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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.

Authors Note: Okay, I was debating whether I should write out the whole Dumbledore lesson/Pensieve scene, but decided it'd be better with Harry relating the basics to Draco. Hope it works out okay. Draco/Ginny begins here. Hope you like. Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight

The first week of Hogwarts had come to a close, leaving the students tired and relieved, glad of the weekend respite. Students everywhere lounged the Saturday away, talking and catching up with friends, some playing a pick-up game of Quidditch, other, more dedicated students, doing their homework. But whoever they where, they where all glad of the two days of rest, and so the day passed.

Draco was sitting in the Slytherin common room, which was slowly emptying as night crept upon them and engulfed the castle in its darkness. He was currently waiting for Harry to get back from his lesson with Dumbledore, whilst playing a quick game of wizard's chess with Blaise. Much to his annoyance, he was losing.

"Come on Draco," Blaise taunted, "I thought you'd be a bigger challenge then this."

"Shut up Zabini," Draco shot back, frowning at his losing chess pieces, which scowled back up at him, "I can't concentrate with your constant nattering."

"Like it'd make a difference." Blaise scoffed, smirking.

"It'd make all the difference in the world," Draco murmured, trying to think of a way to out manoeuvre his opponent.

"Care to make a wager on that?" Blaise asked.

Draco looked up. "Terms?"

"I shut up," Blaise said, "we play to the finish and whoever loses has to...hmm, let's think...I know...whoever loses had to seduce a Gryffindor of the others choosing."

"No way." Draco said.

"Chicken." Blaise accused.

"I'm no chicken," Draco stated, "but there's no way I'm going to try and seduce a Gryffindor."

"That won't be a problem thought, will it? You said you could definitely beat me if I stopped talking. So put your dignity where your mouth is, you chicken."

"Fine!" Draco said, holding out his hand. Blaise shook it. "You're going down Zabini, and I mean all of you, reputation first."

Blaise just smirked. "We'll see Malfoy."

Draco went back to frowning at his chess pieces, before finding a move to his liking, and taking it. He looked up at Blaise, who grinned.

"Nice move," Blaise said, "but it's not going to save you."

Blaise made his own move, putting Draco in check. Draco wasn't worried; it was all a part of his plan. He quickly followed up with his planned move and got out of check. Only one more move to go and Blaise would be done for. Blaise laughed out loud, making Draco pause in his reflection of imminent victory.

"I knew it," Blaise said, "you're so predictable Malfoy."

Blaise made another move, Draco blinked, checked again. No, it couldn't be. Draco ran his eyes all over the board and then groaned. It was over. Blaise's queen took Draco's king and soon Draco's army of chess pieces was crushed. Draco put his head in his hands, unable to believe that he lost, and hating the sound of Blaise mocking laughter.

"This is going to be good." Blaise gloated.

"Shut up Zabini." Draco mumbled through his hands.

"Don't you wanna know who you have to seduce?" Blaise asked, his mocking voice grating on Draco's nerves.

"Not really..."

Blaise laughed. "Well I think I'll tell you anyway. You see young Malfoy, you, as a result of your over inflated ego, are going to have to seduce one Ginny Weasley, of the dork infested Gryffindors." And he burst out laughing again, causing the few remaining Slytherins in the common room to give him puzzled looks.

Draco just growled in his defeat.

(----)

Hogwarts was silent, the halls echoing every one of Harry's footsteps as he made his way back to the Slytherin common room. He couldn't take his mind of off what he had seen in Dumbledores Pensieve, through Bob Ogden's memory. The image of the Gaunt family was burned in his mind and he shuddering, just thinking he was connected to those...people, however loosely. The descendants of Salazar Slytherin had fallen to nothing more than rats, dirty and angry at the world.

He felt sorry for Merope Gaunt, knowing what it was like to be regarded as useless, as nothing more than a burden. Thankfully, he had never known such treatment as she had, but all the same. Watching Marvolo Gaunt abuse his daughter, and her infatuation with the Muggle Ton Riddle, he couldn't help but think if things had been different, if maybe Merope had not been born, then the world would have been better.

Without Merope, Voldemort wouldn't exist. Just knowing that such a small thing as a young girl's futile infatuation had given rise to the darkest wizard the world had seen in a long time, Harry learned to beware the little things.

When Harry arrived back at the Slytherin common room, he found Draco sitting alone on one of the room's chairs, staring into the fire burning in the stone hollow, lost in thought. He dropped into a chair beside Draco and the young Malfoy jumped, turning startled eyes to Harry. Harry held up a hand when Draco opened his mouth to speak.

"I know," Harry said, "Bell, right?"

Draco smirked, nodding. "I was waiting for you."

"Figured." Harry replied.

"How did the lesson go?" Draco asked. "What did Dumbledore teach you?"

"He didn't really teach me anything," Harry said, trailing off.

Draco gave him a look, telling him to continue.

"Well," Harry ran a hand through his hair and leant back in the chair, propping his feet up on another chair across from him, "He showed me a memory in his Pensieve."

"A memory of what?"

"Of the descendants of Salazar Slytherin," Harry said, "the Gaunts."

"Descendants?" Draco looked shocked. "How does he know they're descendants of Slytherin?"

"I didn't ask," Harry said, "but I'm sure they are. I saw Voldemorts mother in the memory, and his grandfather Marvolo, and even his Muggle father."

"So why did Dumbledore show you this?" Draco asked, looking very curious.

