Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or anything created by J.K. Rowling and/or Warner Bros., but I do own everything you don't recognize (i.e. the plot/storyline, certain characters, certain settings, etc.)

People Change, the Past Remains by Rowan Salazar

Recap – "'Hope you know what you're getting yourself into out here,' she said merrily, already turned away and headed towards the tent entrance. She pushed aside the flap to show the very dimly lit trees. It looked as if it was barely dawn. 'Wish me luck getting back,' she said with a last wave goodbye.

Draco nodded. 'Good luck.'"

Part I : Chapter Two : Naïve

It took nearly an hour until she found her way home.

"Ginevra! Ginny!"

Her family was calling for her, and although it was faint, Ginny felt rejuvenated and ran to the source. Within minutes, she was engulfed in the hugs from her dad and her closest brother. According to them, her mum was searching elsewhere. Ginny was a bit grateful she had not been found by her mother, for she knew she would be receiving a harsh punishment for running off overnight.

The kids headed back to the Burrow while their dad went looking for their mum. Ginny was very relieved that her dad would be able to calm her mum beforehand. She and Ron walked in a rather uncomfortable silence. Ron kept glancing over at her hoping to catch her eye, but never getting the chance because Ginny kept her eyes glued to the ground in front of her.

When they got back to the Burrow, Ginny settled herself into a stool in the kitchen, feeling both embarrassed by her brother's stare, and worried about her mother's reaction.

"Gin, you really shouldn't run away like that. You had mum and dad bugging out about you. They kept me up all night to keep watch for you, and they even considered calling back Fred and George to help look for you." Ron said, setting a bowl of oatmeal, along with a spoon, in front of Ginny. Ginny glanced up at him gratefully for the food, but otherwise kept silent as she began to eat.

She knew she was in for it as soon as their mother walked through the door, and she didn't feel like getting lectured by her brother. Being as close as they were, Ron could sense his sister's reluctance to talk about it, so he let the subject drop. Instead, he noticed Ginny's state of disarray, including her scraped knee. Hopefully, his mum wouldn't be too hard on her and not even heal it.

Ginny felt extremely guilty for having worried them all so much. Although three of her brothers were away at Hogwarts, and Fred and George had gone to some camping party with a Muggle friend for the past few days, her parents and Ron had worried enough to stay up all night. And she had just been sleeping the night away with Draco.

Ginny kept her eyes downcast, now looking at her half-full bowl. Her appetite had suddenly disappeared, which was quite incredulous considering she hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon.

The kitchen door flew open, banging against the wall with a great amount of force. It was enough to make both Ginny and Ron jump.

A plump, red-headed woman swooped into the kitchen and made a beeline for Ginny. Ginny flinched at first, but her mother wrapped her warm, encompassing arms around the seven-year-old girl in a not-so-gentle embrace. Ginny attempted wriggling out of her mum's grip, but it was to little avail.

Her dad eventually coaxed her mum into releasing her, but now her mother had dropped the worried expression, replacing it with one reserved for punishments. "Ginevra Molly!"

Ginny sat there on her kitchen stool, looking up from her stool at her mother as she began to reprimand her. Her freckled cheeks were pink from embarrassment and shame, and she just hoped she wouldn't end up crying from it all. She'd done enough crying the day before.

"I understand you were upset about not being able to go to the camp, but that gave you no right to worry us so much!" Molly Weasley told her youngest child. Ginny's mud-brown eyes were unwavering as she took the reprimanding in stride, not daring to look away from her mother's face. The lack of response from her daughter was making Molly only more upset with her daughter. Ron was standing near the doorway that led deeper into the Burrow, and their dad was standing next to his wife, noting how remorseful Ginny looked.

"I expected a more mature response from my daughter. You are an intelligent young witch, and you'll be turning eight in a few months. You cannot be running off whenever you want, especially into those woods. Did the lectures your father and I gave you about those woods teach you nothing? No more of this running away business, understand? It's dangerous and inappropriate behaviour for a witch like yourself!"

