Disclaimer: I don't own Harry bloody Potter.

A/N: Ha, I told you I'd update! I've also revised EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER! So, if you come across any more mistakes, be sure to tell me. It seems that most of you missed me, which makes me feel really special! lol. I'm really happy with everyone's reviews so far. It really gave me the encouragement I need to start the process of getting this story back on track. We're only a few chapters away from being finished with this fic and then the sequel starts!

Chapter 29: Deal With It

"What are you doing?"

"Studying," Hermione answered without looking at Harry as he sat down beside her on the common room couch.

He rolled his eyes. "You're always studying."

"It's the middle of May, Harry. The NEWTS are three weeks away," she stated in defense. "You would be doing some good if you followed my example."

Harry just rolled his eyes again.

"Did you want something, Harry?" Hermione asked after five minutes of him staring through space.

"Um, hello?" she snapped her fingers in his face. "Anyone there?"

"Wh-what?"

"Is something wrong?" she asked, getting concerned.

"No, no," he reassured her. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Well then you should be in bed, now shouldn't you?" she chastised. Hermione studied his tired face for a full minute. "Something is wrong," she said knowingly. "What's wrong, Harry?"

He stayed silent.

"Is it Voldemort?"

No answer.

"Stephanie?"

Still no answer.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled impatiently.

"It...It's both actually," Harry reluctantly admitted. He really hadn't wanted anyone to know what was bothering him, especially since what everyone else was going through, but he desperately needed someone else's opinion on things.

"Well?" Hermione urged.

"Do you really think that Stephanie is responsible for what happened with Mr. Weasley?" Harry blurted.

"What?" she asked in shock. "Of course not, Harry. You heard what I said to Ginny at the meeting a couple of weeks ago. Why would you think something like that?"

"Because Ginny and Ron-"

"Harry," she interrupted, "they were both angry at the time. I can tell that Ron has already realized it wasn't Malfoy or Stephanie's fault, even though he really wants to blame it on Malfoy," Hermione paused, contemplating her next words. "Ginny, on the otherhand, well Ginny is still very angry and can't really see past her anger right now."

"So, what do you think about it?" Harry asked curiously.

"About what happened with Malfoy and Stephanie?"

He nodded.

"I think they made a mistake in not telling anyone about Lucius's plans," she started honestly, "but I also think that they were confused and felt like no one could help them."

Harry gazed at Hermione in amazement. "You sound like a bloody muggle psychiatrist."

"Why, thank you," she beamed.

"I miss her, Hermione," Harry told his friend softly. Stephanie's beautiful face had been etched into every single one of his thoughts as of late.

Hermione smiled in sympathy and reached over to give him a tight hug. "I know how you feel." Her brown eyes wandered towards the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory.

"Have you talked to Ron lately?" Harry asked, following her eyes.

"Didn't you want to talk about something else?" asked Hermione, clearly stating that she didn't want to go there.

Harry cleared his throat. "Oh yeah, right."

"Well?"

"Well, don't you think it's weird," he seemed thoughtful, "that Voldemort hasn't attacked anyone ever since, well, ever since..." he trailed off uncomfortably.

"Ever since Mr. Weasley's death."

"And since Lucius Malfoy was locked up in Azkaban," Harry added.

"That's probably another one of the main reasons as to why Voldemort hasn't been attacking for the last two months. With more than one of his most loyal followers now captured, I'm sure his so called plans are now being put on hold," Hermione reasoned wisely.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But how long do you think it will be before he escapes from Azkaban?"

Hermione shrugged. "Who knows? It could be a few months before he escapes, or maybe even a year."

"Then what? Voldemort starts killing people off again and we do absolutely nothing about it?" Harry asked angrily.

"No, Harry," she shook her head. "Hopefully by then, we'll be of age."

"So?" Harry scoffed.

"Don't you see, Harry? If we're of age, then we make our own choices," she smiled, her eyes glinting, "and if we make our own choices, then we can choose to fight back."

"Ginny," Ron whispered, sitting down on her bed. It was Saturday and he'd just gotten finished with breakfast. Dumbledore had finally decided to lift the bans off of Hogsmeade, since there hadn't been any attacks from You-Know-Who for awhile. So while everyone else headed down there, he'd come to check on Ginny. She still wasn't coming down during meal times, and even though he would hate to admit it, he was very thankful that Stephanie had put that charm on his little sister.

