Ginny should have realized that something was wrong when she heard feet padding against the stone floor. Extinguishing her wand light and throwing herself into the shadows, she fervently hoped it was not Filch and his mangy cat patrolling the corridors for late-night mischief-makers.

Like me.

It did not occur to her until the footsteps were almost upon her that it was not the slow, shuffling rhythm of the aging caregiver, but the quick, confident one of a student. Another clue was the fact that she saw no sign of Filch's signature swinging lantern.

Breath catching, she pressed up against the wall with her wand tucked securely in her robe pocket. As she peered into the darkness, eyes straining for any sight of an approaching figure, she caught the faintest whiff of…fresh mint?

I recognize that smell! But from where? Ginny wondered, her eyes widening.

She must have made some sort of noise, for the footsteps abruptly stopped. The silence loomed around her ominously. Ginny held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, childishly thinking that if she could not see the figure, then the figure could not see her.

Suddenly, something darted forward and probe the air in front of her face. A startled gasp escaped her lips as feather-light fingers grazed her cheek. Someone slammed into her, their arm pressing into her throat so that her airways were constricted enough to prevent any screams. She felt a wand tip stab at her forehead painfully, and blue light flowed down her body. Where it passed over her, fair skin and rumpled clothes slowly reappeared.

"Lumos," a voice hissed. The stranger took in the sight of the trademark Weasley red hair and cursed his bad luck. It seemed to be his lot in life to be found by his enemies at the most inopportune times.

"For the love of Salazar, Weasley. Just what do you think you're doing?" the invisible person asked wearily, shifting their arm. Ginny immediately realized who it was by the exasperation in his voice. Only one person could sound surprised, resigned, and angry at the same time while still managing to come off as all knowing.

"Malfoy?" she exclaimed incredulously. "What're you doing here?"

Draco loosened his hold but did not release her completely. "I asked you first," he shot back with a smirk in his voice. Scowling at where she guessed his face to be, Ginny told him it was rather disconcerting to talk to someone she could not see. Not realizing that he was still invisible, the Slytherin glanced down in surprise and twirled his wand around his head with a huff.

"Happy now?"

Ginny nodded mutely as his pale, drawn features loomed out on the blackness in front of her. Before, she had not realized how close they were but it was now glaringly obvious. Only a few inches separated their faces. The pale white light at the end of his wand highlighted the flecks of silver in his eyes.

Too close! her mind screamed at her in alarm. Much too close!

Draco seemed to come to the same conclusion, for he let go of her and stepped back quickly with a faint tinge of pink in his cheeks. He struggled within himself before finally letting out a frustrated growl. "What do you think you're doing, Weaselette? It's almost midnight!" Ginny shrugged carelessly, not at all fazed by his words.

"I needed to talk to Hermione," she replied plainly, smiling at his bewildered look.

"And so you just up and decide to march on over there? I knew your brother was an idiot, but I thought you had a little bit of sense," the Slytherin stated while rolling his eyes.

Ginny laughed, surprising him once more. "What can I say? I'm a daredevil. Now that I've answered your question, it's time for you to answer mine. What were you doing wandering around?"

Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably. "That's none of your business! Now get back to bed or I'll report you to Filch."

The Gryffindor raised an eyebrow at him in an uncanny imitation of himself. "Now get back to bed or I'll report you to Filch," she mocked in a high-pitched voice. "Really? That's the best you've got? Come on, Malfoy. I know you can do better than that. Besides, you wouldn't talk to Filch even if McGonagall herself paid you. You'd only get yourself in trouble, and that's the last thing you want. You obviously roam these corridors often, or else you would have needed a light. Plus, you used a Disillusionment charm, so that means you didn't want anyone to see you. What's your secret, Malfoy? What are you up to?"

Shocked at her matter-of-fact tone, Draco simply stared at her in silence. He never knew that he was so easy to read. Finally, the young man took a deep breath and opened his mouth to tell her to shut her trap and go back to her common room before he hexed her.

"Well what do we have here? Two students out of bed. Mmmhh, I think this deserves a detention," a raspy voice croaked out from the shadows.