Mrs. Weasley turned away from her daughter for a moment to talk to Arthur. Ginny could feel her warm face seem to grow only warmer as she sat there, not daring to move as her mother bid her father goodbye. He was late for work because of Ginny, and Ginny was feeling more guilty by the minute. After a few moments that Arthur and Molly talked, Arthur turned to Ron and Ginny. Ginny averted her eyes from her father, feeling a sting in her eyes.

"Be good for your mum, kids. She only has your best intentions at heart," Arthur said, ruffling Ronald's hair and then leaning down to his daughter. She reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet her father's blue ones. She had always envied his blue eyes.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Your mother isn't going to be too hard on you. Maybe we can save up for that camp next year, okay?" he said, placing a kiss on his young daughter's forehead before straightening up again. He bade them all one last farewell before heading out the back door. The faint crack from outside could be heard in the kitchen.

After a few moments, Ginny looked at her mum again. The threat of tears from her stinging eyes had passed and had not left a trace. Her mum sighed, patting her hair. "You may go up to your room 'till lunch time, Ginny," she said after a moment. "I have laundry to do. I don't want you two bothering me. Ron, you can go use your father's wizards' chess board, since you are so adamant about it," she added. Ron's face lit up as he dashed from the room. Another moment passed before Ginny got down from the stool and walked out, then up to her room.

As soon as she reached her door, she went inside, slamming her door as best she could. She knew she would get it from her mum the next time she saw her, but she didn't care. She let out an angry yell in her room and then got in her bed, burying her face in her pillow.

She never had tantrums, so it was probably a shock to everyone in the Weasley family, not just to Ginny.

Didn't her mum realize she had tried to come home? She hadn't meant to stay out so long! Instead of freaking out in the woods, she had acted grown up and stayed calm. She had even met a new friend! All her mother could do was patronize, patronize, patronize. All Ginny heard when her mum spoke to her was blah, blah, blah, your brothers would never, blah, blah, blah, you have chores to do, blah, blah, blah, etc.

She was only seven years old, but from what most people would think from a glance at her life, she was the most unspoiled child in Devon, England.

All of her life, she was raised as a Weasley witch, which were rare in and of themselves. She certainly was not part of one the most wealthy wizarding families around, but they definitely had a loving family to make up for it.

She was a very intelligent young witch. She was only three when she could speak in complete sentences, and using words that sometimes even confused her elder brothers by the time she was four. Being the seventh Weasley of the family gave her a rather special quality on its own, for seven is the most magical number in existence. It would probably give her a completely special attribute on its own. But aside from that, she was also the first female Weasley born for several generations.

She had six older brothers, all of whom knew she was tough and certainly no one to mess with; although, that fact never stopped them from picking on her when they had the chance. Having six elder brothers and having to deal with them from the time she came home from the hospital had made her strong-willed, strong-headed, and strong in many other senses of the word. She was independent, and didn't like to accept help from others. She didn't like being worried about, although she was the one whom her family constantly fretted over. She wanted to be her own person, not just the Weasley girl or her brothers' little sister. It was hard to be her own person when she was always overshadowed by her brothers. Most of them were already in school and getting O.W.L.s to be proud of.

She was definitely not the spoiled one in the family. Her brothers were in some senses, but certainly not her. For once, she had really wanted to do something (i.e. go to this amazing camp she'd heard about), and she wasn't allowed to because money was still tight. Yet, somehow, her mum could still find the money to buy Fred and George those brooms the year before. She hated being resentful of her own brothers, but she couldn't help it this time.

Ginny closed her eyes again, and she took a deep breath. When she sat back up, she had on a calmer, more collected expression. She needed to take a shower and then get outside to start on her chores…

–PC, TPR–

Draco sat on his knees, looking at the carpeted floor of his father's study. His head hung shamefully and his brown hair hid his face from his father's view. Draco's clenched fists rested on his thighs and he could feel the tears threatening to spill while under his father's murderous glare. He knew his father was only being silent to torture Draco, whom knew what would come, but could not tell when.

