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Chapter 10: The First Day Back
The next morning when Ginny awoke, despite how early it was, she got out of bed and ready for the day. Her dorm-mates were still sound asleep and so Ginny tried to be quiet as she pulled her robe over her school clothes, slipped her wand into her pocket, and walked out of the common room.
The night before she'd gone to bed, she had set her alarm to wake her up early, thinking that she would go to breakfast early, catch Dumbledore hopefully alone, and tell him about Mr. Ollivander's betrayal. While she was at it, she would ask him to somehow talk her parents into not staying at their home any longer. She had thought she'd ask him to tell her again who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts was, but then she thought that might make it seem like she hadn't been paying attention to Dumbledore's speech. True, she hadn't been paying attention, but she certainly didn't want him to know that.
However, all of Ginny's hopes were in vain, for when she got down to the Great Hall, Dumbledore wasn't there. Several students were milling about waiting for breakfast to be served, and it looked like Professor McGonagall had already started handing out schedules to those students present, but no other teacher was in sight.
A disappointed Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table, at which only a loud group of third years sat. She suddenly realized just how tired she was when a yawn escaped her mouth; after that one, it seemed impossible to stop others from surfacing. But Ginny had already showered and it seemed pointless to walk all the way back upstairs to sleep for maybe another half hour, so she remained at the Gryffindor table.
Eventually, Professor McGonagall made her way to Ginny, a stack of papers in her hand.
"Good morning, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said. "Glad to see you up and about so early."
"Yeah," said Ginny. "A bit too early for my liking, but whatever." She watched her Transfiguration teacher search through the papers.
"I've got your schedule here somewhere," muttered Professor McGonagall. "Here you go." She handed the paper to Ginny, who scanned it quickly.
"Not too bad for my first day back," Ginny said, managing a small smile. "At least I don't have Potions on a Monday."
Ginny could have sworn she saw Professor McGonagall's lips twitch in what might have been a smile, but the next instant they were back in the thin, orderly line that they always were in.
"Actually, Professor," Ginny began tentatively, "I was wondering…do you know if Professor Dumbledore is coming down here this morning?"
McGonagall's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not sure. Sometimes, with all of the work that he has, he prefers to eat in his room…takes up less time that way. Is there any reason you need to see him?"
"Umm…" Ginny bit her lip, wondering if she should just tell McGonagall. She trusted the woman completely, and she knew that McGonagall was aware that Ginny and Draco were together, but she somehow would feel better about the entire situation if she told Dumbledore herself; after all, it was partly her fault, and she figured that Dumbledore would have the greatest influence over her parents.
"Is it about…" McGonagall lowered her voice to a whisper, "the Order?" Ginny nodded, and McGonagall looked at her knowingly. "Is it," she continued, "anything that needs immediate attention?"
"Well," Ginny said slowly. "It's important, but if he's busy now it can wait a little bit. I'd like to talk to him as soon as possible though."
"Hmm. Well," Professor McGonagall said contemplatively, resting her hand on her chin, "My last class before lunch is the seventh years –that'd be you, you know– so I can take you to see him right after class."
"That'd be great," Ginny said, relieved that she wouldn't have to wait too long. She didn't know if the situation with Ollivander required "immediate attention," but she certainly didn't want her parents staying in their house any longer than necessary; she already felt guilty enough about not having told them sooner. All during the train ride to Hogwarts, when she wasn't talking with Luna, she kept replaying in her head how horribly the visit to her home might have gone. If Lucius Malfoy had still been there…she shuddered, the image of the dead garden gnome popping into her head; much worse than that could have happened. And why hadn't she told anybody about the possible danger? Because she had been afraid of what her family would do to her if they knew she'd snuck out of Grimmauld Place, with or without Draco. Even now they could be in danger, but the idea that she could save them and possibly –Dumbledore willing– keep her and Draco a secret was the best option in her mind, and so she was willing to wait a few more hours.
"Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked carefully, and Ginny's eyes snapped back to her teacher, a slight blush creeping up her neck. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, sorry," she mumbled. "Just tired, I guess…"
"Well, there is actually another matter I wanted to discuss with you," McGonagall asked. "But more students are coming in and I have many more schedules to pass out, so it will have to wait."
"Alright," Ginny replied as McGonagall said goodbye and walked towards the Hufflepuff table. She frowned slightly, wondering what it was her teacher wanted to talk to her about, but just then, the table in front of her was filled with all sorts of breakfast foods; and, shrugging her shoulders, Ginny grabbed a plate and filled it up. She was just spreading some jam on her muffin, watching familiar and unfamiliar faces alike congregating in the Great Hall, when a voice calling her name caused her to turn around in her seat.
"Hey," said her friend Colin Creevey as he slid into the seat next to her. "Missed you on the train yesterday, and at the feast. How are you doing?"
"Pretty good," Ginny said with a smile. "You?"
"Same," Colin said, shrugging. He grabbed a plate and scooped some eggs on to it. "Feels weird to be here as a seventh year. Seems like just yesterday we were like…them, actually," he said, pointing to a group of shy looking first years who entered the hall and froze, looking about and obviously wondering which way to go.
"I know the feeling," Ginny admitted, eyeing the first years before turning back to Colin. He looked the same as always – same wavy hair, small nose, and pinched cheeks, an overall mousy look, though he seemed to have grown into it a bit; it didn't look quite as awkward on him anymore, especially, Ginny noted, since he seemed to have hit a growth spurt over the summer. She'd have to wait until she stood to make a proper comparison, but Colin looked as if he was now slightly taller than her.
Professor McGonagall took that moment to walk back over to the Gryffindor table and, with another nod to Ginny, handed Colin his schedule before continuing on.
"Hmm," said Colin, eyes traveling over the paper he'd just been handed. "First thing is…Divination. You got that one?" He peered at the schedule in Ginny's lap.
"Nope," Ginny said. "That class always seemed really spoofy to me, so I dropped it. Why are you taking it, anyhow?"
Colin grinned sheepishly at her. "It's really easy, you know, not too much actual work to do."
Ginny laughed. "True, that's true. Anyway, all I have this morning is Arithmancy and Transfiguration."
"Lucky."
"I know," Ginny said, grinning smugly. Then she thought of something. "What was the name of the new Defense teacher? Missed it last night."
"Uh…something Dixon. Grayson Dixon, I think."
"Huh. Well we haven't got him till Friday, unfortunately, so we'll have to wait to see what he's like," Ginny mused.
Colin shrugged his shoulders as he ate. After a few minutes of silence between them, he said, "Most of the team's gone this year."
It took Ginny a moment to realize that he was talking about Quidditch. When she did understand him, her stomach felt heavier than normal. "Yeah…" Not only had they lost Harry as Seeker, Ron as Keeper, but also two of their Chasers, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Colin and Dennis, as far as Ginny knew, would still be the Beaters, and she a Chaser, but it would take quite a few skilled players to get the team as good as it used to be.
Thoughts of Quidditch inevitably led to thoughts of Draco, Ginny realized, and she glanced over at the Slytherin table, half expecting to see him sitting there. But with a sigh, she realized that Draco wasn't there, and she mentally chastised herself for even thinking any different. Most of the old students weren't here, and she'd just have to get used to the idea, like it or not. It was a practical thought, if not the most cheering.
As Ginny looked at the giant clock up on the wall of the Great Hall, she realized that if she didn't want to be late for Arithmancy, she'd need to leave soon; she hadn't brought any of her books down, since she hadn't known what class was first. There was just enough time to run back up to her dormitory to get her supplies.
"I've got be going," she said as she stood up. "Got to get my things."
"Alright," replied Colin. "See you in Transfiguration."
"Bye."
Ginny then left the Great Hall, passing several tired students on her way back up to her dormitory. As the portrait of the Fat Lady let her into the common room and Ginny surreally seemed to note that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not in there, she tried not to envision how different this year would be.
