Sorry for not putting up this chapter sooner. Last weekend I went to Rally Australia, which was dead boring until the half-time break, when some man's car caught fire accidentally. Then I had my birthday on the Sunday, and after that I had all these projects and assignments to finish. I'm meant to be doing those now, but writing this was so much more exciting than a geology project.

Pronunciation: 'Alistryna Rhydderch' is pronounced 'awl-is-TREE-nuh RITH-erch' (I think). Both the names are Welsh. 

Disclaimer: Once upon a time there lived a girl who liked to write fanfiction. This girl thought she could get away with passing off the characters as her own and not putting a disclaimer on her work. Sadly, the rest of the world was quick to realise that she didn't own Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and the rest, and she was put in chains and made to spend the rest of her life doing manual labour on a banana farm in Central America. This wasn't so bad as she got to eat all the bananas that weren't up to scratch, but the disadvantages far outweighed that one small benefit. I am not like that poor girl; I hereby state that the characters and situations that I am about to use belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury and whomever else, in the hope that I will not be relegated to a banana farm as well.

Chapter Five-

The Curse

Ginny opened her eyes, and stared at the ceiling. The Weasley's retaliated . . . How had her family 'retaliated'? It wasn't as if they had a secret weapon that they could use against the Malfoys. They weren't even good at curses, and that was really the only way that they could have revenged Weasley Snr.

Suddenly it hit her. They weren't even good at curses. That was why Virginia's injuries had appeared on her. A botched-up curse, probably one that was meant to have hit the Malfoy's but backfired instead.

It all started to make sense in her mind. She groaned. Why my family? She thought distractedly.

But it was only after she had had a shower and dressed that the full extent of the curse began to enter her mind. If the curse gave her all the injuries that Virginia received . . .

Virginia had been beheaded.

Then Ginny Weasley, daughter of Molly and Arthur Weasley, would be beheaded too.

~~~~~~

Ginny looked around Professor Dumbledore's office with interest, admiring Fawkes, and staring back at the portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses.

"Well, Miss Weasley, what brings you here?" Dumbledore settled himself at his desk and faced her, smiling.

"You see, Professor . . ." Ginny stopped. The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous the idea of being cursed seemed. She had just been jumping to conclusions.

"Professor, I'm having trouble with Potions," she made up on the spot.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really, Miss Weasley? I was labouring under the suspicion that you were a perfect student at all subjects."

He's seeing through me! She thought worriedly.

"Sir, I was doing alright with the last topic that we were doing, but this new one really confuses me, and Professor Snape . . ." She left the sentence hanging.

Dumbledore looked at her sympathetically. "I know dear, he's not exactly the most understanding person around, is he? No, Professor Snape probably doesn't even know you're having trouble."

Ginny tried to look like this was all true.

Dumbledore nodded, believing her. "I'll talk to Severus, don't you worry, Miss Weasley. You'll have a tutor within the day."

"Oh, thankyou so much, Professor," Ginny said, getting out of the chair she had been sitting in. Inwardly she was groaning. She was getting a tutor that she didn't even need!

~~~~~~

That day after Potions Professor Snape asked her to stay back after the lesson had finished.

After receiving a questioning look from Sabine, Ginny walked up to his desk once she had put away her cauldron and ingredients.

"Miss Weasley," he sneered at her. "Professor Dumbledore has informed me of your little . . . problem with understanding your work. After much thought," here Snape paused to glare at her, "I have decided to give you a tutor to help you. Hopefully your thick brain will start to take in information if somebody who can actually think is aiding you."

Ginny nodded mutely.

"Your first lesson with your tutor will be at nine-thirty tonight in this classroom. I would advise you to bring all the work that we have been doing in class."

Standing up, Professor Snape glided past her and through the door, leaving Ginny standing alone in the classroom.

