**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or anything that has to do with Harry Potter, *sighs* no matter how much I wish I do**


It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
Can anyone tell what I've done
I miss life
I miss the colours of the world
Can anyone tell where I am

'Cause now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines into the darkest place
I'm so far down, away from the sun again
Away from the sun again

I'm over this
I'm tired of living in the dark
Can anyone see me down here
The feeling's gone
There's nothing left to lift me up
Back into the world I know

"Away From the Sun"
By: 3 Doors Down


Prologue
–Away From the Sun–

It was a dark night. The stone walls and the floor were as cold as ice. The wind howled like a banshee’s death cry and the moon was full and bright. Unbeknownst to the wizarding world, Dark Marks burned in Death Eaters’ skin. They were being summoned.

They all Apparated to the hidden location. When the last Death Eater had arrived, they all turned to see their Master with a black robe covering all of his body. He was standing on a risen platform, in front of the Death Eaters, with his back turned towards them.

Finally, one of the Death Eaters worked up enough courage to contact the furious Dark Lord.

"Master?" one of them asked.

"He has betrayed us!" the cloaked figured roared loudly; his voice was cold and sharp. A few Death Eaters were caught off guard and murmurs went through the crowd. Who had betrayed them? Who had turned on their Master?

"Master, who has betrayed us?" asked yet another one, voicing the question that was on everyone’s mind.

Lord Voldemort unveiled himself. His eyes were tiny red slits and they were glowing in malice, hatred, and betrayal. His face was etched with anger and his hands were at his side, clamped in fists of rage.

"Draco Malfoy."

~*~

"Ow! Potter watch where you’re going!" the blonde-headed man sneered.

"Well, Malfoy, if it wasn’t so damned dark out here and I wasn’t trying to save your arse, I could see where I was going!" Harry said through gritted teeth.

The two men walked side by side in the forest, stepping on twigs and leaves and trying to avoid tree branches. They were under Harry’s invisibility cloak so no one, especially Death Eaters, would see them.

Harry and Draco soon reached a large tree trunk in the middle of a wide, open space. "Which way now? Please don’t tell me we’re lost Potter, because if we are. . ." he was cut off by Harry’s hand covering his mouth.

"We’re here.”

They walked over to the tree trunk and Harry drew out his wand. He tapped the top of the truck three times and stood back. Suddenly, the tree trunk rose to the skies. Draco watched in awe and Harry just smiled knowingly. When the tree finally stopped growing, a door appeared and opened before them.

Harry pointed his arm toward the open door. "Ladies, children, and pompous blondes first."

It took all of Draco’s willpower to not punch Potter straight in his little, amused face. He kept telling himself that he was on Potter’s side now.

Draco went inside the door, followed by Harry. The door closed behind them, shaking Draco’s nerves a bit.

They waited a few moments and the small room they were in started to drop slowly. Draco had no idea what was going on and was too tired to ask questions. Harry, though, seemed to think nothing of it. He kept his head toward the closed door and never looked in Draco’s direction.

The room stopped its downward motion and once again the door opened. This time, however, there were people on the other side. Tons of them. There were beds with wounded wizards in them and medi-witches tending to them.

"Follow me," Harry said as he began to walk through the busy room. Suddenly, he stopped and turned to Draco. "Stay close, it’s crowded in here."

"I’m not five, Potter. I’m sure I can handle myself, thanks," Draco sneered trying so hard to restrain himself.

"Have it your way, Malfoy," Harry sighed. He began to walk again.

Draco followed, walking through the crowd. They came to a dimly lit hallway with a door at the end of it. The walls were made of stone and nothing but torchlight lit their way. When they approached the door, Harry warned Draco to stay back.

Harry whispered the password and the door opened. Then he signalled Draco to come forward.

"Still can’t trust me, eh, Potter?" Draco asked dryly.

Harry chose not to retaliate. He shook his head and walked through the open door way. Draco followed him. They walked into what looked like the middle of a discussion. Dumbledore was there, of course, but Draco realised that four other people were sitting with him as well. Draco recognized the Mudblood right away and also his most hated enemy, the youngest male Weasley. He didn’t know who the other two people were. He was sure he had seen them before. The room was dark, but Draco could still see their red hair. Weasleys he thought.

"Ah, Harry, you’ve brought Mister Malfoy." Harry nodded. "Good," Dumbledore continued, summoning two more chairs. "Please sit." Draco and Harry did what they were told.

