The first day back at Hogwarts was a flurry of activity, so Ginny had little time to contemplate her predicament of being stricken by visions of massacres, let alone figure out the situation with Harry.

Ginny helped herself to some bacon and toast as prefects passed out the timetables. With a sympathetic look, Hermione handed Ginny's timetable to her. "Have fun with that," she said, nodded at the sheet of parchment. She grimaced as she glanced down to see what she had first.

'Ugh…'Ginny thought to herself. She had double potions in the morning, and ancient runes and defense against the dark arts in the afternoon. At least she had ancient runes. It was the one redeeming subject of the day, as she excelled rather well at it. She had that to look forward to.

She suddenly looked up to the professors' table, scanning it for an unfamiliar face. She had just realized that a new defense against the dark arts teacher had not been introduced last night during the start of year feast. How odd. There didn't appear to be anyone unfamiliar, and Dumbledore hadn't mentioned anything. McGonagall caught Ginny's eye and gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement; Ginny smiled in return. Whoever was teaching the subject, she would find out by the end of the day.

Despite being the first day back, Snape threw the class right into difficult work, spending the first half of class taking notes, and the second half preparing a difficult potion for marks.

"I assure you," he had droned quietly, but severely from the front of the classroom. "I assure you that nothing will come easily this year. Those of you who somehow managed to barely pass my class these past four years will not receive an OWL at the end of this year, unless you decide to suddenly show a shred of talent for potions." He smirked then. "But if you haven't shown an aptitude for it yet, I doubt you should even consider continuing in my class next year an option."

Ginny stirred the bubbling vat of yellow-green substance, a growth potion (which was supposed to be orange), as Snape walked by. He peered into the bubbling cauldron, sniffed loudly and then walked away. Ginny turned to her partner, Miranda Green, who was in Hufflepuff. "I suppose it's done, then." She nodded her rounded, friendly face in reply, filled a flask with their growth potion, and then shoved a cork in it.

"Your homework is to write one foot of parchment on the effects, advantages, and disadvantages of using a growth potion. Due Wednesday," Snape drawled as the students filed out of the classroom door. Ginny dropped the flask of growth potion on the desk before walking out the door. She sighed. This would be a long year; she'd no doubt about it. At least it was lunch time.

Dragging herself into the Great Hall, Ginny followed the delicious wafting aromas to the Gryffindor table, where she served herself a generous helping of shepherd's pie. Much too busy curing her empty stomach, she didn't quite notice until he said, "Nice to see you too, Gin" that Harry had taken a seat beside her.

She stopped chewing and turned to him, mouth still slightly full. "Tha's a bi' rish—" She swallowed here. "—coming from you, Harry."

Harry was about to retort when he stopped himself, frustrated. This was not how he had envisioned this conversation going. He had more imagined himself saying something rather witty, and clever, and her laughing off whatever she was cross with him about, and them being all jolly and happy and forgiving him for what he had done, whatever it was.

This was definitely not going how he had envisioned.

"Look, Ginny. Would you just listen? Please?"

She stopped eating, but didn't turn toward him.

"I don't know why you're so angry at me. Well, yes I do, I realize that you've made that entire…incident…a taboo subject. But please believe me when I say that I'm just worried. I only mean well."

Ginny turned to him, and for a slice of a second her guard was down, and Harry could see that there was something truly wrong, that something had happened, but then the walls were back up, and she was once again calm and collected Ginny. The Ginny that didn't need protecting.

"I'm sorry I got so angry, Harry." She offered an apologetic smile. "But just…trust me. I'm perfectly fine, see? Not a scratch on me!" Finishing up her shepherd's pie, she stood. "Well, I'm going to start out for arithmancy; I'll see you later, Harry."

She gathered her bag, but then stopped and looked at Harry. "Thank you for caring." And then she was gone.

She was still hiding something, something she wouldn't tell anyone. But at least things were okay between them now.

Sighing, Harry dished himself some lunch. "What a girl," he muttered to himself.

xxxxx

"Bother, bother, bother," Ginny muttered to herself as she made her way through the castle to her ancient runes class on the fourth floor. She didn't know why, but the conversation that she had just had with Harry had bothered her a lot.

Truthfully (but she was far too proud to admit it), Ginny felt like an utter arse for treating Harry like she was.

But she definitely couldn't go to Dumbledore about this. Mildred LeGray was trying to tell her something, she just didn't know what yet. Ginny was sure that through the visions and scraps of memories that she was experiencing, she would be able to find out what Mildred was saying.

And if she told Harry what had been happening, he would most definitely force her to Dumbledore's office.

No, she would handle this on her own just fine.

