"She was in the library alone, with Malfoy, at 10:30 at night! What is NOT wrong about that?" Harry said to his two best friends. Ron looked like he would explode.
"If Malfoy even so much as-" he began. Hermione cut him off.
"I think you're both overreacting." The two boys turned to look at her.
"But he's Malfoy! He's a Slytherin!!" Ron protested.
"Exactly," Harry nodded in agreement. Hermione sighed.
"I can see why you'd be worried, but really, if all they were doing was studying," she offered, admitting even to herself how weak that sounded. "Well, what, do you want me to intervene and talk to her? I thought you both wanted her to get her own life?"
"I did, I mean, I do, but, of all the lives she could pick?" Ron succeeded in confusing himself. Hermione began to snicker suddenly as a thought struck her.
"Really, Harry, I thought you said you didn't think of Ginny like that." Harry turned as red as Ron had just been.
"I don't!" He sputtered. "I just don't like it when my best friend's sister cavorts with the enemy!" At this, Hermione burst out laughing.
"Cavort with the enemy? You've been reading too many Muggle books." ~*~
"Ginny, I can't believe you!" The redhead turned to face the voice behind her. Morgan was standing there with a slightly murderous look in her eyes.
"What did I do?" Ginny asked innocently. Her friend threw up her arms in exasperation.
"You get to 'study' with Harry Potter, and that alone isn't good enough; you have to 'study' with Draco Malfoy, too?" After a moment's confusion, Ginny burst into peals of laughter. This stopped Morgan from continuing her tirade.
"What's so funny?"
"Morgan!" Ginny said between gasps as she laughed, "All I do with Harry is study, in all honesty! I swear, I don't like him. And, how do you know I was talking to Draco?"
"I heard Harry talking to Hermione."
"Ah. Well, all Draco and I were doing was studying as well."
"Good. I mean, he's a Slytherin! Ew!" Ginny rolled her eyes. No one really understood Draco, it seemed. They thought they did, but were all wrong.
"Really, Morgan, he's very intelligent. But I know you could care less about Malfoy, you just wanted to make sure I don't have dibs on Harry, right?" Morgan blushed.
"Well, yeah... I know you used to like him, but then, everybody did..."
"Hey, don't worry about it. He's a nice guy, just, uh, not my type."
"Okay, Ginny. Well, I have to go. Sorry if I seemed mad, I wasn't."
"It's all right. Talk to you later." Ginny watched Morgan hurry away. So, apparently Morgan liked Harry. Interesting. But, Harry had been talking about her to Hermione? Not surprising, but, even more interesting. ~*~
"Ron, come on, it's not that hard," Hermione said, setting her own quill down. Ron was staring miserably at a half-filled piece of parchment, quill posed to write.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, but if we have to write about one more goblin revolution, I'll scream."
"I know. But Prof. Binns said we'd be moving on to study vampires in history starting tomorrow, just finish your essay," she pleaded with him. Ron sighed.
"That should be fun, at least," he agreed. Hermione moved around the table to sit next to Ron.
"Here, I'll help you, but I'm not writing this for you!" She began by reading the assignment to him. They talked about what he wanted to say, and then Ron began writing. Hermione read over it and helped him edit, then Ron continued with the essay. They were done fairly quickly.
"See, was that so bad?" Hermione smiled. Ron groaned.
"Yes! But thanks a lot for your help," he said.
"No problem, Ron, anytime," she said, gathering up her things. "It's just about dinnertime, let's head to the Great Hall." Ron took a few of her books for her and they started out of the library. ~*~
By the time Ron and Hermione reached the Gryffindor table, most people had begun eating. Harry had saved them seats and was just finishing a roll when they sat down.
"Where were you? Practice got out a half hour ago!" He said around once he'd swallowed. He hadn't been in the library with them because Fred and George had scheduled a Quidditch practice.
"We finished our essays for Binns. How's yours coming?" Ron said. Harry paled. "Now don't tell me you didn't do it yet!"
"No, Ron, it's done," Harry whispered, as his face crumbled in pain.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed as the boy passed out.
