It took Harry more than a few hours to build up enough courage to return to the common room.  He had a feeling that Ginny had already told Ron what was going on, and he didn't feel like facing Ron's bad temper. Ron had promised Harry that if he did anything 'Malfoy like' to Ginny, Harry would be on the short side of his temper, and Harry didn't much fancy being on the receiving end of a nasty hex from Ron.  He really couldn't say he'd blame Ron for being upset with him; if he had a little sister who'd just got back from being kidnapped, he'd probably be very protective of her too.  It was thinking about what he'd do to him if he were in Ron's shoes that kept him in that empty classroom until ten O'clock.  Nevertheless, he eventually realized that even if he did manage to avoid the common room for a bit, he would still have to go to classes, all of which included Ron.  So, ten o'clock found Harry sneaking through the common room, praying he wouldn't meet Ron.

           He was just turning up the boy's staircase, thinking he might avoid Ron until morning and praising the gods for answering his prayers, when he heard Ron's voice calling out, "Hey!" Cursing his luck, Harry turned to face him. Even though he felt as if he deserved whatever hex Ron could fire at him, he still clutched his wand in case Ron decided on a particularly nasty one; however, much to Harry's surprise, Ron didn't try to curse him at all.

           "Hey," he repeated, "where have you been, and what's wrong with Ginny?"

            "G-ginny?" he repeated.  Was he hearing this right?  Ron didn't know?  Ginny hadn't told him?

            "Yes Ginny, my little sister, your girlfriend, bright red hair—ring any bells?"

            "Er-yeah," Harry said.

            "Well?" Ron prompted.

            "Well what?"

            "Well what happened?  Why was she in here crying?"

            "Crying?"

            "Yes crying!  Stop that?"

            "Stop what?"

            "REPEATING EVERYTHING I'M SAYING!"

            "Oh."

            "So what'd you say to her? She only stayed down here long enough to tell me that you didn't physically hurt her and that I'm not allowed to curse you."  Harry sighed, he supposed it was inevitable really; sooner or later, he had to tell Ron what he had said, so it might as well be now.  There was really no reason to lie at this point.  And so, Harry led Ron to an empty table and started telling him about the row he and Ginny had.  Ron was less than pleased, to say the least, but all in all, he agreed with him that something was up with Ginny.

~

            Hermione and Ginny were having a similar situation up in the sixth-year girls' dormitory.

            "Ginny what's wrong?" Hermione asked once again.  They were crouched in Ginny's four-post bed with the curtains drawn around them.

            "I can't believe he said that!" Ginny hiccupped.  Hermione sighed.  So far, she could only get Ginny to say two things, 'I hate him,' and, 'I can't believe he said that!' However, Hermione knew that Ginny didn't really hate Harry, or else she wouldn't have made Ron promise not to curse him.

            "Gin, what did he say that was so bad?" Hermione pressed again.

            "H-he accused me of trying to sed-seduce him because I missed Malfoy."

            Hermione was appalled "Why would he say that!?!"

            "He thought he saw me talking to Malfoy."

            "Did he see you?"

            "HERMIONE!" Ginny yelled,  "Of course not!"

            "Sorry sorry, I thought that Malfoy might have just stopped you in the corridor or something."

            "Well he d-didn't!  And Harry said th-that I was d-dr-dreaming about Malfoy, and I have been, but they were night-nightmares!"

            "Shhh," Hermione cooed, "I'm sure Harry didn't mean it. He's having bad dreams too."

            "I know, and I don't w-want to fight, but he h-hurt me so much!"

            "Shhh.  I know, I know."

~

            Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table, away from the trio, holding back tears.  Quickly, she stole a glance down at Harry; he looked the same as he had for the last week.  'Fine, just bloody fine,' she thought, stabbing her chicken with her fork. 'How dare he look as if nothing's wrong?'  But Ginny didn't know that Harry was feeling just as miserable.  He had spent the last week watching Ginny with a pain in his heart.  He knew what he had said was wrong and wanted to apologize, but he wasn't ready to admit that there wasn't something going on with Malfoy.  He stole a fugitive glance down the table to see Ginny sitting alone and pretending her chicken was himself, or at least that's what he was assuming by the way she was repeatedly stabbing it.

