Thanks to:

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Tuesday morning, Draco hurried through King's Cross Station, feeling as if all eyes were on him. Every now and then, he would catch a glimpse of an Auror trailing behind him. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the tingling on his neck and pushed roughly through the crowd until he reached Platform 3 and ¼.

The train ride to Hogwarts felt interminably long. The silence weighed on Draco's shoulders, and he practically leaped off the train when it reached Hogsmead Station.

McGonagall was waiting for him in the Hogwart's Entrance Hall with one of the house-elves. As Draco stumbled through the door, the Headmistress waved the house-elf forward to take his bag. It did so before disappearing with a "Pop!"

"Welcome back, Mr. Malfoy. I trust Kingsley settled matters yesterday," McGonagall stated flatly, peering at Draco over the top of her glasses.

Her words reminded him of the letter Shacklebolt had owled his father. It had come half an hour before Draco was scheduled to leave, when the sun had not even risen in the sky. Lucius's breathless, mirthless laughter had echoed through the Manor and woken Draco from sleep. Blearily, he had stumbled to his parents' bedroom.

"Draco!" his mother cried, tears pouring down her face, as she lunged for him. Draco hesitantly stepped into her arms, glancing over her shoulder at the letter lying face-up on the bed. When he saw what the Minister had written, his eyes widened.

"Father..."

"Hush Draco. Please..." His father's voice lost its unnatural edge. He slowly lowered himself to a nearby chair and rested his head in his hands. "Just hush, son."

Even now, he did not know if Lucius's momentary collapse had resulted from what the letter had said about his trial or because of what it had said about his son.

Draco had to suppress a shiver as the haunting words marched across the backs of his eyelids.

Azkaban...sentence...jury reluctant...no choice...

I'm sorry, Draco. I tried.

The rest of the letter had been political prattle about Lucius's upcoming trial—which was looking worse by the day. A small snippet had been allocated for Narcissa's fate; her trial would follow her husband's, but Shacklebolt wrote that, from what he had gathered at the Ministry meeting Monday afternoon, she did not have much to fear.

"I am confident that the worst of your chargers will be dismissed, and that the rest will require nothing more than a Floo and Apparition ban as retribution," the Minister had declared.

At least Mother is safe for now, Draco thought with a mental sigh. As for Father, well, that lawyer of his had better be worth the galleons we're paying him.

As if sensing Draco's mounting frustration, McGonagall pursed her lips and waved him on. "Very well then. Breakfast is nearly over, so I suggest you hurry up to your room and change into your school robes."

"Yes, Professor," he sighed before drifting listlessly away.

When Ginny found the note stuck in her bag later that during supper, she first thought it was a joke. After the way he had treated her Saturday night, did he really expect her to comply? No way, uh uh, not going to happen, forget it. I don't need his insults or his excuses. It had taken all her willpower not to march up to him at lunch and break his fine, straight nose for what he had said to her. She smiled as she imagined the resulting crunch. Oh, yeah, that would have definitely made me feel better. How dare he break my—

Quickly she shut down that thought before her mind had a chance to realize the ramifications of what she had almost admitted.

Whatever. I'm still not going. Stupid prat deserves to be stood up and feel like an idiot for once. I just wish I could see his face when he realizes I'm not coming.

There was a pang in her chest, however, that betrayed her decisiveness. She would go because she missed what they had shared: the awkward smiling, the teasing, and yes, even the fighting. She missed all of it.

It was more than that, though. The truth was she missed him. It seemed ludicrous that she did, but she could not stop replaying their interactions in her head. His reluctant smile, the one where the right side of his mouth tilted up and the rest was barely constrained, bobbed to the surface of her thoughts.

Laughing with him, talking as if they had no past standing like a gulf between them, was what she remembered of the previous week. She did not think of anything else, did not want to think of anything else. He mattered and she missed him. Simple as that.

But she still wanted to punch him.

At the least, she could go just to satisfy her curiosity. What could he possibly want? she wondered. He had made it quite clear their friendship was over. Did he want to apologize for saying what he did? Renew their relat—friendship? The thought sent pleasant warmth sliding up her neck and across her cheeks.

A softer question lingered in the back of her mind. Does he want to tell me how he really feels about me? Was that why his gaze had periodically met hers and then skittered away during lunch? Maybe Saturday night had merely been him getting cold feet. Maybe he had not meant what he said. Maybe...

He was right, though, a whispered voice reminded her. It was foolish to let yourself care about him. Look what happened. He broke your heart, whether he meant to or not. What's stopping him from doing it again? He's not one of the good guys, Gin. Remember that. He's slippery enough to trick you into forgiving him, and then he'll turn around and stab you in the back again.

