A/N: I can hardly believe I have time to even start this chapter. I have
finals this week and so much homework, you guys should consider yourselves
lucky. ^-^ Just to let you know, I have taken into consideration what you
guys have suggested for this story. Sadly, I can't take everyone's ideas,
but I will use a few of them. Happy reading. (By the way, this chapter is a
bit angsty. Just so you know.)
~*~
The sun was shining directly in Ginny's eyes. She woke abruptly, and looked out the window. It was very warm out, and there were students milling about on the grounds below.
It had to be almost mid-afternoon. She'd missed her morning classes! She rushed out of bed, threw on her robes, grabbed her school bag, and hustled down to the common room. There she found Hermione lounging in her pajamas, reading a book.
"Hermione?! What are you doing? Aren't you missing classes?" Ginny cried, never before seeing her friend skipping.
The older girl looked up in surprise. "What classes? We don't have classes this week, remember Gin?"
She could feel red slowly creeping into her cheeks. It was then she noticed the messy state of her hair, disheveled clothes, and creases on her face from sleeping. "Oh yes, right." She said slowly, plopping herself down in the chair next to Hermione.
A slight giggle escaped Hermione's lips. "Late night?" she presumed.
"Sort of..."
Hermione shook her head. "You were on that computer again, weren't you? I have one at home, the only useful thing it has is the Internet, where you can research nearly anything. Almost as good as a library."
Ginny smiled. It was just like Hermione to see the most boring part of the computer as the 'only useful thing'.
"You don't use that bloody chat room, do you? I've heard of some foul things going on in those. Guys, trying to meet girls." She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. Ginny knew that when Hermione went on like this, it was best to just let her talk herself out.
"So what are you always doing on there that's so fascinating?"
Ginny took a second to think of how to answer her friend. It was funny; Hermione had hit the nail on the head with her comment about guys trying to find girls on the chat rooms. If she only knew...
"Well, Hermione, I use it with help for homework, and for research, and to tell you the truth? I am becoming a wicked Solitaire player." She winked at her friend, not a trace of untruthfulness on her freckled face.
Even Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing then. "Ok, I used to play that all the time, I admit it."
Ginny curled up her legs in the chair, attempting comfort. Now that she remembered that she didn't have to go to any classes that day, or week, she was going to make to most of it. Draco and Blaise had told her to meet them every afternoon under the library around three, and Draco also wanted to meet her alone later at night as well. She smiled, thinking of how wonderful her new friends were. She was SO glad she'd bought that computer!
"What are you so happy about?" Hermione eyed her curiously.
It seemed as though all of Ginny's friends were keeping a closer watch on her recently, they hadn't seen her so happy in quite awhile and were wondering what was up. Usually Ginny was a bit deflated and moped around a lot.
"Do I have to have a reason to smile?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's just odd, Gin. We're not used to seeing you so chipper all of the time. There is honestly nothing out of the ordinary making you happy?"
She sighed, exasperated. "I'm just in a good mood!" Ginny didn't like the authority Hermione thought she held over her.
"I don't believe you. It has to do with that Slytherin girl, huh." Hermione's face showed no emotion.
That was the last straw. "Is it an absolute crime to be friends with a Slytherin? Blaise and I have a lot in common! She's not a bad person, like you seem to believe. So she's in Slytherin; big deal! Slytherin does not equal bad, Hermione!"
Surprisingly, Hermione kept her calm. "Ginny. You need to listen to me. She is not a good friend. Slytherins are never good friends. They are never out to help a Gryffindor, or befriend one, for that matter. She's obviously trying to use you for something. What happened to me, Ginny? I thought I was your friend. You need a friend that understands you. A friend that puts you first, not others."
Ginny glared coolly at her. "Well that's funny, Hermione, because you don't even fit that description."
With that she stood from her chair and ran out of the common room.
