A/N: Wow, the chapters are getting longer and longer!! Thankyou to reviewers!! I love you guys!! –hug-

Disclaimer: I am not lucky enough to as smart as to invent these characters myself. They are not mine. Too bad. –pout-

The Stone Speaks

Thirteen: Secrets

GINNY

Asleep in Draco's arm, her head on his chest, with a smile on her face as he gently stroked her red curls. "Ginny, I lo-"

"Ginny!"

The sixteen-year-old blearily opened her eyes at looked up at Hermione, before groaning and swatting at her friend, mumbling, "Go 'way."

Hermione frowned. "Gin, I've been trying to wake you up for twenty minutes. It's – where did you get that chocolate from?" she suddenly said, latte-coloured eyes narrowing as she saw a tremendous heap of chocolate, sweets, and other Honeydukes merchandise.

Ginny turned over and looked at the pile. Damn it! She stared at the towering mound of good, searching frantically for a reply.

"Did you go to Hogsmeade?" Hermione demanded, crossing her arms. "Without us?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, Mione, I told you that I stayed here," she lied quickly, "someone gave me those. A boy. I told him that I was dating Harry and wasn't interested, but he wouldn't leave unless I took the stuff, so I did." She yawned pointedly, as if to say That's all, now stop nosing about in what I do.

Hermione looked dubiously at the younger girl, but sighed. "You have to go down to breakfast," she said, "or you won't get anything to eat. Find us later."

Ginny nodded, and, as Hermione swept from the sixth-year girls' dormitory, she rolled out of bed and stumbled groggily to the bathroom. Ten minutes, a shower, and a stubbed toe later, Ginny limped down towards the Great Hall, twining her hair into a two braids. She took a selection of toast and headed outside – where Harry, Ron and Hermione usually could be located.

The Golden Trio weren't under the willow, as normal, but Ginny also scanned the space under the Quidditch stands, and then the long wooden bridge. It had been there as long as anyone could remember, beautiful built, and stretching over a vast dip in the Hogwarts grounds; in its centre, three tall figures could be seen talking.

Ron, Harry and Hermione were huddled together, clearly talking about something private, so Ginny called, "Hello," before joining them, so that they could finish up whatever was going on. The three snapped apart briskly, and stood, impatiently shifting their feet, as Ginny approached. "How is everyone?"

"You went to Hogsmeade," Ron interrupted. It wasn't even a question. Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but what cut off again.

"I'm just curious as to who you went with that we can't know about," Harry said, an irritated and slightly jealous look in his emerald eyes.

"No-one," Ginny said. "Okay? I went alone."

"Why didn't you come with us? And if you didn't want to, you could have just told us, instead lying and sneaking around behind our backs," Ron snapped. "You haven't been owling mum either. She's really frantic, sending me post every ten minutes saying Where's Ginny what's wrong with her? Hell, she's even owled Harry, demanding to know if he eloped with her, for God's sake."

"I'm not eloping with anyone!" Ginny cried, her mouth dropping open at the ridiculous things they were coming up with. "I don't know what your problem is. Sorry that I happen to have other friends! I'm a year below you, I have sixth-year friends, and even fifth-year friends! I have first-year friends, for heaven's sake! Just because you're so I-musn't-make-friends-with-anyone-else doesn't mean that I am!"

Ron glared. "Ginny, this is your 'paranoid, psycho' older brother speaking. I went to all of your sad little friends, asking where you were. You've been keeping away from everyone for the past few weeks," he said.

Hermione looked concerned. "We haven't seen anything of you; we don't even know if you're alright," she said worriedly.

"You're not my mother, Hermione," Ginny said fiercely, "I've already got one of those. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself! I haven't had any help fighting Voldemort off my back for the past six years, so why should I need help now with my goddamn social life?"

"All I'm saying, Ginny, is that you could spend more time with us. We're supposedly your best friends, so you don't have to avoid us like we've got the plague," Harry put in.

"Fine!" Ginny snapped. "I'll spend more bloody time with the three of you! Happy?"

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, do not swear!" shouted Ron angrily, "I'll tell mum!"

Ginny shot her brother a death-stare that could kill at ten paces. "He who has never sinned may throw the first stone," she said snappily. "When you manage not to swear for a week, I'll stop." With that, she turned, and stalked away. Why do they have to ruin the best time of my life?

Rummaging in her school bag, she came up with a sheaf of loose paper, and began flipping through it for her Muggle Studies revision. She had a test tomorrow, which she had not prepared for. Finding her way to her favourite corner in the library (some way or another, while reading her notes), she sat, cross-legged, and examined her small, untidy scrawl. As she was nearing the last paper, she heard a small voice.

"Ginnyyyyy… Ginnnyyyy?" Luna. "We're going to Hagrid's… Harry and Ronny and Hermy say to come or else."

Ginny rolled her eyes. This was a really big test, and she'd much rather charm some revision cards to ask her questions than go with her dippy friends to see Hagrid. She loved Hagrid, but her exam was more important.

"Where are you?" Luna called, sounding disappointed as her footsteps symbolled her peering behind various bookshelves.

"I'll find her," said a low, quiet voice, and then part-muted footsteps drew closer and closer. "Boo," he said softly.

Ginny looked up and smiled warmly at Draco. "Hello."

"Loony wants you," he said dully. "Have fun at Hagrid's." Ginny knew that Draco had always held a dislike for the half-giant – Hagrid had nearly got him killed, and insulted his father many times.

"Don't call her Loony," Ginny said warningly. "It's unkind. She's a nice person, and you're being plain mean." Draco pouted, but then held out both of his hands. Ginny couldn't remember why she had rejected his offer the first time, but she reached up, took his hands, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Thanks."