"We are all very pleased that you have decided to help us, Mister Malfoy, but you realize that this has put you in a most dangerous position."

Draco nodded. Dumbledore continued, "This is why we have called you here. If you have noticed, this is our safe house. It is a hospital for those wounded during battles or attacks. It is also where we bring wizards and witches whom we have reason to believe are planned to be attacked by Lord Voldemort. This is why you are here, Mister Malfoy. We want to protect you from Voldemort."

Draco looked at the old man, who he still thought was slightly insane. Breaking the silence he asked, "How, Sir?"

"That is what Miss Granger, the Weasleys, and I were discussing. Tell me, Mister Malfoy, how would you feel about going away and hiding for a while?" Dumbledore asked without changing his facial expression.

He has to be kidding, Draco thought. He looked Dumbledore in the eye and saw no signs of amusement.

Bloody hell! He’s serious!

Draco gulped and thought about it. "Where and for how long?" he asked, though, he didn’t really want to go. It would show signs of weakness if he ran away in the face of danger. Malfoys didn’t run away from their fears. Draco wanted to stay and help fight on the front lines with Potter. Still, he didn’t want to anger anyone, so he humoured the old man.

The Headmaster’s eyes twinkled. The Weasleys, however, didn’t look pleased at all. “In the United States and for as long and we need to fight off Voldemort,” Dumbledore told him.

Draco was still trying to take this all in. He didn’t want to go and he hoped didn’t have to. "Headmaster, with all due respect, I would much rather stay here and help fight. I could be useful to you if you need me."

Dumbledore shook his head. "No. You have too many people wanting to hurt you, Draco. People such as Lord Voldemort, many of the Death Eaters, and of course your father..." he was interrupted.

"Ah, yes, of course. Lucius. He must be really pissed off at me for displeasing his Master," Draco stated dryly, which earned him glances from Weasley, Granger, and Potter. He ignored them like always.

"Indeed," said a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around to see Severus Snape enter the room. "But your father is usually always pissed off at someone, don’t you agree?"

Draco heard Weasley and Potter snickering. Snape ignored them and continued. "Please, Mister Malfoy. I agree with the Headmaster’s decision. You must go until the heat dies down. Then, I promise you, you can come and fight."

Draco stared at the man. He was his Head of House and favourite teacher for seven years. Severus Snape was the closest thing Draco had to a father his entire life. Lucius never acted as he really cared for Draco and always treated him like a pawn for the Dark Lord to use.

Draco trusted Snape and his decision; Snape had once been a loyal Death Eater and switched over. Snape was the only one in that room with whom Draco could relate too.

"And if I don’t want to?" Draco asked, showing his stubborn side.

"Then we will be forced to make you," Dumbledore said eyeing Snape and Harry.

"I’ll go," Draco agreed begrudgingly. He was befuddled to see the anger in all three Weasleys’ eyes.

Why are they so mad? I thought they would be happy to get rid of me.

"Then it is settled. You will live as a Muggle in the America," Dumbledore told him. Draco winced at the thought.

"But, Sir, how will I know how to get around and survive as a Muggle? Can’t I just hide there as a wizard?" he asked, silently praying Dumbledore would agree to his wishes.

"Voldemort will be looking for you now. One of the ways he can catch you is if he tries to track your magic. No magic will be used. Is that clear?" Dumbledore looked at the boy sternly.

Draco nodded.

"And as for your survival as a Muggle, there will be a witch there to help you. She has lived there for a while and will watch over you for the time being."

She? Maybe this won’t be so bad after all…

"Who will it be then?" Draco asked, not able to keep the depression and annoyance out of his voice. The Weasleys were still across the room, glaring daggers at him. They could be scary when they wanted to be.

Dumbledore smiled and Draco held his breath.

"Ginny Weasley."

~*~

Author Note: The safe house talked about is separate from the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters; it's more like an underground hospital.

There is a reason Draco betrayed Voldemort and joined the Order, but it won't be revealed until later chapters

I hope you enjoyed this part of "Hidden". It's my first attempt at fanfiction.

**DISCLAIMER: Honestly, if I owned Harry Potter I would be on a remote island in the Bahamas. There would be an endless supply of Appletinis and many man servants dressed only in loin cloths. Do I have all of that? Thanks so much for reminding me, but no, I do not. There's your answer**


Satellite in my eyes
Like a diamond in the sky
How I wonder.
Satellite strung from the moon
And the world your balloon
Peeping tom for the mother station
Winter's cold spring erases
And the calm away by the storm is chasing
Everything good needs replacing

Look up, look down all around, hey satellite
Satellite, headlines read
Someone's secrets you've seen
Eyes and ears have been
Satellite dish in my yard
Tell me more, tell me more
Who's the king of your satellite castle?