"What do you want, Ron?" Ginny asked him quietly, her body facing away from him.

He looked down at his hands, nervously clearing his throat. "I came up here to ask if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me."

"Hogsmeade?" She snorted, "No, Ron, I don't want to go to Hogsmeade," Ginny replied bitterly.

Ron sighed wearily. "Ginny..."

She turned suddenly. "What, Ron? What do you want?" she asked him, getting annoyed.

His expression turned to shock as he stared at her bloodshot eyes and pale features.

"What? Oh, let me guess, do I look like shit, Ron?" she mocked sarcastically.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself!" Ron exclaimed, tears of frustration appearing behind his bright blue orbs.

"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to act like nothing happened? You want me to act like you?" she demanded.

His face flushed with anger at her words. "I don't act like nothing has happened, Ginny! I'm doing...I'm doing what dad would want us to do," Ron croaked. "I'm going on with my life!"

"How could I possibly do that? How can I-" she choked, tears cursing down her cheeks. "Why do I have to go on without dad?"

He gazed at her sadly. "Because you have to. Because we have to," he replied softly.

"I...I miss him so much, Ron," Ginny whispered, sounding defeated.

Ron moved and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, but comforting hug. "I know you do, Ginny. I miss him too," he said, then kissed her forehead lightly.

And for the first time, Ron truly grieved for the loss of his father.

"I guess Ron decided to stay with Ginny," Hermione observed two hours before everyone had to be back at Hogwarts.

"Yeah, guess so," Harry agreed. "Good thing we got Ron his chocolate frogs."

Hermione smiled, then added, "Plus we got Ginny's favorite flavored sugar quills. Hopefully she'll be tempted enough to eat them."

"Yep. So, are you ready to go back?" Harry asked, shrinking his bags and putting them into the pocket of his baggy blue jeans.

"Well, there was something at the bookstore-"

His eyes widened in absolute horror. "We were in there for TWO hours, Hermione!"

She laughed. "I know that, Harry. I was just joking."

He sighed in relief. "Thank God! I wouldn't want to be in there with you for another minute."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," Hermione defended.

"Hermione, trying to pry you away from books is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Harry appeared serious, but there was a teasing note in his tone.

"So? You and Ron are the same way with Quidditch," she said, knowing he couldn't argue with that one.

Harry eye's widened again. "Quidditch!"

"What about it?" Hermione looked confused.

He groaned. "We have our last match against Slytherin in two weeks."

"Oh," she replied, her eyes also widening. Lately, the Slytherins and the Gryffindors had been at each other's throats. The only Slytherins who kept to themselves were Malfoy, Stephanie, and Blaise Zabini. It was unusual to walk by Draco Malfoy and not have him sneer at her, but instead stare ahead blankly. "Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure it won't be that bad," she said, not sure if she was trying to assure him or herself.

"Are you kidding?" he asked in disbelief. "It's probably going to be brutal."

"Well, it's not like any of you will die or anything," Hermione joked weakly.

"He's not in his room," Harry told Hermione, coming down the stairs.

"Maybe he's still talking to Ginny," she suggested. "I'll go check."

"Well, here," he handed her a bag, "that's the candy that we got for Ron and Ginny. I'm knackered, so I'm going to head back upstairs and take a quick nap before supper."

"Okay, Harry," she said, then made her way up to Ginny's dorm.

Hermione tip-toed her way through the room and smiled at the vision before her. Ginny was curled up in a ball next to her brother, who had his arm around her protectively. Hermione sighed, falling in love with Ron all over again. How could she not love somebody like him?

Ron's eyes fluttered open and Hermione squeaked. He smiled when he saw her and put a finger to his mouth, looking down at his sister who still slept.

Hermione nodded, then gestured for him to come out into the hall.

Carefully removing himself out of the bed, without waking Ginny, Ron followed her out of the room.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron greeted, looking at everything but her.

"Ron." Hermione smiled, then appeared concerned. "Is everything alright?" she asked, putting a small hand on his shoulder, so he had to look at her.

"Yeah, everything's fine," he answered truthfully.

"Well, good. I'm glad," Hermione replied, gazing into his eyes. She noticed that there was a light in them that hadn't been there in awhile. Something must have happened between him and Ginny today, something that had been good for him.

