Love, War and Friendship - The Wizarding Way

Told From Ginny's POV

I cried so fiercely my body shook even after the tears were gone.

Draco, I think. His name brings more tears to my eyes. I should have known. I should have expected something like this. It was Draco Malfoy. How much could he have changed in such a short time?

The kiss was permanently etched in my memory. It made me sick. He was supposed to be mine. Well its not like we were anything anyways. All we'd had were a few kisses and sweet moments. And if he would throw all that away for one kiss with that Patil girl then obviously what I'd thought was going on had all been based on a pack of lies. Why should I feel sad for what I never had?

The door of my room opens slowly and unannounced someone walks over to the bed as another wave of sobs racks my body. I know its Ron. I can recognize his heavy patter of footsteps.

"Go away," I tell him, not turning around.

"Ginny," he sighs but doesn't leave. He just sits there beside me waiting for me to calm down.

"I don't want to talk about it," I give up letting him stay.

"That's ok, Draco already told me everything."

"Draco?"

What was the scary part of that sentence: Ron calling Malfoy Draco or the fact that he must have had a civil conversation with his worst enemy?

Ron nods sheepishly. "Well if he's going to be living with I figure I should learn to call him by his first name."

I shrug, refusing to meet his eye. Somehow Draco managed to convince Ron to come on his side. I smiled, he had this really charming side he let out when he wanted to. My smile soured. He's going to kiss Patil.

"Look I - I think youshouldforgivehim," he says quickly, his ears turning pink. "You do not know how hard it was for me to say that."

"Forget it Ron. What's the point? He's just going to-"

Ron lets out a cry of outrage. "I thought you would have better sense than this, Gin," he sighs. "You're starting to act just like Harry. All you saw was Malfoy kissing Padma am I right?"

I nod reluctantly.

"Well that could mean anything. You may have broken up for an entirely different reason by then. Maybe you broke his heart not the other way around."

I want to ignore his logic but it did make some sense. It was true that the vision hadn't shown me any of the circumstances besides Padma and Draco kissing. But he still did it and the idea of the two of them tore at my heart. In the last few days spent with Draco I was used to his constant presence at my side, his unwillingness to leave me. I'd become so attached to him I didn't think anything could hurt as much as his betrayal, which luckily hadn't happened yet.

"You must realize that I'm the last person in the world who would want anyone at all least of all my sister to go around snogging Malfoy - I mean Draco but come on don't you think he deserves the benefit of the doubt?"

I roll my eyes at him. "Ron Weasley telling me to give Draco Malfoy the benefit of the doubt? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Ron didn't laugh. "He's really upset."

"Was he crying?" I ask feeling terribly unhappy that Draco might be just as heart broken as me.

"Guys don't cry," Ron scoffs.

"Sure."

Did Ron really want me to remind him of all the times I'd found him crying?

"Seriously," he says. "You can't go through life always running away every time you think you're gonna get hurt. That's no way to live."

"No," I sigh.

"I mean," Ron ruffles my hair slightly. "It might not have even been Draco it could have been someone under a poly juice potion or maybe he was under the an Imperius."

I laugh, feeling a little bit better. "And you thought I was wise?"

"What?" He looks surprised. "I thought it was a little farfetched. Honestly, who'd really make an effort to become Malfoy?"

"No stupid," I punch him playfully in the arm. "Not that part. The part before that."

Ron grins. "Yah that was pretty good huh?"

"I must be starting to rub off on you."

"Don't flatter yourself Ginny. I saw that speech in one of Mum's romance novels."

"And what were you doing reading those?" I ask giggling as Ron's face turned bright red.

"Well off you go," he says pushing me off the bed. "Go make up with your precious lover boy."

***

Told From Harry's POV

"What do we know?" I ask as Lupin reappears from the kitchen where Dumbledore is questioning Ravey.

"Nothing," Lupin sighs. "Absolutely nothing. Not even Dumbledore can get past it. We might be able to if she would surrender that stupid necklace but she won't."

"Why?"

Lupin settles himself on the lumpy couch. The Dursleys have all fled upstairs to their bedrooms.

"It'll protect the wearer from all spells that could potentially harm a witch or wizard but -"

"Voldemort's stronger?"

Lupin nods.

"So what are we going to do with her?"

