The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. -John Powell
It was early the next morning when Reilly finally woke up. It took her a while to open her eyes, but when she did, she was very aware of where she was.
She just could not remember why…
She released a groan as she tried to sit up in her hospital bed while trying to remember what had happened the night before.
"You're awake."
She turned to see that Charlie was sitting up in the bed next to hers with a large bandage attached to his head.
It would have been humorous if it had not reminded her of the nightmare that had taken place in the Forbidden Forest.
"You're alive," she whispered back, checking herself to make sure that they were indeed alive. "How did we get up here?"
Charlie shrugged before wincing a little.
"I don't know. I just remember running behind you through the woods and then nothing…"
Reilly looked around the hospital wing, looking for any other signs of life. There was no one else there.
"Landon's not here," she muttered. "Do you think he's at St. Mungos?"
She looked over at Charlie and saw the hopelessness that washed over his face.
"They haven't found him yet, Reilly," he replied weakly. "They found Filch and one of the people who were following us, but they haven't found him yet…"
Reilly bit her lip.
"You think he's dead?" she asked.
Charlie's face grew darker.
"Why would his father kill him?"
Reilly shrugged.
"Why would Landon lie about his father?"
Charlie gave a weird shrug before he touched his head and winced again. Reilly tried to get a better look of him from her bed.
"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked curiously.
The boy shook his head slowly.
"Not as much as it did earlier, I suppose…" he trailed off there and stared across to the window. "Where do you think Landon is?"
Reilly's heart sank at that question and she sighed.
"I hope he's alright… he sounded like he was in a lot of pain when they-"
She was cut short when the Hospital Wing doors opened and her mother and Charlie's parents walked in, along with Rayne, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Moody.
"Hey mum!" Reilly greeted, happy to see her mother and sister.
Ginny hurried over to the bed and hugged her daughter as tightly as she could, fighting the urge to cry as she did so.
"Oh Reilly, I'm so sorry," she murmured. "You never should have seen what you did and gone through all of that. I'm so sorry."
Reilly pulled away to look into her mother's eyes and could see the hard time she had put Ginny through over the past few hours. There were dark circles under Ginny's eyes and in general she looked like a panicky mess.
"I'm fine mum," she whispered. "I missed you."
Ginny hugged her again before making some room for Rayne, who was frowning.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, sitting down on the bed and watching both first years carefully. "What happened?"
Dumbledore took a step closer.
"I think it would be best if we didn't force Ms. Weasley and Mr. Wilson repeat what happened last night," he said carefully. "Mr. Wilson has told us all that he can and I doubt that your sister's story will be any different save a few seconds that Professor Malfoy has already filled us in on."
Reilly looked over at the Headmaster.
"Have you found Landon yet?" she asked and Charlie sat up straighter in his bed, eager to hear the answer as well.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
"I'm sorry, we have not, but we do have Aurors out there looking for him. Do not worry," he replied before turning to McGonagall.
"Madame Pomfrey suggests that you two stay in the Hospital Wing for one more day before you are released. Do not worry about catching up with assignments," she told the two, sending a pointed look over to Reilly, who seemed to have a question about that bubbling inside of her. "You're teachers all know of what is going on and will be as accommodating as possible," she continued. "That does not mean that you do not have to do homework. It just means that you will be given extra time to complete it if needed. We do not want you two falling behind completely, do we?"
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson looked a bit upset by the turn of events.
"You don't seem too worried about the fact that a werewolf is running around with one of your students," Mr. Wilson commented.
Ginny stood up and turned to them.
"Harry Potter used to come to this school remember," she whispered before looking down at Reilly. "Look, I have to get back to work… are you going to be okay?"
Rayne smiled.
"She's a Weasley. She'll always be okay, right?"
Reilly nodded before glancing over at Charlie and catching an obvious look he was giving her. Suddenly she remembered their previous conversation and the confusion that had surrounded their attack in the first place.
"Why did Landon's dad attack us?" she asked quickly, startling her mother and the others.
"Is his dad really a werewolf?" Charlie asked as well.
