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The following morning brought unwelcome news as they all sat in the Gryffindor common room listening to the radio which was talking about an attack on Diagon Alley yesterday evening. Harry and Hermione both watched Ron as the broadcaster then said that most of the shops had been destroyed and some people had died but they were holding back the names until they could be confirmed. After hearing that, Ron got to his feet and quickly left the room but Ginny chased after him.

Harry and Hermione wanted to go after him too, but Ron had been avoiding them and they didn't know how he would react to the two of them right now. They wanted to give him his space, time to process that they were together now…but they missed him, even if it had been just a couple of days.

"Ron, wait!" Ginny called as she ran down the hallway, catching up with her brother.

"I need to get to the owlery." Ron muttered without stopping.

"Why?"

"To write mum and dad and ask them if they've heard from Fred and George." He then snapped.

He continued on but Ginny rushed forward, right in front of him.

"Get out of my way!"

"Ron, try to calm down."

"Calm down, are you kidding me? Our brothers could be dead!"

"Don't think like that! I'm sure they're fine. If something had happened to them mum and dad would have found out by now and got in touch with us."

Ron then slammed his fist against the wall in frustration before throwing himself down on the bench that was along the hallway. He then ran his hands down his face as Ginny carefully took a few steps over and sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He snorted.

"There's a war going on, people are dying every day. My best friend is together with Hermione…what's not okay?"

Ginny looked at him after that last part. He still wasn't over finding out about the two of them.

"You need to let that go, Ron."

"Why should I?"

"Because they are happy together. You can't do anything about that."

Ron ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Yeah, I know how it is. The hero gets the girl, I'm just the sidekick why would Hermione be interested in me?"

"It isn't like that and you know it." Ginny almost snapped. "And you're much more than just some sidekick. You know Harry thinks of you like a brother. If you and Hermione were...those things either happen or they don't Ron, you can't make them happen. It's just like my little crush on Harry...I had to let it go."

"It's different with Hermione and me." Ron responded. "We actually...I don't know. I just thought that we would end up together in the end."

Ginny stared at her brother after that. Ron was a good person and she loved him very much but that was one of his flaws. That he expected things to just fall into his lap. He was often prone to jealousy and anger and to be honest she didn't think Hermione could ever end up with him. They just conflicted too much, not exactly something to make a healthy relationship.

But then she thought about herself. Was she any different for thinking that she would wind up with Harry? She knew what it was like, thinking there was no one out there that was as good as the person you had a crush on. But she had let that go, just for her own sake and Ron needed to let this go.

"You need to talk to them." She finally said. "I know you haven't, they've been trying to give you your space. You should let them know you're okay."

"I will." Ron answered. "I just, I still need some time."

Ginny nodded as she understood when silence overtook the two of them again and they just continued to sit the only sound being the two's light breathing as they continued to enjoy each other's company. After a few minutes, Ginny gently placed her hand on his.

"Come on, I'll walk with you to the owlery."

"Thanks." Ron smiled a little as they both of them got up and began heading to it. They arrived at the owlery, Ron wrote a letter to their parents just to be safe, asking if everything was alright with the twins. They both watched as Pig flew away with the note and they headed back to the castle. Ron asked her if she was coming back in but Ginny told him she wanted to stay outside for a bit and he left her to herself.

Placing herself down on a nearby bench, Ginny smiled a little as she looked up at the sky. Something she used to do when she was young was wake up early just to watch the sun rise, then stare up at the clouds and daydream. She still did that now, just not as often but enjoyed her quiet peaceful time, always a time to reflect and ponder.

So far this was her little secret, she didn't want anyone else intruding. She settled more comfortably on her seat and allowed her mind to wander.

Ginny thought about a lot of things during these moments. Her family, friends…the war. If they were strong enough to get through this. Also at that moment, she didn't want to think about Diagon Alley being attacked and the possibility that Fred and George could have been involved. She wanted to tell herself they were safe, that her whole family would make it through this.

As she continued to sit and think, suddenly she heard the footsteps from behind her. Ginny was a tad irritated to have her sanctuary invaded and turned her head slightly to see who it was when she let out a yelp of surprised upon being roughly grabbed and pulled to her feet.

Her eyes widened when she saw it was Malfoy's two friends, Crabbe and Goyle. She then quickly remembered her encounter with Malfoy last night and figured he would be coming for some kind of revenge.

"Isn't it the Weasley girl?" Crabbe laughed. "What are you doing out here so early by yourself?"

"Let me go!" Ginny yelled.

"Shut her up."

Goyle shifted his grip on her to cover her mouth but Ginny bit down on his hand causing the fat, older boy to yell out in pain. That however only earned her a slap in return by Crabbe.

"Don't try that again." He then warned. "Now, why don't you give Vince a kiss? Make him feel better?"

"I'd rather kiss a hippogriff's ass." Ginny snapped.

"Ohh, feisty. Well, I think we can change your attitude girl."

Ginny tried to get away but couldn't do anything as Goyle had a good hold of her. Crabbe then walked closer and she closed her eyes when suddenly;

"Stupify!"

Goyle was hit by a stunning spell causing him to fall to the ground, taking Ginny with him. Crabbe spun around and was stuck with a hex, taking him out as well. Groaning a little, Ginny sat up and looked around for her savior. However, who she saw standing there caused her jaw to drop.

Draco Malfoy.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked as he walked towards her. "Did they hurt you?"

She couldn't answer. Draco then bent down and gently took her hand, helping her up. He then looked at her face and saw a red hand print.

"Come on, let's go inside."

He then tried to pull her along but Ginny pulled back and yanked her hand away.

"Wait a minute! Are you telling me you didn't have them attack me!?"

She had been expecting something like this from him, especially after what happened the last time between the two of them. But the furthest thing she thought would happen was that Malfoy would actually save her.

"Of course not. Why would I do that?" He asked while eyeing Crabbe and Goyle's sleeping forms.

"You do have a certain…reputation." She responded.

"Not for that."

"Why did you help me then? You hate me! You hate my friends, you hate my family." She listed but Draco only smirked and walked closer towards her.

"I may not be too crazy about your friends, or your family." He admitted. "But I think I'm starting to like you. You are a pureblood after all, and what you did back at the library...I kind of liked it."

Ginny could only blink in surprise after hearing that. As Draco came closer she took a step back and tripped over her own feet but Draco reached out and caught her.

Then, he brought his lips down on hers and kissed her deeply.

Her heart rate quickened as she didn't even realize that she was now kissing him back. Didn't realize that she had placed her hand on the back on his head, her fingers entangled in his whitish blonde hair…

Didn't realize her eyes were closed until she opened them.

Draco then broke away from her and smirked as he looked down at her face, seeing her reaction.

"Still think Potter is better, Ginny?"

He didn't what for an answer as he let her go and turned away to head back to the castle, giving her one last look and a smirk. Ginny couldn't even move, she was frozen in shock as she watched him leave. She reached up and touched her lips for a second before the two boys on the ground began to move and groan, causing her to run back to Hogwarts as well.