Made For Each Other

Chapter Four

Ginny sat back a little and gazed out of the window. After a long sleep in the train, she couldn't go to sleep right away. She changed into her pyjamas and sat on the window ledge, watching the moonlight dance over the grounds. Ever since she'd been a little girl, Ginny had loved watching the night sky with it's millions of stars fighting in vain to outshine the moon. She loved these tiny stars.

Then all of a sudden, her ear tickled and she heard his gentle whistling. Unwittingly, Ginny found herself relaxing as the soft tunes reached her ears, borne by the gentle breeze.

She looked for the source of the voice and saw him, hands in his pockets, walking by the lake. The moonlight cast highlights in his blonde hair, turning it silver, the breeze blowing his robes behind him like a banner and messing with his hair, but he did not seemed to mind that. He did not even bother to fix them. He looked like an angel--so beautiful that she couldn't take her eyes off him. She jumped in surprise, when suddenly Draco turned and looked directly towards her, as though he knew that she was there, watching him. The next moment he turned around, walked towards the door, and disappeared behind it.

Ginny calmed herself down. Two years before if someone had even predicted that Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger would become best of friends she would have personally walked them to St. Mungo's. However, here they were, closer than friends. Draco was almost a part of her family now. Life is so unpredictable; nobody knows what tricks life up her sleeves until they play by it. Sometimes, she wondered how all of this happened. How had he become so close to all of them...to her, though she never accepted it? What had changed and most importantly when?

I have changed, Ginny thought.

She remembered how she had cried when Ron had come to Hogwarts. And then, when she had started school herself, she had been shy and confused. She had been happy to be with Ron again ... to be with her first crush, Harry. However, Ron had changed. He had made friends. He hadn't paid much attention to her, and neither had Harry. Ginny's heart had broken. And then, Tom had come in her life through the dairy, and when he had left, his poison coursed through her veins like blood. Her life had taken a dramatic turn at that stage and before she could understand every thing had changed.

She'd sat for days wondering what had made her so vulnerable, trying to fathom what had been going on in her mind, what was still going on in her mind. And then suddenly, just like that, her life had fallen into place. She had finally found the answers, not all of them, but definitely some. Like a revelation, she had known what she wanted from life. And strangely, it was not Harry. She didn't want to be his girlfriend, but only his friend like Ron and Hermione were.

She had healed from that accident, both mentally and physically. But her family continued to be very protective of her. There were barriers. "Ginny you can't go there alone; Ginny you can't do this, Ginny you can't do that," ad infinitum...which was natural, but it nevertheless annoyed Ginny. She had made her own set of rules and she broke them when she wanted.

She had stood up for her self, fixed a line and allowed no one to cross that line.

'I can do it' had become her motto. She had promised herself, 'I am not weak, no one can take advantage of me, and I am the owner of my body and my mind.' She had taken every challenging task in the school and in her life. She had longed to be free--free from the pressures of doing things because others wanted her to. She had wanted to be herself and be accepted for it. And slowly but surely, her family and friends had started treating her with respect. They had acknowledged her need to be independent and even though reluctantly, they began to let her try her wings.

She had been happy with her life, until...Draco had stepped in and broken every barrier she had fixed. He had stormed into her life like a hurricane, his presence hitting her with such force that she couldn't maintain her balance.

He had made her life hell. Consciously or unconsciously, he had hurt her in every possible way. There was no one to blame but herself...for she had got herself into a situation where she was clueless of what to do or how to react? She had wanted to run away and break loose. However, she had been afraid of hurting him...even though he was the one making her life impossible. It had hurt her more when she had learnt that she would always be his victim unless she set herself free.

That required courage.

She sighed deeply...rested her head back on the wall, and closed her eyes briefly. She didn't want this debate with herself. She knew she would lose that.

I never meant to do those things to you. I never wanted to harm you. You still don't trust me, do you?