Charlie's parents looked to Dumbledore, who looked to Ginny as if expecting her to explain to her child what had been happening. Ginny bit her lip and sighed.
"Reilly… that man… Landon's father… he's the one who's been harassing us all summer," she whispered.
"Landon's dad?" Reilly repeated, her eyes growing. "Why? Why does he want-"
Ginny held up a hand and Reilly stopped talking immediately, waiting patiently for her mother to continue.
"Look, this is difficult and I can't explain everything," she said firmly. "All I can tell you is that Landon's father, Greyback, is dangerous and he…" At this point, it became obvious to everyone that Ginny was having a hard time coming to grips with the reality of the situation. Last night had been an unwanted and jarring wake up call to a world she had hoped would not come to being and shielding her daughter from that world had been her way of coping. If Reilly knew about the real dangers of her existence, then Ginny would have to face the real dangers as well and there was one particular aspect of that danger she was not exactly up to dealing with.
"Greyback is dangerous, Reilly," she said quickly. "And that's all you need to know right now. I want you to stay away from the woods from now on. I want you to be with some one at all times and need you to stay safe. This is a very serious situation and I need you to take it seriously."
"What about Landon? Why did his father attack him?" Charlie asked expectantly.
Ginny was about to say something when McGonagall stepped forward.
"Mr. Wilson, Landon was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she snapped abruptly. "It would be best if the two of you kept this to yourself until further notice. We are dealing with a very sensitive subject that must be handled with the utmost care and we cannot tell you more than what Reilly's mother has already told you."
"But-"
"Professor McGonagall is right, Reilly," Ginny cut in, giving her daughter a look. "I know you want to know more and believe me, I know how you feel in that regard, but for you own safety, it is best if you knew less…"
Frustration built up inside of Reilly and appeared to them in the form of unshed tears, brimming at her eyes.
"But that's not fair! We saw what happened! Why can't we know?!" she demanded. "He's our friend!"
"Reilly!" Ginny snapped. "You need to understand that there's more going on than you can handle. It's better if you didn't know."
Reilly shook her head angrily.
"But you get to know everything! Rayne gets to know everything! Why can't I know?"
Ginny gathered her daughter into a hug, holding her tightly as the girl began to cry.
"Oh honey, it's going to be okay," she whispered. "We're going to find Landon and everything's going to be okay… you just need to calm down…"
"But I want to know why we were attacked!" Reilly snapped.
Moody frowned.
"Perhaps it would be best if she did know-"
Ginny rounded on the older man.
"No!" she snapped. "This isn't a discussion. All Reilly needs to know is that Greyback is dangerous and if your people did their jobs, we won't have this problem any more!"
Moody's eyes widened.
"Their jobs? It was your precious Draco who demanded to have the Greyback file and deal with the bastard personally! So if it's anyone you should be screaming at, it's him!"
Ginny felt like she'd just been slapped in the face.
Her precious Draco?
However, before she could respond, Dumbledore stepped in between the two.
"Perhaps we should take this conversation outside," he suggested pointedly, glancing over at the two small Gryffindors as he did.
Ginny turned bright red and nodded quickly, turning to Reilly and Rayne.
"Are you two okay?" she asked.
Rayne glanced over at Reilly, who still had tears in her eyes.
"We'll be fine," the young woman replied slowly.
Ginny nodded and after giving both girls a kiss on the temple, she walked out of the Hospital Wing with Moody. Dumbledore and McGonagall exited with Charlie's parents, leaving Rayne to the two first years.
"You okay, Reilly?" the sixth year asked carefully.
Reilly sniffed and rubbed her eyes.
"I'm fine," she muttered.
Charlie looked extremely upset by the whole display and did not seem to buy Reilly's brisk response.
"You're crying, Reilly," he pointed out quickly.
Reilly shot him a nasty look.
"Well, we're in here, doing nothing while Landon could be hurt some where! And they won't tell us anything."
"Because you're not supposed to know anything."
They all turned to see Draco Malfoy come in with Gregory Goyle trailing lightly behind him. Reilly hastily wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes while Charlie paled slightly. He had heard stories about the DADA professor and none of them had been especially good.