"That's up to Dumbledore. She might have to stay here because she's obviously quite close to the danger. She's a sixth year Slytherin you know."

I raise my eyebrows. "I've never seen her before."

"Well you wouldn't she's new."

"Oh."

I miss Hermione. It's like this gnawing agony in the pit of my stomach. I wished Mr. Weasley had let her come with me to Privet Drive. She'd probably know a billion things about this pendant thing of Ravey's.

"Harry?"

I look up to see Lupin watching me with some concern.

"Are you all right?"

I blush, realizing I've been clutching a pillow to my chest and staring dreamily into space.

"Yah," I say. "I'm fine."

Lupin smiles and I get the feeling he knows what I was thinking about but he doesn't say anymore.

I miss Ron too. It's true that we've been arguing a lot more lately but he's always going to be my best friend no matter what. I think there's something going on with him that he's not telling us and that's why he keeps getting so annoyed. I don't know what it could be but I'm not going to push. I know what it's like to want to keep something from everyone and have everyone pressing you for answers.

"Well," Dumbledore announces as he enters the room. Lupin and I jump to our feet. "I have made little progress but she seems to be under the impression the Veelas have joined Voldemort's forces."

Lupin looks solemn while I burst out laughing.

"Veelas? What can they do?"

Dumbledore smiles patiently. "Veelas are very powerful creatures, Harry. They can easily distract and lead men into very dangerous situations not to mention what happens when they get angry."

I still can't imagine the likes of Fleur Delacouer doing much damage but if Dumbledore thinks so I guess I better take a Veela threat seriously.

"As Ravey has tried to come to us first and the fact she's only ten percent veela I think we can trust her. She'll stay here for a few days until I can find her another save haven."

I'm not really paying much attention. How much would Ron love this? He seemed to be quite attracted to veela. Again I wished my friends were here or I was there.

Dumbledore patted my shoulder. "You'll see them soon," he says as if he could read my mind. Sometimes this man scares me. He's eerily smart. I don't think he's ever been wrong about anything.

"I wish it could be sooner," I say ruefully.

"Well for now you'll have some company," Lupin says cheerfully. "Thanks for coming Dumbledore. Now there are some other things I wanted to discuss with you..." He motions for Dumbledore to follow him so they were out of my earshot.

I felt a little annoyed that they felt I couldn't hear whatever it was they were saying. Maybe they were talking about me.

Oh well.

I peeked through the kitchen door at Ravey. She was no longer sitting at the table but wandering around the room touching things excitedly. I rushed in when it looked as if she was about to drop a pile of plates to see what would happen.

She blushed and immediately put the plates back when I come into the room.

"Harry Potter," she says almost in awe.

Not another one of them.

"Yah," I say with a grin. "That's me."

She doesn't say anything just stares at me in wonderment.

"Here why don't we take you upstairs and get you settled ok?"

She nods but jumps a little when I put a hand on her back to lead her upstairs.

***

Told From Hermione's POV

Since my fight with Dean I decided it was probably best if I didn't go down for tea or even dinner. Lavender brought me up some food later but I wouldn't even talk to her. She and Seamus offered to take me to visit the local wizard library but I just sat on the window seat staring out at the unfamiliar surroundings thinking of Harry.

I was used to thinking of him during summers but it had never felt like this. There had been times when I worried about him or felt pity for him having to be at the Dursleys but what I felt right now was neither of these emotions. I ached to see him again even if it was only for a moment.

Stop thinking of him! I commanded myself. It was torture.

I still hadn't gotten a reply from Draco but I was pretty sure he told Ginny. Ron had sent me an owl a few hours ago saying things were pretty awful over at the Burrow. He didn't go into much detail but I could imagine the rest of it. He was getting Mr. Weasley to set up the telephone to talk to Harry. He said that it was fine if I wanted to come home (I assumed by this he meant his home not mine) so that I could speak to him too. I wanted to but I didn't want to leave Lavender alone. Maybe I'd ask her in the morning if she wanted to go and if not I'd go anyways.

Remembering my promise to owl Harry every day I rummaged through my bags until I found some parchment and a quill.

Wait scratch that, Harry didn't want to hear about that. He was mad enough when he thought I was owling Dean. Hmm...

No, no, no that made me sound too desperate. I'll just leave it at I miss you.

I couldn't say that either. Harry would get upset because he'd be the only one who wasn't at the Burrow.