            'What's more,' Ginny thought as she continued to mutilate her chicken, 'he's acting as if we never even existed.  He's still being all pleasant like.'

            Harry had never been more unhappy.  He tried his best not to make things awkward between them, saying hello in the common room and being genuinely nice to her.

            'And stupid Malfoy,' Ginny's internal dialogue continued, 'When is that potion going to get here?  It's been a week!  Well if he doesn't get me that potion in time, it's his loss anyways.  The whole world will know that he did rape me and he'll probably end up in Azkaban.'  Although Ginny had entertained this thought countless of times during last week, she knew that she wasn't going to act on it.  Even seeing Draco and Lucius in jail wasn't worth having to have part of Malfoy actually growing in her for another six months, and then having to raise it.  She shuddered; the thing would probably come out with horns and a pitchfork, if she even carried it that long.

            Draco Malfoy sat across the great hall staring at Ginny sitting alone, but he couldn't quite suppress the smile on his face.  Scarface and Ginny had obviously gotten into a fight, and he was pretty sure that he had something to do with it, because Potter had been eyeing him wearily all week.  Ginny finally rose from his place and pointedly walked around the table to avoid Potter.  Draco followed; he was still feeling oddly protective of her. Ginny left the great hall and, much to his surprise, headed down towards the dungeons.  Draco, being highly familiar with the dungeon liar of the castle, trailed her with ease by a good fifty paces.

            Ginny had seen Malfoy follow her out of the great hall.  She was actually planning on heading up to the owlery to send him an owl, but since she had the chance to avoid waiting, she might as well take it. The potion was taking far too long to arrive, and she wasn't in the mood for waiting. She turned a dungeon corner and stopped, wand drawn, ready for Malfoy to turn the corner as well. 

            Malfoy briskly turned the bend, only to be ambushed and jostled into a spare room.

            "What is the meaning of this?" he asked indignantly, only to see that Ginny had her wand pointed right at him.  "Sheesh Weasley," he said.

            "Where is the potion?"

            "The potion will be here soon, you read my father's letter.  He said it would be here before long." 

            "You can't give me anything besides 'before long?" Ginny said in disbelief. "I don't think you don't understand.  I need that potion now!"

            "Well it will get here when it gets here." Malfoy informed her haughtily.  "Now if you're quite done, I have places to be," he paused to give her one of his trademark smirks. "Unless of course, you want to be locked in a room with me again."

            "Oh shut up!"  Ginny yelled, "It's bad enough I have Harry on my case.  I DON'T NEED YOU ON IT TOO!"

            "What?  What does Potter have to do with anything?  That little fight you two are having has something to do with me, doesn't it?  I knew it!"

            "It does not.  Go away."

            "You're the one who shoved me into the room.  That's what Potter's on about isn't it?  He thinks you want me again."

            "He does not!" Ginny said crossly.

            "You're lying!  I can tell."

            "Draco Malfoy, you of all people have showed what a poor judge you are of when I'm lying."

            Draco scowled in response to her comment, "you'll shut up if you know what's good for you.  I may decide not to give you that potion after all."

            "You wouldn't dare!"  Ginny said in a panic, but of course, she knew he would, this was Draco Malfoy after all.  She thought fast there had to be a way to convince him to give her the potion.

            Draco smiled evilly.

            "Why not?  If I decided not to give you the potion it has no effect on me.  Except, of course, for the fact that you will be forever linked to me."

            "Everyone would know I was telling the truth about where I was this August then, wouldn't they?  You and your father would probably end up in Azkaban.  There are ways of proving the baby is yours.  And your mother would go with you because you she knew I was there and did nothing to stop you.  Then your Manor and all the property would be turned over to the closest living relative.  Which, at that time, would be the child you're forcing me to keep," she pointed at her stomach, "then that unwanted brat would move in with its mother, and its mother's family.  So the end result of you not giving me that potion is your whole family's demise and it'd be all you fault.  Do you want that?"

            Throughout Ginny's tirade, Draco had fought to keep his face calm.  The events that she was describing were possible, unlikely, but possible all the same, and possible was too close for comfort.

            "Calm down Weasley, I was just trying to get you upset and it worked.  I'll have the potion soon, and I'll talk to you then.  Unless, that is, you feel the need to shove me into abandoned rooms again."  Draco said.

