AN/ Hello Everyone! Sorry you've had to wait so long, this story completely slipped my mind, what with all the others! So if you're reading this you're a dedicated fan! And if you've just clicked on this, it's part SEVEN of a series, so you've got to be going a reading those bits first!

Disclaimer: As I am only a student, and as such decidedly lacking in funds, I suggest that I may NOT be the richest woman in England.

Part Seven: Stand Alone

By Harry Potter

I walked across the common room and saw Ginny sitting on the couch, staring into the flames of the roaring fire. I dropped own beside her and gazed deep into the fire, knowing exactly what was on her mind. She however, didn't seem to notice my presence and continued to bite her nails, something she hardly ever did unless under extreme stress or nerves. If I wasn't so nervous for her myself I would have thought the sight funny.

"It's nearly time," I said after a while, feeling butterflies in my own stomach.

She jumped a mile and turned to regard me with shock, her face was so pale that her freckles stood out like angry brown splodges.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed," she lied, laughing nervously.

"Liar," I said laughing, getting up and offering her a hand.

She didn't take it, merely continued to stare into the fire. I knelt down in front of her and managed to catch her gaze feeling my stomach clench horribly at the actual fear that was hidden there. I folded my arms on her knees and rested my chin on my hand.

"Are you going to be OK?" I asked her worriedly – it's not normal for a person to be that pale, the last time I'd seen her that pale…

"Of course," she answered in a high pitched voice that sounded nothing like her own, "I mean its just a little song isn't it? In front of a few people isn't it? I can sing the song can't I? I know the words…don't I?"

"You'll be fine," I said soothingly, smoothing down her hair absentmindedly, "I'll come in with you, and you can just ignore everyone else ok?

"Yes…" she said slowly as I pondering whether that would be possible, "Yes... I could do that, yes."

"Good. Now we better go, come on."

This time she did take my hand, and we walked out of the portrait without meeting another person. I checked my watch, she'd be late if we didn't hurry, but Ginny didn't seem to be in too much of a rush. Quite the contrary she seemed to be using every possible trick in the book to make the journey last as long as possible.

Eventually we reached the huge oak door of the Magical Arts classroom, but Ginny made no attempt to enter.

"Just give me a few seconds or something," she said in a panicked voice.

"Ok, now deep calming breaths, breathe…breathe…" I said soothingly, watching anxiously as Ginny was pacing nervously in front of the door.

She was taking deep breaths looking like she was approaching calm until the nerves overtook her again and she jumped up and down frustratingly. For one second I thought that I would never be able to get her past the door, let alone on stage before deciding my best weapon was humour.

If you can make Ginny laugh you're sorted.

"I can't do it Harry, I just can't do it…all those people watching me…" she whined sadly, watching the judges assembling through a crack in the door.

"You can do it, ok? Now again…deep breathes, your feeling calm, very calm…" I said in a deep voice, swinging my still broken wristwatch in front of her face.

"Aren't you supposed to use a pocket watch for that?" she asked me, looking at my watch with pity written across her face. There was the slightest glimmer of humour in her eyes.

"Yeah, but needs must," I said as she began to giggle, there cracked it, I thought.

"That's better, now concentrate on laughing, happy smiling faces…happy, very happy, when I click my fingers, you'll act like a chicken."

"Shut it you," she scolded as she pushed me into the walls, with laughter written across her still anxious face.

"Ok, serious face now. You WILL be all right, you will get up there, you'll do your thing, and they won't even bother auditioning the other people!" I said firmly, completely believing in what I was saying as well.

I'd been privileged enough to be allowed to watch Ginny practising for this audition, and although she was the colour of a sunset for hours afterwards, she had no reason to be.

I decided to take decisive action, and pulled the door open. I glanced around as for a second could see why Ginny was so nervous, there was a table of judges, consisting of a few professors and Dumbledore himself. The entire room was devoid of furniture, and the lighting was dim, with a spotlight shining on a small stage in the centre of the room.

Ginny blanched at the sight and had spun round to make for the door before I even had time to react. Luckily I managed to grab the back of her robes and drag her over to a seat.

"Oh no you don't," I said laughing at her scowl.

For a girl of such slight build, Ginny could be quite strong and fierce when she wanted to be.

"Sara Carter," came the professor's voice and I immediately set my vision to death ray as I watched the girl walk across the floor to the stage.

I still couldn't believe the things that…girl had been saying to Ginny, and I felt my fists clench into balls without any commands from my brain. I looked down at Ginny who had forgotten her nerves in face of the girl who had caused her so much trouble and was now glaring with a skill to match the best of them.

When it came to grudges and glares, Ginny was The Master.

I noticed with a frown however, that after the glare Ginny almost looked in awe of the girl, and had looked down at her robes sadly. I could hear her mentally measuring herself against the girl – and I knew what Ginny would think.

Sara began to sing and even I had to grudgingly admit that she was good. She was singing a song I didn't recognise but I didn't waste my time on watching her, I looked at Ginny again. She kept nervously tucking her hair behind her ears, and almost as quickly it would fall out again. She continued this routine all the way through the song.