"What? What are you looking at?" Ron asked curiously, noticing her searching eyes.

"Oh," she blushed lightly in embarrassment, "it's nothing."

Ron grinned, thinking she'd never looked more beautiful. "Do you know how much I love you?" he asked seriously.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat, but she managed to shake her head. "How much?" she asked finally.

"This much." Ron showed her, by kissing her hard on the mouth.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and Ron pushed his body up against hers, her back hitting the stone wall as she wrapped her leg around his waist. He ran his tongue between her lips and she opened her mouth with a moan, her tongue meeting his. Moving his hand up her shirt, he flicked a thumb across her hard nipple, and groaned when Hermione started sucking on his neck. She moaned his name as he grinded his pelvis into hers.

"Ron...Ron stop," Hermione said, her breaths coming in gasps.

"What, why?" he asked her, dazed.

"We're in the middle of the hall, Ron. It's almost time for everyone to be back from Hogsmeade," she explained, trying to ignore her desire and his lustful gaze.

He cleared his throat. "Oh, right," he said, moving away from her sheepishly.

"Well, I guess I'm going to go to bed," Hermione replied, nervously biting her lip.

Ron smirked. "It's five o'clock in the evening, Hermione."

She blushed. "Oh, well, I'm really, really tired," she explained hurriedly, then dashed into the seventh years' dorm and locked the door behind her.

"Good night, Hermione!" Ron teased, grinning goofily.

"Stupid prat," Hermione muttered as she fell back on her bed, feeling like the happiest girl in the world.

"Morning," Stephanie chirped in Draco's ear when she sat down for breakfast, earning herself a death glare.

"What are you so damned happy about?" he groaned. "It's Monday morning, for Merlin's sake, woman."

She shrugged. "It's not my fault you couldn't get a hangover remedy from Madame Pomfrey."

"You know how to make the potion," he said, still glaring at her. "It's your fault I'm not feeling better."

Stephanie looked at him in disbelief. "I've already made NINE of them for you, Draco. Besides, I told you if you got drunk off your ass again, that I wouldn't make another one," she reminded him.

"You also told everyone in Slytherin house not to give me one!"

'Boy, if looks could kill, I'd be dead right about now,' Stephanie thought to herself in amusement.

"Are you even listening to me?" Draco demanded angrily, grabbing the apple out of her hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening," she replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Can I have my apple back?"

"No, you can't," he sneered.

"Whatever," she said and simply grabbed another one from the fruit bowl.

"Damnit, Stephanie, I need one! My fucking head is about blow!"

"Well, I don't think shouting is helping your headache," she pointed out smugly.

"I won't get drunk again if you just give me a hangover remedy," Draco promised.

She looked doubtful. "You told me that the last five times. I've given you FIVE chances, Draco." For the past two weeks Draco had been coming to her every morning for a hangover remedy. Apparently this was his unhealthy way of drowning in his sorrows.

"I promise I won't do it again."

"I'm sorry, I can't give you one," she stated firmly.

"Please."

"No."

"Stupid motherfuc-"

"Shutup and look," Stephanie interrupted, gazing at the entrance.

Draco followed her gaze and stiffened in shock. Ginny was walking in the Great Hall, the great trio right along with her.

"She's actually going to eat something," Stephanie said in surprise, but relieved. This was the first time in a month since she had seen Ginny in the Great Hall actually eating food.

"Guess you can take that charm off of her now," Draco said finally, his eyes not leaving Ginny's face.

"Remember what I told you about staring at her?" she joked, after he watched her for a full five minutes.

But Draco didn't answer, because in that moment, Ginny looked up. She gazed at him, her bright brown eyes never leaving his grey-blue orbs. He could tell she was starting to breath heavily, because her chest moved up and down, making him groan out loud. Ginny blushed and turned away quickly.

"Did you just groan?" Stephanie asked, disbelieving. She looked around to see if anyone else had heard him and sighed in relief. It's a good thing they were sitting by themselves.

"I gotta go to class. I'll see you later," he said quickly and was already out of earshot before she could say anything else.

"Class doesn't start for another thirty minutes," she said to herself, then shuddered when she realized what her cousin went off to do. 'He obviously forgot about his hangover.'

