Disclaimer: I merely played with J.K.R's characters.

Chapter 4: Downhill

"Now," started Professor Slughorn who stood at the front of them room, beaming at all of his sixth years. "I don't want to start out hard on you all, but we are going to go fast this year. Every day you come in we will be fixing a new potion and you will be reading a few chapters a night. Today, we will be making a strengthening potion that can be used-" Professor Slughorn paused, choosing his words, "-in many situations." Ever since the school year started, the professors had been trying to do everything to help get the students prepared for the war. "So… you may begin!"

Immediately, there were sounds of dragging cauldrons, chatting, rustling of bags, and laughter. Everyone was frantically running around the room in order to be able to finish. Everyone, that is, except Ginny.

Ginny sat with her head in her hand, lethargic. She unenthusiastically crushed her beetles with one hand.

It had been just two days since the fiasco in the Three Broomsticks, and she was once again back where she had started. Once again she was avoiding all three of them at all costs, though this time it was harder. Ever since the encounter in Hogsmeade, all three of them seemed to be eager to talk to her.

But nobody was as bad Hermione. Why did Hermione always feel the need to interfere? Why, when they were just about to have a good girl-to-girl talk, did Hermione have to drag the boys into it?

Picturing Hermione's face, Ginny started pulverizing her scarab beetles with renewed vehemence.

'I hate when she manipulates me like that. Trying to force me into making up with Ron and Harry? Who does she think she is? Wonder Witch?' /i Ginny thought to herself. i 'And how much of that conversation did Harry and Ron hear?' /i Ginny winced, trying to remember the things she said. i 'They definitely heard quite a lot if the look on their faces means anything. Damn, Hermione!'

Ginny threw her beetles in the boiling cauldron with vigor and a huge puff of crimson smoke billowed out, quickly filling the room with a fishy smell.

Swearing under her breath, she started waving her arms maniacally to get rid of the smoke that continued to overflow from her cauldron. In doing so, however, she managed to hit Sarah, on her right, in the face.

"Ouch! Ginny, what are you doing?" exclaimed a very disgruntled Sarah.

"Oh, Sarah! I'm so sorry," Ginny gushed, without stopping flapping her arms. "Damn it! Stupid cauldron got mad at me."

"Ginny, stop it! Here." Sarah muttered an incantation and the smoke immediately ceased, but the fishy smell remained. "Ginny? Is there anything wrong?"

But even if Ginny did want to answer that question, she couldn't have because the professor cut in.

"Class, please hand in your potions now. Class dismissed!"

Ginny collapsed into her chair and let her head fall on her desk. Could the day get any worse?

"Ginevra, could you please see me in my office?" And at these words, the professor slowly disappeared through his office door.

Great, just great. He's going to yell at me and then question why I'm in his class since I can't manage to make a simple strengthening potion without filling the room with a horrid odor.

Slowly, Ginny lifted her head from the table and trudged over to Slughorn's door that had every inch covered in smiling and waving ex-students. Gingerly nudging the door open, Ginny stepped inside.

"Ah, Miss Weasley!" exclaimed the professor, waddling towards Ginny. "Yes, yes. Can you believe it slipped my mind to mail these Slug Club invitations off? There is an opening gathering tomorrow and the school owls will never deliver in time," he spoke enthusiastically and handed Ginny two envelopes with loopy cursive written on them.

"You will be able to make it, won't you?"

"Oh, err… sure," she finished, unsure of what to say.

"Lovely, lovely. So you will hand Miss Granger's to her as well? I'm afraid I won't be able to give it to her personally at such short notice."

"Err… sure," she finished lamely, again.

"Great, great!" Slughorn smiled and sat down at his desk.

Ginny stood there, frozen. That was all? No yelling, screaming? No disappointment speech? No detention?

"Is that… all?" Ginny asked, tentatively.

The professor looked confused for a moment and then smiled, knowingly. "Ginevra, Ginevra, a simple mistake like that? It happens to the best of us. Now, run along and please try to hand Hermione her letter right away."

"Of course," replied Ginny, as she retreated out of his office. She would have much preferred yelling. Yelling she was used to. But a confrontation with Hermione? Ginny walked down the corridors feeling helpless. Not only had her day started off horribly, but it was about to get much worse.

