Window of your Soul

Window of your Soul

Professor Severus Snape, Potions master at Hogwarts, scrutinized the two students before him. To his left stood a lean-framed, blond boy, who was currently wearing a smirk on his face. To his right was a small red-haired girl who stood staring at her feet, wringing her hands distractedly. He cleared his throat loudly, causing echoes around the cold stone walls of the Potions classroom. The boy raised his eyebrow as the girl jumped, her fingers unconsciously weaving themselves together.

"I've left instructions for the potions you are to brew on your respective work stations. I trust you two will behave yourselves while I am gone," Snape said in a dangerous voice, looking at the two students standing opposite him. "Remember, this is a detention. If I catch you messing about, I'll make sure you have detention for the rest of the month."

Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy glared at each other before moving off to their workstations. With a flourish of his robes, Snape walked out of the potions lab. The loud bang as the door slammed into place echoed around the damp dungeon walls.

"Better stay on your side of the room, Weasley. It won't be pleasant if you dare cross onto mine," Draco drawled, his voice laced with menace.

"Look into my eyes, Malfoy. Can you not see the raging hatred shining within them?" Ginny retorted.

"Let me tell you what I do see, Weasley. I see a skinny little girl with a mop of overly red hair, tacky freckles and hand-me-down robes. I see dull, common brown eyes that tell me nothing about the owner I don't already know just by looking at her appearance. What's with the eyes anyway?" Draco mused. "Everyone always says the eyes are the windows to one's soul, but are they really? Do they tell you anything at all? You can't read emotion and thought just by looking at a person's eyes. That's just something they write about in stories. It's all about how a person looks, their appearance, the way they present themselves."

"Ever heard the expression 'it takes one to know one'? If you really want to understand someone else's soul, Malfoy, you'd need to begin by actually possessing one of your own," Ginny said with contempt.

Draco gave a sneer. "Well if all I need to do is possess one, I could always just borrow your pitiful little soul, couldn't I?" Ginny looked affronted. "Oh don't give me that, Weasley, you know perfectly well what I mean."

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ginny asked loudly, with much more confidence than she felt. He couldn't know about that, it was a secret, nobody was supposed to know...

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten about Tom Riddle," Draco replied, raising his eyebrows and feigning a surprised look. "I'd have thought he still haunts your dreams, or nightmares rather. After all, what he did to you, it's rather, unforgettable, wouldn't you agree?" His surprised look was gone, giving way to a full-out sneer.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, Malfoy," she said, shooting him a glare.

"Please, do enlighten me," Draco retorted.

"No, I don't think I shall. You see, Malfoy, I've moved on, I've become stronger than that. I won't allow you the satisfaction of letting me relive that stage of my life." Draco snorted in disgust. "Tell me, Malfoy, does it come naturally to you? Or did you need to take lessons on how to become an evil arse?"

"I assure you I had no trouble accepting my role as a rich, powerful and dangerous member of the Malfoy family."

"You're despicable," Ginny spat.

"As are you, Weasley, as are you," Draco replied absently. He had begun work on his potion, carefully measuring the ingredients and checking the contents of his cauldron regularly.

With a huff, Ginny began to do the same, slicing up her shrivel fig as per the instructions.

"Malfoy, how long are you going to take with the leech juice? I need it," Ginny called to Draco who was across the room. In the moment her thoughts strayed, Ginny suddenly felt a sharp pain in her index finger and looked down to see a pool of blood on her chopping board; she had cut her finger.

"I'll take as long as I please, Weasley," Draco drawled. There was no reply. Curious, Draco looked over at where Weasley's workstation was set up, and saw her bent over her chopping board, her hands frozen. Draco took a step toward her, realizing that she wasn't moving at all, her eyes staring intently at her hands.

"Weasley, I'm done with the leech juice," Draco said for lack of anything else to say.

All of a sudden, as if she hadn't been frozen for the past minute, Ginny looked up and stared directly into Draco's eyes. "I cut my finger," she said, raising her right index finger. Draco cringed; blood was dripping from the finger in a great gush.

"So, bandage it," Draco drawled, he set the leech juice down on her workstation before walking back to his side of the room.

"I cut my finger," Ginny repeated.

"And I said bandage it," Draco replied in annoyance. "If it's that bad then go to the hospital wing. The old bat will fix it up for you."

Ginny made her way over to Draco slowly, cradling the hand with the injured finger gently.

"Weasley, do not come over here, I hate blood, it's disgusting," Draco said, his voice slightly high as he saw Ginny approaching from the corner of his eye.

"It hurts," Ginny said, again in her quiet, whispery voice.

"I don't know any healing spells, Weasley, and even if I did, I wouldn't use them to help you."

"Tom, why aren't you helping me?"

Draco stared at her, wide-eyed.

~~~

"Tom, it hurts, why are you doing this? I want to go back! My brothers will be worried about me--stop. Where are we?"

"Shut up," Tom said in a harsh voice, then gentler. "We're just going somewhere quiet. It was my secret place when I was still at Hogwarts. Come on, Ginny, don't you want to help me? Would you help me just this once?"

"Of course I will, Tom. It's just that I'm afraid, it's so dark in here, and there's a monster on the loose. What if--what if we run into it?" Ginny asked, her voice oddly broken and faded.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that, Ginny, it won't hurt me," Tom said in a confident voice. Even as Ginny watched, Tom's silhouette began to sharpen, his black hair growing dark and glossy like Harry's. Suddenly, Ginny felt a stab of pain in her stomach and she pitched forward on the cold hard floor, grabbing her middle.

"Tom, it hurts, what's happening to me?" Ginny said in a small voice.

"It's nothing, it'll go away soon," the soothing voice assured her. The pain in her stomach grew, and she involuntarily shuddered as she curled herself up.

"It hurts, Tom, why aren't you helping me?"

~~~

"Weasley, it's just a cut finger, it can't hurt that much," Draco tried to reason. He was standing in front of her, watching as she curled up into a ball on the ground, holding her hands to her middle.

