A/N: It certainly is a hassle to have to do all of my homework before I can do anything else. And in this case, I'm writing this chapter only because I haven't any classes, due to Hurricane Frances that is sure to wipe the second story off my house. Hurricane Charley was just some bad winds and a bit of rain near where I live (Orlando, Florida), although many trees were snapped in half or de-rooted, shingles, eaves, drainage pipes, and solar panels were scattered in odd places, and it was raining buckets at my neighbours' . . . literally! There were three tin buckets in their backyard by the time Charley left. Since we have an avocado tree in our garden, Charley was nice enough to pick them and even leave us a bit of guacamole. This guy on the radio rang in complaining that his neighbour's barbecue flew straight through his screened-in patio and landed in his pool. Poor chap—insurance usually only pays 2 percent of all hurricane damage. Ah well, onto the story, why not?

Disclaimer: Do you honestly think I have time to steal a genius's work while I'm busy writing a fic? I think not!!

Too Far Gone

Chapter Five: An Alliance of Foes

She was cornered. Curse the Fates! Ginny thought. She was running from Transfiguration to escape the wrath of Margaret Ruscher and her stupid idea that she was in debt of an apology. It had been a week since she had concocted the fig forest, and as stubborn as she was a teenager, Gin refused to give Ruscher an admission of guilt—McGonagall herself said that the Fig Incident (as she had taken to calling it) was just that, an incident, an ACCIDENT. But Ruscher was convinced Ginny Weasley should be on her knees, begging for forgiveness.

'Apologize!' Margaret's voice was threatening.

Ginny stepped back, eyes rolling in her head.

'I asked you nicely, now apologize, or prepare for battle!' Margaret was one oddball.

'Look, I already said I didn't mean it, so stop stalking me!'

'But you haven't apologized!'

'What for?'

'For humiliating me! And being the indirect cause of the bruise on the back of my head!' the Hufflepuff rumbled in a tirade of anger.

'But I was the indirect cause of that bruise. Your wand should be apologizing, not me,' Ginny said, rushing away.

'Hey come back here! I'm not finished with you! You're going down, Weasley!' Ruscher called after her retreating back.

But Ginny didn't turn back, the farther she was from Margaret, the farther she was from turning herself in to St. Mungo's Department for the Mentally Insane.

She zipped through the queue and made it to the huge oak doors at the entrance to her school. She had to wait for the sixth year class to leave the greenhouses where her next lesson of Herbology pertained. Flushed from all the running, she stayed in the shadows as a pack of sniggering Slytherins passed by.

Peering from her hiding place to make sure the chattering group of Sixth Year students attired in silver and green embroidered robes were well away from her, Ginny shivered and winced as a voice drawled from behind her, 'Weasley, are you always this daft, or are you making a special effort today? You should know by now that I don't hang with that lot.'

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to stifle a scream as she turned to the pale, pointed face of Draco Malfoy.

'Sod off, Bunny-Butt,' she growled through gritted teeth.

'All right, but can I borrow your face for a few days? My arse is going on holiday,' he retorted, smirking.

She narrowed her eyes at him and stole a glance at his hands. They were in his open-robe pockets, uncovering his white dress shirt, loose tie, and black slacks; the possibility of his wand being clutched there was grand. She had better keep her cool—his next trick could very well be in the near future. 'Your arse is going on holiday, eh? I suppose it's because it was scared of turning into a lion's mane next.'

His smirk would've sufficed enough to make him look impassive and unnerved, but Ginny had seen the slight widening of his stormy gray eyes. 'So you still love nature, despite what it did to you?'

'Oh, of course! Nature made me gorgeous! You, on the other hand . . . well, ever since that new hair of yours—at least you look—less like a . . . vulture,' Ginny opposed.

He was glaring daggers at her, and his voice was pure venom as he countered, 'Please, every girl has the right to be ugly, but you Weasley, you abused the privilege.'

Draco swept past her and disappeared into the throng crowding the grand staircase, his open robe-front flapping against his arms.

Regaining her composure, and looking for a shot at collecting her pride, she yelled into the mass of her fellow peers, shaking her head, 'He's always lost in thought—it's unfamiliar territory!'

