Disclaimer: Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling. I am not her. This is merely a fan fiction to tide us over until Book 6.

A/N: OK, Harry's moody like he was in Book 5. He needed a little attitude adjustment so he can go back to his normal self. Not a great chapter, but next chapter will make up for it. Promise. Thanks for reading. ======================================================================

With all her homework finally done, Ginny Weasley trudged up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. She had worked through supper, and it was now 12:30 a.m. - way past curfew.

It's a good thing I'm a prefect, she thought to herself. She was a little upset she missed supper, but from the lack of rumors in the hallways, she was certain Malfoy didn't sing the dingy song. She really didn't expect him to. However, a chuckle escaped her lips as she thought of him singing it while doing the "I'm a Little Teapot" motions.

Unless she caught Malfoy sneaking around when she was in the bath or heard about him doing it to someone else, she wouldn't have Merrium tell Dumbledore. Of course, she wouldn't tell Malfoy that. This way lets him suffer for a bit, and hopefully would keep him in line. Of course, she had let it slip to Myrtle that someone should teach Malfoy a lesson about bathroom visitors and had encouraged the ghost to pay him a visit in the Slytherin bath. If Moaning Myrtle caught him 'off guard' it was a bonus for the ghost.

"Vanilla bean," Ginny yawned to the Fat Lady as the door to the Gryffindor common room opened. Good thing tomorrow's Saturday, Ginny thought before remembering she had quidditch practice at 9 a.m. sharp. Sighing, she walked through the door.

She entered the common room to find it vacant, save a lone figure sitting on the sofa by the fire. His green eyes were unfocused as he stared into the dancing flames. As quietly as she could, Ginny tiptoed toward the girls dormitory.

She had just two more steps to go before she reached the stairs when it happened.

"You're back," his hollow voice echoed off the common room walls.

Ginny sighed. She was too tired, and didn't want to do this. "I'm back," she answered softly, putting her bookbag down.

"You missed supper," he said still looking into the fire.

"I had work to do."

"Work? Or were you avoiding coming back here? Avoiding me?" he questioned harshly.

"Work," she said tiredly. "OWLS you know."

"Ron, Hermione and I still ate with OWLS," he snapped.

"I'm not you, Harry, or my brother or Hermione," she said her voice taking a sharp edge showing that she was beginning to lose her patience.

"You're right you're not," he said, still looking at the flames.

Hurt, Ginny turned and huffed, "If that's all you wanted I'm going to go to bed now."

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said softly.

"No, you're not," Ginny sighed back, trying to stop the tears that wanted to flow. "You meant every word of it at the time."

"Damn it Ginny," Harry finally turned to her. "You have no idea -"

"No idea what Harry?" her voice trembled as she turned. "No idea what it's like to be scared? No idea what it's like to lose Sirus? Maybe you think I don't, but I do. What I have no idea about however, is why you are acting like you are! Why you're pushing everyone away and yelling at all of us, treating everyone -- even Ron and Hermione - like we're toddlers. At least you see Ron and Hermione, the rest of us are like wallpaper most of the time. Ron and Hermione are probably the ones that told you that you should apologize to me. Merlin, Harry..," she said nearly sobbing before Harry bound across the room and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Damn it Ginny," he said shaking her. "Don't you see? It's me or Voldemort. Only one of us is going to survive this. I will have to murder someone."

The next words out of her mouth shocked him so much he let go of her.

"So? You've killed before."

"No, I haven't. I didn't kill him when I was a baby," he said confused.

"No, in the chamber," she whispered. "Tom was living and breathing wasn't he? He was solid and could pick up objects. By all makes and means he was alive, he just wasn't finished draining all the magic he could out of me. He was alive and you killed him, because you needed to."

"I was saving you."

"Yes Harry," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "But it wouldn't have mattered who it was Tom took in the chamber, you still would have killed him under the same circumstances. Your problem's like when you first did a patronus. Remember you told DA you had done it once, so you knew you could do it again. It's the same."

His mind a blur of activity Harry sat down on the nearest chair. Was it the same? Tom did seem alive, but he had used the diary to kill him, he wasn't real yet. Or was he? If he was, Ginny was right, and Harry had spent this whole time being angry - angry at Dumbledore for not telling him, angry at his friends for his burden, angry at the world. Maybe, just maybe everything would be all right.

As soon as Harry sat down in the chair, Ginny picked up her bookbag and headed up the stairs. She was too tired to run. Harry's voice softly called up to her when she reached the first landing.

"Ginny, I didn't mean to make you cry," he said ashamed.

"You never do," she answered as she made her way to bed.