Had she just called him Tom? Was the stupid girl hallucinating? Draco wondered, carefully taking a step back from Ginny's curled form. After a bitter struggle on deciding whether to leave her there or not, he gave a resolute sigh and stepped forward.

"Weasley, I'm going to take you up to the Hospital Wing, but only because I don't want everyone thinking I murdered you or something," Draco said, bending down to hook his hands under her armpits. She was surprisingly heavy for such a small bulk, and Draco immediately began to feel the strain on his thin arm muscles. "Try not to dirty my robes," Draco panted, as Ginny gave a wild swing with her hand, spattering blood on the floor.

~~~

Draco covered his ears in alarm as Madam Pomfrey's shrill cry pierced his ear.

"Oh Merlin's beard! What have you done to her?" she cried, hurriedly detaching Ginny from Draco and hauling her onto the nearest bed. She quickly took care of Ginny's bleeding finger and checked her temperature.

"It's just a bleeding finger," Draco muttered. "I meant that literally," he hastily added as Madam Pomfrey glared at him.

"Look at her! She's nearly comatose," the old matron said. "If I find out you've been bullying other students, Mr Malfoy, you mark my words, I'll rage hell with Professor Snape about this."

"I personally carried her up four flights of stairs, ruining my robes in the process, and this is the thanks I get?" Draco replied indignantly.

Madame Pomfrey merely glared at him before shooing him out of the Hospital Wing unceremoniously. Seething, Draco made his way back to the dungeons to complete his potion for Snape.

"Good for nothing Weasleys. Like it's my fault she's still haunted by the memory of some diary ghost. And I was even nice enough to bring her to the Hospital Wing, never mind that I bumped her head and dropped her once. Not my fault she's so damn heavy, is it? Could use losing a few pounds, that one. If it was Potter, that old bat would be gushing at his heroics and trying to get Dumbledore to award him an Order of Merlin, First Class," Draco mumbled to himself all the time as he stirred his potion.

"Draco, what are you muttering about? Where's Weasley?" Snape's quiet drawl silenced Draco's mumblings.

"She cut her finger, sir, I took her up to the Hospital Wing. You should have seen her, she was pathetic, completely comatose by the time I got her up to the old bat," Draco informed Snape, shaking his head and sneering.

"Go up to the Hospital Wing and tell her to come back tomorrow night to finish her detention. You'll be supervising her. I trust you'll keep her in line," Snape said silkily. Draco gave him a smirk.

"Of course, sir." Draco began to make his way out of the room.

"Oh and Draco, be careful next time. I don't like it when my best student gets detention. McGonagall was so smug about it, I felt like hexing her."

"Yes sir," Draco agreed.

~~~

"Wake up, Weasley," Draco ordered, poking her shoulder with the end of his wand.

"Mmm," Ginny mumbled sleepily, rolling over and rubbing her eyes.

"You'll be finishing your detention tomorrow night, seven in the dungeons. Don't be late, or I'll be forced to punish you," Draco said with a nasty grin.

"You'll be forced to punish me?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, I'll be supervising detention," Draco added smugly. Ginny glared at him. "Good night, Weasley. Hope your nightmares about Tom Riddle don't keep you up all night," Draco said over his shoulder.

"Smug bastard. Don't forget, Voldemort is just using you. Once your usefulness is over, you'll be nothing."