'You—you saw him? And he, he saw you? . . . Bloody nightmare!' Liza exclaimed, wide-eyed and dim-witted.

Ginny was recounting her passing with Draco between Transfiguration and Herbology. They were in the girls' lavatory on the second floor, Ginny washing the dirt off her hands and cheeks as she was caring for the poisonous seedlings of a venomous tentacula.

'Whaddabeedamessatufum!' Alexa muttered, scowling.

Little Amber focused her attention on Alexa from her place in front of a mould-trimmed mirror. Quirking one eyebrow, she let a look of complete confusion cross her face prior to asking, 'Huh?' in everyone's favour.

'I would've beaten the mess out of him! Calling me stupid and ugly!' she answered, banging her fist on the grimy porcelain sink in front of her for emphasis.

As she dried her hands with a simple 'Scourgify!' spell, Ginny couldn't help but notice her friend wasn't thinking of the situation in the same context, and the blatancy of it all struck her curiosity.

'Why would you clobber Malfoy?' asked an inquisitive redhead.

Alexa glanced back at her, her countenance flat and disbelieving. 'Any brash bloke or lass, who hasn't any respect for me or for anyone else deserves a flogging in my opinion,' she answered sharply.

A loud squeak filled the hard-surfaced loo as someone flushed a toilet and pulled open a stall door. The bleach-blonde who stepped out sported a very revealing shirt and an extremely short skirt beneath her untied robes. She glimpsed at the four girls and walked over to an unoccupied sink, heels clicking mechanically against the stone floor. Alexa gaped at her; Ginny glared; Liza raised her eyebrows as she ogled her outfit; Little Amber began fidgeting with her hair as the awkward silence settled into tension.

Finally, after reapplying some deep red lipstick, the blonde intruder looked up at the lot and settled her gaze on Alexa. 'If what you say you truly believe,' she began in a silky voice, 'then why are you letting the Weasley girl continue her impertinence of our fellow peers?'

'Aayla, for once in your life, do everyone a favour and leave us the bloody hell alone!' Ginny responded exasperated.

Alexa, however, went for a different approach as she silenced Ginny with a wave of her hand. 'What do you mean? Gin's been behaving properly—besides, what's it to you?'

'What's it to me?' Aayla asked, and she laughed a high, shrilly and unconvincing laugh. 'Kartsnee, you know very well what she has done to rub me in the wrong way.'

'But that was ages ago!' Ginny defended.

'I'm not talking about the frog fiasco, Weasley,' Aayla said in a bored tone, 'I'm talking about the figs . . . and how you never—'

'Apologized?! Maybe because there never seemed to be a reason to apologize! What about that? What are you going to say to that, Cox?' argued Ginny.

'Being Margaret's best friend, I'd have to say there is a reason to apologize. It's respectful—and what has poor Margie ever done to you? Nothing, and for that you give her a most embarrassing moment and a bruise.'

'Big deal; she lost her wand. It's not like I wanted to grow a fig forest! Mind, if I knew it would've led to this, I would have made sure it swallowed both you and Ruscher before I sent if off,' Ginny finished angrily. Why are Cox and Ruscher going bloody-murder on me? As if one simple apology would do them any good? I will not let myself be pushed around like some Apology Machine!

Aayla narrowed her eyes at Ginny and turned on her heel in a defiant 'Humph!' as she made her way out of the lavatory.

'What a load,' Little Amber said, groaning.

Ginny answered as she mentally added this encounter to her list of Top Three Reasons to Resign to the Loony-Bin, 'You don't know the half of it . . .'

It was his free period. By this time he would've been fully immersed in homework and 'bloody devoir,' as he called it. He would've been done with more than half of it, but, just as it had done so during his last Quidditch practice, his concentration was focused on a certain Weasley.

To any onlookers, it would seem that Malfoy was in a very impatient and unpleasant mood, seeing as he was muttering words and catchphrases such as 'stupid . . . bloody . . . wanker . . . what gives her the right? Too vivacious . . . someone's got to teach her a lesson. . . . That damn Weasley!' which hinted to whom and what exactly was the object of such a temper.

