Disclaimer: Not mine.

You know, when I went and I looked at the latest chapter compared to the other chapters, it made me really happy that I could scroll down more than I had been able to scroll down. I'm going to do this chapter in the same fashion as the last one, switching PoVs as I go and labeling when they switch.

Third person PoV

Dear Mum,

I know you're probably going to hear this from Ron before you hear it from me, even though I have no clue how he knows, but I'm kind of, sort of seeing someone. I don't want you to get mad or think there's something wrong with me or something, but I'm seeing Draco Malfoy. Before you start in on how he's evil, mean, a Death Eater, and all that, I want you to know that he's not. He's treated me with nothing but kindness and respect since we started our relationship, and he's nothing like his father. I think if you got to know him, you'd like him. He's just so polite, and even though he and Ron didn't quite get on, he still treats me very well. He's everything I've ever wanted in a person, and there's just so much that I don't even know how to describe.

Have you heard from Charlie lately? I sent him an owl last month, but I still haven't gotten any reply. Is everything alright with him? Is he going to be coming home anytime soon? If he is, you should get him to swing by Hogwarts and pay a visit to his favourite little sister. It's only been eight months since I've seen him.

I think I'm going to stay here for Christmas. I really miss you and Dad, but there is no way I can put up with Ron. He sent me a Howler when he found out about Draco and I, did you know that? I think you should say something to him. I'm sixteen years old, for Merlin's sake! I know he's my brother, but he's being a prat. Tell Daddy I send my love.

Love,

Gin

Ginny put her quill down and read over the letter and nodded to herself. She stuffed her quill and ink bottle into her bag and slung it over her shoulders, still holding the piece of parchment paper. She walked out of the library and up towards the owlery, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. She continued her trip to the owlery and tied her letter to the leg of one of the school 's tawny owls. She watched it soar up into the heavens before turning and walking down the steps. Halfway down the steps, Ginny ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Weasley, come with me please." McGonagall said. Her voice betrayed no emotions, but she glared over her glasses at Ginny when she didn't immediately obey.

"But Professor, I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was just sending an owl to my mum…" Ginny protested. A pained look crossed over Professor McGonagall's face before she took Ginny by the hand and led her towards her office. The spiral staircase took them upward to the office that had once belonged to Dumbledore. The last time Ginny was in this office was her first year, right after Harry had brought her back from the Chamber of Secrets. She wondered how much the office had changed, and how much trouble she was in for whatever it was she had done.

The office hadn't changed much since the last time Ginny had been in it, except for the fact that all the spindly instruments were no longer there. The portrait of Dumbledore waved cheerily before McGonagall glared at it, then it turned and appeared to be twiddling its thumbs.

"Miss Weasley, I do not know how to tell you this." McGonagall began. Ginny looked at McGonagall curiously, her brow furrowed in confusion. "You may or may not have known that your brother, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger were at your home this past week resting from whatever expedition it is that is keeping them from attending their seventh year." McGonagall frowned deeply at this; she thought an education was more important than anything. "Somehow, Death Eaters found out that Harry was at your dwelling, and they attacked." Ginny's expression changed slowly from one of confusion to one of horror, and McGonagall continued. "Your brother, Miss Granger, and Mister Potter managed to escape your home unscathed, but the Death Eaters burned your house to the ground."

"Is everyone… is everyone okay?" Ginny asked, trying to swallow around the lump in her throat. McGonagall looked at her kindly.

"Your brother Bill and his wife Fleur were staying at the Burrow, and the Death Eaters killed them." McGonagall said quietly. "Your father was at work when the attack took place, thank Merlin, so he's fine. Your mother…" McGonagall stopped, her face screwing up as she took a breath. She started to finish her statement, but Ginny interrupted her.

"No, not Mum. Nothing could happen to Mum…" Ginny looked at McGonagall hopefully, her brown eyes wide and pleading. McGonagall could not meet her gaze, however.

