In The Shadows

Disclaimer – Me no own, you no sue, got it?

Author's Rambling – OK, it's six o' clock. I only put chapter three up six hours ago, but I'm already working on chapter four. I seem to lose interest really quickly in all my stories, as seen by The Titans and Her Father's Killer. So, to stop myself from losing heart with this one, I'ma gonna get as many chapters out as soon as I can.

Thank yous to dracon-angel – Yeah, I love the Rasmus. They are amazing. Thank you for your comments, and I will certainly try to keep it up.

The Iviest – You know, I love your reviews, because they're as regular as clockwork! Thank you!

ArcticAngelz – Thanks for understanding that it will take me some time. I hate exams, but I need to pass these to have any sort of future. Sooooooo annoying. And don't worry, I didn't take it too harshly, I'm used to Constructive Critism now, but thanks for clearing it up.

Yeah, hurry up and repost your stories, I'm always on the lookout for a new fic! Yeah, no reviews happened with the original posting of The 9th Ringwraith, an LOTR fic I did a while ago. It's annoying, cos you do all this to get recognition. Otherwise, why put them on the Internet? And thanks for the Email saying that it would take you some time to get your next chapter up.

Scarlet Snow – Thank you for saying that it's a lovely story, but did you actually read my Author's Rambling at the beginning of chapter one? If not, please go back and read it. It will explain why I called Ginny Virginia and not Ginevra. And I apologise if you get caught up in certain aspects of my rant later.

CountessMel – I'm sorry, but I will not fix it. I originally thought of this story three years ago, when I first got into Harry Potter and this site, so I will not fix it. If you're not even into Ginny fics, then why did you review something you know nothing about? By the way, see below.

Khori – By the way, did you bloody read the story? If not see below. If you did, then you should know the reason why, so kindly refrain from correcting me on something that my reasoning has been explained for. And if you're going to correct, bloody spell it right. It's not Ginerva; it's Ginevra. Get it right, child!

Blackcoat-245 – Thank you, I hope this is soon enough for you!

You know what? Having to spend time with your dad and his slu- erm girlfriend that you hate is the worst thing in the world. If you ever find yourself in that situation, get out of it as fast as you can. I hate her so much, it makes me sick to even look at her, but my dad's happy with her, so I bite my tongue. I just want my dad to be happy, but she's not right for him. For one thing, she's fifty-eight, and my dad's only forty-four. It's not right; they shouldn't be together. My mum's got a boyfriend too, and he's brilliant, but I don't see why my parents couldn't work it out. They're still really good friends, why can't they still be together?

And I am now seriously fucked off. I don't normally swear in my Author's Ramblings, but this time I'll make an exception. I had three reviews telling me that Ginny's full name is Ginevra. I BLOODY KNOW, YOU STUPID #$!?! THAT'S WHY IN THE FIRST CHAPTER A/R; I SAID THAT I WOULD NOT CALL GINNY GINEVRA, COS IT SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE MINERVA. IF ANYBODY HAD BOTHERED TO READ THE FIRST A/R, THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND THAT OUT! AND YES, COUNTESSMEL, I KNOW THAT ROWLING SAID SO, I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO FIND OUT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I WAS ON THE SITE THE DAY SHE PUT UP THAT NOTE, SO BUGGER OFF, ACTUALLY READ THE STORY, OR DON'T REVIEW WHAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT! 0Calming down0 My faithful reviewers that have been with me from the beginning and ACTUALLY READ the story and my author's notes know the reason why I called Ginny Virginia, and I love them for not taking it up with me. So faithfuls, thank you.

OK, rant over. Guess what? I have orange earrings! They're shaped like Oranges and are really huge. They're sooooooo cool! But they smell like Oranges as well, so I'm going around smelling like a bloody Orange.

Yeah, and why are Oranges called Oranges, anyway? And don't tell me it's because they are orange, because why aren't Bananas called Yellows? Why aren't Limes called Greens?

I am annoyed. I shall get on with the story now. Thank you all for being patient.

Chapter Four – Crazy Little Thing Called Love

THIS THING CALLED LOVE
I JUST CAN´T HANDLE IT
THIS THING CALLED LOVE
I MUST GET ROUND TO IT
I AIN´T READY
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE

THIS (THIS THING) CALLED LOVE (CALLED LOVE)
IT CRIES (LIKE A BABY)
IN A CRADLE ALL NIGHT
IT SWINGS (WOO WOO)
IT JIVES (WOO WOO)
IT SHAKES ALL OVER LIKE A JELLYFISH
I KINDA LIKE IT
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE

THERE GOES MY BABY
SHE KNOWS HOW TO ROCK´N´ROLL
SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY
SHE GIVES ME HOT AND COLD FEVER
THEN SHE LEAVES ME IN A COOL COOL SWEAT

I GOTTA BE COOL, RELAX, GET HIP
GET ON MY TRACK´S
TAKE A BACK SEAT, HITCH-HIKE
AND TAKE A LONG RIDE ON MY MOTORBIKE
UNTIL I´M READY
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE

I GOTTA BE COOL, RELAX, GET HIP...

