*The Cry Of Homework*

Summary: A mistake is made between Harry and Hermione while Harry and Ginny are together. Harry wants Ginny, Hermione wants Harry but still wants to be friends with Ginny. Ginny wants Draco, but yearns for the normalcy of the past, along with Ron who wants to be friends with Hermione and Harry, but feels a need to comfort blood (Ginny).Heartache for all parties involved. Include angst-ridden teenagers, badly drawn out plots, and curious endings.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot... and few judges...

CHAPTER ONE:

Draco Malfoy was sitting in the library. This had not been the best of days for the Slytherin. He woke up half past noon and missed lunch, luckily it was a Sunday so he hadn't missed any classes, though he wanted to get a head start on his ridiculous amount of homework. He had to work twice as hard to get away from Pansy seeing as she did not understand the concept of working on weekends "especially when one could spend time with the love of one's life". He ripped a 4 inch long hole in his 2nd favorite robes, though they weren't his favorite they were still up there on the list and shouldn't have a loose thread off of them. Finally when he did manage to get to the library he was knocked into by the Weasley girl, who also had homework to tend to in the library and was so preoccupied she almost hadn't noticed, and all of his supplies were knocked from his arms. Although she did stop to help him it was still quite inconvenient, then she walked off the back of the library without any acknowledgement towards him at all. He had finally started working on his cursed Tranfiguration essay, when he heard some loud commotion at the entrance of the library. Looking up he noticed a confused Harry Potter bursting in following a maniacally irate Hermione Granger.

"I don't understand!" Potter yelled, then realizing he was in the library and all eyes were turned on the two of them brought his shoulders up to his chin with an apologetic glance at everyone, more specifically Madame Pince. Granger turned sharply on him, eyes alight with fire.

"Somehow I don't find that all too surprising considering your astonishing ability to comprehend." She whispered fiercely, surely meaning to be quite and keep it between the two, but her anger made even her whisper sound throughout the library. People's heads were turning now, most had dropped their quills or books or whatever they were handling to listen, even Draco, though he was being inconspicuous about it. This sounded like a lovers' spat though that should be impossible, for the whole of Hogwarts knew that the Harry Potter was with the one and only Ginny Weasley- they had been together for months now, and Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, though not official, surely had some underlining 'tension'.

Harry glanced around again noticing all the attention they were getting. He grabbed Hermione by the elbow and led her to the back of the library where there were less people and there would be less attention in their direction.

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Ginny Weasley woke up a quarter past one on Sunday. The moment she realized what she had done she knew it was going to be one of those days, and would have, gladly, stayed in bed only she had a riduculous amount of homework to tend to. Almost regretting the late night with Harry (just talking, with a few kisses on the side) she lugged herself out of bed and trudged into the bathroom for a shower, realizing how far behind she would be if she didn't start getting a move on. Ginny went into ultra-speed not concentrating on what she was doing just letting her body do the work, finished her shower, dried her hair, dressed, grabbed her things and did a beeline for the library. Right outside of the entrance she ran into somebody and knocking their books out of their grasp Only common courtesy kept her there to help them, but she was in too much of a daze to care who. Entering the library she looked for a spot in the back, knowing there would be too much going on the front for her to pay attention to her studies which she really needed to do. She had just put her quill to the parchment when she heard what sounded like fighting at the entrance to the library. Looking up she noticed it was Harry and Hermione. She closed her books and packed everything up, planning on being the mediator, knowing if that's what she were to do she could forget her homework, at least for the next hour. She was putting the only book she took out back on the shelf on the next aisle, when she heard:

"I don't know what to tell you except I still do have feelings for Ginny." Harry's voice said. Then a sigh that could only be made by Hermione and:

"I can't take this any longer Harry. It's wrong, I know. Forgive me for my reaction earlier, but I snapped. Really, can you blame me? Ginny's my friend, I care for her, I hate doing anything behind her back, but here I am and I hate it." Reverting back to her usual patient explanation.

