War's End

The vampire's hands danced on the band of Ginny's underwear and his fangs glittered as he sunk them into the side of her neck, taking a quick taste before continuing on. His bite did not hurt as much as she had thought it would, but Ginny knew what was to come and she steeled herself for the worst. Gods, she thought bitterly, what a way to lose my virginity. But before her assailant could go any farther, a silver dagger cut through the darkness and plunged into his left shoulder, inches above his heart. He cried out and shoved away from Ginny, his hands trying to stop the flow of blood that trickled from the wound. The vampire whipped around frantically, eyes flashing and teeth bared.

"Who's there?" he snarled, so enraged that spittle flew from his mouth. He'd been caught off guard, hadn't even heard the approach of an intruder, and that frightened him.

A figure stepped out from the shadows. Though the stranger was nowhere near as tall as the vampire, he (or was it a she?) was twice as wide and just as imposing. The vampire stepped back, surprised, for the figure before him was empty, devoid of all emotion. There was no fear, no hatred, no anger, not even a smidgen of curiosity. This creature was calm and ready to do what was necessary to protect the innocent lying paralyzed on the ground. And this confused the vampire more than anything else, for there was no sympathy, no emotion for his victim. No, he could sense that this stranger did not care what fate the young girl suffered, so why come to her aid?

"That was a warning," came the androgynous voice. "Flee now and keep your life. Stay and you'll die."

"Why do this? You care nothing for this silly bint, why bother saving her?"

"Leave now. I won't warn you again."

And already the figure was reaching into the depths of its robe, preparing another dagger to heave into the vampire's chest. This time, it would not miss his heart. Glancing down at the frozen girl in disgust, the vampire muttered, "This isn't over," fled into the night, and quickly melted into the darkness of the forest. Ginny, momentarily relieved, made to move, but realized she could not and that, though the vampire's entrancing gaze was gone, she was still paralyzed. Her breath became caught in her throat when she realized she was still in a precarious position with no way of breaking free should this stranger intend her harm. Just because he'd saved her from one vicious fate did not mean he didn't have another in store for her. The figure did not approach her, however, but rather gazed at her through dark eyes. In fact, for a moment, Ginny feared he would leave her as she lay, until someone else emerged from the shadows and the first figure bowed his head to the second.

"She's been bitten and the vampire's venom paralyzes her. What do you want me to do?"

"There's a potion that can revoke the venom's effects," the second figure answered after some consideration. "But we'll have to return to my room to get it."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"What other choice do we have? Take her to Pomfrey? Hah. The old hag would only find some way to blame this whole mess on us. We'll just have to take certain precautions."

The two shared a knowing glance before the first nodded and made his way over to Ginny. She eyed the figure warily, but refused to show the fear in her eyes that she felt in her heart. The figure was almost close enough for Ginny to identify when he pulled his wand out from under his robes and pointed it lazily her way. Muttering something under his breath, the figure cast a spell that rammed Ginny hard in the chest. Then the world around her faded as she fell into oblivion.

Once the Weasley girl's eyes fluttered shut, Millicent shook off the hood that covered her face and bent low, scooping up the limp body before her. She turned back around to face Draco, still hidden in the forest's shadows. He nodded at her and turned to head back to the castle.

"Won't we look sort of suspicious? Carrying around a half-naked and unconscious she-Weasel?" Millicent asked as she followed Draco back to Hogwarts.

"We'll take the underground passageway to the Slytherin Common Room. That'll minimize our risk."

Millicent nodded and the two continued in silence. They stuck to the shadows, gliding across the ground as quietly as Dementors, their dragon-hide boots enchanted to make no noise and leave no imprints in the grass. Draco knew his guardian would be alert enough for the both of them and so he let his mind wander.

He was glad for the cloak that hid his features, for he was still high from the power he'd received earlier. His eyes trailed down and marveled at his gleaming fingers, which extended just slightly past the sleeves of his cloak. Draco brought them together and smiled as energy bounced between his hands, sending off small sparks. He glanced back at Millicent, whose right eyebrow was raised, giving him a small look of disapproval.

