A/N: I just finished this, and wanted to upload it before I took a shower and went to bed. This chapter was a major PAIN (have you guys ever seen that movie Major Paine? It's hilarious!)! I like seriously did like 3 different plots for this, but then decided to go with this one. So glad I got through it. It's a little rushed at points, and I'm sorry for that. I am surprised it's this long though. But I think I like it over all. It just took me so long because I felt stuck. Not exactly writers block, but something of the sort.

OK, so I know it's been forever since I updated, but I had exams I had to cram for, friend issues I needed to fix, and my grandma was in the hospital for a few days. And I got this strange inspiration to continue this Soul-Bond fic I started months ago and only got 400 words into, but now I have well over 7,000. I don't know if I'll post it, haven't decided. I have this really cute Romione moment in it, and I love it.

And a special thanks to MelGinnyLover, who has allowed me to rant endlessly about my many ideas, about my worries about this fic, I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO WITHOUT HIM!

Chapter 3: Charms

"Admittedly, I wish I could've done more." Hermione was talking with Remus about the Transfiguration essay McGonagall had assigned her year, "But I ran out of parchment and I still had my Potions and Ancient Runes essays left."

"I'm sure you did wonderfully, Hermione." Lupin assured her. "You always do."

Ginny snorted, "Of course she does wonderfully. That's why I go to her for help." A light bulb went off in Ginny's head, "Which reminds me, I need you help me with my Astronomy essay."

"Why?" Hermione asked, laughing a little, "You're brilliant at it."

"But I need confirmation." Ginny said defensively, "I wasn't paying attention when she told us exactly why Venus has no moons and the consequences of that fact."

Hermione nodded, "That's easy, I'll tell you later."

For the first time, Ginny believed Hermione. Astronomy was one of the subjects that came easy to her and she actually enjoyed.

"I never liked Astronomy." Sirius commented, "Especially first year when we had to have class at 12 in the morning."

Remus laughed, "I remember you grumbling about it for weeks before James told you to suck it up and learn to enjoy being allowed to stay up later than the second years."

"It wasn't just me; James hated that class just as much as I did. You and Peter were the only ones who liked it." Sirius countered, "And Lily. Merlin Lily adored that class. I would know, she had to tutor me and James in it during our third year."

"You and James would have done perfectly fine in that class just like all the other classes you took if you two didn't mess around all the time." Remus laughed, "Then you wouldn't have had to be subjected to Lily for 2 hours every other day."

"Lily loved our tutoring sessions," Sirius grinned, "Well she would've if we actually did any work."

"I had to listen to her complain to Marlene, Dorcas, Emmeline, and I for weeks because apparently you two had no respect for her." Remus said, scowling a little.

"We had respect, but we just couldn't stand Astronomy." Sirius defended, "Lily was a handful, let me tell you, but it wasn't her fault. We just couldn't stand Astronomy. The only reason we actually agreed to get a tutor in the first place was because Professor Sinistra threatened to give us both a 'troll' on our end of the exam if we didn't."

"It didn't do much good, though; you and James still got a low mark in that class." Remus pointed out.

"But we passed." Sirius laughed, "Remember when we gave Lily those roses and made a huge announcement in the Great Hall that because she 'saved us from such a fate worse than death itself, we were her slaves for the rest of the year'?"

Remus laughed, and Ginny could tell they took great happiness in talking about their lost friend. It seemed to brighten their mood a little.

"And by the way," Remus smiled at Ginny, "Happy Birthday."

Ginny thought about looking down the table a few seats to see if Harry was listening to Remus and Sirius talk about his mom and dad, but she thought better of it because of his less than good attempts at being discrete about his current actions.

Ginny could practically feel his gaze -no, stare. He was staring at her. And how no one but her noticed, she would really like to find out. But she wouldn't, because if she were to actually do that, the fact that they had almost kissed would be brought up, and she didn't want that to happen. Hell, she didn't even want to talk to him about it.

In truth, Ginny was avertedly avoiding Harry. She had been nervous around him before, but she had learned to control it. But those nights ago when he almost kissed her, the control was almost lost, and Ginny knew, she just knew, that if she were to talk to him anytime soon, she would lose it completely this time. And that was defiantly not what she wanted to happen. Especially over her birthday tea.

See, if she lost control, she was afraid the feelings for him she had buried would surface again.

Unless, of course he liked her.

