Author'sNotes: This chapter is out much faster than usual. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine…
Miss Cellophane
The couch sagged down on the side that Colin sank into. He looked incalculably displeased and even hurt.
"Explain."
Ginny's mouth remained open, poised to spout out whatever explanation came forth first.
She had been doing that a lot lately.
"Explain. No, wait, maybe I should go first, seeing as I've had plenty of time to sit and think about what I would say to you when you returned."
"Colin…"
"But I really didn't expect to wait for almost six hours to do it! I didn't expect to wait at all."
Ginny became a bit angry at that comment. "Colin –"
"You see, I left my book here so that if I finally became overwhelmed with exhaustion and went to bed, you would know that I had been around. But luckily I only had time to get to the top of the stairs when you came in, so I've been able to catch you…doing whatever it is you've just done."
Ginny waited until she could fully tell that Colin had finished his rant.
"It's not half as dramatic as you're making it out to be," Ginny started. "And I am sorry that you waited for me, whether out of concern or to simply yell at me. But don't assume that because I told you that I would help you, I would be at your beck and call as soon as there was time."
Colin looked at Ginny with an open mouth, frowning. "Where did any of that come from? I never said-"
"You did!" Ginny argued. "You said you 'never expected to wait at all'. Did you think that I would pop up beside you right at the end of dinner so that I could be your servant?"
"Since when has helping your friends become such a burden, Ginny? If you didn't want to help me you should have said so."
Ginny sat up. "It wasn't that I didn't want to. Something came up and I couldn't. And if an apology is what you're looking for, I'm giving one – wholeheartedly. I'm sorry, Colin. It won't happen again."
Colin continued to look at Ginny with hard eyes, but they began to soften, although they still looked suspicious.
"Fine," he said. His posture became less stiff and he sat back slowly. "Fine. I was just worried, I guess. You've been acting strangely. And saying odd things."
Ginny eased back as well. Relief began to seep through her with the hope that Colin had finished his interrogation. However, her annoyance with him only made her feel guiltier – they had only argued because she had all but ditched him.
"Like what?" she asked, wishing that it was nothing much.
Colin shifted around a little and ruffled his hair. "You said this morning that you would tell me later. It was about you and Ron arguing?"
Ginny suppressed the compulsion to yell.
"You see, what happened was that –"
A large creak resounded through the room in the still, thin air as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open.
And in walked Hermione, Harry, and Ron.
At first, the three did not notice the pair on the sofa, as they were so occupied with the contents of whatever was in the bag that Ron was holding uncomfortably in his arms. Ginny and Colin had not realized that the embers of the fire had died down considerably, until there were just a few glowing spots in the hearth, leaving the room fully suffused with the dark.
"Hold it properly, Ron! Or you'll drop it again," Hermione whispered harshly. Ron gave her a glare, but shifted the sack anyway. Harry was folding up a silvery, shiny cloth that had to be his Invisibility Cloak.
"Thank god that's over," Harry groaned, rubbing his neck with his free hand. Hermione and Ron nodded and walked toward the stairs. They had obviously just come back from doing something that they should not have. Colin turned his head to look at Ginny knowingly, and the action caught the three seventh-years' eyes.
"Who's there?" Harry asked quickly, pulling his wand out. Ron shifted with the bag some more and went for his wand as well. Hermione was right after.
"Lumos," she whispered.
Ron sagged with relief when he saw who it was and the bag clanked. But he tensed again when he realized that it was Ginny.
"Relax," Colin said, unaware of the mounting tension between the other four people in the room. "It's just us."
Ginny nodded, keeping her eyes on Ron. There was silence for a second before Ron spoke.
"What are you doing up so late?" he asked, trying to sound as if he was not suspicious.
"Maybe you could help," answered Colin blithely. "I was just asking Ginny –"
"About moonrod," Ginny said firmly, giving Colin a long look. "We were up late discussing Potions; Colin needed help on where to find moonrod – we have an essay you see. Twelve-and-a-half inches."
Ron looked a bit unconvinced, but Ginny innocently patted Colin's open book on the table.
"I can't remember where to find it either…and the book…well it hasn't really helped us," she said.
Harry walked toward Ginny and sat on the other side of her. He picked up the book and flipped through it.
"So you spent hours down here when you didn't know the answer anyway?"
Ginny felt like kicking something.
"Well, we do have an upcoming test – I think in a week or so; Snape hinted pretty strongly about one." She looked at Harry evenly.
"But you've hardly learned anything," he said squarely. "We're not even…what," he looked up at his friends, "a week into school yet?" Ron nodded.
Ginny took Colin's book away from Harry and held onto it. "You know how Snape is. Two days, two weeks – it's all the same to him. As long as we've done one potion he reasons that we can have a whole exam on it the next day. It's best to revise early before we get caught not knowing anything."
Hermione nodded. "I'm glad you understand that, Ginny. I hope that attitude rubs off on your brother."
Ron shrugged, but now seemed to accept what Ginny said. "How studious of you."
