Disclaimer: I own the plot and Stephanie.

A/N: A big thanks to the people who reviewed the last chappie! I could care less if you wrote the shortest one ever, what matters is that you actually reviewed!

DUN DUN DUN...

And now, the next installment of SGNG!

Chapter 22: Problems Arise

Two long weeks passed by in a flash, and it was now the middle of a very cold January. Classes were back in session and everything was as normal as expected...well, except for a few things. Many students were still in shock at seeing a certain pair of couples roam the Hogwarts grounds, openly announcing their relationship to the public.

One day, when Draco offered to show a group of first year Hufflepuffs to Dumbledore's office, they had hurriedly scampered away, frightened by his newfound politeness. Draco had just shaken his head in amusement and started towards his next lesson of the day. Stephanie, on the other hand, seemed to take delight in scaring away the younger kids, much to the disapproval of Harry, who tried really hard to hide his amusement as well. While Draco and Ginny were somewhat oblivious to the expressions of shock, amazement, awe, pride, or disgust thrown their way, Stephanie wasn't. Harry simply ignored the stares, since he had obviously been used to them for quite some time, but his girlfriend was becoming fully annoyed by them.

"How can you stand it?" Stephanie asked him, as they sat under the Willow tree.

"Stand what?" He wrapped his arms around her waist, her back propped against his chest.

"You know, when people look at you all of the time." She shivered. "I'ts kinda giving me the creeps."

Harry laughed. "I never would've thought that I would hear those words coming from a Slytherin, much less you."

"Shut up," she replied, playfully elbowing him in the ribs. "It's just, I...its," She turned to face him, "kind of nerve wracking and all. I'm not really used to being the center of everyone's attention and I don't like it."

"Well, you're not really the center of everyone's attention. Malfoy, Ginny, and myself are sharing it with you," he joked. Stephanie glared at him. "Sorry, I was only trying to make you laugh." Her glare softened. "You don't regret our relationship, do you?" he asked worriedly, searching for the answer in her brown eyes.

"Of course not! How can a Gryffindor like you, be so damn stupid sometimes? This last month has been the best month of my life!" she exclaimed, all in one breath.

"Umm, okay," said Harry, completely dumbfounded at her outburst. A smile tugged at the ends of his mouth, "So, this has been the best month of your entire life?" he teased.

"Maybe. And I didn't say entire." She scowled when his smile turned into a full blown grin. "Don't you dare start acting arrogant, that's Draco's job, not yours."

His grin faltered. "Right. So, what did you want to do for the rest of the day?" he asked. There weren't any classes, since it was a Saturday, and all of the couples were off spending some quality time together.

"Hmmm..." she started, as she moved and placed her cross-legged figure on the snow covered ground, in front of Harry. "I dunno." Her hands rested behind her back, a mischievous glint sparkling in her eyes.

He didn't like that look. "What are you do-" he was cut off when a slab of something cold and wet hit his chin.

Stephanie couldn't help but giggle at the look of utter disbelief on his red face.

"You hit me!" Harry cried.

"Yep." She grinned.

"You hit me," he repeated dumbly.

"I think we've established that Potter," she stated wryly.

"I," he stopped, scooping up a handful of white powder. "I would run, if I were you," he warned.

Stephanie's eyes widened, and she took off running with Harry right behind her.

Later that night, Hermione sat on her bed reading, ignoring her room mates, who were currently gossiping about who was hooking up with who and how many times. She rolled her eyes as Enya described her latest sex-capade. At the word sex, Hermione's thoughts instantly turned to a certain red-head. They had only been together once, since their first time officially, and Ron had been just as gentle, maybe even more nervous too. She had been hesitant about losing her virginity, but now she wouldn't give back that experience for all the galleons in the world. The feeling had been amazing and the passion between her and Ron was-

"Hermione," Lavender's voice broke into her train of thought.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly. For some reason, Lavender's voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to her.

"Well," Parvati started, "we know that you and Ron have been together for a while, about four months or so."

"Uh-huh." Hermione wondered where this was going.

"Well have you slept with him?" Enya asked bluntly.

"Wha-how-you," she stuttered in response, blushing slightly.

Lavender smirked. "I think we have our answer."

"Just because I didn't say anything, doesn't mean that we slept together!" Hermione yelled, losing all patience.

"Its okay, I won't tell anyone," Parvati reassured and Hermione gave her a grateful smile.

"So, was he any good?" Lavender cut in.

"I don't think that is any of your business," she growled out, giving her an icy glare.

The perky blonde smiled. "SORRY," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "I just wanted to know if he's as good as Enya says he is."

Hermione froze.

"He was definitely a good choice. Definitely the kind of guy that you should lose your virginity to," Enya said, a dreamy look and knowing smile on her face.

"I...wh-what are you talking about?" Hermione croaked to her. Air had suddenly becoming an issue.

"Oh, everyone knows that Enya and Ron fucked last year," Lavender replied carelessly, smacking her lips together after slabbing on some clear gloss.

"You did know, didn't you?" asked Parvati, truly concerned at the look of pure horror that remained on the brunette's face.