Oh this really was impossible! I left my letter at I miss you, taking a long time to decide whether or not to sign it with love. In the end I just put a small heart by my name.

I was about to leave to go out to the shed where the Finnigans kept their owl when a snowy white owl crashed through my window.

"Hedwig!" I exclaim happily as she hoots in my ear, anxiously holding her right leg out to me. "Will you take this back to Harry?" I ask switching the two letters.

She nuzzles my hair in response before flying away. Opening the letter I laugh when covered in scratch outs all it says is:

Love always. He wrote love always. That had to mean something to right?

I collapsed on my bed no longer bothered with the pink color of the sheets.

He loves me.

***

Told From Harry's POV

"I love her," I whisper as I watch Hedwig fly away with my letter. It would take her awhile to get to Ireland but I felt as if Hermione already knew that I did.

"Well that's great for you," Ravey pipes up from where she lay on my bed flipping through one of Aunt Petunia's boring house keeping magazines. "What's she like?"

"Who?" I ask leaving my dreamy state. I tended to go like that when I thought of Hermione.

"Your girlfriend, who else?"

"Oh I don't have a girlfriend," I answer truthfully. Hermione was a lot of things to me but she still wasn't my girlfriend.

"Fine then what's the girl you're mooning over like?"

I shrug. I don't have the words to describe Hermione; she's above any of the ones I know.

"You're just so helpful," she mutters under her breath. I look at irritatedly. I hope she knows she isn't getting the bed.

The two of us are definitely not getting on. She got over her hero worship towards me when I wouldn't listen to all her stories and wrote a letter instead. She doesn't seem to understand why I wasn't as enthralled with her like Dudley. I wasn't sure either but then she wasn't pure veela.

"I'm going downstairs," I announce, receiving a glare.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Whatever you want."

I couldn't get away faster. I almost wished she hadn't recovered quite so quick you know maybe make her a little less vocal.

Lupin was as I'd thought setting up his office in the basement.

"Hey Harry," he greets me. "Anything wrong?"

He asks me this a lot. I suppose that's because a lot of things go wrong in my life.

"When is she leaving?" I ask in a strained voice.

"Oh come on now she can't be that bad," Lupin laughs.

My glare silences him.

"We're sending her to the Burrow tomorrow morning."

"The burrow?" I explode. "THE BURROW?"

"Is something wrong with that?"

"What about me?"

"Well you'll stay here of course." He gives me a look that says I know what's best for you so shut up but I don't.

"Why can't I go there?"

"Harry," he sighs. "It's not safe for you."

"Nothing's safe for me," I retort. "Don't you remember the Dementor's that got sent after me here last summer and the Death Eaters that followed me here last month."

Lupin holds his own in the argument quite well for a while before finally giving in.

"All right all right Harry, I'll try but if Dumbledore doesn't give permission for you to leave this house you won't."

"Thanks you!" I spontaneously throw my arms around him. It's rare for me to show any affection for an adult except Sirius.

A lump forms in the back of my throat at his name. As I release Lupin I can tell he's thinking of the same thing from the tears in his eyes.

"Right," I say.

At the same time he says, "Well then," in a gruff voice. Neither of us wanted to touch on the subject of my godfather. I hadn't cried for Sirius for a long time but I knew if I shed even one tear I'll break down completely.

"Harry," he starts to say and I know he's about to broach the subject of Sirius but I can't - I just can't.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I say backing away from him feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. "Really I'm fine."

Lupin gives me a sad look. "It's ok to cry," he tells me. "You can't keep it bottled up forever."

"I don't have anything bottled up!" I snap, scrambling out of the room before he makes me start.

***

Told From Ginny's POV

As soon as I was out of Ron's sight, which coincidentally was right in front of Draco's door I stopped and leaned back against the wall. I couldn't do this. I wanted to believe in what Ron said so much but there was still this nagging bit of doubt in my mind. There was some sort of plan Draco was supposed to carry out, which meant he'd lied to me from the start. He'd told me he'd had no involvement whatsoever with anyone on the Dark side but evidently he had. How could I trust him now? A relationship didn't work without trust.

I could see his blonde head from where I stood. I wanted to run in and throw my arms around him, forgetting everything I'd Seen but I couldn't. There was no harm in going into talk to him though was there? It wasn't like I was going to forgive him; I was just going to talk.