An hour and a half later, a bleary-eyed Ginny emerged from her Arithmancy class. She carried her bag in her arms up close to her chest as she slowly walked down the hall. Why, she wondered, had she chosen that class? That's right, she thought dryly, because it was either that or sit in Divination with a psychotic teacher.
Ginny sighed. Right now, she rather envied Colin, who was no doubt enjoying the easy class. Professor Vector had given her an alarming amount of homework to be handed in next Wednesday, and it felt odd to be under so much pressure on the first day of school.
Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, Ginny blinked several times to clear her mind. As she walked into the Transfiguration classroom, she took a seat somewhere in the middle. Colin walked in and joined her a few minutes before class started, looking a mite too chipper for Ginny's liking. But she smiled anyway when he asked how Arithmancy was, though all the way through Transfiguration, as she realized just how much more difficult the class had gotten from last year, a bit of panic started to rise within her. How in the world would she survive this year? And how had Draco done it last year and made it look so easy, even having time to go about playing detective at night?
Ginny sighed at the thought of Draco again, but thankfully, before she got too lost in her daydream, class ended; Ginny was pleased to see that Professor McGonagall gave them some reading to do in the textbook, but no other homework.
"You coming?" Colin asked Ginny when she made no move to follow the rest of the students filtering out of the classroom. "Lunch is in a few minutes.
"Nah," Ginny replied. "I'm going to talk to Professor McGonagall. I'll catch up with you later, yeah?"
"Yeah," Colin said, shrugging his shoulders.
Once the classroom was empty, Ginny slung her bag over her shoulder and walked up to the front where McGonagall was putting away her textbook. "Ready?" her teacher asked.
"Mm-hmm," Ginny said, smiling despite her sudden nerves; would Professor Dumbledore be mad that she hadn't told him sooner? Or that she had even gone back to the house at all? Ginny realized now, as McGonagall led the way towards Professor Dumbledore's office, that going back had probably been a stupid idea. But after seeing a man she'd hated for quite a while breaking into her house with evil intentions, her temper had bested her and she had even relished the idea of going back, if only because it gave her the possibility of fighting him.
"Here we are," Professor McGonagall said when they reached the stone gargoyle. She leaned forward and whispered the password so softly that Ginny couldn't hear it, and the gargoyle sprang to the side. "Just go on up," McGonagall told Ginny. "I let him know earlier that you'd be dropping by."
"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling to quell her nerves. She started up the stairs.
"Oh, and Miss Weasley?"
"Yes?" asked Ginny, turning around.
"When you are done, please come back to my classroom. There's still something I'd like to talk to you about," Professor McGonagall said. Ginny frowned slightly in curiosity, but she nodded her head anyway. "I'll have some lunch there for you so you won't miss it."
"Thanks," Ginny said once more, and as her teacher walked off, Ginny took a deep breath and walked up the rest of the staircase. When she knocked on the door at the top, Professor Dumbledore told her to come in, so she opened the door and walked into his office.
"Hello, Miss Weasley," Professor Dumbledore greeted.
"Hello, Sir," replied Ginny. She walked forward and sat down at the chair in front of the desk, which Dumbledore sat behind.
"Professor McGonagall told me that you have something to tell me that concerns the Order." Dumbledore sat forward in his seat and laced his fingers together on his desk, his face now serious.
"Yes," began Ginny, swallowing nervously. "Well…there's really no delicate way to say this, so I'll just say it." She took a deep breath. "Mr. Ollivander recognized Narcissa Malfoy with me in Diagon Alley, told Lucius Malfoy about it, and Malfoy and another Death Eater went to my house a few nights ago to try and kill us," she said in a rush, sighing at the end.
"Hmm…" Dumbledore mused, his eyes narrowing in thought. "I think you'd better start at the beginning and tell me everything, Miss Weasley."