Her tears were blinding her as she staggered into the library and made her way down to her friends' secret room. When she entered it, she found it empty. Taking the nearest couch, she laid down face first and cried.
-
"It's nearly three. Shall we?" Blaise asked Draco, smiling at him. She knew he was anxious to meet Ginny today; he had gotten her a gift. A simple silver chain with a charm on the bottom, a flame with a snowflake in front of it. Fire and Ice.
"Let's go." Draco said, slipping the jewelry into his pocket. Online mail ordering. Having this computer was just getting better and better.
As they were walking through the hallways, all the younger students were just getting out from lunch. They passed Colin on their way to the library, and much to their surprise, he grinned at them. Draco was too surprised to react but Blaise gave him a small grin back. Maybe they could trust him.
The sixth year couldn't hide his blush, and hurried off on down the hall. Blaise only shrugged.
Suddenly Draco's eyes widened. "This is doesn't look good Blaise. The trapdoor is open- again!"
They rushed over and entered it, closing the door firmly behind them. Draco hurried down the corridor and threw open the door, ready to yell at whoever had broken in.
But he never got the chance. All he saw was Ginny, face down on the couch, crying her heart out.
"Ginny!" He ran to her side, taking her up in his arms. She let her face fall against his chest, in relief almost. She could feel him stroking her hair, and she took a few deep breaths. She shouldn't be this worked up, it was only a fight. But somehow Ginny couldn't convince herself and she kept on crying.
Draco leaned over so that his lips were nearly brushing the side of her face. "What's wrong?" he gently whispered in her ear.
Looking up at him with tear stained eyes, she felt a light blush form on her cheeks. "It's almost silly." She warned, choking back tears so that she could talk.
Draco only held her closer, knowing that it very well probably wasn't.
"I was talking to Hermione, and then she asked me about Blaise. I told her we were simply friends, and she blew up at me! She doesn't want me to be friends with," she paused for a moment, "with Slytherins."
He ran a finger down her face. "Well, that's just her opinion. She doesn't have the authority to tell you how to live your life."
Ginny sighed. "You don't understand, Draco. Hermione is the calm and understanding one. If SHE freaked out like that, I can only imagine what Harry and my brother will say. When she tells them about our argument. Not to mention, they don't even KNOW about you yet."
He bit his lip. He knew exactly how she felt, only ten times worse. Whatever her hotheaded brother would do to her was child's play compared to what his own father would say when he found out. He cringed at the thought. They looked over to Blaise, who had stayed quiet up until this point.
"What would your family say if they knew you were fraternizing with the enemy?" Ginny asked, her sobs now non-existent.
A look of sadness washed over the girl's features. Ginny almost regretted asking when she saw that face.
"You might as well know. My parents died, when I was only ten years old. I was an only child, and became an orphan. Rather than sending me to a foster home or being adopted or whatnot, they just sent me to Hogwarts for my first year. I stay at school for all the holidays except summer, and then I stay at a hotel in Diagon Alley for free."
Ginny's mouth dropped. She had not been expecting anything like this.
"Oh Blaise, are you serious? You have no family at all?" Again she regretted what she'd said. It sounded rather harsh, coming from her mouth.
"Nope. Neither of my parents have any brothers or sisters, and no one else contacted the ministry. Well, I'm nearly eighteen; I'll just go make my own life for myself. It's not that bad." She looked away, but not before they could both tell she was lying.
Ginny stood up and switched couches, putting her arm around Blaise. Her own problems were long since forgotten. "I'm so sorry Blaise, if there is anything at all that I can do, just-"
Blaise cut her off with a weak smile. "Ginny, you've already done more than anyone ever has before. I've never had a friend before. Now, forget about it. It's all in the past. We have the trip to look forward to, right? We don't have to worry about everyone else. Let's just have fun. Agreed?"
Ginny and Draco both grinned. "Agreed!" They replied.
-
Colin made his way down to the Gryffindor common room. He had a bit of homework to do, and also wanted to find Ginny.
