Harry Potter 1. Default Chapter

That Starry Night  
  
By Angel Black  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or I'd be making a bit more money than I am at my part time job now, don't you think?  
  
Summary: Ginny Weasley is kidnapped by the Death Eaters, who plan to use her as bait to finish Harry Potter off once and for all. They didn't know that one of their own wasn't quite as loyal as they thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The midnight sky was littered with stars piercing the darkness with little pinpricks of light. To those gathered far below on the earth they seemed to waver as if the darkness would overtake them. The cruel breeze rippled through the would-be deserted graveyard. Its fingers tore at the dark cloaks and robes of the ones attending the meeting.  
  
Only one being noticed the wind trying to rob her of what little warmth she possessed on the chill evening. She was dressed unlike any of the others-instead of a warm, black cloak her shivering form was clad in a thin, white nightgown. Her face, the only one that was uncovered, was paler than usual making the light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheekbones stand out clearly. Her brilliantly red hair gleaned softly in the faltering light of the stars. The chocolate eyes set in her small, elf like face were large with confusion, mistrust, and fear. She knelt, shivering, as the circle around her parted to admit one more.  
  
The girl's mouth fell open in horror as she gazed upon the creature approaching her. Its face was grotesque and unearthly. It was tall and slender. Its movements were predatory as he approached the young woman who was tossed into the midst of evil. When it spoke, its voice was painful to hear. She knew it had asked her a question, but could not decipher it over the pounding of blood in her ears.  
  
When she made no response, the creature punished her as it saw fit. Pain such as she had never known invaded every inch of her body. The cry on her lips could not escape for lack of breath as she doubled over, weeping harshly. As soon as it had come the pain was gone, leaving the girl whimpering in fear.  
  
"Malfoy," The creature hissed. When one of the robed figures bowed, it continued, "Take the girl. She is what we need to bring Harry Potter to his downfall."  
  
Then the figures parted, allowing the creature to pass. The figures disappeared one by one with small popping noises. The graveyard was empty, save the weeping girl and one cloaked figure. He made his way to the prisoner, his footfalls silent on the soft ground.  
  
The girl raised her tearstained face when she felt his heavy cloak fall over her shoulders. He reached up, tearing off his mask to reveal his impassive, unsmiling face. His grey eyes were clouded and unreadable. His silvery blonde hair fell about his face carelessly.  
  
He watched her for a moment before kneeling. With his hands on her shoulders, he guided her firmly to her feet. He wasn't surprised in the least when her knees gave out, forcing her to cling to his neck for support.  
  
The girl held on to him tightly for a moment, feeling helpless. Her unfocused gaze was fixed on the stars. They wavered again before seeming to become unnaturally bright. The she was lost to a blissfully dreamless sleep when he whispered a charm softly.  
  
Her tense muscles relaxed and her grip around his neck was lost. He caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. He sighed and looked around warily.  
  
"Let's go home, Weasley," he whispered to the inanimate girl. And the graveyard was completely deserted as Draco Malfoy took his new charge to his home in London.  
  
A/N: Okay, so I got the idea for this story at about 3 AM on Sunday Morning and wrote it at midnight last night.well, today, actually. As much as I like my sleep, I'll sacrifice it a bit for writing! I hope you liked it, leave a review. And for once, I plan to actually continue this story! In the meantime, read some of my other short stories. 


	2. Rules for Living with A Malfoy

That Starry Night  
  
by Angel Black  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or I'd be making a bit more money than I am at my part time job now, don't you think?  
  
Summary: Ginny Weasley is kidnapped by the Death Eaters, who plan to use her as bait to finish Harry Potter off once and for all. They didn't know that one of their own wasn't quite as loyal as they thought.  
  