She remembered her recent argument with Draco and his soft voice in her mind and shook the feelings crowding over her.

"No it's only one of his other schemes. I can't allow him to play with me any more. It has to be stopped, and I will make him," she told herself sternly.

But her traitorous mind played with the thought of loving him. Did I love him? Do I love him? Can he be trusted?

Then again, unbidden, another thought crowded her brain. Did he love me? Does he love me? Can he ever love me the way I want...need to be loved? Was he a man wasted? Would I be wasted in loving him?

Only time would tell.

A wave of cold breeze, swept through her hair and she shivered. Ginny closed her window and went to bed. Sleep was still far away from her eyes.

Memories washed over her in a wave and she felt herself surrender to them.

****

Draco stepped out onto the lush green grounds, and walked leisurely towards the lake, while enjoying the peaceful surroundings. He gazed at the vast range of trees standing tall and lofty against the dark velvet sky that was covered with dazzling, diamond like stars. The round buttermilk coloured moon smiled above him. The wind played with his hair as well with the surface of the lake. The breeze gently whispered in his ear and he jerked his head in the direction of Gryffindor tower. Someone was there and he knew who that would be, but instead of staying there he turned to his room.

Draco stood and surveyed his new rooms. Being Head Boy certainly had its perks. He eyed the big bed in the middle of the room, his eyes glancing carelessly in the direction of the chest of drawers and the big chair next to the fireplace. He wondered what Hermione's room looked like. He shrugs off the temptation to knock on her door and discuss the décor of their rooms.

She's probably asleep.

All his stuff was already in the room. He opened the big window and took a deep breath, letting the air fill in his lungs and shivered. He sat down on the windowsill, leaning against the wall, stretching his legs. His mind was still wandering in Ginny's direction. He let out a deep sigh as memories of the past threatened to overcome him. Unfortunately, there was nothing to cherish. They had been the worst of enemies, but now they were nothing. He wondered what to call their relationship in its present form, but the thought that they didn't have one stung him. And whose fault was that? It was not very long ago, when somehow he had justified to himself that letting go of his love would enhance his self-esteem and ego. It would make him feel more of a man, less dependent on emotion.

His father's voice rang in his mind. Lucius Malfoy had been very clear on his thoughts on love and emotion.

"These are lame excuses of weak people. They will crowd your brain like a web and you won't be able to think straight. Always think with your mind, not with your heart."

But the image of Ginny's beautiful warm brown eyes stuck deep in his mind. Her exquisite face and bubbly personality brought a smile to his haggard face. The pinch of loss in his heart made him sad. He had hurt her so much.

I didn't want to.

But you did.

"Sod off," Draco said loudly, and went to change into his pyjamas. His life had changed, he had friends, good friends, he had done so much good but still he felt neither a hero nor a saviour. He came out of the bathroom and slipped inside the bed covers and just lay there putting his hands under his head. He sighed deeply and wished he and Ginny could be together, but at the moment he could only feel the weight of sadness in his heart. Guilt grew heavy on him, the guilt of loving her while pretending to not be in love with her. It was like an albatross that he could not get rid of. He felt engulfed with a heavy oppressive feeling, as if he had never recovered from some miserable ailment that had happened long ago.

IN DRACO'S FIFTH YEAR

Hermione shivered violently as she watched Ginny pacing back and forth while mumbling something on the snow carpeted Quidditch field. It was a very cold day and it had just stopped snowing. Hermione made her way to where Ginny was pacing.

"Mum is going to have a fit Hermione. How could Fred and George leave like that?" Ginny asked miserably, trying not to lose her control.

"Don't worry. They will be fine, and anyway, it isn't as though they were terribly interested in staying on. You know what... you should owl them. It'll make you feel better. And don't worry; they already have worked up for their joke shop in Diagon Alley."

Ginny sighed and shivered when a cold breeze passed thorough her robes. "Yeah! I will owl them and Mum too. Let's go in. It's cold out here."