"What do you mean she stormed out of the room? You haven't seen her in hours?!"
The sixth year could hear shouts coming from the room in front of him. The voice could not be mistaken- it was Ron Weasley. He decided now wasn't the best time to make his presence known, and silently turned around to the stairs again. Or so he thought.
"Creevey! Over here!" He'd been caught. Harry was motioning to him from where he stood with Ron and Hermione. He gave Colin a semi-warm grin. "So, what did you find out? We need to know the truth, before Ron over here flips his lid." Ron turned his famous shade of red but said nothing.
Colin pretended to be confused. "Find out?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "About Ginny, Colin. What did you find out about Ginny?"
He thought back to the day before, when Harry had asked him to follow Ginny around a bit, and see where she takes herself. Then he hadn't realized that Harry asked him out of pure greed. The boy who lived sure didn't like to not get what he wanted.
"Well Harry..." Colin began slowly, "All she did yesterday was hang out in the library for a bit. I talked to her for a little while; she only wanted to catch up on her reading. She really didn't do anything out of the ordinary."
His face seemed to fall. It was as if he'd WANTED to catch Ginny doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. "Well, keep an eye on her for a little while longer ok? We just aren't sure..."
Colin waited until his back was facing them to roll his eyes.
~*~
A/N: Wow that was an incredibly hard chapter to write. But I did it, and it's done. I'm also really sorry, but I'm going to have to stop individually thanking everyone who reviews me. I receive SO MANY wonderful reviews...and so many long ones! I love long reviews! SO THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS, I LOVE YOU!
By the way, I just wanted to clear one thing up. A bunch of you keep making the mistake of saying that Ginny got picked for the trip INSTEAD of Ron, which isn't true in the slightest. She simply got picked, and he didn't. No relation. They picked students based on who deserved to go, and evidently Ron didn't deserve to. Which will all be cleared up in the end.
Haha, I spelled Colin's name wrong. It's all fixed in this chappie. ^^;
One more thing. I am now in possession of a squirrel named Agatha and a monkey named Blinkie. Do you guys want these things back? They are eating me out of house and home.
~*~
The sun was shining directly in Ginny's eyes. She woke abruptly, and looked out the window. It was very warm out, and there were students milling about on the grounds below.
It had to be almost mid-afternoon. She'd missed her morning classes! She rushed out of bed, threw on her robes, grabbed her school bag, and hustled down to the common room. There she found Hermione lounging in her pajamas, reading a book.
"Hermione?! What are you doing? Aren't you missing classes?" Ginny cried, never before seeing her friend skipping.
The older girl looked up in surprise. "What classes? We don't have classes this week, remember Gin?"
She could feel red slowly creeping into her cheeks. It was then she noticed the messy state of her hair, disheveled clothes, and creases on her face from sleeping. "Oh yes, right." She said slowly, plopping herself down in the chair next to Hermione.
A slight giggle escaped Hermione's lips. "Late night?" she presumed.
"Sort of..."
Hermione shook her head. "You were on that computer again, weren't you? I have one at home, the only useful thing it has is the Internet, where you can research nearly anything. Almost as good as a library."
Ginny smiled. It was just like Hermione to see the most boring part of the computer as the 'only useful thing'.
"You don't use that bloody chat room, do you? I've heard of some foul things going on in those. Guys, trying to meet girls." She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. Ginny knew that when Hermione went on like this, it was best to just let her talk herself out.
"So what are you always doing on there that's so fascinating?"
Ginny took a second to think of how to answer her friend. It was funny; Hermione had hit the nail on the head with her comment about guys trying to find girls on the chat rooms. If she only knew...
"Well, Hermione, I use it with help for homework, and for research, and to tell you the truth? I am becoming a wicked Solitaire player." She winked at her friend, not a trace of untruthfulness on her freckled face.
Even Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing then. "Ok, I used to play that all the time, I admit it."
