Hello all. So glad you stopped by. Just a quick Draco/Ginny story. I swear this isn't a one shot – I actually feel a plot coming on. Weird, right? But exciting too! So review, and I promise I'll write more. Rated for later chapters ... maybe some sex.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all that is glorious.

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A New Era

It had been a long week. Ginny Weasley was tired, irritable, and frighteningly behind on her homework. To make matters worse, her overly protective brother was slowly making his way over to her table in the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey Gin, how's it coming?" Ron asked in an off-handed way.

"Well, I'd be better if I didn't still have a potions essay and two transfigurations analysis' to write up. And if you weren't bloody bothering me again!" She added under her breath.

"5th year workload gettin' to you, Gin?" Harry Potter asked with a small smirk, sitting down next to Ron.

"Not really." Ginny snapped crossly, rubbing her temples where a headache was beginning to form. She was so sick of always being checked up on by Ronald. It only made getting work done harder. Having Harry around was doubly bad. The pair of them always joking with Hermione, or muttering together like they were the most important people in the world, or casting dirty looks at her every time she talked to a boy. JESUS, it was enough to drive even cool, collected Ginny up the wall.

"Well, seeing as how I need to get some work done, I'm off to the library." Ginny said, briskly gathering up her multitude of books and papers and feeling very Hermione-like. "Is that alright with you, Ron? Harry?" The boys looked a little taken aback at Ginny's tone, but then shrugged and nodded, settling into the armchairs for a long evening of absolutely nothing.

"Bloody prats." Ginny muttered as she left the common room and turned left toward the library. If only she didn't have so much work to do. She was exhausted. What with Quidditch practice every day, prefect duties and the extreme workload issued by the teachers to her year, Hogwarts had become a very stressful place. It was true that her label as an outstanding student, and her prefect status had some advantages.

"Out late, Miss Weasley?"

"Professor Dumbledore, I know it's past curfew, I just have so much work to get done, and the common room is…" Ginny trailed off, waiting apprehensively for the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye to give her permission to continue.

"It must be difficult to concentrate when so much is happening." Dumbledore said with a small, knowing smile. "You have my permission to work in the library." He put a long-fingered hand on Ginny's shoulder, "just remember he is only looking out for your best interests."

Ginny stared as Dumbledore swept off through the corridor. How was it that the headmaster seemed to know everything? She couldn't decide whether it was creepy or brilliant. The weight of her books reminded Ginny of her homework, and she continued quickly on to the library.

Madam Pince, the librarian mercifully had her back to Ginny as she crept into the cavernous room. It wasn't that Ginny couldn't sweet talk her way past the woman; it was just that her hawk-like way of peering into Ginny's eyes always made the redhead nervous. As if Madam Pince suspected Ginny wasn't the model student she was made out to be, and rather a badass rebel of a child who only wanted to desecrate the library's books.

Ginny snuck quickly and quietly past Madam Pince's rather large backside into the empty, and thankfully silent work area of the library. Finally, she could finish the stupid essays without interruption.

Ginny worked steadily through her Transfiguration analysis', breaking only to yawn widely every few minutes. As the library's large clock struck 1:00, Ginny pulled a large parchment and her potions book out of her bag. Suddenly she felt odd. Like she was being watched by something.

She looked up across the work area to see the very startled face of none other than Draco Malfoy. Ginny dropped her quill in surprise. She was quite surprised to see another face in the library so late, but the fact that it was Malfoy's face – and the fact that Malfoy was carrying a stack of books to rival Hermione's stacks, just made everything seem very unreal.

"Malfoy!"

"Weasley!"

"What are you doing here?" they both asked suspiciously at the same time.

"I have Dumbledore's permission." Ginny replied, rather more defensively than she wished to come across.

"As do I." Malfoy countered, sounding more amused than malicious.

Ginny scrutinized the blonde boy. He was obviously in the library doing work, just as she was. His usual haughty, superior demeanor was ruined by the quantity of books in his arms. Malfoy looked tired, worn, almost defeated. Ginny remembered reading in the Daily Prophet about his father's death in Azkaban and his mother's confession to the Ministry's Justice department of Mr. Malfoy's actions as one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. How Narcissa Malfoy was finally placed in St. Mungo's Hospital for her own protection.

Despite everything she had ever known, Ginny was feeling sorry for the boy.

"What are you working on, then?" Ginny surprised herself by asking. Waiting for a sarcastically vindictive comment, she was even more surprised by his civil answer.

"Charms. I've fallen behind with all the… happenings." He answered quietly. Looking away from her for the first time to stare at the floor.

"Erm, I was sorry to hear about all that." Ginny replied awkwardly.

"No you weren't. You knew my dad was bad news. I hate false sympathy."

"Ok." Ginny blushed. "You're right, I really couldn't give a damn about your father. He tried to get me expelled my first year."

Malfoy's eyes darkened. "Sorry." He said, emptily.

"You don't have to apologize on your dad's behalf." Ginny answered quickly. "What matters are the things you do. Frankly, while I'm being honest, I never thought you were much better than your father."

"I wasn't." Malfoy said, after a pause. He set his books down on the table Ginny was sitting at, creating a sort of wall between the two of them.

Ginny pushed the books to the side so she could see his brilliant blue eyes. They stared back into her own hazel ones, searching for empathy and understanding, for acceptance.

"But things change." He continued. "I've gotten older. Maybe smarter." Suddenly he looked away from her. "I don't know why I'm talking to you about this." He began to gather up his books once again until Ginny put a small hand on his arm.

"Everyone needs someone to talk to." He stared at her, trying to understand the impulsive, fire-tempered, girl he had hated until very recently when his world flipped upside down. Draco sat back down, still looking at the redhead.

"And you would like to talk to me?" He questioned. "After everything I've said to you in the past, everything I've done to your brother and his friends?"

She thought for a moment, considering. Finally she answered, "Things change. Right?" They both smiled at each other, marking the point in time when old wounds heal and forgiveness is created. Without knowing it, they had taken the biggest step towards toppling Lord Voldemort, Draco with his new acceptance of the formerly unacceptable, and Ginny in her unquestioning compassion.

Draco pulled Ginny's potion's book toward him. "I'll help you if you help me." He said. She nodded and leaned over the book as well.

The pair worked together, researching, questioning, documenting, and spell-checking until nearly 3 a.m. Occasionally one would laugh quietly at the other's exasperated comment, and often they would just gaze at each other, amazed by their sudden friendship.

Finally, after nearly falling asleep at the hard library table, Ginny stood up.

"I gotta go to bed Draco." She yawned. He smiled slightly and stretched.

"Yeah. Class starts in 5 hours."

"Shit, really!" Ginny glanced at the clock, amazed at how fast time seemed to have flown. She scooped up her books and papers. "Thanks so much Draco, for your help."

"Thank you." He replied, brushing her cheek with his fingertips. "Until next time, then." Ginny was surprised at first, by his touch, but then decided to take it in stride, and smiled.

"See ya." She quietly tiptoed out of the library and back to Gryffindor common room. The redhead was so tired now, she could barely climb out of her clothes and into pajamas. The next day was Monday, the first day of a completely new era in Hogwarts.

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Ginny fell asleep immediately, her fingers touching the place Malfoy's had been.

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Across the school, Draco Malfoy smiled happily in his sleep for the first time in his entire life.

------ I hope you like-ee! Review por favor!