Colin – who Ginny had forgotten about – sat up. "I told her the same thing this morning."
Ginny wanted to avoid that topic at all costs, so instead she commented,
"I just don't want to fall behind on anything. But that was actually yesterday morning, Colin. And so we'd better go to bed now." She stood up. Colin looked at Ginny as if he wanted to put up a fight and ask her what she was avoiding. But instead he looked at her, and then at Harry who was still sitting, and then at the other occupants of the room and rose.
"I guess I'll just have to give up on the moonrod, Gin. But just this time – I'll figure it out next time." Ginny knew that Colin was not referring to just Potions ingredients and hugged him.
"Good night, Colin." The blond smiled at Ginny, nodded at Ron and company, and putting his hands in his pockets, walked up the stairs. Ginny noted with a twinge of guilt that he was already in his pajamas – he must have decided to change while waiting.
When Colin was up the stairs, Ginny looked around her a bit nervously and rubbed the maroon braided edge of the sofa with the pads of her fingers.
"So what were you three up to on this busy night?"
Ron shifted with is load. Hermione looked at him and then at Harry.
"Nothing much," said Ron. The bag clanked.
Ginny smirked. "Right." She gradually advanced on Ron a tried to peer inside, but it was to no avail. The only glimpse she received of anything was of something shiny, like glass.
"Did you three steal something?" she asked unbelievably.
Hermione looked insulted. "Of course not!" Ron and Harry glanced at each other quickly, but Ginny noticed. She gave the two boys a long look.
Slowly Ron inclined his head. "Yes, we did. Actually, Hermione wasn't lying; she just stood by while we –"
"Ron!" Hermione protested; it seemed as though an argument was on the rise.
"Look, 'Mione, I know that it's embarrassing – you being Head Girl and all – but Ginny's not stupid. She wouldn't have believed any lie that we told her anyway." The brown haired girl looked at Ginny apologetically and then nodded.
Ginny grinned. "Your secret's safe with me."
Ron continued. "Anyway, Hermione just stood by while we took a few butterbeers from the kitchen."
Ginny looked surprised. "What are you planning to do with all of that exactly? Because it sounds like a lot more than a few."
At that question, Harry and Ron grinned maliciously at each other while Hermione appeared decidedly nervous.
"It's not for some prank, is it?" Ginny asked trying to steal another peek.
Ron dodged her and walked to the stairs.
"Not telling," he said aloofly.
"But it promises to be interesting," Harry included.
"And dangerous," Hermione stated, glaring at Harry.
Ginny shook her head. "It must be some prank if you're willing to risk being caught, Ms. Head Girl," Ginny said to Hermione.
Hermione stood still, her eyes avoiding Ginny's, "Oh, I guess so…"
The four of them stood for a bit longer.
"Well," said Ron, "I guess we'll be turning in, if that's all the excitement for now." He began to walk up the stairs and Hermione met him. They kissed briefly, but tenderly and Hermione whispered a soft goodnight. Ron was pleasantly red. Then she took the bag and was gone. Harry looked awkwardly at Ginny and then tentatively hugged her goodnight. Bidding Ron goodnight he took leave as well.
"See you in a minute," he said to Ron walking up the stairs, his footsteps thumping softly on the carpet.
Ron turned to Ginny. "And then there were two." Ginny smirked.
"Duh dun dun."
There was a stilted silence.
"So I suppose you're not going to tell me what's really in the bag –"
"So you're not going to tell me why you were really down here –"
"- are you?" they said together. Both shook their heads. The two siblings grinned slightly at each other, though it didn't quite reach either of their eyes.
"Goodnight, Gin."
"It'll work better if you hold your wrist this way. Right."
Ginny held her hand at an awkward angle as she fired off another hex at Colin. Professor Packard watched Ginny for a second longer before continuing her survey of the class. It was still early in the year, but Packard had already started the class on practical work. She was a quiet woman for the most part, probably in her mid-forties who had begun graying. She had a strict hold over her class, but was patient enough and seemed to know what she was talking about. It seemed to most that Packard would be the best option for the following year, if she hadn't already informed Dumbledore that she was not going to be returning. Her references stated that she had been an auror for twenty years, but that she had decided to resign from field work due to her age. In this Ministry, she instructed new recruits on war tactics and strategies and the like, but she wanted to try her hand at instructing a younger group in defense.
Ginny admitted to herself that she might understand the more technical aspects of the wand work that day if her mind were not completely on another level.
"Hey! You!"
Ginny's head snapped forward. "Huh?"
"Are you abandoning me again?" Colin said, twirling his wand.
Ginny frowned. "I thought that we went over that. I'm –"
"Because it really damaged my image, Ginny."
"Oh, shut it."
"Oh, pay attention," Colin retorted; the wand spinning stopped. "Inverto!"
"Protego!" Ginny cried, not a moment too soon. Her shield gleamed brightly for a moment, and then faded as Colin's curse faded as well.
Colin nodded. "Acceptable, I guess. Otherwise you would have found yourself not knowing which way was up, though you don't seem like you do right now."