"Ginny, are you okay?" Harry asked her in concern when he noticed her breathing erratically.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, Harry," she reassured. "I think I'm just going to head to class." She looked up and saw Draco walking out of the Hall. "Or not. I think I'll eat some more," she added in a hurry.

"Okay," he said slowly, giving her a weird look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Ginny nodded. "Uh huh, yeah, yep, I'm fine."

"Sure. If you say so, Gin," he replied doubtfully, but left her alone anyway. He was just glad that she'd actually come down here to eat. He turned his attention back to Ron, who also seemed weird this morning as well. It probably had something to do with Hermione, seeing as how she hadn't said anything at all and was sitting across the table.

'What in the hell is wrong with me?' Ginny thought to herself angrily. 'I'm getting hot just by looking at Drac-damnit, Malfoy! I can't feel this way about him! He's a Death Eater!' Yeah, a Death Eater that Dumbledore trusts and he also happens to be a Death Eater that you're in love with, a little voice in her head argued. 'I am not in lo-wait a minute, why the hell do I keep arguing with myself?'

"Oh gods, I really am insane," Ginny groaned, dropping her head on the table.

"Uh, Ginny," Hermione said quietly, "it's time to go to class."

Ginny looked up to see that almost everyone had already left the Great Hall. "Thanks, Hermione," she gave her a small smile.

"Sure, Gin, I'll see you later."

Ginny sighed wearily, knowing that this would be a long day.

A week later found Voldemort sitting on his throne, eyeing one of his youngest Death Eaters in interest.

"I know something of great importance, my Lord," the young one informed. 'They all think I'm so stupid, but they'll get what's coming to them.'

"What is it?" he hissed.

"This will not please you, my Lord," the young one warned.

"I didn't ask you whether or not it would please me, I asked you to tell me what you know!" he cried angrily and the person cowered before him.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me!"

He looked bored. "I'm going to cut you open and let my snake eat your intestines if you don't tell me what you know!" Voldemort roared.

"It's about Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini," the person sobbed hurriedly. "I heard the two talking about how much they hate you. I also know that Draco has feelings for the Weasley girl and Stephanie Anderson is in love with Potter. Apparently she warned Dumbledore of your plans to kill Arthur Weasley and Minister Fudge."

"Traitors! It is there fault my most loyal Death Eaters are in Azkaban," he hissed, his red eyes glowing in an insane way. "They will all die!" His thirst for bloodshed was growing with a vengeance. Lashing out, he screamed loudly, his voice vibrating with rage,

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

And Pansy Parkinson's body crumpled lifelessly to the floor.

At that same time in Hogwarts, four students awoke screaming in blinding pain.
"Ginny?"

"Harry?"

Both of them looked at each other in surprise and did a double take. They both appeared paler than usual, eyes bloodshot, and their bodies shivering.

"What's wrong?" both of them asked each other.

"I-I dunno," Ginny answered first, shaking her head in confusion. "All I know is that when I woke up, pain cursing throughout my entire body."

"Me too, except that it wasn't my entire body, but my scar," he explained.

If possible, Ginny's face paled even more. "Voldemort?"

Harry nodded grimly. "Did you wake anyone else?"

"No," Ginny shook her head. "I have a silencing charm around my bed."

"Well, I was down here, so I don't think anyone heard me. I fell asleep doing Potions homework."

"What the hell is going on, Harry?" she asked fearfully.

"I don't know," he admitted. "All I know is that someone is really angry."

"We have to go to Dumbledore," said Ginny, already heading for the portrait with Harry behind her.

Stephanie awoke to the sound of someone screaming. 'Who was screaming? The only other person in the room was... Draco! "Draco!" Stephanie shrieked, rushing over to him. She had fallen asleep on the couch in the Head Boy's Dorm after listening to him talk about Ginny, now suddenly she was shouting at him that everything was okay, gazing down at him in terror.

"Draco...Draco what's wrong?" she yelled, tears running freely.

"My mark," he gasped, biting his lip so hard that it bled.

Stephanie pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and looked at the Death Eater symbol in horror. It was outlined with fresh blood, burning a fiery red. "Oh my gods," she whispered, putting a hand over her mouth in shock.

Draco gritted his teeth against the slowly dying pain.

After running to his bathroom to gather supplies, Stephanie sat on the bed beside him, tentatively tending to his injury. "Are you okay?" she asked when he winced in pain.

