Time moved so slowly in those next few minutes. Ginny furiously pushed her hair out of her face. "Right," she said. "are we going to talk or not?"

Avery, still looking into the embers of the fire, said, "I don't know."

"Well, we're not getting anywhere," replied a annoyed Ginny.

Avery gave a half-hearted shrug of the shoulders. Harry was an issue that she did not want to bring up, but she did not want to ruin the connection she had with Ginny, even though she probably already had.

"Fine. I guess…I guess we'll just have to work something out." And with that, Ginny pushed out of her chair and walked toward the door.

Avery knew that they would never get another chance to "work something out," and so she called out, "Gin, I don't care a bout Harry.," That was a lie. Avery's stomach twisted " I want you to talk to him." Another lie. Avery looked up and saw that Ginny was staring at her intently. Avery looked down at her lap.

"I was jealous, you know."

Avery looked up in surprise. Ginny looked up at the ceiling, talking to the lights.

"I hated the thought of you with him, I know it was completely wrong and selfish of me, but I guess I couldn't help it."

"What do you think he thought when he saw you with Dean?" Avery asked. "Honestly, I though he would be turning green any day now."

Avery could tell that Ginny was trying to hide her glee, but she was failing.

"Really?" Hope flashed in her eyes, but it was immediately placed with confusion.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Avery felt the guilt that she had been feeling drop even lower in her stomach. Now she had lost Ginny's trust.

"I'm telling you this," said Avery slowly, "because it was always you, Ginny. It was always you he looked at, laughed with…" Avery swallowed. She was not going to cry over this. She was done with Harry. All of the sudden she felt anger well up inside her. This was all Ginny's fault! Harry wouldn't have left her if it wasn't for Ginny.

Avery's hand twitched.

There was a vase of flowers on the table next to her. She dumped out the roses on the floor. Ginny flinched as she hit the ground. Avery picked one of them up and turned it in her fingers, she took out her wand, muttered something, then walked over and handed it to Ginny. Then she walked right passed her, and out the door.

Ginny's POV

Ginny took the flower. It was a light pick and just beginning to bloom. There was nothing special about it, just an ordinary flower.

What had Avery done to it?

Ginny watched Avery walk out of the room, her black hair bouncing behind her. Ginny had always admired Avery's beauty, mostly because Avery didn't know how beautiful she was. I mean, she wasn't drop dead beautiful, but she was just the right amount of pretty.

But Ginny was still cautious about the flower. She set it back on the table, and shut the door behind her.

NEXT MORNING

Ginny awoke before any of her friends, it was a Saturday after all.

A study Saturday.Thought Ginny grimly.

She went and pulled on some clothes. Just as she put on her sweater, she felt something poking her in the side. She reached into her pocket and pulled the object out.

She nearly screamed.

The freaking pink rose!

Damn you Avery, with your insane magical abilities!

Since Avery had probably charmed the rose, Ginny saw no point in trying to get rid of it, so she tucked it back in her pocket and left her dorm.

No one was in the common room, so she headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. As she walked into the hall, she saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Avery pouring over the Daily Prophet and Neville's Herbology homework that they were copying, well, everyone except Hermione was copying.

As Ginny sat down to eat, she was acknowledged with a few grunts and waves. Avery did not look at her.

Ginny helped herself to some breakfast sausage and fruit. Whenshe looked up from her glass of milk, she noticed that Harry was staring at her, and before she could say something, a voice spoke in her head:

I wonder how far her freckles go…

Ginny screamed, pushed back from the table, and fell to the floor and landed on her back. Pain shot up her spine and her head, but no stars crowded her vision, and Ginny took that as a good sign.

Almost immediately hands picked her up off the floor. Ginny turned her head and saw both Harry and Dean, each with one of her arms in their hands. Harry quickly looked at Dean and let go, his face turned a little pink.

"Gin? What happened? Are you alright?" a concerned Dean looked at her.

All of the sudden Ginny ripped her arm away from Dean and took a step back. She glared at him. "I'm fine, Dean. I can get up by myself, thank you." She looked at Harry and glared at him too. Who did he think he was?

Ginny turned and looked at Avery, who smirked and then hid it quickly as she took a sip of water.

What the hell?

What was Avery trying to do? Did she put the voice in her head? How far do her freckles go…? What kind of question is that? Immediately, Ginny began to think that they went all the way…down. She felt her face get hot. Why the hell would she think that?

Ginny became quite confused. She began to get up from the table when a group of Slytherines burst into the hall, Draco Malfoy in the front. They all looked up, Neville hid behind his Herbology book. Malfoy looked straight at them, quickly glanced at her, then slid past her to Avery. Malfoy did not take his cold gray eyes away from hers. Ginny stared at Avery, who stared at Malfoy with a mixture of confusion, hatred, and…fear.

Again, what the hell?

Ginny saw that Harry had noticed it too. He stood up abruptly, eyes locked on Malfoy, then Malfoy turned and moved to his table where he joined his friends.

Ginny looked at Avery, as did everyone else, and saw that she was trembling Then Avery got up from the table and walked swiftly from the hall. Hermione got up, shot a look at Ron who was making the "crazy" gesture with his finger, and followed her out.

Ginny watched as Harry watched Avery and Hermione leave the hall, and she saw something there, in his face that she had only see a few times before. But then it was gone, and they continued to eat. After they had all finished, they went back up to the common room to change for Quidditch practice.

The rose was still in her pocket.