Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to the amazing Jo Rowling.

A/N: Well, I have alot of explaining to do, don't I? A whole three and a half months without updating. Real life got in the way once again. Lets just say that I was dealing with family issues and leave it at that, okay? I mean, at least you're getting to know what happens with the rest of the fic.

Okay, so some people say that the focus should go back to Draco and Ginny in the sequel, and some don't care either way. Personally, I think that its going to be hard keeping the focus only on Draco and Ginny throughout the sequel. I feel like the story has gotten so involved in the other character's lives, that it wouldn't be right for them to only have little parts in the sequel. I really have no idea as to where I should put the sequel, because as of right now, I don't know how to categorize it. I'm leaning towards keeping it in D/G since the sequel will have just as much interaction between them as this fic does. I promise that I'll TRY and have alot of D/G in the sequel, which is exactly what I want, but the other characters will have a big part as well. This is what I have decided. No matter what, I hope you all continue to read!

Note: I have changed Stephanie's last name.

Chapter 28: The Order of the Phoenix

"Ginny?" Hermione's voice echoed through the silence of the girl's sixth year dormitory.

The redhead stood near the window, not really seeing the beautiful sun that was currently setting in the pink sky, but staring directly through it, as if it weren't even there.

"Ginny," Hermione repeated worriedly.

Her bright brown eyes blinked in recognition. "Yes?" she asked quietly, still focusing her vision on the outside.

"Would you like to come down to supper with us?"

"No, thats okay. I'm not really hungry," Ginny said, sounding distant.

"Ginny-" Hermione almost scolded, but stopped herself. "You should come down and eat something. Your body needs the nutrients."

Ginny finally turned away from the window, giving her friend a small smile. "I'll get something from the kitchens later on," she reassured her.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" Hermione asked softly.

"I'm fine, Hermione."

Hermione gave her a doubtful look and she could tell that Ginny was lying. The younger girl certainly wasn't fine. She seemed to lose a pound everyday.

"I am fine," Ginny protested, not even having to guess the thoughts that currently ran through the brunette's head.

Hermione pursed her lips in a thin line. "Okay, if you say so." Her demeanor softened. "Just know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

"Thanks," Ginny said with a tired smile, then turned back to the window.

"What do you mean she isn't coming down?" Ron demanded.

Hermione tapped her foot in annoyance. "Exactly what I said, Ronald. Your sister doesn't want to come down for supper."

"I don't care what she said! She's going to bloody well eat if I have to drag her down that staircase!" Ron exclaimed determinedly.

"Ron, you can't go up that stairca-" she stopped at the knowing gaze Ron gave her and blushed.

"I don't even want to know," Harry said, catching the looks that passed between his two best friends.

Hermione cleared her throat loudly, her voice higher than usual, "Well, I don't think that we should try and force Ginny into something that she doesn't want to do."

"She needs to eat-"

"I know that Ron," Hermione interrupted in exasperation, "but we can't force her to do something that she doesn't want to do."

"Yes we bloody well can," Ron argued.

"I really don't think she's going to listen to us, Ron," Harry said, trying to reason with him.

"Harry, have you seen her lately? She looks like she hasn't eaten in weeks," replied Ron in overprotective mode, but also really concerned.

"We know that you're worried, Ron, we all are. But we can't just make her do something that she doesn't want to do," Hermione explained. "She's in a state of shock. Not eating is a coping mechanism for what she's going through."

"Well its going to get her killed," Ron said firmly. "Besides, she isn't the only one who's going through something."

"Of course she isn't," Hermione agreed. She couldn't help but wonder when Ron would start to cope as well. "How about this," she started, "we wait another week or so and see whether or not her eating habits are the same. I'm afraid that if we went to her now, then she'd just bury herself deeper. If she's still the same in a week, then we can go to someone that will make her change her mind."

"Who the hell do we know that could make my sister do something she doesn't want to do?"

"Well, I was going to say Draco," she rolled her eyes at Ron's snort of disbelief, "but I don't really think that he could make her do anything considering the situation he's put himself in. Stephanie, on the otherhand, could probably convince Ginny."

"Are you mad?" Ron asked loudly. "Why would Ginny listen to that Slytherin bitc-" he stopped at Harry's uncomfortable look and covered it up quickly, "girl?"