"Dumbledore could be watching."

Draco glanced up to the Headmaster's tower and was pleased to note that his eyesight was much improved. He could clearly see that no one was watching them. In fact, the only sign of life was that stupid phoenix snoozing on his perch. He smirked and, though he knew there was no harm, dropped his hands all the same to ease Millicent's mind.

They reached the castle's outer wall in no time and easily found the entrance to the underground stairwell. Placing his right hand on the correct brick, Draco muttered, "Porta Pro Putus." A small portion of the bricks simply vanished, leaving an entryway that led to a downward spiraling staircase. Draco stepped in and Millicent followed, both having to duck down to avoid grazing the top of the five-foot entrance. As they continued their descent, torches lit along the walls in accordance with their steps. It wasn't long before they reached their destination.

Draco pushed lightly against the back of the portrait of Cecily Slytherin, Salazar's wife, and it swung open. Draco jumped from the ledge, as the portrait was suspended directly to the right and above the fireplace, and turned to face Millicent. He knew better than to ask if she needed assistance and the hefty girl stepped off the six-foot ledge and landed as if it were nothing, though the room nearly shook with the force of the impact. As the portrait closed, Cecily eyed the unconscious girl with something akin to amusement.

"Rough night, Lord Malfoy?"

Rolling his eyes at the title, as in reality he would not hold it until his father passed from this world, Draco ignored the portrait and continued on to his room, taking the staircase on the left that would lead down to the boys' dormitories. Unlike the rest of the Houses, Slytherin students each had their own bedrooms. This was likely due to the fact that nearly all Slytherins came from wealthy backgrounds and thus their parents were able to donate a significant amount of Galleons to ensure the comfort and privacy of their children. Plus, Slytherin House was very exclusive, with most years having less than eight students. Draco's year had the largest class yet, with a total of ten. After all, Dark Wizards tended to be partial to Durmstrang and often sent their offspring there. Not to say that all Slytherins are Dark Wizards, mind you, but many could be classified in this category.

Once they'd reached his room, guarded by a portrait of a wizard dressed in brown, fifteenth century robes trimmed in gold, Draco gave the portrait his password, television, and they entered his room. It had been Millicent's idea to use a Muggle term for his password. After all, who would ever guess that a Pure-blooded aristocrat who hated Muggles as much as Draco would ever use one of their inventions as his password?

And, Draco had to admit, it was quite ingenious. When Millicent had first announced that she would be taking Muggle Studies, the other Slytherins had thought her daft. However, the knowledge Millicent had gained had proved quite useful throughout the years. 'It's always best to know your inferiors,' she'd said. 'How do you expect to control them if you don't know their weaknesses?'

Draco's room was a comfortable size, though nowhere near as spacious as his bedroom back home. He had a rather large bed decked in black sheets of the finest Egyptian cotton with a goose down comforter and matching pillows. His room was fairly bare, aside from a dresser set, wardrobe, and desk table (all made of teak). He did, however, have his own fireplace and the floors, instead of their usual dull, grey brick, were covered with plush black carpeting. Draco removed his cloak and placed it in his wardrobe. Millicent dropped Ginny's body on the black leather loveseat that was positioned in front of the hearth and threw herself into the matching chair next to it.

"Bint's heavier than she looks," Millicent said. "What now?"

"I can handle things from here."

Millicent sat up straighter in the leather chair, not liking her sudden dismissal. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. What will you do when she wakes up?"

"Let me worry about that. It's been a long night, why don't you go get some rest?"

Begrudgingly, Millicent nodded, noting that Draco's last statement was not a request. She stood and bowed her head slightly, easing out of the room as she did so. "You know where I'll be."

"I think I can handle one Weasley on my own," he replied sarcastically, but Millicent was already gone.

Draco turned to the girl lying on his couch and took in her appearance. Her hair was mussed and her body dirty and Draco wondered whether he should clean the couch or just throw it away. But aside from her unkempt looks, Draco had to admit she wasn't too bad. He'd never really taken notice of her before, not in that way. After all, the clothes she wore never really did much for her figure and she rarely bothered with makeup. Ginny Weasley was not someone he'd ever considered beautiful. Her hair was that awful red that all Weasleys were cursed with and her skin was covered in freckles.

