A/N: hello, my friends, I'm back after this very long break. Sorry for not having updated so long after ffnet was back to normal, but I was busy (put it this way: I was on holiday, that means I was busy:) Thanks for the reviews you sent for the previous chapter!

spangle*star: last time I checked the keys to my weekend-house weren't stolen and the house was still in one piece. However, I like the idea of getting a PC from you – or a laptop :))))

PepsiAngel: don't worry, I won't turn you a D/G shipper, because I'm not one either. Malfoy meant by saying that they might have to fight at Durmstrang that if Harry had been seriously hurt then it might mean that others were also harmed at Durmstrang, and you may never know whether the people who hurt them are still there or not.

izean, Charm, Lily Chelstane, Harrysgirl and Katie Bell: you five are very clever. Really very clever.

Cassandra Anthemyst: I don't think that Ginny could speak Parseltongue when she read Tom's diary. Or maybe she could, but only when she was under the influence of Tom. Rowling never mentioned that she was also Parselmouth, so I think she wasn't really one.

Arif: I guess it is at least 6 hours later here in Hungary than in America.

!Cedric!Diggory!Fan!: you actually LIKE Mileta? You're the first reader to like her! I might mention her in the third story, but she won't really be around. She might come to visit for Christmas, but I'm not sure yet. Yeah… Ron is just as responsible as Hermione, LOL:)) You love George? Interesting… all people love Fred more.

Mage: no, I assure you that I haven't become D/G shipper. And I'll never be one.

/: first of all: interesting name, LOL!:)) I don't get my Latin translations from a website, I look them up in a normal dictionary.

Black Ice: I'm writing by hand during the summer – damn, I'll have to type it all into my PC in September :(( I haven't heard of this AlphaSmart before. No, Ginny didn't get the ability to speak Parseltongue from Harry. You'll find it out from this chapter.

AmandaPanda: read the second half of my answer to Black Ice right above you.

Derkaun Zarion: what does 'parsel' mean? Dunno, ask Rowling. I think she never told us. It might mean something in connection with snakes… maybe in Latin? I really don't know.

Dana and her cousin Mia: I don't know anything about the Creevey brothers' mum, but it's sure that their dad had no idea about magic at all. Neither did the kids until Colin got his letter. About the floo network at Hogwarts: Hogwarts MUST be connected to the network, because Sirius' head appeared in the fireplace of Gryffindor tower in book four, remember! Maybe Rowling will explain the network more thoroughly later. No, I don't speak Spanish but I asked my best friend who does.

WolfEyes: I'm quite sure that the Potters are the heirs of Gryffindor. It seems obvious. I have also seen the CoS trailer, but only on harrpotter.warnerbros.com. It looks good and Harry's voice is really so much deeper! It sounded downright 'manly' when he told Draco something like "You wish, Malfoy!" during the duelling club. And Slytherin's statue looks cool. It's fun that the Ford Anglia almost crashes with the Hogwarts Express – there's nothing like that in the book, but it's funny, nevertheless. Pity that there was no Ginny and Moaning Myrtle in the trailer. However, I think that Dobby is terrible. So ugly! I always imagined him like a cute little dwarf, and now what do I get? Something utterly horrible! :((( Anyway, the Great Hall looks wonderful at Christmas with the snowfall and everything… but I'm sure I'm going to hate Aragog and Gilderoy Lockhart. I used to be a great Lockhart fan, but I'm sure that he'll suck in the movie. *big sigh…* I love Gildy and Kenneth Brannagh will spoil him! Hugh Grant should have played his role!

Any last requests: the reason for the unwanted pregnancies is neither that Ginny can't help but get pregnant, nor that Harry can't help but impregnate. You'll get to know its reason from chapter… 36, I guess.

Crazycutee831: I'm glad you like my characterisation of Draco – though I seriously think that he isn't really evil, just spoiled.