Before Ginny could reply, Professor Packard cleared her throat. "For homework: a half-roll of parchment on the advantages and disadvantages of this hex. Class dismissed."
Colin and Ginny exited the room amidst the various grumblings that always came when homework was announced.
"So are you going to help me tonight?" Colin asked as they were walking to Potions.
Ginny nodded emphatically and rubbed her arms when the crowd of traveling students lessened to a minor few. The closer they got to the dungeons, the colder it became, and her robes were pretty thin.
"Is nine o'clock okay?"
Colin grinned. "Why the hurry? In a rush to get to your Hufflepuff boyfriend?"
"No."
They waited outside of the room.
"And even if I was, who said that he would be in Hufflepuff?"
"Well," Colin reasoned, "If he was in Gryffindor, then it would be too easy for your brother to harass him, so you wouldn't date inside of your house. I figure that you're pretty much finished with Ravenclaw men if they're all as 'open-minded' as Corner. Hufflepuff is loyal, and steadfast, or whatever the Sorting Hat says."
"And…and…Slytherin?"
Colin snorted. "I never knew you were a comedian, Ginny."
The door swung open as the dismal seventh-year class exited. Crabbe and Goyle shuffled out, seemingly in their own world followed by a few others Slytherins.
Ginny rocked back and forth on her heels distractedly. Then she smiled at Ron and Harry who left the room in a temper – as always.
"I told you that getting angry will only make it worse, Ron!"
"Are you trying to justify what he did, Hermione? Since when does breathing too close to a cauldron create an explosion?"
Neville trudged out, looking embarrassed and dejected.
"What's wrong?" asked Ginny.
He shrugged sadly. "My cauldron blew up again."
"It's not your fault, Neville," argued Hermione. "I'm sure that you would've gotten it right this time."
"If Snape hadn't been breathing down your neck!" Harry said angrily.
"That slimy excuse for a Potions teacher took thirty points from Gryffindor – and the mess didn't even hit anyone this time!" Ron shouted.
Neville shook his head and looked at Ginny and Colin. "He said that 'the toxic fumes which robbed my brain of any knowledge, seeped out through-'"
"'- His mouth; creating a dangerous reactant with the potion.'! What a load of crap!"
"I don't think so, Weasley. The truth does tend to be an ugly thing."
Draco leaned in the doorway looking so entertained that it made the situation all the more unbearable.
Ron turned angrily. "Shut your trap, Malfoy!"
He smirked. "What do you think, Weasley? – The younger one, I mean," he said turning to Ginny. "Do you think I'm out of line?"
Ginny had been trying to studiously ignore Draco when she saw him come out of the room. The irrational part of her thought imagined that if she even dared to steal a glance at him, lights would go off somewhere reading: 'She fraternized with the Enemy! Fraternized!'
Now, she looked at him as much as she dared to, although it was not directly in his eyes. She didn't want to start an argument with him in front of everyone when she would have to face him later, but it was out of the question to not defend Neville.
But she was not given the chance.
"Do you have a death wish, Ferret? Don't talk to my sister!"
Draco held his hands up in defense, although he was clearly unruffled. Passing by Ginny who, who was in the middle of the war, he let his arms drop, knocking all of her books onto the floor.
From up ahead, Crabbe and Goyle turned around and looked suspiciously at the clatter that had sounded. They eyed Draco's handiwork, laughed thickly, and continued on their way.
"Oh. My apologies, Weasel Princess." Draco kneeled down to pick up Ginny's Transfiguration book – Ron stepped in like a whip.
"Don't touch any of her things!"
Ginny's face burned as Draco eyed her with cynical amusement.
"It must be nice to have Big Brother look out for wicked Mr. Malfoy."
"Very," Ginny muttered, snatching her book away, feeling exactly the opposite. It was amazing the way Ron made her feel like five-year-old, even when he was trying to help her. "Go to your class, Ron."
"Ginny…"
"She's fine, Ron," Harry contested.
"This gets very old after awhile," Draco remarked, pushing past Colin and putting his hands in his pockets. Strutting down the hall as if he owned it, Draco left the agitated bunch behind.
Ron's fists clenched. "One of these days he'll get what's coming to him."
"I wouldn't mind being a part of that," added Harry. "But in the meantime we have class."
The three of them began walking away, Ron plotting revenge on his enemy with an amused looking Harry and an annoyed Hermione next to him.
"Don't worry, Neville," Ginny said, turning to her friend. He looked like he was churning with guilt.
"You didn't start this argument, you know," said Colin. "Malfoy was here, Ron was there…of course they were going to snipe at each other."
Neville shook his head quickly. "I know, I know…" He walked off to Herbology.