"Satellite"
By: The Dave Mattew's Band



Chapter One
–Getting There–

The meeting was over, and the Death Eaters all began to Apparate. Wormtail watched as they left.

“Lucius.”

The man with the black hood, who was about to leave, stiffened. He turned towards his leader and went to him. He knelt down, kissed the hems of his robes, and backed away.

“Yes, my Lord?” he asked quietly.

“About your son...” Voldemort started.

“I have no son,” Lucius said gravely, anger starting to fill his eyes.

“Silence! Do not interrupt me when I am talking!” Voldemort roared. Wormtail shuddered. He always was a coward.

“Sorry, my Lord. It will not happen again,” Lucius said as he graciously bowed.

“Wormtail, bring out my tracking device.” Wormtail did as he was told and rolled out a machine with blinking lights of every color. The machine showed a map of the entire word. "Wormtail found this for me on the Muggle black market. Stupid Muggles. They don't know genius when they see it," Voldemort sighed.

“This keeps track of the whereabouts of anyone I need to find. Whenever they use magic, I will know. I suspect that Dumbledore will advise the boy not to use magic, but he is bound to use it eventually. We will use this to find him, Lucius.”

“Very well, my Lord. But may I ask one favor?” Lucius asked, still marveling at the machine.

“That depends on what it is,” the Dark Lord said, eyeing Lucius suspiciously.

“Let me have the boy when you are finished with him.” His eyes showed pure hatred and maliciousness.

“As you wish.”

“Thank you, my Lord.” Lucius knelt down and kissed the hems of his robes again, and then Apparated out with a ‘pop’.

~*~

“The Little Weasel?! Is he insane?!” Draco ranted, going through the wardrobes of his secret flat. He was packing his bags. Hermione had accompanied him, to help him bring things necessary in Muggle life.

“Trust me, Ginny’s not going to enjoy this either,” Hermione muttered.

“Know-It-All Mudblood,” Draco muttered. Hermione heard his remark and flushed red in anger. She stood up and smacked Draco squarely across his cheek just as she had many years ago.

“Listen, Malfoy, and listen good. Ginny is doing this to help you. I am doing this to help you! So forget about your stupid, effing Malfoy pride for just one second and appreciate what everyone around here is doing for you!” she yelled.

Draco just stared at her with a mixture of amusement and shock. He never knew she had that in her. “Look Mud--” He broke off when Hermione gave him a warning look. “Look, Granger, I’m just not used to this, okay? I’m not used to people helping me and being nice to me. So excuse me if I’m a royal pain in the ass.”

Hermione smiled. “I’m glad you admitted that.”

Draco looked at Hermione questioningly. “I didn’t admit to anything!”

Hermione smirked at him and moved to sit in the rocking chair near Draco's bed. “You admitted that you were a royal pain in the ass.”

Draco gaped at her. “Did not! I said if… if I’m a royal pain the ass,” he corrected.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Draco glared at her. “So is why is the female Weasley hiding from the Dark Lord? Not brave enough?” he taunted. He turned, uninterested, back to packing.

“Ginny has been in hiding for a long time, Malfoy. Just be thankful that she is willing to help you,” Hermione spat.

Draco stopped what he was doing and turned to Hermione. “Why has she been in hiding? What would the Dark Lord possibly want with a Muggle-loving traitor like her?”

He really doesn’t know? That’s odd considering his father is the reason Ginny was given the diary in the first place.

Hermione contemplated telling him, and finally gave in. “Do you remember when the Chamber of Secrets was opened in our second year?” Hermione almost whispered.

Draco nodded. “Yes. That was when the Heir of Slytherin tried to kill all those Mud—er—Muggleborns,” Draco remembered.

Hermione remained silent. The whole ordeal had been terrible for her. She didn’t talk to Ginny for weeks after she found out that she had helped the Heir of Slytherin. Now she felt terrible about it.

Draco watched Hermione in interest as she seemed to be contemplating something in her head. Finally, she lifted her gaze and looked Draco squarely in the eye.

“Ginny did it. She wrote on the wall with blood, she let the Basilisk free, and she opened the Chamber of secrets,” Hermione whispered harshly.