Several hours later, after everyone was asleep, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Dumbledore were all seated by Harry's bed in the hospital wing, waiting for Harry to wake up. He finally obliged them.
"Ugh." Harry's moan alerted his visitors to his consciousness. He opened his eyes and stared at them.
"Want to tell us what happened, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked him gently. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," Harry said, his voice fairly stable. "My scar... I don't know what happened. It was so overwhelming...I think Voldemort's back." Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, but Ginny just looked impassively at The Boy Who Lived. Dumbledore gave no indications of his feelings either.
"Why do you think that, Harry?"
"I can't explain it. Maybe just because the pain was so great this time?"
"Very well. You need your rest. Come on, now, everyone out." Ron and Hermione went back to the Gryffindor common room, but Ginny excused herself from them, saying she wanted a drink. Dumbledore watched her head off in the opposite direction, looking thoughtful. ~*~
"Draco?" Ginny whispered, shaking him gently. The boy groggily woke up, his eyes becoming wide as he realized who was standing over him. He yanked her into the Slytherin common room.
"What are you doing here now?" He asked her, softly. She bit her lip.
"You know how Harry passed out at supper? He finally woke up, and well, he said Voldemort's back."
"What? How does he know?"
"He doesn't know how. He fainted from the pain from his scar; it was worse than usual, he said. He can't explain it, but he's positive that something's going to happen. Trouble," Ginny explained, sitting on a couch. "I thought you should know. For the file."
Draco sat down next to her, his mouth pursed in a line. "Thanks for telling me this. I don't want to say it, but I think Harry's right. If you check the file, there's been a slack in activity from the suspected Hogwarts DeathEaters, and from what I know, that's not just happening here."
"So you mean... They're getting ready, for him to return. But, how?" Draco shrugged.
"I don't know, Gin. We just have to watch and wait, I guess. Keep your head up, okay?" She nodded.
"I have to go now," she smiled. "It's strange how people perceive others, you know that? Especially you, Draco." Ginny left through the passage. Draco stared after her, a grim expression on his face. Voldemort was back.
"If Malfoy even so much as-" he began. Hermione cut him off.
"I think you're both overreacting." The two boys turned to look at her.
"But he's Malfoy! He's a Slytherin!!" Ron protested.
"Exactly," Harry nodded in agreement. Hermione sighed.
"I can see why you'd be worried, but really, if all they were doing was studying," she offered, admitting even to herself how weak that sounded. "Well, what, do you want me to intervene and talk to her? I thought you both wanted her to get her own life?"
"I did, I mean, I do, but, of all the lives she could pick?" Ron succeeded in confusing himself. Hermione began to snicker suddenly as a thought struck her.
"Really, Harry, I thought you said you didn't think of Ginny like that." Harry turned as red as Ron had just been.
"I don't!" He sputtered. "I just don't like it when my best friend's sister cavorts with the enemy!" At this, Hermione burst out laughing.
"Cavort with the enemy? You've been reading too many Muggle books." ~*~
"Ginny, I can't believe you!" The redhead turned to face the voice behind her. Morgan was standing there with a slightly murderous look in her eyes.
"What did I do?" Ginny asked innocently. Her friend threw up her arms in exasperation.
"You get to 'study' with Harry Potter, and that alone isn't good enough; you have to 'study' with Draco Malfoy, too?" After a moment's confusion, Ginny burst into peals of laughter. This stopped Morgan from continuing her tirade.
"What's so funny?"
"Morgan!" Ginny said between gasps as she laughed, "All I do with Harry is study, in all honesty! I swear, I don't like him. And, how do you know I was talking to Draco?"
"I heard Harry talking to Hermione."
"Ah. Well, all Draco and I were doing was studying as well."
"Good. I mean, he's a Slytherin! Ew!" Ginny rolled her eyes. No one really understood Draco, it seemed. They thought they did, but were all wrong.
"Really, Morgan, he's very intelligent. But I know you could care less about Malfoy, you just wanted to make sure I don't have dibs on Harry, right?" Morgan blushed.