Ginny watched him sympathetically and wondered if Neville had problems outside of dealing with Snape. Even after he had invited her to the Yule Ball in her third year, the two didn't really speak much until her fourth year. Ginny had a mild interest in Herbology, and hoping to convert her into an avid herbologist like himself, he talked to her more and more. Herbology had opened Neville up to Ginny in more ways than she thought possible, and she began to view him as a much stronger person than he himself knew. Especially after he confided what had happened to his parents to her in her fifth year. Admittedly, she knew that there was more to his parents' story then he let on after overhearing Ron and Harry whispering over the summer, but she had no grasp of the magnanimity of what the Longbottoms had experienced – and were still experiencing – until she heard it from his own mouth.
Ginny yearned to ask Neville why he had been so far from Gryffindor Tower the previous night, but that would raise unpleasant questions about her own whereabouts as well. She would just have to wait.
"That was about the only thing Malfoy has ever been right about, Ginny," said Colin, walking in the room.
"What's that?" Ginny asked; mind still on Neville.
"The whole…'watch out for me, I'm evil thing'; it's getting old. I mean, he sees that you won't say anything -"
"Well, I didn't hear you saying any of that when it actually mattered, Colin," Ginny said, frowning.
Colin's eyebrows rose.
"This time I'm not apologizing! How do you know that I wouldn't have said anything when Ron cut me off before I even had a chance to breathe?"
"Because, Ginny, you hardly ever do."
"I-"
"Miss Weasley," said Snape, as if he were swallowing a skrewt, "I do believe that I told the class to read the instructions on the board, not discuss the agenda of the Harry Potter fan club with Mr. Creevey. Five points from Gryffindor."
There were some scattered snickers.
"Yes, sir," Ginny said stiffly, taking her seat. Another day in Potions.
How exciting.
Ginny plopped down into the closest space that she could find, Colin followed suit. Ginny searched for Neville momentarily, but he was not there. She settled for saving him a space.
"I hope he isn't hiding away because of what happened in his class," Ginny said taking a roll off of a tray in the middle of the table.
"I don't think he would be," Colin replied, following suit. "At best, he's just poking around the Greenhouse, checking on the plants with Sprout."
"You mean at worst."
Colin shrugged. "I agree with you that he shouldn't feel the need to banish himself from the rest of the world because of a mistake. But if doing what he likes makes him feel better, then why not?"
"It's still unfair."
"Of course it is!" Ron declared, nosing in. "And if I didn't know any better, the way Malfoy was so smug about it, he had something to do with the explosion."
Harry snorted. "When isn't Malfoy smug?"
Ginny silently agreed.
"Well, I get the feeling that we needn't worry about him so much now," said Hermione. "He seems to be too wrapped up in his own world to do anything much." Ginny knew about that all too well. "Today was only the first day that he really bothered us at all."
"Because Crabbe and Goyle have finally grown brains and ditched him," said Ron disparagingly.
Harry grinned. "That seems too far-fetched to me. More likely Malfoy was tired of having extra shadows. With his family being inspected so closely, it's also likely that he didn't want to run the risk of his goons spilling his secrets."
Listening closely to the conversation which had rapidly turned from concern over Neville to Draco's secrets, Ginny couldn't help but disagree with some of what Harry said.
"I doubt that Malfoy would have told Crabbe or Goyle anything in the first place if there was such a high risk of it being leaked."
Hermione nodded.
"It could be that Crabbe and Goyle's own fathers didn't want any aurors suspecting them of being involved with Lucius Malfoy, so they were told to keep clear of Draco Malfoy."
Ron looked disgusted. "There isn't even any honor among thieves."
"Would you rather that they all banded together, then, and formed an alliance to spoil the name of good wizards and kill Muggles?" Ginny asked. "At least divided they don't have the protection of the other families to back them."
"True," said Harry, nodding reluctantly. "All the same, I'm unwilling to believe that all ties between the Dark Families are completely severed. As stupid as Crabbe and Goyle are we should still to look out for them."
Ginny jumped on that comment. "This is exactly why I should help you."
"The answer is still no," Ron denied.
Ginny tossed him a dirty look. "I do know what I'm talking about-"
"That's all well and good," said Harry, looking at Ginny in a way that she couldn't help notice was patronizing, "but saying and doing are two different things."
Ginny sat up indignantly. "I'm not a first-year, big-brother," she retorted.
Harry flushed. "You know what I mean."
"I really don't think I do."
"Then you're not as good at thinking as you thought you were, are you?"
Ginny's fists clenched, as Ron looked on nervously, his fingers twiddling around at the edge of the table. But he said nothing.
Colin looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny and finally decided on speaking up in Ginny's defense. However, Ginny stood from the table and silenced her friend with her hand, barely restraining herself from throwing a pitcher of pumpkin juice at the black-haired boy.
"Go on with your plans then – I've got my own. But if the only hope for Mr. Tinelle is to be found from a self-righteous, egotistical prat like you, I'd better go owl Mum for permission to visit him in Azkaban."
"Ooh…" whispered Hermione, peeking apprehensively at Harry.
The silence around them was so thick that Colin couldn't have cut it with a machete. He had never been up close when Harry had been in one of his rages, but since his fourth-year they had become notorious. No one wanted to be a part of them, but as no one had the heart to blame Harry for feeling the way he did, no one chastised him. No one except for Hermione, that was. However, Hermione was not feeling very outspoken at the moment, and Colin did not feel as if he knew Harry well enough to tell him to mind what he said.