"Because they've been best friends for almost three years," she replied simply.

"So? She had just as much to do with my father's dea-" he paused, realizing what he almost said. "My father, as Malfoy."

"It doesn't matter, Ron. I've seen the way that they interact with each other. Despite what you might think, Stephanie does bring out the stronger side in Ginny," Hermione concluded.

"Fine," Ron relented. "But I'm only doing this because you think she might be able to help my sister."

A week passed in the blink of an eye and Ginny still remained the same. Ron had decided that he would do just about anything to help his sister, even have his best friend talk to an ex girlfriend. 'No matter how hard it was for that particular person', Harry thought bitterly as he made his way through the throngs of people who were busy relishing the feeling of the warm sun. He knew that Stephanie had been spending alot of her time under the old Willow tree, not that he was watching her or anything. This past few weeks had left him a little angry, sad, and utterly confused. One thing that he just wasn't able to process was the fact that Stephanie hadn't come to anyone when finding out the plan to kill Mr. Weasley. He couldn't understand why she didn't go to Dumbledore, or to him for that matter.

"Um, hello," Harry greeted, feeling awkward and trying to ignore the fact that Stephanie was wearing a low-cut tank top. 'Damn hormones'.

"Harry," Stephanie said, looking up from her book in surprise.

"I know that you're probably wondering why I'm talking to you-" Harry began.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"It's about Ginny," he stated bluntly.

"Oh," she started, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice, but curious all the same. "What about Ginny?"

"She still isn't eating," he said worriedly. "Hermione thought that you might be able to talk some sense into her."

"Me? Why the hell would Ginny listen to me?" she asked, shocked.

He shrugged. "I dunno, but Hermione seems to think that she will."

"I don't think it would be wise for me to talk to her right now. She'd probably throw a couple of curses at me, and I'm not talking about a couple of bad words either," Stephanie said seriously.

"You could try," he stressed for Ginny's benefit.

"Why would the great trio trust me with something like this?" she asked, curious.

"I really don't know," Harry said, his confusion evident.

"I miss you, Harry," Stephanie whispered, looking into his eyes.

"I-" he swallowed and gritted his teeth. "You either try to help Ginny or you don't. It's up to you," he said swiftly over his shoulder as he walked away.

Stephanie closed her eyes and angrily swiped at the tears that fell.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Stephanie replied to Draco hurriedly, putting vials of ingredients back in the potions cabinet.

"Right," he said slowly, but decided not to push it.

"Did you want something?" she asked her cousin as they walked out of Professor Snape's classroom.

"No," he denied, obviously wanting to talk about something. "Do I need a reason to talk to you?"

Stephanie smirked. "Yes."

He sighed. "Alright. Remember when Snape gave everyone their letters a few weeks back?" She nodded. "I just wanted to know..."

"Who I got a letter from," she finished for him.

"Well, yeah."

"Your mum sent me one."

"Oh, well that's good then. I was a little worried that your mother might have sent you one or something," Draco said.

Stephanie snorted. "And say what?" She began to mimic her mother, "Oh, sweetie, if you don't become a Death Eater then you'll be a disappointment to your whole family. Blah blah blah blah blah."

"As amusing as that was," a voice drawled from behind them, "we are all needed in the Headmaster's office."

"The Order of Phoenix?" Harry asked in confusion.

Everyone was now situated in Professor Dumbledore's office, ready for their questions to finally be answered.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all siting next to each other on the right, Ginny had sat herself in the middle, at least ten feet apart from anyone, while Draco and Stephanie sat next to each other on the left. You could practically taste the tension in the air.

"The Order of Phoenix is a secret group of witches and wizards who come together and defeat evil," Dumbledore stated, as if reading from a text book.

"Wicked," Ron said after a moments silence.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Quite right, Mr. Weasley."

"So if it's so secret, then why are you telling us about it, Professor?" asked Hermione, furrowing her brow.

"It's very simple, Ms. Granger," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "I want you to join the Order of Phoenix."

"Woah. You're shitting me, right?" Stephanie asked in disbelief.

