A/N: Okay…the long awaited chapter is finally here…enjoy…savor it.

Chapter 7:

Draco entered his dormitory not caring if he made any noise, for Crabbe and Goyle slept like hippogriffs. He lay on his bed and stared into the darkness. He'd done what was asked of him and yet, he was now more confused than ever before. Who could have sent him the letter? Who could have possibly known that the youngest Weasley would be there? Draco didn't plan on telling the youngest Weasley about what he saw in the forest. She apparently didn't remember which put him one step ahead of Dumbledore and his followers. All he had to do was watch the youngest Weasley, like his father had told him.

Father. Draco realized that he should write to the delirious man, to see if he had any more instructions to give. Draco reluctantly peeled himself from his bed and sauntered to his trunk to remove his stationary. Once he had his things in place, he found that he was quite sure how to start…how was he to phrase it all? What was he supposed to say? Would his father even be in the right state of mind to respond to the letter? So, Draco Malfoy sat, his quill poised over the parchment, staring at the yellowed paper.

Dear Father,

Draco stared at the writing for some time; it looked out of place, and sounded awkward in his mind. He crumpled up the parchment in a frustrated manner and grabbed another.

Father,

I have been doing what you asked, though I'm not really sure what my main objective is. I've been keeping an eye on the Weasley girl. I think that she has powers that we should take into consideration, but I'm fairly certain someone else probably already has. I received a letter, telling me to go to the Forbidden Forest; I followed instructions like you told me I should in such situations. What I found was…unusual to say the least, but I feel apprehensive expressing it in a letter. I know I might not see you for a while, but it really is something that should be discussed in…private.

Draco paused, he really was worried about his father's mental stability, but he was taught that emotion was weakness, maybe he could sneak in his concern, without seeming…soft.

Do you think you'll be getting out soon? Mother seems lonely at the manor; you know how she gets when she's left alone with the house elves. I hope that you're staying sane. Keep well so that we might be able to serve the purpose together.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Draco reread the letter about seven times before deciding that he should send it off. After he returned to his bed he fell in a heap and slept till he felt someone shake him.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Ginny, wake up this instant or you're going to miss breakfast." Candace shook her roommate. She'd never particularly liked the red head, after the incident in their first year, Candace was terrified of the girl; who wouldn't be terrified of someone who'd been taken into the Chamber of Secrets? No, Ginny Weasley was a bad omen as far as Candace was concerned. Ginny stirred slightly, but kept sleeping.

"Bugger!" Candace was running out of options, sure she didn't particularly like the girl, but Ron had asked her to do him a favor by waking her…who was she to deny a request from Ronald Weasley? Candace sighed and pulled out her wand, racked her brain for the right spell, then prepared herself for the screams that would follow.

"Aquatas." Suddenly there was a downpour of water, right above Ginny streaming down to her bed and her hair.

XxXxXxXxXx

Ron was getting impatient, he'd sent one of Ginny's little roommates up to wake her, but she still wasn't down yet.

"Ronald Weasley, if you pace anymore, you'll be sure to burrow a hole in the carpet," Hermione admonished, but her stare was gentle.

"Hermione, why don't you go up there? You'd be right to make sure that she got out of bed." Hermione shook her head at Ron.

"Who then, might I ask, would make sure that you didn't worry yourself sick?" Ron stopped pacing and stared at Hermione, he hadn't known that she cared really. He smiled at her, but then from all around the room stretched an ear piercing scream.

"Who in the world?" Hermione started, looking alarmed, but Ron was already halfway up the girls' staircase.

"Ginny!"

XxXxXxXxXx

Freezing, oh it was cold. Water was entering her air way. What the bloody hell is going on? Ginny heard screams filling her ears, she soon realized that they were hers when she saw Ron burst through the door into the dormitory.

Ginny looked wildly around the room for the source of the water and found it. There, right at the foot of her bed stood Candace Poddlewyt. Ginny was about to burst, she could feel a surge of anger rise, and she felt something different, something like power coursing through her, but before she could react the frazzled form of Hermione came bounding in the room.

"Ron, how did you do that?" Hermione panted.

"Ginny are you alright?" Ron asked ignoring Hermione's question; Hermione looked slightly put out, but eyed Ginny warily.

"Fine." Ginny gritted out, trying extremely hard to suppress her anger. She felt the anger slowly ebbing away and with the anger, went the build up of energy. Ginny was still staring at Candace, but the other girl hadn't taken her eyes off of Ron since he'd entered the room.