Draco was so indulged in this pastime in fact, that he didn't even notice when someone slipped into the seat next to him.

'Malfoy,' a voice said.

'Idiot!' he muttered, his thoughts elsewhere.

'Malfoy,' the voice said again, a bit louder this time.

'Little piece of chicken dung,' he mumbled, glaring daggers at the parchment in front of him.

'Malfoy!' the voice exclaimed harshly.

'"Bunny-Butt,"' he mocked in a high-pitched voice.

This time the voice didn't repeat his name, but rather made an odd noise in her throat, attempting to stifle a giggle.

The strange snort brought Draco back from his reverie and he gazed up into laughing blue eyes. His temper rose. 'What the hell do you want?' he nearly yelled.

The girl stopped laughing and gave him a pointed stare. 'Shut up or you'll get us thrown out of the library!'

He rolled his eyes, annoyed that someone had bothered him. He repeated in a quieter, yet nonetheless irritated voice, 'What the hell do you want?'

The girl smiled and held out her hand for him to shake.

He grasped it uncertainly.

'My name is Margaret Ruscher, and I have a proposition for you. I've heard you've been having a bit of a problem with the Weasley girl,' she said in a falsely cheery, businesslike manner.

'How do you know about that?' Draco asked her acutely.

'I have my sources,' Margaret answered vaguely.

'Which are . . . ?'

'Your muttering just now and the scene you and Weasley made in the entrance hall,'

'We did not make a "scene," as you so eloquently put it. We were merely discussing—'

'You made a scene. Period. Though everyone pretended not to be watching. And that last comment Weasley made—'

'The hell with it! Tell me what the bloody earth it is you want and leave me to myself!' Draco spat angrily, outraged by the fact that a Fifth Year, from a Hufflepuff no less, was very keen on his attention.

'If you would be so kind,' Margaret began, smiling misleadingly, 'could you tell me what it is you are going to do about the Weasley.'

'What?' Draco asked, distracted. 'What do you mean what am I going to do about the Weasley?'

'Because you see, I am having a bit of a problem with her as well and if we could—'

Draco rolled his eyes and decided to lay it out simply. 'Ruscher, "we" aren't doing anything as "we" are nothing.'

Margaret looked put-out for a few moments, though she regained her poise again and flashed him that sickeningly deceptive smile again. 'Of course we are something. We are . . . schoolmates—schoolmates with a common . . . common . . .' she looked around, searching for a word.

'Enemy?' Draco offered.

'Yes, a common enemy! And as such, I think it is time we made an alliance,' she finished, the stupid smile back on her stupid face.

'An alliance? Against Weasley? As if she needs two people to get rid of her?' Draco sputtered. He could have laughed. Why would he join forces with a Hufflepuff just to make sure Weasley had the worst year of her life?

'Well, she has got three cronies,' Margaret reasoned.

Draco thought for a moment. Perhaps this year could be a bit more amusing than his preceding ones, what with an ally plotting against the one girl he wouldn't mind falling off the face of the earth.

He looked back at Margaret as a smirk curled about his lips. 'Done,' he said, 'let's do it.'

'I'm glad to be doing business with you, Malfoy,' Margaret said, standing up from her chair and smoothing over her robes. 'How about we meet Saturday, in the Annex? Just before dinner?'

'Fine with me,' he answered. Checking his watch, he realized his study period was going to be over in less than five minutes; he began to gather his possessions and replace them in his satchel.

'And if ever you need contact me before then, here's a way to let me know.' She handed him a piece of parchment, small, curling letters forming the words 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes: Two-Way Parchment' on the bottom.

She grinned mischievously at his bewilderment. 'Why not use Weasley's own device against her?'

'Right,' he said, wondering if Ruscher had been placed in the wrong house.

Grabbing her bag, she winked at him and said, 'See you Saturday, then.'

A/N: I'm extremely sorry it's taking so long to get this story through. I guess I'm too much of a perfectionist, and my beta reader, also known as my best friend, has taken it upon herself to conjure some argument against me out of thin air.