"Maybe we should go…" Colin suggested quietly to Ginny.
But she didn't move right away. Instead her eyes stared at the top of her brother's head. Ron's head was bent low over his plate, the tip of his fork scraping around the surface of it, although he was clearly not eating.
Not being able to bear the scene anymore, Ginny whisked herself away, pulling her robes out of Colin's grasp when he tried to hold onto her. A few students looked up at Ginny when she went off, but they all shrugged and resumed their own conversations.
Ron tried to ignore the thudding sensation in his chest that told him he should have said something – anything. Not necessarily to take sides, but to head off the argument before it turned nasty. But a louder voice inside of him told him that it was just beginning-of-the-year nerves that Ginny was suffering from.
'She always liked being home better anyway; she just needs to get readjusted,' he said to himself. 'That's all.'
"I can't stand him!"
"Ginny, please calm down!"
"Leave me alone, Colin."
"Ginny –"
"Please!"
Ginny turned to face her best friend, her body screaming with frustration. Her eyes locked with his momentarily only to look away when she saw the hurt in his.
"Maybe if you just…talked about it with me, you'd feel better," he said.
"The last thing I want to do is talk, Colin."
"What does throwing a fit accomplish, Ginny?"
Looking at Colin frostily, Ginny turned away from him and walked away. Is that what everyone thought she was doing? Having another tantrum?
"Let's just let it alone. You wanted to do that just now, didn't you Colin? Because you kept your mouth shut in there."
"I didn't want you to start saying things that you didn't mean!"
Ginny looked at Colin with a steady gaze. "I meant every single word that I spoke. And more that I didn't."
"No, you were picking a fight."
"Was I?!"
Just at that moment, Ginny saw Draco walking from behind Colin and groaned inwardly. She hoped he would go on his way without starting something, and he did. However, he made very sure to give her a scathing glare before he walked by her. Colin looked at Draco suspiciously behind the blond-haired boy's back, but then turned his attention back to Ginny.
"What is this all about, Ginny?" he asked.
"All what, Colin?"
He gesticulated vaguely. "All this…this…smoke and mirrors nonsense. Are you planning on going on another one of your older brother's adventures?"
"No," Ginny spat, walking away. "Ron's the tagalong, not me."
Ginny stomped off to her room, leaving Colin behind. She couldn't trust herself to be nice to him at that moment. She knew he was hurt, but frankly, she was not feeling very charitable at that moment, and if he followed her, she would be an even worse friend than she was being already.
After getting another dirty look from the Fat Lady (who was still uptight at the way Ginny addressed her the night before) Ginny ran up to her room, slammed the door, and threw the hangings around her bed shut.
The year was turning out to be a disaster so soon, and she didn't know what she could do to change it.
Ginny had always fervently promised herself that no matter what happened, whether she garnered the attention of the Trio or not, she would always remember that her friends came first. But she had at least hoped for support from them. Colin didn't realize how much she wanted to change, how desperately she felt she needed to change, and was loath to defend her in front of his long-time idol, the Great Potter. Ron had ignored her ever since he saw Harry at the Hogwarts Express. And only God knew where Neville was off to!
Getting the necessary books that she needed for her next class and discarding the ones that she did not, Ginny almost wept with joy to think that she didn't have class with Slytherin. Care of Magical creatures was with Ravenclaw, whom she did not mind so much, as long as they kept their superiority complex to a minimum.
Throwing her Transfiguration book aside, Ginny halted in her furious activities when she saw something falling out of it. It was a small piece of parchment.
Meet me you know where at lunch. Don't. Be. Late.
M.
"Oh, wonderful…" Ginny muttered, looking at the paper.
She remembered when Draco had picked up her Transfiguration book and handed it to her. And how uncharacteristically soon he had left afterwards. He must have slipped it inside of the notebook and then left. Ginny admitted that he was very good at doing that.
'That was why he gave me such a nasty look just now,' she thought. 'Well there's nothing I can do about it now; he'll just have to deal with it.' Ginny wondered how she would schedule another meeting with Draco when she dared not stop him in the halls. She pondered how suspicious it would be to anyone if she sent him a letter using a school owl…
Ginny was far from feeling guilty about it though. She reasoned that after all of what he had put her through over the years, meeting him late now and then was fairly trivial. Especially after the way he had deserted her the night before. Her anger had left her too distracted that morning in class to notice what she was doing half the time; which is why she was so grateful that Professor Packard was so patient. Ginny wondered if she had been in Gryffindor – assuming that she had gone to Hogwarts. She seemed stern enough and fair enough, certainly. Definitely more charitable than Snape had been concerning Ginny's absentmindedness.
While being on Mr. Tinelle's case had perks – it was almost fun for one thing – Ginny would be glad when it was over and she could return to her normal life: friends with Colin, and hopefully more respect from Ron and Harry.