But she did have a lovely body. She wasn't overly thin, like Tracey and Daphne, who were constantly boasting about their twenty-two inch waists. No, the youngest Weasley was soft and supple, with a nice round arse that her knickers highlighted. Her chest wasn't all that impressive, but Draco was of the firm belief that all a woman truly needed was enough for a good mouthful. And, beneath those annoying freckles, she really did have a nice skin complexion. Fair, like his own. And it was obvious she took good care of herself, for Draco could see the small outline of muscle just beneath her skin.

She's built for sex, he thought.

Draco's eyes widened when he realized where his brain had taken him and nearly smacked himself. For love of Dionysus, she was a Weasley! Disgusted, Draco stomped over to his wardrobe, which was actually enchanted so that the inside of it was nearly as large as his bedroom, and stepped in. He opened up one of the many chests that resided in the wardrobe and plucked out a small vial of plum liquid. Walking back over to the body of Ginny Weasley, he uncorked the vial and opened her mouth, forcing the liquid down her throat. After disposing of the vial, he pointed his wand at her.

"Finite Incantatem."

It only took a moment before her eyes opened and then widened when she saw who stood above her. The fear in her eyes was only there for an instant before it was replaced by suspicion and anger. Her body convulsed, but did not move otherwise, and Draco noticed that her breathing had quickened, pumping her chest up and down rapidly.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Weaselette. I haven't done anything to you but give you a potion to reverse the effects of the vampire's venom. You'll be able to move in a few seconds, but don't try anything stupid."

It was twelve seconds exactly before Ginny was able to sit up and even then she had to use her arms to brace herself. Her eyes never left Draco's. She opened her mouth to speak and her voice came out scratchy. Shaking her head, Ginny cleared her throat and tried again.

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Would I be asking if I did?" Ginny snapped and Draco glared hard at her.

"Watch your temper, Weasley. You're not in Gryffindor surrounded by your noble protectors and there's no one here who'll come to your rescue."

"I can take care of myself, Malfoy. Or do you not remember that little Bat Bogey Hex I set on you last year?"

Draco had to keep his temper in check and resist the urge to whip out his wand and show the girl before him a thing or two about hexes. "I remember well enough," he replied, his voice laced with anger. "But as it appears, I am the only one in this room with a wand. So, as I said before, watch your temper, witch."

Realization dawned in Ginny's eyes and she looked about frantically for her wand. "Where is it, where's it gone?"

"How should I know? Is it my fault that you're forgetful and clumsy?"

Her brown eyes were instantly on Draco, sharp and accusing. "What have you done with it?"

"Me? I've done nothing, but perhaps that vampire who was raping you would know where it's disappeared to. Why don't you go ask him?"

That shut Ginny up quick and Draco was thankful for the silence. "Now, do you want to know what happened or not?"

"Yes." Her voice came out timid and slightly frightened and Draco almost felt bad for the barb he shot at her. Almost.

So Draco relayed the events as he knew them to her, leaving out Millicent's identity and Slytherin's passageway. When she'd questioned him as to who the other figure was, he'd simply told her it was no concern of hers. Once he was finished, Ginny sat there in silence, not quite sure what to say. Finally, she settled on a question.

"Why?"

"I don't know," Draco replied, and it was partially true. As an afterthought, Draco realized how useful it would be to have a Weasley in his debt. After all, their family was a known supporter of Dumbledore and everyone suspected that there was at least one Weasley amongst the Order of the Phoenix, probably more. But, what initially had driven Draco to save Ginny Weasley's life was a mystery even to him.

"Thank you," Ginny said after a moment's hesitation. "For whatever reason you did it, thank you. I... I owe you my life."

"That's a Wizard's debt, Weasley."

"I know," she whispered and her voice nearly broke with the next question. "What do you want from me?"