            "Shut up Malfoy." Ginny spat.

            "See you later Weasley."  Draco said and left.

            Ginny waited until Malfoy's footsteps had died away completely before she left the room.  Ugh, she couldn't wait until the potion was ready.

~

            Harry sat in the common room feeling horribly dejected.  Ginny, who had disappeared after dinner, had returned and was now sitting alone reading a book.  He watched her in a stupor.  Her hair looked so beautiful tucked behind her ear, and she was biting her lip in concentration.  Right now, there was nothing he wanted more than to sit with her and talk in whispered tones while he ran his fingers through that hair.  But there was that Malfoy thing.  For all he knew, she had met him after dinner. He had, after all, left at the same time she had.  Right now he was trying to force himself to go talk to her.  Hermione had given him a pep talk, assuring him that "Ginny's only really upset because you're acting like Malfoy.  She doesn't need you to be all possessive, and of course there is that simply horrendous comment you made," and when he thought about it, even if there was something going on with Malfoy, not even a part of him thought she might be actually cheating on him.  No no, it would be much better if he just went and made up with her now.

~

            Ginny was sitting alone and pretending to read a book when she felt someone approaching.

             "Hi Ginny," she heard Harry's unmistakable voice say meekly.

            "I'm not telling you where I was after dinner Harry," Ginny said curtly, without looking up.  The last thing she felt like was getting into a battle right now.  She was tired, and she just wanted to be left alone.

            "I'm not asking!" Harry said defensively and sighed; he could see this wasn't going to be easy.

            "So why are you here?" she asked, still staring at her book.

            "I wanted to say I'm sorry, for uh, saying, those things, and to tell you that I'd really like to get back together with you, you know, forget we even had a fight."

            "How do you expect me to just forget you said those things?"  Ginny suddenly exploded looking up at Harry.

            "You know I didn't mean them!  I've never even thought them!"  Harry defended in a panic.  He could tell this could turn into a horrible row if he wasn't careful.

            "Well they didn't come from nowhere!  You had to think them to say them!"  Ginny nearly yelled.

            "Shhh," Harry said looking around and motioning for her to keep the volume of her voice down.  He didn't feel like causing a scene.

            "Don't shh me Harry Potter!" Ginny yelled.  Heads were starting to turn in their direction.  Harry was blushing so much that he felt like a Weasley.

            "Can't we talk about this someplace else?" he whispered, as if to counteract Ginny's yelling.

            "You're the one who wanted to talk about it!  Why should I move?"

            "Then could you not yell?" Harry hissed.

            "I'm not dealing with this!" Ginny yelled and tromped up the girls' staircase.

            Harry, in turn, raced up the boys' staircase.

Ginny slammed the door and plopped down on the bed.

            "AHHHHH!" she let out a scream.  Why had she reacted that way?  She wanted to make up with Harry, and Harry was obviously trying to apologize.  Ugh, she hated her emotions being all over the place.  Even if they did get back together, she wasn't going to tell him about her little problem until after she had gotten rid of it, and then he would probably break up with her for lying to him and getting rid of the baby.  She threw herself down and started to sob, only to be interrupted by an invisible hand on her back.

            "Ginny I'm sorry!" Harry's disembodied voice was saying.

            "T—take off th-the clo-o-oak," Ginny sobbed.

            Harry obeyed and Ginny turned her head to look into his eyes.

            "Please Ginny, just hear me out."  Harry pleaded quietly.

            Ginny nodded and Harry continued.

            "Ginny, I'm sorry I said that.  I was just so upset that you were hiding things from me.  Look, I know there's something going on with Malfoy—"

            "Ha—"

            "But," Harry continued talking over her, "That's okay.  I also know you're not doing anything with him, and that you aren't—err—weren't I guess—cheating on me.  If you need to sort out things with Malfoy, that's fine.  I'm not going to stand in your way.  I was just worried about you—"

            "But I—"

            "Escaped Malfoy already, I know. I had no reason to worry.  I was being overprotective and I'm sorry, and I would very much like to get back together if you would too."

            The only reply Harry received was a fresh wave of sobs.

            "Do-do you real-really m-mean that?" Ginny choked out.

            "Yes!" Harry said.

            "I'd love to get back together!" Ginny sobbed.  Harry was more than a little confused by Ginny's tears.  Wasn't she happy?