"How did you get up here Ronald?" Candace asked, with what sounded like awe in her voice. She likes Ron, Ginny realized with a start. Why hadn't she noticed it before? It was all right there in her head. The way the girl had watched the trio, almost just as much as Ginny herself had. The way the girl blushed whenever someone would say something about him or whenever, on the rare occasion, he came to talk to Ginny.

Ron on the other hand, didn't seem quite as taken. He seemed even a bit startled to find another person in the room.

"I ran." Ron shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Ron. There is no physically possible way that you could have made it up here. The staircase turns into a slide, remember?" Ginny offered. She too was now interested by the fact that her brother had managed to make it up the enchanted staircase. Hermione seemed less shocked now and stood to the side with a pensive look on her face. Hermione muttered something, Ginny thought she caught the word "library" before Hermione hurried out.

"It doesn't matter, are you ready?" he looked impatient. Ginny looked down at herself and took in her appearance. She was wearing a pair of Bill's old boxers and one of Charlie's shirts which had a dragon breathing fire in a different spectacular pattern each time.

"Erm, Give me a minute," Ginny mumbled as she made her way into the bathroom.

XxXxXxXxXx

Draco Malfoy wasn't in the best of moods when he entered the Great Hall that morning. He was extremely tired and irritated by every living and nonliving thing around him. He'd already yelled at three third years because they were taking entirely too long in the corridor and should have been making their way to wherever it was that they were going. They, of course, had all stared, frightened by the older boy who had been raving at them like some deranged lunatic.

"Bloody third years," Draco cursed under his breath. He made his way to his seat only to find it occupied by someone who carried an extreme resemblance.

"Out Gryffindor, that's my seat." Draco didn't bother with torture; he just wanted his seat back.

He watched as Reda's face reddened amazingly and Draco had to do a double take to make sure that it wasn't the youngest Weasley.

"Now, now Draco; let's be nice. After all, he is our guest." Daphne purred grabbing Draco's arm and looping hers through his. "Besides," she continued, "he was just telling us about his most recent lay." Daphne smirked looking very pleased with herself as she stared at Reda, who'd turned an ultra shade of red.

Under any normal circumstance, Draco would have pushed Daphne away from him, shoved the stupid Gryff out of his space, and thought about sticking up for Fanforth. As it stood, today wasn't any other day, and this circumstance wasn't any normal circumstance, and as it stood, Draco was actually interested in getting to know this younger boy who held and uncanny resemblance to himself. Draco settled for squeezing in between Reda and John.

"Continue." Draco granted lamely.

"Well, it was really late last night—or early this morning rather. I couldn't sleep—"

"Why not?" Draco asked. John Azar blushed slightly but kept Draco's gaze.

"I couldn't sleep not knowing if Ginevra was alright." John admitted willingly. Draco noticed that Reda had gone pale beside him and blanched uncomfortably.

"You were worried about the Weasley wench?" Daphne cried with glee, the mirth was palpable, like an aura surrounding her being.

"She's not a wench, and it would do you well to hold your scanty tongue when in my presence." John glared at her acidly, which in turn caused Daphne to shut her mouth. The glee was gone from her eyes and she was hard pressed to stare at the table.

"Anyway, I went downstairs because I thought I'd heard voices. There she was sleeping on the couch," John's mouth twitched, Draco would've thought the admiration that the boy felt for the youngest Weasley was pathetic if it weren't for what he'd said next.

"Well, then I hear her whimpering softly, of course right away I thought it must have been a bad dream. Wouldn't you guess that what she was whimpering was for me." Draco had to hold the urge to sputter his pumpkin juice all along the table. The little bugger was bold wasn't he, but then again John had no idea that Draco had been in the common room that night. Draco was about to embarrass the stupid git right there, but he felt something like anger, not his own, but coming from another source. Draco looked around only to find Reda Fanforth glaring at her eggs, but the silverware around her seemed to be humming along with the energy she was emitting. She definitely didn't belong in Slytherin, Slytherin's weren't supposed to show emotion…at least not any that didn't fall under the contempt category.

"Was she really?" Pansy asked giving Reda a sideways glance. John Azar didn't answer though, his face had paled considerably and he was staring at the entrance to the Great Hall; Draco soon saw why, at that moment Ginny was practically dragged into the hall by her brother, another girl flanking Ginny at her side.

