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The Gryffindor common room was abuzz with conversation. Some of it was homework related, others talked about the latest owl post from home. But through it all, the most popular topic of discussion since Dumbledore's announcement during dinner the previous week, was the news that Ginny Weasley had saved the life of a student. And not just any student. A Slytherin.

Ginny herself proved more tight-lipped than the gruffest Goblin working in Gringott's, the Wizarding Bank. So, in the absence of answers from the source, curious minds turned to the next viable option: Her friends. All week long, Ron, Hermione and Harry were hounded with questions, all having to do with what they knew about the incident. However, much to the dismay of inquiring minds, the trio knew just as little as they did.

"How can she not tell us? I mean, we're her family!" Ron said exasperated, dropping himself into a leather armchair in front of the fireplace.

"You're her family, Ron. We're just her friends." Harry corrected.

"We're closer than friends to her, Harry. But I'm sure she has a reason not tell anyone." Hermione sat on the floor, editing an essay she had started for Divination class.

"Has she said anything to you, Hermione? I mean...girls are always sharing secrets, aren't they?" Ron prodded at her.

Rolling his eyes, Harry shook his head, before Hermione swatted Ron on the knee "You're such a git, Ron! No wonder you couldn't get a date for the ball last year!"

"Who are you calling a git? Why else do girls always huddle together, whispering and giggling in secret, only to fall silent when someone walks by?"

"Really, Ronald. You just don't understand..." Hermione stopped, diverting her attention over Ron's shoulder.

The murmuring in the room fell silent, with the appearance of the girl in question appearing at the bottom of the stairs that led up the girl' dormitory. Ginny swept the room with her eyes, knowing full well why everyone turned to look at her. Giving a disapproving frown, she stepped down into the room. For the past seven days, every set of eyes she passed followed her, and she found herself becoming less and less comfortable, reaching the point she spent more time out of the Gryffindor Common, than she did in it.

Heading towards the portrait hole, she waited for it to swing open. It was a short wait, but long enough for a few eager busybodies to assail her with questions. She tried to politely decline answering, but she knew how futile it would be. As the questions kept coming, her anger started to rise. Turning to tell everyone around her just what they could do with their questions, she was spared by the quick reaction of Hermione, who cut herself through the crowd to position herself between Ginny and the crowd.

"Hey, back off. You all should really mind your own business! If Dumbledore didn't see fit that you all should know, then maybe there is a reason she doesn't want to tell you!"

With a collective sigh of frustration, the students turned around, moving back to their prior activites. Ginny gave the back of Hermione's head a look, before the girl genius turned, smiling to her. "You alright, Ginny?

Her first instinct was merely to nod, and go on her way. But in truth, she needed to talk. To tell someone about the guilt and discomfort she felt at what she had done. To see everyone carry on about it, about her, as though what she had done was some great heroic act, when in fact, she could have very easily not done anything at all...and it was that realization that scared her.

Perhaps it was the fear on her face that made Hermione's smile fade. She may be a friend, closer to Ron and Harry than to anyone else, but she was also the closest Ginny had ever come to a sister, having been raised in a family of all brothers, and all older than she. Hermione glanced over her shoulder, then motioned to Ginny, before stepping through the portrait hole. "Come on. Let's go talk somewhere."

Moving into the hallway, Ginny stood beside her, looking down at the darkness that filled the bottom of the stairwell. Somewhere down in the dungeons, was the Slytherin Common Room...and the other side of the coin.

Draco stared at the parchment in front of him. His homework lay half-completed, his mind not able to focus on the assignment. There was a lot of speculation and hearsay circulating through the Slytherin House, mostly having to do with the mysterious events that transpired in Hogsmeade. No one got close to figuring it out, and it was amazing how wild people' imagination could get in the absence of fact.

But through it all, he kept his speculations to himself. He did nothing to dispel the ideas of the others, for if they believed they knew the truth, it kept them from finding out the truth. If there were rumors flying as it were, the stories that would spread if they knew would be even wilder.

"Draco?" a voice called him back from the fog of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw the smiling face of Pansy Parkinson, the fellow Slytherin who seemed to make it her life's mission to fawn over him. Normally, he would feast upon her attention, using it to feed his ego and inflate the feeling of self-importance. But lately, he had found her constant hovering to be grating on his already frayed nerves.

"What do you want, Pansy? Can't you see I'm working?" he asked in annoyance.

"You've been sitting here staring for over an hour. Your assignment can't be that hard, is it?" she asked, leaning down to peer at what he had written.