Ginny bit her lip and looked down at the spidery scrawl on the ripped parchment.

Third floor, Passage of the Fouls, eleven o'clock.

-D.

That was all it read, and she shook her head at his apparent haste in writing it. What had happened at Malfoy Manor to make him act so strange? All she could recall was that he had gone to talk with Kingsley about something. He had only mentioned it in passing, and at the time, she had not thought to question him further.

All of a sudden, the truth hit her between the eyes. How naïve, how foolish could she have been? Every action had repercussions. The breath whooshed out of her lungs and her hands trembled as her imagination took over. What would they do to him there? He would not last a day in a place like that. Oh Merlin, no!

Pami touched her shoulder in concern, asking her if she needed to see Madam Pomphrey.

"I'm fine," Ginny answered numbly. But Draco isn't.

When Ginny saw the figure leaning casually against the arched window, she quickly breathed out through her nose. The sound alerted Draco, and he turned towards her expressionlessly. Before he could open his mouth, the Gryffindor rushed forward.

So much for breaking his nose...

"Draco, what's going on? Are you okay? What did Kingsley say? Are you... Did he... Oh, Draco," she breathed, dragging him into a hug. He was stunned to feel a tear slide down his neck when she pressed her face against him.

Gulping back relieved sobs, Ginny cleared her throat and eased out of his arms. She quickly swiped at her cheeks. Dolt. Now he'll think you're a wimp.

"Ginny...I... What's wrong?" Draco gasped, staring down at her in shock. Of all the reactions he had expected, tears were not on the list.

Feeling angry all of a sudden, Ginny shoved at his chest, sending him stumbling back. "What's wrong?" she hissed in response to his surprised look. "You break off our friendship—by telling me I'm a worthless, naïve idiot—before leaving to go talk to the Minister; you slip me an obscure note saying to meet you here, and you have the audacity to ask me what's wrong? Sweet Merlin, Draco. Just tell me the truth. Are you going to Azkaban or not?"

He was silent for a moment before finally replying vaguely, "I got the letter this morning."

Why did she have to look so fragile with puffy, reddened eyes and wet trails running down her face? An indignant, fuming Ginny he could stand, but a scared, crying Ginny? It seemed so wrong. Even the sparks flying from her eyes were an ashy memory of the teasing they had once tossed back and forth during detentions.

Tense silence stretched between them. The Slytherin looked away from her searching gaze. A frown slashed across his face, and she opened her mouth before closing it again, her breath hitching.

I can't do this anymore. It hurts too much. I came back to Hogwarts to get away from the pain of losing the ones I care about. I just can't do it anymore.

Ginny's irritation faded away, replaced by weary obstinacy. I won't lose him too. I've let go of so much, I'm not letting him slip away too. The noise in her ears dropped to a dull static, and she barely heard him clear his throat. Shaking her head slowly, she fumbled behind her until she felt the wall and then collapsed against it, leaning her head against the cold, smooth stone.

This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. She repeated it like a chant, as if through her willpower alone, she could change his fate. I won't lose him. I won't! This just isn't happening...

Abruptly, Draco locked gazes with her and continued, "Shacklebolt got the jury to drop the worst charges. I'm still on probation, which means no unauthorized magic outside of class, and my every move will be under intense scrutiny until my grandchildren get married." Sardonic amusement deepened his voice. "The good news, though, is that I'm not going to Azkaban after all. Well, that's all. You can go now. Tell Weaselbee hi for me. He'll like that, I'm sure."

Her hand flew to her throat. "What did you say?" Ginny gasped, jerking forward and grabbing his shoulder reflexively. When he remained silent, she jerked him around to face her. Her hand unconsciously continued to clasp his firm shoulder. The muscles underneath her palm stiffened at her touch. "Draco Malfoy, what did just you say?"

The frown on Draco's face broadened into a grin as he stared down at her, his eyes sparkling like a child's at Christmas.

"No! I'm not going to Azkaban," he cried, tossing aside all pretense of flippancy. Caught up in the emotion-charged moment, he grabbed her and swung her around in his arms. Her startled protests died as he pulled her close with a breathy laugh. "I'm not going to Azkaban! I'm not! Oh Ginny, I could kiss you right now."

Before Draco had a chance to think it through, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.


Well, was that what ya'll were expecting? Hehe! I just couldn't help myself. Hopefully they're weren't too OOC. If so, feel free to tell me so I can improve :) Thank you!

Next chapter: "Well, this is certainly going better than I had expected." Draco faces the consequences of kissing a Weasley.