Summary: Ginny makes a confession to Harry, Ron and Hermione - but the story's not over yet. Author's Notes: I haven't forgotten about Professor Trelawny's prophecy! The Truth-Teller will be back in part 6!
Disclaimer: These characters belong to JK Rowling, except for a couple I've added.
It was not easy to catch Ginny alone. She seemed to be avoiding them, which didn't really surprise Harry, Ron or Hermione. And, after his experience with the Truth-Teller, Malfoy also seemed to be avoiding them, which, as Ron said, was something to be grateful for.
They finally caught up with Ginny that evening, when they found her sitting alone in the Transfiguration classroom, reading through some notes. She must have chosen it as a likely place to avoid other people and get some revision done. When she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione at the door she scowled, reminding Harry very much of Ron when he was in a bad temper. "I'm busy."
"We need to talk to you, Ginny," said Ron, crossing the room, folding his arms and looking down at her. Hermione followed him. Harry closed the door and stood in front of it.
"Go away Ron, I'm trying to work," said Ginny, not meeting his eyes.
"No. We need to talk to you," Ron repeated.
"Ginny - we know that Malfoy was threatening you," said Hermione quietly. "He told us that he was trying to make you play badly in the Quidditch final."
"What!" Ginny stood up suddenly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do," said Ron. "Malfoy knew something about you - he was trying to blackmail you into throwing the final. What does he know?"
"Nothing! I haven't done anything!" Ginny insisted desperately, looking at the door, and Harry blocking it. "Go away! Please!"
"Ginny - you were sleep-walking last night," Harry told her. "We saw you. You were saying something about Torquil, and about not wanting to know something. What was all that about?"
Harry's words seemed to stun Ginny. She stared at him, her mouth open and her face drained of all colour. "I - I -" she stammered. She sat down again, shakily, buried her face in her arms and began to cry.
"Ginny -" Ron looked at her, sighed, and crouched down to pull her into a brotherly hug. Ginny clung to him, sobbing bitterly.
"I'm sorry - I'm sorry -" she kept repeating.
"Yes, but what is it? What are you sorry about?" Hermione asked. Ginny gulped, hiccoughed, and wiped her eyes on Ron's sleeve before raising her tear-blotched face to Harry and Hermione, who were now standing just in front of her.
"T-T-Torquil's very good at D-Divination - " she began. They waited patiently. "S-Sometimes he g-goes off into these t-trances. He sees things - l-like Professor Trelawny, only T-Torquil's predictions always come true."
"Oh, I see," said Hermione. "So Torquil went into a trance, did he? And what did he see?"
Ginny looked even more miserable, if that was possible. "He s-saw us doing our O.W.L.s next week - he started saying things that are going to be in the Transfiguration exam - and I know they will be because his predictions are always right." She looked at Ron beseechingly. "I didn't want to know - it's cheating if you know what's going to be in the exam - "
"And how did Malfoy get involved?" asked Ron grimly.
"We were in the library when Torquil went into his trance - Malfoy was behind the shelves. He came round and said he'd heard what Torquil said, and he'd tell everyone we were cheating by using Divination to find out about the exams - unless I agreed to fly really badly in the Quidditch final..."
"But Torquil said he didn't know anything about why you were upset," said Hermione, looking puzzled.
Ginny shook her head. "No, he doesn't - he was still in the trance when Malfoy was talking to me. When he came out of it he didn't remember anything he'd said - he never does."
"Oh, I see," said Hermione, but she was cut short by a new voice from behind her.
"And so do I." It was Professor McGonagall, looking stern. They all gasped. She had come quietly into her classroom while Ginny was speaking, and none of them had noticed. "Very interesting, Miss Weasley. Now I understand why the staff say you have been looking like a scared mouse all week."
Ginny looked horrified. "P-Professor, I didn't want to find out about the exams!" she said wildly. "I wish I hadn't heard what Torquil said - I've felt so guilty -"
"So I can tell," said Professor McGonagall. "It seems to me, Miss Weasley, that you have been very silly. Why didn't you come to me straight away? In the circumstances I could have arranged for an alteration in the O.W.L. Transfiguration paper - short notice though it is -" She looked at Ginny shrewdly. "Ah well, I can see I will just have to spend the rest of my weekend arranging it."
Hope and relief were breaking over Ginny's face like a tidal wave. "Y-you mean, you can change the paper? Will I still be allowed to do the exams?"