A/N: To those of you who have already read this, sorry it's nothing new I just ran a spell check on this, which I should have done before. Slap my hand and call me a naughty girl. That said, I'm at work on the next chapter as we speak...er...read...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ginny Weasley yawned and stretched as she stirred in the warm bed. She had just had the most awful dream, something about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a graveyard. She also seemed to remember a lot of pain-the dream must have been vivid because she suddenly had a small shock of the pain once again. There had been people dressed in long black robes and masks-Death Eaters. One of those had been Draco Malfoy.  
  
When her eyes fluttered open lazily, she nearly began to cry. She suddenly realized that the bed was too soft to be her own. Instead of the soft yellow of home, this room was decorated in a dark forest green and had white walls. The smell was not the soft feminine scent of her own laundry, but distinctly male. Her eyes flew around the small but fashionable room and she realized she had no idea where she was.  
  
"Oh, you're up!" The door swung open, admitting not Malfoy as Ginny had been expecting, but a tall blonde woman with pale skin and a sunny smile. She walked briskly over to where Ginny still lay, and Ginny felt a cool hand on her forehead. The hand felt cool and Ginny suddenly realized how warm she felt. She struggled to sit up but found she didn't have the strength.  
  
"Tsk, tsk," The blonde woman was saying with a frown. "Your temperature is still too high. At least you're up-I'll go tell Draco. He'll bring in something for you to eat. You must be starving, poor dear."  
  
"Draco?" Ginny's eyes flew wide in alarm. "Draco Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes, that's where you are. His apartment, that is," The woman smiled again. Before Ginny could protest the woman was out of the door again. Ginny could hear her calling for Draco ("Draco! Your lady friend's awake!"). She also heard his gruff response ("Shut it, Miranda. I'm sure she has a headache and your bellowing won't help."). Then the door swung open again and two tall blondes entered the room.  
  
Ginny looked up into Draco Malfoy's cold grey eyes nervously. She had a million questions to ask, the first being 'why am I here?' He swept to her bedside, his face a calm, disconcerted mask, and he took her wrist in his hand. Ginny attempted to pull back but offered no more resistance when he fixed a steely glare on her. He pressed his index finger against her wrist with his eyes fixed on a wristwatch. Ginny relaxed a bit-he was taking her pulse.  
  
"Hmm. She's doing better," He stated to Miranda, who rolled her eyes.  
  
"I think the fact that she's awake was a dead give away to that, Draco," Miranda responded cuttingly, putting her on the receiving end of his glare.  
  
"I am right here," Ginny grumbled irritably. She never was a morning person. Draco returned his glare to her and she muttered in a more submissive tone, "Well, you don't need to talk as if I'm not in the room." He dropped Ginny's wrist and swept out of the room. Miranda smiled and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" Ginny asked the girl before her, trying to sound as polite as possible.  
  
"Oh, so sorry. I'm Miranda Malfoy," She responded with a smile.  
  
"Oh," Ginny said in genuine surprise. "I didn't realize-"  
  
"-and I'm not his wife. I'm his cousin. The day that one finds a woman who will put up with him will be the day the Chudly Cannons win the Cup," Miranda said with a smirk. Ginny found the family resemblance uncanny.  
  
"I heard that, you wrench," Draco said as he walked back into the room, carrying a tray with a steaming soup and placing it before Ginny. Miranda helped her sit up, and Ginny raised the spoon to her mouth. She paused, looking up with a scowl.  
  
"Do you really need to watch me eat?" She asked huffily, trying to sound less unnerved than she felt. It was all too strange-here she was in a strangers home, being nursed back to health by a man who not too long ago was a boy who enjoyed tormenting her tremendously. They mercifully turned away, speaking in hushed tones as she ate.  
  
When Ginny was done, she set the tray aside. Slouching back against the pillows, she tried to remember the last time she had felt so spent. When none came to mind she instead focused on stifling the yawns that seemed to insist that she needed more sleep. This thought led her to wonder aloud, "How long have I been gone?"  
  
The cousins looked up and Miranda took the dishes out of the room when she saw that Ginny was finished eating. Draco did not respond, opting to study Ginny instead. From the kitchen Ginny could hear dishes clinking in the sink. Somehow she found the familiar sound soothing and homelike. Ginny could even see her plump mother at the sink when she closed her eyes.  
  