"Good idea," said Hermione hurriedly. It was almost dark. They turned to the rosemary bush, Ginny following Hermione. Hermione jumped in surprise and yelped when a snowball hit on her back.

"Ginny... you...stop it! What are you, twelve? Stop it right away. Oh! You're going to pay for this," Hermione threatened, when another snowball hit her. Ginny ran when Hermione threw a snowball at her. Ginny made another snowball and threw it at Hermione. Prepared this time, Hermione ducked and the snowball hit the person who appeared right behind Hermione. Despite the growing blackness, Ginny and Hermione recognised the blonde form of Draco Malfoy.

"Oh shit!" Someone shouted.

"Oh...my...god!" Ginny breathed in surprise, and promptly started laughing at the look on Draco's face. His blonde head and most of his face were covered with snow, which was dripping onto his Quidditch robes.

"I am...umm.... err, not sorry at all," Ginny said through barely controlled laughter. A sharp intake of breath told Ginny that Hermione was standing beside her.

"We didn't see you there." Hermione couldn't think of anything else to say. She elbowed a still giggling Ginny and looked at Draco.

He had daggers in his eyes. "How dare you?" he hissed venomously.

"You mean how I did that? Oh! It's really simple. You make a ball with snow," she made a snowball and showed him, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "And throw it at the other person like this."

Draco sputtered indignantly as the second snowball hit him on the face. "You little.... You're going to pay for this... You!" He had his wand out in a heartbeat, and pointed it at the girls. His mind was in a whirl. To be outdone by a Gryffindor, and that too a Weasley, twice in one night was too much to take.

"Malfoy, we didn't see you there," Hermione said, her won wand gripped tightly in her hand, warily eyeing Draco.

And that's my cue, Ginny thought and stepped forward, her eyes still brimming with laughter. She stood between Draco and Hermione, and lowered their wands.

"No Hermione, it's not worth it. You said so yourself. Just let it go. We were just playing, Malfoy. We are not here to fight," Ginny calmly said, while her heartbeat rose to a thundering crescendo inside her chest. "It was an accident, ok?"

"NO! It was not an accident, you threw that ball on purpose the second time," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Well...Yeah! I did, so what?" Ginny spat back evenly, partly annoyed with herself for letting him affect her. "Don't tell me that you are so delicate that you can't bear a snowball." Ginny rolled her eyes; "It's just snow, for Merlin's sake. What's the big deal? Why don't you go tattletale to Umbridge, or maybe even cry at Daddy's knee, you little snot!" Ginny ignored Hermione's gasp as she stared back at Malfoy with blazing eyes. This was the first time she had come up against Malfoy alone. It gave her an exhilarating feeling to know she could stand up to him, as she watched his eyes turn hard as flint.

"Playing with me can be very dangerous, Weasley. It will cost you. I always play to win and I always win." With that he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving behind a furious Ginny and an equally annoyed Hermione.

As he walked back to the castle his mind was full of conflicting thoughts. He kept remembering the fire in Ginny's eyes, and her spirit, wondering why he had never noticed her before. The image of Harry and Ginny together came unbidden to his mind, and he resolutely ignored it, dismissing the feeling of envy that came with it. He turned his attention to the letter in his pocket, the reason why he had come out of the castle.

Dear Draco,

We have a critical situation. The Dark lord is almost done with his work, and he appears to have succeeded this time. It is important that you pay the utmost attention to what I am about to say.

I told you before the Dark Lord has a pendant, which, if crushed, can be the cause of your death. I will send that pendant to you. In order to protect yourself and your father it is imperative that you should give this to the girl you love to wear. I know your father has told you to stay clear from such emotional entanglements, but it is important Draco.

If you do not have anyone whom you trust with your love and your life yet, then find a pureblood witch willing to wear the pendant. She must be a virgin and she must be willing. Should the girl be an unwilling participant in this, then the pendant will take its toll on her life. Only a strong willed witch can withstand the power of the pendant and you are the only one who can remove the pendant from the girl's neck, once she wears it.

