weasley, and that's an order." His tone was cold, leaving no room for argument.

Having lost her balance slightly, and not expecting to have gotten caught, Ginny nodded immediately and started walking swiftly to her room, slightly disappointed. She heard Draco sigh behind her and close the door, which she knew he would now definitely place silencing charms upon.

She walked quickly, exhaustion falling upon her. Arriving at her room, she went through her nightly routine, and fell into bed, only then allowing thoughts of the strange evening to overcome her.

What was so urgent? Why did Blaise and Theodore have to come in secret? At this late hour? And most importantly, why on earth did Draco have such disturbing mood swings?

Honestly he was worse than her during her time of the month.

And that was saying something.

"How is this possible?" Blaise exclaimed, springing from his previous seat.

Draco ran his hand through his hair for what felt like the thousandth time that night. He was pacing again, after finally sharing his story of the battle with his comrades.

"Why haven't you told us until now?" Theodore yelled, the anxiety clear on his face.

Draco turned sharply to face him, his stare hard. "When have we had any moments alone since my injury?" He pointed out sharply, "Someone was always here. Whether it was my family, or my servants, or Weasley. I had to wait until they would leave me alone."

Theodore considered him for a moment, "You could have sent us a letter!" He finally blubbered.

Draco scoffed, "I rather doubt that it is proper for matters as these to be discussed in a letter Nott. Some common sense would be handy right now. Letters can be intercepted."

Theodore gaped at Draco, opening and closing his mouth several times. It seemed he was at loss for words.

Satisfied that he had understood Draco's reason, Draco continued to pace the room. "Now that that's settled, we need a plan of action. What are we going to do?" He said this out loud, but it seemed the he was asking himself more than anything.

"We must tell the Dark Lord!" Theodore suddenly yelled, pushing his sleeve up, about to press the mark.

"NO!" Blaise roared, and knocked the other man over before he could finish the act.

He grabbed his collar, and looked him carefully in the eye. "Do you want to get us all killed?" Blaise cried. The pair struggled with each other for a bit, but Blaise had the upper hand.

Draco stared at the scene, perplexed. It was odd to see his best friends in such panic, as they were both just as cool and collected as him. It was how they were raised. And this, this was throwing all calm out the window.

Blaise took a deep breath, perhaps noticing Draco's stare, and loosened his grip on Theodore. However he still held on to him as he continued, "How do you think the Dark Lord would react to this?" He hissed, "I highly doubt he would thank us for telling him and send us off with a pat on our heads! We missed something in those woods, something important! I doubt we shall be forgiven."

Blaise finally released the man, and dusted himself off. Theodore swallowed loudly, but seemed to have banished any rash decisions from his mind.

Draco appraised the two before speaking as calmly as possible. "Blaise is right Theo. We have to keep our heads. Any rash decisions on our part can lead only to more trouble. Before we do anything we must know what's going on. What have we missed, what we are up against, and most importantly, what do we do about it."

Theodore nodded, the wild look gone from his eyes. "Yes. Quite right. I lost my head for a moment. We must carefully think of our next move."

Blaise nodded as well, and took a deep breath. "We need to go back to those woods. Search them and the Aurors hide out for any clues."

Draco sighed, "Yes. And most importantly, we must get to the bottom of this quickly. The Dark Lord is no fool. He will suspect something is wrong."

Theodore had a grim look of determination, "We will succeed. We mustn't fail the Dark Lord."

Draco smirked, "Melt down over than Nott?"

Blaise smirked as well, and Theodore scowled, but did not reply.

Draco's smirk grew, "Good. Now it's gotten quite late, if we do not want to raise suspicion, and get a decent night's sleep, you should leave now, and we will plan our trip to Ireland soon."

The pair agreed, and Draco led them back out to the gates swiftly and silently.

After returning to his rooms and crawling into his large four poster bed, he was prepared for sleep to over come him. Yet it did not.

Countless thoughts consumed him, and he tossed and turned until he could stand it no longer. With a huff he threw the covers off himself, and got up. He quickly grabbed his house robe and threw it on over his boxers.

Angered with his insomnia, he stomped across his room, and flung the large doors open. He walked briskly through the halls, not really noticing where his legs were leading him.

He stopped abruptly upon noticing his surroundings. The door in front of him was very simple, not matching the rest of the Manor.

He was in the servants' wing, and in front of Weasley's door. Strange. Suddenly curious, he opened the door gently.

Weasley was fast asleep on her small bed, hair spread about messily, one foot dangling from the bed, hands outstretched above her head, and her mouth agape.

He shook his head, a smirk forming on his lips.

She turned slightly clutching the blankets, and Draco took a step back, in case she had woken. She didn't, only shifted herself to lie on her side.

She groaned, and Draco felt a jolt of arousal. He quickly shook it off, sighing. He needed a good shag, soon.

He hadn't had the opportunity in a while, a fact that was irritating him greatly. Maybe he could call upon Pansy? She was easy enough. No, he wasn't in the mood for Pansy.

The redhead before him shifted again, causing his gaze to return to her.

"No! Not the blueberries!" She suddenly muttered loudly.

Draco snorted. He should document this.

Finally beginning to feel drowsy, he closed the door softly, and turned back towards his rooms. He felt kind of bad for watching her, as if he was spying. Which, to be fair, he was. But she was his servant. Technically, he could do whatever he wanted with her. He could shag her senseless every hour if he desired it. Unbidden images of her writhing underneath him, moaning his name flickered through his mind.

He cursed quietly, willing those thoughts to leave him. She was a Weasley for heavens sake! Albeit, an attractive one, and he had always had a soft spot for good looking women, but a Weasley.

He was Draco Malfoy, he could easily bed any bint he wanted.

Satisfied with his resolve, he got back into his large bed, now much more comfortable and welcoming than it had been previously.

All thoughts banished from his mind, he drifted off to sleep, finally.

A/N- That's all for now chaps! Like I said, not my favourite chapter, but it was necessary for now, and I promise chapter seven will bring much more action and Draco-Ginny to the plate. Other than that loves, I hope you liked it, and please please please REVIEW as it really is my motivation! Even if you don't like it, constructive criticism helps loads... XOXO