Author's Note: Thanks for the rev-yoos (40!). More Ron and Hermione interaction on the way, as per Rachey's request. =)

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Ginny finally woke up at around ten o'clock the next morning. She started to worry about missing all her classes, but then saw a note pinned to the underside of the top of her canopy so that it would be the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. It read:

"GINNY WEASELY, you are SO not allowed out of the common room until dinner!!!! Lunch will be catered to you today, and breakfast is on your nightstand. I've told all the teachers that you're a little sick and stuff, and they all believed me and send their dearest condolences, or something. We will come fetch you at dinner. 'We' being me, Ron, Hermione, and possibly Colin and/or Doug. See?? You have your own fan club!!!! Love, Isabelle."

Ginny grinned. Isabelle was always there for her, ready to bring her small owls or force her to stay in bed all day long. They'd started being friends in third year and were now inseparable (as demonstrated throughout this story, in case you missed that). Ginny's other friends were fun to hang out with or eat dinner next to, but only in Isabelle could Ginny confide, and vice versa.

Ginny rolled over and opened the curtains a little bit to see soggy toast and orange juice waiting for her on her nightstand. Still lying on her side, she stuffed an entire toast half into her mouth, noting that Isabelle had sprinkled cinnamon on top. She was just contemplating how to drink her orange juice without having to sit up when she heard insistent tapping on the window.

Sighing wearily, she swung her feet over the side of her bed, shuffled to the dormitory window, and opened it. An onyx-black owl swooped in majestically and landed on Isabelle's trunk. It offered her the note tied to its leg.

Ginny assumed this to be Draco's owl. She untied the letter and admired the gleaming silver streaks glinting in the owl's feathers. The note read:

"Ginny Weasely: How come you weren't in Potions? Avoiding me? Only kidding, Isabelle said you were sick, hope you're feeling better. Will meet you by the lake at eight o'clock in the evening. Just a warning: Scarhead might be there, followed by Ice Queen (read: bring your wand and look up a couple good curses). - - - - - Draco Malfoy."

Harry and Cho would be there? With them? Ginny frowned. This was supposed to be a private meeting, between Draco and her, and she was supposed to sob into his chest and he was supposed to be stroking her hair and nobody else was supposed to be watching that. Oh well, she thought, maybe we can sort everything out between the four of us.

She wrote back:

"Okay, Draco, 8 at Lake. Am feeling slightly better. Thanks for note. Unfortunate about Cho & Harry, though, do they HAVE to be there? . . . See you soon. - - - Ginny."

She desperately wanted to write something romantic, but knew it would be harder to give The Talk if she'd written "I like you more than CHOCOLATE!!" ten hours earlier. Draco's owl took off through the window, the streaks of silver glimmering in the early morning sun.

Ginny spent the next two hours doing the homework that was supposed to be due today. Right in the middle of her Charms essay on spell fraud (people selling spells or curses that weren't real), she heard the common room door bang open.

"Weasley!" yelled Isabelle. "Where are - oh, there you are."

Ginny grinned from where she was bundled up on the cushiest sofa, right in front of the fire. "Thanks for letting me stay in guys," she said, then fake-coughed for Ron's benefit. He and Hermione were carrying platters of lunch items for Ginny. Colin had the silverware in hand, and Doug was shyly carrying iced water. Isabelle gestured toward them.

"Your caterers," she smiled. "And I got your homework for you. Snape kinda looked at me funny when I told him you were sick, but he seemed to believe it. Especially when Draco got all Mr. Concerned and asked what you have."

"I hate sarcastic people," Ron grumbled. "Um, anywhere special you want this-" he nodded at the platter of taquitos in his hands - "or shall Hermione and I just stand here and you can eat off of us?"

"Put it here," Ginny said, leaning off the sofa and removing her Charms books off the coffee table. "Thanks. Wow, Mexican food. Haven't had that in a while."

Hermione shot Ron a dirty look. "Ronnikins here almost ate all your taquitos on the way up here. I had to flick rice into his ear to make him stop."