Melinda Malfoy: you are also clever, just like five more people mentioned above :) Yes, Harry could only take one person back from death, that's why he didn't take his parents. I'm glad you like both my fics :)

Moony Lover: I hope you'll grow to like Spain soon and make friends with lots of people – chin up, it will surely be okay! :)) About the celibacy vow of the priests: I also think that it's a load of crap! They definitely should be allowed to get married (especially because I have already met two young priests who were downright cute – or should I say HOT??? :)) A shame that they mustn't marry… *sigh* Your guess about Sirius is right :) You asked what had happened to Tatyana's lover. Well, read back to the Herm/Krum library scene in chapter 8, there's half a line about it, and of course there will be more about it, later. No, Angie won't loose her baby. I don't really care if the evil Anor is a Parseltongue now or not – it's not important at all. Why Herm didn't tell Harry? Because she hoped that she'd be able to hold Tatyana off Harry, or at least to persuade herself that she had read that particular paragraph in Beautiful Bill's Biography wrong. I think that Hayden was much better than Ewan, but… tastes are different. Sorry, I didn't watch the world cup – I don't like football at all. The only match I watched was the final between Germany and Brazil. No, Hungary wasn't playing, because we suck at football. We are very good at water polo, but not football :( Oh, so you think that Hungary is beautiful? I'm so proud! :)) It has an ancient touch? Oh, yeah, I guess so. The castle Festetics is really cool – baroque. I've been there three times, it's near the lake Balaton (the biggest lake in Central Europe).

Nefertiri: feel free to put both my fics on your website! You asked how long it took me to write a story. Well, I wrote TGSoHH for about 3-3,5 months, I wrote TGSaWCS for 3 months. The reason why I was ready earlier with the longer fic (TGSaWCS), is that I wrote the first one in our weekend-house, where I don't have a computer and I had to type everything I had written by hand. Unfortunately I have to do the same with the third story, since I'm spending most of the summer in our weekend-house where I don't have PC.

Magische Machen: wolltest du zufällig nicht Mädchen schreiben??? (just wondering). Nun, ich dachte, dass ich dir auf Deutsch antworte, weil du mir auch Deutsch geschrieben hast (und bitte, duze mich, sage nicht ‚Sie', es ist zu formal). Ich bin sehr froh, dass du meine Stories so gut findest. Danke für die Kompliment über meine Englisch-Kenntnisse! Nein, es ist nicht immer kalt in Ungarn, z.B. heutzutage ist es sehr heiss: 35-36 Celsius. Ich war überrascht, dass ein Amerikanische Mädchen mir auf Deutsch schreibt – die Amerikanische lernen meistens Spanisch, nicht wahr? Danke vielmals für Reviewing.

Hermione Weasley: I promise you a very happy Ron/Herm getting back together :) Not much fluff, but it will be funny, you have my word!

C-chan/Sailor Capricorn: who is 68 or 69 years old in book 4? So, you are actually a Gilderoy-hater? That's sad, he's my fave character because he always makes me laugh! Don't worry, he will only have another little scene in this story, so you won't have to put up with him. However, in the third part... he will be around. Sorry :) You asked whether I had seen Aladdin – well, of course, it is my favourite Disney movie!

Also thanks to: The Face of Evil, Toby Haine, K.C. Hunter, aurora riddle, PadmeSkywalker, phoenix6545, thebiggesthpfan (twice), Almah, Laurenna, green smurf, Qahira Galatea, VeRyWiLdWiTcH, Maddy, Notebook Girl, Kit Cloudkicker, princesswitch, Midnite Sunrise, heart2heart, Bucky, Tessa, ladyyuy (twice), Lana Potter, goldenstar555, LilGinny, Eclectus, pottermouth, NuttyBuddy, alli, star queen, Waldomier, J-Kid, starheart, Lady Godiva, Romina, Ari Potter, Kristen Michelle, Lavendar Brown, lulygirl23, Faunix

Chapter 27

Hide and seek

"You're kidding." she said.

"Am not."

"But… how? How could I be a Parselmouth?"

"Dunno… maybe being a Parselmouth is an STD."

"What?" she gasped. "Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy!"

"Then how do you explain it?"

"I don't know…" Ginny shook her head.

"Wait a second." he cut in. "I've just realised something... Potter told me about resurrecting you with a torch."

"Yeah. The Green Flame Torch." she nodded.

"It was in Egypt, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. And?" she didn't have the vaguest idea what Draco was getting at.

"It belonged to Apophys, right?" he continued inquiring.

"Yeah, but… oh!" understanding suddenly dawned on her. "You mean I became a Parsemouth when I was resurrected by the Serpent God's torch?"

"It's very possible." he replied. "Much more possible than the STD stuff… Potter became a Parselmouth, though he never slept with Voldemort. Or did he?"