"I-I need," Hermione felt bile rise in the back of her throat and she swallowed hard, "I need to get some air." she whispered, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. She hurriedly pulled on a hooded sweater over her white tank top and was out of the door within seconds. Reaching the Willow tree, thankfully not coming into contact with anyone on her way out, she sank to the ground, letting the tears roll down her flushed cheeks. Many thoughts swirled through her head, but one in particular stood out in the open...

'Did Ron and Enya really have sex?'

"Has anyone said anything about the ring?" Draco asked his red-headed girlfriend, as they sat down at the Slytherin table for lunch. Ron hadn't really liked the idea of his younger sister sitting with a group of Slytherins and Draco Malfoy during meal times, but Ginny had convinced him that she would be okay. Plus she said that if he didn't shut up about it, she would give him a black eye. Surprisingly, when Ginny joined Draco at breakfast about two weeks ago, the Slytherins didn't even blink an eye at the unusual behavior.

"Weirdly, nobody but Hermione has noticed it so far," Ginny replied, grabbing a buttered roll.

"What did she say about it?" he questioned.

"She was actually very nice about it. She said that it was very pretty and as long as it wasn't passed down from Lucius's side of the family, then it was okay."

Draco scowled at his father's name. "Where is Granger anyway?" He quickly changed the direction of their conversation.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her all day." Concern became evident in her golden-brown eyes. "She usually goes to the library on Sunday mornings, because Ron and Harry are at Quidditch practice all day long, but I was in there this morning and I don't recall seeing her at the table that she sits at."

"Maybe she's sick or something," Draco offered.

Ginny shook her head. "It wouldn't matter. You couldn't stop Hermione from going to the library if she was near death."

"I always knew she was insane," he muttered under his breath.

She ignored his last comment. "I think that something might be wrong."

"I'm sure she is safely tucked away in the Gryffindor common room. You can check on her later this evening," Draco said. He didn't want her leaving anytime soon.

"Yeah probably, I'll check on her later, just to make sure," she replied. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something," she said, a little apprehensive. Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, like she was being watched, but it went away as quickly as it came. Turning back to the problem at hand, Ginny gazed down at his Draco's bare neck, hoping he would catch her drift. He did.

Putting his mouth to her ear, he whispered, "It's under my robes." She inwardly shivered when his warm breath grazed her skin.

"Why?" she asked, looking visibly hurt after snapping out of her momentary daze.

"Ginny, think about it," He continued whispering, "I live with Slytherins. People who wouldn't mind having a necklace like this one, people who wouldn't give a second thought to stealing it."

"Oh, right." She smiled sheepishly. "I keep forgetting that all Slytherins can't be like you and Stephanie.

Draco felt his heart give a little jump at her compliment. "So, what do you want to do this afternoon?" He would have liked to go flying on a day like this, but he didn't feel like arguing with Weasel and Pot-head.

"I know what I want to do," Ginny purred, licking her lips seductively. She didn't know what it was, but every time she came in contact with Draco, she wanted to rip all of his clothes off. The main reason could be that he looked like a Sex God.

"Now?" he asked, wide-eyed. She always picked the most random time to snog. It was quite the turn on.

"Oh yeah. Divination's classroom?" she suggested, as they practically ran out of the Great Hall and down the corridors.

"Too bloody far, it would take half an hour just to get there." He was to impatient. "What about the Potions room in the dungeons?" He suggested.

Ginny grimaced. "Draco, are you trying to ruin the mood?"

"Right." He smirked. "What about the library?" he asked, remembering their escapades.

"Perfect," Ginny replied with a grin.

"So, how was it?" Harry asked his co-captain, who sat next to him on the bleachers.

Ron smiled goofily. "It was brilliant, mate. The most amazing thing that I've ever experienced in my entire existence," he admitted proudly.

Harry grinned, he had never seen his friend be so passionate about something. "Wow," he whistled, "are you sure it was Herm's first time?" he asked teasingly.

"No, it was her tenth time," Ron stated seriously.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Harry yelled, his overprotective brother mode kicking in.

Ron laughed. "You stupid git! You know Hermione is a hell of a lot better than that."

"Please," Harry pleaded, "don't ever say anything like that again. EVER. Do you want me to have a stroke or completely faint?"

"Harry, you really need to learn how to take a joke," Ron replied, slapping his shoulder.

"Alright, sure thing, Ron. Hey! Did you know that Stephanie can have sex in six different positions?" he asked innocently.

"I don't want to bloody know that!" Ron exclaimed in disgust, trying to block the mental image of his best friend and a Slytherin getting it on.

"She's a very talented girl." Harry smirked. "And did you know that the other day, I saw Malfoy and your sister screwing against a tree?"

"What!" Ron roared loudly.

Harry's body shook with laughter. "Ron, you really need to learn how to take a joke."

"You little piece of shi-"

"It was a joke."

Around eight-thirty that night, Draco was greeted with a worried look from his cousin in the Slytherin common room.

"What's wrong?" he asked her immediately.

"Death Eater meeting," Stephanie replied solemnly.

"I should've known that would happen. My mark was burning earlier today," he said, grimly. "Are you coming?"