It is a matter of life and death Draco, your life and death. Pay someone to wear the pendant if you must. But protect yourself at all costs.

Your father will feed you with other information later. Remember your father and I love you very much. Owl me if you need anything.

Love,

Mother

* * *

The Great Hall was not very crowded in the early morning. Students started coming in a bit later. Draco was there, because he couldn't sleep night before. His mother had owled him again asking if he had found someone. It had been a week since he had read the letter, but he hadn't been able to find a girl he could trust with his love let alone his life. He had been dating the girls in Hogwarts for months now, but there was none he felt he could trust with such a responsibility. Like his father, Draco too believed that love and emotional entanglements were best avoided.

As he surveyed the hall from his table, his mind again turned to the girls present in the hall. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were out of the question. He didn't want to put his life in those hands, even though the girls were pretty. As far as the Slytherin girls went, he wasn't even sure if there were any virgins left. The Gryffindors would probably crush the pendant themselves the minute they found out about it. Besides which, the very idea of asking a Gryffindor for help was an extremely insulting thought. A movement near the Gryffindor table caught his eye. He turned and saw Ginny walk in and sit down at the table, her flaming red hair in a ponytail, her slight frame decked in Quidditch robes.

Looks good on her, he thought to himself as he remembered the Quidditch match that was going to be played between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor that day. Ginny had been made the new seeker after Harry was banned from Quidditch. Draco watched with increasing interest as he saw her take out a battered and much read copy of Seeker's Guide and started to read it. Minutes passed before she looked up again from the page she had been reading. He saw her eyes widen for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure. Draco followed her line of vision and saw Michael Conor standing with Cho Chang. He had known that Michael and Ginny were dating each other, but he wondered when this new development had taken place. He watched Ginny with increasing admiration. She's tough, he admitted. It can't be easy watching the guy you were dating making goo-goo eyes at Potter's girlfriend.

Draco smiled when he saw Ginny roll her eyes at Michael's obvious embarrassment at being caught with Cho as though she didn't care what Michael did anymore. He looked for signs that she might be pretending, but couldn't find any. He identified the fighting spirit in Ginny that the girls he had gone out with lacked. Whenever he broke up with a girl, there was the inevitable flood of tears, remonstrance, pathetic attempts at getting back at him till the fact that nothing would work on Draco Malfoy sank in and the girl gave up and went away to recover from her wounds. Draco just put it down to their being unable to withstand the loss of a prize-catch. It never occurred to him that there might have been deeper feelings involved.

His thoughts went back to the last Hogsmeade weekend when he'd gone out with a pretty Ravenclaw girl, hoping to seduce her into wearing the pendant. He'd been on the verge of asking her; assured completely of her acquiescence, when they'd been interrupted by another girl from Hufflepuff he had been trying to woo with unsavoury results. What had followed had not been pretty. There had been tears and tantrums. No amount of stern warnings had been able to calm the girl who claimed to have been grievously injured by his infidelity. In a matter of minutes Draco had found himself standing alone, still no closer to finding the girl whom he could trust with his life. Later he had found out that the Hufflepuff witch had been put on his trail by none other than Ginny. This fresh insult, coming so soon behind the snowball incident, had Draco plotting the worst kind of revenge on Ginny.

His thoughts were broken by the shrill voice of Pansy. Draco wished he could blot out her voice from his world, but restrained himself as he realised he had found the perfect solution to all his problems.

Mother said I should do whatever it takes. But first I need some information on her. Draco smiled to himself, satisfied with his planning. He sat back and drank his juice, watching the Gryffindor Team stand up and leave for the match.

"What were you thinking Draco? Didn't you sleep? You look like a wreck," Pansy said, her eyes taking in the slight frown on Draco's face.