Draco’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t been expecting that. “Bu-But how?” he stuttered.

“Well, it wasn’t really her. Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord’s younger self, was preserved in a diary that your father gave her. He made her do all those things. She was put in hiding in case Tom would try to do it again.” Hermione sighed. Then she looked at the robes Draco had in his hands and shook her head.

“Honestly, Malfoy, are you really thinking about bringing those? They look really expensive, but in the Muggle world, they just wouldn’t do,” she told him, trying to change the subject.

“These are my finest robes! What do you expect me to wear?” Draco asked snottily as he continued to pack them anyway.

“Jeans and a tee shirt are usually worn in Muggle areas,” Hermione told him. Draco snorted in a ‘fat chance’ fashion, ignored her, and kept on packing.

~*~

Hermione and Draco arrived at the safe house an hour later. After hours of trying to get Draco into Muggle clothes, Hermione was sure that she had gone insane. Yet, he was still in wizarding robes.

“Stupid effing Malfoys. Always thinking they’re better than everyone else. I should have shoved my wand up his ass. Then, maybe he would have listened!” Hermione ranted to Harry and Ron.

Draco, on the other hand, was nervously waiting by Professor Snape. He had two trunks which were quite heavy. Ron snickered and muttered something about him being a pouf.

Harry, Hermione, Snape, and the Weasleys were all crowded into Dumbledore’s office. Mrs. Weasley was crying and Mr. Weasley was trying to comfort her, but not succeeding. Draco looked around, impulsively bouncing his right leg up and down.

“Mr. Malfoy,” a voice startled him. He looked up into the eyes of Albus Dumbledore. “You are clear on everything we talked about?” Draco nodded.

“Then have a safe journey and remember, no magic,” Dumbledore reminded him. “Please hand over your wand, Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco fingered the wand in his pocket reluctantly, but finally pulled it out and gave it to the headmaster.

Dumbledore took the wand and signaled Professor Snape to stand. No one bid Draco goodbye, but that was okay with him. He wasn’t expecting them to. Dumbledore pressed down the statue on his desk, which opened the door to a secret room. Dumbledore and Snape went into the room and Draco started to follow, but was stopped by the youngest male Weasley.

Ron’s eyes were filled with anger. “If you do anything to my sister, if you lay one hand on a single strand of hair, I will make you regret the day you were born, is that clear, Malfoy?” he spat venomously. Draco looked into Ron’s eyes and growled. Harry put his hand on Ron’s shoulder to restrain him.

“Mr. Malfoy, you should be going,” Dumbledore’s voice echoed in the distance.

Draco nodded, his eyes never leaving Ron’s. He turned and brought his trunks with him. Once he was in the room, Draco looked questioningly at Professor Snape.

Professor Snape took a deep breath and said, “We suspect The Dark Lord is keeping a tracker on certain people’s magic. Mainly you, Dumbledore, and Mr. Potter. He wouldn’t suspect me.”

Draco nodded and stood back as Snape opened the portal to Draco’s new home on the cold, stone wall. Within a few seconds there was a ‘pop,’ and Draco was gone.

~*~

There was a huge ‘thud’ on the floor and Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin. She stood up from her kitchen table and slowly put down the magazine she was reading. She listened to the quiet house for any other signs of noise, but there was nothing.

She began to creep across the kitchen into the living room, where she supposed the mysterious noise came from. She really wasn’t dressed to put up a fight. She wore a pale blue tank top and star-emblem pyjama pants. Her bright red hair, of course, was down, but a little unruly because she had woken up from her fitful sleep about an hour earlier. She quickly glanced over at the clock.

3:00 A.M.

As she rounded the corner into the living room, she saw a dark figure trying to regain composure. It weakly stood up and let out a soft moan before rubbing its head. Its back was turned toward Ginny, so she thought quickly.

She grabbed the vase which sat on a nearby shelf and crept up behind the dark figure. It was about to turn around when...

BAM!

Ginny knocked it over the head with the vase, causing him to fall to the floor yet again. The figure swore very loudly and Ginny recognized the voice as a man’s. She scurried over to the wall and flipped the light switch on. What she saw surprised her.

It was a man, with two trunks, sitting on her living room floor rubbing his head, which began to bleed. She also saw that his head was covered with almost unnatural platinum blond hair. She knew immediately who it was and went over to him.

