Things Change

A/N Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them, and I will be doing shout outs in this chapter! Finally!

I really don't have much to say right now, so I'm just gonna get on with the chapter and free you of hearing about my little ol' life.

Ahhhhhh, I'm in shock! I've just realised I'm actually on chapter four! And I only started writing this cause I was bored! Freaky!

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"Damned piece of junk!" Ginny muttered to herself as she sat on her bed, trying to sew up her bag. The seams had split and she had spent the last half hour trying to stitch them back together. Her school things lay on her bedside table, most of them stained with blue ink like her robes. She couldn't afford new books so she'd have to spend the rest of the school year trying to read pages splattered with blotches of dark blue. Worse still, her potions homework, a three foot essay on the necessity of slug entrails in a darkening potion, was ruined. It was completely illegible.

"Ouch!"

The needle had just pricked her finger. A small dot of blood appeared on her skin. Putting her finger in her mouth, Ginny silently cursed her life, wishing she could just float away from it and take a much needed holiday. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She intended to stay home for Christmas and as Bill had gone back to Egypt after the funeral there wasn't much point in going anyway.

Putting the last few stitches in the bag, she held it up to examine her work. Not great, but it'd have to do.

"You are a walking disaster, Ginny Weasley" she muttered, picking up her books and putting them in her bag again, along with her quills, parchment, and, apprehensively, her ink. She inspected the essay next, sighing as she resigned herself to the fact that she'd have to do it again.

Placing her bag on the floor, she turned off her lamp, lay down and was just getting comfortable when she suddenly shot bolt upright in bed.

"Damn it!"

"Uggh...go to sleep Gin..." murmured a sleepy Lizzie from the other side of the room. "It can't be that bad..."

Ginny shook her head and leant against her headboard, almost crying in frustration. Her stupid essay was due in for tomorrow – Monday. Groaning in annoyance, Ginny switched her lamp on, ready to at least do her homework in bed –

"Gin, turn the bloody light off!" shouted Sophie.

Ginny sighed.

"Okay..." she murmured in reply, obediently turning the lamp off and getting out of bed, trying not to make it creak. Feeling around in the dark for her bag, she picked it up and quietly made her way over to the door, closing it softly behind her.

Down in the common room, she turned one of the lamps on and sat down at a table, taking her work from her bag and spreading it out in front of her. Wearily, she got a clean piece of parchment out, along with her quill and ink, setting them on the shiny wooden surface. With a sigh, she began the arduous task of copying out her work, word for word.

After what felt like a lifetime (but was really only a few hours), she was almost finished.

'Just a couple more words...' she thought drowsily, before she reluctantly lay her head down on the still drying ink and let sleep claim her.

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She was woken by harsh sunlight streaming in through the curtains. Lifting her head up, she winced as the stiff muscles in her neck protested. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to work out where she was. Red couches, armchairs, lots of tables, tapestries on the wall...must be the common room – wait, the common room?!

She sat bolt upright, her muscles feeling even worse. The memories from last night came flooding back to her, and she hurriedly collected her things from the table, checking her watch as she did so. To her dismay she realised it was 7:35, meaning the other girls would almost be ready for lessons. Rushing upstairs, she opened the door, only to find everyone was still in bed.

"Uh, guys?" she called into the silence, walking over to her bed and dumping her stuff on it. A mumble of dissent ran around the room as her roommates woke up. Peering out from behind her hangings, Ana rubbed the sleep from her eyes and frowned.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" she asked, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She took a long drink of water from the glass on her bedside table.

Ginny frowned.

"Well, I was waking you all up, because I just came up from the common room and you guys were all still asleep –"

"What did you expect..." muttered a heavy-eyed Lara as she pulled on her dressing gown.

"– so I thought I'd better wake you so we're not late"

"Late?" asked Ana.

"For class. I've been up all night doing my potions essay over again so I could hand it in on time. It got totally ruined when my bag split – what?"

Ana was giggling to herself, a small smile on her face as she looked at Ginny sympathetically.

"Gin," she said gently. "It's Sunday"

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Breakfast the next day was just the same as usual. Ana was talking about something and Lizzie was listening attentively. Lara and Sophie were going on about Quidditch – again. In fact, everything was just the way it was before...

The sudden sound of hundreds of owls flying in through the windows disrupted Ginny's thoughts. She watched as everyone received their mail, kids going crazy about some new piece of news, one or two looking more than a little upset, and others just looking thoroughly happy at the presents they'd been sent. But she didn't expect to get any herself. It was Ron or the twins who always got the mail. Now the twins had left, it was just Ron. She never got any.