            "Umm, Ginny, then, why are you crying?"

            "I al—always cr-cry when I'm-I'm hap-happy.  Remem—member wh-when I got h-home from the Mal-malfoy's.  I cried then-en t-too"

            "Sure," Harry said pretending, but he made a mental note to file 'Random Crying' into his mental file of 'Things About Girls that Make Absolutely No Sense."

            "Th-thanks for under-der-standing."

            "Aww Gin, I'm sorry you had to go through it at all.  I shouldn't have said that."  Harry said, gently rubbing her back.

            "I know.  H-Harry?"

            "Yes."

            "You-ou care a-about me right?"

            "Of course!"

            "So you wa-want what's b-best for me right?"

            "Yes of course!" Harry replied, but he couldn't help but wonder where Ginny was going with this, "why do you ask?"

            "I'm j-just ma-making s-sure."

            "Okay Gin."  Harry said.  He was just glad they were a couple again.

~

            Draco was once more not paying any particular attention in potion's class.  It irked him that Potter and Ginny were and item once more.  He had seen them together, walking around the grounds and holding hands, obviously basking in the glow of getting their relationship back, and although Potter still watched him sometimes, he never did it when Ginny could see him.  Ginny however, was not around at the moment, and Draco could almost feel Harry Potter's eyes boring a hole through the back of his head.  But he had something over Potter, the potion had arrived this morning and Ginny had clearly seen it.  Hopefully he could ditch out before the bell rang, and find her again so they could arrange a place to meet.  His father had stressed it was imperative that Ginny took the potion as soon as possible, because she could be coming dangerously close to her second trimester, seeing as how they didn't know exactly when the baby had been conceived.  Snape had sent them to work making their potions.  And Draco was actually working diligently until a few minutes before the bell rang, when he instructed Pansy to clean up the rest of his station, and slipped out to meet Ginny.  He found her walking briskly down the corridor to meet Harry, 'just like a good little girlfriend would do,' he thought bitterly.

            "Was that the potion?" she asked earnestly when she saw him.

            "Yes.  Meet me in the History of Magic room tonight about an hour after dinner."

            "Fine."

"See you tonight Weasley."  Draco said and departed.

"Goodbye," Ginny said decisively.  And without another word Ginny had whisked past Draco and was walking towards the potion's dungeon to wait for Harry.

~

            Harry was just drifting off to sleep for a nice easy afternoon nap in History of Magic class, the soothing sound of Hermione's quill scratching furiously on the desk next to him, was helping to lull him into a heavenly rest.  Professor Binns's dreadful monotone voice slipped away until Harry was floating blissfully along in dreamland.

            He was sitting at the Burrow with everyone around him, and for some odd reason, all his Hogwart's professors were there.  Ginny was sitting on his lap and Ron and Hermione were in a similar position.

            "Mmm, I love you Harry," Ginny was saying as she ran her fingers through his hair, trying to straighten out the numerous cowlicks.

            "I love you too Gin," he replied, kissing her other fingers lightly.

            Suddenly the house was filled with an eruption of green light, screams, and a horrible, inhuman laughter Ginny's fingers fell cold from him lips.

            "You killed her!" the Weasleys were screaming.  "You killed our baby girl."

            "No!" he tried to protest, "I didn't.  It was Voldermort.  It's not my fault!"

            "It is your fault!" They were all screaming. Once again, the house was filled with the same sights and sounds and an eerie silence followed.  And it hit him, they were all dead, and it was his entire fault.  

            "Noooooooooooo" he screamed and a blinding pain shot through his forehead.

            "Harry!  Harry wake up!" Hermione was saying earnestly.

            "Ah, scar," he mumbled and he came back to History of Magic.  Harry's eyes shot open and he sat up.  Much to his relief, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting next to him, fully alive, but looking dreadfully worried.  Proffesor Binns was literally hovering above them looking concerned.

            "Mr. Weasley, Miss. Granger, take Mr. Potter up the hospital wing," he commanded.  Ron and Hermione each took one of Harry's arms and led-a still confused-Harry to the hospital wing, leaving their book bags behind.