The frowned deepened. "Mother's letter," came the curt response. He looked at Pansy as she sat down across the table from him, her vacant eyes full of mock understanding. Draco had toyed with the idea of asking Pansy to help him out, but knew for a fact that she was not a virgin. Her reputation in Hogwarts had been ripped to shreds long before she had actually caught up with the rumour mills.

"What does she say?" Pansy, ever curious asked.

"None of your business, Parkinson," Draco said curtly.

"Whatever," smiling sweetly, Pansy turned to Crabbe and Goyle, trying to ignore the fury that had welled up at Draco's curt behaviour.

"Any luck? Have you found any one yet?" Blaise asked as she sat down to eat, putting some bacon on her plate.

He smiled at her, "Yes."

"Well then who is it? Is she trustworthy enough?" she asked him anxiously.

"I don't know. I haven't asked her yet. I will let you know when I do."

"What does that mean?" she looked at him in alarm. "Draco who is this girl? Tell me you are not thinking of forcing someone?"

He just raised his eyebrow in amusement.

"You can't ... Draco it's dangerous for you and especially for the girl," she tried to reason with him, but the determination etched on his face told her it was no use.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she's fit to bear the responsibility. My life is more important than her after all," he answered while staring at Ginny who was talking to Harry. A surge of anger flashed through him like a hot liquid fire when he saw Ginny hug Harry before leaving the hall for the match.

Potter, I will kill two birds with one stone. I swear; I will ruin your little girlfriend and make your lives miserable.

"Where are you going? The match is about to start," Blaise asked him as he stood up to leave.

"You guys go ahead. I'll meet you soon," he said to Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. "Don't let them miss me." He turned to the owlery to send his mother an owl.

Later, when he came out onto the Quidditch field, Luna Lovegood's lion hat was roaring wildly. Every one around Luna was one foot away from her and the Slytherin's were chanting,

"Weasley is our King.

Weasley was born in a bin

Weasley cannot save a thing..."

Lee Jordan was in the commentary box. Since, the Gryffindor team had been changed, the match was interesting. To Draco's great surprise, Ron's performance was unexpectedly good and the team played very well. But Draco's gaze concentrated on the slight from flying high above the pitch. Ginny flew very well, he admitted to himself, albeit grudgingly.

Umbridge, who was already very furious with Fred and George's performance and the swamp that filled the corridor on the fifth floor of the west wing, was not very happy with Gryffindor winning the Cup. She gave detention to some unsuspecting Gryffindors, bursting their happy bubble.

* * *

Fifth year was almost over, final exams were near, and every one was busy. However, there was always time for teasing or arguing between the houses. Draco was looking for an excuse to cause trouble with the Gryffindors to further his plan.

It was the last Sunday of April. The day was pleasant, and most of the students were sitting outside, trying to catch up with their studies. Hermione, Ron and Harry were studying outside. They were sitting at their favourite spot, by the lake. Ginny was leaning against a tree trunk, her legs stretched out in front of her, her attention absorbed by the Quibbler, which she had borrowed from Luna Lovegood. She smiled at Ron's frowning face when Hermione lectured Harry and him about how close they were to the final exams and they were not paying any attention. Harry's full attention was on Hagrid's hut. He pulled himself back to studies with an effort when Hermione slapped him on his knee angrily for not paying attention.

"Well, well...well what we have here?" A familiar drawl made Ginny shiver, but she kept still even when Draco, Crabbe and Goyle ambled over to where she was sitting with the others.

"Sod off Malfoy! What do you want?" Ron stood up, taking out his wand. Harry followed suit ignoring Hermione's frantic tugs at their robes.

"Careful Weasel," Draco warned. "You don't want to make your nose bleed, now do you?"

"What you want Malfoy?" Hermione asked before Harry could punch the smirk off Draco's face.

"Someone just told me that if I tell someone how I feel about them, I would feel much better. And guess what? I thought about you. I want you to know that I hate you from the bottom of my heart. Your very existence is an insult and we would be better off if the lot of you just fell off the face of the planet. There I said it and it's true...I feel much better." Crabbe and Goyle snickered at the flushed look that Ron and Harry wore.