"It was one night a week ago, Hermione. What do you want to about it?" Harry replied trying to keep his patience, confused.

"I- I don't know. I never expected to feel that way, not with you, but that experience meant something to me."

Ginny had been holding her breath, she shouldn't be watching this, she should interrupt, make some kind of sound, do something! She couldn't move, all she could do was watch, and let the pain wash over her.

Harry took a step closer to Hermione. "It meant something to me to, but I don't think I can take the risk."

Hermione only nodded and made a move to walk past him and leave, but he grabbed her arm, pulled her toward him and kissed her sound and hard on the mouth. Ginny's jaw dropped and she could feel the tears prickling in her eyes and the lump in her throat, but she pushed it all back and walked to the end of the aisle. Leaning against the side of the shelf, arms crossed cool as can be she stood there watching, emotionless.

"I'm sure it's none of my business what sort of torrid little affairs go on in the Gryffindor house, but I must say I thought you'd be smarter than to incriminate yourselves in such a scenario." Draco Malfoy, who had gone unnoticed even by Ginny, stood by the opposite aisle practically reflecting Ginny's cool demeanor. Harry and Hermione broke apart looking terribly guilty at Malfoy. He nodded to their feet, just inches away from where they were standing lay Ginny's bag. They both looked at the bag, Hermione paled and green complimented Harry's sickly look. Ginny took this as her cue to make her presence known to the two guilty parties. Clearing her throat, she smiled, but her eyes were blank. Gracefully, she moved forward, scooped up her bag took a few steps then turned back.

"Congratulations, Malfoy," Malfoy looked at her befuddled, "I hereby give you authorization to terrorize the Mudblood and her pet rat." She sneered at Harry and Hermione, found she was tempted to spit at them, but found that just because she was upset she needn't lose face as a respectable student and she didn't want to take it out on the house-elf who cleaned floor. There was a glimmer of regret at calling Hermione such a terrible name, but she shoved it aside telling, herself they did much more to her.

Harry and Hermione looked terrible. Malfoy had expected water works galore and was surprised to find her so calm and cool. Watching her as she exited the library, head high, hair bouncing, he had the sudden urge to follow her. Being one who would always follow his instincts he took one last savouring look at the two guilty Gryffindors and headed out, leaving his things to pick up later.

Once he was outside of the library he looked down the hall left, then right just in time to see a flash of red. He ran to catch up with her, she was a quick one. Finally, he caught up to her when she started walking. Just the opposite of the girl that was in the library, her head down, shoulders slumped and shaking, no doubt from crying, and she was trudging away from the school. Slowly he approached not knowing exactly what he was or why. A few feet behind her he stopped. His mind was telling him to turn around now and go back to the library and finish or at least begin his ridiculous amount of homework, but before he could even move he called out to her.

"Hey Weasley! Wait!" attempting to show neither coldness nor compassion, though compassion was still winning over in his voice, she probably didn't notice. Ginny stopped, letting out one last sob, she raised her head and shoulders straightening her back, and wiped her eyes as best she could.

"Is there something I could help you with, Malfoy?" she responded coolly turning to face him. It had been obvious that she had been crying, hard. Her red, tearstained face regarded him almost superiorly. Draco was lost, he didn't know what he should do. One part of him was insulted by her audacity, another was pitying her, and another said he should just turn around and forget anything ever happened. Pity won over, unfortunately, though he was close to forgetting it all and walking away.

"Actually, I believe I should be asking you that. Are you okay?" the sincerity shining in his eyes almost made Ginny want to break down and cry right there.

"Malfoy, what makes you think I would believe you are sincere in this action?" barely keeping her voice from breaking. Malfoy shrugged.

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you why I'm here. But I am human, and I do feel compassion, you seemed like you needed a shoulder to cry on. Figuratively, of course, these are my 2nd favorite robes." He brushed his sleeve, and smiled at her. She smiled and shook her head.

"My every instinct says 'back away slowly.'" She paused, "My instincts have a tendency of wanting to screw me over." He laughed and walked up to join her.