“Well, well, Malfoy. You certainly do know how to make an entrance now, don’t you?” Ginny said as she looked down at him.

Malfoy turned his head to look at her. His silver eyes pierced her brown ones.

Then, he growled in anger, “Bugger, woman! Nice way to treat your house-guest. What were you trying to do? Kill me?”

“As much fun as that sounds…” Ginny’s voice carried off as she tried to choose her words carefully, “…it is my strict orders to keep you alive.”

She ignored his glare and continued, “Listen Malfoy, and listen good. You are not a guest here, for guests are invited. You are merely a nuisance that I was assigned to watch over, protect, etc. I know you hate Muggles with a passion, but please to try to restrain yourself because you are now living in an all Muggle community, so get used to it! Besides, they’re really not that bad. Furthermore, I expect respect from you. I know it is hard for you to melt that frozen heart of yours, but try to be as nice as possible or I will defy Dumbledore and do your father the pleasure of killing you myself!” She finally finished, out of breath. He looked up at her with surprise written all over his face. Then his old Malfoy scowl came back.

“I don’t need your help for anything, Weasley, especially when it comes to protecting myself!”

Ginny quirked an eyebrow. “Then why are you here?”

Malfoy did not respond, but only looked away in anger and frustration.

Looks like I struck a nerve, Ginny thought in amusement, or bruised that big ego of his.

She kneeled down beside him and moved his hands, which were covering up his head wounds. There was a massive amount of blood and she gasped. “I am sorry, though.”

Malfoy sneered at her. "Whatever, Weasley," he muttered.

She stood up and he looked at her questioningly. “I’m going to get some bandages for you head. Here, sit on the couch and just wait for a second,” Ginny ordered as she helped him up to the couch.

She walked away and Malfoy took a moment to take in his new surroundings. A few moments later, Ginny returned with things in her hands and sat on the couch beside Malfoy.

“Take your hands off your head and let me have a look at you.” He did as he was told and took note to the things Ginny had. One of them was quite sharp.

While she was examining him, he asked, “What is that?” pointing to the particularly sharp object in her lap.

“Oh,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “Is Malfoy afraid of sharp things?” Ginny taunted.

“Shut up!” Malfoy sneered, causing Ginny’s amused face to break out into fits of laughter. “I just wanted to know what it was. You’re supposed to be teaching me about Muggles and their way of life. Did you forget so quickly?”

Ginny rolled her eyes. He’s so childish.

“These are a pair of tweezers. If you have any glass from the vase in your scalp, these will get them out.” He looked at her skeptically, but she continued to examine his head.

“Besides, since we can’t use magic, how else are you supposed to heal, but the Muggle way?” Ginny asked sarcastically, still looking at his scalp.

“Bugger. Stupid Muggles,” Malfoy muttered under her breath. She heard him and gave him a warning look.

“Lucky for you, there’s no glass. Go take a shower and I’ll ring Hermione’s flat to tell everyone you’ve arrived … almost in one piece,” Ginny told him. She started to lead Malfoy to the bathroom, but first, he went to his small trunk and pulled out shampoo, conditioner, and a bar of soap. Then, they continued walking.

“Ring Granger’s flat? What does that mean?” Malfoy asked with genuine curiosity as they entered the very large bathroom. It had a very big tub with a shower head and a flower-designed shower curtain. It was dimly-lit and smelt of cinnamon, which greatly suited Ginny.

“Yes. Ring her flat. We can’t owl each other without the chance of being caught, so we use the Muggle device for communication. It’s called the telephone,” she said, getting towels for him from the cupboard. “Okay, Malfoy? Tell-e-fone.” Malfoy looked at her very bemusedly, but she continued to talk.

“You just talk into the speaker with a normal voice. Don’t yell or anything. Harry told me about the one time Ron tried to ring his Aunt and Uncle’s house and he screamed so loud that--”

“All right. I get it, Weasel,” Malfoy cut her off. He really did not want her to tell him about the stupidities of her brother right now.

“Very well. I’ll help you get settled in when you’re finished.” Ginny turned and left him, shutting the door behind her.

As she walked away, she thought, How odd, Malfoy was actually somewhat … what’s the word I’m looking for? Civil. He was actually somewhat civil towards me—a Weasley! Perhaps things change.

She went back into the kitchen and began to read the magazine she had been reading previously. From inside the bathroom she heard Draco curse loudly. "Sweet Merlin's teeth!"

Either he got soap in his eyes or the cut on his head. Ginny chuckled and thought,

Then again, perhaps they don’t.