Draco paused in mid-stride, clenching his fists so that his knuckles went white. He turned around and leveled a menacing glare at Ginny, "I'll enjoy personally killing you and your family so much, Weasley."

~~~

"Same deal as yesterday, Weasley. You stay on your side of the room and I'll stay on mine. And for Merlin's sake keep your fingers away from the knife. If you cut yourself again, I assure you I'll leave you here to bleed to your death," Malfoy drawled, watching Ginny get out the ingredients she needed.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Ginny said through clenched teeth.

"Sounds like someone's grouchy. Didn't get enough sleep last night, Weasley? Did scary Tom Riddle come to visit?" Draco asked, smirking as Ginny jerked slightly at the mention of Tom's name.

"You still don't understand, do you, Malfoy? Voldemort would sacrifice your family at his slightest whim without blinking an eyelash. You do his dirty work, you take the blame, you're the ones who get sent to Azkaban yet have to live in constant fear of his return. Why subject yourselves to that torture when your reward is less satisfying than a pat on the back?" Ginny asked, the ingredients on the table forgotten as she waited for Draco's reply.

"It is better to join the winning side while you can, rather than sitting around waiting for your doom. The Dark Lord's intentions are honorable. We, inside whose bodies run the pure blood of magic, should not be forced to share our existence with common muggles," Draco replied stiffly.

"You say that because it's the only thing that can make you feel superior. It's the only thing in which that you can feel a false sense of achievement without having to work for it. Voldemort will never win, not while we have Dumbledore on our side," Ginny said confidently, moving back toward her potion.

"Ignorant Weasley," Draco spat out, but that was unsatisfying as Ginny refused to comment.

Half an hour passed in silence as Ginny waited for her potion to turn an acid green.

"Thanks for taking me to the Hospital Wing," she said suddenly. It took a while for Draco to realize she was talking to him.

"You'd better be grateful, Weasley. I had to burn my robes afterwards. And the old bat had the nerve to scream in my ear," Draco said bitterly, recalling the events of the previous night.

"Forget I said anything, I take it all back. Silly me for trying to be polite," Ginny replied, glaring at Draco for good measure.

"Do you even realize how pathetic you were last night? And all over a cut finger. Complete nonsense if you ask me."

"I was not pathetic!" Ginny yelled across the room. "You have no idea how Dark magic works, it remains in the soul forever, always tormenting you, never letting you have any peace."

"What did he do to you?" Draco asked curiously. "Did he use the Cruciatus Curse on you?" he continued, a mad gleam in his eye.

"I don't know, I was barely conscious most of the time, he took over my mind, he poured his soul into me..." Ginny trailed off. As her eyes glazed over, that night, so many years ago, began to resurface.

Draco was sorely disappointed as Ginny told her story, it was boring and bitter and full of a little girl's pitiful worries. It was no wonder Potter couldn't stand her; she was a complete disgrace to wizardkind.

Ever since Draco had found out about the diary his father had given Ginny in her first year, he had been curious about what happened to the little Weasley girl. His hopes of torture, curses and mutilation were doused as he listened to the girl's story. The epic tale of a Dark Lord's conquest quickly turned into boring, failed attempts at slaughter and watery recounts of strangling roosters and painting messages on walls.

"Weasley, if I'd thought your encounter with Tom Riddle was that boring, I wouldn't have bothered asking. The things you went through are a joke compared to some of the stuff I've seen," Draco boasted.

"Only you, Draco Malfoy, can say it like it's something to be proud of," Ginny countered disgustedly.

"I do try my best," Draco replied, unfazed.

"I always thought that your behaviour was due to your father's influence, but now I see that I'm wrong; you're entirely your own style of evil. Tell me, how is your father doing? I heard he escaped from Azkaban--not a big surprise considering there's no protection without the Dementors around. Been to visit him yet? I do hope he's not living in a cave somewhere like some kind of animal," Ginny said, feigning horror at the thought of Lucius ragged and hungry. She was feeling uncharacteristically malicious toward the blond boy.

Draco turned paler than usual, glaring at Ginny as if he were mentally aiming daggers at her heart. "I'll make Potter pay for what he did to my father. I'll make all of you pay," he said in a low voice, his eyes narrowed in hatred.

"Oh, but Malfoy, you forgot one very important thing. No matter what you do, the Malfoy name will be nothing but filth to the wizarding world forever," Ginny taunted.

"Just you wait. I know enough Dark Magic to finish you and your red-haired breed off for good," Draco growled.

"Funny. I distinctly remember that your Manor was raided just last week. Quite a collection of Dark Arts objects turned up under the drawing room floor, if I remember correctly," Ginny replied smugly.

"Enough!" Draco cried angrily. Ginny smirked; she was beginning to understand why Malfoy enjoyed taunting others so much. It was rather nice seeing Malfoy twitching in anger like that. "You will be absolutely silent from now on and finish your potion. If so much as one word escapes your mouth, I'll take fifty points from Gryffindor and you'll have detention for a month!"

Ginny was about to retort when she stopped. It had been fun to taunt Malfoy, but any more and she'd be sinking to his level. Quickly measuring out the required ingredients, she went to work with her potion silently, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Done!" she called triumphantly, glaring at Draco as he came over to check the potion. "Now can I go?" she asked impatiently.

He grunted in reply and waved her away as if he were swatting at a particularly annoying fly. Seething, she stomped out of the dungeons, making sure to slam the door shut with all her might. I curse you, Draco Malfoy, to have conscience of the pain and suffering you inflict upon others with your evil. She sighed. Hopefully one day, you'll be able to tell right from wrong.

~~~

"Watch where you're going, mudblood," Draco drawled, glaring at the first-year cowering in front of him.

Draco felt a numbing sensation flow through his body as the Hufflepuff boy raised his eyes to meet Draco's. Realizing it was fear emanating from the boy's eyes, Draco smirked and walked off satisfied. Shrugging off the strange sense of unease at being able to read the Hufflepuff's eyes, Draco stalked down the corridor with Crabbe and Goyle close behind.

~~~

"Draco, it's been so long since we've had some private time together," Pansy complained, tugging on his sleeve. He shrugged her off and tried to concentrate on his Potions manual as Pansy began to sulk.

After ten minutes of whining, Draco let out a long-suffering sigh and closed his book. He raised his head as Pansy let out a squeal of delight, meeting her eyes. He jerked slightly. Triumph and a self-satisfied air surrounded him; he could feel Pansy's smug grin even though she was staring up at him with an innocent smile.

"Don't feel too smug, Pansy, you're just entertainment until Blaise comes back from Prefect duties," he drawled, flashing her a malicious smirk. Immediately he felt anger and jealousy flow through him as he watched Pansy try to mask her outraged expression.

He watched as she let out a hmph and stormed out of the common room before he went to his own dormitory. His strange tendency to feel what others were feeling was beginning to worry him slightly. He shrugged out of his robes and climbed into bed; perhaps it'd be better by morning.

~~~

"Have you heard?"

"Draco Malfoy can read minds!"

"I heard it's some form of ancient Dark Magic."

"I bet he's been using it to help He-who-must-not-be-named!"

