All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

Chapter Six: Another Fallen Weasley

Ginny Weasley - Present Day

October 15, 1999

Ginny searched Fred and George's old bedroom at The Burrow thoroughly, but she could not find what she was looking for. She knew that they had created temporary invisibility cloaks (they only lasted 30 minutes) but had assumed they wouldn't sell as the duration was so short and therefore gave up on the product. She was certain she would find one laying around their old room, however, but her search had come up empty. She started to head downstairs so she could apparate back to Hogwarts when she heard voices. She thought that The Burrow was empty; Everyone was at Grimmauld Place doing Order stuff (much to her displeasure). She made to take out her wand until she realized she was simply hearing the voices of two of her older brothers, Charlie and Ron. She continued to walk down the stairs until something she heard stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I went to Nurmengard, but it's as Helen had said, empty. We couldn't find a single clue to help us find the counter spell or to indicate what had happened when You-Know-Who had visited there," she heard Charlie say. Nurmengard? You-Know-Who as in Voldemort? This must be what the Order is dealing with! She sat down on the stairs quietly and continued to listen. So, they were interested in a grave at Nurmengard that was empty. What could be so significant about a prisoner's grave? Surely they cannot be referring to Voldemort; the Order had burned his body to ensure that there was no way he would resurrect again. She kept on listening, hoping for more clues.

"And Pius?" Ron asked angrily.

"Still being tagged, still ditching the tail at the same spot." So they were following someone named Pius. It must be the known Death Eater, Pius Thicknesse, Ginny thought to herself. She was making a mental note of everything she needed to do. Despite what Harry wanted, she was going to find out what was going on. She had attempted to go to Grimmauld Place, but new charms had been placed to keep her, and anyone else not in the Order, out. It sounded like her next plan was to go to Nurmengard. She wasn't sure how she would manage that or what she would be looking for, but she would worry about that later. Maybe she needed to tail Pius, too, whatever it took to get answers. Something she heard made her instantly lose her train of thought.

"He's my brother, too, mate, we will figure this out." Brother? What happened to her brother? Which one? She knew it couldn't have been Charlie or Ron since they were right there, and with Fred gone that only left Bill, Percy, or George. She decided to go to Diagon Alley immediately and talk to George as he would for sure tell her. She got up and quietly headed downstairs to sneak out the backdoor, when she heard Charlie mention that Ron needed to take care of the store. George's store. Oh no, what had happened to George? She hated thinking things like this, but she had to assume he was alive. They would not be talking the way the were if he were, well, if he was with Fred again. She stood outside in the backyard shaking. How dare her family and Harry keep something like this from her! This was her brother! Enough was enough, she was going to solve this if it was the last thing she did, and then she would deal with her boyfriend and the rest of her family.

Harry Potter - Present Day

October 15, 1999

"Arbadacarba!" Harry heard Helen say as he walked into the room where George was currently laying in. "Arbadacarba!" she said again.

"No luck, then?" Harry asked her. She shook her head.

"I thought it was in the wand movement, but I've tried every way I could think of. I even extracted the memory of when I put him under and then studied it in the Pensieve to see my arm motion and mimic it, but I was still unsuccessful."

"Has anything else been tried?"

"Pomona tried with the mandrakes, but it didn't work," Helen answered.

"So, we know for sure that he isn't petrified," stated Harry. "And for sure he's not-?"

"No, Harry, we are positive that he isn't dead. His body would have shown signs of death by now. Decay and odor. He's perfectly intact, just no heartbeat or breath. It's as if he's frozen."

Harry thought hard. "So all of our allies at the battle, that's how we'll know? We have to dig up every grave and see if they've decayed or not?"

"I'm afraid so, Harry." Harry frowned. The thought of digging up his friends' graves was too much to bear. Knowing that some of them have been buried alive, just laying there... "We need to wake George up!"

"We are trying everything we can, Hermione is supposed to come by today with some books that she thinks might help."

Harry nodded. "Keep me informed, then, please." He left the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Ah, there you are, Potter. A word, if you please." Harry was used to seeing different Order members about the house, but he was surprised to see Professor McGonagall, particularly during class hours.

"Why aren't you at Hogwarts, Professor?" Harry wondered.

"I should ask you the same thing. You still have studying to do, and I do not recall you receiving your NEWT in Transfiguration yet!"

Harry shook his head. "I don't have time for that right now."

"Well you best make time, Potter. Nobody can know what is going on. By you not attending your classes is a sure sign to anyone looking that you are up to something."