Author Note: I want to thank my fantasical beta, MrsHarryPotter, for correcting all of my stupid mistakes. And I dedicate this chapter to my best friend, Dominique, who is going through some hard times right now. Know that I love you and that I'll always be there for you.

**DISCLAIMER: Seriously, if I owned Harry Potter I would be drinking out of a coconut, sharing the warmth of the sand, and getting a nice, needed tan. Am I doing all of those things? No. I am stuck with tap water, plaid sheets, and a pale face from the evil winter. Thanks for reminding me.**


If you want you can get to know me well
We get along so we shouldn't argue
And I don't know, said I don't know
All these feelings cloud up my reasoning
Cloud up my reasoning

I know, but I still
Believe in ignorance as my best defense
So go on, wreck me
Funny how I carry on, and not be taken over
Will not roll over on anyone,
cuz anyone would stand up on my side

"Argue"
By: Matchbox 20


Chapter Two
--Of Dealers and the Dealt--

Draco wrapped the towel around his waist tightly, and walked out of the bathroom. He found Ginny in the kitchen, reading a magazine.

“Did you talk to Granger?” he asked. Ginny jumped from her chair, a little startled.

“Oh, yeah. I told her you were here and that you were okay,” Ginny said, turning back to her magazine. His gaze, however, never left her. She felt his eyes on her and sighed. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll show you around town?” she suggested.

Draco nodded his head and realised something before turning around and leaving. “Where am I to sleep?” he asked.

“Oh, sorry! Go to the living room and it’s the door with the silver handle. I already put your trunks there.” Draco grunted and Ginny took it as his best try at a ‘thank you.' Then, he proceeded to his room. To his surprise it was quite large. It had a desk with a chair, one window with plush green curtains, a dresser, and a queen-sized bed. She had obviously changed his sheets and comforter because they were green with silver pillows.

Draco was glad that Ginny knew how to make him feel at home. He sighed and began to dress to face the long, horrible, Muggle-filled day ahead of him. Why did the gods hate him so?

He walked into the living room and found Ginny sitting on the couch and reading what seemed to be a Muggle newspaper. She felt his presence and looked up from the column she was reading.

Almost immediately Ginny bit her bottom lip and put down the paper. Draco gave her a questioning glance, but by then she had covered her mouth with both of her hands and was trying to keep herself from laughing. He didn’t know off-hand why she was laughing, but decided to humour her. Besides, this had to stop now. Malfoys are never laughed at.

“What?” he asked, sighing impatiently.

“Oh, Malfoy,” Ginny choked, “No M-muggle...would ever wear... hehehe... t-that...in public!” she fell off of the couch in fits of laughter. Draco just stood there in front of her, looking down at his choice of clothing.

“I’ll have you know, Weasley,” he sneered, “that these robes are worth more than your entire house!”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Come on, Malfoy. What’s with the poor jokes? I thought you would have come up with something better. I mean, we’ve been out of Hogwarts for how many years now?”

Draco was shocked at the little Weasel’s gall, but kept his outward composer. This was definitely not the shy, scared, little girl he remembered.

When Ginny was able to calm herself, she gathered herself from the floor. “I thought Hermione was supposed to give you help on what to wear?" she asked, brushing the invisible dirt off of herself.

Draco sneered, "Like I would take orders from a Mudblood."

Ginny's eyes narrowed angrily. "Don't call her that, you horrible little ferret!"

Draco sighed and ran an impatient hand through his hair. "Not the ferret jokes," he muttered sourly.

"Fine. No more ferret jokes if you promise to keep your derogatory words to yourself," Ginny conceded. Draco nodded and Ginny promptly left the room. When she returned she was carrying a bundle of men's clothing.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't listen to Hermione," Ginny confessed. "Even if she stuck her wand up your arse."

Draco took the clothing that was handed to him and looked at Ginny with aggravation and contempt. Sneaky little bint! He wanted to wear his own robes, dammit! With an over-exaggerated sigh he left the room to change. Ginny waited for him in amusement, hearing him mumble angrily and curse every-so-often.

When Draco returned he found Ginny waiting for him in a white, spring dress with a yellow sweater. Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor, he supposed, but did she half to do it in his presence? Wanting to irk her as much as she irked him, Draco decided to make a comment.

"Red and yellow, Weasel? Reliving the old days when Potter wouldn't have you if you threw yourself at him naked?" he drawled in a bored sort of tone.