"Two days," Draco replied just when Ginny was sure he intended to ignore her. Her eyes flew open at his statement, and she struggled to sit up.  
  
"Stay down," Draco commanded shortly. Ginny leaned back-it wasn't as if she expected him to simply allow her to leave. She was sure he didn't want her here in the first place. "They know where you are. I spoke to Ronald."  
  
Ginny sighed with relief. She lived on her own now, but had made it a habit to speak to her mother or at least one of her brothers every night via fire. They would have gone to check on her if she hadn't contacted them in two days. She knew her family must be worried sick, even if they knew where she was. Ginny's mouth fell open when what Draco had said sunk in completely.  
  
"Ronald? I didn't know that my brother and you are on first name terms. No matter how formal," Ginny said with a confused frown.  
  
"There is much that you need to be informed of. Right now, however," he said pointedly, "you need sleep."  
  
"I just slept for two days! I'm not-" but "tired" was cut off by a yawn. Draco raised a knowing eyebrow and Ginny blushed. Knowing she wouldn't win an argument, she simply burrowed down into the warm coverlet. She realized just as she was falling asleep what was so strange about her encounter with Malfoy-his smirk was completely absent and he didn't insult her once.  
  
Ginny had just dozed off when Miranda walked into the room. Draco signaled her to be quiet and pointed at Ginny. Miranda nodded and they left the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Well, the guest room is ready for her when she's well enough. I left clothes, and everything else she'll need," Miranda informed him.  
  
"Thank you, Miranda," Draco responded, sounding tired but sincere. "I think I can handle it from here."  
  
Miranda nodded. "Well, then, as the supervising Mediwitch I'll go fill in her family on the situation and her condition. They're worried about her, I'm sure."  
  
Draco nodded in agreement and walked with her to the door. She kissed his cheek and left. On her way out, she called out to him over her shoulder.  
  
"And remember, Draco," she said with a grin, "she's a nice girl who's engaged to Harry Potter and has six brothers. So don't go breaking her heart. We wouldn't want them to break your perfect nose, hmm?"  
  
"That's disgusting, Miranda. She's a kid," Draco scoffed.  
  
Miranda simply threw him a dubious look and walked into the open elevator door.  
  
"You shouldn't look at kids the way you look at her, Draco," Miranda teased. The elevator doors closed before he could retort. Draco glared at them for a moment.  
  
"I hate it when she does that," Draco grumbled. He walked back into his flat and closed the door quietly. He sat down at a desk in his work room. With a resigned sigh, he pulled the first of a stack of papers towards him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When Ginny woke again, she found she could sit up. She still ached a bit but not so much as to keep her from moving. The problem with moving was she didn't know where to go. More importantly, she didn't know where she was allowed to go. This wasn't her house, after all. With that decided, she tried to remember as much of what had happened the other day. She was still bewildered as to why she would be made a target.  
  
Earlier that week, Ginny had gone to meet Harry for lunch at a small restaurant in Diagon Alley on her lunch break. He said he had something important that he needed to talk to her about. Ginny had already guessed what had happened-he was going to propose to Cho Chang, his girlfriend of two years.  
  
Ginny smiled, remembering how Harry had always been smitten with the girl back in school but too shy to approach her. When he had bumped into her once again five years after he left Hogwarts-more like flew into her, seeing as they were playing Seeker for opposing Quidditch teams-Harry had finally gathered up the courage to ask her to dinner. The two had been inseparable for two years, and Ginny had thought it was about time that they got together.  
  
Why, then, had You-Know-Who thought that she, Ginny, would be the one to lure Harry to his death? Not that Ginny would wish this on Cho, but it simply didn't make sense. Something simply did not add up here.  
  