Sitting back in his chair, he lay his quill on the table, folding his arms across his chest. "Just not able to concentrate." he lied, convincingly as she nodded. "Something I can do for you?"

She stepped up behind him, running a hand across the top of his head, her fingers slipping through the golden locks of hair. "Actually, I was wondering if there was something I could do for you? You've been so moody the past few days, and it's not very good for you."

Draco closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He hadn't slept much in the past few nights, and when he did manage to sleep, he was haunted by dreams, twisted visions of his death, only to be saved by a mysterious black shadow, who's only identifying feature was hair of flames. He thought it was a banshee at first, but when he tried to reach for it, to pull them into the light and reveal their identity, the figure changed, spinning like a tornado, until the face of his father stepped into the light.

"You disappoint me, Draco. Associating with our enemies. I should cast you into the street where you belong!" Before he could explain himself, his father tossed him, sailing through the air in slow motion, until he landed in a gutter, his clothing suddenly nothing more than tattered rags. He looked around, surrounded by large rats, and huddled together for warmth, a family of wizards, familiar in their appearance, each one of them with mangled red hair. Running towards them, they move away, keeping their backs to him. He calls out to them, but they ignore him. He would rush forward, grab the closest one by the rags, but when he turned it to face him, he always awoke, gripping the curtains around his bed. Every night, the same thing.

He looked up at Pansy again, sighing a little. "It's nothing. I just...haven't slept well."

Pansy pouted a little, running her fingers through his hair again, as though stroking some beloved pet. "Poor Draco. Well, with all the excitement going on, I suppose that's understandable. But it could be worse." She smiled.

"I don't see how." he muttered under his breath. Whether or not she heard him he was uncertain, but she launched into an explanation. "A few of us are convinced it was a second year student who managed to get into trouble at Hogsmeade. Made their way to the Shrieking Shack and crept inside. Almost got eaten by whatever was inside it."

Draco's eyes blinked, at hearing about the Shrieking Shack. It was coincidence, he was sure, but the mere mention of the site of his near death was enough to send a shiver up his spine. Fortunately, Pansy showed no signs of noticing, as her voice droned on with her story, to which Draco paid little attention, until she tapped him on the forehead.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" she asked, a look of mild annoyance on her face.

"Sorry, I didn't hear that last part."

"I asked you what you thought happened?"

"Oh...I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't heard anything about it, but your theory sounds like a good one. You should ask them if they went near the Shack."

"Did you see anything up there?"

Draco narrowed his eyes "What do you mean? Up where?"

"At the Shrieking Shack. Goyle said you had to meet your mother there. Did you see anything strange when you were up there?"

He had forgotten his two lackeys had been there when he received the strange telegram, the bait that lured him into such an obvious trap. If they told Pansy about the letter...then how many other people knew? His eyes widened, looking around the room. But no one seemed to notice, each of them absorbed in their own conversations.

"No...no, I didn't see anything. Just met her, and left again." He replied quickly.

Her lips pulled back in a slight sneer, her eyes focused on her fingers as she continued to stroke through his hair, making it stand on end as she brushed it against the grain. "Can you imagine the humiliation? Having your life saved by that pathetic wretch? People like her shouldn't even be at this school!"

Draco frowned, wanting to point out that if people like her weren't at this school, he wouldn't be here anymore either. But he nodded silently, curtailing his opinions to that of the populace. His stomach churned, threatening to back up on him, a nagging, stabbing feeling wrenching his guts, as it had so many times before.

"Come on, Draco. It's almost time for lunch. Let's go get us some good seats." Pansy suggested, reaching to take his hand. Although the last thing he wanted right now was to eat, he rose to his feet, and joined the other students who were starting their journey to the Great Hall for the midday meal.

Hermione sat on the step leading out to the front courtyard of the school. Her hands clasped together, resting against her knee, as she listened to details that every other person yearned to hear. She said nothing, waiting while Ginny told her everything. The argument outside the clothing shop. The three men who apparated around Malfoy. The sudden realization that she was the only one who could intervene in time.

When she had finished, Ginny got to her feet, taking a few steps away from Hermione, keeping her back to the older girl. "So...now you know."

Hermione nodded "That's incredible. You should at least tell Ron. They would be proud of you."

"No...they wouldn't." Ginny replied quietly, pressing her hands together in front of her lips, "I'm not what everything seems to think of me. I'm not a hero, or a savior, or any of that."