"Hey, Luna," Ginny said, falling in step with the blonde girl ahead of her.
Blocking the overhead glare with her arm, Ginny walked heavily down the hill to Hagrid's hut. Colin walked ahead of Ginny with some other people in their year. She could see his Monster Book of Monsters wedged securely under his arm and realized that he had to have come inside of the Tower and changed books without her noticing.
Luna turned her head to acknowledge Ginny.
"Hello, Ginny," she greeted neutrally.
Luna had been walking by herself, lagging behind the rest of the groups of students heading down to their class area. Her eyes were bright as usual, and her own Monster Book was tied securely with…with…
"Is that a Sour-Apple Extreme Licorice Lick?" Ginny asked abruptly.
Luna looked at Ginny blithely. "Yes it is, Ginny."
"Well, erm…why?"
Luna gave Ginny a wide-eyed look. "Because there was no more Grape."
Ginny raised her arm to push her hair out of her face – really; she wanted to hide her rapidly forming grin. But Luna still held her intent gaze on Ginny, and something inside of it told Ginny that Luna might not have cared if she did laugh.
"Aren't you afraid that the book will eat through it?"
Luna shook her head; the mini-radishes in her ears shook along with her. "Father put Thickening and Engorgement Charms all over it."
Ginny smiled. "I hope the book enjoys it."
"Oh, it does, it does," Luna assured her. "Books enjoy sweets too. What are you sick with?"
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked. Luna always had a discerning way of switching topics unexpectedly; it had always made Ginny feel as if she were too slow to keep up a conversation with her.
"You and Colin Creevey are unexpectedly far apart when you always walk down together. That's what you did last year. But he is not walking with you now. Is he afraid that you might give him what you're sick with?"
Ginny shook her head a bit unhappily. "No…I'm not sick…"
Luna blinked. "You should not be arguing, if you are. It's a waste of time that could be better spent looking for more important things like Silver-Horned Smurkles – my father told me that. We had a row once, while looking for Silver-Horned Smurkles, and he told me that it was a waste of time; because while we were arguing, they all went into their holes, and we did not catch any all that day. You should tell Colin that."
Ginny was about to protest that it was not that simple, but then she turned the idea over in her mind. Her row with Colin had seemed an immense problem that could not be solved by anything other than more arguing, so Ginny shied away from making up with him. But Luna was mature enough, had enough outside perspective (and, Ginny had to admit, was strange enough) to simplify it. There really was no point in staying angry with each other.
"Thanks, Luna," she said honestly. "Your father's right." Luna nodded fervently.
"I know."
Ginny grinned. "So how is the newspaper going?"
By then they had reached Hagrid's hut, so Luna's response was deterred until the jovial half-giant explained what they would be doing.
No one, no one wanted to miss Hagrid's instructions, as that might result in a possibly fatal accident.
Waving a large hand at Ginny, Hagrid began his explanation.
"Today we'll start workin' with Grapplesnares." He placed a large wooden crate on top of a workshop table and took the covering off. Ginny did not see anything and hoped desperately that they were not invisible, like thestrals, unless something disastrous happened – then she saw a tiny tendril poking over the side of the box. It wiggled a bit and then continued to creep over the edge.
"Grapplesnares," Hagrid began, "are relatives of devilsnare. Some kind of cousin I think, exceptin' the fact that they love sun, n' thrive in it. Over the next few weeks, yer goin' to learn how to take care of 'em and raise 'em from the egg-"
"Egg?" a Ravenclaw asked. "You made it sound like they were plants."
"Well, if they were plants, then you'd be learnin' abou' them in 'Erbology, wouldn' yer?" Hagrid asked smiling.
"They look like plants," the boy said stubbornly.
Hagrid put his hand in the box and a straggly arm attached itself to one of his beefy fingers. Fully out of the box, the creature looked even more like a plant. It was green, a bit fuzzy, but it looked like there were a few tiny leaves on it. But…were those eyes?
"See, that's the interestin' thing abou' them! As relatives of a plant species, they do have some characteristics of plants. But if yeh look a bit closer," Hagrid went through the cluster of students and showed them his finger, "yeh can see that they've tiny, little eyes. The biggest difference is tha' despite the leaves they grow on the crown of their 'eads, their mothers produce tiny little eggs that look like seeds. The seeds are buried under damp soil, and then they 'atch. That's what makes 'em like animals."
Ginny began to understand a little, although she still questioned what species it belonged to. After the explanation, the students separated into groups of two or three – Ginny paired with Luna – and took turns sketching the animals while the other practiced holding it. The little animals liked to curl around the fingers of people and squeeze gently on them. Hagrid had given them strict instructions to let them do it, as it would not hurt very much. Much like babies tend to squeeze the fingers of whoever holds them, the newborn Grapplesnares did the same.
"What's so dangerous about them?" Ginny asked Hagrid; holding a Grapplesnare while Luna scribbled a picture of it.
"What makes yer think they're dangerous?" Hagrid replied.
