Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but I've been busy, again. You don't want to hear my lame excuses! On with the show! Er, story!

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Chapter Eleven: Malcontent

Since the final signature she needed was so important, Ginny waited until the next Sunday, then traipsed up to the Headmaster's office, a girl with a mission.

"Fizzing Whizbees," she said to the stone gargoyle. Draco had asked Professor Snape for the password, then relayed it to Ginny. The gargoyle sprang to life and she proceeded into the Headmaster's office.

"Come in," was the reply to her knock.

"Hi, Professor Dumbledore," Ginny said in greeting.

"Good morning Ginevra," the bearded wizard was the only one who constantly called her 'Ginevra'. "How may I help you?"

"Um..." she stalled, not sure of how to start, but then decided to get right to it. "Will you let me switch Houses?"

"Ah, yes, the House Reversal Regulation," Dumbledore said wisely. "I was aware that someone was invoking it."

"Well, it was me," Ginny said, smiling weakly.

"And I was visited by that person earlier this morning," Dumbledore revealed . "And I gave them my signature. I'm sorry, Ginevra."

"What?" Ginny exploded, forgetting for a convenient second that she was standing in the Headmaster of Hogwarts' office. "Well... You'll sign mine too, won't you?"

"I'm afraid not," said Dumbledore, looking a bit sorry for her. "I am only allowed to give one signature permitting the use of the House Reversal Regulation per year. I'm sorry, Ginevra. Maybe next year."

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"He said what?" Draco demanded.

Ginny repeated everything the Headmaster had told her for the second time to the group of Slytherins.

"I can't believe this," the blond sank into one of the chairs in the Slytherin common room. "You can't stay in Gryffindor until next year!"

"And," Theodore interrupted, "who is it that got Dumbledore's signature in the first place?"

"When I find out who it is, I'll hex them into next week!" Draco hissed. "We found out about the House Reversal Regulation first!"

"And I'm pretty sure nobody else knows how to work it," Blaise interjected. We just told the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to sign the petition, and the wonderful group of Gryffindors don't even know what they signed."

"That's another thing," Astoria mused. "I'm almost certain that the only people who even knew about the House Reversal Regulation were in Slytherin."

"And mostly every Slytherin we asked didn't mind you switching into our House," Daphne concluded. "Except for maybe, y'know, Pansy..."

"I don't think Pansy could do something like this," Theodore said.

"True," Draco agreed, sniggering. "She doesn't have the brains."

"Apart from Pansy, who else could've gotten to Dumbledore before us?" Ginny asked, growing increasingly more desperate.

"I don't know," Theodore sounded defeated. "I guess the House Reversal Regulation plan is null and void."

"It can't be!" Draco sounded extremely aggravated. "She can't just be a Gryffindor for the rest of the year! She got almost every signature, she belongs here!"

"You really want me in your House that badly?"

"Of course," Blaise said matter-of-factly. "You fit in with our group. You're our friend now. You practically are a Slytherin, with the slight setback of you being in Gryffindor." Ginny laughed.

"I don't know what to do, though," she said, shaking her head. "I don't think I can bear going back to that common room after being here, with you guys. I don't know why the Sorting Hat ever put me in Gryffindor, if this has always been here for me."

"This what?"

"This family, this love, this friendship," Ginny said, trying her hardest not to burst into tears. "I... We all worked to get those signatures, to ensure me a spot in this House, and now that I know I have to give it up, I don't know what's going to happen!" Daphne slung an arm over Ginny's shoulder.

"We'll always be here for you, Gin'," she said comfortingly. Ginny gave her a watery smile.

"But I'll always have to go back to Gryffindor Tower at night," she said, sighing at the prospect. "I just can't wait for this year to be over... I want to be in Slytherin so badly it hurts!"

"What if I told you..." Astoria stood up, sounding sly. "That I knew the person who got Dumbledore's signature?" Instantly, every eye was upon her.

"What?" Draco leapt up. "Tell me now!"

Astoria smirked playfully. "What if I don't want to?"

Draco sat back down slowly. "Way to mess with me, Astoria. You don't even know who it is. Thanks for that."

"Ginny?" Astoria said softly. The redhead looked at the blonde questioningly. "Welcome to Slytherin."

A piece of parchment fluttered into Ginny's lap, bearing only two words. But those two words were all that mattered.

Albus Dumbledore.

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"Why did you get the signature for Ginny?" Daphne asked her sister after the general commotion that had ensued died down.

"I just wanted to shake it up a little," Astoria said, still smiling broadly at Ginny's expression.

"I can't believe it," Ginny said breathlessly, grinning at everything and everyone, even Pansy, who was glowering in a corner. "I'm a Slytherin! I thought it was over, I thought I'd have to wait for next year..."

"I just didn't want you to take it for granted," Astoria explained, suddenly serious. "I thought I should see how much you wanted it." Ginny smiled at her new Housemate.

"And how much do I want it?"

"Who said anything about wanting it, now?" Astoria laughed. "You have it!"

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November the twenty-fourth, the day of the champions' first task dawned, a bright, sunny day. Ginny practically ran out of Gryffindor Tower.

With everyone so obsessed with the Triwizard Tournament, Ginny hadn't gotten a chance to speak with the Headmaster about the House Reversal Regulation and to explain that Astoria had gotten his signature for her. He always seemed to be surrounded by either groups of students and teachers or Maxime and Karkaroff, the Heads of Beuxtbatons and Durmstrang.

But Ginny vowed to herself that she would corner Dumbledore when the first task was completed.

Speaking of the first task, Ginny hadn't the faintest idea of what it was. She had passed Cedric in the hall; he was practicting wand movements and incantations with every step he took.

Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour were equally obsessed. Krum spent most of his time in the library, Fleur talking in hushed tones with her Headmistress.

Ginny had heard whispered snatches of Harry and Hermione's conversation last night in the common room, and deduced that they too, were thinking about the upcoming challenge.

"Accio, Harry. It's Accio. Don't worry, we'll practice some more later, you'll be fine!" Hermione had whispered.

A Summoning Charm? Ginny had wondered. What's Potter need a Summoning Charm for?

She was waiting, along with her fellow students, to find out. The rest of the Slytherins had joined her, and they were walking towards the arena where the first challenge was being held.

She caught the briefest glimpse of the Gryffindor's red and gold banners proclaiming their support for Harry Potter, before Blaise shoved some fabric into her hands.

"Wha--"

"Hold it up!" Blaise commanded from her left. The whole row of Slytherins and Ginny did so, and she peeked under to get a look at whatever it was.

It was a huge banner which read "CEDRIC DIGGORY" in gigantic letters, and it flashed green and silver, then yellow and black, and finally blue and copper, before starting over again. Only the gold and maroon of Gryffindor were absent.

"You like?" Blaise asked over the tumultuous applause as Ludo Bagman started the competition. Ginny was about to reply, but the words died in her throat as a monstorous dragon was brought into the arena. Ginny recognized it as a Welsh Green from a book that Charlie had once given her.

"They're going to fight that thing?" she screamed over the noise of the crowd.


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