"You saved someone's life, Ginny. That's something to be proud of. But that's not what is bothering you, is it? The fact people think highly of you?" Hermione was slightly confused but knew that there was more to the story.

"No. But they wouldn't think that if they knew I almost didn't." the red-haired girl said softly.

"What do you mean? You almost didn't make it in time?"

Ginny turned to face Hermione, shaking her head. Her strength wavered, days of pent-up emotions starting to crack the calm facade she had worn. "No...I almost walked away." she whispered.

Hermione's eyes widened for a second as the realization of Ginny's admission filled her mind. As shocking as it was, she nodded, though she fought to find something to say. Ginny stood, waiting for some kind of explosive reaction, but it never came. What she received instead, was a calm, gentle voice of understanding.

"I know how you must have felt, Ginny. Malfoy has been nothing but vile towards you and your family for years. Even earlier that day, he went out of his way to torment you. I don't think many people would have said anything if you had walked away. But that's what makes you everything people think of you. You put up with all of that from him, and still decided to come to his aide."

Ginny could only stand there in silence, listening as Hermione said everything, she had tried to tell herself since it happened. But it did nothing to ease the turmoil she felt. There was something else that wasn't sitting quite right about it, though even she didn't have any idea what it could have been.

Rising to her feet, Hermione reached a hand up to Ginny's shoulder. "It may make Malfoy feel big to treat you the way he does. But it takes a bigger person to do what you've done. You really should be proud of that. You've proven how wrong he is about you."

Nodding, Ginny conceded to that argument. "Thank you, Hermione, for listening."

"Anytime, Ginny. I won't tell this to anyone else. But I think it's something you should share, when you feel ready. I think you'll find more support than you realize. But come on, let's get something to eat. The others should be heading down for lunch around now."

Smiling warmly, Hermione led Ginny back up the steps, and into the Entrance Hall, as students from all Houses were trying to get themselves into the Great Hall. Looking over the sea of robes and heads, Hermione tried to find Harry and the others, but someone found the two of them first.

"Oh look. Hogwart's newest hero and her pet mudblood." Pansy's voice drifted towards them, loud enough to be heard by the Slytherins she walked with, resulting in a raucous round of laughter.

Hermione and Ginny turned to face her, both of them scowling darkly. "Watch your tongue, Pansy." Ginny warned. "You don't call people that here." The statement was both a reminder of rules, and a threat.

"You think you can start telling us what to do now, Weasley? Funny, but I don't see a prefect's badge on your robes." Pansy sneered at her, but this time it was Hermione who spoke up.

"Then perhaps you should look at mine." She stepped in front of Pansy, staring eye to eye with the Slytherin girl.

"It's sad how low this school has sunk, when they make YOU a prefect, Granger." This did not come from Pansy, but rather from Draco, who appeared next to her. "And let's not forget King Weasley. Gryffindor really scraped the bottom of the barrel this year."

Some fellow Gryffindor's caught wind of that as they passed by, turning to address the swarm of their rival Slytherins. They moved to stand behind the two girls, showing their support, much as the others stood behind Pansy and Draco. Looks were exchanged, along with a few unpleasant gestures.

"When are you going to grow up, Malfoy? This immaturity is getting really tiresome." Hermione retorted.

Draco stepped towards her, his face hardened, wearing a mask of complete disdain and disgust. "What's tiresome, Granger, is having to put up with you and your kind."

"My kind?"

"That's right. You'll be the downfall of us all. If someone doesn't get you out of our way first, that is."

Whether that was a threat or a wish, was unknown. But it was understood to be the former, and the crowd of Gryffindor students took exception to it. Slytherin was ready to support their cause, and just when it looked like a brawl was about to erupt, Ginny raised her hand, quieting the crowd of supporters behind her. She turned, glaring a look as cold and hard as the roughest stone.

"Draco Malfoy...you are a vile, loathsome, rotten troll...and I am sorry I saved your life!"

The collective gasp of shock from both groups was audible enough to almost be considered loud. For a few seconds, no one moved. It was Ginny who did so first, turning back the way she came, and hurried out through the crowd, back out the front doors of the school.

By this time, the large gathering had been noticed by some of the teachers, who had arrived to investigate, and usher everyone into the Great Hall. Hermione gave Draco a stern glare, before she turned to head inside with her Housemates. But he remained where he was, rooted in place. Even as the Slytherin students moved around him, they all left quietly, no one sure what to say now that they knew the truth.