Wait, he didn't even tell me who my tutor was! Ginny though indignantly. She sighed. I only hope that it isn't a Slytherin. Walking out the door, Ginny walked into someone. "Sorry," she apologised, before looking to see whom it was that she had bumped into. "Ginny!" Sabine squealed.                                                                                                                                                        "Sabine," Ginny said surprised. "I wait here for you," the French girl said, smiling. "That was nice of you," Ginny smiled back.       Sabine linked her arm through Ginny's. "Come, Ginny. We go up to ze dorms now, yes?" Ginny nodded, grinning. Maybe she had found a real friend at last. Ginny and Sabine spent the rest of the afternoon until teatime talking together. Ginny was having such a great time that she didn't even notice the looks Vera and Sabine exchanged, or the thumbs-up Sarah gave Sabine.                               

Once the dining hall was full, Dumbledore stood up. Ginny, realising that he was about to give a speech, quietened down, and waited for everyone else to do the same.

Dumbledore cast a twinkling eye around the room. "I hope all of you enjoyed your second day back at school," he said, followed by a few cheers and many groans.

"This year, I have decided to try something new. Usually, there is little or no interaction between our younger and older students. This year, however, our school will be trialing a buddy system. Every student will receive a buddy from a different year and house, who they will look after, or if they are the younger partners, be looked after. You will have two hours a week and set time to talk to your buddy, or whatever you want to do, as I realise that many of our older students have busy schedules. Your buddy will remain with you the whole year."

Dumbledore beckoned to McGonagall, who, standing up, walked up to him and handed him a list.

"Your buddies have already been assigned to you. There will be no swapping of buddies."

 Looking at the list, he began to read names out, and who their buddies would be. Ginny switched off, listening only when someone she knew was given a buddy. She watched absently as people walked up to the dais, and met their buddies. Harry Potter got a small second-year Hufflepuff boy, Hermione Granger a first-year Slytherin girl. Ron's buddy was a fourth-year Ravenclaw boy. Ginny could see that Ron wasn't pleased. He was probably hoping for some pretty girl about the same age as him.

Sabine's buddy was a seventh-year Slytherin girl. Ginny definitely felt for her.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Ginny's name was called.

"Ginny Weasley and Alistryna Rhydderch!" Dumbledore called.

Ginny walked up to him, and found herself looking at a sullen-faced Ravenclaw first-year. Her buddy had long brown hair with matching brown eyes. What a plain girl, Ginny caught herself thinking.

Alistryna scowled, as if she knew exactly what Ginny was thinking. "Well, what are you going to do with me?" she commanded.

Ginny's eyes widened slightly. Bossy. She looked around at the other pairs. Most were deep in conversation, some were walking out the door, and others were just staring at each other.

She saw Draco Malfoy looking at his buddy, Dennis Creevey in horror. It seemed as if Dennis had just asked Malfoy to join the Harry Potter fan club.   

She turned back to Alistryna. "Do you want to sit down somewhere and tell each other about ourselves?"

Alistryna didn't answer. Instead, she stalked to the Ravenclaw table and sat down, waiting for Ginny. My buddy just had to be a moody first year girl, didn't it? She thought resignedly as she sat down next to her buddy.

"So . . . can I call you Allie?" Ginny asked. Alistryna really was too long.

"No," was the abrupt answer.

 Ginny sighed. "I'll start. My name's Ginny Weasley. I'm a fifth-year Gryffindor, with six older brothers. I live in Ottery St Catchpole, in England. My favourite subjects are Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. My favourite teacher is Flitwick. My favourite colour is green, and my favourite number is three. I like to read Muggle books, and I hate Lockhart's books."

She finished, and looked at Alistryna, who had crossed her arms.

The little girl sighed. "My name is Alistryna Rhydderch. I'm a first-year Ravenclaw, and I'm Welsh. I live in Rhondda. I haven't been here long enough to know my favourite teacher and subject. My favourite colour is red, and I don't have a favourite number. I have two sisters and a brother, all are younger than me but my brother. Is that all?"

Ginny nodded, and tried to find a subject to talk to Alistryna about.

Ginny put up with Alistryna all through tea, as that night they ate with their buddies. At eight-o'clock she said goodbye to her. Alistryna didn't even acknowledge her leaving, and continued to stare at the wooden table.