"I'll never get that fucking mark on my arm as long as I live," she spat angrily. "And you know that, too."

Draco just nodded. He knew that he shouldn't mess with her or say anything when she got this way, so he waited for her to continue.

"Sorry for loosing my cool with you," she said, sighing wearily. "But it's like, everytime we actually start having somewhat of a normal life or we can be remotely happy-"

"I know what you mean." Draco interrupted her before she started her ranting. "But we...no, I have to do this...for now," he added.

"For now?" She smiled. "Is Mr. Malfoy actually considering to take a different path than before?" she asked, a note of happiness could be detected in her tone.

He smiled slowly in return. "Hopefully," he answered.

"I knew you had it in you," Stephanie smiled.

Pansy appeared by there side, holding a white mask and black robes. "Draco, you need to get ready," she intervened.

He took them from her wordlessly, slipping them on. "Lets go," he said coldly, using his icy front, a trait he had mastered after all these years.

"The floo network will only be open for a couple of hours," Pansy said. "We need to go or your daddy dearest will get pissed at us for being late."

They walked to the fireplace and Draco looked around in confusion. "Where did all of the others go?"

"Already at Malfoy Manor, of course," replied Pansy, before throwing in the powder and yelling her destination.

Stephanie looked up at her only cousin. "Be careful. And please don't do anything stupid," she told him, giving him a quick hug, which caught him totally off guard.

Draco smirked. "I'm a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor," he called out before disappearing into the green flame.

"I see you have decided to grace us with your presence," Draco shivered at his father's cold tone and the chilly air that continued to circulate through the enormous living area. He never really liked being here, you could almost feel the evil magic seep into your blood and run through your veins...it was downright sickening.

Father and son entered the only room in the manor that closely resembled the dungeons downstairs. 'So, the Dark Lord picked this room for a Death Eater meeting? How ironic,' Draco thought dryly. He paused in mid-step when his ice blue ices met red orbs, but then continued on.

"Why are you late, boy?" Voldemort demanded.

"Forgive me, my Lord. My cousin kept me. It will not happen again," Draco promised, his features remaining neutral.

"Ms. Anderson, I presume?" he asked the young one.

"Yes, sir."

"I take it that her plan is working," the demon-like creature replied.

Draco faltered, but recovered quickly. 'Plan? What in the hell was he talking about?'

"Is Potter in love with the whore yet?" Lucius snapped impatiently.

"Almost," Draco answered through gritted teeth, his blood boiling. It was the truth, Draco could tell that it wouldn't be to long before the boy admitted his love for Stephanie, which was not something that he wanted to witness anytime soon. Obviously these stupid people thought she was doing this to lead Potter into there hands. Stephanie wouldn't like it one bit if she had to act like she despised Harry, but she would have to if she wanted to stay alive. They probably thought he was with Ginny to spite the Weasleys. Well of course they did! They probably didn't think that he had real feelings for a muggle lover.

"How is your bet with Blaise coming along?" Voldemort asked, surprising him. No one noticed Blaise stiffen.

"Very well. I will have the Weasley girl," he spat the name, "completely miserable in no time at all." He instantly felt guilty talking about Ginny like this, but right now there was no other way, especially if he didn't want Voldemort to get suspicious and slit his throat afterwards. No, he wanted to remain very much alive for right now.

"Good," Voldemort hissed. "Has my dear Ginny matured into the beautiful woman that I pictured she would?"

"She has the right assets," Draco replied, hiding his disgust at the lust in the Dark Lord's voice when he spoke about Ginny. He wondered why Voldemort had such an interest in his girlfriend.

"Yes, I imagine so. Such a pity that she is a mudblood lover like the rest of her dear family." Voldemort turned in his chair, so he could be face to face with his second in command. "Lucius, where do you currently stand with the ministry?"

"I am still in Fudge's good graces, even though that fool Dumbledore convinced him of your return." He sneered. "Although, I think I will always remain innocent in the minister's eyes."

"This is pleasing," said Voldemort, deep in thought. "What of the eldest Weasley, the one who is the assistant to Fudge?"

Lucius seemed to seethe with anger at his Lord's words. "I'm still one rank beneath the mudblood lover."

"Then it is simple. Get rid of Arthur Weasley and you will become the assistant to the Minister of Magic."

Draco paled, thankful for the first time that he wore the white mask.

"How do you suppose we take on the fat man that currently runs the ministry?" Lucius asked his guide.

"Imperious," Voldemort replied, sounding bored. "Or we'll kill him as well and then you will become the Minister of Magic."

Lucius grinned maliciously at the idea of having so much power. "Wonderful, my Lord. That should be an important advantage when we go to war," he said. "I will get on it right away."

"Yes, Lucius, you are correct. It would be wise for you to start as soon as possible." Voldemort turned back to his large crowd of Death Eaters. "You may leave," he waved them away. "Oh and young Draco," he called after the blonde, "you and your cousin will go very far. That is, if you do not disappoint me."

Draco managed to bow, then left the room, feeling sick to his stomach. 'How could all of this bad shit happen in one night?'

So much for the notion of having a normal life.

PLEASE REVIEW, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR SANITY AND MINE!

LilyK