A/N: Before reading this new chapter, you probably need to know a few things...

1) Now you have (hopefully) figured out what happened with Ginny, Dean and Lavender... the true reason why I didn't write it from the beginning is this: if I wanted to do things right, I probably would've had to write lots and lots (well, at least a couple) of chapters explaining why Ginny had gotten closer to Dean, and the whole development of their friendship... and it honestly would have bored me and, I think, the readers. So I took it as a fact, and I must ask you to do the same, as annoying as it may be...

2) Anyways, for those who haven't...

Ginny, in a desperate attempt to get Harry out of her mind (and heart), tried to make new friends... starting with Colin, Neville, and eventually Dean, etc.

She and Dean got closer, andbecame really close friends, but nothing more than that, at least, from Ginny's point of view.

Dean is not a bad person, and he  naturally started to feel something for Ginny... and when she turned him down, he felt rejected. Plus, hearing the reason why she didn't want to be with him (something like "I'm sorry, Dean, but I still am not over Harry...") had gotten him furious. He couldn't believe she still liked him (Harry), even though he took no notice of her. He (Dean) couldn't understand it. So he grew angry, and told Lavender that he and Ginny had done "something" in the forest, knowing that by a few hours' time, the whole school would know. Including Harry Potter.

And that's exactly what happened. At least, all the Gryffindors know. [Let's leave the Slytherins out of this, I think it's better.. ;-)]

3) One last thing... the point of view of the narrator shifts from Harry to Ginny alternatively, so I hope it isn't too difficult to follow...

Anyways, back to the new chapter... here it goes. (Thanks a lot to those who reviewed!)

Chapter 2

When he knocked at the door, she was still crying.

"Ginny.... it's me. Let me in"

"Go away, Harry", she answered after a few moments.

"No." He said, matter-of-factly, "I'm going to enter now, so I hope you're decent."

She got up abruptly, but he'd already entered.

"Guys are not allowed in the girls' dorm..." she protested, but he hushed her.

"I came here to apologize."

"For what?"

"For believing such a stupid thing about you..."

"Oh.." she felt weak. "I- I din't mean to say those things to you. You were really the only one who listened to me..."

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you again." She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, right. And who'll believe me? Unless he admits he made it all up, there's no way I-"

".. already took care of that." Her eyes grew wide.

"What?"

"Well, I—I sort of.."

"Harry!" she interrupted him. "You're hand's bleeding!"

He smiled at her. "Actually, I was just telling you... he won't say anything about you anymore."

She furrowed her brow.

"And this," he added, while cleaning his hand with the hem of his robes, "...is not my blood."

When she realized what he meant, she once again burst into tears. Harry, confused, walked up to her.

"Hey... what did I say?"

"It's just that... you're too good to me, Harry. You shouldn't have gotten hurt just for-"

She sat on the floor, her back against the bed side. He crouched in front of her.

"-for a friend like you?" He softly finished for her. "I'd do it 10 thousand times again."

She glanced up at him between sobs.

He suddenly remembered the handkerchief. He searched his pockets and, when he found it, he handed it to her. She took it with a shaking hand.

"Thank you, Harry."

He smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry. I had to make it up to you. Merlin, I cannot believe that I actually believed-"

"No, it's okay. Actually, I *have* started to spend a lot of time with him, lately... one could've easily thought... but I swear, we only TALKED. I-I needed someone to talk to. Since- since I can't write a diary, you know..." 

She dropped her eyes, and when he understood what she meant, he slowly sighed. He felt guilty for never trying to talk to her, especially after what had happened back in second year.  He had tried many times, but couldn't come up with the subject. Mostly, because he was responsible for it. After all, it was him Voldemort was after.

"I mean it." She said again.

"I know. I believe you. You really should not be apologizing, in ANY WAY. So don't." His tone was gentle but firm. He really wanted her not o feel guilty at all.

Once again she looked up at him with those huge brown eyes, and his heart tightened.

"Come on, let's just try and forget all about that stupid git, okay?"

Her sobs finally slowed down, dissolving into sniffs.

"Come on, now..." he said, as softly as he could, while slowly reaching out a hand to gently touch her left shoulder. He felt her tremble under his touch, but preferred to think it was due to the fact that she was a bit nervous.

"Hey... it's okay." He soothed her.

She stopped sniffing, and managed to control herself, even though she couldn't ignore the fact that he was actually *touching* her.

On his part, he really felt like hugging her, and decided against it only because it would probably make her uncomfortable.