"Oh lucky us! Are you done now? THEN GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE," Ron yelled.

"The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you."

A voice rang in all that commotion, behind Ron, Harry and Hermione who were blocking Ginny from Draco's view. Through the palpable silence, Hermione felt she could hear the breeze as it passed by her. As one, they all turned to look at the source of the voice. Ginny was still reading the paper with all her concentration as before.

"What did you say?" Draco hissed at her. Ginny looked up at him, sighed and stood up. "You think I want to be like you weird, poor, filthy, disgusting, people?" Draco's face was flushed with disgust.

"It's not my place to tell you for what reason you want to be like us. I was just reminding you what you just said," Ginny said, her heart somersaulting all the way to her stomach at the look on Draco's face.

She thanked God when Harry pulled her to his side and broke the eye contact between the Slytherin and his sister. Ron stepped in front of a furious Draco, who was still glaring at Ginny. His glare turned into a cold malicious smile when he saw the protective way in which Harry was holding Ginny.

"Get lost now," Ron barked to his face. Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward, cracking their knuckles. However, to everyone's surprise, Draco stopped them with a smirk.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and detention."

"What? You cannot give us detention without any reason," Hermione said sternly.

"For the Weaselette for being rude to a member of the Inquisitorial Squad," he said, enjoying the discomfort on Ginny's face.

"WHAT?" Ron and Harry shouted in outrage.

"You are a foul person Malfoy," Hermione said harshly. Ginny stood by, quietly waiting for Malfoy to finish. She instinctively knew that there was more.

"Oh and here comes the fun part. Since I am your favourite Slytherin", Ron snorted, "the Weaselette is doing detention with me. You will be patrolling the corridors with me tonight."

"NO WAY," Ron bellowed, out of control. Harry grabbed Ron's arm. All around, the other students had started gathering around them. Draco smiled, his face twisted in an evil grin as he turned to leave.

"I will see you tonight, Weasley." His meaning was simply detention, but somehow the way he looked at her made Ginny's mouth feel dry.

"I am going to kill him," Ron swore under his breath, as Harry and Hermione pulled him towards the lake.

"Take a number and get in line," Harry muttered, looking worriedly at Ginny.

"Will the two of you calm down?" Ginny looked at them in exasperation. "What makes you think that I can't handle that sleaze ball? Besides, think of this as practice for when I become a prefect next year."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at her, standing there and all of them knew that underneath her brave front, Ginny was as worried about serving detention with Malfoy as the others. Hermione had warned Ginny to stay clear of Malfoy ever since the Hogsmeade incident, and was now sure that this was contrived to get Ginny alone.

"Be careful Ginny," Hermione said simply, as Ginny nodded.

***

After dinner, Ginny stood by the doors to the Great Hall with the others, waiting for Draco.

"Let's go Weasley, it's time to have some fun," he was clearly mocking Ron and Harry who had daggers in their eyes.

"If you touch her Malfoy...I will kill you," Harry stated as calmly as he could manage around Malfoy, ignoring Hermione's sharp intake of breath.

Harry, Harry! You have to keep calm. Threatening Malfoy won't do Ginny any favours, Hermione thought, trying desperately to get through to Harry. She was right. Draco's eyes shone with amusement as though he had been expecting this.

"Tut...tut...when will you learn, Potter?" Draco said, his smile not quite reaching his cold grey eyes. He pulled Ginny's arm roughly. "Let's go."

Ron and Harry stepped forward violently, "Don't you dare treat her like that, Malfoy." Ron's face was matching with his hair now.

Ginny yanked her hand away from Draco's vice-like grip. "I'll be fine, guys. Relax," she said as she and Malfoy turned to leave. Draco turned around and waved at Ron and Harry, his lips twisted in smirk. Hermione pulled Ron back, as he took a step to follow Draco.