Her words struck deep, and the stinging of her tone, although deserved, gave him the impression his skin was on fire. Gone was his appetite, replaced instead by the taste of bile at the back of his throat. He turned, planning to head back down to the dungeons, and the safety of the Slytherin Common Room. But his feet had other plans, leading him mindlessly, on a path that lead outside, and away from the school.

Ginny had run as far as she could from the school, not paying a lot of attention to where she went. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, she was surprised to find herself standing at the edge of the forest as it bordered the Black Lake. The water rippled with small waves, a strong wind blowing heavy grey clouds across the sky above.

"What am I doing?" she asked of herself, reaching a hand up to her cheek. When she drew it away, the tips of her fingers were wet, a few stray tears making their way along her freckled skin. "Oh great. I'm crying. Damn you, Malfoy!" She cursed under her breath.

She had grown up the only girl in a family of brothers. She had survived being possessed by a young Tom Riddle, and nearly responsible for the deaths of other students. She had been denied the one boy she had dreamt about since she was old enough to read about him in the newspapers. All of these things helped her be the girl she was. And yet, that same girl stood alone on the shore of the lake, crying because of her decision to save the life of the one person she most despised.

There was no logic to it, as far as she could tell. None of it made any sense, and the more she tried to figure it out, the more confusing it became. Even after saving his life, he still made her feel worthless. Not that she sought his approval, but it wasnt just him. Any of the pureblooded families...and there were fewer of those these days...all of them looked down upon her, the stigma of her family's associations and fascinations with muggles and muggleborns branding her inferior since before the day she was born.

She walked to the edge of the lake, and peered down at the reflection of herself, looking back up at her. Almost expecting to see someone else's face, she found herself disappointed in finding her own. Lost in the thoughts swirling around in her head, she didnt hear the approaching footsteps, coming up behind her, until it was too late.

"Weasley?"

Spinning around with a yelp of surprise, she turned around. She nearly stumbled backwards into the water as her eyes fell upon those of Draco. He moved to catch her arm, preventing her from actually falling backwards, pulling her back onto steadier footing.

Snapping her arm out of his hands, she pushed past him, moving to stand near one of the trees at the forest edge. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"I don't really know." he admitted.

Ginny rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "That's a pretty sad excuse. If you're here to tease me some more, you can forget it. Say one word, and I'll drown you in that lake."

He looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out what he was doing here. It was understandable she wanted nothing to do with him, but he didn't turn to leave. Seeing that he wasnt about to return to the school, Ginny turned her back on him. "Just...leave me alone."

"I wish it were that simple." he replied, a slight frown upon his lips, never having been as confused as he was at that moment.

"It's quite simple. Turn towards the large building, and put one foot in front of the other." Even while she faced away from him, hiding her tear-streaked face, the biting tone of her voice spoke volumes of her anger. "I have nothing to say to you."

"That's not true." Draco answered. "You want to say horrible things to me. Terrible things. And I deserve them, I know that."

She was silent for a moment, trying to decipher what it was he was trying to say. He was correct. The words that perched upon the tip of her tongue were harsh, explicit, and perhaps even dangerous. But she kept them inside, not succumbing to the fury that burned within her.

Draco continued, despite her silence. "I...I don't know how to deal with this, ok?" He winced, knowing that the wrong thing to say. "What I mean is...what you did.."

"What I did was save your miserable life!" she snapped, as though venting her frustration on the tree in front of her, rather than the blonde haired wizard behind her.

"I know. And I'm grateful for that. Ever since it happened, it's been all I can think about. I've been trying to figure out why you did it."

Ginny was amazed by his level of stupidity. "Why? You're trying to figure out why I saved your life?"

"You had no obligation to me...in fact, you probably are one of the last people I would ever have expected to save my life. And I can't understand why you chose to do it. Especially since..." his voice faltered, "..since I have to admit I would not have done the same in your position."

The silence that followed was beyond tangible. It was nearly suffocating, thick enough to be wrapped around both of their throats. Draco stared at the back of her head, wishing he could peer inside, get an idea of what Ginny was thinking. She, meanwhile, nodded her head slowly.

"I know you wouldn't." She turned towards him, the anger subdued, though still present. "You would have let them kill me, and returned to the school, most likely to share a laugh with the rest of your Slytherin scum. I do not have a magic answer for you. Like you, I have spent these past weeks trying to determine exactly why I did it. And the only answer I could come up with...was because it was the right thing to do."