"Ha-ha. Very funny, Malfoy."

"Yeah. I'm a funny guy." he grinned at her. "That's why women like me so much."

"Name a woman who likes you – besides your mother." she replied with a grimace.

"Well…" he seemed to contemplate the answer, "…Pansy, for example."

"She broke up with you." Ginny reminded him.

"All right, then… Blaise Zabini. She used to be head over heels in love with me."

"Aha." Ginny made a wry face. "That's why she got married to Marcus Flint right after she graduated. She must have loved you very much."

"You are no fun to talk to, Weasley." he pretended to look hurt.

"Potter. I go by the name Potter." she replied.

"Why do I always forget it?" he rolled his eyes. "Maybe because I think that you aren't the right one for Potty…"

"No?" she raised an eyebrow. "Who's the right one for him, then?"

"Granger." he replied. "He should have married her. Then your family wouldn't have got stained by having a mudblood in it. What a shame! When she'll start having children, it'll be the end of the pure Weasley bloodline."

"I never thought you cared so much for the purity of the Weasley-bloodline." she remarked. "And just to inform you, I don't care a bit that my nieces won't be pure-blooded."

"Your nieces?" he frowned.

"Yeah. The twins Hermione is going to have soon."

"Oh. What wonderful news." Draco snorted. "Ronniekins must be over the moon."

"He doesn't even know yet." Ginny shrugged.

"Great. So I should feel honoured now that I've been told before him." he wrinkled his nose. "Are you, by any chance, also carrying a couple of children? Just to be safe, you know… I don't want you fainting on me during the journey."

"I can assure you that I'm not pregnant." she replied. "Not that you'd care if I was… you didn't care when I almost lost my baby… after having helped you."

His eyes narrowed to slits. "So now you start blaming me. Why didn't you go telling everyone that your son's being a squib was my fault?"

"I never said it was."

"Don't tell me that it never occurred to you."

She looked directly into his cold, grey eyes. "Okay. I admit it. There were times when I thought that my son had been harmed when I almost lost him, and that was why he became a squib… But those times are over. I know the real reason now."

"I'm all ears." he said with an arrested look.

"Don't expect me to tell you, Malfoy." she turned away, gazing into the flames again. "It only concerns Harry and me."

"Have it your way." he shrugged. "I'm going to sleep. Haven't you changed your mind about sharing body-heat?"

"No." she shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face. "You know… you can't be feeling that bad if your primary concern is sex."

"Sex belongs to my three top concerns in life." he replied, yawning.

"And what are the other two?" she got curious.

"Number one: to make as many people miserable as I can. Number two: to find a woman who does not talk back."

"See, I'm not appropriate for you, then." she grinned.

"Now you tell me…" he sighed, bending his head on his arms, closing his eyes. "But we still could have sex."

"Oh, shut up and go to sleep!"

* * * * *

"WHAT?" Molly blanched. "She just apparated away? Without telling where she was going?"

"Yeah." Fred nodded. "She only told me to tell you to take care of her kids. We haven't seen her for a day now."

"But… didn't she say anything… where she wanted to go?" Arthur interjected.

"Well… she kept repeating that she needed to get to Durmstrang. That's all."

"Do you think she's in Durmstrang now?" Molly gasped.

"Be sensible, mum." Bill said. "Durmstrang is very well-hidden. No honest wizard in Great Britain knows where it is."

"That means that dishonest wizards do." George said. "Do we know one?"

"Malfoy." everyone said in unison.

* * * * *

Next morning Ginny awoke to see Draco sitting by the fire in his already dry clothes, slicing some kind of meat with a severing charm.

"What are you doing?" she yawned.

"Breakfast." he replied.

"What… what is this?" she asked, suspiciously eyeing their 'food'.

"Alopex lagopus."

"What?"

"Arctic fox."

"Eurgh! Do you expect me to eat that?"

"If you don't want to starve."

"I'll conjure myself some breakfast instead." she replied. "But I'm definitely not eating this thing. Really, did you go out to hunt for foxes?"

"No. It came into the cave to hunt for us. I had to kill it… and after I killed it, I thought we might as well eat it. I've always wanted to eat something… exotic."

"Exotic?" she raised an eyebrow. "Next time you'll start eating pickled pogrebins. Really, did you just shout Avada Kedavra at the fox?"