Ginny sat in the Great Hall carefully mulling things over as she played with her porridge. The whole school had been abuzz with Malfoy's newfound ability for a week now, what had begun as a few strange remarks from Malfoy had turned into gossip rumoured around during mealtimes.

~~~

Ginny waited outside the Charms corridor for the seventh-years to come out for lunch. Soon after the bell sounded, she spotted Malfoy's blond head moving out of the classroom.

"Malfoy! Wait, I have to speak to you," she hissed as quietly as she could manage, looking around to make sure nobody was watching.

"What? I'm busy, Weasley, sod off," he replied in annoyance.

"It's important!" she said. When he made no move to follow her, Ginny let out an exasperated sigh and shoved him into an empty classroom.

"What was that about, Weasley?" Draco demanded as Ginny turned around after locking the door.

She opened her mouth to speak, then seemed to hesitate. Closing it, she paced around the room for a bit before coming to a rest in front of him, her eyes all the while darting quick glances at his tall frame.

"Look, I know you want to say something, and you're not going to hear my answer to it if you don't speak out," Draco said tiredly. "Besides, I don't bite. What's there to be confused about?"

"How do you know I'm confused?" she demanded. He blinked a bit in surprise.

"How do I know? Let's just say, I feel it," he replied vaguely, trying to avoid the topic.

"But how do you 'feel' it? Do you feel it with everyone? When did this start?" she insisted, taking a step closer to him.

"Keep away, Weasley. What's with the sudden firing of questions? Do you know something about this?" he asked. Realization dawning upon him, he scrutinized her carefully, catching her eyes. Nervousness--a strange tightness around his heart--he felt something gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

The Weasley was hiding something from him, something which frightened her, but what?

"I--I think, I mean, well, it's possible that I might know something about your new ability," she said hesitantly, wringing her hands. He was on her in an instant, grabbing her arms and shaking her slightly.

"What do you know? Were you involved in this?" he demanded harshly, ignoring the fear springing into his stomach. He knew his actions would only scare her, but he needed answers now.

"I--I might have said something--"

"What! What did you say?"

"I said: I curse you, Draco Malfoy, to have conscience of the pain and suffering you inflict upon others with your evil!" Her voice rose a little louder with each word, so that she was shouting by the time she finished, she paused a bit before twisting herself from his grip.

"You cursed me?" Draco asked in disbelief, trying to push aside the feelings of concern and guilt coming from the Weasley. "You--what the bloody hell did you think you were doing!" he demanded, glaring at her.

"It was just...I didn't mean it," she said lamely.

"You didn't mean it? You're a witch! You can't just throw words like that around without meaning it! Cursing is the most ancient form of magic you can get," he yelled, trying to fit his mind around the idea of being cursed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"A curse is a curse. Those words are binding by magic; 'you're sorry' isn't going to help anything. Well, you'll just have to uncurse me somehow," he declared, glaring expectantly at her. She stared up at him blankly. "I don't believe this," he moaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. "Let me guess, you have no idea how to fix this. Of course. What more could I expect from a Weasley. Create the mess and expect others to clean it up for you."

"It's not like that!" she protested hotly.

"Oh, so you do know how to fix it then," he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, no..." she began. He smirked. "I'll do some research! It can't be that hard to undo," she said confidently, even as Draco felt her uncertainty pass over him in waves.

Suppressing the urge to growl in frustration, he removed his hand from his forehead and glared at her. "Meet me in the library at seven. Don't be late." With that, he swept past her and unlocked the door, slamming it shut behind him.

~~~

"We've spent two hours in here already!" Ginny complained tiredly. "How hard can it be to find a counter-curse? Argh!"

"Shut up, Weasley, I'm the innocent victim here, and if I'm not complaining, I don't see why you should be," Draco replied, absently running his hand through his hair. He closed the book he had been scanning and tossed it on a pile to the left, picking up a dark green, leather-bound book from the stack on the right.

"Wouldn't it be funny if there was no counter-curse for this?" Ginny mused, too tired to realize what she had just suggested.

"Don't," Draco said dangerously. "Don't even mention that possibility. There is a counter-curse and we WILL find it," he said with conviction, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, the Weasley or himself.

If only he could get in contact with his father. His father would know how to break a stupid curse. Instead, he was stuck here with the Weasley brat two hours a night, every day of the week. He let out a low growl.

"Look, I've still got homework to do. I'll come back tomorrow night," Ginny said, getting up and grabbing her bookbag. Draco gave her a dismissive wave and went back to his book. Heaving a sigh, Ginny made her way back to Gryffindor Tower. Little did she know she would be back to the library every day for the next month.

~~~

Ginny let out a long breath and slammed the book shut. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she proceeded to give Draco a glare as her lips turned themselves into a pout. "Look, from all the research we've done so far, I can pretty much conclude that we're not going to find a counter-curse for this. I mean, most of the curses I've read about have continued on for centuries; they're not made to be broken. We'll be lucky if your descendents don't possess this ability just for the mere sake of heredity," Ginny declared exasperatedly.

"I'm not going to give up now. This 'ability' is driving me up the wall! It's insane, I tell you. Do you know how annoying it is walking down the corridor and having a whole bunch of various emotions directed at you like bullets?" Draco asked impatiently.

"I thought it only works when you look into someone's eyes," Ginny countered thoughtfully.

"No, reading their eyes just intensifies the feelings that are channeled into me. It's annoying! And there's a complete possibility that it may be lethal. Whenever we're at Quidditch practice and Crabbe and Goyle start to feel hungry, I find myself hurrying to the kitchens in search of battered drumsticks," Draco drawled in annoyance, scowling as he watched Ginny laughing. "It's not funny, Weasley. I'm so overwhelmed with other people's emotions I'll be surprised if I'll ever be able to feel anything for myself ever again."

"But it must have its advantages, Malfoy, being able to sense how other people feel?" Ginny suggested.

"I assure you, Weasley, nothing good can come of this, and besides, did I mention it's ANNOYING!? Whenever the first-years look at me I feel this involuntary shudder go through me and I can almost imagine them whipping out wooden stakes and attempting to splinter my heart. And I absolutely swear the second-years smell of onions whenever they're near me. I am NOT a vampire, for Merlin's sake!"

"I heard there's a profitable market in Talisman retails against all sorts of dark creatures who can apparently 'read minds'," Ginny said half-seriously. She giggled at Draco's withering look.

Ginny studied the blond in front of him as he bent his head to read another book. It was extraordinary; a Weasley sitting together with a Malfoy and actually having a decent conversation with each other. Granted, co-operation had been obtained via numerous threats and coarse language when things got heated.

"Sit down, Weasley, and listen carefully. I want you to begin research in the Charms section. Look up any books that may relate to curses. Oh, and keep your distance--I don't need you accidentally hexing me," Draco drawled in a superior tone.

"I assure you, Malfoy, that any hex directed at you originating from my wand will not be an accident," Ginny returned, wondering for the fifth time why she had consented to this little session of torture.

"You can try, Weasley," he replied smugly.

"I'm quite certain that my bat-bogey hex worked wonders on your face," she said sweetly. He grimaced at the memory of the incident in fifth year.

"You keep talking like that and I won't be so hesitant in hexing a girl," he growled.

"Never thought of you as a gentleman anyway," she retorted. "Look, if I'm going to stay here and help you, then I won't tolerate any of your crap. Either keep your mouth clean or keep your mouth shut, it's your choice."

"And what makes you think you're calling the shots around here? It was your negligent words that landed me in this mess in the first place--" His words came to an abrupt halt as something heavy thumped him on the side of his head. "Shit, Weasley! Are you trying to knock my head off?" He bent down to pick up the book that had assaulted him.

"As a matter of fact, that was exactly what I was intending to do," she replied crisply, leveling a glare at him.

"Do you know the consequences of trying to injure a Malfoy?"

"No idea!" she answered quickly. "And I really don't give a rat's arse about it either. Now, if you're not civil to me, then I promise you that beheading will be on my agenda." She sat down in her seat and flipped a book open, ignoring his indignant glares and open-mouthed incredulity.

It wasn't as if they actually talked to each other about anything other than issues relating to the curse and its counter, but Malfoy's daily recounts of his situation never failed to amuse her. She felt a small smile touch her lips and immediately felt a bit sheepish about having even lukewarm feelings toward Malfoy; any feeling that wasn't ice-cold and latched with daggers was surprising enough.

"Falling in love with me, Weasley?" Draco asked evenly, not raising his head.

"Wouldn't you wish?" she retorted, grabbing another book from the desk.