Ginny's hands were trembling and she tried to conceal her nervousness by sitting on them, but it didn't matter. Draco could almost smell the anxiety radiating off of her it was so obvious. He'd saved her life and thus she was bound to him until her debt was repaid. It was an ancient magic that could not be broken, even by the gods themselves.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out. Until then, you're not to tell anyone about what's happened. Do it and I'll ensure your payment is as painful as possible, understand?"

"I won't tell anyone, Malfoy. There's no need to threaten me."

"That wasn't a threat, Weasley. It was a promise. Now get out of here."

Ginny stood and made her way to the entrance of Draco's room. She stopped halfway however, when a sudden thought grabbed her. "Malfoy, what were you doing in the Forbidden Forest anyways?"

Draco stiffened, something that didn't escape Ginny's attention. "That's none of your business."

Eyeing him for a moment longer, Ginny turned and made to exit through the portrait before Draco's voice stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Ginny twisted her head around to look at him incredulously. "You told me to leave, remember?"

"And you plan to just waltz out of Slytherin, in your underwear no less? Tell me, Weasley, do you happen to know your way around our dorms? Because there are places in this House a little girl like you would definitely not want to end up."

Clenching her jaw, Ginny pivoted so that she faced him fully. He'd saved her life and she was grateful for it, but the condescending tone of his voice was really getting to her. "One, there's no place in your slimy snake pit I'd ever want to be and seeing as how I've already ended up in the worst place I can imagine, that being your bedroom, after nearly being raped by a vampire, I don't see how things can get much worse. Two, there doesn't seem to be another way out of here, so unless you plan on giving me a Portkey or something, I don't really have any other options. Three, its not my fault I'm stuck in nothing but my knickers seeing as you're the idiot who left my trousers in the forest. And don't you dare keep talking to me as if I'm some idiotic child. You may be the only Dark Wizard in this room, Malfoy, but you're not the only one with Dark experiences."

Draco sat in shock at the youngest Weasley's tirade. She was chastising him. The little bint had the nerve to mouth off to him in his own House and wandless, no less. Draco didn't know whether to hex her or laugh. So he did the only thing he could without mixed feelings or reservations.

"There's Floo powder by the fireplace, Weasley," he said, pointing at the jar that sat atop the fireplace mantle, in an astonishingly calm voice. "But by all means, if you'd rather parade through the school half-naked, feel free to do so."

Ginny flushed bright red and stomped over to the fireplace as fast as she could. She quickly grabbed a fistful of Floo powder and stepped into the grate. When she turned around, she nearly jumped. Draco had moved so that he was directly in front of her, mere inches separating the two.

"I'll be in contact."

Throwing the powder, Ginny ignored his comment and shouted, "Gryffindor Common Room!" before being swept up in green flames and disappearing from sight.

It'd been one week, three days, and twenty-one hours since Ginny had last spoken to Draco Malfoy, not that she was counting. And it wasn't like she wanted to see him. No, she was actually quite dreading their next meeting. What would he ask of her? And what if she couldn't do it? There was a wizard's debt between them and, if she refused to fulfill it, it could mean her life.

Shaking her head, Ginny tried to rid her mind of such thoughts and returned to the task at hand. It'd been nearly a year since she began researching how to be an Animagus and she'd yet to accomplish the task, or even attempt it. Truth be told, she was quite nervous about the whole matter, as it was an extremely difficult and dangerous process. Even if she happened to be able to transform herself into an animal, nothing guaranteed she'd retain her human mind or be able to put herself right again. But Ginny would be thrice damned before she asked anyone for help. More than likely they'd tell her parents about her attempts, who'd then forbid her to go any farther in the process. She could hear her mother now. 'It's far too dangerous, Ginny, and completely unnecessary. Not to mention reckless. Do you know how rare it is to be a true Animagus? What in the world's possessed you?'

Of course, then her mother would pale considerably and everyone would tense up, waiting to see if the word "possess" would send her back to the quivering, insecure eleven year old she'd once been. No, it was better for everyone involved if no one knew about her hopes about being an Animagus. Which is obviously why the current bane of her existence had to choose that moment to seek out the Room of Requirement, where she was currently located, and stumble upon her well-kept secret. Well-kept until then, at least. Would she always find herself out of favour with The Fates?

