Ginny blushes, touched by the kind gesture from the man, from the boy she had assumed was…not-so-kind. Clutching her gifts in her hands possessively, she can't get over the fact that this is real. That Malfoy really gave her not just a Firebolt, but season tickets to her favorite team. How had he known? And why did he do it? Did he really like her like that? Her thoughts are cut off by the protests of the youngest of her brothers, and by her crush, Harry.

"Mr. Weasley, you can't trust his words, you just…can't." Harry pleas with the older man, trepidation in his eyes.

"Or those gifts." Interjects Ron, looking fearfully at his sister and her newest possessions. "They're probably loaded with dark magic or something. We have to throw them away, or give them to the Ministry!" He insists, and when Hermione, brightest witch in their class doesn't call them silly, doesn't rebuke their baseless claims, and almost looks like she agrees, Ginny is curious and concerned.

"Calm down boys, I know we can't trust Lucius—" He doesn't get to finish.

"It's not him we can't trust!' Harry says hurriedly. Before looking down and gathering his thoughts, his face fixed in a frown. "Or rather, we can't trust him either, but it's Draco who…" He trails off, unable to say it.

"Harry, you know you can tell me anything." The Weasley patriarch remarks, clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder. "So please, tell me." Harry looks up at the man, defiance in his green eyes as he searches for the courage to speak out.

"He's evil." Harry mutters.

"Understatement of the century." Ron adds under his breath, and Arthur Weasley frowns.

"Why do you say that? From what I've seen the apology seemed sincere and the boy seemed nice enough, making Lucius do all this, and Lucius has never—" Again he's cut off.

"It's because he likes her." Ron blurts out.

"Ginny." Harry clarifies. "He likes Ginny…I think." Arthur frowns at the news and is taken aback. A Malfoy thinking of a Weasley in that way is…well it's far from the norm. But the boy did seem sincere…

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing then." Arthur Weasley contemplates aloud, causing his daughter to blush even more at the thought.

"NO!" Both Ron and Harry scream in unison, worrying everyone.

"Didn't you hear us? He's Evil. With a capital E!" Ron says.

"He's evil and vicious and…" Harry begins, but he's cut off by the matriarch of the family this time.

"He doesn't seem evil to me." She says dismissively, waving off the boys' concerns as mere schoolyard rivalry.

"Because you don't know what he's done!" Ron exclaims.

"Then tell me." Arthur all but demands, and Ron is suddenly quiet, remembering Draco's threat, fearful of retaliation. Harry feels the same chill, the same fear, but with a little more courage, he's able to speak up. The family gasps collectively in horror as they hear how the boys have been tortured and harassed by the seemingly polite Malfoy boy, and it even jogs the twins' memory.

"Right, he did destroy Wood didn't he?" Retorts Fred.

"Disarmed him." George remarks.

"Skinned him." Fred answers.

"And burned him alive, the git did." George finishes for them. By now, Molly and Arthur are beyond horrified, appalled beyond any measure at such evil and wicked actions, and they vow to keep Ginny away. By the end of the very tense and very haunted conversation, it's made official, Ginny is forbidden to go anywhere near that demon child.

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Ginny finds herself cornered in a hallway, face to face with the very boy her family says she's not allowed to see. She shrinks back, trying to avoid the boy, even as her cheeks flush and her heart jumps in his presence.

"Ginny." He speaks simply, smiling in a gentle manner that didn't at all match the actions that have been relayed to her. "Relax, I'm just here to talk." He assures her, and still she shrinks back.

"I…I'm not allowed to talk to you. I shouldn't…" She trails off, not needing to finish her statement for the meaning of it to be understood.

"Why?" He questions, expression curious as he looks over the younger girl who clearly seems to be excited by his presence.

"Because." She turns to face him, looking him dead in the eyes. "You're evil." She states simply and truthfully. Draco's eyes harden for a moment, before softening again as he represses his more wicked side in the presence of the girl he likes.

"So they told you." He says softly, and she doesn't say anything, only looking away, turning her head. "Fine then." He relents, before placing his hand on her cheek, causing her to gasp. "But you can't deny the chemistry." He gently kisses her on the lips, her first kiss in her lifetime, and instantly, she can feel the electricity flow through her. The kiss gets a bit more intense, before she pushes away slightly, leaving the somewhat rejected boy grinning, triumphant.

"Now I'm your first." He says, as he backs away, causing her to blush at the thought and hold her hand to her lips.