At lunch Harry had showed Ginny the ring and asked her if Cho would like it. Cho and Ginny had become friends and had similar tastes which made gift shopping convenient for Harry. Ginny had become his official shopping partner and Cho hadn't been let down on a gift yet. But still, even though Ginny was a surrogate sister to Harry, she would have thought the Death Eaters would have been intelligent enough to go for the woman Harry loved.  
  
'I'd rather have it be myself than someone else, though,' Ginny thought to herself. After all, Harry must be worried about her, she knew. If it had been Cho, Harry would be devastated. Cho had become the world to Harry, and Ginny knew that he would loose his level head if she were in danger. Ginny was grateful for the first time in her twenty three years that she didn't have anyone who loved her that much.  
  
After lunch Ginny had gone back to work at her office. She was a pediatric Mediwitch in a small clinic. Ginny had always had a way with children. She smiled ruefully, thinking that she aught considering all the little nieces and nephews she had running around. Ron and Hermione had three little girls-triplets. If Ginny had thought that Fred and George were bad, they were nothing compared to those little terrors; and they were only four years old, too.  
  
After work (no serious cases-only a hacking cough and a broken finger which were set to rights quickly) Ginny had returned to her apartment outside of London. She had reviewed some files that had been sent in, read a medical magazine, and changed into her nightgown. Ginny had been about to fire a call to her parents when there was knock at her door.  
  
When she opened the door, she saw no one. Frowning she had stepped out into the hall and still saw no one. She had shrugged and walked back into her apartment and right into three masked figures. Ginny had screamed, and they silenced her quickly with a swift blow to the head, causing her to pass out. When she came to, she was in the middle of a crowd of Death Eaters.  
  
The rest of the details were hazy, but she remembered something about being the "downfall of Harry Potter". She remembered the stars, for some reason. She remembered the pain and her terror. Also she remembered that she was paralyzed with fear, but Draco had gently and firmly made her. Then she fell asleep.  
  
The rest was a blur of questions and uncertainties. Ginny sighed and sat up. She couldn't lie in bed for the rest of her life. Malfoy had said they needed to talk, and she would seek him out if she needed to. She climbed out of the oversized bed, steadying herself against the wall as a wave of dizziness overtook her senses.  
  
Draco had opened the door to check on his charge just as Ginny climbed out of bed. He watched as she leaned back against the wall taking deep breaths and was by her side in an instant. When she felt it was safe to open her eyes, she almost fell over from the shock of seeing Draco Malfoy hovering over her. Thankfully she was already leaning on the wall, so she stayed upright.  
  
"Take it easy," Draco said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She nodded and took a deep breath before trusting her weight to hold herself up.  
  
She offered him a weak smile, feeling awkward. Draco turned away and led her out of the room, keeping his face devoid of emotions. "I'll show you around, and then get a hold of your brother and Harry. They wanted to be here to explain everything to you."  
  
"Erm, Malfoy," Ginny said hesitantly and he looked at her over his shoulder. "D'you think-I mean would it be alright," Ginny stopped, frustrated. 'Listen to yourself, Virginia! You sound like a stuttering child!' She shook her head before continuing, "What I mean is, I'd like to clean up first, if that's all right with you."  
  
Draco turned around and surveyed her. For a moment she thought he was going to smile, but the closest he came to it was a spark of amusement in his eyes as he said, "Yes, perhaps that would be a good idea."  
  
Ginny flushed as he led her over to the bathroom. He stepped out and she closed the door before hopping in. She didn't even bother to look in the mirror, already knowing she must look a mess. Ginny took her time, but turned off the water. It was only when she was wrapping the towel around her that she realized she didn't have any clothes.  
  
Draco had gone to retrieve clothes for Ginny immediately after she walked into the bathroom. He looked through her closet, and rolled his eyes at his cousin's choices. Despite the fact that Ginny would be staying in his apartment at all times, Miranda had found the most expensive clothes she could. Hardly any of it was casual as well.  
  