Harry knew better than to argue with her. "I'll show up tomorrow," he promised her.

"Very good. Now, the school Governors have informed me that it is the wishes of the students to have another Yule Ball."

"We aren't doing the Triwizard Tournament again?" Harry asked her, concerned.

"Not whilst I am Headmistress! I am told, however, that I do need to allow this Ball to take place."

"You're the Headmistress, you can say no!"

"Potter, as Headmistress, it is my responsibility to listen to the Governors. And what reason would I have to say no?" She asked him.

"Look at everything that's going on!" Harry nearly shouted.

"And you intend on telling them? Because surely you don't expect me to?"

Harry didn't respond. There was so much going on that he often forgot that the rest of the wizarding community continued on as normal. "Right, Professor, sorry. So what did you need me for?"

"Well I expect you to be there, Mr. Potter, along with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley."

"What? No! Professor, come on!"

"It isn't up for debate, Mr. Potter. It shall be announced to the school shortly. I don't think you need reminding of the importance of keeping the Order activities quiet." She walked out of the room and Harry hung his head. A Ball on top of everything else, how much more could he handle?

Ron Weasley - Present Day

October 15, 1999

Ron watched Essa stare into his eyes. She knew, he thought to himself. He cleared his throat and tried to explain.

"See, school's getting really busy, and the Ministry is time consuming, and I promised George I would help with the shop. There really is no time for anything else." Essa continued to stare at him. "So I guess what I'm trying to say..."

"You're breaking up with me," she finally spoke.

Ron put his hands in his pockets. "Kind of, yeah."

"Why?"

Ron looked bewildered. "I thought I just explained?"

"I have school, too, I have extracurriculars, I'm often abroad, visiting my parents. I'm probably much busier than you are, but I'm not leaving you, so why? What's the real reason?" Essa was relatively calm, which bothered Ron. It would have been easier if she were upset.

"Er, long distance relationships don't work, um.."

"Who is she?" Essa suddenly asked.

"Who is who?"

"The girl you're leaving me for?"

Ron was stunned. She knew, but how? "There's nobody!"

The tears started to build in Essa's eyes but she was strong and she held them back. "Ron, please don't insult me anymore than you already are. Just tell me the truth, there's someone else, isn't there? You've been cheating on me." Ron was quiet for a short while. "Answer me, Ron!" Essa yelled.

"I've never cheated on you," Ron lied. He couldn't hurt her anymore than he already was. "But," he took a deep breath and continued. "There's someone else, yeah." Essa couldn't keep back the tears now. Ron looked away, he felt terrible.

"Thank you for your honesty," Essa finally whispered. "Goodbye, Ron." She was through the door before Ron could say anything else. He had never felt so horrible in his life. He loved her, there was no denying that, and seeing her so hurt was painful, but with Essa came so much pressure and work. He closed his eyes and thought of Jessica. Easy. He needed easy. With George and the Order and Grindelwald, he only had time for easy right now. With slight guilt, he walked towards the apparition point just beyond The Burrow and headed towards Jessica's house.

Hermione Granger - The Past

September 12, 1999

"Come on, Hermione, I'm sitting at Gryffindor table with you, isn't that enough?" Draco pleaded with Hermione.

"If you think sitting at a table with me is showing me attention, then you're wrong!" Hermione got up and stormed outside, but Draco quickly followed. "How do you think I feel, Draco?" Hermione continued their argument outside. "You hide me in a corner! I see you in private hallways or in an unknown cafe in Hogsmeade! I'm your girlfriend but you're too embarrassed to be seen with me!"

"That's not true, if I didn't want to be with you I wouldn't be! I just don't air my private life to the world. But I definitely do not hide you; Everyone knows we are together!" Draco retaliated.

"Together in the shadows! I include you in everything I do, just because I'm with Harry or Ron doesn't stop me from seeing you! Crabbe and Goyle don't even know I exist! I'm over it, Draco, I don't feel important."

Draco sighed. "Look, Potter and Weasley are different than Crabbe and Goyle, alright? I just don't need the Slytherins to ridicule you, that's all it is. Besides, I really don't care what they think, which is why I don't even bother connecting you to them." Hermione folded her arms across her chest; she wasn't buying his excuses. "Look," Draco tried again. "You know I'm going to my Mother's manor today for tea, come with me."

"What?" Hermione was surprised.