"Let him go, Ron. You'll only give Malfoy more reasons to take it out on Ginny. It's safer for her like this. You've got to understand this, Ron. Harry, tell him," Hermione pleaded with Harry.

"As much as I hate to admit it, mate, 'Mione's right.

* * *

"Are you going to curse me soon, Weasley?" Draco asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as Ginny made sure that she had her wand with her.

"If I have to, yes," she said without looking at Draco. "As long as you stay away from and don't try to touch me, we should get along fine."

"Don't tell me you won't like me touching you, because I know better."

"Excuse me?" Ginny stopped abruptly and asked him with a puzzled expression on her face. "What makes you think I will like you touching me?" Ginny stared at Draco, an unbelieving look in his eyes.

"Well, every girl likes it when I touch her. And even though I'll have to wash my hands after I touch you, I am willing to make that sacrifice to bestow this honour on you," he turned and said with a cold curl of his mouth. "Besides, don't tell me you've never been touched before. What about Potter?"

"I am not every girl, Malfoy," Ginny said through barely controlled anger. "And my relationships are none of your business. As far as bestowing honour is concerned, I suggest you save it for those brainless beauties who want your filthy touch. All I'll ever feel for you is disgust and loathing, Malfoy." The soft light of the corridor made Ginny's face glow with a muted fire that made Draco angry. He could not fathom why he was angry, but he was.

"Liar," he hissed through clenched teeth.

A tangle of emotions swept over Ginny, frustration, bafflement, finally anger, and a fury so deep that she couldn't speak for a moment, fighting hard not to scream. "I am not a lair. I never thought about Harry that way. And who the hell are you to judge me? If you always cross exam, the people like this; it's your problem. Just because I am compelled to serve detention with you, doesn't mean I have to listen to your ravings." She started to walk away, but Draco grabbed her wrist.

"Don't you ever walk away from me when I am talking," he said coldly.

"Let go of me Malfoy," Ginny said quietly. "I don't want you touching me, and I am sure you wouldn't want to touch me either."

"How do you know? Maybe I am having the time of my life?" he said mockingly, satisfied in the knowledge that she was feeling most uncomfortable of his touch. She narrowed her eyes at him glint of anger was visible there. He saw her eyes widen when he started caressing her wrist with his thumb. He was aware on some unconscious level that this was wrong - he was touching a Weasley and he was enjoying himself far more than he should be.

His finger felt something on her wrist and he turned over to see it. He could see faint scars running across the inside of her wrist. Ginny tried to free her hand, but Draco held her tightly. He even pulled up her other wrist and turned it over. It too had the same marks. An unwarranted feeling of anger and jealousy surged through him, as he felt her resign to his scrutiny.

"What is this Weasley? A lame attempt at suicide to impress Potter?" he asked bitingly, wanting to hurt her yet looking for the denial in her eyes. He felt like he had been punched in the gut when Ginny raised her eyes to meet his. There was nothing in them but a colour that was too dark to be called brown.

"What you want Malfoy?" her voice was calm and empty. Draco stared at her for a moment before he released her.

"You," he said simply and watched her. The change in her surprised him. She visibly tensed, but when she stepped towards him her mouth lifted in a small smile.

"You are wrong again, Malfoy. You don't know me, so stop testing me. I won't fall for your words Malfoy, no matter how sugar-coated they are." She titled her head so that she could see the face of Draco's expensive watch. "It's late. Now do you want to patrol or not?"

"My father once told me that everyone has a price. What's your price, Ginny?" he said with a blank face.

Seemingly unaware of his use of her given name, Ginny sighed, "I suppose he never told you that there are some things, which even you, cannot buy." She raised an eyebrow at him when he smiled.