And so Ginny told him in detail how she and Narcissa –the latter woman in disguise– went to Diagon Alley and how Mr. Ollivander recognized Narcissa. Ginny also told him how when she and Draco had gone to her house to talk in privacy, they had seen Lucius Malfoy and the other Death Eater, whom Ginny remembered being called Alvin. To the best of her ability, she recounted the conversation between the two, and told how she and Draco had Apparated back to Grimmauld Place. She blushed slightly in embarrassment when she told Professor Dumbledore how she had gone back to her house with her mother, cringing at Dumbledore's frown when she told him about the dead gnome in her bedroom.
When she was finished, she sat uncomfortably in her seat, unable to shake the feeling that she was on trial being judged for a crime. The way Professor Dumbledore was gazing at her through those moon-shaped spectacles was unnerving. Finally, as the silence between them grew to an almost unbearable degree, he spoke.
"Well, Miss Weasley," he sighed, "I cannot say that you made a wise choice in going back to your house. I agree with Mr. Malfoy. Lucius could have done a number of things to harm you or your parents. You were lucky to get away simply with a dead gnome."
"I know, Sir, and I'm really sorry," Ginny said. "It's just that I didn't know how to explain to my parents about knowing about it without telling the truth, and if they find out about me and Draco, then…" she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. Sighing, she slumped down in her chair miserably. "I know it was wrong to go back. But that's why I'm telling you now. Can you find some way to get my parents out of the house? I don't know what I'd do if they got hurt because I was too scared to tell them."
Dumbledore nodded his head knowingly. "I can get them out. Most likely the best place for them is in Grimmauld Place. They will be safe there, and you here."
"What are you going to do about Mr. Ollivander?" Ginny asked. "I mean…is he a Death Eater?"
"I don't know," Dumbledore replied with a frown. "We will look into it. We will also look into who Alvin is. Are you sure that's all Lucius called him?"
"Positive."
"Hmm." Dumbledore appeared deep in thought, but then smiled at Ginny and stood. Ginny took this as her cue to leave, so she stood as well. "Ginny, I thank you for coming to tell me this," he said. "You may have made a mistake, but it takes a brave person to admit it, and an even braver person to do something to fix it."
"Thank you," Ginny mumbled, trying her best to smile, though inside, she still felt guilty.
"Sometimes, when you are in love, you make mistakes, which was the case in your not telling anybody for fear of you and Draco being found out," said Dumbledore pensively. "Love is a precious thing, and when you find it, you usually do everything in your power to keep it. Even if it causes you to err a time or two. You will become wiser with time, though. And don't worry," he said brightly, "I will keep your secret for now. But do know," he said, a bit more serious, "that you cannot keep a secret like this forever."
"I know," Ginny said. "And neither Draco nor I intend to. We just don't want to tell them quite yet."
"Completely understandable."
"Thank you, Sir," Ginny said, and Dumbledore smiled at her.
"Thank you, Miss Weasley. Now, you better run along, or there won't be any lunch left for you."
Ginny smiled at him one last time as she closed the door behind her. However, as she reached the bottom of the hidden staircase, she stopped dead in her tracks, so suddenly it was as if she had run into a wall. Her eyes widened as she remembered Dumbledore's comment. Sometimes, when you are in love…
It was as if everything stopped for Ginny. She just stood there, her hand on the railing, completely unaware of the fact that the gargoyle had moved aside and she was facing the empty hallway. Her heart pounded in her chest and Ginny wondered surreally if it was natural for something inside her to be so loud. But then Dumbledore's words rang through her again, and Ginny shook her head to clear her thoughts, stepping dazedly into the hallway.
Was she in love with Draco Malfoy? When Dumbledore had made that comment, the meaning of it hadn't fully registered in her mind. But now that she thought back, it startled her. Did Dumbledore think that they were in love? Ginny hadn't affirmed Dumbledore's words when he'd said them, and yet…she hadn't denied them either.
Did she love Draco Malfoy? Ginny had once or twice thought about the subject, but never too seriously. She knew without a doubt that nobody, not even Harry, had made her feel so special before, and she knew that without Draco, she'd be positively miserable. But did she truly love him?