"Where you headed?"

"I don't know."

"So we're just walking?" she nodded. "Let me hold this for you." He took her bag. Surprised passed over her face before she went neutral. Silence fell over them, not comfortable, but awkward, quite awkward.

"He told me he was falling in love with me." Ginny finally said just above a whisper. Draco, who had been looking at the ground as they were walking, looked up at her. She was looking off somewhere in front of her. "It was just that night, the one they we talking about. We were on a carriage back from Hogsmeade, I was looking out the window and he took my hand and told me he was falling in love with me. Then when we got back to the castle he said he had to meet Hermione, that they had to study for the History of Magic test that Monday." Draco, not knowing what to say, didn't say anything, just waited for her to continue. She stopped walking and turned to him. "Did you hear all of what they said back there?" He nodded. "And saw it?" Nod. She paused again, tears springing in her eyes. "She was walking away, Malfoy. She was walking away and he grabbed her." Ginny shook her head. "Why couldn't he just let her walk away?" tears were free falling now, she was huddling again, sobbing. Draco dropped her bag and puts his arms around her, trying to comfort her, ignoring that nagging at the back of his head telling him to stop, let go and run. A few minutes later she calmed a little, though she was still crying, she looked up to him and smiled.

"I thought these were your 2nd favorite robes?" she said looking at him, joking through tears.

"I lied. I ripped a 4 inch hole through them earlier today," he showed her the damage done to his clothes, "they are now my 6th favorite." She laughed.

"I'm sorry, anyway."

"It's quite alright, Weasley, just give me three more and a Quidditch team for my birthday and we'll call it even."

"How about a drying spell, a heming spell, and a 10 galleon gift certificate to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"

"Hmm, we'll work out the details later." Said Draco and gave her one more good long hug. He let go and they started on their way to the Quidditch pitch. They were sitting in the stands quite, still awkward but not as much as before.

"Did you love him?" Draco asked tired of the silence and not wanting to play around with small talk. This was why he was here, to let her release to someone, after all. She sat there for a moment, her chin in her palm. Then she shrugged.

"I'm 16. I don't know what love is." Came her reply, derisively.

"If it were anything?" Draco persisted.

"It it were anything? If I had to say? I'd assume love. Still, it doesn't mean much. Love is a two-to-tango thing. There's a slight flaw if he doesn't love me back." Silence. Stillness. Clearing his throat.

"I'd best get back to the library. I left my things in there, thinking back, I shouldn't have." He stood up and made to move, but she grabbed his hand and stood up.

"Thank you, Malfoy, very much. And I'm sorry for any inconvenience."

"Geez, Weasley, you sound so formal." He laughed. She shrugged.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome." She gave his hand a squeeze.

"Bye." He walked away and she sat down watching the sky and the trees and the pitch.

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The sun was setting. Had she been out there that long? Almost time for dinner, her mind concluded. The thought came to her that she should just skip and go to her room, but her stomach overpowered her mind, reminding her that she had had neither breakfast nor lunch that day. Sighing, she picked up her bag and made for the Great Hall.

Upon entering the Great Hall, she noticed that there were only five seats available at the Gryffindor table, all in the same area, by Harry. One in on either side of him(Ron being across from him and Hermione not being present), two the other side of Dean – who was a seat away from Harry, one next to Ron, and the final one was two seats away from Ron. What great luck hath passed thy way, she thought to herself, turning up a corner of her lips wryly at her failed attempt at Shakespearean. Heaving a great sigh, putting on a cheery façade, she smiled and waved to the people she knew. Luna in Ravenclaw, Sheena in Hufflepuff, Clarice in Ravenclaw, someone or other in Hufflepuff, nameless folks in Gryffindor, finally she took her seat farthest away from Dean, next to Euan Ambercrombie, a shy third year. Pulling food onto her plate she hadn't noticed Harry and Dean pulling a castle and switching places.

"Hi, Ginny." Harry said quietly, making her jump.

"Harry." She greeted coldly.

