Chapter Seven:

Draco had been waiting since breakfast down by the lake and nearly yelled at Ginny as she came walking towards him well into the afternoon.

"Where have you been?" Draco demanded when she finally came within hearing distance.

"What do you mean? I've had classes all morning and—" Ginny was cut off.

"You went to your classes?!?!" Draco yelled. "I've been here since after breakfast waiting for you!"

"You didn't go to your classes?" Draco shook his head. "Well I'm sorry, but I don't want to get into trouble."

"Trouble?" Draco looked as if he were about to rip his hair out by the roots. "This isn't even your life! Once we get back to our normal lives nothing you do here will matter!"

Ginny's eyes widened as she saw Draco grow angrier by the second. She noticed a few students walk past them and begin to giggle.

"Look, Draco, I'm sorry. But I'm not going to screw everyone over as I'm sure you are, just because nothing I do here is going to matter." Ginny's face begun to turn red. "Can you stop yelling?"

Draco stood still, obviously trying to calm himself down. Once he had his temper under control he began again. "Alright, while I was here waiting for you," he gave her an angry glare, "I was thinking of what might have done this to us. Since we both claim we didn't do this, someone or something else must have. I thought it must have been my Father, but I came to the conclusion he wouldn't allow any Weasley step into Malfoy Manor, whether real or not. Do you know anyone that might do this."

Ginny shook her head. "No clue."

"Since neither of us know of anyone who would do this it must not be a someone but a something. I listed in my head of all the beasts and non-humans out there that possess magic that could do this, and that would do this, and I've come up with only a few. But as I thought more on it, the less I think any on that short list know or care we exist."

"So you're basically saying you've got no one."

Draco sighed. "That's correct."

They stood there a few moments longer, both pondering on their circumstance. The summer sun showed down on them and a soft breeze swept by them. Off in the distance the bell from the castle could be heard.

"I have to get to class. Snape'll kill me if I'm late." Ginny said.

"Look, if you're me, Snape won't care if you walk in right when the dismissing bell rings. It's me Snape will be after." Draco said.

"Right. When should we meet again?" Ginny asked, backing away from Draco.

"I guess we should start looking in the library. Let's meet every break we get and after classes."

After settling that they both went off to their classes. Ginny walked alone down to the dungeons, heaving her bag behind her. As she entered she saw the seventh year Gryffindors and the Slytherins look up. Neither houses looked at her pleasantly.

"Excuse for being late?" Snape asked, coming up next to her.

Ginny thought quickly. "I, uh, forgot my book?"

"Very well, have a seat next to Zabini."

Ginny's mouth fell open at this. If she had been the real Ginny he'd have taken ten points from Gryffindor and she suspected he might have even held her back after class to clean spilled ingredients up.

"Excuse me, Professor." Ginny caught up to him. "Do you think that's fair?"

Ginny hadn't meant to make a spectacle, but the whole class was looking at her as if she had changed into a huge ugly worm.

"What did you say?" Even Snape looked bewildered.

"Well, I mean to say, sir, that it's not fair to favor me because I'm Slytherin. It just breeds contempt." Ginny kept her eyes on the floor not wanting to see what would happen next.

"Fair, Malfoy?" Snape said this as if contemplating the word. "Life isn't fair, not take your seat."

"Professor Snape, I really think-"

"Virginia Malfoy, take your seat, now!" Snape's face looked livid.

Ginny sat down next to another Slytherin. She noticed that the whole class was looking at her, their mouths open in surprise.

"I don't know why you do it, Malfoy. You really are evil." The person beside her whispered once everyone began their potions.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked cutting up some ingedrients.

"Don't play stupid. At least the Gryffindors think its just favoritism that makes Snape turn a blind eye. But every Slytherin knows your Father threatens Snape to keep an eye on you. And that includes not taking points off of you."

Ginny dropped her knife at this unexpected news. As she stooped to pick it up she overheard a conversation that was apparently about her.

"Oooh, I swear I'd love to get my hands on that Malfoy. I don't care if she's a girl!."

"Shh, Snape'll hear you."

"Good, let him hear…"

Ginny looked up and saw Ron and Harry staring evilly at her. She felt hurt and betrayed and had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't herself. The rest of potions she kept her eyes down and her mouth closed. She didn't want to cause any more trouble than she already had.

