Special thanks to Chantal J and Sam, my first reviewer(s)! Love ya for ever!

(Love ya too Meike).

SNAKES AND LADDERS

CHAPTER TWO : THE LIBRARY UNDER MY BED.

"Prosmoligsmo Quasmaputon." The fat lady nodded absently and swung forward to let her into the student packed Gryffindor common room. She spotted Harry and Ron sitting by a table in a corner, scribbling furiously and looking tired. They didn't look up until she had furiously launched herself at Ron, grabbed him around the neck and attempted to strangle him.

Ron was completely thrown off guard and fell out of his chair, Ginny following him to the floor and hitting him as hard as she could across the cheek. She was satisfied when a bright red hand print appeared on his face.

"What the hell?" Harry had leapt up, causing a couple people to look up as his chair crash to the floor and watch in interest as Ginny beat up Ron as best as she could while he tried to defend himself from her blows, and as Harry tried to wrestle Ginny off Ron.

He finally managed to grab the spitting and snarling Ginny around the waist and hoist her into the air as she struggled to get at Ron, then remembered that Harry had voted Malfoy, and started attacking him instead.

It took Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Lee a whole 10 minutes to get Ginny to calm down, and decide it was safe to release her and explain the situation to Harry and Ron ALONE.

"You know Ginny, "Ron said sourly – and he had a perfectly good reason to: he was after all sporting a black eye and several cuts and scrapes – "If you wanted our attention, you'd just have to ASK."

"Yeah." Harry agreed. "Vhat av ve evah dun to youh?" He had to speak slowly, for Ginny has managed to split his lip, and a nasty bruise was starting to form on his forehead. Ginny was staring to regret her actions, now that she saw the damage shed done.

"Sorry guys." Ron snorted as if to say yeah, right. She hung her head shamefully, but then looked up again sharply. "But Hermione told me you thought I was going out with that idiot, Trevor-shit-face-Nolte from Hufflepuff -" Harry and Ron and Harry smiled appreciatively at the nick name, although Harry's smile faded quickly as the pain in his lip increased. "And Draco Malfoy of ALL people. I mean seriously. I don't go around making bets about you and Romilda vain or Mc Gonagall!"

In the end Harry and Ron forgave her, thought grudgingly.

"So Hermione won then?" Harry asked. "Derek is it?" At least, that's what Ginny presumed he was asking. It was kind of hard to tell. He reminded her very much of Fleur de la cour like this, except of course he wasn't part veela. Or female.

Ginny had half the heart to say 'no' but they'd find out anyway, some way or another, and she'd told then Hermione had told them, so she just remained silent and bade them goodnight even though only half past nine.

"So we're taking it as a yes then?"

Ginny stopped at the foot of the stairs and swivelled around. "I suppose so." She grinned wickedly, surprised that she didn't feel more embarrassed, shrugged to herself and started up the stairs to the now empty dormitory.

She sighed and flopped down onto her bed, not noticing that her wand clattered to the floor in the process. "Great, more homework and raspberries" she muttered, not knowing why she said this. Just a case of severe randomness. But it seemed that for once, her complete randomness would come in handy and not make her look stupid.

She felt something move below her. Soundlessly her four poster was sinking through the ground, and as her face came level to the floor she spotted her wand, and realised it must be the password to some secret area in Hogwarts, that obviously Harry nor Ron knew about.

She quickly retrieved her wand and sat up straighter, her heart beating wildly in her chest, hoping it had nothing to do with the chamber of secrets. Ever since the passage way under ground she had found in her first year at Hogwarts, that led into the legendary chamber of secrets, she had become paranoid about secret underground places. She could easily have called Harry and Ron and asked them to come with her, but Ginny was not a coward. If it really was evil, it certainly wouldn't have been in a Gryffindor dormitory. Maybe a Slytherin dormitory or common room but not Gryffindor.

She clutched her wand, and watched as the four poster lowered her into a blackened room, and as the four poster hit the floor, the torches flared on instantly, and Ginny got a good look around the room. It looked a lot like a library, except that there were no books. Rows upon rows of seemingly empty bookshelves lined the room, and the room was so huge she couldn't make out the end. It seemed to be at least four times the size of the quidditch stadium she'd been at two years ago.

Gingerly, she climbed off the four poster, which, when it felt that Ginny was sitting on it, started back up.

"Hey! Wait!" Ginny yelled, but it was too late. She was stuck here forever she was sure of it. Okay, don't panic. She instructed herself. "HEEEEELP!"