"Ginny!" he cried as I walked in. He moved closer and looked about to put his arms around me when he must have thought better of it.

"I wanted to say," I started unsure of what that was exactly.

"Yah?"

I walked further into the room, circling it while I searched for my words. I didn't know what I wanted to say. I knew what I wanted to hear. I wanted him to magically make all my worries go away, which he could probably do if I asked him to but it wouldn't be right.

"Ginny?" he asks as I continue to pace, picking up odd items off Fred's desk and putting them back down again. He seems anxious.

"I don't know," I sigh. "I just don't know anymore."

I feel like I'm about to explode due to the millions of different emotions pumping through my body. I couldn't look at him. Just the sight of his clouded blue eyes made me go weak. If I looked I wasn't sure I could ever look away.

"I understand," he says, taking my hand and pulling me away from the desk and onto the bed.

"No you don't!" I snap before I can stop myself. "You've never had to watch me kiss another guy."

His eyes turn grey, as they always do when he's troubled. "That's an experience I'm not looking forward to."

"Well you won't have to see it," I say shortly getting up again noticing slightly that he looked fearful whenever I got up to pace.

"But you said-"

"So? Just because it's over doesn't mean I'm going to go all wild for other guys. I'm not Hermione."

Draco smirked at my comparison. "Yah she's a real wild one," he says sarcastically.

"You know what I mean."

"Do you still have feelings for me?"

I hesitate for a second before answering honestly, "Yes."

"And I still have feelings for you so can't we just forget about it? Ginny I promise you I won't kiss her. Please believe me," he begs as he once again pulls me away from the desk.

"Draco it's not that easy," I say looking away from his piercing eyes and back to the desk. What was it that he didn't want me to see? There was a pile of pink parchment stashed messily in one corner. That hadn't been there earlier. Why would a boy, especially a boy such as Draco have pink parchment?

Moving out of his contact I reached over to pick up a sheet.

"Ginny," Draco warned trying to grab it away from me but I'd already seen it. The sight of her cursive makes me sick.

"You've been writing to her?" I whisper, backing away from him. "You claim you won't kiss her but you've been writing to her behind my back!"

"Let me explain-"

"You're still dating her aren't you and I'm just your - your slut," I shout clenching my fists tightly. I know that if I don't watch it I'm going to get violent.

"No that's not it at all! Listen to me-"

But I'm out of the room before he can explain himself. He was writing to her and even if it wasn't in a romantic sense he was still writing to someone who was involved with You-Know-Who! I wasn't sure which one was worse.

Ron was still there when I got back to my room.

"How'd it go?" he grins.

I didn't answer him instead sinking to the ground in a heap.

***

Told From Draco's POV

"Ginny!" I call uselessly after her. It doesn't matter she's gone.

I sigh. This was the worst possible time for her to find the letters but she didn't understand. I wasn't writing to Padma, she was writing to me. I haven't answered once but I know there's no way Ginny will ever believe me because if I wasn't replying to them why was I keeping her owls? I should have destroyed them long ago but I couldn't. Don't get me wrong I have no romantic feelings for Padma; sure I think she's beautiful but doesn't every guy with eyes? It didn't mean I felt anything more for her. The reason I kept her letters was so I could keep up with what was happening in my world - my father's world. I didn't want to belong to it any longer but I felt odd to be kept out of the loop. I was used to knowing these things.

I hated my father. I would never forgive him for forcing me to choose between him and the life I wanted to lead but I still felt better when I knew that he was safe. It was a comfort in some ways to hear that they were simply torturing Muggles rather than having wizarding duels with powerful Ministry wizards.

This can't be it, I think again. Ginny represented to me everything I wanted to be while Padma was the lifestyle I'd turned my back on. Why couldn't she have let me explain? But I couldn't blame her for not wanting to listen to me. For the past four years all she's known me as was Draco Malfoy, son of a Death Eater and proud supporter of anything evil. I'd tortured her precious Potter and beloved brother for as long as she'd known me. It was surprisingly open minded of her that she'd even accepted me in the first place.

I felt a deep wave of depression splash over me. What a disappointment I'd turned out for her. Maybe she was better off with her unrequited feelings Harry than she was with her overzealous ones for me.