When Draco heard the shower click off, he knocked softly on the door. Ginny opened the door and poked her head out. Her hair was a tangle of fiery curls and her face looked somewhat worried as she began, "Malfoy, I don't have any clean-"  
  
"I have some here," Draco interrupted, holding up the small pile. Ginny smiled in relief, and he was shocked to see how pretty she looked. He hastily handed the pile over to her and shook his head, walking over to the fire. He contacted Harry immediately.  
  
"Draco," Harry said, his face appearing in the fire, looking worried. "How's Ginny?"  
  
"She's up. Why don't you and Ronald Floo over, she'll want to hear this from someone she knows a bit better than myself, I'm sure," Draco informed him.  
  
"Right. We'll be there in about an hour?" Harry said.  
  
"Perfect, I need to show her around," Draco responded.  
  
Just as Harry disappeared, Ginny emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was still damp and fell in spirals down to her shoulders. She was wearing black pants, a black tank top and a dark green robe over it. Draco looked her over appreciatively before clearing his throat and standing.  
  
"I'll show you around now," he offered.  
  
"Sure," Ginny responded, pushing her hair behind her ears. She took a deep breath and followed him around the rather large apartment. Ginny studied him once his back was to her. He was taller than she remembered. He was dressed in Muggle clothes-dark jeans and a red sweater-with a black robe thrown over. She had to grudgingly admit that he was handsome.  
  
"That's my office," Draco was saying, pointing to a room to the side with the door closed. "It's not too interesting. And over here," he continued, not noticing her lack of attentiveness, "is the kitchen. Feel free to cook if you like, because I can't for the life of me. I tend to order in quite a bit."  
  
Ginny would have smiled, but she couldn't bring herself to it seeing as she was being shown around a Death Eater's house. That meant that he must be planning to keep her here for a while. 'At least I'm not being killed,' Ginny thought, and immediately wished she hadn't. She suddenly felt tense and worried-how did she know she wouldn't be killed?  
  
"Could I have a glass of wine or something, Malfoy?" Ginny asked, and he cast a look over his shoulder at her.  
  
"Sorry, I don't drink," Draco responded, sounding mildly surprised. This caused Ginny to raise her eyebrows.  
  
"Right, I'm sure," she replied sounding dubious. He turned to look at her fully so she continued, "I seem to remember hearing about the wild parties you threw back in Hogwarts."  
  
"Well, in my line of work it isn't a good idea to be caught off guard," Draco responded.  
  
"What," Ginny said sarcastically, "a Death Eater? Yes, it'd be a pity if you couldn't remember who you tortured and killed." Draco stalked over to her quickly. Ginny felt sure that she had gone too far, and was waiting for the consequences. She was surprised and unsure when he beckoned her closer and leaned in as if telling her a secret, which he did.  
  
"No, an Auror. Don't tell anyone, though. It's not exactly common knowledge," Draco whispered before sweeping out of the kitchen.  
  
Ginny gave a disbelieving laugh. He didn't really expect her to buy that, did he? After all he said back in school he wouldn't honestly think that she was naïve enough to believe such an outrageous lie. Ginny was startled out of her reverie by voices coming from the other room.  
  
Ginny peered cautiously out the door, not wanting to meet with more Death Eaters. Her caution was wasted, however, as both visitors looked up as the door creaked open and were suddenly upon her. It took Ginny a moment to realize it was Harry and Ron who were nearly suffocating her with hugs, both talking at once.  
  
"Harry. Ronald. You'll kill her if you don't let her breathe," Draco drawled, raising an eyebrow. Harry drew back, looking sheepish but Ron held on to her.  
  
"As long as it's me and not a Death Eater, that's all right, Draco," Ron said, looking down at his little sister with a smile. To her he said, "how're you feeling, kiddo?"  
  
"Confused," Was all Ginny could come up with to say. Ron guided her to the couch. Draco sat in an overstuffed chair as Harry and Ron sat on either side of her. They all looked at her expectantly, and Ginny wondered which question she should ask first.  
  
"Why did they take Ginny?" Ron said after no one said anything for a while. Ginny nodded, and they all looked over at Draco.  
  