"I have no idea," Harry admitted, "but I guess it's important. He wouldn't waste my time, would he? Anyway, Dumbledore said that Merope, Voldemorts mother, used a love potion on Tom Riddle and became pregnant. Dumbledore thinks that after a time Merope was convinced that even without the love potion Riddle would love her, but when she stopped giving him the potion he left and never saw her again. She died shortly after that I think, after giving birth to Voldemort, of course."

"That's kinda sad huh?" Draco said, frowning. "The fact she had to use a love potion to get what she wanted. I don't really understand that, I suppose. It wasn't real, so why bother? Women, I'll never understand them."

Harry chuckled. "I guess," Harry said, "but she was in love Draco. Love does strange things to people."

"I guess..." Draco didn't sound convinced.

"I saw this ring in the Pensieve as well," Harry continued, "Marvolo was wearing it. But after we left the memory I saw it in Dumbledores office as well. I asked him if it had something to do with what he was trying to show me. He said that all would be revealed to me in the end. I'm getting rather tired of his secrets. I wish he'd just tell me out straight."

"I don't blame you," Draco agreed.

"But I guess I'll just be patient," Harry said, "he'll tell me when he's ready. Or when I get annoyed to the point I demand the truth, either way."

Draco laughed. "If you really want to know so much why don't you just demand he tell you then?"

"No," Harry said, "he'll tell me when he's ready. Let him have his secrets for now, I have my own. I'd just be being a hypocrite if I demanded answers."

"If you say so." Draco dismissed. "So, any idea what significance the ring has?"

"It was Slytherins, that's all I know. Maybe it's worth something to Voldemort, I don't know. Anything I could come up with would just be a guess. Best to wait for more information right now."

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "Anyway, if that's all, I'm going to get some sleep. You coming?"

"No," Harry said, "I'm not tired yet. I'll see you tomorrow Draco."

"Okay," Draco yawned, "night Harry."

"Night."

(----)

Lessons started up again on Monday and Harry and Hermione continued to meet every night in the Library. Things were going well for the blossoming couple. Hermione was more open than ever, looking Harry in the eye a whole lot more than he was used to, which only made him smile. She still blushed awfully for most of the date, but Harry didn't mind, he still thought it was adorable.

Wednesday night was a whole different story though, as Hermione seemed to regress into herself again, hardly looking at Harry, but frowning down at her parchment. Harry figured something was wrong, and determined to not let things go down hill, he reached out to her. Gently touching her arm and getting her attention, he asked:

"Hermione, is something wrong?"

"What?" She didn't meet his eyes. "No, of course not. Why would something be wrong? Everything is fine. Totally fine."

"Then why are you babbling?" Harry asked, and he couldn't help but smile, even though he was worried. Babbling Hermione was even more adorable than blushing Hermione.

"I'm not babbling." She argued.

"You were babbling." Harry argued back. "Come on, I thought we were getting close."

"I did too." Hermione whispered, and she still wouldn't meet his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, frowning in confusion.

"Well," Hermione looked up, finally meeting his eyes, as if getting a sudden confidence boost, "you come up to me and start talking to me, which is really quite shocking, because you're Harry Potter, the most mysterious boy in Hogwarts, talking to me, plain old Hermione Granger." Harry opened his mouth to start speaking, but Hermione started again before he could even get out a syllable. "So I think, okay, maybe you like me. So I decide to give you a chance, and things start to go really well. You take me on a really sweet date, walking around the lake, and even kiss me on the cheek after walking me back to my common room. But it's been almost two weeks now and it's like...are you ashamed of me?"

Harry could only gape at her, stunned by the huge speech she had just spurted out in less than ten seconds. Hermione looked at him pointedly.

"Harry?" she asked. "Harry? Are you?"

"What?" Harry finally gasped.

"Are you ashamed of me?" Hermione repeated.

"What...makes you think that?" Harry was about to say 'what?' again, but quickly amended it.

"Why won't you talk to me in public?" she asked. "I've seen you eating in the Great Hall a few times, and I've tried to get your attention, but you just ignore me. People are starting to look at me funny. I want to be able to hold your hand and...just...be seen with you."

"Do you really want that Hermione?" Harry asked, finally getting control of his brain. "Do you want to be the headline in newspapers, gossiped about and victimized by all the other girls? I'm not trying to be arrogant, even though it may sound that way, but I know what goes on around me, even if it doesn't look like it. I'm not stupid. I know most girls have a crush on me. They'd hate you for being with me. I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Oh..." Hermione looked like she was about to cry.

Harry reached out, grasping her chin gently in his hand, turning her face towards his, and looking her in the eye. "I'm sorry," he said, "I wish I could be with you in public too. Smile at you, touch you, hold your hand, walk you to your lessons...kiss you. I want all that just like you do. I'm so sorry I can't give you that. But I don't want to lose you either. So if you're willing to keep it a secret, I'll be ecstatic, but if you don't want that, if you can't, I'll understand. I'll be crushed, but I'll understand."

Harry let go, but didn't loose eye contact with her. Hermione sniffed and looked away. When she met his eyes again, Harry saw her determination in her eyes.

"I understand Harry," Hermione said, "and for now, I can keep it a secret. I don't want to not be with you either. The time I spend with you is the happiest I've ever been in my entire life. So, I understand, and can keep it a secret for now. But someday, promise me we can be together."

"I promise Hermione," Harry said, smiling.

"Thank you."

"No," Harry said, "thank you."

They spent the rest of the evening in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

(----)

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