Ginny curled up her legs in the chair, attempting comfort. Now that she remembered that she didn't have to go to any classes that day, or week, she was going to make to most of it. Draco and Blaise had told her to meet them every afternoon under the library around three, and Draco also wanted to meet her alone later at night as well. She smiled, thinking of how wonderful her new friends were. She was SO glad she'd bought that computer!
"What are you so happy about?" Hermione eyed her curiously.
It seemed as though all of Ginny's friends were keeping a closer watch on her recently, they hadn't seen her so happy in quite awhile and were wondering what was up. Usually Ginny was a bit deflated and moped around a lot.
"Do I have to have a reason to smile?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's just odd, Gin. We're not used to seeing you so chipper all of the time. There is honestly nothing out of the ordinary making you happy?"
She sighed, exasperated. "I'm just in a good mood!" Ginny didn't like the authority Hermione thought she held over her.
"I don't believe you. It has to do with that Slytherin girl, huh." Hermione's face showed no emotion.
That was the last straw. "Is it an absolute crime to be friends with a Slytherin? Blaise and I have a lot in common! She's not a bad person, like you seem to believe. So she's in Slytherin; big deal! Slytherin does not equal bad, Hermione!"
Surprisingly, Hermione kept her calm. "Ginny. You need to listen to me. She is not a good friend. Slytherins are never good friends. They are never out to help a Gryffindor, or befriend one, for that matter. She's obviously trying to use you for something. What happened to me, Ginny? I thought I was your friend. You need a friend that understands you. A friend that puts you first, not others."
Ginny glared coolly at her. "Well that's funny, Hermione, because you don't even fit that description."
With that she stood from her chair and ran out of the common room.
Her tears were blinding her as she staggered into the library and made her way down to her friends' secret room. When she entered it, she found it empty. Taking the nearest couch, she laid down face first and cried.
-
"It's nearly three. Shall we?" Blaise asked Draco, smiling at him. She knew he was anxious to meet Ginny today; he had gotten her a gift. A simple silver chain with a charm on the bottom, a flame with a snowflake in front of it. Fire and Ice.
"Let's go." Draco said, slipping the jewelry into his pocket. Online mail ordering. Having this computer was just getting better and better.
As they were walking through the hallways, all the younger students were just getting out from lunch. They passed Colin on their way to the library, and much to their surprise, he grinned at them. Draco was too surprised to react but Blaise gave him a small grin back. Maybe they could trust him.
The sixth year couldn't hide his blush, and hurried off on down the hall. Blaise only shrugged.
Suddenly Draco's eyes widened. "This is doesn't look good Blaise. The trapdoor is open- again!"
They rushed over and entered it, closing the door firmly behind them. Draco hurried down the corridor and threw open the door, ready to yell at whoever had broken in.
But he never got the chance. All he saw was Ginny, face down on the couch, crying her heart out.
"Ginny!" He ran to her side, taking her up in his arms. She let her face fall against his chest, in relief almost. She could feel him stroking her hair, and she took a few deep breaths. She shouldn't be this worked up, it was only a fight. But somehow Ginny couldn't convince herself and she kept on crying.
Draco leaned over so that his lips were nearly brushing the side of her face. "What's wrong?" he gently whispered in her ear.
Looking up at him with tear stained eyes, she felt a light blush form on her cheeks. "It's almost silly." She warned, choking back tears so that she could talk.
Draco only held her closer, knowing that it very well probably wasn't.
"I was talking to Hermione, and then she asked me about Blaise. I told her we were simply friends, and she blew up at me! She doesn't want me to be friends with," she paused for a moment, "with Slytherins."
He ran a finger down her face. "Well, that's just her opinion. She doesn't have the authority to tell you how to live your life."
Ginny sighed. "You don't understand, Draco. Hermione is the calm and understanding one. If SHE freaked out like that, I can only imagine what Harry and my brother will say. When she tells them about our argument. Not to mention, they don't even KNOW about you yet."