"Ms. Anderson, please refrain from using foul language when talking to the Headmaster," Snape scolded his student.

"Why the hell would you want us, mainly me, to join this secret order of yours?" Stephanie asked, ignoring Snape altogether.

"Because I trust ALL of you," he said sincerely, his eyes passing over each and every one of them.

Everyone teenage stared at him in shock.

Ron was about to say something, but Hermione shook her head, stopping him.

"I trust your judgement, Professor Dumbledore," Harry said firmly. Ron gave him an outraged look, while the two Slytherins gave him one of surprise. "If you trust everyone here," he gazed at Draco and Stephanie, "then you must have a good reason."

"Why?" Ginny spoke for the first time.

"Ginny," Dumbledore said softly.

"Why? Or how for that matter," she said angrily. "Why would you trust someone who is responsible for my father's death?"

"Ginny, they aren't really responsible," Hermione said, trying to talk some sense into her friend.

"Ron, what do you think?" she asked her older brother.

Ron stayed silent.

She laughed bitterly. "Un-fucking-believable."

Everyone winced as Ginny slammed the office door.

"She's just angry. It's one of the many stages that you go through when you lose someone that you love," Dumbledore explained. "All that you can do is wait for it to pass."

"She's my sister," Ron croaked, "how am I supposed to just wait for her to get better?"

"Professor, Ginny isn't even eating anything," Hermione informed him worriedly.

"Actually," Stephanie replied, "she is."

"What?" Ron asked, forgetting who he was talking to.

"I um, well I kind of did a spell," she said sheepishly.

"You did a spell?" Ron yelled, expecting the worst.

"Yes, a spell, you stupid git." Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Healers use it for sick people all the time. Basically it is used for someone who isn't able to eat by mouth. The spell gives the body everything that it needs in order for said person to be healthy. All I have to do is say the incantation every twenty four hours," she told them, sounding like a younger Hermione.

"Wow," Harry said in admiration.

Hermione elbowed Ron. He cleared his throat. "Uh yeah. Thanks, I guess," he directed the last part at Stephanie.

She gave him a small smile. "Your welcome."

"And you were going to tell me this when...?" Draco asked her.

"Well, I didn't really plan on anyone knowing, but it kind of needed to be told," Stephanie told him.

"We're talking about Ginny here, not some random person," Draco said, getting mad. Ron raised his eyebrows at this.

"Excuse the hell out of me," Stephanie scoffed.

Draco sighed. That was probably the closest thing to an apology that he would get from her.

"I think that the Headmaster has a few other things to say," Professor Snape droned.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore smiled, then turned back to the group of students. "Hopefully you all understand how important joining the Order is. I will give you time to decide, but I will need an answer soon. I'm afraid that we don't have much time."

"I mean, who does he think he is?" Ginny seethed.

"Ribit." The frog croaked.

"You really aren't a big help," she told the green object with a scowl.

"Trevor!" Neville yelled happily, picking up the amphibian. "Thanks for finding him, Ginny."

"Oh, uh, your welcome," she said, then trudged up the stairs to her dorm. 'I really have lost my bloody mind. Talking to a damn frog.'

"So where do you think we'll be staying for the summer?" Ron asked Harry as the trio walked back to the Gryffindor tower.

"I don't know. I guess Dumbledore will tell us when he gets ready," Harry replied, thinking that he wouldn't be suprised if Dumbledore didn't tell them until the last day of school.

"I, for one, still can't believe that we will be spending the whole summer with Malfoy," said Hermione. "I just hope that Ginny is in a better mood by that time."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, or else I won't be the only one who wants to kill him."

A/N: Okay, so that was probably one of the shortest chapters I've ever written, but it was better than absolutely nothing. This chapter was also a bit rusty, but that is expected since I haven't written anything in a while. Don't worry, your questions will be answered in this story or the sequel, and thats all I can say without ruining it for you. Right now I am in the process of revising the whole story. I'm not changing anything majorly important, except for Stephanie's last name. Again, I apologize to everyone for having to wait so long, and appreciate that you were so patient and didn't tear my head off. The next chapter should be up within the next two weeks, unless something in the real world comes up.

Please review and give me the encouragement I need to get this fic back on the right track.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Oh and Happy New Year!