A/n: Here's the next installment. By the way, my spelling will be the English way and not the American, like words will be spelt like 'defence' and not 'defense.' Anyway, thanks for the reviews.

Last time: They were almost at the school when Seamus tripped over pulling Ginny and Harry down with him, into a ditch.

Heaving herself up, Ginny groaned as an arm wrapped around her leg pulling her back down again. Harry groaned as she fell on his stomach. 'Seamus you Irish shit. LET GO OF ME!' yelled Ginny.

Seamus lay quivering at her side. 'Hey! What have you got against me?'

'Nothing, I was just teasing you.' That's right keep the Irish boy entertained.

Seamus giggled into the ground. 'This is kind of funny.'

'Hilarious,' she muttered sarcastically.

'Ginny even though I don't mind you in this position, can you get off!' moaned Harry.

'As much as I hate being in this position. Seamus is still on my leg.'

'Seamus get off her leg now, or I'll hit you!' threatened Harry.

'I can't move you're on my foot.'

'Oh, I thought that was a rock,' said Harry, surprised. Ginny swore.

'Look snow,' said Seamus, pointing up at the sky.

Ginny tried looking up but pain spurted through her leg. 'Oww … I don't care if its meteors, GET UP!'

Seamus kicked his foot out from under Harry, and accidentally kicked Ginny in the back. She screeched.

'Sorry,' muttered Seamus, beginning to laugh. Ginny smacked him on the head.

'It's not funny,' she screeched. Seamus wormed his way out of them in such a way that Harry began laughing hysterically. Even Ginny held back a smile as she got to her feet.

'No more drinking for you two ever … where the hell are we?' she asked, looking around. Tall looming trees stood to the side of her, the sky was dark and the pathway, they had fallen down, was level with Ginny's head - too high to climb up. The snow was settling on the ground thickly. Ginny, gave Harry her hand and pulled him to his feet. When, a snowball hit her cheek hard. 'Seamus, you git; I'm going to get you for that!'

Instantly she let go of Harry and he fell down onto his butt. 'Oof.'

'Sorry,' she gasped. Stooping down, she grabbed a handful of snow and chased Seamus with it. He ran laughing into the trees. Ginny slipped but managed to grab a tree in time. The light was now shielded out by the trees but some how snow still fell through. Pulling out her wand, she muttered the spell for light – a thin beam emitted out. Ginny scanned the area, rocks and bushes but no Seamus. She ran forward and saw him standing stock-still, looking down at something. Ginny threw the snowball at him, it hit his back, he turned his head slowly and looked at her; horror plastered over his face.

Meanwhile Harry climbed to his feet. He wiped the snow off of his clothes. 'Potter, what are you doing down there?'

Harry looked up into the concerned face of Professor Higgs. 'We fell,' he said, sheepishly.

'Who's we?'

'Ginny, Seamus and I,' he said.

Professor Higgs muttered to herself then climbed down and stood beside Harry. 'I'll come with you to find them. These areas aren't safe you know.'

'Lumos,' she muttered. Harry copied the spell. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah, I'm fine, why?' he asked.

'Nothing you're just not walking straight,' she muttered.

'I'm fine,' he said, trying not to make it obvious how drunk he felt. They trudged on through the icy ground until they came upon two dark silhouettes. 'Ginny?'

The red head turned around. Her eyes widened fearfully at the sight of Professor Higgs. All of a sudden tears fell down her face. 'Ginny … ssh,' said Harry, softly, as he pulled her into an embrace.

'Miss Weasley, what ever is the matter?' asked Professor Higgs, with deep concern.

Harry looked down at the ground at what Ginny and Seamus had been staring at. There lay a body - an unmoving body; one that was no longer breathing. The dead body of the defence against the dark art Professors' fiancé - Mario.

'What's that in front of you, Finnegan?' asked Professor Higgs, her tanned face paling slightly at how the teenagers were looking at her with such fear and pity.

Stepping forward, she gently cast Seamus aside. Her pretty face turned from deep concern to absolute horror. Her face paled dramatically. 'No … no, she … how could. Oh my goodness!'

The Professor's hand shook; she placed it over her mouth. Trembling all over, tears filled her eyes. Then they rapidly fell down her face. 'My poor poor baby,' she said, to the body, apparently having completely forgotten about Ginny, Seamus and Harry. 'I'm so so sorry. It's all my fault!'