No, no, no. He didn't like her. He couldn't. He just couldn't. Not possible. He had treated her like a little sister for the better part of the 4 years they had known each other.

But then again, if he had almost kissed her, he must like her. Does anyone go to kiss someone unless they like them? Even if it's in the spur of the moment?

Ginny suddenly got very hot and shaky, the voices of people around her dulled out. She could feel her heart beat racing-

"Ginny!" Her head shot over to her irate mother. It seemed her attention was elsewhere, and she hadn't noticed someone talking to her. Or people, it seemed, for the whole table (the Weasley's, Hermione, Harry, and the Order) was looking at her rather strangely. "Are you alright?" Her mother asked.

Ginny nodded furiously, getting a like shocked for a second before fumbling something that she supposed was, "I need to go to the bathroom," Then exiting rather like her Harry-Fan-Girl-Self would (she knocked over her birthday tea rather ungracefully), and locking herself in the bathroom on the second landing.

She splashed cold water on her face, trying to cool herself. She sat down on the toilet seat and relaxed, trying to slow her erratic heart.

She sat there for what seemed like hours, trying to calm herself, to shove the thoughts that had caused her to almost have a heart attack out of her mind.

A soft knock came on the door. Her mother, she supposed. She hastily got off of the Lou, unlocked the door, and opened it.

But it wasn't her mother. It wasn't Hermione either. It was Sirius.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" He asked softly, and a little worriedly, though strangely like he had done this before.

Ginny nodded slowly, but she knew her face was still pale.

"Come here." He motioned her to a small couch just outside the bathroom. She followed him and she sat down on it. He carefully pulled out something from his pocket.

It was a bracelet. A really beautiful diamond bracelet. It had a quaffle on it, a cross, a heart, and at least 5 more, all diamond incrusted.

He lad in in her open hand.

"Sirius, I can't take this." Ginny was breathless as she attempted to hand it back to him. He shook his head, pushed back her hand lightly, and smiled.

"I'm sorry I didn't give it to you earlier this morning with everything else, Remus had to help me find it." Sirius laughed. "It's been packed away for nearly 14 years…"

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but where did you get it?" Ginny asked breathlessly, still gawking at it.

"It belonged to an old friend of mine and Remus'. A very good friend of ours." He said rather sadly.

"It belonged?" She looked up at him.

"She died during the first war… Around the time Harry's parents did, actually." He smiled sadly, again. "It was left to me, I knew that, but I was in Azkaban. Remus packed it away, I needed his help."

"But why are you giving it to me?" She asked him, a little breathless still.

"You remind me of her, and I'm sure she would've liked you, wanted you to have it." He smiled, stood, and then held a hand out to help her up as well. She took it thankfully. "Take care of it, Ginny."

Ginny nodded, and then followed Sirius back downstairs, but wondering to herself who exactly owned this bracelet.

"Do you think she's alright?" Harry asked George quietly as he helped him clean up the table before heading to bed. "Ginny, I mean."

George shook his head, while dropping dishes in the sink. "I don't know. Hermione said she had been off all day, lost in thought it seemed. Working out something in her head supposedly."

Harry knew exactly what she was working out in her head.

The almost kiss the previous night.

He knew how she felt. He just felt bad that this will probably be the worse birthday she had ever experienced because of him. Maybe that was exaggerating, but he felt bad nonetheless.

He also felt like she hated him. She had been avoiding him all day; he hadn't even been able to say a simple Happy Birthday because she refused to look at him. He felt stupid because he let his emotions –which he hadn't even completely sorted out yet- get the better of him, and because he let those exact same emotions affect him like this. He longed for her to have that bright, bubbly attitude with him again that she had acquired yesterday. He was mood brightening really, and he rather thought he could use it with the hearing being tomorrow.

Sleep did not come easy for The-Boy-Who-Lived, but when it did, he welcomed it gladly.

Harry woke up the next morning feeling more nervous than ever. He was troubled over the hearing, and to top it all off, he felt even more grief over the issue with Ginny.

When he and Mr. Weasley left for the Ministry, he looked over at Ginny sitting down at the end of the table nest to Hermione. Hermione was talking excitedly to Bill Weasley about something. Ginny wasn't even doing anything. She was just looking at her plate, but not eating anything. She looked as pale as ever, and Harry's mood darkened even more, and he felt as stupid as ever.