"Father. I apologize. It was an accident! I didn't mean to—"

"Silence your snivelling, Draco," Lucius Malfoy said in an icy tone.

Draco immediately shut his mouth, and his eyes closed tightly as he tried to imagine what his father was doing.

"If you insist on grovelling like this, you deserve to be treated no better than a house elf," his father spat, his eyes staring with pure anger down at his son. "As a Malfoy, you are meant to obey my orders. That means that when I instruct you to do something, you must do it correctly."

Draco heard his father sigh, and imagined him rising to his feet with the help of his cane. Draco didn't dare raise his head as his father walked to one of his bookshelves.

"You can forget about going to the Nott household for the birthday party."

It wasn't as bad a punishment as Draco had been expecting, and he raised his head in surprise when a large Thump! sound echoed across the room. He saw a book in his father's hands, and correctly assumed he had just snapped the book shut. He unintentionally met his father's eyes, and once he had, he could not look away.

His father approached him and soon towered over him, making Draco have to meet his gaze in an uncomfortable position for his neck. The fists on his knees remained clenched in anxiety of what would happen next. Would his father strike him with the cane he held in his hand?

"You can also forget about accompanying your mother and I to the Banquet," he said, knowing exactly how disappointed his son would be.

Draco's eyes widened and his eyes started to sting from the threat of tears. He bit his lip in an attempt to keep from crying out. After a moment, he managed to speak in a voice on the verge of cracking.

"But, Father, I promise I won't embarrass you again. If it pleases you, I'll even keep my mouth shut the whole time. Please, Father! If I can go, I'll show you how well I can behave!"

His father had already turned away, and Draco felt his throat constrict and he could no longer go on. He had shamed the Malfoy name, and his father was disappointed in him. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

"Get out of my sight, child," he heard his father growl out.

Draco stood and dashed from the room. He tripped while passing one of his mother's tea rooms reserved for gatherings. In the process of falling, he knocked over a vase from an end table in the hall, and landed on one of the broken glass pieces. He cried out in pain.

"Excuse me, ladies. I'll go deal with this," he heard his mother's voice say as she approached the doors. She opened them and saw her young son in the hall, bleeding from his arm and in a mess of shattered glass. Draco saw the disgusted look Narcissa Malfoy had on her face as she looked at him.

She closed the doors behind her and approached her son.

"Honestly, Draco. Are you trying to embarrass us further still? Dobby!"

The house elf appeared at once, looking at the mess in front of him with big green eyes.

"Clean up this mess at once. And make sure my son gets himself cleaned up as well," Narcissa snapped, turning away from the scene and returning to the meeting with her associates without a second glance.

Draco watched in complete shock as his mother left. They really didn't care about him. Only about their image and the Malfoy reputation. He desperately wanted to impress his father and his mother, but so long as he continued being a screw-up, he'd never please them. The thought left Draco confused and angry with himself. Was he not trying hard enough? Is that why he kept disappointing them?

Perhaps if he–

–PC, TPR–

Draco awoke to find two big, brown eyes looking down at him. They were so close that Draco's own eyes nearly crossed, attempting to focus on the object above him. He shot up from his position on the couch, realizing too late it was a big mistake to do such a thing.

"Ow!"

Both children now held their foreheads with eyes screwed shut, trying to block out the pain. Neither one spoke for a moment, other than exclamations of pain. When Draco opened his eyes, Ginny was glaring at him, a hand still rubbing the red mark on her forehead.

"What was that for?" she asked loudly, and in an accusatory way.

"You're the one who was right above me in the first place. I'm not the one who caused it!" Draco's defensive, accusatory tone coupled with his cold, steel grey eyes were enough to make Ginny clamp her mouth shut. He continued to scowl at her, and she dropped her heated brown eyes to something that was in her hands.