Suddenly, she ran off past the three surprised teens in the opposite direction they came.

'Harry, this is terrible,' sobbed Ginny, into Harry's chest. 'She … she told me the … other day that … that she thought he was in dang … danger. I thought she was j-just being stupid.'

'Ssh ssh,' whispered Harry, now rubbing her back. 'You weren't to know.'

'Can we move away from here please?' asked Seamus, looking down at the body. They started moving when Seamus stopped again. 'What do we do? We can't just leave him down here.'

Ginny looked at him. He had a point, but what exactly could they do? 'Let's leave him. I mean, Professor Higgs knows he is here. She'll make sure nothing comes to harm him.'

Harry opened his mouth and then shut it again. 'Okay.'

Ginny heard rustling coming from the side of her, she turned her head a little too quickly causing her vision to blur. Opening her eyes, she looked directly at - but it couldn't be?

'Obliviate,' whispered the person, wand pointing at her.

'Guys, listen I just saw …' Her world went blank for a minute then she came back round.

'So who did you see?' asked Seamus, panic in his eyes.

'When?'

'Just now, did you see who it was?' he asked, looking nervously around.

'No. I would have told you if I did, wouldn't I?' said Ginny, baffled.

'But you just said-'

'I didn't say anything!'

'Listen, Ginny. There are time and places to be joking around. This is not one of them! Incase, you forgot we just found a dead body – did I mention it was dead! So, please don't mess around,' cried Seamus.

'I know what we just found but when was I messing around. You're just a little bas-' Her voice raising more and more.

'Seamus stop shouting and Ginny be serious,' cried Harry.

Ginny opened her mouth to protest but Harry caught her off. 'You two stop bickering. Right, we're going to get back to school, and then we're going to go straight to Dumbledore, okay? Do either of you have a problem with that? No? Well let's just get back up to the castle then shall we?'

Without another word, they walked back to the wall. Ginny no longer crying, was given a foot-up by Harry, she pulled herself up and then helped him and Seamus up. Ginny noticed how tense and serious the night had become, none of them had spoken a word since Harry had last spoken and Seamus was no longer laughing like an idiot.

After what felt like mere minutes they had walked into the entrance of the school to discover their hysterical Defence teacher trying to be calmed down by Dumbledore, who had a firm grip on her arms.

'Now, Laura if you will calmly step into my office. You can explain to me what happened,' said the soothing voice of Professor Dumbledore, as he gestured for her to walk with him.

'He's dead,' she yelled. 'The body was in Hogsmeade and … he's dead! It was … it was …'

The commotion had caused more students to stop and watch what was going on. 'They were … were with me,' she said, pointing directly at Ginny, Seamus and Harry.

'Bummer,' Ginny heard Harry mutter.

After what felt like hours of interrogation from Professor Dumbledore about that nights activities, he let them go. 'I will be making an announcement at dinnertime today,' he informed them.

So that's why the students of Hogwarts sat, nervously awaiting what was to be said by their headmaster. The news of the death had reached every ear in the school. Professor Higgs was not sitting at her usual place in the high table; her seat was empty. Professor Dumbledore stood up 'We, the teachers, have come to the conclusion that all future Hogsmeade trips will be cancelled … period!'

The hall erupted. 'They … they can't do this to us! I mean … how could they?' cried Candice, to Ginny.

Later on that evening, Ginny trudged grumpily to the Entrance Hall. She was about to go up the stairs when she heard soft voices. Crouching, she hid by the stairs.

'Thank you, Headmaster,' said Professor Higgs, to the tall figure of Dumbledore.

'Quite alright, have a safe journey.'

Professor Higgs walked to the door, and then she looked back. 'Oh Albus, who will be replacing me?'

'Oh, Professor Grubbly-Plank will.'

'Her? But … but she doesn't seem to be experienced enough,' she said, her face worried.

'Do you have any problems with her teaching?' asked Dumbledore, calmly.

'Well, of … course not,' she said, retiring to the door. 'Professor?'

Dumbledore studied her.

'Nothing,' she muttered, walking out of sight.

Ginny rose to her feet and she too, retired for the night.