What could she do? She couldn't throw away the letter, because then Hermione would find out that Ginny had thrown it away and she would have to confront her. Maybe if I just left it on Hermione's bed… Ginny thought to herself. Yes, that would do.

So Ginny made her way up to her dormitory and stopped in front of the girls' room. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened for any noises from inside. She needed to do this quietly, quickly, and with nobody watching.

When she was sure nobody was in the room, she opened the door and walked over to Hermione's perfectly-made bed. The crimson and gold bedcovers were completely flat with her pillows fluffed and the same amount of covers hanging off each side of the four-poster bed.

This past year Hermione had insisted, as Head Girl, that the house elves would not clean the Gryffindor girls' dorm, much to everyone's dismay. Ever since, every bed was in shambles with covers strewn all over the floor and clothes everywhere. Everyone's except Hermione's.

Her bed was perfect. Every morning she made her bed perfect and clean using a special charm that she refused to tell anyone else. She insisted that the library was there for a reason, but nobody ever had the energy to go look up a bed-making spell. Or you could just call it laziness.

Ginny looked at Hermione's bed for one moment more, and then decided she was being silly and over-dramatic. She laid the invitation on Hermione's bed and stood back to take a look. She wasn't satisfied. It irked Ginny when things were all neat and pretty. She liked things to be orderly disorganized.

It needed… a dent in the mattress, or a pillow off-center, or a wrinkle in the sheets.

Decidedly, Ginny sat on the bed, stood up and took another look. There was a small wrinkle. She sat down again and scooted around a bit, then stood up to admire her handiwork. It was still too perfect.

Without thinking, Ginny pushed a pillow onto the floor and watched it squash with great delight. But it was just only missing a pillow. She crawled up onto the bed and stood, wiggling her feet into the mattress. She was about to jump, when the door opened and someone walked in.

And to Ginny's great luck, it was none other than Hermione.

Ginny froze as she realized who walked in and what she was doing. How childish could she be? She was going to jump on Hermione's bed because she was angry with her?

"Ginny?" Hermione asked, incredulous.

She opened her mouth to reply, but only air came out. What was she thinking?

"Ginny?" Hermione asked again, wanting an explanation.

"There's your letter."

"Why are you on my bed?" Hermione glanced at the pillow on the floor, her bed covers askew, and Ginny on top of it. She pursed her lips and Ginny felt the bed covers move beneath her. Once again it was perfectly made.

Ginny felt her foot twitch with an urge to kick the bed covers, but she maintained her discipline and stepped off the bed. What was she to say? She could ignore her, or yell at her, or just pretend like nothing happened. Ginny only wished disappearing was an option. For once, she was at a loss of words. She didn't want to yell. She was sick of yelling. But lately, it was the only way she was heard.

"There's your letter," she repeated.

"You didn't answer my question," Hermione replied, hands on her hips.

"I know."

This answer seemed to infuriate Hermione. She pursed her lips even more and glared at Ginny, like many times she glared at Ron.

"I'm head girl!"

"Yes, I know that also." Ginny knew that Hermione would get angry, but that only made her enjoy it so much more.

"Ginevra Weasley! How dare you act like this! We were right for not letting you in on our plans. You're acting like you're two!" Hermione shouted.

Through the last part of her mini speech, Ginny remained her composure, miraculously. Hermione had pushed her way too much, and she didn't mean the last part, had she? She trembled on the inside, wondering why her comment had hurt so much, but her voice remained an even monotone.

"You missed my middle name."

Hermione looked half-defeated when Ginny didn't shout back at her. In a huff, Hermione stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ginny collapsed on her own unkempt bed and closed her eyes so her tears wouldn't escape. How could she be so silly? Words were just words, and Hermione didn't mean those things, right? Crying about it wouldn't change anything.

Ginny was just nodding off, when she heard a rap at her window.

Dragging herself out of bed, she opened the window to let a baffled, brown school owl inside. It held out its foot as she undid the letter attached.

Carefully sliding the envelope open, she pulled out the letter gingerly. Her face grew from annoyance to confusion. It read,

Dear Ginny,

Please meet me in the room of requirement at 9pm tomorrow night.