A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry I didn't post this sooner, but life's been hectic lately (especially with school). Hope you like this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think!

The days that followed were a strain on everyone. Ron and Harry had gone from barely speaking to pretending that their fight had never happened, Hermione just wanted things to go back to normal, and Ginny wasn't talking to any of them. The common room and halls were filled with cold glares and growing frustration on all of their parts, a problem that grew worse as the professors started to assign more and more homework.

"Bloody stupid O.W.L.s," Ginny muttered as she threw her bookbag onto the library table and sat down next to Rowena. "Hi Row."

"Oh! There you are Ginny! I was worried that you might've gotten detention again."

"No, that's not it. McGonagall just wanted to talk to me. It was the strangest thing. She didn't even bring up the way I'd completely botched the assignment." Ginny went over the conversation in her head again, trying to figure out what McGonagall had been getting at.

"Well, what did she talk with you about then?" Rowena questioned curiously.

"Something about how she knows that I have a lot on my mind, but that things will work out all right and that she has faith in me. If I didn't know better I'd swear that she was referring to...You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Of course not Ginny! You know I'd never." They sat a moment in silence before Rowena spoke again. "Did she say anything else?"

"She said," Ginny hesitated, not wanting to think about it any more than necessary, "She said that I had to follow my heart."

"Odd."

"Yeah. I swear she knows something. I think she might even know more about what's going on than I do."

"Why was she talking about following your heart though?"

"I have no idea. If I followed what my heart wanted to do I'd just be putting more people in danger."

"It'll be okay," Rowena said, briefly putting a hand on Ginny's shoulder, "We're getting closer. I can feel it." She gestured at the piles of books that were laid out on the table in front of them. "And once we figure it out, what your heart wants to do and what you can do will be the same."

"I hope so. I really miss them, you know? I miss talking with Hermione and hanging out with my brother."

"And you miss Harry," Rowena added empathetically.

"Maybe."

"Well, let's get to work on this then. We've been at it for almost a week, we've got to find something soon."

Ginny unloaded the books that she'd checked out for the night onto her dresser and plopped down on the windowseat, breathing a sigh of relief. This week was killing her. She was under an emotional and academic strain and, because of the nightmares, was severely sleep-deprived. She tried to think back to easier, more innocent times before realizing how far in the past those times actually were. I just want a normal life, is that too much to ask?

Ginny heard a knock on the dormitory door.

"Come in," she said, looking over to see who it was. "Ron?"

"Hey Ginny," he said, walking over to her seat.

"Wait! How did you get in? Boys aren't supposed to be allowed up here!"

"Oh that," he gave a hollow laugh, "Me and Harry figured out a way to get past that at the beginning of term. Keep shut about it though, or people might go around saying that we're delinquents."

Ginny cracked a small smile at Ron's joke. "But you are delinquents."

"Oh, that hurts Gin," he said as a hand flew to his chest. She rolled her eyes.

"So what are you doing here?"

Ron sighed and took a quick glance out the window before sitting down beside his sister and facing her.

"I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" Ginny felt like she should be the one to apologize to him.

"Yeah, you were right. I have ignored you a lot since we got to Hogwarts and I'm really sorry. It was a bloody awful thing to do."

"Ron - " Ginny's brain was telling her that she couldn't let him apologize, that it would just be putting everyone in danger, but her heart wouldn't let her.

"Don't stop me. And," he added, "don't say that you didn't mean it either because I know you did. I'm so, so sorry Ginny. I want to make it up to you. I want us to be close again. I may be a delinquent, but I don't want to be a delinquent brother."

"Oh Ron." Maybe it was the fact that Ginny had let her guard down in the past few days, or maybe it was the remorseful look on Ron's face and Ginny's own desire for the relationship she'd once had with her brother. It could even have been McGonagall's advice ringing in her ears, but for whatever reason, Ginny flung herself at her brother and hugged him. "You aren't a delinquent brother."

"Well, not anymore at least," he said as he hugged her back.

After a minute they released each other and Ginny wiped a tear off her cheek.

"Now," Ron started, "it's my job as a non-delinquent brother to ask what's going on with you."

"Nothing Ron. Everything's fine." She was too emotional to even consider making a decision like telling him. Everything was too confusing now anyway. She wouldn't know where to start.

"You could never lie very well," he said as a smile started to form. "Is it about that bloody git Dean? I know he's my roommate, but I'll pummel him if you want me to."