"I should think that should be obvious," Draco said with raised eyebrows. "As Harry's fiancé she's at high risk."  
  
"Fiancé?" Ginny and Harry exclaimed at the same time. Draco nodded and pulled a copy of Witch Weekly out of a pile of Quidditch magazines. On the front cover was a picture of Harry and Ginny sitting at a table. He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it as Ginny grinned at him. Ron took his eyes off the picture to look at the real Harry and Ginny.  
  
Ginny's mouth had fallen open and felt the strange desire to laugh. She wondered if she was becoming hysterical. Harry, however, had groaned and put his face in his hands. Seeing Harry like that caused a giggle to escape Ginny, and was followed by another. Soon she couldn't stop. Ron raised his eyebrows and seemed to be annoyed.  
  
"I thought you were with Cho, Harry. I'd have liked to know that you were seeing my sister," He sounded offended and angry.  
  
"I'm not. I was showing Ginny the ring I bought for Cho," Harry said, his voice muffled by his hands. He looked up at Ginny, who had calmed down and looked at her solemnly. "I'm so sorry, Ginny. This is entirely my fault."  
  
"Let me see that," Ginny demanded of Draco, who handed the magazine over. She flipped to the story page and nodded. "I should have guessed. Rita Skeeter." She began to read the story out loud.  
  
"POTTER IN LOVE  
  
Harry Potter, the hero and best loved bachelor of the wizarding world, has finally found the woman with whom he intends to make a life. Earlier today, Potter and Miss Virginia Weasley went to lunch to a small café in Diagon Alley. It was here that he popped the question to Miss Weasley unexpectedly.  
  
Miss Weasley is a prosperous owner of a clinic, where she battles every day with death to save the lives of innocent children. (Here Ginny gave a disbelieving laugh-the closest she'd come to 'saving the lives of innocent children' would be the time she had to deal with a nasty cut on a two year old.) A year his junior, the two are rumored to have been school sweethearts. Miss Weasley is also the younger sister of Mr. Potter's best friend, Mr. Ronald Weasley.  
  
A waitress at the café where Potter became engaged says the whole event was extremely romantic. "He requested a secluded booth ("I did not," Harry cut in, but Ginny shushed him) and sat nervously for about half an hour. Just as he was about to leave, she walked in and kissed him on the cheek. They smiled at one another and you could just tell they were in love. When he showed her the ring and asked her to be his wife, she cried 'Of course, Harry!' Then she hugged him."  
  
No one from either family could be contacted, but it has been rumored that the two lovebirds will be married in late spring. In the meantime, we at Witch Weekly offer our heartfelt congratulations to Harry Potter and his to be bride. Perhaps, with Miss Weasley's fondness for children, they will have a little one of their own in the near future."  
  
Ginny made a disbelieving sound before bursting out, "So I've been kidnapped by the effing Death Eaters because that, that cow doesn't know what reliable journalism is? And Witch Weekly? You-Know-Who reads Witch Weekly for his information?" After a moment she turned to her brother and Harry, who looked surprised by her outburst. "Not that I'd rather have Cho here, Harry."  
  
"What now, Draco?" Harry asked, turning to Malfoy. Ginny, however, had more questions.  
  
"What is that rubbish about him," She spat, pointing at Draco, "being an Auror?"  
  
Draco watched with a raised eyebrow as Ron tried to explain, "Well, Draco went to Dumbledore the day before we graduated Hogwarts."  
  
"Oh," Ginny said bitterly, "and I suppose you were all best friends starting then."  
  
"Hardly," Draco drawled, eyeing the little redhead with a frown. "It was a year before your brother and Harry would trust me."  
  
"Why? After everything you've always said, all you've done," Ginny trailed off, knowing he was glaring at him but refusing to look.  
  
"Well, Gin," Harry said slowly, "there are some things that people, go through together that changes everything."  
  