"No. I shouted Incendio at it." he shrugged.

She shuddered from the thought of a fox flambé. Draco really didn't seem to have any humanity if he could burn a creature alive… and for Ginny it meant that she wasn't likely to get exempted from her obligation of payment…

Roast fox… She pressed her hands over her mouth, feeling sick.

"Are you sure you're not pregnant?" Draco asked, seeing her go as white as a sheet.

"I'm not pregnant. And drop the topic, please."

"Your weak point, isn't it?" he smirked, slicing a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Non of your business." she hissed. "If you're ready with the fox, we should head up to the stones, don't you think?"

"'s all right." he nodded, munching.

"By the way…" Ginny looked contemplative, "don't you find it a bit… strange, that such a huge snake could be living here without getting noticed?"

"Don't you ever take a book into your hand, Weasley? 'Scuse me, Potter." he corrected himself.

"Of course I take books into my hand." she replied irritably.

"But only romances or Lockhart books, I presume."

"You're gravely mistaken. I like Muggle belles-lettres as well. I've just finished reading Crime and punishment. There was a psychopath in there… strangely, when I was reading the book, I imagined him with your looks... so that I could hate him enough."

"How charming." he smirked, chucking a bone out of the cave. "What I started to say was that you surely hadn't read any Viking legends."

"Should I have?"

"Not necessarily." he shrugged. "But that's why you have never heard of Midgard's Serpent."

"Actually I have." she replied. "But that's just a tale."

"It didn't seem to be just a tale to me." Draco pointed out.

"But… what does a Viking monster do in Russia?"

"Dunno. Ask it. You speak its language."

Soon they left the cave and headed for the four stones standing at the four corners of a small square. They looked very ancient and had runes engraved into them.

"So, what do we exactly do?" Ginny asked.

"Just step into the middle, and touch two of the stones, I guess." Draco replied. "Ladies first."

Ginny stepped into the square that was too small for more than one person. She touched two of the four stones and in the next instant she felt a jerk behind her navel.

A couple of seconds later she fell onto the ground with a thud.

She sat up, rubbing her knees and elbows that she had hit badly.

She looked around to see that she was in some kind of an entrance hall where the only conspicuous thing was a huge statue of a woman.

Ginny was just about to stand up when Draco fell right upon her.

"Ouch!" she yelled. "Watch where you fall!"

"It was the portkey's fault!" he protested. "Anyway, shhhh!" he placed his index finger to his mouth, drawing his wand out of the pocket of his robes. "We don't want to be heard."

She nodded, gripping her wand. "Where should we go?" she whispered. "Should we look for the janitor?"

"Brilliant, Weasley." he growled. "No. I say we go and have a look at… that adjoining hall."

They entered the great hall to find it totally empty. There were wooden plates and goblets on the tables, but they were also empty, as if waiting for the house-elves to fill them.

"This is creepy." Ginny whispered. "I feel like in a graveyard or something."

"Well, not a very cheery place, that's true." Draco nodded. "I suggest we go upstairs."

They climbed the stairs to the first floor and started down the corridor that echoed with their steps. They opened every single door - Draco opened the doors and Ginny covered him in case someone with a pickaxe jumped out of a room – but there were no men with axes at all.

"No one. Absolutely no one. The school's deserted." Draco stated. "Where on Earth is everyone?"

"Good question." a voice from behind them cut in.

They turned around to see three ghosts hovering in mid-air.

"Who are you?" Ginny asked.

"My name is Ivan Ilyich." the oldest-looking ghost introduced himself.

"I'm Anna Karenina." the female one said.

"Jevgheniy Anegin." the third one added, bowing slightly. "And who are you?"

"I'm Ginny Potter." Ginny said. "And he's Draco Malfoy."

"Potter?" Anna's eyes widened. "You're Harry's wife, then!"

"Yeah!" Ginny nodded eagerly. "Where's he? Where's everyone?"

"No idea." Anegin shrugged.

"But what happened here?" Draco cut in.

"We don't know." Ivan replied sullenly. "Everyone was out there to watch the second task of the tournament… and only a couple of people returned."

"Who? And where are they?" Ginny asked. "Is Harry among them?"

"No." Anna shook her pretty head. "I fear he isn't. But go and find the remaining people. They are in the staff room on the second floor. It's the fifth door from the staircase."