Draco ignored Reilly's watery demeanor and looked at Rayne.
"Don't you have class?" he asked.
Rayne raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you?"
Goyle motioned to Rayne.
"Come on you," he muttered. "Draco needs to speak to the runts alone."
Rayne let out a sigh and followed her uncle out of the Hospital Wing quickly, knowing it was pointless to argue the point. She would lose.
Draco waited till the door was closed before turning to the two.
"Just so we're clear, you two are not to mention anything to anyone about what happened in the forest," he whispered.
Reilly glared at him.
"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you!" she yelled. "That's why you've been teaching me all of those curses against werewolves!"
Draco rolled his eyes.
"They obviously didn't seem to work very well," he hissed. "That's not why I'm here."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want you two to come in three times a week for lessons," he replied curtly.
Charlie paled even more.
"Why me?" he asked timidly.
Draco turned his expressionless grey eyes on the boy.
"Because you were stupid enough to get seen by Greyback and now he's going to be after you," he answered.
"HE'S GOING TO BE AFTER ME!" Charlie yelped.
"No he's not!"
They turned to see Ginny coming through the door, looking incensed. She marched right up to Draco and poked him hard in the chest.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" she asked angrily. "You can't tell him things like that!"
Draco snorted.
"I figured it would be best to have them prepared for another attack," he responded.
Ginny's eyes widened.
"Another attack? You're expecting another attack?"
The man rolled his eyes at her ignorance.
"You honestly believe that there wont?"
The redheaded woman stood up straighter and glared at him.
"I don't know what's going to happen, but what I do know is that you will not be teaching them anything nor will you tell them anything more about Greyback!"
Reilly got out of her bed and walked over to her mother.
"But mum-"
Ginny turned to her daughter.
"We already talked about this," she whispered. "You don't need to know about Greyback."
"The hell she doesn't," Draco muttered, causing Ginny to whirl around on him.
"Since when do you care about what they know?" she asked heatedly. "Why the hell do you care?"
"I don't."
"Then get the hell out of here!" she yelled. "And if I see you anywhere near my daughter again unless she's in class, then I'm going to talk to Dumbledore and have him do something about it."
"You'd do that to her brother?"
"Oh you son of a-"
"Mum!"
"GET OUT!" Ginny yelled, pointing to the Hospital Wing doors. "GET OUT NOW!"
"What's going on in here?" McGonagall demanded as she entered the wing. She noticed the two adults and frowned. "Why are you two screaming?"
Draco snorted, moving towards the older woman and the doors.
"Ask the banshee," he responded.
"Banshee?!"
"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall interrupted with that familiar tone that Draco and Ginny remembered from their time at Hogwarts. "I suggest you leave…. Now," she added, giving him a very pointed look that he ignored completely. He looked at Ginny.
"You can't keep her from the truth for very long, Weasley," he said. "I thought you would have learned enough about keeping secrets from your sixth year here."
Ginny's face went red and her eyes narrowed.
"Get out now," she hissed.
Draco shrugged and headed out the door, with nothing more to say to the incensed woman. Ginny turned to her daughter and Charlie.
"Stay away from him," she ordered.
Reilly's eyes grew.
"But mum-"
"There will be no buts about it, Reilly," Ginny snapped. "Draco is dangerous and I don't want you near him anymore."
"But he saved our lives!" Reilly countered.
"He saved my life also, do you see where that got me?" Ginny replied quickly and without thinking. Immediately, Reilly's whole demeanor changed. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes clouded with hurt at Ginny's stinging comment and began fill up with tears. Her mother's eyes widened and she slapped a hand to her mouth in horror. "Oh Reilly, I didn't mean that," she gasped, taking Reilly's face in her hands. "You know I didn't mean that. I love you so much and I do not regret having you… oh Reilly, I am so sorry!"
Reilly looked at anything but her mother, too hurt to say whatever was running through her mind. Ginny could see that she had hurt her daughter a lot by the comment and could also see that she was not going a response out of her at all. Biting her lip, Ginny pulled Reilly into a tight hug before pulling away and kissing her cheek.