Ginny rounded on Harry, the golden flecks in her brown eyes shining brightly. Harry took a deep breath-her eyes only looked that color when she was very angry. An angry Weasley woman was a very formidable opponent, indeed. He forced himself to listen to what she was saying, because he knew ignoring her would only provoke her more.  
  
"What, Harry? I'm not too young to hear. I went through things by the time I was eleven," here she turned and glared at Draco, "thanks to your father, that most adults haven't experienced. I was kidnapped by Death Eaters and tortured by their 'Lord' not five days ago. So tell me. What could possibly make you friends with him?"  
  
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. Finally Ron took Ginny's hand and she turned to him expectantly. He took a deep breath before beginning to explain.  
  
"Ginny, you remember when Hermione moved out for a month to go stay with her parents a year after we got married?" Ron began, and Ginny nodded. "Well, that wasn't it, exactly. We didn't have a huge row like we told the family.  
  
"Herm is an Auror, too. A spy had given Voldemort a list of the names of Aurors, and their rank. Hermione holds one of the higher positions, and is privileged to details that even Harry and Draco and I don't know. So she was taken by Death Eaters and tortured for information.  
  
"That was when Draco took the initiative to rescue her-" Here Draco interrupted Ron with a smirk, the first Ginny had seen on his face all day.  
  
"Don't make me sound all heroic and Gryff, Ronald. It was hardly a rescue," Draco said and turned to Ginny. "Hermione's guards changed twice a week. All I did was find the schedule. When Crabbe and Goyle, the oafs, were up for duty I made sure they were inebriated. She escaped quite on her own with a minor bit of help from me."  
  
Ginny sat back, trying to process this new information. She remembered the day Hermione came back. It made sense, then, why Ron had become so protective of her. They had had plenty of fights before which ended with Hermione staying with either her parents or Ginny for a few days. When Hermione returned that time, though, Ron hadn't let her leave his side for days afterwards.  
  
"None the less, Draco, you helped her escape. Give yourself some credit," Harry said with a smile.  
  
"Don't have to twist my arm," Draco replied with a grin. "I'll be your hero if you insist."  
  
"I don't," Ginny grumbled. She was still glaring in Draco's general direction. "Well, seeing as you're such an amorous guy," Ginny said with biting sarcasm, "I think I'll go home."  
  
That said she hurried over to the door with long strides, ignoring Harry and Ron's protests. She was surprised to see it unlocked. She got over her surprise relatively quickly, however, and strode through the door.  
  
Only to be propelled back and thrown ungracefully back into the living room.  
  
Harry and Ron blinked before turning to look at Draco. Ginny had been thrown to his feet, and her hair was strewn about her face wildly. She turned to glare accusingly at Draco. Her scowl grew darker upon seeing the amused expression on his face.  
  
"Restraining Charm," Draco said by way of explanation. Ron and Harry seemed to accept this but Ginny simply sputtered indignantly.  
  
"Restraining Charm?" Ginny asked in disbelief. "Restraining Charms hold back, not throw back."  
  
"I may have thrown in a Repelling Charm as well," Draco mused.  
  
"That's one helluva Repelling Charm," Ron muttered, sounding impressed.  
  
Ginny threw him an appalled look before turning back to Draco and demanding, "Why can't I leave, then?"  
  
"That should be fairly obvious," Draco replied.  
  
"Ginny, I'm sorry but you'll have to stay here," Harry said in a voice that made it clear that he thought she was being unreasonable. "Voldemort-sorry- won't be happy with Draco if you escape. We don't want to sacrifice him."  
  
"Not to mention," Draco added, "that if you got out you and Harry would have to pretend to be engaged. You lucked out and got a spy as a guard. If word gets out that Chang is his real weakness, we probably won't be so lucky."  
  
Ginny bit her lip, knowing she was beat. If she left, she either had to pretend to be with Harry or let everyone know that she wasn't engaged to her. That would mean she'd be responsible for one of two things: destroying Harry's relationship with Cho or Cho's own capture. She couldn't do that.  
  