"Well, yeah... I know you used to like him, but then, everybody did..."
"Hey, don't worry about it. He's a nice guy, just, uh, not my type."
"Okay, Ginny. Well, I have to go. Sorry if I seemed mad, I wasn't."
"It's all right. Talk to you later." Ginny watched Morgan hurry away. So, apparently Morgan liked Harry. Interesting. But, Harry had been talking about her to Hermione? Not surprising, but, even more interesting. ~*~
"Ron, come on, it's not that hard," Hermione said, setting her own quill down. Ron was staring miserably at a half-filled piece of parchment, quill posed to write.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, but if we have to write about one more goblin revolution, I'll scream."
"I know. But Prof. Binns said we'd be moving on to study vampires in history starting tomorrow, just finish your essay," she pleaded with him. Ron sighed.
"That should be fun, at least," he agreed. Hermione moved around the table to sit next to Ron.
"Here, I'll help you, but I'm not writing this for you!" She began by reading the assignment to him. They talked about what he wanted to say, and then Ron began writing. Hermione read over it and helped him edit, then Ron continued with the essay. They were done fairly quickly.
"See, was that so bad?" Hermione smiled. Ron groaned.
"Yes! But thanks a lot for your help," he said.
"No problem, Ron, anytime," she said, gathering up her things. "It's just about dinnertime, let's head to the Great Hall." Ron took a few of her books for her and they started out of the library. ~*~
By the time Ron and Hermione reached the Gryffindor table, most people had begun eating. Harry had saved them seats and was just finishing a roll when they sat down.
"Where were you? Practice got out a half hour ago!" He said around once he'd swallowed. He hadn't been in the library with them because Fred and George had scheduled a Quidditch practice.
"We finished our essays for Binns. How's yours coming?" Ron said. Harry paled. "Now don't tell me you didn't do it yet!"
"No, Ron, it's done," Harry whispered, as his face crumbled in pain.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed as the boy passed out.
Several hours later, after everyone was asleep, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Dumbledore were all seated by Harry's bed in the hospital wing, waiting for Harry to wake up. He finally obliged them.
"Ugh." Harry's moan alerted his visitors to his consciousness. He opened his eyes and stared at them.
"Want to tell us what happened, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked him gently. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," Harry said, his voice fairly stable. "My scar... I don't know what happened. It was so overwhelming...I think Voldemort's back." Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, but Ginny just looked impassively at The Boy Who Lived. Dumbledore gave no indications of his feelings either.
"Why do you think that, Harry?"
"I can't explain it. Maybe just because the pain was so great this time?"
"Very well. You need your rest. Come on, now, everyone out." Ron and Hermione went back to the Gryffindor common room, but Ginny excused herself from them, saying she wanted a drink. Dumbledore watched her head off in the opposite direction, looking thoughtful. ~*~
"Draco?" Ginny whispered, shaking him gently. The boy groggily woke up, his eyes becoming wide as he realized who was standing over him. He yanked her into the Slytherin common room.
"What are you doing here now?" He asked her, softly. She bit her lip.
"You know how Harry passed out at supper? He finally woke up, and well, he said Voldemort's back."
"What? How does he know?"
"He doesn't know how. He fainted from the pain from his scar; it was worse than usual, he said. He can't explain it, but he's positive that something's going to happen. Trouble," Ginny explained, sitting on a couch. "I thought you should know. For the file."
Draco sat down next to her, his mouth pursed in a line. "Thanks for telling me this. I don't want to say it, but I think Harry's right. If you check the file, there's been a slack in activity from the suspected Hogwarts DeathEaters, and from what I know, that's not just happening here."
"So you mean... They're getting ready, for him to return. But, how?" Draco shrugged.
"I don't know, Gin. We just have to watch and wait, I guess. Keep your head up, okay?" She nodded.
"I have to go now," she smiled. "It's strange how people perceive others, you know that? Especially you, Draco." Ginny left through the passage. Draco stared after her, a grim expression on his face. Voldemort was back.