"I'm sorry, Reilly," she whispered. "I-"
"Mr. Wilson, it is time for your bandages to be redressed," Madame Pomfrey announced as she stepped out of her office, unaware of what had just happened in her Hospital Wing. The nurse marched right over to Charlie and pointed to his bed. "Sit down, Mr. Wilson and try not to move so much this time. Fidgety wizards always make things difficult," she commented before turning to Reilly. "Ms. Weasley, you need to get back in your bed, right now. You should not be running about like some wild hippogriff… Ms. Weasley, now!"
Ginny released her daughter and watched Reilly return dejectedly to her bed, staring down at her hands the whole time. Ginny was about to go over and talk to Reilly, but McGonagall grabbed her shoulder and shook her head.
"Give her some time," the Transfiguration professor advised.
Ginny nodded slowly, still appalled at herself for saying what she had.
She left the Hospital Wing with McGonagall and for a while they walked in an uncomfortable silence before the professor decided to say something.
"Ginny," she whispered. "It is a dangerous thing you are doing. Forcing Reilly to keep away from Mr. Malfoy and vice versa."
Ginny shook her head.
"I don't want Reilly to know about Greyback until it's absolutely necessary, Professor," she whispered.
"When is 'absolutely necessary'?"
Ginny stopped in her tracks and bit her lip, unsure of how to answer that question. McGonagall frowned.
"Ginny, perhaps this little outburst has more to do with your feelings for Mr. Malfoy than your reluctance to divulge information with your daughter?"
Ginny took a deep breath and turned to the older woman.
"Do you think I'm overreacting?"
McGonagall offered a comforting smile.
"I think you're being a protective mother who has a lot of baggage in her past," she responded. "I know you are trying to shed yourself of Mr. Malfoy and move on with Mr. Conwell, but perhaps this is not the best way to go about it. You and I both know that Mr. Malfoy will not leave until he deals with Greyback and that will not happen if you… delay his other agenda with Reilly."
Ginny could see the logic in her former professor's comments and she cursed herself for her stupidity.
"Great," she sighed. "Now I have to go and talk to him."
McGonagall placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry about that," she said. "I'll deal with Mr. Malfoy. You go deal with your daughter. I'm sure she's willing to forgive you now."
To the old woman's surprise, Ginny moved forward and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you, Professor," Ginny murmured before pulling away and hurrying back to the Hospital Wing.
McGonagall watched her disappear into the wing before she turned to walk down to the DADA room.
"You're welcome Ginny," she said to herself with a smile.
A/N: Okay, okay, I know it's a bit overdue, but I hope you enjoyed it. And if you didn't, well then that's your problem, but I'd appreciate your review nonetheless.
Kiah M.: I'm sorry I don't remember you, but I'm glad you're back anyway! I'm glad you like the story and I'll do my best with Landon, but I won't make any promises.
Jenny: I think it's a bit early to be killing people, especially a main character. But who knows? At the moment, I think Ginny needs to take a breather and clear her mind. Draco is probably the last thing she needs at the moment. And not meaning to root for the other guy, but I think Jason's being a much better person at the moment than Draco. (I still love Draco better though).
Mae Silverpaws: It is a novelty, isn't it?
nextbestthing: Oh my gosh! You are like my new best friend! I totally agree with you! Draco needs to leave her alone!
Dracoginnylover24: He is sexy! But he is also very odd.
wrenbailey: I'm loving Jason a lot, to be honest. Of course he's no Draco, but he's really good for Ginny and that's amazing. I love your analysis of their relationship, though to be quite honest, I've already decided the outcome of this story. I've actually written two of the final chapters. I'm just sort of filling in the blanks now. Filch did get a bad break, but at least he wont terrorize the students anymore. I can't wait to see happens with Landon.
purplegabby123: Oh I want him to stick around also, but I'd prefer it if he didn't bug Ginny as much as he does.
snowfire81: That's sort of ironic that I broke off updating for a long period of time after you said that… I just thought I'd point that out…
No Chapter Tease.