Ginny laughed, really laughed, for the first time in weeks. She silently thanked Ron for steering the topic away. "If you still think that there was ever anything between Dean and I, then you're thicker than I thought."

"Well after what you said on the train...and you never told me about Corner," he said.

"You'd think that after all these years you'd realize when I was just saying something to irritate you. There was never anything going on with me and Dean, but you're just so overprotective sometimes. I am going to go on dates, you know. With boys."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I just don't want anything bad to happen to you, you know? Sometimes I forget that you're only a year younger than me." He sighed. "Things were so much easier when you fancied Harry."

"When I fancied Harry?" Ginny gasped.

"Yeah. I mean, Dean's a nice bloke and everything, but I trust Harry. Like in a roundabout way it feels safer with him. I don't know how to explain it."

Ginny didn't know how to respond. Not only had Ron brought up her accursed infatuation with Harry, but seemed to want to encourage it. It was probably because nothing would happen between them, as Harry didn't fancy her. That was the only way should could possibly interpret Ron's use of safe. It certainly couldn't be the conventional way as, if anything ever actually happened between them, she would feel like she was endangering his life and he would most likely feel like he was endangering hers. It simply wasn't a possible option.

"Ron, if you're getting at what I think you're getting it, I should tell you that you really need to mind your own business. There is never going to be anything between me and Harry," Ginny said, trying to be as forceful as possible.

"Fine," Ron said, putting his hands up in surrender, "but you better be nice to him when he comes to apologize. He's feeling dreadful about it."

"He is?"

Ron raised an eyebrow at Ginny's sudden curiosity, thinking that maybe his sister's assertion that nothing would happen with her and Harry was a bit off the mark.

"Are you really that surprised?"

"No. I guess not." After all, Harry had a tendency to feel dreadful about all sorts of things.

"Well, I should probably get back down to the common room. Hermione's probably fuming. I told her that I'd meet her to work on Charms. You forgive me right?"

"Of course I do Ronniekins," she said hugging her brother. "Now you better get downstairs before your girlfriend has a fit."

"My girlfriend!?" Ron pulled away shocked and ears reddening. Ginny laughed.

"You do realize that if you start poking around in my personal life I get to poke around in yours?" Ginny said with a smirk.

"But she's not!" he shouted before realizing that Ginny was laughing at him. "Oh shut it." He walked out of the room without another word. Ginny curled back up on the windowseat and smiled to herself, feeling happier than she had in months.

Ron stalked down to the common room and huffily sat down at the table where Harry and Hermione were speaking in low whispers.

"Oh Ron! How'd it go?" Hermione said when she noticed that Ron had joined them.

"Bloody prat of a sister...insinuating things...none of her business," Ron muttered.

The smile faded from Hermione's face. She'd been sure that if Ron had just apologized and talked to Ginny that things would be okay.

"So it didn't go well then?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh no, it went fine," he said off-handedly. "She better not say anything or I'll kill her," he continued intensely.

Hermione shot a glance at Harry who seemed just as confused.

"But did she forgive you?" Harry asked.

"Of course she did," Ron said as his eyes lightened, "But I'd watch out for her if I were you Harry. She can be devious."

"What?" Harry was really confused.

"Ron, what on earth are you talking about?" Hermione questioned.

"Just giving Harry some advice," he said carelessly "Can you believe that she's only a year younger than us?"

Hermione didn't know how to take Ron's surprised comment and simply rolled her eyes. Of course she was only a year younger. She had been his entire life. Harry also looked as if the fact had just occurred to him. Why are boys so oblivious?

Ginny fastened her crimson hair into a ponytail and grabbed her Cleansweep III before exiting the changing room and joining the rest of the team at the entrance to the pitch.

"Ron, you'll do fine," she heard Harry insisting and walked over to where the two were standing. "Plus, the new Ravenclaw chasers aren't going to be that difficult."

"He's right you know," Ginny added.

Harry looked at her, shocked that she was saying that he was right about something.

"I suppose," Ron stated, though he didn't look any better about it.

"Ginny, can I talk to you?" He'd better get this apology over with.

Ginny looked at him with eyebrows raised. "This really isn't a good time Harry." Turning back to Ron she started to give him a pep talk. Maybe things weren't quite as good as Harry had hoped. He really needed to apologize to her. Maybe once he did, her accusing words would stop running through his head.

"Ginny..."

"What Harry?" she said harshly, whirling around.