She watched as a particularly beautiful grey owl swooped high over the house tables, circling lower and lower, lower and lower...wait, wasn't that owl flying in her direction...?

It landed next to the jug of pumpkin juice, dropped its load on her plate and sat regally on the table, waiting for its reward. Ginny fed it a piece of bacon before it gave her a slightly affectionate nip and flew off.

Ginny examined what it had delivered. It was a parcel, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a piece of string. On top sat a letter. She opened the envelope as quickly as she could, eager to see who it was from.

Dear Ginny,

It read.

I sent his using a colleague's owl, so if he's a bit iffy, don't mind him. His name's Webbs. I'm back in Egypt again, for quite a few days by the time you're reading this. I had to portkey here because there was a terrible sandstorm in these parts and if I'd aparated I probably would have ended up looking like a sand monster – half sand, half human!'

    Anyway, I've been pretty busy for the last day or two, as we've just discovered a new pyramid – with the most complicated system of curses I've ever seen. It'll take me a good long while to crack these. I've been working all day and I've only just got a chance to sit down. It's my lunch break and I'm sitting under a white tent in the middle of the desert, the shade hiding me from the intense sun. Doesn't stop the heat though. Its boiling out here! The only thing stopping me from feeling like I'm on holiday is the fact that there's an Egyptian mummy about three feet away from me being worked on by a team wizards.

    You'd love it here, and I know the Egyptians would really fascinate you – ancient and modern.

Ginny smiled softly as she read that part. He was right there.

The inscriptions of hieroglyphs are amazing. So far we've managed to find out that it was built over six thousand years ago. Pretty incredible, huh? And we also know that it was the tomb of a respected and powerful high priest called Anotatae. He was a wizard, and the Pharaoh's most trusted advisor. We've only excavated a little of the pyramid and we already know so much. Just think about the information we haven't found yet! This could be the most informative pyramid ever discovered! Isn't it great?

    There is one other thing I wanted to tell you, because I wanted you to be the first of our family to know – I've got a girlfriend.

Ginny smiled faded slightly at this. A girlfriend? But...Bill never had girlfriends. Well, he never brought them home if he did.

It means a lot to me that I can tell you. I've had girlfriends before but I've never really said anything. I wanted you to know before mum started going crazy. Also, would it be alright if you didn't tell anyone? I want it to be a secret for a little while longer.

    Remember, you're still my favourite sister! ('I'm his only sister') Have fun at school (?) and I'll be seeing you around!

    Love and hugs,

                        Bill

p.s. I hope you like what's in the parcel.

Ginny sighed a bit as she folded the letter up and put it in her bag. She didn't mind if Bill had a girlfriend, not at all – it was just an underlying feeling of...what? She shrugged and put the thought to the back of her mind before turning to the parcel in her breakfast.

She examined it closely. It was about the size of her palm, maybe a little bigger, and square in shape, but the corners looked as if they were rounded. Lifting it off the half-eaten ham sandwich, she wiped a few stray pieces of food off of it before pulling off the wrapping. Inside was a box, a dark blue colour and velvety to the touch. A note was stuck to the top. She pulled it off and recognised Bill's handwriting again.

I got this from a dig in Cairo. I thought it would be perfect for you. I've checked it for curses and there aren't any, so it looks like either a piece from a muggle tomb or from someone not very special. It's all authentic, every single part. It was all found together as one piece and it's from the reign of Remises II. The colour is also very unusual for Egypt, but I thought that would make it more special. I've put it in a muggle jewellery box, in case you were wandering what the blue thing was. I hope you like it!

Puzzled, Ginny opened the box. To her surprise and delight, she saw the most beautiful object she had ever imagined. It was an Udjat, the eye of Horus, made of a stunning silver and with a stone that looked suspiciously like a diamond set where the pupil would have been. It was held on a strikingly delicate chain of the same metal, with a tiny clasp at the back.

Ginny held the object in her hand, marvelling at its splendour. She slipped it round her neck, fiddling with the tiny clasp for a moment before it shut. Letting go, she felt the little Udjat come to rest just below her breastbone. It weight was comforting, reminding her of Bill far away in Egypt.

Smiling, Ginny finished her sandwich and waited for her 'friends', all of whom hadn't noticed her getting mail. Ginny didn't really feel she needed to wait for them, but she did anyway. She was feeling generous today.

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"Very good Mortly, very good. Your potion is coming along nicely" said Professor Snape as he strode across the classroom. It was a lie because Mortly's potion was lime green when it should have been navy blue.

"Wilson!" Snape snarled as he reached Sophie's cauldron. "Not the right colour! Five points from Gryffindor!"