"Training to be an Animagus, Weasley? Isn't that a bit advanced for your skills?"

Ginny whipped around, her wand pointed and at the ready, shocked at the intrusion. Her eyes were wide and her body tense. How had she not heard him enter? "Gods, Malfoy, where in the hell did you come from?"

Draco raised an eyebrow at the wand pointed directly at his chest. He smirked and then completely ignored the silent warning, as if he was not at all intimidated by the redheaded Gryffindor before him, and moved to sit down on the chair at the end of the table. He stopped, however, and eyed the wooden furniture in disdain.

"Couldn't you have thought up a more comfortable setting?" he asked, kicking the chair away and then letting himself fall backwards.

Ginny held her breath, sure that he was going to hit the cold, stone floor. Yet, in the blink of an eye, a comfy leather chair had appeared and Draco landed safely and annoyingly gracefully on it. Ginny sighed, more in disappointment than relief. It would have been so amusing to watch Malfoy land on his arrogant arse. She put her wand away, sensing the Slytherin prince meant her no harm.

"It's comfortable enough for me. Besides, I don't recall inviting you to join me."

"I'm a Malfoy, Weasley. I go where I please. It comes with the luxuries and privileges that aristocracy offers."

"Apparently so does conceit and a complete disregard for everyone around you," Ginny replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Jealous?"

"Hardly."

"Liar."

Ginny's eyes narrowed and she threw a disgusted look at Draco. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Really? And when have I ever lied to you, Weasley?"

He had her there. In fact, as far back as Ginny could remember, she'd never heard Draco lie about anything. Oh, he was still a nasty git who loved to torment others, but she honestly couldn't recall a time she'd heard him lie. Embellish events, oh yes, but never full out lie. And, if she were to be truthful, there was a regrettable truthfulness to his words. Though Ginny loved her family dearly, there was always some part of her that was, perhaps, a little bit envious of those whom money afforded a relatively easy life, not that she'd ever admit to it. So Ginny dodged the question and repeated her earlier one.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? What do you want?"

"Actually, I'd come to use the Room of Requirement for my own purposes, but it seems you've beaten me to it. Now, normally I'd demand you leave," at this Ginny snorted, "but I'm a bit curious as to how and why you plan to become an Animagus. And how you got your wand back."

"Well, I simply asked Luna to Accio my wand for me and as for the Animagus training, I guess you're just going to have to keep on wondering."

Draco shrugged and made to stand. "So be it, I suppose I could always go ask your brother if he knows his precious little sister is dabbling in such dangerous magic."

"No!" Ginny shouted and stood, reaching a hand out to grab Draco's robes. He stopped and turned, staring at the hand that held the fine fabric that adorned his body.

Ginny dropped his sleeve like it'd burned her, but kept her gaze hard on his face. "You can't tell Ron."

"And why is that?"

"He'd make me stop."

Draco turned to fully face Ginny and eyed her carefully. His face was blank and Ginny wondered what he was thinking. She knew behind that chiseled and handsome face was an acute mind and it made her nervous. He was a wild card, someone she couldn't even begin to predict. Before, she'd easily categorized him as evil and self-centered, placing him in the box of "sworn enemy." But now, after he'd rescued her, she was mystified. Was this some sort of plan to get her to betray her family? Ginny had considered the possibility that Malfoy had hired the vampire to attack her so that he could save her and have her in his debt. But she'd quickly dismissed the idea. After all, if that had been the case, then she wouldn't be bound to him by a wizard's debt. And she could feel the invisible connection between them, knew that she was obligated to do anything he asked or forfeit her life. It was clear his rescue had been an unplanned action.

So why had he done it? Why had he not collected the debt yet? And why was she not nearly as frightened of the man before her as she should be? True, she could handle her own, but Ginny was quite sure that Draco Malfoy had grown more powerful over the summer. Something had changed. He was no longer a simple school bully, full of big words, but lacking the capacity to act. There was something dark and dangerous about him, something inexplicably different. So why in the hell wasn't she cursing him and making a quick escape?