Ginny wasn't entirely sure. How would she know when she was in love? It wasn't as if she had been in love before and had something to compare her current relationship to; she had nothing to go by. So how did she know if what she felt for Draco was love? It certainly felt different than what she had felt for Harry, and she had long ago realized that what she had felt for Harry had been nothing more than a crush, infatuation. So did that mean that she loved Draco?
More important in Ginny's mind right now, did Draco love her? That idea caused Ginny's heart to swell and she felt distinctly warmer inside, but was it possible? She remembered last year to the moment when she had confronted him about his kissing her. After he had admitted that he liked her, what was it he'd said? Don't think that this is love or anything. I don't even know what love is. I've never loved anybody before and I don't know if I can start now.
Ginny sighed, scuffing her feet against the floor. She thought hard, wondering if what Draco had said was true. Sure, he hadn't experienced an abundance of love in his life, but surely he must've changed since his childhood, right? After all they'd been through, something must've changed in him. He was certainly more open to sharing how he felt, though she knew he didn't like to admit it. But the way he'd fired up when she mentioned going back to her house proved that he cared. How deep did that care go, though? Far enough that he loved her? The situation was close to hopeless, Ginny thought. If even she, growing up in a warm and loving environment, didn't know if she was in love or not, then how in the world would Draco realize if he was in love? And if he did realize that he loved her, Ginny wondered if he'd ever be brave enough to tell her. It was such a commitment, such an enormous show of emotion for any person that she didn't know if he would be able to say it or not.
Now feeling significantly more depressed than a half hour ago, Ginny realized that she was standing in front of the door to the Transfiguration classroom. How long she had been there, she'd never know. But she knocked anyway, now not feeling quite as eager to hear what Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to her about.
"Come in," called Professor McGonagall.
Ginny walked into the classroom and felt her stomach rumble when she saw the sandwich on one of the desks in the front row, directly in front of McGonagall's desk, where her teacher was currently sitting. Professor McGonagall motioned towards the table with the sandwich, and Ginny sat down and tentatively started to eat it.
"How did your meeting go?" she asked Ginny. "Everything all taken care of?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Ginny answered.
"Good, then. What I want to talk to you about is Quidditch."
"What about it?" asked Ginny. She swallowed another bite of food.
"I was wondering," said Professor McGonagall, "if you'd be interested in being the team captain."
Ginny nearly choked on a bit of lettuce. "Cap-captain?" she asked, completely caught off-guard. "Me?"
"Yes, you," McGonagall said wryly, looking amused at Ginny's reaction. "You are the person who has been on the team the longest, so I thought to offer you the position. You don't have to accept if you don't want to."
Ginny set her sandwich down and sank back in her seat, feeling overwhelmed by everything. Her, team captain? That had been Harry's job. But Harry's not here, she thought. It did make sense, she supposed, McGonagall's offering her the position. So far, only she and the Creevey brothers remained on the team, and she had been there the longest. But was she enough of a leader to take on that amount of work? It was a big responsibility, team captain.
However, Ginny loved Quidditch with a passion, and she was never one to back down from a challenge. And so, giving the matter only a few more seconds of consideration, she nodded her head, smiling.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that," said Ginny.
To her surprise, Professor McGonagall smiled brightly at her. "Excellent," she said. "The Gryffindor tryouts are set for the eleventh of September, which is a Friday, so you have a little over a week to prepare. And I believe the Creevey brothers are the only other players to return this year, but to be fair, they should still tryout for the Beater positions –or another other positions– with everybody else, to give everybody a fair chance. The final call will be up to you, but we don't want to play favorites."
"Right."
"Last year was a pretty nice team," mused Professor McGonagall, "but with so many people gone, especially Potter…well – he was one of the best Seekers to ever play at Hogwarts. We'll be lucky to find someone half as good as him."
Ginny nodded thoughtfully. She herself, in her fourth year, had played Seeker for a while, but Chaser was what she really loved. She didn't know whether Gryffindor would be able to turn out another Seeker like Harry.