As class let out Ginny quickly packed her things and headed out the door. Ginny decided to keep her eyes on the ground as she walked as well, but that's where she made her mistake. She wasn't looking where she was walking and she bumped into someone. The someone just had to be Hermione.

Ginny just stared at Hermione as she bent to pick her things up.

"What, no rude remark?" Ron came up behind Hermione while Harry helped pick the things up.

"I—I don't—"

"Oh, come off it. I know you're just dying to call Hermione a mud-blood. And go on and say that I'm poor and can't afford to have insults thrown at me. While you're at it why don't you just call Harry scar-head and then we can all be on our merry way." Ron's face was turning red with anger and his fists were clenched.

Ginny's eyes began to water as she clutched her book bag close to her.

"Ron, I think that's enough." Hermione said after finally getting her things in order.

"Why? You know she's just dying to say things like that." Ron obviously couldn't see the small tear that trailed down Ginny's cheek.

Without realize what she was doing Ginny was running down the hall, her red hair flying out behind her.

"Ron, she was crying." Ginny heard Harry say.

"So."

~*~*~

Madame Pince was looking around the library with her eagle eyes, trying to find the source of the stifled sobs. She didn't know whether to leave the front of the library to see who it was. Someone might make off with a library book without her knowing. Quite suddenly the sobs stopped, and so did Madame Pince's search.

"Thank the stars you stopped crying." Draco said annoyingly to Ginny.

Draco had been waiting for Ginny in the library and she had come in, puffy cheeked and red eyed. After retelling her story of what had happened Draco desperately wanted to laugh, but knew her sobs would just get louder. She had ended her story, clasping Draco in her arms, a puddle forming on his shoulder where her tears hit.

"Now will you please get off me?" Draco removed Ginny from himself and watched her wipe her eyes with a tissue.

"I'm sorry." Ginny said, regaining herself. "I just needed someone to cry on."

"Well, mission accomplished." Draco performed a small drying spell which quickly dried up his wet shoulder. "So, I thought we'd first search the library in the Parallel Universe. Now since parallel universes are completely theoretical, we'll have to keep our minds open to what we read."

Ginny nodded her head and smiled. They went to the section and pulled out a few books apiece. Looking through the books was dull work. Most of them were written in Old English and were hard to decipher. But as far as they could tell not one of them mentioned how to get out of a parallel universe, rather how to get into one.

Finally, as the sky began to darken, they called it quits for the night. Ginny begged Draco to show her the way to the Slytherin Tower. She had forgotten and would surely get lost in the dark.

They walked down the darkened corridors passing no one. Neither of them spoke, not knowing quite what to say.

Finally Ginny spoke up. "I, er, didn't know you had your own room. I have to share."

"Yeah, Father pays a considerable amount for that. I can't believe no one in Gryffindor has their own room."

Ginny was about to say that was because no one in Gryffindor had that kind of money, but refrained. It made her remember what her brother had said.

"I hope you're not really mean to everyone." Ginny started. "Because everyone you know likes you, um, me…well you know. Ron would do anything for you. One time he found me crying in the common room because I lost some money in Hogsmeade and it was supposed to go to Christmas presents. Well, without saying another word Ron gave me everything he had. He's a really good brother."

Draco said nothing.

"And Harry, well, Harry saved my life. Hermione is always patient with me when I ask for help with school work. Everyone in your tower would sacrifice just about anything for you."

They had reached the entrance of the Slytherin tower. Ginny looked up at Draco and could see that his face held neither smirk, nor any other mean expression. It looked as if he were really thinking things over. The moonlight coming from a high window showered down on him, bathing him in a surreal glow. Without knowing what she was doing Ginny raised her hand to Draco's silvery hair, letting her fingers run through his soft tresses.

"I'm sorry." Ginny quickly lowered her hand to her side, said the password, and entered the common room.



(A/N: Finally! Woo! Another chappy!!! Ok, I'm starting a new website, who knows if it'll take off. www.geocities.com/godricsh check it out, it's still part way under construction.
Ok, I'm working on more than one fic right now, but I'm not gonna post the other one till i have at least three chappies. That's all!! love ya!!)