Draco blinked, not expecting such a cryptic answer. "Right thing for what?"

"I'm not surprised you don't get it. I'm sure you and your family could care less what happens to other people. Especially.." she mocked his earlier tone "..'my kind'. You may not have done it directly, but people like your father...you kill and maim and attack wizards and witches that you breed as 'my kind'. You most certainly would have stood there, and let those men kill me if our positions had been reversed."

The accusing tone in her voice unsettled him, drove his gaze to the ground between them. He could not deny what she said, though the gut-wrenching snake that coiled in his bowels shifted again. It was a creature borne and bred of guilt, at remorse for knowing such a dastardly trait existed within him.

Sensing his discomfort, Ginny pressed her advantage, driving the verbal knife of truth deeper into his gut with each word she spoke. "But unlike you and your family, Malfoy, I am not able to stand by and let someone kill someone else for no reason. I don't care what your father or your mother or any of your family has done. You did not deserve to die for their actions. You are innocent...at least of the charges those men levied against you. I do not delude myself into thinking you are noble and your hands are clean...but your hands are not yet stained with blood. In short, Draco Malfoy, you are a person...despicable as you are...and you did not deserve to die."

He lifted his head slowly, looking into Ginny's amber eyes, the look almost enough to send him to dive into the lake and hide in its darkest depths. She stared into his grey eyes, seeking out some confirmation that he understood the difference between them. That Hermione was right, and that Draco understood that Ginny was a better person.

"I..." his mouth began to move, but he couldn't get the words to come out easily. The bile in his throat rose, and he hunched over, heaving onto the shore. The bitter taste lingered, until he reached a hand into the cold lake water, cupping some of it so he could rinse, all the while Ginny stood, watching him. Slowly, he stood again, returning to her incriminating gaze.

"I'm sorry...I have no right to judge you after you saved my life."

She nodded slightly "You have no right to judge me before that, either. People like Hermione and Ron...you would treat them like dirt, to be trodden upon, to serve your own purist views. And if it were either of them, they would have acted the same as I."

Draco sighed, and knew she spoke true. "You don't understand...the mud..." biting his tongue, he thought better of using such a dirty word, in light of the present conversation. "..the muggle-borns...they are polluting the power and dynasty of the pure families. We have a duty to preserve that legacy."

"Power? That's all you want, isn't it? The power to rule. To lord over others. Like the Dark Lord!" Her voice raised, the anger like flames in her eyes.

"It's no different than the royal lines of London in muggle hierarchy. The Royal Family is a noble line and with each generation that introduces non-noble blood, that nobility weakens...until there is nothing left but common blood."

Ginny's lips curled down into a frown. "And the Royal Family is nothing but a figurehead now. Their bloodline is irrelevant. Just like pureblood wizards. There is nothing special about being a pureblood, aside from exultant status."

"Purebloods have power the others could not have. Their magic is weak, in comparison."

Strangely, Ginny seemed amused by this argument. "Weaker? And yet, Hermione...born from two muggle parents has far more powerful magic than you do! Harry Potter..."

The mere mention of his name was enough to darken the expression on Draco's face.

"His family is not pureblood...and he is the Boy Who Lived! He has done, and will do, things that even the strongest pureblood could not hope to accomplish."

Having nothing to retort to that, Draco merely turned his head to the side, biting his tongue. His instinct to lash out with the insults was flawed, and he knew it. She was right, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

"You should think about that, Malfoy. Think about where your beliefs have led to. Nearly being killed, having no real friends...the road you are headed down is a dark one. You still..." This time it was her turn to bite her tongue.

"I still what?" he asked, figuring he's come this far, he might as well hear the rest of it.

Surprised to learn he was actually listening to what she was saying, Ginny finished her sentence. "You still have the opportunity to change your direction." It was a long shot, and even she knew it.

Draco narrowed his eyes, boring his gaze into her eyes. "You think I could be like you? I don't think so."

"There are three sides to every coin, Malfoy. Heads, tails, and the thin line that separates them. It would not take much to cross that line." She looked back towards the castle, and turned to start the walk back, pausing long enough to glance over her shoulder at him. "You know...accepting my kind doesn't have to mean betraying your belief. Being friendly with muggle-borns does not deprive me of my blood. I am still pureblooded. As are you."

As she walked away, Draco remained standing on the edge of the lake, not feeling any better now, than he did outside the Great Hall. She had given him something more to think about, something else to put his life into disarray.

"I am really starting to dislike her." he muttered to himself.