"I'm sorry, Ginevra. The Order couldn't get there in time. Your mother… was murdered at the hands of the Death Eaters. The funeral services for your mother, brother, and sister-in-law will be the day after tomorrow. You are excused from all homework for the next week." McGonagall's voice was still low, but now it held a note of pity. No person who hadn't even had the liberty to grow up yet should have to lose a parent.

"You… you're wrong." Ginny said. "You're wrong. My mother isn't dead! I wrote her a letter and she's going to reply and tell me how much she loves me and how she's disappointed that I won't be coming home for Christmas, but how she's proud of me and she's not dead!" By now, Ginny was on her feet and screaming. She looked around the office and saw similar looks of pity from all the former Heads of Hogwarts, and she couldn't take it anymore. Ginny turned on her heel and ran out of the office.

"Miss Weasley!" McGonagall called after her, but it was too late. Ginny had already sprinted down the stairs and was halfway to the tower. She couldn't stop running, she couldn't. If she stopped, someone might be able to convince her that it wasn't a mistake, that her mother really was dead. She screamed the password at the Fat Lady and ran into the portrait hole. She had to get up to her dorm room, she had to.

Draco was sitting in the common room, reading a book. A Hufflepuff underclassman was staring at him from across the room, so he snarled, and the little boy took off running. The portrait hole opened and in shot a black and red blur. It was Ginny, he soon realized, and he stood up to greet her. It was then that he took into account her tear-stained face, her disheveled hair, and her wild eyes. What in the world had happened to her?

"Ginevra!" Draco stood in front, blocking her path to her dormitory, and wrapped her in a hug. Much to his surprise, she kicked and fought within his grip.

"Let me go, just let me go!" She screamed, banging her fists on his chest. She tried to pull away from him grip but he just tightened his grip on her.

"Red, what the hell is wrong with you?" He asked, tightening his grip on her even more. Her tears came more frequently but still she fought, though half-heartedly. Finally she dissolved into sobs, clinging to the front of Draco's robes for dear life. She muttered unintelligible words, and quite a few people in the common room had turned around to stare at the spectacle she was making. Draco gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and lead her away from the common room and out down the hall. After a while they reached the hall where the Room of Requirement was, and he gently led her inside. Ironically, it was the same room from the day he had asked her out, the same room they ventured into everyday when she taught him about all the Muggle authors she'd come to love over the years. He sat down next to her on the sofa and let her cry, until she had cried enough that she wasn't hysterical.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked gently. She gulped, as if trying to gather her composure, and nodded her head. She put her hand to her forehead to steady herself before attempting to speak.

"She's wrong." Ginny whispered. Her voice was thin and thready, and it cracked slightly on the last word of her statement. "McGonagall is wrong. It… it just can't be. My mum just can't be…" Ginny's voice cracked again, and Draco's heart reached out for Ginny's. He knew exactly what she was going through, the pain and disbelief of losing your mother. He'd never had the chance to grieve and he faced the disbelief and horror alone, but he vowed that she wouldn't have to. He would help her hunt down and kill the sorry bastard that had done this.

"She just can't be gone." Ginny's voice had risen to almost a howl of pain, and Draco pulled her in close to him. "She's got to be there for me. She can't just leave me!" Ginny's tears came again, and she buried her face on Draco's shoulder. She was soaking his robes, but he let her cry.

"No one should have to lose their mother." Draco whispered. He was afraid to bring his voice above a whisper, afraid that his voice and composure would both crack and he would become just as much of a blubbering, weeping mess as she was. He hadn't been able to grieve, but he was sure that if he said too much he would break. It hurt, actually, physically hurt him to keep his pain inside, but he didn't quite know how to release it. "A mother is the light of a person's life, and no one should have to live without her." With that statement, a single tear slid down Draco's face. He didn't think Ginny would notice, but she brought her hand up and looked up at him as his tear slid down and splashed onto her face.

"Draco, did you lose…" she began.

"No, this isn't what we're talking about." he interrupted, his voice harsh. It was taking all the will-power he had to hold his tears inside. "We're talking about you. It's your turn to grieve for your mother, not mine." Draco bit the inside of his lip hard and closed his eyes. This was something he would not talk about, he wouldn't. If he mourned her, that meant she was really gone. If she was really gone, then there was no way he could bring her back. He was not ready to deal with the reality that his mother was gone, and was never coming back.