~~~

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Draco cried exasperatedly as the first-year cowered in front of him. "I assure you I don't bite," he insisted, taking a step forward. Immediately he felt raw fear slice through his heart as he watched the first-year try to ward him off with a series of complex hand gestures.

Where others might have given up when it was apparent there was no effect, this little first-year only redoubled his efforts as Draco took another step toward him. Draco smirked slightly, admiring this boy's obvious stupidity; it was hard to find ignorance that would rival that of Crabbe and Goyle these days.

However, admiring aside, this boy's strange gestures were beginning to give him a headache. Advancing a couple more steps, he took the boy by the shoulders and lifted him up so that the boy's shoes dangled a few inches off the ground. Immediately, all hand gestures ceased, as the boy stared at Draco in mute horror. Draco winced slightly as his limbs went numb from the feeling of fear spreading through him. He clenched his jaw and forced his weakened knees to hold. What in the world could be so scary about him that he had this boy's heart frozen in panic?

Draco had, of course, enjoyed his ability initially, feeling the fear and hesitation of the other students whenever he was around. It would have done his father proud, knowing the power Draco wielded over the student populace. But now, it was getting entirely ridiculous. Not only was he a 'mind reader', but a 'vampire', 'werewolf', 'veela', and all sorts of other ludicrous creatures extracted from DADA textbooks in the wee hours of morning, when sleeping should have been on the agenda.

Sighing inwardly, his eyes strayed to the title of the book that had dropped from the boy's grasp. Blossoming Love and How to Succeed, the title read. Draco nearly snorted in disgust. Instead, he put the boy down slowly and picked up the book, handing it out for the boy to collect. The first-year gave a frightened glance at the book, then Draco, then back at the book, before snatching it back quickly and backing up several paces.

"Have a girl on your mind, do you?" Draco drawled, feeling the boy's embarrassment as his cheeks began to feel warm. "Well, first off, go burn that book. That's all it's good for. Secondly, buy her a couple of sugar quills and tell her she's got beautiful eyes. Got that?" he asked, giving the boy a stern look. The boy nodded his head vigorously, backing up a few more steps.

Satisfied, Draco turned around and began to walk away, noticing how the boy's fear of him, which had been channeled into Draco just a moment ago, was replaced by awe and just a slight tinge of gratitude.

~~~

"You're happy about something," Ginny observed, studying his reaction intently.

"No I'm not," Draco retorted, narrowing his eyes at how childish that statement had sounded.

"You're whistling," she stated dryly.

"I didn't realize that had been outlawed," Draco returned evenly.

"I've been tapping my quill for the past ten minutes and you haven't yelled at me even once," Ginny argued, glaring at him suspiciously.

"One would think you enjoy being told off, Weasley," Draco drawled. There was no answer; Ginny was still busy scrutinizing him. "Look, Weasley, I'm not happy. If anything, I should be more annoyed than ever. Do you know I've had to resort to being nice just to stop the stupid paranoia about me?" he drawled, ignoring the bright sparkle in Ginny's eyes.

"So that's it!" Ginny cried out triumphantly. "Who was it?"

"Some Ravenclaw first-year, he was holding a dusty old book that was practically twice his size, titled Blossoming Hearts and How to Succeed," Draco imitated in an airy voice, rolling his eyes. "Ran smack into me as if he thought I were another resident ghost. Of course, realizing just whom he had had the nerve to bump into, he promptly cowered against the wall and proceeded to make strange hand gestures in an attempt to ward me off," he finished dryly.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly did you help to curb this boy's awesome fear of you?"

"Taught him a couple of tricks in courting females," Draco replied vaguely, pretending to be busy in search of something in his bag.

"I'm sure that must've been one hell of an educational experience for the poor boy," Ginny said, imitating Draco's sarcastic drawl.

"Anyway," Draco continued as if Ginny hadn't commented, "Hogsmeade weekend is coming up."

"And?" Ginny prompted.

"Got any plans?" Draco asked instead.

"A few. Ron's birthday is coming up; I was thinking of getting something for him from Zonko's. And I want to stock up on some Fizzing Whizbees," Ginny replied.

"Oh." Draco rummaged around his bag a little further before continuing. "So, want to accompany me for a bit then? Treat you to butterbeer afterwards," he offered nonchalantly.

Both of Ginny's eyebrows shot up at Draco's offer, before coming back down to narrow suspiciously. "Why would you be so willing to endure the company of a Weasley for a whole day?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd be able to keep everyone away from me so that I could enjoy a break from all this 'mind reading'. Otherwise I just might lose it and start throwing hexes at anything that gets near me." Ginny threw him a disapproving stare.

"I suppose I could do you this one favour," Ginny said slowly, enjoying Draco's frown.

"But if you're anything less than polite, I'll leave you to the mercy of those troublesome emotions," she warned.

Draco threw up his hands in mock surrender.

~~~

"Okay, I'm just going in to get some Fizzing Whizbees," Ginny shouted through the crowd. "Stay out here, I'll be back in a--" her voice disappeared as a herd of Hogwarts students piled into the small store that held all of Honeydukes' finest. Draco stood in a corner, frowning at the way Ginny had talked to him. Didn't she know that Malfoys never took orders from others?

