Luna Writer, I am soooooooo sorry that I forgot you!!! I can't believe that I did, and now I feel really bad. To make it up to you, this chapter is dedicated to you:) This is also dedicated to Amanda Mancini.

PaintedDragon, I took your advice about Ginny's speech. Thanks a lot!!!

Also, because every single one of you seems to hate my review policy, I've changed it. From now on, I won't be saying 'I'll put up another chapter after so many reviews', it will be when I feel like it, which was pretty much what was happening before anyway ^_^

Disclaimer: I DEFINITELY do not own Harry Potter and all related characters and situations, and if you thought I did. . . you must be pretty thick.

Chapter 4-

Wilfred Malfoy and his Betrothed

At the other end of the castle, Ginny was asleep as well; completely unaware that she wasn't the only person in the school with strange dreams . . .

Virginia Weasley's chestnut hair was swept back from her face, and piled up high on her head. It was shiny and smooth. . .well, Ginny reflected, it would have been if Virginia hadn't run her hands through it so many times in frustration.

The Elizabethan girl's pale face was contorted in worry, lines etching themselves onto her forehead. She was pacing around her room, muttering.

Ginny leaned closer to hear what she was saying, but Virginia spoke too quietly.

"My lady is ready for you now, miss," a voice interrupted Virginia. Ginny turned to see a maid standing in the doorway, an unsure look on her face.

Virginia sighed. "Very well, Bess. Tell my lady I will be with her presently. I just need to make myself look acceptable." Virginia moved to the dresser and pulled out a comb.

Bess did a curtsey and hurried away.

As soon as she was gone, Virginia slammed the comb on the dresser, and began to sob. "I don't even have a choice," she said bitterly into her mirror, "Mother and Father have had their minds made up for them, and my opinions don't matter."

She sniffed, and wiped away the tears on her cheek with the back of her hand.

"One day I'll show them," she muttered, "one day they'll regret marrying me to Wilfred Malfoy."

Her brown eyes gleamed crazily as she picked up her comb again. "But it will be too late, and they won't be able to do anything."  Virginia smirked triumphantly. "It will be too late."

"Wake up, Ginny!" Ginny opened her eyes to find Sabine's grinning face looking down at her.

"Eet's ze first day of school, and we know how much you don't want to miz zat!"

Vera gave an un-ladylike snort.

"Of course not," Ginny stated as she swung her legs out of bed. "I wonder what we have first?"