Sighing a little, Ginny finished off the last of her sandwich. "Is that all you needed to talk to me about?" she asked as she wiped the crumbs from her fingers.
"I suppose so, yes," Professor McGonagall said. "Lunch is nearly over now; what class do you have next?"
"Uh…let's see," Ginny murmured, digging into her bag on the floor to find her schedule. "Looks like…Herbology."
McGonagall nodded, staring at the wall absently. "You like all your classes so far, then?"
"Yes," replied Ginny, blinking at the odd question. "Well – I've only had Arithmancy and Transfiguration so far, and Arithmancy seems tough."
"Good subject, though."
"What I'm really looking forward to is learning how to become an Animagi," Ginny said. "Are you teaching that this year?"
"No," sighed Professor McGonagall. She tore her eyes away from the wall to look back at Ginny, who felt her spirits drop just a bit.
"How come?"
"Well, I haven't taught it for a while now," McGonagall said. "Learning how to transfigure yourself is very difficult and can take years of practice to perfect. I only used to teach it to the seventh years, and even then, it was just an introductory course. If they liked the idea enough, then after they graduated they would take lessons at the Ministry."
"But now you don't teach it?" Ginny asked, disappointed; she had always wanted to become an Animagi, but now that she thought about it, she supposed if the class was to be offered to seventh years, her brother might've mentioned something about taking the class himself last year.
"There are a few reasons I don't teach it anymore," continued Professor McGonagall. "When I did teach it, it was always a touch and go subject – some years I would teach, others I wouldn't. It would all depend on how many students were in my classes that year. But for the past several years I haven't taught the subject to my students because frankly, Miss Weasley, I do not know how all of them will turn out." She looked at Ginny sharply.
"As in…you don't know who will turn out…on what side?" Ginny inquired; she saw her teacher's head nod heavily, as if suddenly tired.
McGonagall sighed again. "I'm sure even you have noticed. There are some students in this school who are not as…eager…as others to…feel bad about You-Know-Who. Some, I'm afraid, are merely awaiting graduation to join him. And yet others, like yourself, I can clearly see would do anything to resist him. It would be dangerous if those on the other side were able to transfigure themselves since it is such a powerful tool; and since I cannot teach some students and refuse to teach others, Professor Dumbledore and myself feel it's best if I just don't teach it at all."
Ginny was quiet for a moment. And then she asked, almost tentatively, "But wouldn't it be a good thing if someone like Harry or my brother or anyone else in the Order were Animagi?"
"It would," McGonagall said, smiling a bit. "Which is why they will be learning themselves in a short while."
"What? But I thought you just said –"
"Another reason that I didn't teach the subject, especially to Mr. Potter, is because the Ministry keeps tabs on who is an Animagi," cut in Professor McGonagall. "I couldn't have taught the subject to them last year because then the Ministry would know about it, and there are some people in the Ministry who are not all they pretend to be, if you know what I mean."
Ginny did indeed understand the implications, but she continued anyway, still trying to process all of the new information. "But you said that all you teach is an introductory course, and that the students still won't become an Animagi until after they graduate. So would the Ministry really know who you taught, if you taught?"
Another smile, this one a bit amused, graced Professor McGonagall's face. "You certainly do think all the way through these things, don't you, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny blushed, and started to stutter an apology, but her teacher broke in, shaking her head. "It was a compliment, no need to be upset. Anyway, in the past when I've offered to teach the willing students how to transfigure themselves, a Ministry official would always request a list of the participating students, would sometimes come and sit in on a class or two. They wanted to get a heads up on who might or might not be needing training after school. Unless I taught Mr. Potter in secret, the Ministry would have known about it, and we couldn't risk that."
"And so who's going to teach them now?" Ginny asked. "You?"
"Me, yes," McGonagall replied. "In a week or two, I will start going to Grimmauld Place in the evenings to teach Harry, Ron, Hermione, her friend Mr. Swestan, and Mr. Malfoy."