Draco moved back to the table and Ginny sat down cautiously. He gazed around at the books lying about, not really interested, until he caught sight of one half-covered by the rest. Ginny followed his gaze and tensed when she realized which book he was looking at. She made to grab it, but his pale hands reached out and snatched it from under the pile.

"Mystics and Magiks, Weasley? A bit dark for your tastes, isn't it?"

"It had a good section in it about the first Animagus, Falco Aesalon. I thought it might be a good idea to see how he first did it."

"I'm sure," Draco said, depositing the book back on the table and sitting back down in his leather chair. "And?"

"And what?"

"Have you tried it yet?"

Ginny shook her head. "No."

"Afraid, Weasley?" Draco asked, smirking devilishly.

"Of course not," she snapped in return.

"You should be. It's a dreadfully difficult task for someone like you."

"What, poor?"

"No, inept."

"Oh and I suppose it'd be a cakewalk for you, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret," Ginny replied, smiling in a sickeningly saccharine way.

Draco snarled. "As easy as getting Potter to turn you down for a date."

Ginny flushed bright red and had to clench her hands into fists to keep herself from punching the cheeky bastard. "Harry's never turned me down."

"Guess you're right, but then again it'd be hard to turn down someone he never notices. Especially when he's had someone like Cho Chang to satisfy him."

"Like you'd know."

"Oh, believe me Weasley, I know."

His eyes glittered maliciously at her and the implications of his words sunk in, causing Ginny's mouth to drop. Sure, she'd never liked Cho, but she couldn't believe the Asian beauty would have stooped so low as to sleeping with the likes of Draco Malfoy. Said Slytherin seemed to read her thoughts, or at least the doubt etched across her face.

"And I can't blame Potter in the least. Cho's a wild one in bed. You, however, are quite the little tease I hear. You know what the boy's call you when you're not around? Blue balls Weasley. Some of them have even got a bet going, betting to see who'll be the one to bed Gryffindor's little virgin. Your current boyfriend, Dean, is the favourite, which is why he's dating you in the first place. Betting pool's up to fifty Galleons, which is far more than I think you're worth."

Ginny's hand flew quicker than either one of them thought possible to slap Draco across the face, leaving a dark red mark across his pale cheek. He sat there, in shock. Damn, he thought, the bitch makes Granger's punch feel like foreplay. As Draco tried to recover, Ginny stood, shaking in rage.

"How dare you, you insolent bastard! You have no right."

She looked around wildly, her Weasley temper nowhere near abated. Behind her was a bookshelf and she nearly cried out in victory. Picking up book after book, Ginny hurled each one at Draco, hitting her target with every throw. Draco flung up his arms to cover his face. Neither thought once of using their wands, one out of shock and the other anger.

"Stop it! Damnit Weasley, calm down!"

Draco had never hit a woman before. Cursed or hexed, sure, but never had he used physical violence. Both his mother and father had raised him above such indecency. But if Ginny Weasley continued in her current behavior, he might have to rethink his own personal rule. Another book flew at him and smacked him dead on in the face, busting his lip. 'That's it.'

Draco launched himself from his seat and tackled Ginny to the ground. They hit the floor with Draco landing on top and the impact knocked the wind out of the raging Weasley. He briefly wondered if he'd hurt the girl, then mentally shook the thought from his head. Why should I care? Wasn't she just trying to kill me two seconds ago?

They stayed like that for over a minute, neither one moving. Draco became painfully aware of the close proximity of their bodies, how her small frame fit well under his, and her chest would rise up and down, brushing against his own in an unintentionally sensual manner. She's a WEASLEY, he harshly reminded himself. Unfortunately, Draco Jr. didn't particularly seem to care, as was apparent from the slight tightness he was slowly starting to feel in his trousers. I've got to get off of her, now.

Alas, Draco felt himself trapped as Ginny had wrapped her arms around his upper body when the two had fallen and she didn't appear to want to let go. Her brown eyes bore into his steel grey ones imploringly.