"Fine, you win," Ginny muttered.  
  
"Good," Ron replied while kissing her cheek, "because you don't have a choice."  
  
"Nice to know I matter," Ginny retorted.  
  
"Any time, luv," Harry said, pulling her to her feet. He gave her a brotherly kiss on the cheek as well before heading towards the fireplace after Ron.  
  
"Wait, you mean you're leaving me here with him? Alone?" Ginny asked, panicked.  
  
"Yes," Ron said slowly, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"You're leaving your own little sister with some man?" Ginny looked darkly over at Draco who glared at her while muttering "I'm not a criminal."  
  
"Ginny," Ron said, sounding more levelheaded than she for once, "you'll be fine. Its Draco-he knows his boundaries. This is work. Don't worry."  
  
Then they were gone. Ginny chanced a glance over at Draco, and was disconcerted to find that he had been watching her. She cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows asking what he wanted without words.  
  
"What do you want for dinner?" Draco asked after a moment. "I'm starved."  
  
"Do men ever think of anything other than their stomachs?" Ginny asked while going into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator to find it was devoid of anything that could be relatively nutritious. Some of it looked too old to be eaten. Wrinkling her nose, she closed the fridge.  
  
"Every once and a while, yes," Draco had quipped while he followed her in. "I have to go grocery shopping, here's a list of take out," he said, handing her a pile of menus.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked through the menus only half interested. After a moment she decided that she was not in the mood to choose anything. She shoved the menus at Draco, who looked mildly surprised.  
  
"You pick," she instructed. "I'll have whatever you have."  
  
Draco shrugged as she walked into his living room. As he was ordering food (something from a Chinese restaurant from the sound of it), Ginny flopped onto his couch. She had been flipping through channels for a few seconds before realizing that he had a television. Looking around the room, she found that the apartment looked as if a Muggle born lived here, not a pureblood Muggle-phobic.  
  
She looked up as Draco walked into the room and sat next to her. She had half a mind to stand and walk away, but he put a hand on her arm just as she was about to rise. Frowning, Ginny looked from where his restraining hand was resting on her forearm to Draco's solemn face.  
  
"Listen, Virginia," Draco began, "we're going to be stuck together for a long time."  
  
"Yippee," Ginny drawled in sarcasm.  
  
"So," Draco continued as if she hadn't said anything, "we may as well try to get along, all right? I'm not asking you to be my friend or any rubbish like that, but would it kill you to be civil?"  
  
Ginny was about to reply with "Yes, and I'm too young to die" but the doorbell rang. Draco rose and paid the delivery man. Ginny was somewhat relieved that she was saved from her childish retort, realizing how immature she would have sounded. He simply made her so furious that she found it easy to forget that she was a twenty three year old woman, not a hostile sixteen year old.  
  
Draco returned to the living room with their food and sat next to Ginny. She looked over at him, feeling resolved. 'If he can be civil, so can I,' Ginny though with determination.  
  
"So, I, er, noticed that you've got Muggle things," Ginny said, feeling uncomfortable. Talking civilly to Draco Malfoy was harder than she thought. She tossed the remote back and forth uncertainly as she waited for his response.  
  
"Yes, well, I overcame my father's fear of everything non-magic. They have some useful inventions," Draco replied easily. "Oh, that reminds me."  
  
Ginny looked over at him, curious. He smirked and took the remote from her hands.  
  
"Rule one for getting along with me, Virginia. I control the TV," Draco said as he changed the channel.  
  
Deciding she didn't care how immature it was, Ginny stuck her tongue out at Draco once he wasn't looking. She smiled smugly, feeling a bit better.  
  
A/N: Whew! That's a long chapter. I like to be thorough, so they all may turn out to be quite long. We'll see, though. I have an exact plan for where this story is going, but I'm not sure how long it'll turn out to be. All the same, leave a review. By the way, thank you to the two who reviewed for the beginning part! 


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Harry Potter, Drama, Romance