"My, what drastic measures," drawled Ron, rolling his eyes. "It might have worked - if you hadn't missed and gotten poor Colin instead."

"It's in my hair somewhere," Colin shrugged. He ran his hand through his short-cut, curly brown hair. "Some teacher's probably gonna pass by and think I have lice or something."

"Madame Pomfrey," said Ron seriously, "I think Colin Creevey has an infestation of . . . RICE!!! Dun dun dun dunnn!!"

Ginny laughed along, glad for some company as she scarfed her taquitos. There was some more light-hearted conversation until the talk suddenly turned to Harry.

"I wonder where he is," Hermione thought aloud, "seems like he should be in to check on his girlfriend."

Ron's eyebrows shot up in alarm and he turned toward Hermione, who was seated next to him on the sofa opposite Ginny's. He whispered audibly in her ear, "Ginny and Harry broke up!"

Hermione looked shocked. "What!" She turned to Ginny. "I've heard rumors but - it seemed so unlikely!"

Ginny's eyes flashed toward Isabelle. "Um, we just felt like our relationship was getting, like, stale, sort of." She cleared her throat. "I think we've both moved on."

Colin shook his head sadly. "You mean he has moved on, to other people."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Will someone please tell me which rumors are true and which aren't!"

Doug spoke up from where he'd sat on the floor listening. "Harry and Cho are back together," he said, "That's what I heard. And I saw him following her around the halls. It was weird."

Hermione continued to look shocked. "He must be out of his mind," she said, anxious. She glanced at her watch. "Oh, no! I'm late for Arithmancy! We'd better get going. Sorry to leave so soon, Ginny. This isn't over, though - we're talking later. Rest up, now."

Everyone said a quick goodbye, and suddenly the portrait hole closed and Ginny was once again alone.

So there were more rumors about Harry and her darting around the hallways. Dinner was going to be difficult. She hoped nothing about Draco and her was floating around, too.

What a horrible love triangle to be entangled in! And how unlikely.

It seemed like Fate had thrown Ginny and Draco together. She tried to convince herself - who was she to overrule Fate itself? Maybe she was predestined to be with Draco. It certainly felt like it. At least, she thought so. She had no idea what Draco was thinking.

But it would never work, and that's why she was going to give The Talk. Their families hated each other, and in fact they themselves had hated each other up until a few days ago. This was all for the wrong reasons. Just because she liked to kiss Draco didn't mean Fate had actually stuck them together for the rest of their lives. Although, Draco's voice echoed in her mind, that would be very nice. Ginny sighed and wished he were actually here so they could talk.

Really, she had no idea what fate or destiny held in store for her. Maybe letting go of Draco would be the best thing to do. Maybe there was something after The Talk that was better than remaining with Draco.

Draco, the boy she hardly knew. Whose heart, sheathed within the thick skin he'd built for himself to protect his vulnerability and his faults - she'd only caught glimpses of Nice Draco, quick flashes of tremulous emotion whispered quietly in the still places they'd been together momentarily.

Ginny shook herself and removed the now empty platter off her stomach, and relaxed into the couch. She forced herself to look at the Big Picture, eternity stretched out into an everlasting line. This problem, with Draco and Cho and Harry, was but a mere point on that line. Maybe she'd make the right choice and look back on this and laugh one day.

That didn't make her feel better. She still wished she wasn't involved in this tangled web of confusion. She wished she knew whom to trust and to whom she should offer her time. And energy. Possibly even her heart.

Thinking these deep, philosophic thoughts thoroughly exhausted her, and she fell asleep once more. She dreamed about her Charms essay.

------------------

She woke up to someone yelling, "Ginny Weasley! Sleeping, again?"

Her eyes cracked open slightly to see Isabelle peering at her face, inches away. "Dinner time, m'dear. Spaghetti, your favorite!"

Ginny stretched and stood up, straightening her robes. She slipped her feet into fuzzy slippers and followed Isabelle out the door, hoping she would be left alone without having to confirm or deny rumors in the Great Hall.