Poor baby, I hear my father's sneering voice, much like mine flow through my mind.

Serves you right for having feelings for a Weasley, his voice is full of contempt. Have I taught you nothing? I believe I told you before your first year at Hogwarts to stay away from trash like them but then I also told you to take heed of the Potter boy and instead you go live with him. He laughs bitterly.

Shut up father, I think viciously shaking my head. I already have enough problems; I don't need you stuck in my head.

I'm watching every thing you do, boy, he says but I'm thankful when his voice fades out and it's just me in my thoughts.

I glanced around me as a collage of Weasley eyes stared back at me. Fred and George had kept a numerous amount of photos on their walls. More specifically they kept many pictures of Ginny, who in all her pictures seemed to be an attention hog pushing everyone else out of the frame to get a better look at me. I couldn't live here. Not even if there weren't any pictures of her.

Without taking any of my belongings besides my wand I left the Weasley house, passing the profile of a crying Ginny in her bedroom and a distracted Mr. Weasley in the sitting room. I regretted taking his hospitality to me for granted and just walking out but I had to.

Once out of hearing range of the house I stuck out my wand hand and signalled for the Knight Bus. I cringed at the tackiness of the huge purple bus but climbed abroad anyways.

"Where to?" asked a pimply boy after I'd refused all offers of hot chocolate and toothbrushes. He was sitting next the driver who had given me a muffled greeting when I'd gotten on.

"Number four Privet Drive," I tell him remembering all too well when the information of Harry's whereabouts had been dispensed to the Dark Lord.

***

Told From Ron's POV

"He's that bad of a kisser?" I ask jokingly. "I'd always pictured Malfoy as sort of a ladies man personally."

My words only provoke a wave of tears to run down Ginny's cheeks.

"Ah Gin, don't cry," I beg. "I was only kidding."

Why do girls have to cry so much? It's horrible to watch. Why can't they just forget about it or slug whoever it was that upset them? It's over much quicker that way.

"He - he's -" she said over and over again incoherently.

"He's what?"

I liked it much better when Ginny had refused to speak to me about her love life. I'd really rather not know. I used to think I would but now that I do I wish I didn't.

"W-w-writing," she sobs.

"Writing what?" I cry out in confusion. That's another bad thing about girls and crying; it takes them so bloody long to say whatever was wrong.

"To h-her."

"Who?"

I duck as Ginny swings a punch my way. That's a girl, now why couldn't she have done that to begin with and left out all the crying bits?

"Padma Patil, the girl he kissed in my vision and the one that - that Lavender said he w-was dating, who he's still dating."

"He's not!" I gasp my fists coming out. "I'll kill him. I'll rip him to pieces for doing this to you."

"No!" she cries rushing to block the door so I can't leave the room. "Don't hurt him. I - I couldn't bear it."

"But he hurt you!" I exclaim. "Ginny he deserves a good beating for what he did to you."

"No," she cries again softer this time. "Ron please don't."

Her readiness to defend him after he's hurt her so startles me. If someone had offered to punch Hermione for me after she'd caused me all that pain I mightn't have refused.

"All right," I promise giving up. "I'll leave him alone."

"Thanks," she whispers, her tears lessening some.

I nod, conjuring up a tissue for her. It's not much help to her. As soon as she's done wiping her tears a fresh wave spills out.

"Can I ask you something Gin?"

"Depends what the question is."

"What is it about Draco that makes you care for him so much?"

I'd been wanting to ask her this for a long time but had never found an appropriate time to say it.

She smiles weakly. "I couldn't even begin to describe it."

"Could you try?"

She sighs almost dreamily, the anguish fading slightly. "I can see his soul," she says simply.

"And if that's not a creepy thought I don't know what is."

"And I want to fix everything that's broken inside him," she goes on as if I hadn't spoken at all.

I flash her an odd look. Honestly where did my sister learn to say such profound things? I could never explain why I liked anyone, except maybe to give a little snigger and say had you seen the way she looked in dress robes? Well I suppose that just goes to show how deep I am.

"Can you talk to him for me?" she asks coaxingly. "Please I just want to make sure he's ok."

Make sure he's ok? Hmmp. He should be the one to be checking up on her. But of course I go anyways the only problem being I can't find him...anywhere.