Ginny took a seat in the row second from the back of the class. She pulled her text book and a roll of parchment out, and waited for class to start. She was drawing mindlessly on the corner of her parchment when she heard a confident voice laced with charm from behind her head.

"That's a lovely drawing, Ginny."

She sighed. "Afternoon, Murdoch."

Murdoch McTallon, a Ravenclaw, was the boy in Ginny's year that the girly-girls (which Ginny certainly was not) seemed to swoon for. He had near celebrity status among the fifth years, and legends attached to his name. Ginny really couldn't understand why he was so popular, as she thought he was very disgustingly full of himself. Like a younger version of Lockhart, the defense against the dark arts professor from her first year, who was now the unfortunate victim of a backfired memory charm.

Needless to say, Ginny could not stand this Murdoch character.

Unfortunately, Ginny was on Murdoch's list of "Girls I Must Make Fall In Love With Me By Seventh Year".

For that, she hated him.

"Gin, darling, your hair looks radiant this morning. Have you done something different?" He ran a hand through his own straight, soft, bleach blond locks.

"No. You know, if you want tips to make your hair shinier, or something, I'm sure Tiffany Mudget will let you borrow her issue of Teen Witch Weekly. I am told there's an entire section devoted to hair care."

He laughed silkily. "Gin, love, you always put a smile on my face. That's what I love about you. You've got this wonderful, sarcastic wit…"

"And you've got this wonderfully dense brain that doesn't take no for an answer…" she muttered to herself as she continued to draw circles on the corner of her parchment.

"So why don't we meet for supper in the Great Hall? It's beautiful weather outside, I could grab us something, and we could have a picnic by the lake—"

"Oh darn, you know, I have a potions test to study for tomorrow. I'd better cram for that, you know how Snape is."

"But it's only the first day of classes—"

At this moment, Ginny was relieved to see Professor Vector walk into the classroom. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. At least Murdoch hadn't cornered her for long. Sometimes he was impossible to get rid of. No matter how many insults Ginny hurled at his head, he kept asking her on dates. But she had to hand it to him, he had determination.

The rest of class passed quickly (even with Murdoch sitting behind her) and Ginny left the room quickly, before Murdoch could offer to walk her to her defense against the dark arts class.

As Ginny pressed her way through the crowds traveling in the hall, she realized that she would finally find out who the defense against dark arts professor was. She quickened her pace to get there faster, and noticed, as she did so, that the other students in her class seemed to be in a hurry to get to class as well.

Miranda Green caught up to Ginny. Her blonde curls seemed to bob excitedly along with her. "Have you seen the new defense professor yet?"

"No," Ginny replied, craning her neck to see if she could spot anyone that looked unfamiliar amongst the crows of students. "Have you seen the new professor?"

"No, I haven't, but I heard a rumour that the new professor is some sort of former rock star, or something…"

Ginny scoffed. "Oh come on. I highly doubt that our new defense professor is, or was a rock star."

"I dunno…don't assume anything, you know?" She leaned her head confidentially closer to Ginny's as they walked, and she lowered her airy voice slightly. "I've also heard that the new professor's a spy, working undercover for some sort of resistance against You-Know-Who, and he's secretly here to protect Harry Potter, you know?"

Ginny stopped, and then Miranda stopped beside her. "You're not serious?"

Miranda shrugged. "It's just what I've heard from the other classes who've had defense already. I'm just sending the message along."

"Wait, do Hufflepuffs even have defense right now?"

"Nah, Gryffindors are with Slytherins right now. I'm just here to see if I can see the new professor…I don't have defense until tomorrow." She gave a cheeky grin, and then turned to walk up a staircase. "See you later, Ginny!"

Ginny watched as Miranda Green bounced away down the hall, and then she continued to steadily make her way through the crowds of students heading toward their respective classes.

Ginny herself walked into her defense against the dark arts class, and then sat down near the back. The other Gryffindor and Slytherin students around her (each on their own sides of the classroom) sat in small groups gossiping quietly, and an excited buzz flew through the classroom.

They all wanted to know who the new professor was, and if the rumours matched up. Ginny really couldn't see Dumbledore bringing in a secret service, former rock star of a professor just for Harry's protection. But then again, like Miranda had said…don't assume anything.

Just then, the class room doors burst open, and a very large box entered, followed by a person whom Ginny could not see, save the bottom of their robes from under the box. Setting the box heavily on the ground, the new defense against the dark arts teacher was revealed. Silently, half the class (decidedly, the female half) swooned, and Ginny raised her eyebrows in approval. Miranda was right; he did look like a former rock star. With longer, dark chestnut hair and deep-set, translucent blue eyes, Ginny wondered what he was doing teaching at Hogwarts when he should probably be on the cover of Teen Witch Weekly.