"Tell me you're lying," she said and Draco couldn't help but notice the slight quiver in her voice.

Draco said nothing, but his silence confirmed Ginny's worst fear. Her eyes filled with tears and she shoved him off of her, abruptly sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest. "So, Michael and Dean, they both just dated me to-"

She couldn't finish her statement. Ginny's heart was racing and she tried to stop the tears from falling, to keep the sob that was choking her from escaping, but she could do neither. Draco simply sat there, unsure of what to do and quite confused because, for some inexplicable reason, he wished he had been lying. Though the thought baffled him, he didn't concentrate on it long. Though he'd been raised to detest all things Weasley, more prevalent was his upbringing as a gentleman. Unbidden, a memory from his youth rose in his mind, taking him back to his second year at Hogwarts, when he'd returned home for the Christmas holidays.

Draco had been wandering around the Manor, on his traditional hunt for his presents. Every year, his mother would try to hide his presents about the Manor in an effort to keep their contents a secret, and every year he'd hunt them down. Narcissa often scolded him saying that he'd ruin the surprise, but inwardly both parents were quite amused by their son's antics and would even reward him with double the presents if Draco did indeed succeed in finding their carefully hidden gifts. And, of course, each year he did.

As his silent footsteps carried him past his father's study, he was surprised to hear raised voices and angry words. The door was cracked open just enough that Draco could peer through. Apparently it was the tail end of their argument, as Lucius slammed his fist down on the teak desk, startling both Narcissa and Draco. He'd never seen his father so enraged, not as his mother at any rate. Usually, in the privacy of their own home, Lucius was quite loving towards his wife and son. Well, as loving as a Malfoy got.

"Damnit, Narcissa! It had to be done, for the good of our Lord."

Narcissa had said nothing, but stared at her husband with angry eyes, blue orbs cold as ice, a look Draco had thought he'd never see directed at his father. This seemed to enrage Lucius further because he picked up a glass paperweight that sat on his desk and hurled it out the far window. With that, he strode towards the door, causing Draco to scurry away from it and fling himself into the nearest closet until his father had passed. While Draco had never feared his father's hand, he knew better than to get in Lucius Malfoy's way when he was on a warpath.

Once his father's footsteps had faded, Draco timidly left the closet and returned to the office doorway. What he saw shocked him even more than his father's outburst. There, collapsed on the hardwood floor, was his mother. His beautiful, charming, regal mother had her knees tucked into her chest and was clutching her ever-present golden locket, tears streaming down her porcelain cheeks.

Instinct took over and Draco forgot all of his proper training as he ran over to his mother and fell by her side, taking her in his arms and holding on as tightly to her as he could. Narcissa threw her arms around her son and sobbed into his shoulder. They sat there like that until Narcissa's tears had ended and her weeping had turned into the occasional sniffle. Draco didn't know if it had been minutes or hours or days and he didn't give a damn one way or the other. He would have sat there until the Apocalypse if it would have eased his mother's pain. Narcissa leaned back and gripped her son's shoulders, giving them a loving squeeze and a soft smile.

"Mother, are you all right?"

"I'll be fine, mon chardonerret."

"What was Father so angry about?"

"It's a long story, Draco. One day, I'll tell you. I promise."

"But not today?"

"No, not today."

Behind them, someone cleared their voice and the two turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing in the doorway. There was a look of sorrow in his eyes that Draco had never seen before, but he was fairly certain it was more for causing his wife such pain than whatever it was they had been arguing about. Lucius entered the room and knelt down by his wife and son. He took Narcissa's face gently in his hands and kissed each tear-stained cheek.

"Forgive me, ma gemme."

"Always," Narcissa whispered and offered Lucius a sad smile.

Helping his wife stand, Lucius wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the room. Before he was completely out of sight, he shot Draco a look over his shoulder and mouthed, "Thank you." And then they were gone. Draco sat in the room a long time, wondering what could have possibly have caused such an argument between his parents. It was only when a house-elf cautiously entered the room, "Begging the young master's pardon for the interruption," that Draco snapped out of his reverie and swiftly left the cowering house-elf to fix the broken window.