John coughed a little and smirked at the Slytherins around him.

"Sorry, must be off, my queen has arrived." With that last statement John Azar swept up gracefully from the table and strode over to the Gryffindor table. Draco could hear Reda making choking noises from where she sat. Draco was starting to feel extremely uncomfortable sitting next to her, for the air in the vicinity had a shock about it. Blaise seemed to notice it too, for she reached across the table only to be met with a glare, Blaise backed down with a hiss as though she'd been burned.

Deciding to let Red cool off her steam, Draco reached for his glass of pumpkin juice.

CRACK. The glass exploded, then Pansy's, then went Daphne's and soon the whole Slytherin table was littered with glass. Draco let the shock pass for a little bit, but soon found himself smirking. This girl was extremely powerful and with a temper like that it was simple to say that it would definitely make for an interesting year.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Ron, I'll be fine if you let go of my hand and let me walk on my own." Ron glared at Ginny when she said this but sighed slightly and released her hand. Ginny rubbed her palm feeling how sore it was from when Ron had been clutching it.

"Red!" Ginny whirled around, slightly dazed from all the activity of the morning, but found that she regretted it when she saw who was walking toward her.

"John…how are you?" Ginny gritted out, trying to be polite, still trying to understand what had cause her heart to grow soft to him. He looked surprised at her as well.

"What? No 'bugger off'? Those love potions that I've been slipping into your pumpkin juice each morning must be working." John smiled at her sweetly. It was unnerving to see a face that reminded her so much of a person she didn't like to be around could be quite handsome when it held a genuine smile. She was also equally unnerved by the fact that she was willingly participating in playful banter with and eleven-year-old.

"Now John, you and I both know that there isn't anyway to make a love potion here in Hogwarts."

"Actually I didn't know that. Why isn't it possible?" Ginny smirked at him, glad to know that she knew some things which he did not.

"Because the key ingredient is the vein of a jasmine flower and most other potion ingredients terminate the effects of the jasmine vein because the flower is so pure that it cannot survive around magic, in fact, the only way to get a jasmine vein would be if you got a license to order it from a special apothecary." Ginny finished with a smirk, happy to see that John was gazing at her with little concealed admiration.

"But that's enough for our Potion lesson; shall we sit and have breakfast?"

"You want to have breakfast with me?" John Azar blushed slightly and stared at his feet. Ginny thought the gesture was amazingly cute.

"Of course, you know, you really aren't that bad when you're not trying to get into my knickers." Ginny was also extremely pleased to see that this made him blush even more. He muttered a 'sorry' and followed her to where she plopped down across from Ron. Ron glared at John for a moment, Ginny had told Ron all the things John had been saying about her, and needless to say that it only fueled Ron's argument that the sorting hat had royally 'screwed up' this year.

"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked, looking around for a mop of messy black hair, but she couldn't find it.

"Dumbledore's office," Ron mumbled between the excess amounts of food he kept shoving in his mouth, "Dumbledore wants to see you as well, after you're done with breakfast, so hurry up with your kippers." John stared open mouthed as Ron continued to shovel the food into his mouth. Ginny fought the urge to laugh out loud; she could just imagine Malfoy looking at Ron much the same way if it were Malfoy, not John who was sitting there. Ron noticed them staring at him and brushed his nose, "What? Have I got dirt on my face?" Ginny laughed out loud then, as did John, they looked at each other and shook their heads.

XxXxXxXxXx

"I don't understand why Sirius can't stay with me. After all, he is my godfather." Harry was saying when Ron and Ginny walked into the headmaster's office after breakfast.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore nodded to them in kind.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore," they responded simultaneously.

Sirius looked slightly ruffled, he was currently sitting in a chair nearest Fawkes cage, while inside the cage a recently reborn Fawkes hopped around and trilled happily at the seemingly mellow occupant.

"Harry, it would be too obvious if I allowed Sirius to stay with you. I daresay people might get suspicious if I allowed you to have a dog at school."

"So you're going to leave Sirius with Ginny instead? I'm afraid I'm still missing the logic in all of this," Harry fumed. Ron could never remember seeing Harry so angry before.

"Harry, I'm certain that Professor Dumbledore has his reasons for wanting Sirius to stay with me, even if he hasn't voiced them yet," Ginny stated calmly.

Harry spun around on the spot seemingly just noticing that they had entered the room. Ron noticed that once Harry saw Ginny his features softened slightly, but he whirled back around to face Dumbledore.