"No problem, Weasley," Draco said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Ginny gave him a curious look. "Why do you do that?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the left, as she always did when putting a interesting question into the air.

Draco stared vacantly at her. "Do what?"

"Call me 'Weasley'. I wasn't christened Weasley Weasley, you know," Ginny said sarcastically.

A sheepish grin pulled at Draco's mouth. "Sorry – Ginny," he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head; Ginny noticed that it was now never slicked back as it had also used to be. It was now slightly more messy, a few strands falling in front of his pale eyes. "Are you going to Hagrid's, then?"

Ginny bit her lip. "I don't particularly want to, but I have to, I guess," she said bitterly. Then, before she could stop herself, she said, "Do you want to come? No, actually, you can't. I mean, you could, but Harry and Ron will be there, and they don't like you. What I mean is, do you wish I wouldn't go? Well, not that, but-"

Draco's eyes narrowed teasingly. "You want me to say I'll miss you in the twenty minutes that you'll be gone," he said mischievously.

Ginny reddened madly. "I did not mean that!" she said flatly. "I just meant that –" Ginny stopped as she realized that Draco had basically summarized her meaning perfectly; she flushed red further. "Never mind," she said hastily, before she said something dumb.

"Well, see you," said Draco absently, rifling through the book shelves. Ginny stood, self-consious, and not quite sure what she was waiting for, feeling the heat in her cheeks slowly increase until she could have fried a couple of eggs.

"Right. Bye," Ginny said at last, and scurried away. She walked down to Hagrid's Hut with Luna, chatting about the lessons they shared and what Luna had done on Hallowe'en (the Ravenclaw was ditzy enough not to ask what Ginny had done).

Luna stepped up and rapped her knuckles smartly on the large door, before stepping back, humming tunelessly as they waited for someone to reply. A moment later, the door swung open, and the large, grizzled face of Rubeus Hagrid beamed down at them.

"'ello!" Hagrid said cheerfully, stepping aside to let the two girls in. Luna plopped down between Harry and Hermione; Ginny sat in the nearest wooden chair. "I made tea fer us all," Hagrid said, handing out mugs of steaming brown liquid, and then demanded, "So tell me about what's goin' on."

Ginny grinned. Hagrid really was the most gossip-y person at Hogwarts – more so, it had to be said, than Lavender and Parvati. Luna began to excitedly chatter nonsense, with Hermione pointing out what hadn't happened and what wasn't real every few seconds, while Ron and Harry slouched back with their tea and muttered to each other.

"And that's about it, really," Luna finished dramatically, staring at the curtains, before slurping her tea and wriggling up close to Harry.

"Oi, you," Harry exclaimed, "you're going to slosh my tea all over me!"

"We wouldn't want that to happen, now, would we?" Ron chuckled (but he set his tea down too) and shuffled nearer to Hermione. She leant back onto the tall, lanky redhead and sighed contentedly, before talking happily to Hagrid and telling him what was really going on, in place of Luna's opinion on Heliopaths and Crumple-horned Snorkacks.

Meanwhile, Luna and Harry were having a staring contest, which looked a lot more like gazing dreamily into each other's eyes, snuggled up together. Ginny tore her eyes away from her boyfriend and one of her best friends, and instead listened to Hagrid and Hermione's conversation. What she heard was more interesting than she expected.

"When did Harry break up with Ginny?" was the first thing that she heard, and instantly all of her attention was focused towards them.

"What – oh, he hasn't," said Hermione.

"Yet," added Ron pointedly.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ginny's brain challenged her brother quietly.

"Whaddaya mean? Ginny and 'arry are still goin' out?!" Hagrid said incredulously. "With all that goin' on?" Ginny glanced over at Harry and Luna. It was something she too had thought about many times.

"Well, yes, because Ginny doesn't exactly know Harry fancies -"

"Shhhh!" Ron hissed anxiously. "She's only there!"

Hermione lowered her voice considerably, so that Ginny had to strain to hear her friend. "Ginny doesn't know that Harry fancies Luna," said Hermione, "me and Ron haven't told her because we want Harry to be a man and tell her himself. Luna's too ditzy to say anything about anything, and Harry is terrified that he's going to hurt Ginny and then be beaten up by all her brothers and friends."

Ginny smirked. Too right, she thought smugly, Dean, Seamus and Charlie will beat the hell out of him.

"Well, pardon me saying but I think it's a li'l obvious, actually," Hagrid rumbled, trying to whisper. "Anyway, Ron, how come you aren' furious with 'im? When li'l Ginny was datin' Dean Thomas and all the rest you went up the wall."

Ron was silent, and Ginny took it that he was glaring. "I am furious," he said darkly, "and I swear, if Ginny sheds a single tear then I'm going to rip off his head and -"

"Ron!" Hermione reprimanded, sounding horrified. "It's not Harry's fault that he's moved on. I just wish that he'd be nicer to Ginny. I think it's ridiculous – he can face You-Know-Who, the Ministry of Magic, the Death Eaters; but he can't face dumping a little girl."

Will people stop saying I'm little? Ginny snarled, folding her arms. Her attention wavered a little as she glanced at Harry and Luna – Harry was now kissing the top of her head - the tiniest affection for Harry persuaded up a wave of jealousy, and her necklace grew scaldingly hot; and so she missed the next few sentences…

"I swear, Harry's dead if Ginny so much as makes her eyes water," Ron snapped. "I'll call in Fred and George to pin him down while me and Bill and Charlie and Percy whack him."

"Ronald, stop getting carried away. Ginny's sixteen, she can take care of herself."

Thank you, Mione, Ginny thought with satisfaction at Hermione being on her side, but Harry's secret love was getting to her – especially as it was definitely no longer a secret.

A/N: Ooooo, busted! So Harry isn't actually a part of Ronnikins and Mione's triangle… Please review!