A murmur of discord ran around the room from the Gryffindors, but they kept on working away, ignoring the gleeful sneers from the Slytherins. Sophie's potion was almost perfect, being just a little way off from reaching navy. All it needed was a little more time to brew.

He walked round to Lizzie's next. Lizzie wasn't as good at potions as the others, and was having trouble making her potion thicken and turn darker. At the moment it had the consistency of watery soup and was sky blue.

Snape eyed her potion with an air of disgust before dipping Lizzie's ladle into and letting the liquid fall back off the spoon into the cauldron with a noisy 'slop'. A chorus of jeers and shouts echoed from the Slytherins, but they quietened when they realised Snape was talking.

"A sickening sight, Miss Halloway. I have never seen a worse potion in all my time here. The colour is atrocious and it is no denser than water. The house elves could make broth thicker than that"

Laughter erupted from the Slytherin tables, Mortly grinning widely as he eyed his own potion. Lizzie blushed red, looking at the floor.

"You will start again from scratch, using the rest of your ingredients" Snape continued, observing her potion one more time before moving over to the other side of the room. Lizzie almost collapsed as soon as he had gone, leaning against Lara. She wouldn't be able to make much of a potion now. She had hardly any ingredients left.

Ginny watched as the others crowded around Lizzie, comforting her. She didn't join in. They weren't always the most supportive people when it came to her, so she decided to return the favour.

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"Right, I would like your homework in, the essay on the necessity of slug entrails in a darkening potion – no excuses!" Snape yelled as the bell rang for the end (finally) of double potions.

Ginny rummaged around in her bag and dug out her redone essay. Some of the ink was slightly blotted where her quill had snapped, but other than that it legible and three foot long. As she handed it in Snape looked it up and down with an air of dislike. She scurried out before he could condemn it completely and hurried away from the classroom. The others had gone to transfiguration ahead of her, Lizzie being anxious to leave the dungeons after the earlier incident with Snape, so Ginny was left on her own once again. Her pace slowed as she got further away from the class, and she absentmindedly fiddled with her necklace, running her finger over the diamond. She didn't really take any notice of the usual crowd of students until a voice that she hated echoed around the corridor.

"Where are your simpering friends Weasley? Or have they forgotten about you? Lucky I haven't, eh?"

Ginny sighed, exasperated. Turning round, she eyed the person in front of her.

"What is it Mortly?" she asked wearily, shaking her head slightly with displeasure. Mortly grinned, making his already fine features seem more handsome than ever. It was a shame he was such a bastard. He paced forward until he was within arms reach of her.

"What, afraid to say my name Weasley?" he said, stalking around her like a vulture eyeing its prey.

"No Mortly," she replied calmly, watching him as he walked in his wide circle. "I just don't want to dirty my mouth with your foul name"

A chorus of 'Ooo's was heard from the watching crowd as students gathered round the two. Mortly's face contorted with anger, sullying his features.

"My name will never be as dirty as yours!" he spat, grabbing her arm and twisting it painfully.

"Ow! Mortly, stop it!" Ginny cried, trying to wrench free from his grasp, but he was too strong. He looked at her with anger and for a moment Ginny thought he was going to kill her, but then somebody grabbed him and pulled him back. Ginny almost fell over as she stumbled, balancing herself on a windowsill. She looked up, ready to thank her rescuer, but she stopped, her mouth agape, as soon as she saw who it was.

Draco Malfoy stood with Mortly, an angry look on his face as he held Mortly's arm. The crowd had dispersed now, most of the students heading back to their lessons. Mortly looked up at Draco in dislike.

"What did you do that for?" he asked furiously, looking at Malfoy as though he were mad. "It's just the Weasley girl"

"I was stopping you from dishonouring you family, Mortly" Draco replied as if talking to a small and rather stupid child. "If you'd been caught fighting you would have brought disgrace on your family name".

Ginny felt slightly put out.

'So that's the only reason he saved you' she thought to herself. 'Wait – did you just think that?'. She shook her head to stop the stupid thoughts. 'Of course it is Ginny. He's Malfoy. Not that you care in the first place'. And she really didn't either.

Mortly's face was filled with rage, but he didn't say anything, just pulled his arm from Draco's grasp and went off with his friends, muttering angrily to them. Slowly, Ginny walked forward to where Malfoy was standing. She opened her mouth to speak, but Malfoy gave her look and she shut up.

"Don't thank me Weasel. I didn't do that for you"

He began to walk away, his robes (which Ginny noticed were newer than the ones she had ruined on Friday) billowing a little in a slight breeze. Ginny turned to go too, but she stopped when she heard his voice behind her.