"Listen, Ginny -..."

"I'm here to eat, Harry, not converse, if you wish to speak to me about earlier you will have to get in touch with my assistant and make an appointment." Harry drew his eyebrows together.

"Assistant? You have an assistant?"

"Not at this moment, but I figure by the time I get out of Hogwarts and get a Ministry position with an assistant, I'll be cooled off enough to speak with you." She replied not once taking her eyes off her food.

"Really, Ginny, don't make this more difficult than it already is. I just want to say-..."

"I don't care what you have to say at this moment, I haven't eaten all day and I'd prefer not to have my apetite destroyed by your insensitivity. And it's your own fault things are so difficult. Now if you will leave me in peace to eat my dinner I will try to make time for you later, but as of now, I have a ridiculous amount of homework that I have yet to start, and I haven't had a bite of anything to eat all day. Common courtesy, Mr. Potter. Please leave." She finally looked at him with the last sentence, punctuating it with a bite of her food. Harrry sighed and switched with Dean once more and gloomily went back to eating his dinner. Ron clearly clueless.

"What happened?" he asked Harry.

"Nothing." Replied Harry, after sighing. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"You two get into a row?" Harry nodded, knowing he shouldn't but he could hardly deny it. He was surprised the whole school hadn't started the rumours yet, even more that Ron hadn't heard anything. Ron was giving him the "spill it" look, and Harry answered knowing if he didn't find out from him he would find out from someone else which would make things ten times worse considering the lies that could be spreading at that very moment.

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Draco had been in the Great Hall watching parts of the scene, he didn't really care much about what exaclty happened, he'd done his good deed for the day. Though he couldn't help his sporadic glimpses. Catching the trading of the seats and little parts of Ginny talking to Harry not that he could hear what they were saying. Then the switching of seats for a second time. Assuming that was the end, he went back to his dinner, listening to the conversations around him, not feeling up to joining in because he was mainly thinking of his ridiculous amount of homework. Just a few minutes later there seemed to be a loud explosion of a voice.

"YOU DID WHAT!!!!" cried the oldest Weasley still attending Hogwarts. Malfoy saw Potter's lips moving, and being able to only assume he was pleading for his life was quite amusing just the same. Malfoy turned his attention to the younger Weasley, the female (he really must learn her name) and he could see that she was torn between amusement and exasperation. She put down her fork, got up and move across the table from her brother. In the attempt to calm him down she ushered him from the Great Hall looking down regretfully at her almost full plate of food. Both leaving Harry once again to wallow in self-pity. Malfoy almost felt sorry for him ... almost. The corners of his mouth turned up just barely.

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Ignoring the pangs in her stomach from lack of food, she walked with Ron back to the common room.

"Ron, listen to me, okay?" Ginny had her hands on his shoulders. "I know you're upset, and you want to fend for my honor, but this is my problem. We weren't meant to be. You couldn't possibly have expected Harry and me to live happily ever after, did you?" she looked at him. "You did, didn't you?" He looked sullen. "Oh, Ron. Even I knew the possibilities that it wasn't going to work between us. I'm not hurting." He looked at her in that way. "Okay, I'm feeling a little pain. But it's nothing that won't heal. It's something I'll learn from."

"Gin, what he did was wrong. Hermione as well and if she were a man..." he shook his fist in the air loosely. "How can you possibly be so calm?" How was she supposed to answer that? She wasn't calm. She was hiding it. She was furious, but she still had a piece of mind. Harry needed Ron and vise versa. And the same for Hermione

"So what, exactly, did Harry tell you?" She asked him wanting know as to not give too much away when she tried to cool him off.

"He said you caught him and Hermione in an uncompromising position." He replied gritting his teeth.

"You cleaned up the summary, didn't you?" He nodded.

"Okay, listen, I'm fine. What Harry did was a mistake or maybe it wasn't but what is important is that it's my problem and I know you're my big brother and you want to protect me but you can't always do that."

"But Ginny-..."