Ginny's face turned as red as her hair in a split second. How dare he? "You.. you.. evil bastard!" she screeched. "And here I thought you had changed. I was wrong, you are still the spitting image of Lucius Malfoy!"

Draco pinned her to the wall by her wrists violently. He watched as she squirmed to get away, but he didn't care. His face came dangerously close to hers so close that she could see the the anger seeting out of him. "Never, ever compare me to him," he hissed slowly.

Ginny nodded, fear evident in her wide eyes. Draco let her go and turned his back to her, instantly regretting what he did. He ran a nervous hand through his flaxen hair. "Weasel," he said, turning around to face her.

Draco met Ginny's hardened stare and inwardly flinched. "Forget it," she said flatly.

After she had grabbed her keys and purse, they went out the door and into the driveway. Neither spoke a word to each other, but both of them hated the awkward silence. They walked out to her driveway, which had a white Beetle in the center of it. Ginny knew her new role of teaching Draco things about the Muggle world, but she also knew about his view of Muggles. This wasn't going to be fun.

She sighed and readied herself to go in for the kill. “This is my..” She was interrupted.

“Yes, I know. It’s a car.” Draco said in what would be considered a superior tone of voice.

Ginny just stared at him in mild shock. “How did you know that?”

Draco rolled his eyes and snorted. “Honestly, Weasley. It’s not as if I’ve never been in Muggle London before. I know what a car is and what it does. I know a lot more about Muggles than you think I do.” Ginny just gaped at him.

Draco chuckled and began to walk towards the drivers side. "You look like a fish out of water," he commented. Ginny instantly closed her mouth. Then she realized where he was headed.

“Malfoy, that’s the driver’s side here. It’s backwards from back home.” Draco didn’t blink an eye.

“I know. I want to drive.” Ginny bit her lower lip and walked over to him.

“I am not letting you, of all people, drive my car," she told him frankly.

Draco made a face. "I've driven before, Weasley. Have some faith."

"Faith? Ha!" Ginny laughed sarcastically. "Malfoy give me one good reason, based on past experiences, that I should let you drive me around. You could very well crash just to kill me!"

Draco looked at her as if she had grown another head. "Weasley, honestly, use your common sense. If I were to crash just to kill you, there was a chance that I could be harmed. Do you think that I, the vainest person in Hogwarts, would expose myself to that kind of danger?"

"Lavender was vainer than you. I think Seamus was secretly vain, too. When we went out to Hogsmeade together, he always had his little compact mirror with him. I caught him making strange faces in it once. Of course, that was when he was in the middle of snogging Justin Flinch-Fletchy," Ginny told him offhandedly.

Draco sighed and tapped his fingers of the rook of the car impatiently. "Not the point, Weasley."

"Well, how would you like to find out that your boyfriend was a poof?!"

"My guess is that if I had a boyfriend, I would already know," Draco retorted. "Still, not the point."

Ginny decided that Draco was right, but she simply wouldn't let him win this argument. After a moment of searching through obscenely stupid reasons why she shouldn't let him drive, she came up with a good one.

"You don't have a driver's license," she said triumphantly.

"What?"

"A driver's license," she repeated, feeling pretty damn proud of herself. "Every driver needs one to be on the road."

Draco exasperatedly threw his hands up in the air. "Fine! I give up!"

Ginny watched with silent glee as he walked to the passenger's side and shoved himself in the car with a slam of the door behind him. As they began to drive downtown, Draco could instantly pick out the differences between here and home., the difference between Muggles and Wizards. Still, it was a beautiful day outside and there were tons of people walking ever-which-way. Draco smiled and thought that maybe he could live here for a few months after all.

Ginny turned and saw Draco looking out the window, smiling, for the first time ever. Of course, she had seen him smirk before, but that was only for cruel purposes. Now, he actually looked human and happy. They reached a red light and she cleared her throat and he turned to her.

“I thought we'd go to my favorite café, Amada’s. Afterwards I have to check the store, but then we can go wherever you want.” Ginny turned her attention back to the road. “Please be nice to everyone. They’re my friends,” she added.

“The store?” Draco asked idly, purposely picking out the wrong part of the conversation to comment about.

“Oh, yes. I forgot to tell you. I own a bookstore and library called Tall Tales,” Ginny explained, smiling broadly as she parked the car and led Draco to the front door. “I was hoping that while you were here that you could help me around the store. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

The hostess came over to Ginny and Draco. “Two please. Non-smoking,” Ginny told her. The hostess grabbed two menus and said, “Follow me.”