As he made his way back up to his chambers, the hunt for his presents long forgotten, Draco had somewhat of an epiphany. His father had once told him to know his weaknesses so that he might overcome them and prevent his enemies from using them against him. Draco haughtily replied that Malfoys had no weaknesses. Lucius had laughed indulgently.

"You have no weaknesses, Father," he'd replied, a bit peeved that his father seem to dismiss his comment so easily when he'd been raised to believe that being a Malfoy meant being better than everyone else.

"Of course I do," Lucius had nonchalantly replied, leaving his son gaping openly. "And close your mouth, Draco. You look like a fish."

"What're your weaknesses?" he'd asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You and your mother are the only two weaknesses I've ever had."

"How do you overcome that?"

Lucius smiled bitterly. "You don't."

It hadn't taken Draco long to figure out that his mother and father were his weaknesses as well. But, what's more than that, Draco now realized he could not stand the sight of crying women. He'd once seen Pansy cry before, when they were but nine years old and she'd broken her arm by falling off one of his Aethonons. It had made him extremely uncomfortable and he'd promised her anything he could think of if only she'd stop crying. Draco had ended up carrying Pansy a mile and a half back to his house and sat with her while their mothers fixed her arm, holding her good hand all the while. Well, he thought to himself, now that I know my weakness, I can overcome it like Father said. Of course, things are often much easier said than done.

So here he was, one of the most influential sixteen year olds in the Wizarding world, feeling trapped in the Room of Requirement with Ginny Weasley, whose tears both disturbed him and kept him from leaving. Draco didn't know what to do. He couldn't very well hug her or hold her hand. Such ministrations would make him appear weak. But he had no idea how long he could sit by and watch the girl in front of him cry before breaking down and saying or doing something incredibly stupid.

"Come on now, Weasley. Those filthy Mudbloods don't deserve your tears."

Ginny glanced up at Draco, her eyes red and face splotchy. "If you're trying to make me feel better, you're doing a horrendous job of it."

"Look all I'm saying is that you could do much better than them."

"I thought Weasleys were the scum of the earth?"

"That may be true, but at least your Pureblood scum. Much better than any Mudblood or Muggle scum."

Maybe it was the fact that Draco's voice was less taunting than usual (it could even be described as lightly teasing) or maybe it was the irony of the situation (after all, when had a Malfoy ever attempted to comfort a Weasley?). Whatever the case, Ginny Weasley found herself doubled over in laughter. She was crying even harder now, for a completely different reason, and this left poor Draco quite confused.

"Weasley? Are you off your rocker?"

It took a good minute and a half before Ginny was able to compose herself. Sitting up, she wiped the tears from her face and smiled widely at Draco. "I'm quite dandy actually. I mean, I'm sitting in the Room of Requirement with my sworn enemy, who's just revealed to me that both of my boyfriends only dated me to get in my pants. Not to mention that said Slytherin rescued me from a vampire attack a little over a week ago, resulting in my owing him a Wizard's debt, which he could use to wreak havoc and destroy my life as I know it at any time he wishes.

But, of course, I can't tell anyone about this, which has made my insomnia twice as terrible as usual. Oh, and did I tell you that I was caught by Seamus Finnigan when I appeared out of the fireplace that night? Well, he's been threatening to tell Dean that I've been cheating on him, not that it really matters anymore because I'm dumping that git tomorrow as soon as I get the chance. And now that I've finally been able to release all my frustration out on you, my dear Mr. Malfoy, I feel much better and I think I'll finally be able to get some sleep. So here is where I bid you goodnight. It's been lovely chatting with you. Let's not do it again anytime soon."

With that, Ginny jumped off the floor and flounced out of the Room of Requirement back to Gryffindor Tower. It was nearly fifteen minutes later when Draco Malfoy finally exited the room, still quite shocked and speechless at the youngest Weasley's outburst. How in the world she'd been able to say it all in one breath he'd never know. As he headed back down to the dungeons and Slytherin common room, there was only one thought that crossed his mind.

Ginny Weasley has gone completely and utterly mental.