After five minutes of waiting and a series of long-suffering sighs from Draco, a small girl of about eight exited the shop, cradling a brown paper bag of goodies to her like a prized possession. She turned left, then right, looking up and down the street in search for something, face grinning broadly. Just as she was about to step further into the road, a group of Hogwarts students came out of Honeydukes, blocking off Draco's view of her.

As the last of the group walked past Draco, he spotted the girl now kneeling on the dusty road; the brown paper bag was lying on the ground, torn. All around her, brightly wrapped sweets littered the ground. Draco watched as she collected them one by one, brushing away the dirt and placing them in her lap. Her lower lip was trembling and Draco could feel the little girl's determination; don't cry, don't cry. Surprised at the girl's strength, Draco bent down and began to help her collect the sweets, depositing them in her lap. He fixed the brown paper bag with a quick spell and handed it to the now smiling child.

As their eyes met, Draco was slightly taken aback by the simple, innocent happiness that radiated through his body. Having a bag of sweets held tightly in your embrace was something worth rejoicing over; as long as the bag was there, there couldn't be anything wrong with the world. It didn't occur to Draco that Malfoys never smile, nor how odd it was for him to be kneeling there in the dusty road with a small child, grinning over a bag of lollies. Her blue eyes sparkled merrily and Draco suddenly felt full of life. Her vibrancy was infectious and Draco had the urge to buy her as much candy as her small frame could carry. Strange as it felt, Draco didn't want to see this girl sad, didn't want her ever to stop being cheerful, vivacious and ever-forgiving of the harsh world of reality.

"Thank you, Mister," she said sweetly. She rummaged around in the paper bag for a moment before producing a lollipop wrapped in yellow paper. "Here, this is for you." She reached out her hand and waved the lollipop under Draco's nose until he took it from her. His face wavered between a frown and a smile as he saw that it was an acid pop; burning a hole through his tongue wasn't exactly Draco's idea of having a smashing great time. Before he could decide on either expression, she gave him a cheerful wave, and skipped down the street, throwing herself at a middle-aged witch. Draco watched the little girl and her mother walk down the road until they rounded a corner and disappeared.

He turned around still holding the lollipop in one hand; raising his head, he saw Ginny standing slightly away, staring at him with amusement shining in her eyes.

"Try and tell me you didn't enjoy that," Ginny said, a knowing smile on her lips. Draco scowled.

"Enjoy what, Weasley?" he demanded.

"Being a hero," Ginny answered simply. "Discovering the joys of helping others." Draco sneered.

"Please, that's ridiculous. Everyone knows how distasteful I find 'good' guys to be. I rather enjoy being evil, as long as I'm in a class all on my own. Besides, the good guys never get to have any fun."

"Did you just admit you're on the side of evil? Because you know what they say--good always triumphs over evil," Ginny said with an amused grin.

"Fairy tales, Weasley. Aren't you a little too old for that?" She stuck her tongue out in reply. "Obviously not."

~~~

Ginny glanced up from her Charms homework to study the profile of the boy sitting across from her. He was leaning back against his chair, a large volume propped up on the table in front of him; as he read, a stream of sunlight came through the window, igniting his grey eyes.

They had taken up the habit of going to the library to study, the usually empty hideaway their only opportunity to spend time with each other, though neither of them would admit that. One could imagine how strange it would be to see a Gryffindor and Slytherin walking down school corridors conducting civil conversations with each other.

A stray strand of hair fell forward to tickle his nose and he brushed it back absently. It was surprising, how a person could manage to change so much in the space of so little time. As the days had gone by, Ginny had found herself immersed in the study of Draco Malfoy, watching his progress from arrogant prat to caring human being. Draco's expressions gave him away easily; the grimace whenever negative emotion channeled through him, the almost satisfied smile as he went out of his way to rectify those feelings. Helping others had become almost second nature to him, though he'd die before admitting it.

"I'm doing it for my benefit," he'd said. "Who wants to know about all those petty emotions they go through while I'm busy trying to sort my own life out?"

Draco looked up from his reading and gave her a slight smirk before going back to his book. Ginny felt herself blush at being caught so openly staring; more and more often she found herself thinking fondly of the blond Slytherin, and though it'd never leave her lips, she found herself enjoying his company in a way she couldn't describe. She raised her head to find Draco watching her, an amused smirk on his lips.

"Warm, fuzzy feelings, Weasley?" he asked, amusement dancing in his grey eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was just thinking about how nice the weather outside is," she replied, cursing herself at the sudden racing of her heart.

"Ah, so that would be the reason for the pounding heart, would it?" he drawled.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it is," Ginny replied stubbornly.

"It's quite normal to like me, you know," he continued. Ginny gave him a confused look. "Before, you'd be hesitant to come near me. You helped me only because you felt responsible for getting me into this mess. You'd flinch at my every move and jump if I so much as tapped you on the shoulder. I didn't even need to feel you to know how your heart jumped in apprehension every time I was near. But now, I feel eagerness, even affection; I can tell that you've accepted me. I'm a friend to you now, aren't I?" He paused to judge her reaction of his words, deliberately catching her eyes and holding her gaze.

He could sense uncertainty; conflict surged through his body as he desperately maintained contact with her eyes, wanting to feel what she felt. "There's no need for all that uncertainty. I can tell you now that I think you're the first friend I've ever made on my own, without my family connections. I genuinely like you, Ginny Weasley." Surprise--he felt his heart leap--then happiness. Draco let out a small breath; at least she wasn't revolted at the idea. He snapped out of his thoughts long enough to realise Ginny was talking to him.

"I wouldn't be your only friend if everyone weren't so afraid of you," she teased. "They all avoid you like the plague. It's because of all the rumours, you know? It's so ridiculous how they think you can read minds," Ginny said with a snort.

"Who says I can't?" Draco retorted.

"Oh? Prove it. What colour are my knickers?" she challenged.

"White," he responded immediately without blinking an eyelash.

"How did you-- "

"Virgins are always boring and unimaginative. White cotton underwear with bows or ribbons, and maybe a modest amount of lace, is as daring as they get," Draco replied evenly.

"Hey! My knickers are not boring! I've got some numbers you've never seen before!" she replied hotly.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that an invitation?" Ginny blushed as she realised what she had said. She leaned over and gave Draco a slap on the arm as he chuckled at her discomfiture.

"I'm going back to the common room. Spending all this time with you is going to rot my brain," she said, making a face at him. He chuckled before waving her off.

As soon as she returned to her own dormitory, she jumped onto her bed and buried her head in the pillows. Her heart was pounding so horribly loud. How she'd managed to control her emotions long enough to get out of his presence was surprising to say the least.

What right has he to say he likes me as if it's the most natural thing in the world? She thought fiercely, remembering his earlier words in the library. Who cares about how I feel on the subject? Who cares if an offhanded remark on his part will result in countless sleepless nights for me. She thought, getting steadily angrier, that it was all his fault, stupid prat who didn't think about anyone else but himself. Doesn't matter at all, of course, if I end up falling in love with him. Never thought of that did he?

Ginny's mouth opened in horror as her conscience betrayed her. "Shut up, shut up! I am not in love with him!" He's a prat, he's a Malfoy! He's completely horrible and ... he's got beautiful eyes. Letting out a frustrated growl, she rolled over and attempted to suffocate herself with a pillow.