"Draco." Ginny knelt in front of him, taking his face in her hands, and she forced him to look at her. Her eyes were wide and searching, and her fingers entwined with his. She could feel the tension in his hands, see it in the way he held his shoulders. Ginny didn't want him to have to bear his burden alone. Draco looked down at her, at her trusting and innocent expression, and something inside him snapped. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, long and deep and hard. She was surprised for a moment, but she eventually relaxed into the kiss, kissing him back just as hard as he was kissing her. They were pouring all their hurt, their anxiety, and their frustrations into each other. Somewhere in the course of things, Draco flipped Ginny from kneeling in front of him to lying on the couch beside him, and his arms were wrapped tight around her shoulders, keeping her as close to him as he could. Their actions were no longer their own, it was as if they had tapped into a more basic, primal way of being. Draco's hands found their way to the hem of Ginny's shirt, and they hesitated. After a second they found their way inside, and Ginny's slight gasp brought Draco back down to earth, down to the situation that was at hand. He pulled his hands and mouth away from Ginny, whose breath was weak and shaky.

"We can't do this." His voice was as ragged as his breath, and Ginny's eyes snapped open at the sound of it.

"What? Why not?" Ginny looked at searchingly. He couldn't take the look of trust that filled her eyes, because he felt like he'd betrayed that trust, betrayed that innocence. He pushed himself up off the sofa and away from her, his eyes darkened from lust.

"I'm sorry, this… we can't." He finished. He stood up on shaky legs and made his way toward the door, and Ginny just watched him. Her mouth was opened slightly in incredulity, and her eyes betrayed more than a little disappointment. She watched him walk out the door and leaned back on the couch, silent tears streaking their way down her face before getting up and following him out the door. She didn't follow him, though; she walked past the spot where the door was three times and walked back inside.

Ginny was very pleased to see that the room she had previously been in was replaced with a room full of delicate glass objects. A sadistic smile made its way across her face as she picked up the nearest small glass object and hurled it across the room. She watched with satisfaction as it shattered against the stone wall before picking up another and smashing it on the floor. She picked up yet another trinket and placed it delicately on the floor before bringing her foot down resolutely on it, relishing the sound of crunching glass. She continued in this fashion until every last trinket in the room has been smashed, and the floor was covered in a thin layer of sparkling glass. Ginny looked all around the room, her innocent eyes wide and dark, before bending down and pressing her palm into the shrapnel. She put all her weight onto her hand before pulling it up to inspect it. Tiny shards of glass had embedded themselves into her palm, and she smiled detachedly at the blood that was dripping slightly down her palm and onto the floor.

Ginny got up and walked towards the door. She left a trail of tiny blood droplets on the floor from the Room of Requirement to the common room, and upon walking through the portrait hole, she started up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. She ignored the shocked gasps and whispers of those in the common room. She came to the familiar landing and knocked on the door, but before there was time for an answer she opened it. Draco looked up sharply from his place on his bed, his quill hovering in midair above his journal. His eyes became reproachful at the sight of Ginny's hand, and he looked up to her face for an answer.

"I forgot to ask." She whispered. Her voice was calm, but it seemed like the voice of a small child. "Will you go to the funeral with me?" Her eyes were wide and pleading, but something about the innocence they'd held before was gone. Draco got up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her delicate frame.

"Of course I will." He whispered soothingly. "But first, let's do something about your hand." He took hold of the hand that wasn't injured, and for the first time since they'd became friends, he led her.

A.N.: What thinks you? I know some of you might not like that I did this, but it's necessary for me to have a reason for Ginny to completely blow up at Harry in the next chapters. I'm vehemently anti-Harry/Ginny, but I don't believe in making one person hate another one for absolutely no reason. And you've guessed right if you think Ginny's going to blame this entire fiasco on Harry. I think I'm beginning to like third person PoV more than I did for the beginning of this story. As always, review, and happy reading!