"Just the fact that everything in this class is," said Jonathon Iggs, with a scornful smile on his face. Michael Corner laughed a bit as well, until Ginny sent a glare his way; then he went back to drawing.
"Like any animal, yeh have to treat 'em with kindness," said Hagrid blithely. "But when they grow up they might give yeh a bit of a run fur yer money, they will. A bit like devilsnare, if they feel threatened, they wrap their arms aroun' their enemy – the arms are much longer when they're grown – and they might choke 'em a bit."
"A bit!" Jonathon scoffed. Hagrid appeared not to have heard him.
"What do they eat?" Luna asked interestedly.
"Nothing when they're this young; they make their food from the sun – somethin' called photosynthesis. Muggles study it in more detail, but all of yeh won't have to. When they're older they like roots and things; sometimes very small seeds for the extra nutrients. But that's all in yer books! Read the four chapters on Grapplesnares fur homework. Put 'em back carefully! Carefully!"
Class was over, and Ginny went over to the crate and pushed the fuzzy-animal-vine-like creature off her finger gently. Picking up her books, she waved goodbye to Hagrid and walked back up the hill with Luna. Unfortunately, Care of Magical Creatures was the only class with Ravenclaw, so Ginny would be partnerless unless she and Colin came to a quick truce.
She and Colin were awkward with each other for the rest of the day. The only conversations that they managed were stilted ones during classes; and this was only because they had paired themselves up together and did not want to bother with the discomfort switching partners would bring.
In the half an hour before dinner that Ginny usually spent chatting with Colin about anything, she chose to begin her essay. Setting her books down on a mahogany table that she liked to write at she watched as Colin went slowly up his side of the stairs.
"Colin!" she called without realizing it.
He turned around so quickly that she was half afraid he might fall, but she did not smile at him. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to.
"Are you coming back down?"
He gave her an odd look.
"Erm…yes. I have to go to dinner."
Ginny grimaced inwardly. Right. Of course."
"I meant before you went down to dinner. To start Potions; I think I'll need your help just as much as you say you need mine."
He shrugged a little exaggeratedly. "Sure. I don't see why not." Instead of going way up, he turned around and walked over to where Ginny was sitting.
Ginny took out her Potions book and snuck Colin a few anxious glances. Colin had already taken his parchment out and a quill and was studiously ignoring her. He wrote his name on the top of his paper.
"So…what's the essay on?" Ginny asked.
Colin gave her a blank look. "Moonstone."
Ginny's eyes widened. "I was right! Wow, I completely guessed when I told Ron that…"
Colin's eyes narrowed. "I thought you had been working on it."
Ginny blanched. "I meant…Fine, Colin; I lied."
"Surprise, surprise."
"Do you know what Luna told me?" Ginny asked Colin.
He dipped his quill in ink. "No, I don't think I do."
Ginny sat up. "She told me that she and her father had been looking for Silver-Horned Smurkles " - Ginny smiled a little when she saw Colin avoiding her eyes so that she would not see his own – "and that they had been arguing, so they didn't catch any. So it was a waste of time being angry with each other. Do you know what I mean?"
Colin gave Ginny a long look. "I'll make sure not to have a row with Luna's father when we're out looking for imaginary creatures, Ginny."
"That's not – oh, shut it," Ginny said, grinning. Colin was smirking. She held out her hand. "Friends?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No. Now help me with this essay that I 'started on'."
They worked companionably for about twenty-five minutes, and then it was time to go; without realizing it, they had run into dinner.
"Are we going to work on it some more after dinner?" asked Colin.
Ginny opened up the portrait. She wanted to see if she could corner Draco somewhere and get him to meet her in the secret staff room so that he could tell her what he was going to during lunch. But she needed to finish up the essay, and she and Colin had only just made up.
"Yup."
She could find Draco later.
When Colin and Ginny entered the Great Hall, Ron, Harry and Hermione were just leaving.
Ron failed miserably in acting as if he did not know Ginny was there, and felt compelled to give her a quick, "Hey, Gin." Hermione only smiled at her, and Harry was so good at pretending that Ginny was not there, that Ginny almost had to convince herself that she was.
Ginny looked quickly at the Slytherin table and only saw a big mop of brown hair. Sitting down, she looked until the head moved; it was Pansy Parkinson with her face questionably in front of Draco's. When the view was clear, she smirked at Draco when he saw her looking. He did was give her a repeat performance of the glare he gave her before.
Looking around surreptitiously, Ginny mouthed, "Later" to the irate Slytherin.
All Draco did was look away, but Ginny thought annoyed, that if he chose not to show, it was his own problem. Realizing suddenly that she was famished because she had not eaten much lunch, Ginny began eating.
"Feeling better, Neville?" she asked the boy next to her.
He smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I was just in a rotten mood this morning."
"But Malfoy didn't help any," said Colin.
Someone further down screeched and a goblet of pumpkin juice clattered on the floor.
"It's just Mavis," a dark-haired girl in Ginny's class assured when she saw the alarmed faces around her. "She knocked over her goblet and it fell on Lavender Brown's lap."