"Thanks." Ginny replied. "C'mon, Malfoy."

* * * * *

Draco and Ginny walked up to the fifth door on the second floor and opened it.

"Stupefy!" someone called from inside, but Draco ducked and avoided the curse.

"Dennis! It's us!" Ginny yelled as she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

"Ginny!" the boy shouted and ran up to them, gathering the young woman into a firm embrace. "It's so good to see you! To see anyone… living!" Ginny thought he was on the verge of nervous breakdown.

Meanwhile, Draco looked around to see two other people in the room: a black-haired girl and a blonde guy with a slightly purple face.

"Who are they?" Ginny asked from Dennis.

"They are Mileta and Guillaume. The other two champions." Dennis replied.

Ginny flinched from the name 'Mileta'. "And where are the others?" she asked desperately.

Dennis heaved a deep sigh. "We don't know. We were accomplishing the second task in an underground ice cave, and by the time we got out, everyone had disappeared. The ghosts know nothing. Everyone and everything living disappeared. Even the house-elves from the kitchen… Vladi, the dragon as well."

"So… only the three of you remained here?" Draco interjected.

"No." the dark-haired girl walked up to them. "There's someone else… we don't know him. We've never seen him before… but he's here. Somewhere."

"Who?"

"A shade." Guillaume said with an extremely worried expression. "Or at least 'e looked like one… but 'e's rather alive zan dead. When we first saw 'im we thought 'e was anuzzer ghost, but zen we realised zat 'e looked solid. We don't know who it iz and 'ow 'e got 'ere."

"And where is this mysterious person?"

"No idea." Dennis shook his head. "Hiding. When he saw us, he hurried away and hid. He doesn't want to be seen."

Ginny asked where Harry's room was and Mileta offered her to show the way. Ginny would rather have had Dennis to lead her upstairs, but she didn't want to be rude and turn down the other girl.

"Well, this is it." Mileta opened a door on the fourth floor and they entered. "Harry used to live here."

Ginny looked around in the tidy room and immediately noticed some familiar objects: Harry's trunk, standing empty in the corner, his clothes hanging in the wardrobe whose doors stood half-ajar, his Rocket 4000 broomstick, and finally there was a picture in gilded frame on his bedside table: a picture of himself and Ginny. They were dancing and laughing in the picture that had been taken by Colin at their wedding.

Ginny's heart sank at the thought that she might never see her husband again.

"Are you all right?" the other girl asked.

"What?" Ginny shuddered, coming back from dream-land into reality. "Oh, yeah. Thanks for showing me the route."

"You're welcome." Mileta nodded and turned to leave, but Ginny called after her:

"Wait. I think we've got to talk."

"About what?" the Bulgarian girl raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Harry."

"Why do you want to talk about him with me? What do I have to do with him?"

"A lot." Ginny said. "Or at least I thought that you did… Mileta… But you didn't… right?" "What didn't I do?" Mileta snapped. "You expect me to reassure you that I only wanted to have something to do with him, but he always turned me down?" her voice was bitter and harsh, and her eyes threw fire-bolts at Ginny. "Tell you that I couldn't make him like me no matter how hard I tried? Should I…?"

"No." Ginny stepped to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's enough. Thank you that you told me."

Mileta looked at her and Ginny saw the pain in the girl's eyes. This poor young woman was desperately in love with her husband. Ginny's heart ached at the thought, but it was making flips of joy at the same time – now she could be absolutely sure that Harry was always faithful to her. "Thank you, Mileta." she repeated.

"Do not thank me. I would have taken him from you if I could. But there's someone else who succeeded."

Ginny froze. "What… what are you talking about?"

"My Potions teacher, Tatyana Fiodrovna." Mileta squinted at Ginny, her face showing malice. "Your Harry slept with her."

"No." Ginny gasped.

"Yes." Mileta said with a cruel smile. "Now I understand why Harry didn't want me: I'm not as pretty as you are… but the professor is. She is damn pretty. No wonder he couldn't resist her."

"You are lying!" Ginny shouted with clenched fists. "Tell me that you're lying!"

"I'm sorry, I can't. It's the truth. He cheated on you." Mileta replied, her face radiating sincerity – cruel sincerity. Ginny knew instinctively that Mileta Krum wasn't lying. And that could only mean one thing: Harry had indeed slept with another woman.