"You feeling a little better?"  he asked, hoping with all his might that she really was... perhaps because of him. *Perhaps because of me?* Where the hell had it come from? He hadn't done anything. He had believed all that crap at first, so he was in no position to feel particularly heroic only for trying to help her out.

She nodded slowly, bringing him back to reality. "Uhm. Yeah..."

He stroke her shoulder a bit. "Good"

They both fell silent. Her head slightly bent, she focused her eyes on her lap, where she kept twisting her handkerchief with her hands, and he focused his on her hair, distracted by the warm shade of red he knew so well.

Suddenly they began to feel awkward. He felt her shoulder tense, and didn't know what to do: pull her into his arms or letting go completely?

Then it downed on him. She was alone, and probably frightened. She desperately needed someone she could trust, someone who wouldn't turn her down, like Dean had done. Someone who would listen to her, or just stay with her, without talking. He would act exactly the way he would if she were Hermione, or any other friend of his.

She was feeling so awkward! He was so close and that hand on her shoulder... it is so out of character for him, she thought, it's not like him to get so close to me.. He finally pulled his hand away. She knew he'd get up and leave soon, and prepared to find herself alone again. Then he did something unexpected.  He sat down next to her, his back –like hers– against the bed side. He brought up his knees, then rested his elbows on them. She slowly, hesitatingly did the same, although she didn't know where this was leading to. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  Briefly glancing up at him, she noticed he looked deeply lost in thought. A pretty weird  situation, she'd put herself into... indeed. Only two years before she'd have DIED to be this close to him...

But now... now everything was different. Or was it? Well, Harry had gotten pretty close to Cho, and although they were not officially together, and neither ot them would ever speak about that, everyone thought and believed they were.

Ginny had learned how to hide her feelings towards him a lot better, and not only to him, but to everyone else, including herself, and she'd found she could deal with him being with Cho a little more. It was sort of... bearable.

Of course, some things had remained the same over the years. They –namely Harry, Hermione, and her own brother Ron– still thought of her as the 'little girl', the 'little sister', and never spoke to her about their secret adventures. She always had to learn about them from the roumors who often circulated at school... That had always gotten her pretty angry, but lately she'd managed to accept is a fact, and was trying to get over it.

Part of it consisted in trying to know more other people; besides Neville, who was already a friend of hers, there came Seamus, Colin, and of course her hugest mistake, DeanThomas. That, that – GIT! How dare he....

She frowned, and threw her handkerchief to the opposite side of the room.

"You okay?" She looked up, only to find Harry's wonderful green eyes studying her, and they told her he was really concerned.

"Uhm, oh... yes. I was just-" She felt once again like a stupid silly child, and besides she'd probably interrupted his thoughts.

"..oh, never mind. Hey..."  her eyes had fallen to the clock hanging on the wall opposite to her. "DinIt is almost past dinnertime! Sorry for keeping you here so long... go on..." She said, motioning him to stand up.

He didn't move.

She felt the words rush off her tongue before she was able to stop them; they came out in a whisper.

"Come on, Cho's probably looking for you..."

At this, he looked a bit taken aback, but quickly hid whatever feeling that sentence had awoken in him.

"So what" he answered in a low voice, his expression blank.

"Nothing, I just thought, you know... you usually sit together during meals, and... I figured you wanted to –to be with her because it's dinertime, and..." He paused a moment, then sighed, leaning back against the bed side.

"And what makes you think that she's my girlfriend?"

Ginny's breath caught in her throat, and she didn't manage to reply straight away.

"I –I didn't mean to say anything... it's okay. Cho is really a nice girl and I'm sure..." he cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"No. I meant, we are not together. Is that what you think?"

"Uh" She was beginning to feel really awkward once more. "I'm afraid that's what everyone thinks" she murmured.

"Oh, is that so...." he said to himself, as if considering the fact for the first time.

"You don't need to worry, I won't tell anyone, even if-" Harry took a deep breath.

"Well, I think I should go. If you wanna be alone..." He stood up, straightened his robes and exited the room.

He stopped right outside the door, and stood there, still.

"That's what everyone thinks..." her voice kept ringing in his head.

Right. People were more interested in the roumors of romance to ask themselves why he'd started spending time with Cho.

Well, let them believe their silly beliefs, he thought, then walked back down the stairs. Instead of heading for the Great Hall though, he just went up to his own dorm.

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Okay... and the second chapter is up.

Please let me know what you think! R&R!  J