A/N: I hate when I get into a fic and the author doesn't update for a wicked long time, that's why I'm terribly sorry that it's been so long since my last update. I can only say that I've been extremely overloaded with school and that's why I haven't had too much time for anything else. I hope I still have some readers...please review!!

Disclaimer: Not my characters...

Chapter Seven: Seven Days

The next seven days were purgatory for Ginerva Weasley. The wake and funeral were held on monday and tuesday; Ginny had stood beside the box that held her father's remains and looked around at her family. Their flaming hair seemed an insult to the solemn respect of the event. Those days were dark, Ginny spent the rest of the week at the Burrow, emerging from her room only for a few moments at a time. Her mother and brothers were worried about her, but they respected her solitude as her means of grieving. None of them guessed that she spent much of her time alone thinking about Draco Malfoy and the last words he spoke to her before that fated meeting with the headmaster.

She had decided that Malfoy's question had not been a threat. If he had intended harm to her father why would he give her any reason to suspect? Then there was only one option as to what Malfoy's intention had been.

He was warning me, she thought to herself as she lay curled up in her quilt on sunday night. The next morning she would be travelling back to Hogwarts, it had been her decision to return after one week. Molly had told her children that they could stay out of school for as long as they needed, but Ginny couldn't stay alone any longer. Her thoughts would only drive her into a depression if she spent too much more time alone with them, and she wanted answers from Malfoy. Ron, of course, had chosen to remain at the Burrow for an extra week.

That night she fell into a dreamless sleep.

"Ginny," Molly Weasley called her youngest child's name from outside her door."Ginny, darling...it's time to wake up."

Slowly, Ginny opened her eye lids and adjusted her vision to the invading sunlight,"Alright, mum, I'll be right out."

Having packed the few things she'd brought from school the night before, Ginny had only to put on some clothes and grab her suit case to be ready to leave. She walked down the warped stairs to her kitchen slowly.

"Have some breakfast, dear," her mother said. Ginny noticed that Mrs. Weasley's eyes looked slightly puffy, She's been crying again.

"I'm really not hungry mum."

"You have to eat something, Ginny."

"I'm not hungry."

Mrs. Weasley didn't push the issue. At around nine o'clock a knock was heard from the side door, their escort had arrived. Two aurors, one male and one female, greeted them and rushed them out to the vehicle. Upon getting inside the car, Ginny found that, like her fathers old enchanted automobile, this one too had been charmed to be much roomier than it appeared from the outside. They drove to Kings Cross and Ginny and Molly passed through the threshold.

The Hogwarts Express stood wreathed in smoke, a vision of strength and glory. For some reason this depressed Ginny more than anything else that she'd seen all week.

"Now, Ginny, if you need me for anything, anything at all, you know you need only owl me and I will come down to Hogwarts in the blink of an eye, do you hear me?"

"Yes, mum."

"I love you dear," Molly said, grabbing her daughter into a powerful embrace."Be strong, alright? Be strong."

"I will."

With that Ginny departed and boarded the near empty train that would take her back to Hogwarts. The ride seemed far shorter than usual, Ginny was so aloof to her surroundings that it seemed as though she had only blinked and all of a sudden she was exiting the train and being greeted by Albus Dumbledore. The ancient headmaster bent forward and took Ginny's suitcase from her. Before rising up to his full height again he pulled her into a warm hug.

"I'm glad to see you back, Ginerva."

"I'm glad to be back, Headmaster."

With that short greeting Dumbledore motioned to a single "horseless" carriage, and Ginny stepped inside followed by the headmaster. The short ride up to the castle was silent, but not an awkward silence. It was an understanding silence. As the reached the castle Dumbledore reached over and opened the carriage door for Ginny. The walked up the front steps together and entered the castle.

"Thank you..."Ginny said turning to Dumbledore in the front hall,"for everything."

"You don't need to thank me, Ginny. If you need anything at all, I'll always be here, alright? Now, are you feeling up to eating with your classmates? Dinner has just commenced."

"I...I think I am."

Dumbledore gave his wise old smile and lead her into the Great Hall. As the separated, Ginny walked toward the Gryffindor table. She was happy to see that there was an empy seat next to Hermione. At that moment her friend looked her way and smiled broadly.

"Ginny!" Hermione jumped up and gave the girl a hug,"I'm so glad to see you!"

Ginny laughed as Hermione released her and replied,"I'm glad to see you too."

"Where's Ron?"

Ginny laughed inside at the forced nonchalance in Hermione's question,"He'll be here next week. He needed more time."

"Of course, of course. And....and how are you doing, Ginny?"

"I'll be okay, I think I'm still kind of shocked about all of this. But...eventually I'll be okay."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Both of the girls took their seats and Ginny began piling things onto her plate.

"Hungry?"

"I haven't eaten anything all day."

The meal went on, uneventfully, Hermione seemed to understand that Ginny didn't have much to say. As Ginny lifted her face to glance across the room her eyes yet again caught hold of those of the object of her thoughts, Draco Malfoy. They looked at eachother, expressionless for several moments before Ginny realized that he was motioning with his eyes to the doors, with a slight nod she acknowledged his meaning and turned to Hermione.

"Hey, 'Mione, I'm getting kind of tired I think I'm going to head up."

"Oh...okay, do you want me to walk you?"

"No, no that's fine, finish your meal."

Ginny stood up and left the Great Hall shortly followed by Draco Malfoy. This exchange did not go unnoticed by a certian "greasy-haired git".

Ginny stood against a wall just outside of the doors to the Great Hall and waited, soon enough the doors swung open and the platinum blond Slytherin glanced around in search of her, finding her after a few seconds. He walked towards her in a stance that Ginny thought to be a bit menacing. All of a sudden she wasn't so sure about this meeting's integrity.

"Weasel..." Draco began,"Do I have to warn you not to speak of what I asked you the last time we saw eachother?"

Ginny quickly shook her head vigorously, not finding the courage to speak. Draco took a few steps forward so that he was now just barely touching her.

"Things wouldn't go so well for me if that happened. And if things don't go so well for me, I can make them go a lot worse for you..."

"I understand," Ginny squeaked.

Draco looked down at her and into her hazel eyes. He felt stung by the fear he saw in her, but he knew it was only appropriate for her to fear him.

"Ginny,"he said in a softer tone, bringing a hand up to touch her hair."are you okay?"

Why was it that his soft voice and touch got to her? All of a sudden she felt broken and she couldn't stop herself from bursting into tears. Draco looked shocked at this and he didn't quite know what to do. Ginny leaned forward and clutched the front of his robes.

"I am okay, really I am."she said between sobs,"My dad is dead...."

Draco awkward pried the girl off of him, worried about someone seeing them, especially someone from his house.

"Ginny, you're so fragile. So fragile, how will you survive?" he didn't know why he asked that, but as he did he became worried about what his body would do next. Slowly he leaned his face forward and brushed his lips across her cheek,"It will be okay, Ginny. I'm here."

The beautiful feeling Ginny experienced as Draco's lips touched her face was over as quickly as it had begun. Ginny opened her eyes which she realized she had closed upon feeling those lips, and found herself alone.