"What, might I ask, are your reasons?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly ands stated very clearly, "My reasoning is simple," he grabbed a lemon drop from the candy dish on his desk and offered some to the rest of the room, but all declined. He shrugged in defeat and popped the candy into his mouth, "I quite enjoy a good lemon drop." Ron shifted uncomfortably on his feet, he watched as Harry grew visibly, more and more irritated with Dumbledore. He didn't press Dumbledore on the matter, rather glared at the Headmaster in expectancy.

"The simple fact of the matter is that I need someone to watch over Ginny."

"WHAT?" Harry and Ginny both approached the Headmaster's desk with new zeal. Ron rubbed at his forehead absently sensing that they were going to be here quite a bit longer than he had intended.

"Alright then Sirius?" Ron asked, making his way towards the seated man. Sirius looked up slightly and made what Ron assumed was an attempt at a smile but only came as a grimace. Ron pulled up a chair next to Sirius and sat down vaguely aware of the fact that Ginny and Harry were arguing manically with Dumbledore still.

"So…how do you feel?" Ron still wasn't sure how to treat Sirius yet. He wasn't sure what the older man was thinking or what he'd endured wherever he was. Sirius sighed and with some effort threw Ron a rakish smile.

"I feel…as grand as one can feel after being in the freezing dark for Merlin only knows how long." Ron had to fight the feeling the Sirius was angry with his badgering, and remind himself that he'd probably be a bit snippy too if he'd been in the dark for such a long time. Not knowing whether he'd ever be able to see his family again…or anyone he cared about; then forced to follow his sister around all day. Sirius continued, "I suppose that given a few months I can get back into the swing of things. It's just that…since I haven't used my muscles in so long, they hurt, and sure Pomfrey has been giving me some remedies for the pain, but they still get stiff sometimes." Ron nodded in understanding, he wished there was something he could do for Sirius, he was just happy that Harry was happier now that Sirius was alive and well. At that Ron heard Harry give and outraged cry before prattling along to Dumbledore again.

"We're all glad you're back," Ron said softly and touching the older man's arm. Sirius shot his arm out of Ron's grasp looking as if he was burned. Ron blushed slightly, figuring that maybe the older man didn't like being shown affection. Or maybe he took it the wrong way, Ron thought horrified, he turned an even deeper shade of red and was about to explain himself when Sirius beat him to the punch.

"Sorry Ron, it's just, you—I…I'm glad I'm back as well," Sirius finished lamely, still staring at his arm. He gave a snort of laughter and flexed his hand in front of his face. Ron stared at him, wondering what could've possessed the man that he was so intrigued with his hand, but lost the thought when Harry came to sit next to him.

"So it's agreed then, Sirius you will stay with Ginny to monitor her and to make sure she doesn't have any more episodes. I will inform all of the teachers of this new arrangement between Ginny and Snuffles; I daresay some of them might be surprised if you walked into class with a dog." Ginny nodded silently and Harry crossed his arms over his chest not looking pleased.

"Now, onto more pressing matters; I believe that with the events of last year, it is probably best to just keep you informed. There have been murmurs about the prisoners currently being held up in Azkaban."

"They're still there?" Sirius interjected.

"Surprisingly yes, I would have thought they'd have been out by now as well, which makes me wonder what Voldemort is planning." Ron cringed at hearing the name. A look of understanding dawned on Harry's face.

"The dementors? But surely that would be risky even for the Death Eaters."

"He's commanded the dementors before; I wouldn't put it past him to gain their allegiance again." Dumbledore rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. Ron noted that the man was looking older and older these days.

"Snape has also found some very interesting information, which we must analyze carefully. It seems as though Voldemort has his sights set on someone or something other than Harry, though we aren't certain quite yet, the Order is working as much as they can to figure it out," Dumbledore cast a wearying glance by way of Ginny, which Ron caught but wasn't sure if he should say anything about it. Could it be possible that Voldemort would go after Ginny? But why? What would he do with Ginny? Ron shook his head and looked at Harry.

"Come on Harry, we should go tell Hermione, she's already in the library of course so we might be able to find out more there." Ron urged standing up, Harry followed suit saying goodbye to the room in general and following Ron out the door.