Ginny groaned to herself as she turned around and spotted the hunch-backed figure of Filch, his lantern held high above his head and his cat sitting primly his feet. When Draco and Ginny glared at her, Mrs. Norris hissed savagely at them with her back arched. The torchlight gleamed on her claws.

Swallowing a curse, Draco glared at the girl beside him. "This is all your fault," he muttered to her as he sullenly began to follow the caregiver down the hall towards his office. Ginny harrumphed, not taking her eyes off Mrs. Norris, who was constantly weaving between her legs in an effort to trip her up. Every so often, the cat would rake her claws against Ginny's ankle.

"Bloody cat," the Gryffindor moaned as she felt a new scratch mar her otherwise unblemished skin. Normally she loved cats but she drew the line at ones that tried to maim her.

Snickers erupted from her companion, who did nothing to try to muffle them.

"That's right, laugh it up. Just you wait, Malfoy. I'm going to make your life miserable just as soon as Filch leaves. You won't be able to move, let alone laugh when I'm done with you. Agh! Stupid cat," Ginny yelled before stomping down on Mrs. Norris's tail. With an ear-shattering screech, the cat barreled into Filch.

"Mrs. Norris! Oh, my poor baby! You insolent delinquent, you. I'll roast you alive for this," Filch growled at Ginny, stroking his cat's trembling body. "I have my whip all oiled and ready for such a time as this. You've had it coming, you have."

Just as Ginny and Draco were beginning to reach for their wands to hex some sense into the doddering old caregiver, the Headmistress appeared around the corner in her nightgown, a robe hastily thrown over the top of it. Her glasses were slightly askew on her face and her graying hair was sticking out of her nightcap.

"I believe we have discussed this before, Mr. Filch. Thank you for your suggestions, but I will be handling their punishment. Come along, Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Weasley. And no, Mr. Filch. I do not think that stepping on your cat's tail justifies hanging students up by their thumbs," McGonagall said in a harassed tone. Apparently, she had been on her way to the kitchen for a bite to eat when she heard the commotion around the corner and came to investigate.

Draco and Ginny shared resigned glances before following the Headmistress down the corridor.

"I am very disappointed with the both of you. We are only in the first week and a half of school, and yet you have managed to get into trouble already. Normally I would have let you off the hook by only taking ten house points each, but due to the unusual circumstances," McGonagall paused with a pointed look at Draco, "I must take appropriate action."

Ginny frowned in confusion. "What do you mean by unusual circumstances?"

Draco squeezed his eyes shut so that he would not see the realization light up her eyes. "She means me, Weasley. I'm the unusual circumstances. I'm still on probation, or haven't you heard? Apparently I'm viewed as a 'threat to society,'" he explained sarcastically.

Ginny nodded slowly, her heart thawing just the slightest towards the young man. It must be hard to have the entire world against you.

When he opened his eyes, she saw the hardness in them and all sympathetic thoughts fled from her mind.

"Save your pity," he spat. "Potter needs it more than I do."

Ginny drew herself up indignantly. "And just what do you mean by that, Ferret?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.

He looked down at her with an unreadable expression. "I hear he lost something not too long ago, something good. Trust me, he deserves your pity much more than I do. Besides, your sappiness disgusts me. Not to mention your red hair. Honestly Weasley. Did you accidentally get in the way of a tomato dye spell or is that glaringly bright crimson your natural color?"

Blinking in confusion at his abrupt subject change, Ginny could only stare up at him speechlessly.

McGonagall rubbed a hand down her face and took a deep breath. "Your detentions will be a week of working for Professor Sprout. Whatever she deems fit for you to do, you will do it without complaint. Is that understood?" she asked sharply, her green eyes flashing. Both students reluctantly nodded, shooting glares at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

The Headmistress breathed a sigh of relief and shooed them back to bed. "I better not catch either of you out of bed after hours again. Now go!"

Without further urging, they turned around and headed back to their separate common rooms.

Watching them go, McGonagall could not help but smile. They might not know it now, but they're going to have to learn to get along sooner or later. Much more likely sooner, she thought with a soft chuckle before strolling down the corridor towards her office. Too much work to do, and too little time to do it. A Headmistresses' job is never done. How did Albus ever manage being Headmaster all those years? she wondered, shaking her head wearily.