"Fine," he replied.

"What the hell was that, Draco?" she asked him, more than concerned.

"There's only one person it could've been," he answered gravely.

"Voldemort," Stephanie whispered, horrified. "He must-" she stopped as the portrait to Draco's room opened.

"Blaise?" Draco said, confused.

"I see it happened to you too," Blaise nodded to Draco's mark then looked at his own.

Stephanie gasped, "Oh. Come on, let me get yours cleaned up too," she said, sitting him on the bed.

"What do you think he's mad about?" Blaise asked as Stephanie worked on his mark.

"The only thing I can come up with is that someone overheard us talking about how much we despise him," Draco replied.

"Or he could've found out that you're in love with Ginny," Stephanie added seriously.

Draco scowled and Blaise smirked in amusement.

"It doesn't really matter what he found out," she continued on. "All I know is that we need to go to Dumbledore."

"I'm not-"

"You are," Stephanie deadpanned, "or I will."

"Lets go see the muggle loving whackjob," Draco muttered when they arrived at the statue that led to Dumbledore's office.

"This muggle loving whackjob knows what you are and still trusts you, so stop whining," Stephanie advised, glaring.

Having no comeback, Draco kept quiet. He knew his cousin was right about the old nut, but that didn't mean that he liked asking for his help.

"Do you remember what the password was last time?" Stephanie asked Draco.

"Last time?" Blaise asked, confused. "What did you come here for?"

"No, do you?" Draco said, ignoring Blaise.

Stephanie scowled. "Aren't you supposed to know these things? You're the Head Boy, not me."

"I don't remember every bloody thing," he said, sneering.

"Lemon Drops," Blaise told the statue. The other two were so busy arguing that they didn't notice the staircase appear. "Uh, guys," Blaise started.

"Asshole."

"Guys?"

"Bitch."

"At least I don't have amnesia."

"Guys?"

Draco snorted, "Oh that was real smooth."

"SHUT UP!" Blaise shouted and the two stared at him in shock. He huffed, "You would think that the both of you were brother and sister instead of cousins."

"No," sighed Stephanie in relief, then added, "thank Merlin."

"Now why the two of you were arguing," Blaise began, before Draco had a chance to bite back, "look at what I did."

Stephanie and Draco stared at the opening to the Headmaster's office, feeling stupid.

Blaise smirked. "Don't you two feel like idiots," he insulted, then walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in, Mr. Zabini," Dumbledore invited, the door springing open.

Ginny and Harry had arrived twenty minutes before, just now finishing their version of what happened to them when they awoke. They both swung around in confusion, wondering why Blaise Zabini was in Dumbledore's office at two in the morning.

Blaise looked at them, surprised. "What are you two doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"Uh..." he trailed off uncomfortably, then looked over his shoulder and called, "Draco! Stephanie!"

"Oh great," Ginny groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Draco growled to Blaise, annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny's demanding voice echoed and Draco almost jumped in surprise.

Draco stared at Ginny, mesmerized. He hadn't been this close to her in the past month.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked, smirking. He knew that look.

Stephanie walked in cursing, not noticing everyone in the room. "Damn shoe got caught on that stupid stair. Dumbledore, you should really get," she looked up and froze.

"I will be sure and get it fixed," the Headmaster replied in amusement, finishing her thought.

"Great," she said, faking enthusiasm. "Now what in the hell is going on?" she voiced everyone's question, gazing at Harry, a feeling of grief and love washing over her.

Dumbledore sobered. "I'm afraid that all of you are here for the same reason."

"Oh gods, it happened to you too?" Ginny asked them, concerned.

"Draco and Blaise, their, um... marks started bleeding and burning," Stephanie answered her.

Ginny gasped and ran over to Draco, to concerned to think about what she was doing and carefully pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. He winced, not from pain, but because he didn't want her to see such a disgusting thing.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked him softly, gazing into his eyes.

He nodded. "I'm fine. What about you?" he asked, amazed that she was actually talking to him.

"I'm okay," she replied. Merlin, she had missed his voice.

"What about you?" Stephanie asked Harry, breaking the other couple's moment.

Ginny turned away and Draco cursed his cousin inwardly for her bad timing.

"Fine," Harry replied. "And you?" He took in her appearance, realizing she looked healthier than any of them at the moment. She looked... beautiful.