***

Told From Draco's POV

I was standing in front of Potter's Muggle home, gawking. It was different than I expected not as grand as I'd thought the famous Harry Potter would reside. When I was little I had always thought he must live a life filled with splender as he was Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived but this place was so - so ordinary. I had definitely had the upper hand when it came to my child hood against his.

I mentally slapped myself across the face. There I go again comparing my life to Harry. Why did I always do that?

Because you want to be him, came a voice within my head and this time it wasn't my father.

I shrug the thought off thinking that couldn't be true and walked up the three steps so I was standing on the doorstep. Before I could even ring the bell the door was thrown open and a wild looking Harry was staring down at me in disgust.

"What are you doing here?" he asks in a none too happy sounding voice. "Get kicked out again?"

"Yah," I lie hoping to catch some of his pity so he'll let me stay.

"What'd you do this time?" he sighs.

"Well Mr. Weasley didn't like it too much when he caught me and Ginny going at it in his bed," I say watching in amusement as Harry jumps a little.

"You didn't."

"No," I admit. "We did it in her bed of course."

Harry gives me a dirty look finally catching on to my sarcasm. "I don't suppose they know you're here then," he says with a bit of a scowl.

"No."

"Then you're going back exactly as you came however that was," Harry says starting to close the door.

"I'm not going back."

Harry looks shocked. "Of course you are. Ginny'll be worried sick by now."

"So let her worry," I grumble, sticking my foot out to catch the closing door with my toe.

"What'd you do to her?" Harry asks in a fierce voice.

Everyone seemed quite keen to protect precious little Ginny from the likes of me guess I was wrong when I believed that they'd accepted me into their lives. Wait ... no, I never believed they had.

"Couldn't she have done something to me and not the other way around?" I sound pitiful. What has this girl done to me? I was no longer the tough; mean Malfoy but a snivelling little baby and I have to say I liked my old image much better.

"Malfoy," Harry grunts. He actually expects me to tell him what happened? Yah right at the risk of keeping my jaw aligned I'd rather not discuss it thank you very much.

"Potter," I whine imitating his tone perfectly. This appears to irritate him more. What's gotten him so bend out of shape? Jeez.

"Fine if you don't want to tell me don't," he says coolly kicking my foot out of the way. "Good riddance." With that he slams the door shut in my face.

Well that was rather rude. What was with all of these people? Always thinking they're better than me. I'm Draco Malfoy. I come from one of the richest, most feared pureblood families in the land. Who could be better than me? I suppose I'd better not share my views with any of my new "friends" as they'd all take great offence to all of those things I pride myself in.

Now where was I to go? I think as I walking away deliberately on the perfectly manicured lawn. I have a feeling it's Harry's job to mow it.

I had more money for the Knight Bus but neither of the ideas going back to the Weasleys' or travelling another hour with Stan were very appealing. I'd just walk for a while before I decided what to do. Well...there was one place I could go although I wasn't sure if it was vacated. But no, that would be a bad idea. I wasn't about to do anything that Padma had advised me to do especially not after what happened before.

So that was it I'd walk until I found a nice hotel. Did Muggle establishments take wizarding money? Probably not but if I found a really sleazy one they might take some gold thinking it was worth more than it actually was.

And so I walked for hours never stopping, the soles of my feet aching with every step. I had no idea where I was going but it felt like some unseen presence was pulling me home but I didn't know where home was. I'd never considered our manor home nor Hogwarts. I guess I didn't have one.

***

Told From Ron's POV

"What do you mean he's missing?" Ginny screams at me when I returned to her room after searching the house for Malfoy.

"Exactly that! I can't find him."

"Well then you obviously haven't looked hard enough!"

"Ginny, I swear I've looked everywhere I even checked down the road in case he took a walk. He isn't here."

She went white, pulling at her hair anxiously. "This is all my fault. I should have listened to him then maybe he wouldn't have left. Ooh," she cries. "What are we going to do?"

"Hang on," I say stopping her before she can rip any of hair out. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is!" she insists pulling away from me. "It was-"

"Oh get over yourself for a moment and listen to me," I interrupt in frustration.

She glares at me but stays silent, ready to listen if not believe whatever it was I had to say.

"All of his things are still up in the bedroom. Don't you think if he was planning on leaving he would have taken his trunk or at least his broom? No," I say voicing her own thoughts. "He must have been taken."