Ginny did her homework, and at nine-fifteen started to make her way down to the dungeons. Looking into her Potions classroom, Ginny saw that no one was there yet. She placed her books on the floor next to a desk, and sat down behind it. 

Nine-thirty passed.

So did nine forty-five.

At a five to ten, Ginny began to get a bit fed up. She didn't even need a tutor, and here she was, wasting valuable study time waiting for one.

Picking up her books, Ginny made ready to leave. A voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Where are you going, Weasley?"

Ginny cursed her bad luck. Draco Malfoy as a tutor.

Sitting back down, Ginny gathered her courage and glared at him. "You're late," she accused.

Malfoy shrugged, and sneered at her. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness," he mocked her, "but I had a little problem with one of Potter's obsessed fans.

Ginny grinned. "Oh, yes," she smirked, "you have Dennis Creevey as a buddy."

Malfoy scowled, and sat gracefully in Snape's chair. "Let's just get on with this tutoring. We both don't want to be here, so let's make it as quick as possible."

He looked down at a list on the desk. "It says here that your class is making Dreamless Sleep potions. How well are you going on that?"

Ginny shrugged. "Well enough, I suppose."

Malfoy sneered. "Obviously not, if you need a tutor."

Ginny bit her lip to stop from retorting.

"Recite the ingredients needed for the potion," Malfoy said suddenly.

"Two chopped roots of asphodel, one-" Ginny continued, reciting all ingredients perfectly.

"Name the twelve uses of dragon's blood," Malfoy questioned.

Again, Ginny answered correctly.

After about thirty or so questions, Malfoy stopped. He looked extremely suspicious. "Tell me, little weasel, if you are so bad at Potions, why did you get all those questions correct?"  

Ginny was at a loss.

His eyes glinted. "Was it because you have a crush on Professor Snape, and thought he would be tutoring you?"

Ginny snapped. She had been teased and baited all evening, and she was tired of it. "You stupid prick! Snape? You've got to be bloody joking me! I didn't even know anybody liked him, let alone had a crush on him. I thought I was cursed, so I went to Dumbledore and then I lost my nerve and he gave me a tutor!" Ginny put her hand over her mouth, realising what she had just said.

Malfoy looked surprised. "Calm down, Weasley. Bloody hell."

He walked towards the door. "It's not my fault that you're having bad dreams. Don't take it out on everyone else." He smirked, "but considering your . . . history with creatures that look as if they belong in a dream, it's no surprise you turned out the way you are."

Ginny let that comment pass as she gathered up her things in the now-empty room. Why did Draco talk about the dreams when I only said I was cursed? Does he know about them?

Deep in thought, Ginny made her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

~~~~~

BTW this is NOT going to be a Draco-tutors-Ginny-and-they-fall-in-love fic. The tutoring was a one-off thing. Alistryna will get nicer, don't worry about that.

Review please!!!!!!!! Reviewing gets chapters up quicker.

Thankyous this chapter go to: Mary (Here it is), Rocket (Twice! And thanks for the birthday greetings), JczPRiNCeSS (Maybe, maybe not), Heavenly Moonstone (I know it reeked. On your favourites list? Cool), Sun-and-wind (Action? Soon. G/D? I can't say), and Shards of Normality (four times! Thanks so much. You have a very interesting name BTW), cooldot (You really think so?), purple aurora lights, Riverchic1998 (Of course I'll continue), Sony Lewison (Thankyou), Flav0ftheweek (Of course he's vicious. He's a Malfoy. Her mum doesn't have a thing for the Malfoys. She just thinks the marriage is in Virginia's best interests, and that she's being a good mother in agreeing to it), GoldenRed Phoenix (Thankyou, I will), Cactuskitty (Doesn't everyone?), Draco's gal (thankyou), Faith Akiyama (I will), binnie (I'm glad you think my story is like a drug, it's so addictive. Thankyou for saying it's a good story as well), Lunawriter (Thankyou for your advice, I tried to do better this time. And I DO have to feel bad. Just humour me), Arafel (Thankyou for reviewing), Dracosrockstar (You think that it's interesting? Thankyou) Draco-lover (I'm sorry about the last chapter).