XxXxXxXxXx

It was an awkward feeling, walking down the corridors with a huge black dog in tow. The fact that Ginny Weasley didn't know how to act didn't help in the slightest. Was she supposed to talk to him, but if she did…what would others think? And if she were to talk to him, what would she talk about? She couldn't very well ask him too many questions…for how would he answer? But the slight sound of shoes and padded feet on stone was starting to drive her berko.

"So, life with me shouldn't be too interesting. I'm not too exciting of a person…" Ginny trailed off, glancing down to see that Siriu—Snuffles was staring at her expectantly. The silence must have been killing him as well; which made perfect sense considering the time he'd spent in silence before. She assumed he probably welcomed the sound.

"I of course wouldn't wish this kind of torture on anyone. Having to follow a teenage girl around all day. And I have no doubt in my mind that you'd probably want to spend this time with Harry rather than monitoring some silly girl who has 'episodes'." Ginny felt Snuffles' nose nudge her hand, and she felt comforted by his presence, maybe this wouldn't be such an awkward experience after all.

As she rounded the corner she was hit strait on by a mass of person. She landed on the hard stone with a soft 'oof'.

"Oh, I'm terribly s-sorry. H-here, let me help you up. Merlin, I'm so clumsy sometimes." Ginny held hands grasp hers and she was pulled up, back to her feet. Once she'd steadied herself and regained her bearings she looked at who'd knocked her over, but what she saw made her gasp in surprise…could this year get any weirder?

"I—I'm really sorry, it's just…I was late to class…and I don't know where it is. I don't have too many friends here yet…and…bugger…do you know where the Potions room is?" The boy behind the spectacles asked. Ginny could only stare, examining his unruly hair to his too big robes and back to his green eyes. This was too weird for words. Snuffles barked from beside her and bared his teeth at the boy.

"I—I'm really sorry again. I suppose I can find it on my own…I just—"

"No, no, don't worry about it. I can help you…it's just that—you look so much like someone I know," Ginny said, shaking her head. The boy shrugged and looked at her.

"I've been getting that a lot. Harry Potter, right? That's your friend?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. Hi, I'm Peter Handle, Hufflepuff first year." He extended his hand which Ginny stared at for a while before taking it in her own.

"My name is Ginevra Weasley, but everyone calls me Ginny…erm…Gryffindor."

"And what year are you in?"

"Fifth." Peter looked at her in awe and blushed slightly.

"Is this your dog? I didn't know we were allowed to have them at school." Peter glanced at Snuffles a bit apprehensively. Snuffles growled low in his throat.

"My dog?—Oh yes, this is Snuffles, Snuffles…this is Peter. I'm actually keeping him safe for a friend. Dumbledore said it was alright." Peter nodded. They stood there staring at each other for a while; the silence was thick and awkward.

"So, the Potions room did you say? Oh, you'd better hurry then. Do you have a pass from a teacher?" Peter nodded showing her his pass, "Okay, you'll be going down to the dungeons then. Follow the corridor till you get to the stairs then keep going down until everything gets cold and you can't feel the sunshine through the windows anymore, then take a right at the portrait of the dancing skeleton, follow that corridor along and it'll be….erm…" Ginny shut her eyes trying to get a mental image of the classroom. She hadn't taken the back route in forever, "the fourth door on your left, the gloomiest one in the corridor, you can't miss it."

"Thanks a bunch," Peter said shaking her hand, "Will I see you again?"

Ginny blushed slightly and nodded.

"After all, it's not that big of a castle, I'm sure we'll meet again. Good luck with potions. Try not to look Snape directly in the eye." Peter gulped and stared at his shoes. Ginny laughed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, you'll do just fine. Remember, if you need help, my name is Ginny Weasley." Peter nodded and made his way down the corridor. She watched him as he turned to the staircase and disappeared out of sight. Ginny sighed…something was going on at Hogwarts and she was going to figure out what it was.

XxXxXxXxXx

A/N: I know I know. It took forever and you were all being good little reviewers and waiting ever so patiently. I'm such a horrible person, but I had to get my bearings and figure out where I wanted this story to go. And I still haven't decided the ending, but I have some tasty things coming in the future rubs hands together deviously but only good reviewers get the tasty chapters flying to the computer, otherwise I might not be compelled to write, but fear not, I am going to finish this fic. As God as my witness, you faithful reviewers will never go hungry again…. cough sorry sometimes I lose myself. I hope this chapter got the questions turning in your brain. Sorry again for it being so far in coming. Reviews make the heart grow fonder.