"Good afternoon, class. Today we are studying the Muggle perspective on magic. One: their understanding. Two: how much they know…" At this point Ginny begins to drift, thinking of Draco and Karissa.

Yes, Virginia Malfoy thought as she sat in her seat for the lecture in her Muggle Studies class, I'm glad that Draco talked me into attending school again. She happily listened to all the gossip, which, interestingly enough revolved around Muggles.

"Yeah, have you seen that show Charmed?" One of the girls asked a boy excitedly.

"Yeah, I love that show! Muggle television!" He said, just as excited as she was. Ginny couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"They do a really good job of trying to depict actual witches, don't they?" The girl asked.

"No kidding! Except for that whole no-wand magic thing. And how did those people on that show hear of Harry Potter? I mean really." The boy finished harshly. The girl nodded in complete agreement.

"I totally agree! I mean that stuck-up British kid? He visited last year to talk to us about that Dark Lord-what was his name again?- and he wouldn't even talk to us girls alone! He was all over that Patricia girl." The girl said snobbily. The boy nodded and moved closer to the girl.

"I know!" The boy agreed.

Embarrassed to hear her classmates talking about one of her closest friends like that, Ginny turned to listening to other classmates. She was just in time to hear an argument going on between one of the South Dakotan students and one from out of state. As she listened, she learned he was apparently from Iowa, one of South Dakota's neighboring states. She didn't know why, but the South Dakotans seemed to have an odd name for their neighbors.

"No, no, no, you stupid Iwegan! It is pronounced "peer" not "pee-erre"!"

"Crazy South Dakotans who can't talk. God, I don't know why I talk to you damn people!" He answered jokingly. Ginny watched them interestedly, vaguely reminded of some couple. She couldn't remember whom, though.

"Am I late for anything, Gin?" Cat, one of Ginny's new friends, asked. Cat was a native South Dakotan, and she was proud of it. Although she would put down her state as often as she got the chance, if Ginny even once mentioned that Mt. Rushmore really wasn't that interesting, Cat would pounce on her- just like the animal she was named after.

"Nah. He hasn't even come in yet." Just as she said it, there was a pop! and her Professor Apparated into the room. He was a short, dumpy man, but despite these unflattering characteristics, he had a certain charisma that could not be ignored.

"Good afternoon, class! Now sit down, shut up, and we can begin!" The class, of course, did as it was told, and they all sat looking at their Professor intently.

"Today we will be discussing Muggle "television" and "movies"."

As her Professor droned on about Muggle things (Ginny still didn't understand what was so great about these "movies". You could see stuff that was just as fun by yourself or in a Pensive. But then again, she wasn't a Muggle.) Ginny let her thoughts drift to Karissa and Draco. Kari was doing so well in her studies at home, learning her letters and numbers. And, of course, running around with endless amounts of energy. She smiled unthinkingly. Cat poked her.

"Could you stop thinking about Draco for a minute, Gin? It's embarrassing the rest of us." She asked, faking a plea. Ginny gave her a look, and laughter threatened to burst forth from her.

It was funny that her new friends knew her so well and a little weird that her new friends understood her as her old friends did. Not that her new American friends were great at understanding people, but just that her new friends were generally nice. Ginny was grateful for her friends all over the world, but mostly for Cat and Blossom.

When the class was over, Ginny Apparated home. She walked into the house, looking in the parlor for her family. When they weren't there, she began calling Draco's name.

"Draco! Draco!" Ginny called over the deafening silence. She walked up the stairs, thinking about how odd this was. And it was. Usually Kari was out running around, screaming at the top of her lungs; with Draco following close behind her, ever the patient father.

"Draco! Where are you?" She yelled, walking up the stairs. She heard a sound like a sob, and she walked into their room.

"Draco?" Ginny asked softly. He looked up at her. She could see his tear-stained face. What happened? Surely no one is hurt or has died. She thought to herself.

"Hi, Gin. You might want to sit. They'll be here soon." Draco commanded softly. He knew it would confuse her, but he didn't want her to faint and hurt herself when she heard the news.

"They? They who?" Ginny asked, getting more nervous. No, Ginny thought, nothing could have happened to Kari. She's my daughter. My family.

"Ginny, I lay down to take a nap, and when I woke up-" Draco started. Ginny sat down sadly. She knew what the news was going to be. She didn't need to hear it. What she needed was for Draco to tell her it wasn't true. It couldn't be true.

"When you woke up? Draco, where is Kari?" Ginny asked, her voice rising dangerously high. Draco sighed. He knew she knew, but he didn't want to be the one who had to tell her. No, he rather liked living, and he knew she would kill him once she found out. Of course, with what had happened, he may have wanted to die because of the grief, anyway.

"That's what I needed to tell you, Virginia!" Draco snapped. His grief was getting the better of him, and he was becoming grumpy. Although he wanted to break it to her easily, knowing that the problem would probably be remedied soon, he couldn't take her being angry at him, too. They needed to stick together through all this. She couldn't be angry. He had to tell her.

"What?" Ginny asked, her stomach sinking. She knew exactly what. Even though she didn't want to hear it, she had to. She would let him talk, she would let him explain. But she couldn't take what he was going to say.

"She's gone. Disappeared. Vanished."

---insert line here---

Hey! I'm sotally… hehe… don't ask… sorry that it took so long. To make up for it, I will tell you some funny stories.

Funny story 1:

So I'm sitting at the spring band concert. The kid next to me says, "I feel sick." when we stand after the second song. When we stand, he pukes. And it gets on my feet… yuck…

Funny story 2:

I was hanging on our tree swing in the backyard, when I decide to sit on it. It is like six feet above the ground. Keep in mind the rope has been hanging on the tree for like seven years. I'm hanging on it, and the rope snaps. I fall on my back and hit my head. Wonderful, huh?

Funny story 3:

Damn it. I did have one too. I just can't remember… so we'll go with the fact that my computer thought it would be funny to be stupid. Grr…

And chicksrule: definitely. And no trying to be nasty, either. If the whole story was like the first chapter, I think I'd puke. No, that wouldn't be any fun. At all. There'll be fighting… yay!

Speaking of "fighting" and all that good stuff, I think the story's going to be in two parts… this is the first part.

And, also, if you didn't realize, this is the sequel to Just Another Romance, Right?

Love you all!

-Lili

PS: I love the quick edit thingie!