When she entered the Great Hall, it seemed like everyone's faces flashed toward her. She stared at her slippers and hurried to the Gryffindor table. Isabelle must have given them special instructions, because she was immediately enveloped in Gryffindors, and nobody from another table could penetrate their little bubble. Ginny felt grateful for this extra protection from the viciousness or curiosity of students belonging to other houses, particularly Slytherin.

Ginny slopped a large amount of spaghetti on her plate, and added exactly seven meatballs, placing them in strategic places around her plate.

"A smiley face? . . . Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" admonished Ron in a fake stern voice.

Ginny giggled. "She's your mother too. Well, in name anyway - Fred and I agreed you must be adopted. There is no way you could be related to us."

"Exactly my point! That's just what I've been trying to prove," said Ron.

"Don't say things like that!" Hermione slapped Ron on the arm. "Family is very important!"

"Oh!" Colin looked shocked from a few seats down the table. "It is?! I never knew that!"

"No wonder poor Dennis keeps forgetting you're his brother," lamented Ron. "Look at him, seeking comfort from his friends." He snickered, along with the rest of their little group. Dennis was deep in conversation with five flirtatious Gryffindor girls. "We're so disappointed in you, Colin. You've let him become a ladies' maaaan," Ron sing-songed in a deep, comedic voice.

"Again," sighed Colin, "I don't think it's that important to remember that I am related to him."

Dennis suddenly felt the dozen gazes, and turned to give the group a puzzled and annoyed look. Everyone quickly dropped their eyes to the table and tried to stifle chortles as Dennis returned to his ladies.

Ginny ate every last strand of spaghetti on her plate, and was very pleased to see that dessert was carrot cake and pumpkin ice cream.

"The theme tonight," announced Ron as he shoveled heaping amounts of both onto his plate, "is dull orange."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Is that so, Mr. Weasely?"

"That's so," Ron said in a distracted sort of voice as he carefully sprinkled chopped peanuts atop the ice cream. "Miss Granger. Or should I saw, Spew President. We're never gonna let you forget this, Hermione. Even when you give it up we'll still be teasing you about your spew."

Although he was carrying on a running commentary, Ginny saw him glance up, left, and right, seemingly to ensure no one was looking. Then he set the bowl of peanuts down and muttered under his breath, "Where's Harry?" He tried to mask his voice but Ginny heard it anyway.

Hermione bit her lip and cautiously glanced around the Great Hall. "I haven't seen him at all since Transfiguration. I wonder if he's in trouble or something? Detention? Um. Ginny, would you know where Harry is?"

Ginny stopped chewing her carrot cake as her heart gave a small jolt. "Oh, no!" she yipped with her mouth full.

Ron glared at Hermione. "Way to upset my sister! Nice going, Herms. Lovely tact, mentioning her ex-boyfriend in the middle of din - "

"It's not that," Ginny said hurriedly, jumping up from the table and swallowing the large bite of cake she'd taken. "I'm late for something. I have to go - see you in the Common Room, everyone. Er, thanks."

No one stopped her on her way out. She passed Professor Flitwick and started to fake a coughing fit, hoping to back up Isabelle's explanation of her supposed illness. Flitwick gave her a small, sympathetic smile as she banged out the doors of the Great Hall and tore down the hallway and out the door onto the green lawn.

It was 8:15! She was so late. Now Draco was going to think she didn't really care about him. But that was what she was going to tell him, basically, wasn't it? That she felt she couldn't - shouldn't - be with him or kiss him or anything. Because she knew it would never work out, and she shouldn't risk so much to attempt making it work.

So many things would be on the line should she continue this relationship with Draco - her reputation, most importantly, but also her relationships with her family. Friendships with fellow Gryffindors. Her sleeping habits. Her schoolwork.

Her heart.

Ginny, puffing, was sure her face was bright red. She slowed down on an incline and re-ponytailed her shoulder-length hair. She was just about to go over the top of the hill and down to the lake when she heard strangled yells and an ear-piercing shriek.