"But by who?"

"I dunno," I shrug. "His father, You-Know-Who?" I wish I hadn't said that at the pained look on my sister's face. "On the other hand maybe he just went on a long walk."

"Do you really think so?" her eyes light up.

I sigh. "No."

"Well then," her eyes glaze over with tears. "Draco," she whispers and I fear she's going to collapse.

"Look I've told Dad and he's got some of the neighbours scouring the neighbourhood for him."

"And Mum?"

I look at the ground awkwardly. "She isn't much help to anyone right now."

"Kind of like when Percy left?"

I shake my head. "Far worse than that."

"It's hard to believe George's ... gone. It's like he's only gone away for a little while and when he comes back everything will be as it was."

"It's possible," I say just as Dad yells my name from downstairs. "I've got to go," I tell her. "Help and everything. Will you be all right?"

She nods unseeingly.

"I'll let you know if we find anything," I say gripping her in a sudden hug before rushing out the door and down the stairs.

"Ron," Dad says with some relief.

"Any luck?"

"None. I've sent everyone home. He's not here any longer."

"So who do you think took him?" I ask curious to hear his views. If anyone took him it had to be his father.

"No one can just take someone out of this house if they don't want to go. He left on his own free will," he says bitterly. "Which leaves me to wonder why he was ever here in the first place."

"What do you mean?" I ask though I had quite a few of my own suspicions towards Malfoy's sudden disappearance.

"He now knows things about us, the Order, our strengths and weaknesses; everything."

A horrifying thought strikes me. "You don't think he'd try to turn Ginny against us do you? I mean she'd do anything for him."

"No," Dad disagrees sharply. "I have every reason to believe any feelings he had or has for Ginny are true."

"Malfoy's a skilled liar."

"We'll see," he says simply, ignoring my last comment. "He'll be back. The only question is where is he now?"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he has no other place to go-"

Well he has a point but there are other places he could go. The Patils possibly or -

"Harry!" I say suddenly. "He went to Harry of course. That's where he went last time he had no place to go. Is that uh- thing up yet?"

"Telephone? No but I'll - I'll do that right away," he says hurriedly looking at something over my shoulder. I turn to see that Ginny has made her way downstairs and is now sitting by the window staring out at the countryside sadly. We needed to find Malfoy.

***

Told From Ginny's POV

Dad and Ron had been up all night long trying to get the people in Muggle relations to fix the phone line. I knew neither of them thought Draco's disappearance was worth all the effort and they were only doing it for me but I couldn't bring myself to speak to them. I just sat waiting by the window in perhaps the same fashion that the wife or girlfriend of a war victim might, hoping that their long lost love would come home. That's all I wanted. I didn't care about what he'd done anymore or even if he was still dating Padma Patil. All I cared about was him and his safety.

By now we had informed the rest of the Order about Draco and to my relief Snape assured us he hadn't returned to the Manor or any of the other Death Eater haunts.

"Yes I'm aware how early it is," I can hear Ron saying into the phone. "But I really need to speak to him. ... I don't care. Would you just put him on? ... So wake him up! ... Would you like me to come over there and curse your son? Thank you! Hey Harry."

My ears perked up. I'd believed Ron with all my heart when he said that Draco would go to Harry because he knew that Harry would help him. I rushed up and snatched the phone from Ron's hand.

"Harry," I say breathlessly. "Have you -"

"Ugh. Ginny is this really necessary? It's five o'clock in the bloody morning."

"Have you seen Draco?"

"Draco? Oh yah he came around here sometime after four or so I suppose. Now can I -"

"So he's there with you?" I ask anxiously.

"No," Harry mumbles sleepily. "I told him to go home."

"What?" I feel like punching Harry in the face. How could he? "Harry you idiot!" I screech into the phone, flinging it back at Ron.

If Harry had refused him entrance to his home then Draco had probably thought the rest of us would. I knew he'd wait till hell had frozen over before going to Hermione, likewise with Lavender.

Please don't let him go back home, I begged. Please. Don't let him go back to the way he was.

Ron's still talking to Harry in low tones when I finally get a hold of myself and sit back by the window.

Where would he go? I rack my brain once again. The Draco that I had gotten to know was stronger than the mean person he'd once been. He wouldn't go back to his father unless he had to.