"No 'but Ginny' Harry and I have to deal with this ourselves. You know that." Ron sighed in resignation.

"I know that." His voice flat and dejected. He opened his mouth to say more, but Ginny cut him off.

"Gin, what he did was wrong. Hermione as well and if she were a man..." he shook his fist in the air loosely, in his weariness. "How can you possibly be so calm?" How was she supposed to answer that? She wasn't calm. She was hiding it. She was furious, but she still had a piece of mind. Harry needed Ron and vise versa. And the same for Hermione, Ginny may have been Ron's sister, but she still felt as if she treaded where she didn't belong. Sure, it wouldn't be totally her fault if something happened between the three, but, oh, would she feel the guilt. She did what was best in situation such as this. Lie.

"Ron, there was never really anything between Harry and I. I've seen this coming for a while. I'm only upset that I let myself be fooled. I practically gave him permission to see if there was anything between him and Hermione. It just backfired on me is all. Please don't blame Harry." Weasley, that was pathetic.

"You're lying aren't you?" Damn. No other way around it.

"Yes."

"Thought as much. I think you're loosing your touch."

"It's just you and Harry and Hermione have been friends for years, and as much as I despise them right now and as much as I believe they should have the worst aimed at them, we've all got some hard times to go through, especially Harry. You were his very first best friend, his first friend period. You've got to stick by him. He needs you more than I do right now. I couldn't take the guilt of knowing that I was what came between you three."

"But it wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything."

"I feel like I did. I feel like if I hadn't tried to push myself into your lives none of this would have happened"

"But you didn't –"

"Ron just do me this favor. Please." A period of pondering passed, and Ron sighed.

"You're right I suppose." He told her "But I can't make any guarantees."

"All I ask is that you try." Ron nodded.

"Although I have to say, do what physical damage you must first, just make sure he's still breathing ... regularly." She added as she grinned at her brother.

"For you, Gin, I will."

"Thank you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, pretty difficult giving the height difference, then made her way back to the Great Hall.

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Dinner was over and Ginny still hadn't come back for her things. Earlier when no one had noticed Draco summoned her bag towards him. He was the last one out of the Great Hall and he headed towards the kitchen in a hurry. Tickling the pear and grabbing a few leftovers, he made a quick beeline for the entrance of the Great Hall where he saw Ginny stomp in frustration at the door, not being able to make her way in, then start running for the stairs to Gryffindor Commonroom.

"Weasley!" He called out to her after she got a few feet farther. She turned to face him and noticing he had her bag she ran towards him instead.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Most of my work is in here. The professors gave a ridiculous amount of homework."

"I know exactly how you feel, though, at least, I had time to work on mine today."

"Yes." Ginny said frowning, thinking about how far behind she now was as opposed to this afternoon. "I suppose looking back I should have just done my homework instead of moping about."

"Well, good luck, Weasley. Oh right." Draco said as if just remembering something important. "I saw you leave earlier, I figured you might be a bit hungry." He gave her the leftovers from the kitchen, and watched as her eyes grew alight.

"That's twice in one day you've come to my rescue, Malfoy. I owe you, seriously." She took the food from his hand. "Oh, and if you could do me a tiny favor and not call me Weasley, I'd truly appreciate it. It's quite confusing really." She smiled sweetly at him.

"What should I call you?"

"Ginny."

"Draco." He put out his hand and she shook it and laughed.

"Well, I'd better go and try to reduce this ridiculous amount to a more tolerable amount. Bye and thank you again."

"Bye." He called to her as she sped to her common room.

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Out of range of sight and sound Ginny ceased her running and started to frown from befuddlement. She didn't know what was going on, too much had happened in one day. First Harry and Hermione, then Draco, and as if her personal problems with people weren't enough she head to worry about her ridiculous amount of homework as well. Why did Harry do what he did? How could Hermione do that to her? Why was Draco being so nice? What is the spell to tranfigure an animal into a shoe? And finally, what is the recipe for this Apple cinnibon? It's absolutely amazing!

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