“I don't do the hired help thing, Weasel," Draco whispered into her ear.

The hostess sat them at a booth, near a window. “Who said I was paying you? Anyway, you can call me by my name, you know? That is if you know what it is.” She picked up her menu and started to read the breakfast specials.

He looked at the menu as well. “You could stand to do the same, Ginny," Draco sneered, emphasizing her name.

“No, your name is just to... stuffy.” Draco scowled and Ginny chuckled. "I could call you Dragon," she teased.

Draco snorted. "Not unless you want people to think that you're calling me by my kinky pet name."

"Nonsense. Dragon isn't your kinky pet name," Ginny said, an evil smile dawning on her lips. "Ferret is."

Draco growled lowly. "I thought we made a deal. No. Ferret. Jokes." When he had finished talking, he slammed his fisted hands down onto the table roughly, causing other seated people to stare at the couple for a moment.

"Don't be so touchy, Malfoy!" Ginny chastised in a light whisper. A blush spread lightly over her cheeks from such unwanted attention from strangers.

"Just like you're being touchy about me calling your friend a Mudblood?" he returned angrily.

Ginny scoffed. "The Malfoy pigheaded streak shows itself once more."

Draco grinned maliciously. "Yes, Malfoys are pigheaded and proud. We also have money. Lots of it. Whereas your parents had to sell everything they owned for one week's night of food! I have new, top of the line broomsticks and designer clothing, Weasley. Not hand-me-downs from those oafs you call brothers! How many of them are there, again? Thirteen. . .fifteen?” Draco momentarily felt bad for being so mean to Ginny, but she was getting on his nerves. And calling him his father.. that was below the belt.

“Six,” Ginny said through gritted teeth. Her face and the tips of her ears were burning red now. “How dare you insult my family! You know nothing about me, Malfoy!”

“You say this as if you know something about me!”

“I do!” Ginny said. “I know that you a pompous bastard who only cares about himself. Who cares more about his hair any other human being! You are a self-conceited pig with the ego the size of France!”

By this time, Draco’s blood was boiling. “Look!” he growled, catching Ginny’s attention, and most of the other people’s in the room as well. “I have changed since Hogwarts, Weasel. I may still be conceited and a pompous bastard, but I only give as good as I get, Weasel. People change. Is that so hard to believe?” When he had finished the fork on the table being very interesting to stare at.

Ginny felt sorry that she had given him such a hard time. She was about to apologize, when the waitress came over. “Are you ready to order?” she asked, taking out her pen and a pad of paper. Ginny and Draco nodded.

“Spanish omelette and water, please," Ginny said, closing her menu and looking over at Draco who was looking at the waitress.

“I’ll have the same.” She collected their menus and left them alone once again.

“Draco,” Ginny started. He looked up at her, realizing she had just said his first name. “I’m sorry.”

Draco smiled slightly because he never had gotten a sincere apology before. Then, he thought of something. “I’ll make you a deal, Weasel.”

"Another? Why don't we just write up a peace treaty? Oh, wait, that would take more than forty years to compromise!" Ginny said sarcastically. She caught Draco's glare and realized that he was trying to be nice and serious, which was different for him. She sighed and decided to be nice and serious as well.

"What would be in this said deal?" she asked curiously.

“To make this time...er...bearable for us, we agree to be nice to each other. No rude, hurtful comments or going at each other’s throats, etc. Do you get where I’m going with this?” he finished hurriedly. He didn't like to think that he was having a civil, peace-making conversation with a Weasley. It was just wrong.

Ginny looked at him skeptically. “So basically you’re offering me your friendship?”

Draco thought about it for a while and finally nodded his head slowly. "If you want to call it that."

Ginny nodded, and stuck her hand out towards him. “Deal.”

Draco was reluctant about touching her, but put it aside and shook her hand.

A few minutes later, their omelettes came and they ate in silence for the rest of their time there.

~*~

***A/N: “Amada” - From the name Amatus, which means "beloved" in Latin***

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are just so wonderful!

I know it's been awhile, but I have been in the process of moving. When everything was said and done, the computer that has all of my work on it crashed.. leading me farther down the road to insanity as I'd ever hoped to be. In short, winter has been evil and if I don't have any beta trouble I hope to post more frequently.

Thanks to everyone again and I hope you enjoy this chapter!