Obviously, that didn't work. Okay, think, Ginny. "Homework and raspberries." She listened attentively, but nothing happened. Okay… she thought. If that was what brought me down, and I want to go up, then I want the reverse of what happened… so that makes… "Raspberries and homework" she said tentatively, almost sure that something would happen. But nothing did. Okay, well if that didn't work then I have to flip the words backwards… so that would make… "Seirrebpsar dna krowemoh." She said, feeling quite stupid, and watched as part of the wall crumbled to form a stair case.

"YES!" she yelled victoriously. She rushed for the stair case, but fell back on the third step. Now that she knew how to get out, she wasn't in such a hurry to leave. She turned, and looked back at the room, curiosity was written all across her pretty freckled face.

She started walking slowly past empty bookshelves, sometimes pausing to brush off dust, and to bend down and inspect something that might look suspicious, but then realise it was only a dent, or a nail. An hour later she had counted 846 bookshelves, 414 fireplaces and lots and lots of dust. By that time, she was feeling quite sleepy, and she still had that ruddy potion's essay due tomorrow, and to top it off, potions was her worst subject, Hermione refused to help her because of course – how would Ginny learn? – And she hadn't found a particularly interesting or helpful book in the library, and now she was stuck in the biggest one in the world and THERE WERE NO BOOKS.

"Bloody Snape. He can stuff his bloody potions essay."

And then she gasped, because the minute those words left her lips, books had filled up the shelves. Millions and millions of books. Old dusty tomes, and shiny paperbacks, think books, thick books, worn out books, brand spankin' new books, you name it, it was there.

She moved cautiously towards the nearest shelf, and picked up the first book, letting it open in her hand; page 259. It was titled: "Bloody Hell!" The sub titles read : Makes drinker say bloody hell whenever the maker of the potion looks at them. Lasts 24 hours.

Might want to keep that in mind, Ginny thought, and flipped to the next page. "Bloody Valentine. Love potion to-"She flipped again. "Bloody massacre" sick. "Bloody Mary. Gives nightmares to whoever drinks the potion about their loved ones bleeding to death." Ew, but maybe handy. She turned to the next page; Blood. "blood red. Stains permanently." "Blood curdling screams"; basically the same as bloody hell. "Weaken your enemies, cut off certain blood circuits to their heart." In other words, basically killing them. "Blood rain" uh… no thanks.

In the next 10 minutes Ginny had learnt at least 20 spells and potions, somehow all related with "blood," and many, many names of potions. Revolted as she was about some of the ideas, she couldn't help loving this place. You could just say a couple words, and rows upon rows of bookshelves – 846 precisely – would kill up with books, all somehow related to the words you'd just spoken.

Ginny stuffed the book back on its shelf and hastily made for the stairs which has already closed. Sighing, she stopped to think and after a minute of sounding like a cow, she managed to pronounce the password correctly. She waited – patiently this time – for the stairs to form, hurried up them, retrieved her agenda and hurried back down them before they could close up.

"Okay..." She said, reading what was in her agenda in her head, and then out loud. Instantaneously books crammed themselves into their appropriate shelves. Ginny approached one, picked a thick and complicated looking book, and let it open on her palm before placing it on a desk, and starting to read; 20 minutes later she was rolling 5 pieces of parchment, and placing them carefully into her black shoulder book bag. She was almost certain to get and 'E' (excellent) for this. She knew Snape would never give a Gryffindor an 'O' (outstanding).

She had half a mind to stay and do the rest of her homework, but she figured that if someone came up to bed early, she'd have to wait until they (and everyone else) was fast asleep before being able to come back out again. She opened the stairs again, climbed up and collapsed onto her bed once more.

"What a day," she muttered. Thoughts swam through her head. Seeing Derek at breakfast, Malfoy not sneering at her, finally meeting Derek, fanta, Derek holding her hands, Hermione knowing, beating up Harry and Ron, and now this.

Not what you'd call a perfect day, but it was hardly what you'd call boring. A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts however.

"Ginny?" Came Hermione's calling her name softly. "Can I come in?"

"Why couldn't you?" Ginny asked her, surprised.

"I thought you were upset." She said, closing the door. "Especially when I saw what you did to Harry and Ron back there."

"Are they-"

"They're fine. Harry's lips stopped bleeding, but they're okay." "Harry and Ron I mean, not Harry's lips." She added quickly as she saw the look on Ginny's face. Ginny laughed.

"Herm? Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm you're best friend aren't I?"

Knowing that was a 'yes' Ginny climbed off the bad and tapped the floor with her wand.

"Ginny?"

"Homework and raspberries."

"Wha… ahhh! What's happening?"

Ginny didn't reply, and got on the bed next to Hermione.

"I found this place today." She indicated the room in which they had both just landed.

"What – what is it?" Hermione asked shakily.

"A library." Ginny grinned. "The biggest in the world."