"Morning, class. I am Professor Leech, and I'll be your defense teacher for this year." This introduction was met with blank stares, and slightly glazed expressions (again, from the female half of the population). "I see some things don't changed round here," he said with a boyish grin.

A Slytherin boy, Walter Parish, raised a boney arm, and asked with an appraising look down his long pointy nose, "Are you sure you're old enough to be a professor?" This was met with sniggers from most of the Slytherins.

"I assure you," he replied, staring down the poor Slytherin boy with his strange, pale blue eyes. "I assure you that if Professor Dumbledore thinks I'm fit to teach, I am." He walked back to the front of the class room, and then stood before the box. "Now, let's get down to the fun stuff. I thought I'd make the first lesson something fascinating."

Everyone shifted forward slightly on their seats, anticipating what was in the box. Perhaps it was a dark creature in a tank, of some sort?

Professor Leech pulled a long maple wand from his midnight blue robes. He then tapped the side of the box, making it fall open onto the ground, and revealed an old, ornate looking mirror, a little shorter than the professor, who was quite tall. Ginny wondered briefly if this was that Mirror of Erised that Harry and Ron had mentioned in passing once or twice.

"Get out your text books, and look up chapter four. There should be a section called the Magical Properties of Enchanted Mirrors." There was a rustling of parchment and quills and text books, and Professor Leech continued speaking. "Yes, a particularly interesting subject, mirrors…One philosopher says that it reflects the very soul of a being, and that is precisely why vampires, for example, cannot be seen in them; because they do not possess a soul." The class sat silently with their parchment and text books on their desks, raptly listening to this Professor Leech speak. He must be part veela, like Fleur, Ginny concluded.

"Now, this mirror here," he acknowledged the large mirror behind him with a wave of his hand. "This mirror here is not just an ordinary talking mirror. No, this here is Illusen's Mirror. This mirror is infamous for entrapping the souls of witches and wizards for the last millennia." Most of the class sat a little bit farther back in their seats upon hearing this, and Professor Leech laughed heartily. "Don't tell me you're afraid of being trapped in a mirror for an eternity."

Stuart Weston, one of the Gryffindor boys that Ginny didn't know particularly well, raised his hand tentatively. "We don't get…sucked in if we look into it, do we?"

"Don't worry…" Professor Leech checked a sheet, and then looked back up to Stuart. "…Mr. Weston. The only way to be sucked into Illusen's mirror, as you say, is if the incantation is read while the poor soul is gazing into the mirror. If the gaze between victim and mirror is broken, no sucking occurs, which is why there haven't been many victims over the course of the years." The professor walked around to face the mirror, and let his right hand rest on the glass. "They say all of Illusen's victims are still trapped in that alternate dimension. There is no way out."

Ginny looked at the mirror, thoughtfully. "Professor, are you completely sure there's no way for a soul to escape the mirror?"

"Well, no one can know for sure, but even if it was managed…that spirit would be breaking some deep ancient magic there. That witch or wizard would have to be awfully powerful."

"Right…"

The mirror, for some reason, caused a sinking feeling in Ginny's stomach. For some reason…

"Professor?"

Leech consulted the sheet once again before replying. "Yes Miss Weasley?"

"Do they know the names of any of the victims?"

"Why do you ask?" He raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Curiosity's sake." Ginny raised her own eyebrows, expectantly.

"Well…" He picked up a large tome from his desk, and consulted the middle section of the book. "It says here that before the Ministry confiscated it, Illusen's mirror was in possession of a pureblood extremist terrorist group during the last century."

Ginny's stomach dropped, if felt like, through the floor. "And was their last victim Mildred LeGray?'

"In fact," Professor Leech looked up in surprise. "That is what the rumor is. But no one is sure. You see, because the mirror only possesses the soul, the body is left behind, lifeless. Mildred LeGray could have been killed by a number of different spells, but many skeptics think it was dear Illusen here that did her in."

Ginny's mouth felt dry. How was it that Mildred had escaped the inescapable? Professor Leech continued the lesson on mirrors, but Ginny was far away from defense against the dark arts. Another piece had just fallen into her puzzle, and she had no idea what to make of it all.

What did it all mean?

xxxxx

Ahhhhhahahah!! It's been over a year since my last update, and I've had this chapter pretty much written since…December 2006? Yeah. --; However, with the advent of The End, and the HPOotP movie, we have much to look forward to (and cry about). So THIS IS IT. After three and a half years, this fanfiction mistress is finally planning to end this fic.

WOOO HERE I GO.