~~~

Draco sat at the Slytherin table trying to concentrate on delivering his food to the right opening of his face while keeping both eyes trained on the door of the Great Hall. As the Slytherin table was situated right beside the entrance, all the students coming in for breakfast had to walk past his line of vision. Finally, he spotted Ginny's titian hair. He watched as she walked through the doors, getting closer to him. About ten meters from Draco, she suddenly looked up and met his eyes. Panic. Draco felt it tighten around his heart. He watched as her eyes darted around, seeking a route of escape. Frowning, he got up and strode over to her, clamping his hand on her arm and leading her out onto the school grounds.

Finally, as they reached the lake, he released her, turning around to look at her. She was glaring at him as if he were the source of all her problems; frustrated and rather bewildered, he glared right back. How could she look at him like it was all his fault when it was she who had been studiously avoiding him for the past week? Apart from classes and mealtimes, Ginny had carefully retreated back to Gryffindor Tower as discreetly as she could manage, ignoring Draco's attempts to catch her eye.

"Why are you glaring at me like that?" Draco demanded. "You're the one who's been avoiding me all week!"

"And I was doing a perfectly good job of it until you came along and dragged me out here!" Ginny returned just as heatedly, roughly depositing her bookbag onto the grass. Draco paused for a moment, slightly taken aback at how readily she had admitted to avoiding him.

"Well, you're not leaving until I figure out why," Draco said with finality, staring into her eyes. She quickly looked at the ground, kicking pebbles into the lake and generally giving off the appearance of a grouchy five-year-old. "So you're avoiding my eyes now too?" he asked in disbelief.

He walked toward her, stopping only inches from her face, silently demanding that she look at him. Warily, Ginny stepped back, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground, one hand raised as if to ward him off. He took her wrist in one hand and used the other to raise her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"What--" she began indignantly.

"Shhh," he said in a soothing voice, raising her chin until their eyes met.

A strong feeling of longing overtook him, followed by conflict; Ginny was battling with herself over something. He felt a strange sense of passion seemingly directed at himself, as he gazed into her eyes. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as realization struck.

"You're in love with me," he whispered, his tone still disbelieving.

"No I'm not," she replied weakly, trying to tear her eyes away from his.

"I can feel it, I feel that you're longing to reach out to me. Your passion, it's strong, it burns within you," he observed. He felt the despair reaching into his heart, a heavy feeling in his stomach. Ginny was hurting, and it was over him. He didn't want her to suffer, it was unbearable to feel her pain like this; he needed to help her.

Slowly, he bent his head forward, brushing his lips across hers gently, seeking to comfort her. He felt his heartbeat quicken as he stared into her eyes, the heavy feeling in his stomach slightly less so. Slowly, he began to smile, glad that he had been able to ease her pain. Suddenly, she pushed him away firmly, whether out of revolt or something else Draco wasn't sure. She had turned away so that her expression was hidden, but Draco could see the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. His eyebrows knotted together in confusion; hadn't she wanted this?

"You want to reach out to me but you're too scared, so why won't you let me do it for you?" he demanded, unable to comprehend the despair she had fallen into once again. "Isn't this what you want?"

"Yes--no," she responded hurriedly, her words falling over each other in their haste to get out. She took a deep breath before continuing. "This isn't right, Draco. It's not about your actions; it's about how you feel. Your kiss means nothing to me if your heart doesn't feel the same." She paused at the look of utter confusion on his face. How could she explain love to someone who saw it as a foreign concept? She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. I want something that I can't have," she whispered softly.

"Tell me what it is," he demanded, looking earnestly into her eyes. "I can get it for you. Anything you want Ginny, it's yours."

"I want you," she replied.

"I'd give you all of me in an instant if it would make you feel better," he argued, his confusion increasing.

"But that's not enough. I want you to feel the same way I feel about you. Heart pounding, blood rushing to my face, light-headed and giddy like a little child, wanting to be nowhere else but in your company. I want you to feel those emotions--not mine but your own," she said, desperately wanting him to understand.

Wasn't it enough for him to ease her pain? Draco rubbed his eyes tiredly and put a hand on his forehead, the perplexed expression on his face betraying the turmoil in his mind.