~

            Ginny was having a horrible time paying attention that afternoon.  The only thing that was running through her mind was that in just a few hours she would be rid of Draco Malfoy forever.  Just one slug of a potion and it would all be gone.  She rushed through dinner and left before the trio even came down to the great hall.  In no time, she was heading up to the History of Magic classroom.

~

            Draco saw Ginny leave and figured he might as well follow her.  Potter didn't seem to be around anywhere to stop him.  It would be easier if they could down the potion as early as possible.

~

            The trio left the confines of the hospital talking in whispers.  They had spent the last two hours being assured by their professors that there was nothing to worry about but none of them really believed the adults.  Harry in particular felt as if he needed to do something.  In fact, maybe it would be better if he and Ginny kept their relationship a secret.  They had just gotten back together and if they had a large public fight and broke up, people would probably believe it.  Then she might be at less of a risk.  Of course, she was still at a considerable risk, being the younger sister of his best friend, and since Malfoy had his sights set on her, and she had been processed by Tom, but if he could just take one risk factor off her, it might increase her survival chances.  He hated thinking things like that but desperate times called for desperate measures, and if he had to have a few twisted thoughts to save people, then he would have a few twisted thoughts.  Nevertheless, he shook himself and tried to concentrate on what Hermione and Ron were discussing.

"Uh hey," he interjected as they turned up a staircase to go to Gryffindor Tower, "don't you think we should go get our stuff in the History of Magic classroom?" both Ron and Hermione agreed and they turned to get their stuff.

~

            Ginny sat in the History of Magic classroom waiting for Draco.  All she wanted was that potion.  Her eyes lit up when the door started to creek open to reveal Draco Malfoy "Did you bring it?"  Ginny asked as soon as he had stepped in the room.

            "Of course I brought it." Draco said and produced a vial of acid green potion.   She was so close to getting rid of Malfoy forever!  Ginny grabbed the bottle and brought it to her lips, relief flowing through her entire being.

            "Be careful, that has some really nasty—"

            "Expelliarmus!"  Someone yelled at the same time someone else yelled, "Petrificus totalus," As Ginny flew backwards she saw Harry's hand reach out to grab the potion and Draco fall to the ground, stiff as a board.

            "Harry what are you doing?" Ginny yelled getting up.  "Give me that back!"

            She watched, as if in slow motion, as Harry gave a yell and threw the potion towards the wall with all his might.  Ginny's face fell as she watched any hope she had of getting rid of the baby slam against the wall.  The vial shattered into a thousand tiny pieces and acid green potion began to streak down the castle walls. 'But he can't have just done that,' Ginny thought, 'There isn't enough time to get any more potion!  There had to be some other way to get rid of it!  Surely other witches have been in my situation.'   In a unbelieving daze, she scrambled over to where the potion was streaking down the wall and tried desperately to get as much on her fingers as she could, but when she brought her fingers to her mouth she found mostly dirt.  'Maybe,' she thought desperately, 'I can get enough to hurt it, then if I fly around and work out, I might be able to induce labor and it would be too premature to last.'

            "Ginny!" Harry yelled interrupting striding over to her and pulling her to her feet, "I should have never have let this happen!  I knew Malfoy was up to no good."  He turned to Malfoy on the floor and yelled, " You'll rot in Azkaban for using the Imperious curse, bastard."

            "W-what are you on about Harry?"  Ginny said in a haze.

            "It's okay Ginny you're under the Imperious!" Harry said, seizing her shoulders and shaking her as if he could shake her out of the alleged curse.  "Malfoy was going to make you drink a potion.  I don't know what it was but it's a good thing we were passing by."

            "Harry, Draco wasn't making me drink that--"

            "Ugh!  Take the curse off her, Malfoy!" Harry interrupted Ginny to yell at Malfoy who was still lying petrified on the floor. Hermione, who had her wand drawn and had obviously put Malfoy in a full body bind, was standing beside him.  Harry only received a muffled reply through Malfoy's frozen lips.

            "I'm not under a curse Harry," Ginny said, coming back to reality to face the challenge in front of her.

            "Yes you—"

            "No Harry," Ginny raised her voice to talk over him, "I'm not.  You're being as bad as Fudge!  I know EXACTLY what I'm doing and why."

            "Then why would you take a potion that Malfoy is giving to you?"

            "Because I need it.  I-I can't have it in me anymore.  I just can't."