"I'm alright. Nothing happened to me," she said, shivering under his emerald gaze.

"Well that's nice, but I wanna know what the hell is going on," Blaise replied, annoyed.

"Apparently, Mr. Zabini, Voldemort is angry at all of you," said Dumbledore.

"Well, I knew that," Blaise uttered.

"So it looks like I'm going to have to remove the three of you from Slytherin house," he informed.

Draco was outraged. "What? You can't possibly think I'm going to give up everything I've earned because of those pricks."

"You don't have to give up anything, Mr. Malfoy. I just think it would be wise if your living arrangements were changed," Dumbledore replied.

"It makes sense," Stephanie cut in, "I mean, if Voldemort knows that we betrayed him, then he'll tell every single Death Eater here."

"That can't be good," Harry said.

Blaise scowled, "Of course it isn't good, Potter."

"So, what? This means that the other Slytherins are going to terrorize us every chance they get?" Stephanie asked, giving Blaise a look that meant for him to shut up.

"If they are told to do so by Voldemort, then yes. This is why I want the three of you to move to a different part of the castle. You will still go to the same classes and eat at the same table, but you will not live with them," Professor Dumbledore explained.

"So much for houses bonding," Ginny muttered under her breath.

Dumbledore smiled. "Ms. Weasley, you've already bonded with two Slytherins."

She blushed and cleared her throat, "Oh, right."

Draco smirked.

"If Voldemort is so angry, then why didn't anything happen to Stephanie? Why didn't she feel any pain?" Ginny asked Dumbledore curiously.

"Stephanie isn't connected to Voldemort in a physical or mental sense. The four of you are all connected to him in some way," he told her, feeling a deep pang for the fact that they were all so young.

"Well what am I supposed to do this summer?" Blaise interrupted. "My whole family is full of Death Eaters. I'll be dead by the time I step of Hogwarts grounds," he said bitterly.

"There's no other option. You'll have to spend the summer with us," Stephanie spoke up.

"Oh great," Harry replied sarcastically.

Blaise looked confused. "Us? Who's us?"

"I'll explain it later," Stephanie dismissed. "So is it okay if he hides away with the rest of us this summer?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course it is, Ms. Anderson. See if he would like to join the Order as well," he said casually.

"Yes, sir," Stephanie nodded and Blaise just kept on looking confused.

Harry looked at his Headmaster wondering if he really was insane.

"Speaking of the Order, have you all thought things through?" Dumbledore asked four of the teenagers.

"I'm in," Stephanie said, then turned to her cousin. "Drake?"

He looked away from Ginny's searching eyes, feeling somewhat guilty. "I, uh, need more time to think about it."

"That's quite alright, Mr. Malfoy," the Headmaster replied in understanding.

"I'm in too," said Harry. He wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to have advantages while fighting Voldemort.

"Wonderful. Be sure to remind Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger to come by and give me their answer soon," he reminded him.

Harry nodded.

"Ms. Weasley?" Dumbledore said softly, watching her with thoughtful eyes.

Ginny knew from the beginning what she'd wanted to do. "I want in," she said, her voice confident. She looked over to Draco, wondering why he hadn't said he wanted to join too. Well, it wasn't that hard to figure out. He probably thought no one wanted him to join the Order. She knew that he wasn't evil and that he wasn't at fault for her father's death, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry with him. Finding out that she'd been just a bet to him, a prize of some sort, made her heart ache with pain and fresh tears come to her eyes.

Draco caught Ginny's pained expression and quickly looked away, ashamed once again. It didn't take a genius to know what she was thinking about. He just wished she would listen to him and let him explain.

"Alright, I need some of you to sign some things," Dumbledore broke in, ceasing everyone's thoughts. He turned to Stephanie, Harry, and Ginny and handed them each a piece of parchment, making them read it and sign their signature at the bottom. "Well then, it's settled. You are now official members of the Order of the Phoenix."

A/N: Well, I gave you a really long chapter, now I want REVIEWS! Lots and lots and lots... okay, you get the picture. lol. So, how did you like it? I think it went well! You know I appreciate all your support and I love you bunches!

P.S. In your review, I would like to know who your fave character of my fic is, and who your least favorite character is.

Please Review! (With whipped cream and a cherry on top.)

LilyK