"Certainly you will do your exams," said Professor McGonagall firmly. "And I expect you to work very hard on your revision between now and Monday." She paused. "By rights, you should come with me to Professor Dumbledore when I go to explain this to him, but I doubt that he would want such a woebegone looking object in his office. Go and wash your face, Miss Weasley."
Ginny got up, looking as though she couldn't believe her luck. Harry said suddenly, "But what about Malfoy, Professor? He tried to blackmail Ginny - we could have lost the Quidditch final because of him."
Professor McGonagall's lips thinned, and her nostrils flared. "Rest assured, Potter, that I shall be dealing with Mr. Malfoy myself. You will find out in due course what his punishment will be." And she looked so grim that none of them dared to ask her any more questions. They filed out of the room past her, and hurried off towards Gryffindor Tower, feeling decidedly shaken but relieved at this turn of events.
As they reached the portrait hole, Ginny turned to the others. "Thanks," she said awkwardly. "I know you were trying to help me - I was just scared that if anyone thought I was cheating I'd be expelled."
"Don't worry about it, Ginny," said Hermione. "You didn't *ask* Torquil to tell you the exam questions - it was an accident that you were there, and heard him. Professor McGonagall understood that."
Ginny nodded, before turning to Harry, looking very awkward. "Harry - I'm so sorry - I feel like I've let down the team. What must they think of me after that practice yesterday?"
"It's OK, Ginny, really," Harry reassured her. "They'll all understand."
"But I was going to do what Malfoy wanted - I was going to betray you -" Ginny said.
"Look," said Harry. "It's all right now. McGonagall's going to deal with Malfoy, and when the exams are over we're going to practice until we're ready to wipe Slytherin off the pitch." He was pleased to see that this brought a watery smile to Ginny's face. "Come on."
They entered the common room. Torquil hurried towards Ginny, looking anxious. "Ginny! I was wowwying about you. Are you all wight?"
"I'm fine, Torquil," said Ginny, and she let him lead her away to the table where he was studying.
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, and they all let out a joint sigh of relief. "Thank goodness that's all sorted out," said Hermione. "Now we can concentrate on getting ready for exam week."
Ron and Harry both groaned at this. "Thanks for reminding us," said Ron, but he and Harry both got their books out without too much persuasion.
It was about an hour later that Dean Thomas burst into the Gryffindor common room and made a beeline for Harry, looking as if he was longing to share some really momentous news. "Harry! You'll never guess what!"
"What?"
Dean beamed from ear to ear. "Everyone's talking about it downstairs - Parvati and Lavender overheard McGonagall telling Snape she'd had to punish Malfoy for something - not sure what. Must have been serious though, because apparently Dumbledore himself said that Malfoy's to lose a hundred points for Slytherin - and what's more, he's banned from Quidditch for the rest of the season!"
Ron whooped at this news, and Harry grinned. "Really? Wow. Looks like Slytherin will have to find themselves another Seeker for the final."
"Yeah, I hope their reserve's worse than Malfoy - and that would be saying something," said Dean, still looking as though he'd just had the best birthday present of his life. "What d'you think he *did*, though? Must have been something pretty bad."
Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances and tacitly agreed not to share the truth with Dean. "Nothing Malfoy does would surprise me," said Harry.
"No, he's the lowest of the low," agreed Ron.
Dean nodded. "Well, I feel like I don't even mind doing exams now. Lavender says Snape looked pretty sick when McGonagall was telling him the news. I'm going to find the rest of the team and tell them now - see you, Harry!" And Dean hurried off.
"Well, I think it serves Malfoy right," Hermione said, sounding unusually vindictive.
"Hey, he's REALLY going to hate us now," said Ron, sounding as if he didn't mind this a bit.
Harry grinned at Ron and Hermione. Then he looked across the room at Ginny, who was talking earnestly to Torquil. She still looked pale, but better than she had done for several days. A thought came into Harry's head. What had Ginny said? "I was going to do what Malfoy wanted - I was going to betray you." Hadn't Professor Trelawny predicted that a friend might betray Harry? Or was it just coincidence? And what else had she predicted - would the Time-Teller threaten his life - or save it? Harry frowned, then shrugged and went back to his books.
End of Part 5.
So! Now we know what was bothering Ginny - but stay tuned for Part 6 to find out what happens in the Quidditch final - and whether the rest of Professor Trelawny's predictions will come true!