I thought it was my imagination at first. I turned away and blinked a few times before turning back to the limping figure walking by the house but I knew the second he turned to stare longingly up at the house it was him.

"Ron!" I shout pointing to the window. He shakes his head at me still entranced in his conversation with Harry. Everyone else was asleep so forgetting that my father had forbidden me to leave the house until more charms were placed on it I ran through the door and down the long drive.

I stop when I'm standing about ten feet from him. Tears of happiness flow from eyes as he stares distantly back. I take a step backward at the look on his face. Was it actually him?

***

Told From Draco's POV

I walked. For how long I didn't know. I just walked without any clue where I was going, ignoring the pain in both my feet and head. Face against the cold I walked until there was darkness and darkness turned to light.

My thoughts were scrambled. There were rushes of memories some from my childhood and others from this week. Most of all there was her. It was completely unexpected what she did to my heart. I knew that if I let her she could change me, make me a better person and I knew that if I left her I would become what I once was.

I was surprisingly hurt by the way Harry hadn't accepted me into his home. I had wanted to confide in somebody about these fears, these feelings and God maybe even these stupid dreams I've been having all because of her. Somehow she gave me faith that things would work itself out. She inspired hope in me, an emotion that I had never had before. I wondered if that was how I was able to survive the night without going back to the comforts I had known all my life. If I even considered it she was there to remind me I could do this.

Was she waiting for me? Did she care if I left? Did any of them? Without her I'd be lost, even more so than I was walking out here with no destination.

But something inside of me knew where I was going, like this internal compass that was telling me which turns to take and what road to go down and this feeling that I was finally going home after all these years.

Maybe I was going mad. It was very likely. I mean I had all these voices and rambling going on inside my head. Did they take people into Mungo's for this?

No, I suppose being a lovesick fool wouldn't get me a room there. Why was it that I not Harry lost myself in these strange emotions? I could see better than most that he felt the same way Hermione felt for him but it was him and not me that was able to deny these feelings and not have crazy thoughts. Did that mean I was weak? No I was a Malfoy.

I thought back to the night I had told my father that and he had laughed madly and told me I was no more of a true Malfoy than my mother. I was indeed his son but none of the proper genes had gone down to me, making me a faulty version of the son he'd wanted. It cut like a knife to hear him say such things to me. My own father. I blinked back tears. Malfoys don't cry.

No! I wanted to scream. I had to stop. Even worse than my constant comparisons to the great Harry Potter was my constant thought's of what Malfoys did and didn't do. I was no longer one of them. I could do whatever I pleased.

The street I was on looked vaguely familiar. I couldn't have wandered that far that I was in Little Hangleton could I? Not possible. I stopped to look up at the house to my right and it was - but it couldn't be. I could have sworn the house looked exactly like the Weasleys but that was impossible. I had only been there once and travelled by Floo powder. How could I possibly be able to get back here by myself?

I realized it was really the Burrow when a small figure, her fiery red hair flying out behind her hurtled towards me stopping only when she was halfway down the drive. I froze at the sight of Ginny. There were tears in her eyes. Had I been the cause of them or was it something else? Was I dreaming? I blinked several times, taking a small step forward but I knew it was reality as Ginny caught me tightly in her arms. In none of the fantasies I'd thought of during the night had her hair smelled so strongly of apples or her lips feel so soft as she gave me an anxious kiss.

"I was so scared," she cried into my shoulder. "I thought you might have been killed or taken or - or you wanted away from me." Her lower lip trembled as tear after tear fell from her eyes. Her nose was red along with her eyes but I thought she'd never looked more beautiful than she did right now.

"Ginny I'm so sorry," I tell her, finding that I have tears in my own eyes. "I shouldn't have left. And I'm sorry for the letters and the -"

"Shh," she whispers pulling away to place a gentle hand on my cheek. "I don't care about it anymore. I'm just so glad you didn't go back home."

It was those exact words that brought back the feelings - much stronger than they'd been before - that I'd felt on the road. The feeling of home, the one I'd never had. Her eyes brighter than ever before crying tears for me and my dark ones shedding them for her.

"I am home," I say softly. "You're it, Ginny."

I hugged her closer and closed my eyes. Nothing not even the low laughter of my father in the back of my head or the embarrassed clucking of Ron and Mr. Weasley from the front door could shake me and I vowed never to leave her again.