"I really need to talk to you. I need to apologize -"

"I really can't deal with this now! The match is about to start, Ron's a nervous wreck," Harry looked over to where Ron was taking enough deep breaths to hyperventilate, "and I just can't -"

"Having a lover's tiff?" Malfoy's smooth voice drifted over to them and Harry and Ginny spun around to face the Slytherin and his gang.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry hissed.

"Just thought I'd stop by on the way to the stands," Malfoy said calmly.

"Well, get out."

Ginny grabbed Harry's arm as he tried to move forward.

"Oh look, Weasel's come to join us," Malfoy said as Ron came up beside Ginny, "You know, I think I'm in a rather musical mood today. There's this song that I can't quite get out of my head. How'd it go again?" he said and the Gryffindor's faces turned angry as they realized what Malfoy was referring to, "Oh right! Weasley is the king, he lets the Quaffle in -"

"Shut it Malfoy!" Ginny shouted as Ron's face grew red and Harry reached for his wand.

"Feisty," Malfoy said as he looked her up and down. She was about to punch him when McGonagall appeared.

"Is everything all right?" the head of Gryffindor house asked as if she knew that everything weren't.

"Fine," the four of them said in unison.

McGonnagall left and the four of them stood there glaring before Malfoy announced that he was leaving.

"And Red," he added looking at Ginny, "If you ever want to try things out with a higher class of wizard," his eyes darted quickly to Harry and back, "let me know."

"Oh God," Ginny said once Malfoy left, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

Gryffindor trounced Ravenclaw. Most put it up to the intense training schedule, but Ginny thought that it had more likely been because of displaced anger at Malfoy that she, Ron, and Harry had flown harder and played more intensely. She still couldn't believe that he'd had the gall to say that to her. Ugh. It was disgusting.

She hoped that Hermione was keeping the boys from killing Malfoy because she didn't have the time or energy to deal with it. In fact, she had raced back to the castle after the match and taken her shower there simply because she didn't want to deal with the two, especially Harry who seemed like he was going to make apologizing to her and injuring Malfoy his mission in life.

She still hadn't figured out what to do with him. Patching things up with Ron had been great, but she still felt like doing so with Harry was a major risk until she found out for sure if her dreams were prophetic. She hoped she and Rowena would discover the spell soon because all of this uncertainty was starting to cloud her better judgment. And she wasn't sure how much longer she could avoid Harry.

"Wait," Rowena said from her position sitting on the floor beside Ginny's bed, "Malfoy hit on you?"

"Yes," she said as her thoughts refocused on the present, "It was the most disturbing thing ever."

"Ugh. That's just weird," Rowena said.

"I know. Now let's get back to reading. We have to find this spell."

"If he weren't so evil I'd be jealous. He is rather attractive." Rowena pretended to swoon.

"Don't be dramatic," Ginny said, think that Malfoy was the furthest possible thing from attractive, "I couldn't handle another dramatic roommate."

"Speaking of Kristy, did you hear about how she and that Ravenclaw Daniel got into a huge fight in the Charms corridor between classes? It was the talk of the Great Hall this morning at breakfast, which you should start coming to by the way."

"I know. I know. If I only had more time."

lavalampronsgirl – I'm glad you love it. :) Hope the fragments aren't too annoying, I just want to be able to fit lots of different points of view and happenings in each chapter.

Kitten530 – it's nice to hear that I'm keeping you on your toes and you're enjoying it. And the fact that things aren't always as they seem is definitely an important aspect of the story. I hope I can keep you on your toes for the rest of the story!

Dementorchic – you'll find out about all of those things in good time ;) you're asking all the right questions, but some things have to happen before I reveal the answers in the story…feel free to guess though!

Amyaggie – I'm really glad that you love my story and I'm really sorry that I didn't update sooner (especially after I promised I would), but school's been really hectic. I can't answer your questions, but you're definitely thinking about it the right way!

FuzzyElf – First off, I totally understand being busy and not being able to do fanfic stuff. That's how it's been for me lately. I was really happy to get your review though. I'm happy that you think I'm writing true to character – that's what I aim for. As for Ginny's friend, I didn't mean her to seem suspicious, the timing thing with the chamber I only meant to be that they became friends because neither of them felt like they fit in. However now that you mention it, I could go the other way too, mwahaha. We'll have to see ;). Dumbledore is definitely on top of things…we'll have to see later on though if he's handling the information he has correctly. It's always great to hear from you. Hope you liked this chapter!