"Peter Mortly's a worthless piece of slime. Stay away from him if you don't want to be rescued again, because next time I won't be there to save you"

And with that he left, Ginny looking after him in amazement.

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A/N So, how was that? Six pages if you don't count the Author's Note and shout outs, eight if you do. I know it was a little short but I decided it was best to leave it there because it was a nice little line of Draco's, wasn't it? I'm rather proud of it. Ooo, he's getting a little friendly...or is he? And Peter Mortly's a worthless piece of junk in my opinion, not Ginny's bag. Oh well. Anyways, I'll be starting chapter five (oh my god!) in a minute (two chapters in one day!), but now here we go with the shout outs. Finally!

cashew -  I'm glad that you're glad I updated! And no, I didn't forget about it! Well, I've introduced Draco twice now, so that should satisfy you're thirst for Draconess, huh? Not likely, I suspect! I'm glad my exams are over too, so thank you, and I'll update as soon as possible. Btw, I'm a dork too, so we can be dorks together! Also, I didn't know you'd read Thinking of Memories! You must review! (pleez?)

Okeanos – Why should I tell you about the boy thing with Jack? Nah, I'm just playing. Anyway, all your guesses were wrong, remember? And you're welcome. I love making you sound like a bitch! It's fun. No, don't worry, you guys are lovely really cough*lying*cough. And yes way! He's gorgeous!

Nalia – Poor you. I'm glad you're better though – it means we can discuss Cruel Beauty! I put Orli Blum in there because Orlando Bloom is incredibly gorgeous! And yes, I will keep the evil cats running, especially the pink and green ones!

Sue – Thanks for saying I have a good story, I appreciate it! I've never really gone through the grieving process before (touch wood) so I don't really know about it, but I think in a situation like that somebody would be feeling confused and frightened, and would want to be supported. Physical contact can be construed as support, and as she was feeling vulnerable, she would be wondering why something like that was happening to her, and would want to know why her family weren't supporting her. With families like the Weasley's, support is probably something that's thought of as unconditional, so she may be in shock that she's not getting much. As she's depressed already, she's likely to think the worst, don't you think? Thanks for the drama point, I'll try and follow that. ^_^

Crystal – Really? It was sad? Cool, I'm glad you thought so, cause that was what I wanted! Thanks for the compliment on the ending also.

Boggledmuggle313 – I'm glad you like a good cry, I do to! As you can see, I have kept on writing like a good little author and here is the result. You like?

Dragix – Only 4? Okay, and thanks for pointing out that thing about the apparating thing. Just for you I have changed that and from now on it is said that they FLOOED to Hogwarts. And I agree, the beginning was boring, but I was bored and that is the ONLY reason I started writing this. I don't like the beginning either. Thanks for reading every word though, you must have the patience of a saint.

Originally I was going to have Bill die, but I like him too much so I chose Charlie instead. Poor guy. The 'they don't need me' feeling is gonna continue throughout the whole story so there will be lots of emphasis on it. Thanks for the compliment on the wording, I wasn't sure about that bit. Yeah, the beginning could be better, I agree. But thanks for saying it's nice : )

Mrs muffin man – Thanks for saying it's good, but please don't say I have to read the HP book more, it's torture! ^_^ I've read them a lot (about twenty times) and I know Ginny's a loner-ish person, but the thing I'm trying to do is first of all make things seem great and then, as I go on, cracks are appearing. Thanks for the compliment on descriptions, I like to describe. ; )

Scarlett – Thanks for reviewing, you are mucho kind! Pleez come read some more, I'd like it if you did! Thanks for saying it's good work!

France3470 – Yeah, poor ol' Ginny huh? She's having a rough time! You love it? Cool. I'm glad you like Ginny's friends, but you might not now! They're not too nice to her sometimes are they? And, yes, I want you to read more too, so please do!

Thanks to all my reviewers, especially the faithful ones (cashew, Nalia and Okeanos)! I hope all you others will come read the rest, I'd like that! Anyone who knows the others, maybe pass the word around that I'd like them to read the rest?

Now, just for Dragix, here is the new and improved entrance of...drum roll please...Mr and Mrs Weasley!

 "What? –"Ron started, but at that moment there was a shuffling noise and a flurry of green flame and soot, and Mr and Mrs Weasley appeared in the grate of Dumbledore's fireplace. Mrs Weasley's face was red and tear-stained, and Mr Weasley looked as if he had been crying too.

Now, go and be good readers and please review! But first, a little note...

**What did you think of Professor Trelawney and the Tarot in chapter three? I wanted to know if I portrayed her okay, so if you could comment on what you thought of her, please do. I also wanted to know if you liked her Tarot reading**