A/N: this is just some rabid plot bunnie that needed a home... and I'm sure you guys can keep it nice and healthy. Not too many flames, and lots of reviews should keep it satisfied LOL.

"I heard that git Malfoy got the Slytherin team new brooms, again."

"What, really?"

"I don't know yet, he hasn't gloated about it yet, it's just a rumour. The Slytherin pricks requested practise time, for special circumstances..."

"Guys-?"

"And now, stupid rumours are whizzing round."

"I bet it's a load of hype."

"Guys!"

"But Ron, it could be true."

"Hermione, you know how much the Slytherins love hearing people talking about them. Bigheaded twats."

"GUYS!" The three turned around, to an extremely annoyed fifth year.

"Ginny? What the hell's your problem? We're trying to have a conversation here! Why'd you interrupt?"

"Well, if you'd acknowledge my existence sometime, you might have found out!" She left the common room, pausing only to hear a mumbled "Christ, how rude do you get?" before she left, holding the tears back from the group currently clambering in through the portrait hole.

Running down the halls, she headed for the top floor of the castle, and when she was sure she wouldn't be disturbed, she stopped, and slid down the back wall of an alcove, panting heavily. Here the tears pored out, in huge stops and curled fists. They did that all the time. Why? Was she no importance? Couldn't they see her at all? Was she really so worthless, that they chose her lazy, egotistical brother over herself? That last point stung, and she mentally cursed herself, for taking her thoughts down that path. Too long had she pined for someone to recognise her as someone else besides the 'littlest Weasley', and hoping that that dream would start with someone like her brother, and his mates, was just not realistic.

She knew she was being pathetic, pining over some one like Harry Potter, especially when he couldn't care less about her. She was just Ron's little sister. Nothing more to him, and that annoyed her to hell. But now, Harry no longer mattered. Why should she put herself out, why should she try for someone who couldn't give a damn about her even if he tried?

Yes, Harry was no longer important in her life. What ever he thought or said, or did, she would completely ignore him, and move on. She was fed up of crying in corridors over him.

Yet there was still Hermione. She was the only one out of the three who had spoken to her without needing to... and that mattered. He could have Harry and Ron, perhaps all her family. Just not Hermione.

Sitting cross-legged in an alcove, in a deserted corridor, she did something that sent fear down her spine, and made her limbs numb.

"Tom?"

"So, anytime soon, father should ask him to launch an attack here. I'm getting bored." He beckoned around. "With this place. It seems so... immature; dirty... it's time we got out of here."

"You reckon Lucius would really ask him that? Just out of the blue?"

"Don't be so stupid Blaise, as if my father would have the guts to do that. No, instead, he's going to drop hints, and try to 'manipulate our Dark Lord'. I swear father's now beyond obsessed. At a drop of a hat, father would kill us all for him. It doesn't bother me though" seeing the look on Blaise's face. "Just makes life interesting. And in the end he'll be asked to kill us, if we're agreed on not joining... I'm actually looking forward to that day. Should be quite... amusing."

The two figures walked in silence for a few minutes, staring at the floor.

"You know, I reckon we go now."

"What?"

"Seriously, I reckon we just go back down to the common room, pack up our trunks with the most decent stuff, and leave..."

"What? Where would we go?"

"Well, anywhere. It's not like we couldn't afford it."

"Fair point, but what would we do?"

"Who cares? How about nothing?"

"Blaise, you and I both know we don't have that much gold, even if we were to completely raid the vaults. Especially if we were going to live the same way as usual..."

"As if we wouldn't, Draco. You and I both know we couldn't survive without the manors..."

"Then why don't we just own the manors then?"

"And what, kill our fathers, thus becoming undisputed heirs to their power and riches, owning empires spanning the world, and only rivalled by each other?"

The look on their faces was priceless.

"How are we going to do this then?" after several minutes of hard thinking.

"Well, it would need to look like an accident, because obviously we're going to be main suspects anyway."

"How about we convince the ministry our father's lives are in danger?"

"Oh, just turn up with open arms 'Fudge, we need help, our fathers lives are in danger!'?"

"No, Draco. We take sacks of gold. Become friendly with fudge. Then, come to him with a favour to ask. Ask him if he could save our fathers, or at least their estate, from the clutches of the dark lord. Remind him what sort of stuff are rumoured to be in the grounds of the estates, and what would be the consequences if there was no person on the light side controlling them."

"Mmmm I guess... but we're only 16... we're going to have to wait until school ends, for fudge to really respect us."

"he doesn't need to respect us, he needs to fear us."

"all in good time, Blaise. But for now, we need to start finding out what exactly is going on in our homes, find out all the secrets and special features. It'll just look like two kids exploring their homes if we do it now."

"And suffer the humiliation of being approached as kids?"

"A small price to pay for the power we will have, if this works..." A new voice broke the silence.

"And what makes you think Voldemort would let you kill two of his most trusted followers?"

A/N: just an idea I had, please review, and tell me what you think.

Thank you

Shads