Ginny drew in a deep breath, trying to think of how to explain this to him. "I'm not another one of your 'patients'. You can't just 'cure' me and then leave thinking you've helped out another person. If you choose to heal me, then it'll be forever; I'll be your permanent liability. Do you understand?" She paused to judge his reaction, still one of incomprehension. "Look, you need some time. Just think about it; we'll talk later, okay?" She picked up her bookbag from the grass and headed toward the castle, frustration clouding her mind.

~~~

Draco paced back and forth in front of his bed, trying to decide on a course of action. She had asked him to love her, but surely she knew that was impossible. She was a Gryffindor, a Weasley; she represented everything that he and his family opposed. And even if it wasn't for all that, there was still no way they could be together because.... He paused his pacing. If it wasn't for all that...then there wasn't anything to stop him from loving her. He lay on his back, his mind a whirl of possibilities that this realisation had set off. Just because he could love her, didn't mean that he did, right?

Draco closed his eyes and leaned his head back into the soft pillows, picturing all the times he had spent with her in the library, concentrating on his feelings toward Ginny. He remembered being annoyed and angry at first, resenting the Weasley for being so brainless. Then his feelings had receded somewhat, gradually changing to indifference; they were only there because they had to be, because she owed it to him. When he had started helping others and giving advice or support, he had been able to gloat to her about it. And when she saw through his indifferent façade, he found himself not nearly as annoyed as he should've been. In fact, it hadn't bothered him much at all. Her company had become a comforting presence; though they had no set schedule of meeting times, he had expected her to be there without fail. Her sudden avoidance of him had sparked a strange reaction in him. He was concerned, slightly worried that perhaps she had a problem, and also frustrated and angry that she wouldn't trust him enough to confide in him.

He thought about the feelings he had felt from her; longing, despair, and a deep-seated hesitation, as if she could not decide on her feelings. However, none of that was important What mattered was her passion, what he had felt so strongly when he had looked into her eyes. It had stayed with him even after she left, and now he could feel it burning within him. Only it was different now. Memories of Ginny, thoughts about the redhead would spark that passion within him, and eventually he thought he understood. The burning sensation within him was no longer due to Ginny's passion; it was his passion, entirely his. His family, her family, his House, her House, none of that seemed even remotely important anymore. Ginny had been right. It was about the emotions that raced inside of you, not the actions.

Barely able to suppress the crooked grin his lips were twitching into, he made his way out of the common room in search of Ginny.

He found her by the lake in the same spot they had been the day before, stopping a little way off to study her for a while. She was sprawled on the grass, eyelids closed and fluttering slightly; the picture of serenity. He approached her slowly, not wanting to intrude on her peace.

Ginny opened her eyes as she heard footsteps approaching, getting up and brushing herself off. When she saw who it was, her face took on a confused frown, as if she hadn't expected him to come near her ever again. She stood stiffly, waiting for him to speak.

"I was thinking about what you said, and I think I've come up with the answer," he began. She perked up at his words and scrutinized him, nervous yet eager for him to continue. "I think I'm in love...with you," he said softly. The adrenalin from a moment ago was forgotten as nervousness took over, awaiting her response.

Ginny stared at him in surprise, wanting to believe him yet afraid to be tricked. "You better not be joking, Draco Malfoy, because I swear I will--" her words stopped as he placed a thumb on her lips, cupping her cheek with his hand.

"It's true," he insisted, looking into her eyes. Her brown orbs gazed into his, asking a silent question. Prove it.

He reached out and took her right hand, placing her palm flat against his chest. "Heart racing." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the fast-paced beating of his heart for a moment before opening his eyes. Taking her left hand, he placed it on his flushed cheek, leaning into her warm touch. "Blood rushing to my face." As his eyes met hers again, he felt his heart leap at the gentle, affectionate look in her eyes. Taking both her hands, he gave her a smirk before catching her up and swinging her around. "Light-headed and giddy." He smiled as he listened to her laughter, soft but clear. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, taking in the scent of her hair. "Wanting to be nowhere else but here with you," he finished, whispering the words softly in her ear.

It was strange, but even as he looked down to see Ginny smiling up at him in an expression of pure bliss, he felt nervous, a fluttering feeling in his stomach. He wanted to make sure, needed to be certain that she felt the same way about him. He held her gaze, needing assurance, confirmation that she was willing to be with him forever.

His smile wavered slightly as he stared into her eyes. Something was not right, something was happening, or more accurately, not happening. He couldn't feel anything. Ginny was smiling radiantly at him but he could not sense a single one of her thoughts or emotions. His heart skipped a beat at the possibility that he'd lost his ability.

He held her gaze imploringly. Not now, not when he needed his ability the most, he thought desperately. Numbness spread through his limbs and his heart sank. He felt a strange sense of uncertainty, insecurity. What if she doesn't want to love me? What if she pushes me away? What should I do? Thinking about those possibilities spread an emptiness through him, depressing him, making him feel as if nothing could ever make things right again.

Numbly, Draco looked into her eyes, those deep brown circles filled with happiness, excitement, and finally he understood. He didn't need his ability any longer; he could read the emotion behind her eyes, and they were currently telling him how much passion was within the red-haired angel who stood before him, how much love for him.

In a moment of clarity, he knew that nothing else mattered but the way his eyes were displaying those exact same emotions.

Author Notes: I love writing clichés, it's my own personal challenge to take an overused idea and turn it into something that surpasses expectation and enters a class of its own. Now, now, I do not have a big head, like I said, it's my challenge, and I'm still trying my best to perfect it.

I hope this story wasn't too confusing, basically most of the time what Draco is feeling is what the person he is studying is feeling, not what Draco personally feels. Oh well, hope you enjoyed it, I know it's long, but I rather enjoy writing one-shots with developed plots.

It's important to note that Ginny isn't the catalyst for change here; it's the people that Draco meets and helps, the people that he 'feels' that helps him grow as a person. Ginny is more like the realization that he has indeed changed, and he can accept Ginny now because it's not all about how rich and powerful your family is anymore.

I know it got a bit sweet cough*cough as it got to the end, but umm I don't know, it's not that bad is it?

Hehe, 'permanent liability' is thanks to Accounting, I'm a commerce student you see, even though I hate it with all my heart.

Oh and if you enjoyed this fic, I've got a couple more ficlets coming out shortly, so add your email if you'd like me to contact you when I update. Or you can specify notification by Owl if you like. If you've put yourself down for the mailing list of TsTr then you don't need to do it again. =)