Seeing the shocked expression on the red-haired woman's face, Mileta left the room, feeling triumphant.

There was a knock on the door but Ginny didn't care. Maybe she hadn't even heard it. For the last two or so hours she had been lying on the bed with open eyes, staring at the farthest wall of the room. Her ears excluded all noises and her mind excluded all thoughts, but her soul felt like dying of the suppressed emotions.

She wanted to cry, wanted to howl on the top of her lungs, but all she could do was stare at the wall, not even noticing that it gradually grew dark.

She was just lying in the darkness – all that illuminated the room was the half-moon outside. The Moon… the first memory that came to her was about herself and Harry sitting on their bed at Black Manor, looking out into the moon-lit garden.

"Look at the moon-light. It's brighter than ever. No storm tonight." she had said back then. Although there was no storm now, in her soul she felt like in a storm: winds were attacking her from all directions, howling 'Harry cheated on you! Slept with another!', and Ginny kept fighting them back, as if pushing a pillow over the mouth of a shrieking banshee… she kept fighting, but she was getting weaker and weaker… until the first tear coursed down her cheek.

It was relief to cry. She stuffed one of her tiny fists into her mouth, trying to muffle her sobs, although she knew that this part of the castle was totally deserted. But what if that terrible Mileta was still lurking around, just to hear her cry? She decided that she wouldn't give her the pleasure to see or hear her cry…

There was another knock on the door – Ginny didn't know how much time had passed since she had heard the first one in her half-dreamy state, but she supposed it had to be several minutes.

The knock was repeated.

"Go away…" Ginny said quietly.

"Does it mean that you don't want to dine with me?" Draco's voice came from outside.

"I'm not hungry." she whispered, since she couldn't produce a louder voice. Still, he must have heard her, because he entered and walked up to her bed.

"Go away, please." she sat up and sniffed, wiping her tears away. She didn't want him to see her like that.

"Really not hungry?" he said in a cheery tone. Seeing that she didn't react, he sat down on the bed next to her. "What's the matter?" he took her hand, massaging it gently. "Hey, what have you done to yourself?" he asked, seeing bite-marks on her knuckles.

"Non of your business." she whispered, tearing her hand out of his grip.

"What happened? Tell me. Let me help you." he said, without realising that he was actually acting 'humane'.

"You can't help me… unless you can change the past and prevent me from falling in love with Harry."

"Why? I don't understand." Draco shook his head.

She looked up to meet his eyes and her expression scared him. He saw grief, hate, anger and regret in it. "I should never have fallen in love with Harry… I should never have married him… I shouldn't have had anything to do with him at all."

"What is this sudden conversion?" he asked, bewildered. "You are talking as though you didn't love him anymore."

"I wish I could not love him." she sighed. "I wish I could love someone worthier…" her expression suddenly changed. "Draco… do you still want me?"

"Ginny…" he blinked, not believing his ears.

"If you want me, then take me, Draco." she said, gripping his hands.

He let go of her, standing up. "No. Not yet. When we have found your husband."

"You said that it didn't matter to you when we did it." she replied sternly. "I don't care for finding Harry anymore… I just want to find Hermione who's still my friend. I want to save her and her babies… But I don't care for that bastard anymore!"

"Bastard?" he knitted his eyebrows. "What happened to you? What did that Mileta tell you that has driven you so crazy?"

"What did she tell me?" Ginny leapt to her feet. "She told me that Harry cheated on me!"

"Aha!" Draco exclaimed. "So that's why you are so willing to be with me now! Avenge! That's pathetic, Weasley!"

"Pathetic?"

"Yes! I don't want a woman who gives herself to me out of revenge on her unfaithful husband! I want a woman to either do it out of love for me… or at least as a payment of a debt. But I don't need such a stupid sacrifice!"

"Sacrifice?" she hissed. "I thought you wanted me!"

"I do want you. Just not now. Not this way."

"Not now?" she spat. "All right, then! You had the chance, but you wasted it… don't expect anything from me after this! And get out of my room!"

"As you wish, my lady." Draco bowed and backed out.

"Bastard!" Ginny gripped a vase and threw it at the closing door. "All men are bastards! None of them deserves to be loved!" she dropped herself on the bed again, crying and trembling. "I hate them… hate them all… men…" she sobbed.

"Not all of them are bad." a voice spoke up.