Draco could still feel his heart pounding against his chest from the memory/nightmare, but it was slowly returning to normal. He was still trying to gather his bearings as he blinked in the light of the tent's lamps.

"Here, Draco," Ginny said with a smirk, placing something on his forehead, and apparently it stuck there. For a moment, he actually tried to see what it was, rolling his eyes up, much to Ginny's amusement. Ginny started laughing at him. Realizing he looked awfully stupid, Draco turned his eyes on her with another scowl, reaching his hand up to his forehead again.

"What is this?"

Ginny did not stop laughing, and Draco's scowl faded as his lips upturned. He couldn't help but smile, lifting his hand to feel whatever thing stuck to his forehead. It felt kind of rubbery but also kind of smooth. Draco could feel the edges, so he tried peeling whatever it was off his forehead. It hurt from the moment he started to take it off, and he quickly gave up on that method.

Finally, after a few more moments, Ginny managed to calm herself. Draco was just sitting there calmly, a smile playing at his lips as he watched her.

"If you're done laughing at my expense, do you mind telling me what this is?"

Ginny still had a silly grin on her face, but she responded nonetheless. "My dad says it's something muggles use to feel better and heal little things. It's called a bandeed ," she said matter-of-factly. She managed to wipe the grin from her face as she kneeled back down, sitting right in front of Draco.

"Muggles are strange. It hurts trying to take it off, and it's not doing anything," he muttered. That's when Draco noticed the pile of things by her side. His stomach growled at the sight of the food.

It wasn't long before Draco had finished the oatmeal. When he had finished eating, he thanked Ginny profusely before they went through the other things she had brought. They placed the things away in the cupboards of the kitchen as they went through them, and they put other things in the

A small box of bandeeds (there were only three bandeeds in it), magical colouring books, crayons, markers, some chocolates, a mini clock that actually worked and had the correct time, Muggle books, and more containers of oatmeal and other foods that Ginny had snagged. They had a grand time looking through it all, and even spent some time colouring in some of the colouring book pages and reading some of the Muggle books.

"I can make you some raisin bread tomorrow! My mum taught me how, and she says that I make it even better than her!" she boasted as she finished colouring a picture of a dragon. Ginny smiled at her handiwork as she sat up, brandishing the paper at Draco. Draco looked up from the Muggle storybook he had been entranced in to admire her work. He grinned.

"Sounds good, Gin," he told her, sitting up with the Muggle storybook, entitled Beauty and the Beast, in his hand. Ginny stood and left the picture on the table. The page depicted an orange dragon with blue eyes was flying around the blue and purple mountains in the background. It snorted out unevenly-coloured yellow steam from time to time.

Draco had just picked up the book, standing as well, when Ginny suddenly yelled. He looked at her in alarm, dropping the book.

"Oh no! I'm late! My mum will be up by now! Oh, I have to go!" she cried out. She had caught sight of the clock. Her mum would have been up for an hour by now, and Ginny would be expected to be in bed! Oh, this was not going to be good if she didn't get home soon. Draco's face fell, but he quickly masked it when she looked his way. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay?" she said with a smile, her freckled face lighting up for a moment.

Draco nodded dumbly as she suddenly dashed from the tent. Moments after she had left, his face broke out in a large, goofy smirk. With Ginny's help, maybe everything would turn out all right. I could learn to like it here…

–PC, TPR–

"When's your birthday?"

"The eleventh of August I'll be eight. When's yours?"

"The fifth of June; I'm going to be nine this year," Draco informed her, looking at her from his position on the ground. She was sitting on a low tree branch that she had climbed upon, and she was looking up at a bird's nest a few branches above. He had chosen to stay on the ground.

After a brief pause, Draco asked, "What's today's date?"

"The twenty-third of March. Why?"

"It's been exactly one week since I met you, hasn't it?" he said, a smirk growing on his face as she slowly thought about it and realized the truth to his words. Ginny smiled down at him and nodded.