"Everything has a price, Ginny, everything," Draco said. This time, he noticed her shiver at the sound of her name as his eyes travelled the length of her body before coming back to rest on her lips and finally her eyes. Satisfied that he had her complete attention, he continued, "You aren't priceless, Weasley. I suppose I could buy you with the change I have in my pocket right now...if I wanted you. And once I have you, there'll be no turning back." He slowly closed the distance between them, till Ginny could feel his breath on her face. She looked up into his eyes - they weren't cold anymore. They were smouldering, the grey having given way to the darkness of a storm. " I could be very persuasive for what I want... I'll own you, Ginny, forever. And I am bit stubborn and possessive about my belongings."

* * *

It was late night, when Ginny entered the Gryffindor common room. Most of her housemates were already asleep. Ron, Hermione and Harry were sitting by the fire, waiting for her. They made room for her on the couch as she walked towards them.

"What happened? Did he hurt you? Did he do something foul?" Ron asked taking out his wand again.

"Let her talk Ron, would you? What happened Ginny?" Ginny looked at their serious faces and sighed.

"It's nothing, he didn't harm me, or do anything nasty. He didn't touch me," she lied.

"Then what did you do?" Harry asked curiously.

"We patrolled the corridors. He started out with acting like a prize-git, and after some time he just ignored me as though I was not even there, which was ok with me. When we were done with patrolling, he told me I could go. When I turned to leave he stopped me, pulled a silver coin from his pocket, and threw it at me. He said I had earned it. I threw the coin back at him and left. That's all that happened." Ginny decided to drop the details of her conversation with Draco. She still hadn't made up her mind about him and did not see the point in worrying the others unnecessarily.

* * *

Most of the Slytherins had gone to bed when Draco entered the common room. The few remaining went to their dormitories when they saw him.

He sat in his favourite place, spreading his legs out on the table and closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair. He thought about the letter he had just owled to his mother.

Dear Mother,

To tell you the truth, I hate the idea of depending on a girl to take care for my life. However, since it is important to you and Father, I have found a girl. She is a pureblood witch and she is a virgin. Thanks for sending the unicorn coin. It told me what I needed to know. Send me the potion.

Love,

Draco

A smile crept on his face as the image of Ginny's glowing face flashed in his mind. It had been easy to find out whether she was a virgin or not. For some strange reason he had not doubted her when she had said that she and Potter did not have that kind of a relationship. But he had still felt the need to know the truth. He had used the unicorn coin his mother had sent him to find out the truth. He had felt a strange sense of satisfaction to know that Ginny Weasley was a virgin. The information had stirred up a primitive part of him, which he had not known existed. There was something about Ginny that...

"What brings that smile on your face?" He opened his eyes and smiled at Blaise, who had just came out of her dormitory. "So, how was the detention, and why are you smiling? I am sure you must have done something to piss off Weasley," she asked putting her legs on the other side of the table. She was in her pyjamas, her black hair tide in a ponytail on the top of her head.

"I have found a girl. Check it out," Draco said as he threw the coin to Blaise. She caught it and stared at it before throwing it back at him. She glared at him, but he spoke before she could tell him exactly what she thought about his underhanded tactics. "It's charmed. I charmed it for the specific person," he told her. "I know it's charmed you moron. Did you really use it on someone? It's terribly embarrassing," she said angrily.

"Well I wasn't embarrassed to write that letter to mother. Of course I used it. I had to do something. And don't you give me that look."

" I know, it's...just...it's embarrassing. Who is the poor girl anyway? You haven't told me and I am curious now," Blaise sighed. "You're a Slytherin. Act like one, ok? You will find out soon. She... is... a simmering pot." Blaise raised her eyebrow and nodded when he chuckled. He stood up and gave his hand to her. He walked her to the stairs leading to the girl's dormitory. She held his hand softly, "Be careful Draco, I don't you to get hurt or lose my best friend."

"Don't worry I'll be fine," he answered softly while pushing her hair out of her eyes gently. He watched her go up to her dormitory. When she was out of sight, he turned to his room and began thinking about the next part of the plan.