Ginny sat up, looking around for the source of the voice. It was the same female ghost they had encountered a couple of hours earlier.

"Not all men are bad." she repeated. "Your husband definitely isn't."

"Hah! As though you knew him!" Ginny snapped.

"You're right, I don't know him… but I know that he's an honest man."

"Honest? Do honest men cheat on their wives?"

"He did not cheat on you." Anna replied calmly. "He had been bewitched with a potion… hypnotised. He had no idea what he was doing."

"Really?" Ginny sniffed.

"Really. I've seen it. I saw that Fiodrovna woman give him that drink… I saw his expression change after he drank it… I heard him whisper 'Ginny'…"

"What? My name?"

"Yes." Anna nodded. "That potion made him believe that the professor was you. So do not blame him, girl. He was never unfaithful to you… not in his heart."

"But why… why did that woman bewitch my husband?" Ginny frowned.

"Of that I have no knowledge, sorry." Anna shook her head. "But Harry didn't do it out of his own free will… believe me."

Ginny stood up and walked to the window, gazing out onto the snow-covered planes.

The snow-hills were bathed in moonlight, and something of its brightness found its way into her heart as well.

"What have I done?" she whispered, forgetting about the presence of the ghost. "What does Malfoy think of me now? Heavens! I'm a scarlet woman!"

"You're not. If someone's one, then I am." Anna commented.

"You?" Ginny turned around.

"Yeah. Cheated on my husband with a young count, ran away with my lover, leaving my husband and son behind…" Anna shrugged. "You were just angry and desperate. Happens to everyone."

"But I almost slept with my husband's enemy!" Ginny shouted. "I was practically begging him to take me!… Oh, my, I have to clear this up! Where's his room? I have to talk to him!"

"He moved into the room right under yours." the ghost replied.

"Thanks!" Ginny replied. "For everything, Anna!"

"You're welcome."

Ginny raced down the stairs and turned into the third-floor corridor when she had a strange feeling of being watched.

She looked around to see a dark shadow peering at her from behind a column.

"Who are you?" she shouted at it, drawing her wand out of her robes, but she was late – the man, or whatever it was, disappeared.

*It must have been that shade the champions were talking about.* Ginny thought, reaching Draco's door.

She knocked. "Malfoy, are you in there?"

"No!" he replied.

"Let me in, I've got to tell you something… important!"

"Stop trying to seduce me, Weasel, I'm in no mood for it now!" he yelled back.

"I don't want to seduce you, you fool! Just let me in!"

"All right." he opened the door. "What do you want?"

"I want to apologise… I was being stupid… and I almost made a huge mistake."

"So you've realised it, haven't you?" he crossed his arms, leaning nonchalantly to the door-post.

"Yes. I love Harry." she replied.

"Wow. That was quite a quick change-of-mind." Draco remarked sarcastically. "What made you realise that you still loved him?"

"I got to know that he never deliberately cheated on me. He had been bewitched." Ginny gabbled. "It wasn't his fault. He's innocent! The female ghost told me. She had seen everything."

"A voyeur ghost?" Draco grinned. "So the saint Harry Potter didn't cheat on you, after all. Well, I would have been surprised if he had really done it. He's not the type. Way too honest to sleep around… sometimes disgustingly honest." seeing Ginny raise an eyebrow, he quickly changed the topic: "So, you've come to tell me that you didn't mean it when you wanted to sleep with me, and I believe you. You didn't mean it. You thought you did, but you didn't… and I'm sure you'd have killed me the following morning, if you had woken up in my arms in a bit clearer state of mind."

"I guess I would have." she smiled.

"All right. I think we might as well go and look for some dinner. I'm starving. Originally, when I visited you in your room, I wanted to invite you for dinner."

Mileta was surprised to see Ginny enter the staff room with Draco. She was puffy-eyed, but didn't look particularly sad, which made the Bulgarian girl rather confused.

After she had marched out of Harry's room, leaving the dumbfounded Ginny behind, Mileta felt triumph and satisfaction. However, as the minutes passed on, she started to feel guilty. Why had she been so cruel with this woman? Had this woman hurt her? Well, of course this woman was the reason why Harry kept turning her down, but… this woman was Harry's wife. It wasn't Ginny's fault that Harry didn't like Mileta... Not much after their discussion, Mileta started to feel terribly miserable. She felt ashamed. She didn't feel triumph anymore, just pangs of remorse. Now, seeing that Ginny looked more or less all right, Ms. Krum heaved a sigh of relief.