"So we met on the… seventeenth?"

"The sixteenth, Gin," Draco corrected with a playful roll of his eyes. He brushed his light brown bangs out of his eyes as he looked up at her.

She then looked at him with a sudden pout on her face and he knew what was coming next. "Help me down?" she pleaded, though she knew she really didn't have to plead. Draco always helped her get down. He also loved to tease her about how she was the best at getting into trees, but the worst at getting out of them. It was vice versa for Draco, though.

Draco stood up, not even bothering to brush the dirt from his pants, knowing he'd just end up getting them dirty again. He had a knowing smirk on his face, the one he always got when he was about to tease her, or when he was showing off to her. Ginny had really loosened him up, a feat she felt very proud of. He was not nearly as uptight as he had been when she first met him.

"The best at getting into trees—" Draco started, taking her hand with a firm grip and a cocky smirk, helping her to stand and find footing in a knothole of the tree.

That's when she felt her footing slip and everything came to a painful ending. Both Draco and Ginny tumbled to the ground, and when they finally came to a stop, Draco could barely breath. He opened his eyes and found that the reason he couldn't breathe was because Ginny had landed on top of him. Through his grimace, he managed to give her a small smile.

"—yet the worst at getting out of them," he finished with a shaky laugh, though it became a wheeze do to his inability to breathe in enough air. Ginny quickly scrambled off him, her face becoming a bright red at having fallen on him. She started to ramble out apologies as Draco sat up. He couldn't help but wince a little, suddenly clutching his ribcage. His mask always fell when around Ginny. It felt natural being around her, so he could rarely hide things from her these days.

He turned to look at her as she looked at him with a chagrined expression. He offered her a grin. "Don't worry about it, okay?" he said. "You have to leave soon, don't you?" he asked, glancing towards where the clearing and the tent were.

She shrugged, reluctant to go, turning her attention back to Draco. "I'm sorry. You okay?" she asked, standing up and helping Draco to his feet as well. Draco did his best to put on a brave front.

"I'll be fine," he said to her.

"Okay," she said, radiant smile lighting up her face as she leaned forward quickly and pecked him on his cheek. "See you later," she said, turning and dashing off. They had been stealing completely innocent kisses from one another since their 'three-day anniversary'. They were always brief, lasting less than a second. It was such an innocent gesture between the two of them, but it always made his heart pound. He and Ginny were very close, and Draco felt he could tell her anything. After all, friends aren't meant to keep secrets from one another.

Draco watched the red hair of Ginny until it disappeared from view. He completely forgot about the pain Ginny caused him. Was a Malfoy capable of caring so much for another person? Surely it was possible. Draco was convinced his father loved his mother very much.

But are we capable of liking poor people, like Ginny…?

–PC, TPR–

Ginny lay in bed that night unable to sleep for the first hour. She couldn't stop thinking about the holidays and what would happen with Draco. She felt like it was her duty to convince Draco he needed to go home. The holidays were a time for family and Ginny was sure he'd want to go home if she convinced him his parents missed him terribly. He couldn't stay forever, no matter how much she wished it. He was becoming her best mate, and she didn't want their friendship to end.

Draco would have to leave eventually. She knew she was being selfish. His family was looking for him, and they were certainly worried sick… It was sad to think he'd have to go home soon, but surely her mum and dad could arrange play dates with his mum and dad. It was an interesting prospect.

Easter Sunday was in three days time, so she needed to convince him to go home by then.

With this goal in mind, Ginny drifted to sleep.

Author's Note – Thanks to all of my readers, especially those who review! Namely, I thank RegretOrRejoice for the review! One more thing: I'd really like to know if it bothers anyone that I've been switching between Ginny and Draco's POV. I noticed it when rereading my first chapter, and felt that it might be confusing. If it is, just let me know in a review!

Sneak Peak – "…one of horror at the realization of what she had done. I broke my promise…"