"She's not as good as you," I murmured sparing a glare for Sara, before planting a kiss on her nose.

She giggled to herself and was about to reply when Sara finished and everyone began to clap. Ginny managed two whole albeit very slow claps and my hands were travelling at such a speed that it just wasn't possible for them to meet once.

What a pity.

The next girl who walked up on the stage I recognised as the girl who had asked me to the Yule Ball last year, who I'd shouted 'no' at before my brain had chance to work. I hid my face behind my hands and cringed as she suddenly ran out of words, and ran off the stage with a flaming face.

Next was sixth year Hufflepuff who sang a really good, apparently muggle song according to Ginny who also informed me she was singing the words wrong. I grinned to myself, this thing was a dead cert. Finally the last person got up and sang, and I also recognised this girl as one who had cornered Ginny after her Magical Arts class a few weeks ago. I treated her to a glare as well.

"Virginia Weasley,"

I blinked several seconds before it sank in whose name it was and I wondered briefly why, before I realised they'd said her full name. Ginny however hadn't seem to have registered at all and I had to shake her for a few moments before she looked up. She was taking deep shuddering breaths, looking as if she was on the edge of panic tipping towards hysteria.

"I can't do it Harry, We've got to go and tell them, I can't stand up there and sing, I can't beat her!" Ginny babbled desperately, as her eyes continually darted across the room as if seeking the quickest possible route out of the room.

"Ginny," I said calmly, placing a hand on either side of her face and forcing her to look at me, "I've got complete faith in you, you can do it, trust me ok?"

She stared at me for a moment, collecting her breath before she gave the slightest nod of her head. The Professor shouted her name a second time and she got unsteadily to her feet. I watched her walk onto the stage and hand her piece of parchment to the teacher not even noticing I was biting my nails.

I saw Ginny look around the room a find me before giving a nervous smile. I smiled back and rested my elbows on my knees.

I heard the familiar tune enter the room, and noticed not for the first time how much she transformed as soon as it started. With any piece of music that started she would close her eyes, and sway slightly. I smiled to myself and watched as she took a deep breath.

You would have said, Don't be discouraged, you will realise it, I don't take courage, In a world, full of people, You can lose sight of it all, And the darkness inside you, Will make you feel so small,

I gave a relieved smile as I realised she was actually doing it, with not a trace of nerves. And all the time she was watching me, and for a moment I wondered if she'd forgotten about the other people in the room. She was singing with all her heart, and her face was screwed up with emotion as she reached the higher notes.

All too soon the song finished, and as the last whispered lines disappeared in the air she jumped off the stage and ran across the room to me

"You did it Gin! You showed them! You were better than them all put together!" I said excitedly as I saw the judges stand up and start clapping.

Ginny went bright red, as usual, and I laughed loudly. The teachers all stood up and clapped and I had a slight suspicion I saw Dumbledore wipe a tear from his eye. I kissed her on the nose as she grinned happily, nerves completely forgotten. She was soon called over by the Professor with the rest of the eagerly chatting room and I watched her go proudly.

I didn't even hear Dumbledore come up behind me.

"She's got a beautiful voice hasn't she?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I breathed, before realising who I was speaking to and blushing brightly.

"I'm glad to see you've finally made friends."

I gave a half hearted shrug, wondering silently why I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"It's nice to see you've got some distraction from past…events," said Dumbledore, smiling down at me.

I gave an uncomfortable squirm but nodded anyway.

"I bet she's quite a distraction, I hope it won't effect your studies," said Dumbledore seriously, although when I looked into his eyes they were dancing with amusement.

"Of course not, Sir," I replied, rather embarrassed by all his attention.

"Well, you two make a wonderful couple," said Dumbledore with a hint of sadness.

My thoughts went back to the Halloween Ball, and the way the teachers had watched us, and the reason why. It was then when I saw Ginny walk across the room and hover near us for a second, as if unsure whether to disturb our conversation before Dumbledore called her over.

"Well Miss Weasley, you've certainly made quite an impression," he said jovially as his eyes sparkled.

Dumbledore nudged my ribs and I gave an uncomfortable grin, which Ginny just laughed at, probably guessing what we had been talking about.

"I wish you all the luck with the performance, I have rarely heard such a talented voice that can put so much feeling and soul into music," he said admirably as it was Ginny's turn to become uncomfortable.

"Well have fun you two," he said smiling widely before adding with a wink, "and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

We watched him walk away in silence before bursting out with laughter which quickly turned into excited smiles

"Let's do something!" she suggested, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excited energy.

I pretended to regard her critically while my brain formulated a plan, time to introduce the youngest Weasley to a few tricks of the trade.

"Ok, we could go and get a butterbeer I suppose?" I asked mischievously.

"Where from?" she asked in confusion.

"Hogsmeade," I said simply, pulling her out of the classroom and towards the Tower.