            "What Ginny? You're not making any sense.  What can't you er-have in you anymore?  Are you sure you're not under the Imperious?"

            "Yes yes, Oh Harry don't hate me." Ginny said, finally breaking.  She couldn't lie to him anymore.  It was hopeless, she had to tell someone, she needed Harry to hug her and tell her it would all be okay.  "Harry I'm pregnant.  I got pregnant in August and I wanted to get rid of it.  That potion was my only hope and you threw it against the wall.  Now I think I'm going to have to carry it to term."

            "P-Pregnant?" Ron, who Ginny hadn't noticed standing in the doorway, said, then turned to Malfoy, "YOU GOT MY SISTER PREGNANT?  AFTER I'M DONE WITH YOU YOU'LL HAVE SO MANY BRUISES AND HEXES ON YOU, YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT YOU."  Ron stormed towards Malfoy and landed a few good kicks on various places on Malfoy's body before Harry and Hermione managed to pull him off.

            "What are you doing?  Let me at him!" Ron yelled struggling against their grip.  "I've been wanting to beat him since August, you're not going to stop me, even if he can't fight back."  Harry and Hermione struggled to hold Ron back before his strength overwhelmed them and he burst towards Malfoy again, except this time, he started punching him.

            "Stupefy!" Hermione called and Ron fell on the floor next to Malfoy.

            "I think we'll Ennervate him after we get this sorted out and we can explain better." Hermione said.

            "You're pregnant?" Harry said in the calm that followed as he turned towards Ginny who had been silently watching from her spot on the floor, letting her brother beat up the father of her baby.

            "Y-yes," Ginny said starting to cry.

            "Is that what's been going on.  Is that why you've been meeting Malfoy everywhere?  Does it have something to do with that potion?"

            Ginny squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from coming and nodded.

"Ginny, why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked tenderly and crouching down to sit beside her.  "I could have helped!"

            "You would have helped!  I thought you would be against me getting rid of it!"  And Ginny continued to explain about feeling like he would be against her getting rid of it and just needing to be rid of Malfoy for the rest of her life, and how she didn't want to risk ANYONE finding out and stopping her since the potion only worked in the first trimester and she didn't have any other options.

"But my first trimester is over in only a few days, there isn't time for any more potion!"  Ginny said miserably.

            "There has to be something." Harry said

            Ginny shook her head, "I read every book in the library; none of them so much as mentioned anything that could make you get rid of a baby."

            "Well muggle women have this sort of problem too," Harry said. "I know they have someway of getting rid of it."

            "I've never even thought of that!" Ginny said, excited at the thought of being able to get rid of Malfoy's brat again.

            "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Hermione said from where she was standing. Ginny jumped, she had forgotten Hermione was even in the room.

            "Why!?" Ginny questioned.

            "Abortions are dangerous, especially after the first trimester," she informed them.

           "Oh Hermione! Please, you must know something about muggle methods.  You could read a book and find out how to do a—a--watchamacallit—apointsion."  Ginny said hopefully.

            "Abortion," Hermione corrected, "But muggle medicine is quite different than Magical Medicine.  You need special equipment.  You'd have to go to a special clinic to get an abortion, and even then, they're almost impossible to get after your first trimester."

            "So we could sneak off the ground and floo to London during a Hogsmede weekend.  Please Hermione, please.  I can't tell my parents.  I won't be able to.  I have to do this the muggle way."

            Hermione shook her head.  "It's not that I don't want to help, I do, but I don't think I can.  We'd need lots of time to figure this all out, and I'd need access to a muggle phone book so I can get some numbers and addresses."  Hermione sighed seeing the desperate look on Ginny's face.  "I don't know what I can do, but I'll write to my parents and explain the fix you're in.  I'm sure they'll help."

            "You will?" Ginny said jumping to her feet and giving Hermione a hug.  "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

~

            Draco Malfoy sat on the floor and watched the scene before him.  He felt a desperate pulling.  For a few brief instants, he thought Ginny might be carrying his child to term.  He couldn't help but feel a bit of a loss that she was in fact getting rid of it again.  He liked having her dependant on him.

A/N:  I'm sorry it's been so long, but I promise the next update will be within the next ten days!  If you'd like to be added to the update notice list, please leave your email in the review.