"So you could teach me too, couldn't you?" Ginny asked excitedly. "I mean here at school, maybe."
Professor McGonagall frowned. "I don't know, Miss Weasley –"
"Call me Ginny."
"–Ginny, then. I'm not sure if that would –"
"But you're going to teach Draco and Harry and the others," Ginny continued, ignoring the way her teacher's lips pressed together tightly at being interrupted. "You could teach me in secret, that way when I graduate I already have a head start. You know I'm going to join the Order as soon as I turn eighteen."
"Ginny," Professor McGonagall began, a bit more kindly, "I just don't see how it will work. At least –" she held up a hand at seeing Ginny's crestfallen face, "not right away. During the day I will be here teaching classes and at night I will be at Grimmauld Place trying to teach them how to become Animagi. My schedule is overly full; there simply would be no time for me to teach you. However," she continued, and Ginny felt her hopes rise a bit, "after they have learned, I would be willing to teach you as well, here at school."
A smile immediately leapt onto Ginny's face and she got out of her seat and threw her arms around her teacher, who looked slightly startled at the abruptness of it all. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall!" Ginny exclaimed. "You're bloody brilliant!"
"Yes – well…that's all and good, Ginny," said Professor McGonagall, and Ginny, as she backed away, saw that her teacher looked uncharacteristically unsettled. She felt a tiny bit of guilt when she saw McGonagall's glasses hanging askew.
"Sorry…" she said. Clearing her throat, she moved back to her desk and picked up her bag.
As she straightened her robe back out, Professor McGonagall said, "Though I should tell you, I don't know when I can teach you. I hope that your brother and the others will learn as soon as possible, but given the difficultness of the task, it may not happen before you leave school."
"That's alright," Ginny said. "And thanks again for everything. You know, for taking me to Professor Dumbledore and all, and then this."
"You're welcome."
"I guess I'll see you around, then," Ginny said with a smile; and as her teacher nodded to her, Ginny left the room.
The halls Ginny walked through were gradually starting to fill with more students as lunch ended. Ginny hardly paid them any attention, though, as she headed out of the castle and down to the greenhouses. A lot had happened on her first day back, and the afternoon had barely begun.
First, she had been named Quidditch captain of the Gryffindor team. That, in and of itself, was still shocking to Ginny since she had never even considered it before. What would her parents say when she told them? No doubt they'd be proud, and the idea of leading the Gryffindor team to a victory was thrilling.
Second, she had told Dumbledore about the Death Eaters at her house. Though she still felt guilty about placing her family in danger, she couldn't deny that she was glad it was all working out. Now that she had that weight off her shoulders, perhaps things wouldn't be so bad; her parents wouldn't stay at their house any longer, and she and Draco were still being kept a secret.
Draco. Ginny sighed. He was the other big thing to happen. Ever since hearing Dumbledore's assumption that she and Draco were in love, Ginny couldn't stop the gnawing feeling in her head, like she was on a roller coaster that was out of her control. Did she love Draco?
Isn't that the million galleon question, Ginny thought bitterly. To be honest with herself, she had to say that she didn't know. But what she did know was that she cared for Draco more than she had ever thought possible. She also knew that she'd do anything to keep him safe, even if it meant giving her own life.
And as she sat down in greenhouse seven and prepared for class, she vowed to keep that promise. Draco had already been through enough pain in his life; she would do everything possible to keep him from falling across more of it. What she just hoped was that by being with him, she made his world a little brighter, because she knew that he lit hers on fire.
Causing a slight smile on Ginny's face, Dumbledore's words rang through her again.
Love is a precious thing, and when you find it, you usually do everything in your power to keep it.
What Ginny had to do now was figure out whether she had found it or not.
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A/N: I don't like this chapter very much. It's not very eventful. Hope you guys weren't too bored with it! So…We now know who the DADA teacher is, or at least we know his name. Sound familiar at all? It should…(hint hint)
Reviews are always loved!
Lauren