Also . . . I know this chapter was really quick and stupid, but if you could please just bear with me, I would like to get it going in the right direction once and for all. I've lost most of my wit and enthusiasm due to recent events and my writing style and vocabulary has decided to go on holiday. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm writing this all with writer's block. I get it for the things that mean the most to me. I should write things out on paper first or just not think about it much until the end product. Maybe that'll help win everything over.

Hurricane Ivan has missed us by a hair, and now we've got Jeanne to deal with and Karl's ripping up right behind her. Just as Amber would say, "What a load!"

And as usual, please PLEASE, PLEASE review!!! It would really mean a lot to me. It's a bit late, I know, but the following is just a huge appreciation thing that I'm supposed to do, and I've always forgotten. Most of you don't read this fic anymore and won't be able to enjoy my gratitude. Please forgive me!

Thanks to the following:


x0 . Rhiannon . 0x - You were my first reviewer! Yay!
Jmagiq – My faithful beta reader and friend; thank you for all of your support and I hope that we can get through our . . . issues.
GinnyYvetteHermione – Kat, Stacey, and Aimee You are three wonderful people who have shared one username. Thank you for adding me to your Author Alert Watch list. I feel so special!
Katerinarose24 – Where'd your username come from? It's really cool!
TrippyGirl20051 – Thanks! I thought the whole potions spelling out "Potter" thing was kind of stupid and geeky, but I'm glad you liked it!
The Red Vixen and Memoru – Ah yes, I actually have to dismantle Windows because of something that's come up. But don't worry, the story will not be lost—I just have to rename it 'cos the plot got so complicated and big. You will have to search for it under A Page in the Book of Fate once I'm through with this fic.
dracosbabygirl – Thank you for reading and reviewing. It certainly is nice of people to do so—it makes authoresses like I feel warm and happy inside. J
Julia – Thank you for reading and reviewing; it made my day when I checked up on numbers. (Whole contest thing. See last chapter's end author's note.)
meower13 – Yay!! You read my story!! Who told you about it? Who cares? You read and reviewed it! Yay!!
cor – Thanks for wishing me luck on the play!! (I did horribly, by the way.)
H.S. – I wrote more!! Go me!!

Serpensortia Sweetie – Thank you Jenna! But it was my beta reader's plot bunny—I cannot get all the credit. Let us just hope your comment won't make her too bigheaded. Lol.
thePixiecomplex - Thank you! I'm glad you like it!
bigreader ­– Oh my gosh!! You are my most loyal reviewer and for that I owe you lots and lots of quesadillas and homemade muffins!! Ergh, that's an odd combination of food. How about we just stick with chocolate?
Estella luna – Thank you for reading and reviewing! I absolutely love your username, by the way. Puts 'blufiresprite' to shame . . .
BlackMystick – lol, I cannot deny that fact. Draco is HOT!!! Whoever does not agree will perish in the slimy hands of Alexander the Great. (Who is that, anyway?)
Lady Ghost Buster – Ahahahaha! That name's so funny! Oh, right . . . um, thank you for reading and reviewing and I have updated.
PotterPrincess85 – Yay! You actually listen to reviewers!! That's awesome! I love your story and I'm very happy you are satisfied with my odd humour.
Delirious Dreams – Thank you for reviewing my first chapter and yes, I know—Malfoy really should never utter anything like "I know where you live," but . . . he has to know where Ginny lives if he is ever to pick her up from her bedroom window for a midnight stroll. Oh dear, I've said too much.
kitkat159 – Do you like kitkats? I think they're fantastic! Um, anyway, thanks for the favour of reading and reviewing my story. I didn't think anyone would take the time. Malfoy's revenge is coming up soon.
actionmaster – Hey Bobo!! Thanks so much for your review. Why did you do that? Why are you helping me? I mean, you can help with bits of the story, but to review would be career suicide! What a nutter . . .
Elven Witch Pirate – Thank you for adding me to your Author Alert Watch list. I really appreciate it.

Cho9 – I'm oh so grateful for being added to your Author Alert Watch list. It means a lot.

And for all of you who are reading . . . review!! You'd like to see your name up there, wouldn't you? It is almost like being famous!! Lol, only joking. But do review! 'Tis your encouragement that inspires writers to, er—write. Besides, I would be so very happy!!