Ginny, Neville, and Colin nodded.
"Anyway," Neville continued, "whatever Malfoy said to me was more than made up for in Defense today."
"How so?" Ginny asked.
Neville grinned wickedly; Ginny had to admit that it looked rather sinister on his usual soft-featured face. "Packard hates him – it's wonderful!"
"She hates him?"
"Yeah, it's so obvious. He pretty much keeps his mouth shut in that class now, because whenever he makes a comment, she really takes the mickey out of him." Neville looked gleeful, and then thoughtful. "As a matter of fact, he tried to say something nasty about you today, Ginny."
"About Ginny?" Colin asked.
Neville nodded. "Mmhm. Ron was going to start in on him, but then Packard told Ron to calm down. Then she told Malfoy that you were a fine student." Ginny blushed; she had not been a fine student that day. "And that if his family was only half as quick with their wands as they were with their mouths that his father wouldn't have ended up in Azkaban two years ago!"
Ginny and Colin gaped.
"She said that?!" Ginny whispered, as if Lucius were hiding nearby.
Neville nodded so quickly that his cowlick fell into his eyes.
"She did! I couldn't believe it myself!"
"That's pretty harsh," Ginny said.
Neville scowled. "It's nothing more than he deserves."
Ginny did not say anything; she did not have any evidence to refute that.
"Do you think she'll get into trouble for that?" Colin asked.
Neville looked as if he wondered the same thing.
"I don't think she will," Ginny told them. "Even though Malfoy's father got released on some technicality or another, he's not a school-board governor anymore. The most he can do is write in a complaint or two – and that's not much. I mean, look at all the nasty things Snape's said to my family over the years. He could probably start an anthology from the complaints that Mum's sent to Dumbledore. And Snape isn't going anywhere soon."
"True," Colin said. "And Defense teachers are hard to come by. It's not as if she's abusing Malfoy."
"I wouldn't be impartial to that!" exclaimed Neville.
Ginny laughed and tried not to choke on the bread she was eating.
'So Professor Packard hates Malfoy,' she thought. 'It's probably because she's an ex-auror.'
"Speaking of Snape," Colin piped up, "How is N.E.W.T. revision going?"
Neville looked so dismal that Colin apologized for bringing it up.
"He's giving us so much work that I think he's hoping some of us will quit school so he won't have to prepare so many exams."
"That's terrible," Ginny said; Colin nodded.
"Now I don't feel half as upset over the essay we've got."
"Well, sixth-year isn't a picnic either – but it isn't terrible. It seems like sort of a jump in the beginning, but it's not really that bad later on."
The talked for a while longer, and then the tables began to empty up as people went to their respective houses. When a large group from the Ravenclaw table rose and left the Great Hall, Neville got up also and said that he was going to go do his homework. Ginny and Colin decided that they should do the same and followed.
Deciding that they were going to put off the essay until the rest of the homework was finished they began asking Neville questions about their Care of Magical Creatures class that day.
"But Neville, how can something be half-plant, half-animal? They function differently."
"Don't think about it in classifications so much. Remember the Mandrakes? Those were sort of half-and-half as well."
Keeping that in mind, Ginny and Colin processed more of what their reading was than they might have before.
Two and a half hours later, Ginny and Colin heaved big sighs and put their quills down.
"I think we've still got a conclusion to finish up on the essay," Colin said.
Ginny grunted.
"Do we have a Transfiguration essay?" he asked.
"No, not yet," Ginny said. "But there's definitely one coming up soon. Have we finished everything?"
"I still have to do Divination, but I saved it for later because when I'm near exhaustion, I enter this trance-like state…"
"Delirium?"
"No...Well, maybe yes. But I'm much more creative then. Much more creative than it takes to do Arithmantic equations."
"You weren't creative enough to get more than an A on your O.W.L.," Ginny shot back.
"What did you get in Arithmancy, again?"
"An E," Ginny said smugly.
"Fine, fine. If you're so clever, help me think of some new ways to die."
"In a second, I need to figure this answer out," Ginny said, flipping back and forth between her parchment and the Arithmancy book. She scribbled a quick answer down and then told Colin that he would die from his bed swallowing him whole.
"Thanks."
When it was around 11:00, Colin decided that he was through and packed his bag.
"Are you heading up, Ginny?"
She was busy packing her own things. "Er…no…I was planning on taking a walk, actually."
Colin was not fooled. "At 11:00? Tell me that you're going on some stupid adventure to get yourself killed, that you wanted to snog your secret boyfriend, that you were going to teepee Snape's office with toilet paper, but not some feeble lie."
Ginny grinned. "I'm going to teepee Snape's office, Colin."
He smiled and turned around. "Have fun," he said walking up the stairs.
"I will," Ginny told him, and put her bag on the couch.
With that, she headed off to pay Draco Malfoy a visit.
I hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks to my beta Tristan2 for editing everything and taking the time to read through it, even if we're busy; I really appreciate it. Also, thanks to all of you who have reviewed. It is food for my soul!
-Femme