"Don't you know by any chance where the kitchen is?" Draco asked.

"We do, but there are no elves to cook for you." Dennis shrugged. "Why not conjure some food for yourself?"

"Too lazy." Draco shrugged. "By the way, Ginny has seen that funny guy who keeps disappearing."

"He gives me the creeps. Why is he hiding?" Ginny wondered.

"No idea. Maybe 'e does not like social life." Guillaume commented, looking into a huge mirror hanging on the staff room's wall. "Oh, my! I look therrible! My face iz still purple! It's your fault, Khrum! Now Uncle Gilderoy looks shurely better zan me!"

"Uncle?" Ginny and Draco gasped. "Is Gilderoy Lockhart your uncle?"

"Well, kind o'." Guillaume replied. "He's ze third-cousin to my grandmuzzer's nephew… or ze second-cousin to my muzzer's aunt?" he looked bewildered. "No idea. I always mix up zis family relations. Anyway, I just call 'im uncle."

Suddenly there was a loud clatter coming from the corridor.

All the five of them ran out to see an overturned bucket – Stanahov the caretaker might have left it there by mistake. Someone must have run into the bucket, toppling it over, spilling water all around it.

"It must have been done by the shade!" Dennis voiced his opinion.

"And this time we're gonna catch him." Draco grinned.

"How?" Ginny asked.

"Ah, so the excellent female logic does not reveal it to you?" he smirked, pointing at the floor: there were wet foot-marks on it.

"Oh!" Ginny's eyes widened. "I see."

"Come, but silently!" Draco beckoned to the other four and they started following the foot-marks.

They must have been moving much quicker than the 'shade', because they soon heard the wheezy breathing of someone who wasn't an experienced runner.

"Locomotor mortis!" Draco pointed his wand at the thin air, from where he heard the ragged breathing. They all heard a thud and saw half a human body appear on the floor.

"Aha! Invisibility cloak!" Malfoy exclaimed, ripping the cloak off the remaining part of the 'shade'.

The shade turned out to be an old man. He sat up, pressing his hand on a stitch in his side. No wonder that he couldn't run away fast enough – he looked older and much weaker than Albus Dumbledore. He had long, white beard and wore a dark grey cloak whose hood hid his wrinkly face.

"Who are you?" Draco demanded.

"I'm just an old squib." the man replied in a raspy voice.

"What does a squib do at a wizard school?" Ginny asked.

"I… I used to be a servant. I worked… in the stalls. I helped… Mr. Dumbledore… with his reindeers…"

"He's kind of a Durmstrang Filch, then." Draco told Ginny, then turned back to the old man again. "Do you know anything about what happened here a couple of days ago? How everyone disappeared…?"

"Yes… I do." the old man replied. "I was out there with the teachers and students to watch the second task… when suddenly a whirlwind appeared… and took everyone with itself…"

"But… why did it leave you here?" Draco asked.

"I was too old to be used, and I was just a squib... Maybe they thought I wouldn't be of use to them." the man shrugged.

Ginny found the old man's story a bit unbelievable, still she trusted him. His words and gestures, his raspy, tired voice woke sympathy in her… then her gaze fell on the cloak Draco was still holding.

"That's Harry's!" she yelled. "How did you come by that?"

"I have always wanted to have one…" the old man shrugged. "Once I saw Mr. Potter disappear under it… and two days ago I kind of borrowed it."

"Stole it, you mean!" Ginny snapped.

"Put it the way you want, lady. I just thought he wouldn't need it anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" Ginny gulped.

The old man hung his head. "Well…" he muttered, not finishing his sentence.

"Out with it!" Ginny demanded. "I'm his wife, I have to know what happened to him!"

The old man's eyes strangely flashed under the hood of his cloak, and he reached out with a trembling, wrinkled hand to touch Ginny's arm. "I'm sorry, but… Harry Potter is dead."

A/N2: to Bucky (if you are reading this): a tepid 'oh'??? :)))

STD (for those who don't know) = sexually transmitted disease

I'm awaiting the flames you are going to send me now – go ahead, don't restrain yourselves! It's been a while I last got a flame, I'm kind of missing them ;-)