THIS THING CALLED LOVE
I JUST CAN´T HANDLE IT
THIS THING CALLED LOVE
I MUST GET ROUND TO IT
I AIN´T READY

CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE

Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Virginia Weasley walked desolately through the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Only an hour after Operation Malfoy had been put into place, and she couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't in the places that he used to haunt while he was here as a student, and he wasn't anywhere she had thought of to look for him.

"Men!" She expostulated, turning round to go back to Gryfinndor tower. She rounded the corner, angrily, running into another wall. The wall didn't feel like stone, but rather… a person?

"Malfoy, just the person I was looking for!" She said, drawing back and taking his arm, leading him off the way she had come. She led him up to the Room of Requirement, chattering all the while about nonsensical Potions topics.

As they turned into the corridor, Ginny wondered why she was doing this. Why the sudden need to know Malfoy anyway? She looked over at him. He was deep in thought, obviously thinking why the heck he was letting her drag him through the corridors.

She couldn't have been further from the truth. Why am I so worried about Weasley? Maybe it's the look in her eyes, shadowed, afraid of the world. As if there was nothing left for her, as if all she is is a slave to whoever needs her.

"G- erm… Weasley, do you mind telling me what all this is about?"

She pushed open the door of the Room of Requirement, pushing him inside as she did so.

"OK, Malfoy, spill. You have a lot of pent-up emotions, and it's not healthy, so spill." She sat down eagerly on a chair, waiting. Again, I'm waiting. I wait too much.

"Me? Weasley, what about you? You have a look in your eyes that's like a shadow, and you're telling me to 'spill'?"

"Malfoy…" She giggled nervously. "I don' know what you're talking about, my eyes are not shadowed."

"Yes, they are! I know what shadows look like; I've had them most of my life. My guess is, being the youngest and only female, you've probably never had a chance to shine. You've been in the shadows of your brothers all your life, just waiting for your turn to be the one. You've probably been saying to your self 'When's gonna be my time?' You've been waiting for Saint Potter to notice you as something more than his best friend's little sister, you've been waiting for a chance that it will be you that your mother congratulates. You've-"

All this time, Ginny had been silently listening to Malfoy's rambling, pin-pointing all her angsting. "Stop there, Malfoy! What do you know about my family, or my life? I'm fine how I am." Tears of pain ran down her cheeks for possibly the first time in her young life. "Malfoy, you don't know me, so why try to psychoanalyse me? You don't know anything about me. You don't know how hard it's been. You don't know how many times I've bitten my lip to stop myself from screaming at my parents 'Notice me! I'm still here!' You don't know how hard it is, none of it."

"What can a Weasley know about mental pain? Try being the son of a man that wants to force you into his mould, wants you to become a Death-Eater, knowing that when you do, you'll lose everything you hold dear."

"Try having only two friends, because everyone else is scared of you."

"Try having everyone fear you, but not because of anything that you've done, because of your father. Try knowing the truth about You-Know-Who, but can't voice it because your father would kill you and the only person you care about. Try having a vegetable for a mother, because your father has her under his control. And try having everyone thing you're going to be a Death-Eater, because of who your father is. Try trying to break free, but can't as you wouldn't survive a day in the real world. That's real pain, Weasley."

"Try being the youngest, and only female in a family of males. Try having an over protective, sorry, six overprotective brothers. Try having no money. Try having to have hand-me-down robes and second hand books, because you have no money. Try having someone put you down, every single day, because of your poorness." She said, passionately.

"I think I win, Weasley. How can you ever know what it's like?" He sneered, back to his old self. Funny that it should take a Weasley to return him to his smirk.

"I wasn't finished, Malfoy.

"Try having no friends, because of what happened in your first year. Try having to cry yourself to sleep every night, because the memories of what happened that year are killing you. Try knowing that Voldemort is within you, and that he will be hunting you because he knows he can control you. Try knowing that you could do everything that happened that year again, because that power is within you. Try having everyone act like you have a five-mile exclusion zone around you, even now. Try knowing that all of your brothers, and your father are scared of the witch you could become. Try having five of your brothers and your father on the verge of death every day, trying to do the right thing. Try not being able to write in a diary, because you're too scared. Try feeling like you're going to explode, or scream, or attack someone every single day because of it. Try being so scared of snakes that every time you think about your first year, you feel sick. Try being the one that opened the Chamber of Secrets, Malfoy.

"Then, after all that, try having to prove yourself to everyone. Try trying to prove that even though you have that power, you won't use it, because you're good.

"Then, after that, try falling in love with the son of the man who put you through that year of hell. Try hating him with all your heart, and yet not being able to get him off your mind. I hate you, Draco Malfoy!

"So ask me again, Malfoy. What does a Weasley know about mental pain?"

With tears pouring from her chocolate brown eyes, she ran out of the door into the thicket of students going down to dinner.

That didn't go so well, Ginny.

A/R – Some of my faithfuls may recognise the end of the chapter. I admit, it was a cop out, but it seemed to fit so well.

Please review, and again, I apologise to any reviewers that got caught up in my rage earlier.

Thelongestnameintheworld,butican'tbebotheredtowriteitout,soishallbecalledA.Nutter