"Do we really care?" Sarah groaned as she put her pillow over her head to block out the noise of her dorm-mates.

~~~~~

Ginny's brilliant, and daring (for her that is) idea had come during Transfiguration. It popped up out of the blue, and Ginny just knew she had to do it. If she found what she wanted: great. If not, she wouldn't have lost anything.

All through tea and the hours that followed it Ginny could hardly think. Soon, though, the common room began to empty, and she was the only one left.

She glanced at the clock. Eleven thirty, time to go, she thought excitedly.

Ginny gently pushed the Fat Lady open and stepped out. She looked around. Everything seemed different at night. Sinister, even.

She closed the portrait again and ignored the Fat Lady's questioning glance.

Sticking to the walls, Ginny crept her way to the library, her favourite place.

Looking at the entrance to the Restricted Section, Ginny felt a thrill sweep through her. Was this what Harry felt every time he broke one of the rules?

It feels good.

Ginny absently rubbed a bruise that had appeared on her upper arm. She reasoned that Virginia had hurt herself and the resulting bruise had cloned itself onto her.

Ginny shook her head. It was time to get to the work on hand; browsing through the Restricted Section for books on advanced curses.

Ginny searched until two o-clock, which was the time she realised that the books she wanted were not going to be in the Restricted Section. If her suspicions about the curse (for she had no doubt that that was what made Virginia's injuries appear on her) were true, it wouldn't be considered awful enough to be restricted.

Instead she tried a different track. She would look for information on Wilfred Malfoy.  A prestigious family such as the Malfoys would surely have written information down about their ancestors, she thought.

And the Hogwarts school library was one of the most comprehensive in the whole of Britain. What better place to look?

Ginny looked at the titles of the books. She already knew which one she wanted: 'Old Pureblood Families of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. She had seen it while looking for a book on dangerous creatures for Hagrid's class.

Ginny let out a hiss of satisfaction as she found what she was looking for. Sitting down on the cold wooden floor, she began to flip through to the 'M' section.

There were pages upon pages of information about the Malfoys. They were certainly an old family.

Reginald Malfoy. . .Gordon Malfoy. . .Cecilia Malfoy. . .Malfoy Manor. . .

Ginny slammed the book closed. It was impossible. She stood up and jammed the book back into the shelves. Turning quickly Ginny slipped on something and fell heavily onto the ground. Her eyes watered with the pain as she rubbed her sore backside. Ginny frowned, wondering what it was that she had slipped on.

She pulled out from underneath her a torn page from a book. The borders had many little scrawled notes in them, and some words in the text had been circled in red ink.

Probably someone's essay, she thought immediately, and was about to tear it up when something caught her eye.

The word 'Malfoy'.

Ginny's eyes widened slightly. It was a page from 'Old Pureblood Families of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. From the Malfoy section to be exact.

 How. . .odd. Someone was looking at this before me.

She perused the page. A slow grin grew on her face. This had been what she had been looking for.

The Malfoys have for many years participated in an ongoing feud with another old family, the Weasleys. The reasons for this feud are many and varied; but the most popular reason relates back to the 1500's. A Weasley girl married the Malfoy heir, however she was killed a few months later in a tragic accident. The Weasleys, though, believed that she was murdered. This mystery has never been solved.

Wilfred Malfoy, the husband, was challenged to a duel by his father-in-law. Wilfred accepted, and supposedly, through a series of events culminating in a wizard's duel, he was killed.

The Malfoys still firmly believed that Wilfred was innocent, and a few weeks later Weasley 'disappeared' under very mysterious conditions. The Weasleys retaliated, though it is not known how. Thus began the famous rift between two of England's most prominent families, which still continues today.

A wizard's duel? Ginny looked surprised. All her dreams had pointed to the fact that both the Weasleys and the Malfoys were Muggle. Shrugging, she pushed that point to the back of her mind. It was in the too-hard basket. Ginny carefully folded the page up, tucked it into her robes and made her way to Gryffindor Tower.

Though it wasn't really worth it going to bed, because it was now about four o'clock, Ginny did anyway. She was secretly hoping that she would have another dream, hopefully one that would shed more light on the mystery of Virginia and Wilfred Malfoy.

Yawning, Ginny fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Ginny found herself in a large room, full of bustling women running about, their arms full of cloth, thread, parchments and inks.

In the centre of this small universe was Virginia's mother, who had a self-satisfied smirk in place. Standing next to her was Virginia herself. Virginia looked extremely nervous. Two dressmakers were taking her measurements, holding up different materials, and commanding the women who were under them.

"I knew you would see my point of view eventually, girl," Virginia's mother was saying. Virginia nodded mutely.

"Think, one day you will probably be doing this with your own daughter. Won't that be wonderful?"

Someone behind Ginny giggled. Ginny turned to find herself standing next to two maids.

"The li'l lass won' survive long enuf to 'ave childen," one of them said quietly. She was old, with grey hair falling out of its bun, and tired blue eyes.

"Wot makes yeh say that, old grandmuther?" the younger woman next to her said affably. "Any other young girl in 'er position wuld be ov'rjoy'd to be getting' married to young Wilfred Malfoy." 

The old woman lowered her voice. "Yeh know wot happen'd to Wilfred Malfoy's other wife?" She asked.

"Wot?"

"It woz said that Wilfred and 'is young wife were unhappy. 'E didn't like 'er."

The other woman raised an eyebrow. "Tisn't uncommon amongst the 'igher families, Tabbita. They 'ave arranged marriages, don't 'hey? Price yeh pay to be wealthy."

Tabbita ignored her and went on. "Three months inta the marriage, 'is wife woz found at the bottom of the stairs. . .dead."

The other maid didn't have anything to say to that.

"Wilfred killed 'er, they say. Pushed 'er down the stairs 'imself. And Miss Virginia 'as an. . ." here she paused, "attitude, one would say. Just you wait," she warned, "in less than a year she'll be dead."

The young one snorted. "P'raps. Most likely she'll be happy with Wilfred, they'll 'ave lots of children and live to a ripe age."

Tabbita just shook her head sadly.

~~~~~

Not the best chapter, I know, but I'm sorry.

Thankyous this chapter go to: Lady in White, Angelika, MystifiedMuggle, Flav0ftheweek, JczPRiNCeSS, MP,  Arlyta, Purple Aurora Lights, Sun-and-wind, PaintedDragon, Rachel, heavenly moonstone, depth, Embyr Black aka Crisco, Moonlighter, Marks, Mage of Fire, Amanda Mancini, Karen, Kit, Luna Writer, Draco-lover and 2 anonymous reviewers.

I hope that's everyone, because I forgot someone last time. If I did forget you, tell me in a review, because I won't realise if you don't tell me.

R & R please people!!!! ^_^ You all keep me going!