He bit his lip. He knew exactly how she felt, only ten times worse. Whatever her hotheaded brother would do to her was child's play compared to what his own father would say when he found out. He cringed at the thought. They looked over to Blaise, who had stayed quiet up until this point.
"What would your family say if they knew you were fraternizing with the enemy?" Ginny asked, her sobs now non-existent.
A look of sadness washed over the girl's features. Ginny almost regretted asking when she saw that face.
"You might as well know. My parents died, when I was only ten years old. I was an only child, and became an orphan. Rather than sending me to a foster home or being adopted or whatnot, they just sent me to Hogwarts for my first year. I stay at school for all the holidays except summer, and then I stay at a hotel in Diagon Alley for free."
Ginny's mouth dropped. She had not been expecting anything like this.
"Oh Blaise, are you serious? You have no family at all?" Again she regretted what she'd said. It sounded rather harsh, coming from her mouth.
"Nope. Neither of my parents have any brothers or sisters, and no one else contacted the ministry. Well, I'm nearly eighteen; I'll just go make my own life for myself. It's not that bad." She looked away, but not before they could both tell she was lying.
Ginny stood up and switched couches, putting her arm around Blaise. Her own problems were long since forgotten. "I'm so sorry Blaise, if there is anything at all that I can do, just-"
Blaise cut her off with a weak smile. "Ginny, you've already done more than anyone ever has before. I've never had a friend before. Now, forget about it. It's all in the past. We have the trip to look forward to, right? We don't have to worry about everyone else. Let's just have fun. Agreed?"
Ginny and Draco both grinned. "Agreed!" They replied.
-
Colin made his way down to the Gryffindor common room. He had a bit of homework to do, and also wanted to find Ginny.
"What do you mean she stormed out of the room? You haven't seen her in hours?!"
The sixth year could hear shouts coming from the room in front of him. The voice could not be mistaken- it was Ron Weasley. He decided now wasn't the best time to make his presence known, and silently turned around to the stairs again. Or so he thought.
"Creevey! Over here!" He'd been caught. Harry was motioning to him from where he stood with Ron and Hermione. He gave Colin a semi-warm grin. "So, what did you find out? We need to know the truth, before Ron over here flips his lid." Ron turned his famous shade of red but said nothing.
Colin pretended to be confused. "Find out?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "About Ginny, Colin. What did you find out about Ginny?"
He thought back to the day before, when Harry had asked him to follow Ginny around a bit, and see where she takes herself. Then he hadn't realized that Harry asked him out of pure greed. The boy who lived sure didn't like to not get what he wanted.
"Well Harry..." Colin began slowly, "All she did yesterday was hang out in the library for a bit. I talked to her for a little while; she only wanted to catch up on her reading. She really didn't do anything out of the ordinary."
His face seemed to fall. It was as if he'd WANTED to catch Ginny doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. "Well, keep an eye on her for a little while longer ok? We just aren't sure..."
Colin waited until his back was facing them to roll his eyes.
~*~
A/N: Wow that was an incredibly hard chapter to write. But I did it, and it's done. I'm also really sorry, but I'm going to have to stop individually thanking everyone who reviews me. I receive SO MANY wonderful reviews...and so many long ones! I love long reviews! SO THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS, I LOVE YOU!
By the way, I just wanted to clear one thing up. A bunch of you keep making the mistake of saying that Ginny got picked for the trip INSTEAD of Ron, which isn't true in the slightest. She simply got picked, and he didn't. No relation. They picked students based on who deserved to go, and evidently Ron didn't deserve to. Which will all be cleared up in the end.
Haha, I spelled Colin's name wrong. It's all fixed in this chappie. ^^;
One more thing. I am now in possession of a squirrel named Agatha and a monkey named Blinkie. Do you guys want these things back? They are eating me out of house and home.