Draco smiled. "She's someone who matters to me, so come meet her, I mean officially, as my girlfriend." Hermione didn't know what to say. If Draco wanted to bring her to his Mother, then maybe she was overreacting. But being back at Malfoy Manor was petrifying. The last time she was there, she had been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. "Go and get ready and meet me in the Great Hall in an hour, I'll Owl Mother."

"She hasn't adapted to the galleons then?" Hermione asked him.

"She doesn't know about them, otherwise my pocket will always be hot!" Hermione laughed but never replied. "Please?" Draco asked her.

"Okay." Hermione hurried off to her quarters in Gryffindor tower, as an hour really wasn't a long time to get ready. She struggled on the decision of what to wear. Should she wear a pair of muggle jeans or a nice skirt? She eventually decided on witch's robes (as Narcissa Malfoy was a pureblood witch) and her hair up into a tight bun. She then headed down to the Great Hall where Draco was waiting.

"Ready?" he asked her. She nodded. The pair walked off of the Hogwarts grounds in silence, but hand in hand. The truth was that Hermione was incredibly nervous. The battle of Hogwarts had been over for quite some time now, there were no more Death Eaters, and certainly no more Voldemort, yet Hermione felt as if she was still entering enemy territory. They apparated together and landed at the gates of Malfoy Manor, where Narcissa Malfoy was awaiting her only child. She embraced him warmly and then turned to Hermione.

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said.

Narcissa nodded to her. "Welcome to our home, please come inside." It was a rather normal afternoon. Draco, Hermione, and Narcissa had tea and biscuits in the sitting room, with Draco doing most of the talking. It seemed to Hermione that Narcissa was simply being nice for her son's sake, but she was more than okay with that. She had been accepted (whether willfully or not) and she was surprised at how easy it had been. Asking for anything else from Narcissa would be selfish. After another round of biscuits (with Draco trying really hard to engage his Mother in conversation with his girlfriend), he finally stood up.

"Shall I give you the grand tour, then?" he asked Hermione.

"I would love that," Hermione replied.

"Shall you join us, Mother?" Draco asked Narcissa.

"I think not, you two go ahead." Draco started with the top floor and worked his way down. Malfoy Manor was the exact same as Hermione expected it to be. All the furniture was either dark wood or marble and accented with silver. Priceless artifacts and paintings could be seen in every room, and, of course, not a thing was out of place. It was very clean and well kept, but it wasn't a happy place. Hermione frowned as she pictured what kind of childhood Draco must have had. They entered a very familiar room; Hermione instinctively looked up, but no giant chandelier was hanging from the ceiling.

"My mother never replaced it," Draco told her, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. "Come on, let's get out of here." They walked across the room (Hermione had a quick flashback of laying on the ground), and stopped beside a staircase leading to the basement. "Uh, that's where Potter and Weasley.." Draco started to explain.

"I don't want to go there," Hermione interrupted.

"Right," Draco said. "So there's one last room then. I think you'll like this, it's my Father's study. Every Malfoy heirloom can be found in there, as well as the history of the Malfoy's and photos of our ancestry, it's really cool." Hermione was intrigued. She stood outside the door as Draco reached for the handle.

"What are you doing?" came Narcissa's voice from behind.

"Showing her Father's study," Draco answered.

"You shall not go in there!" Narcissa said angrily. Hermione was disappointed but she understood; it was just like how the Weasley's struggled to enter Fred's room; it's almost forbidden since the person was no longer there.

"It's okay, let's go, Draco."

"Sorry, Hermione," said Draco. "It's just that.."

"I get it, don't worry, Lucius' study and all.."

"That room contains information that only the eyes of a Malfoy may see. We do not show it to anyone except when someone becomes a member of this family," Narcissa told her.

"No problem," said Hermione, "perhaps in the future, then."

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked her.

"Well I'm not saying Draco and I are running off and getting married tomorrow, but one day, when I'm a proper Malfoy." Hermione smiled to Narcissa.

"A proper Malfoy?" Narcissa repeated. "Do you honestly think that my son will one day marry you?"

Hermione looked puzzled. "Draco and I are in a serious and committed relationship!" she said confidently. Narcissa laughed. Hermione saw a resemblance to Bellatrix Lestrange in her face, and hate immediately started to build up.

"Silly girl!" Narcissa said to her. "My son may be having his fun with you right now, biding his time, but he will never marry you, a Mudblood! He is still a Malfoy, regardless of where my husband may be!" Shocked, Hermione turned to Draco waiting for him to defend her, but he just kept his head down, staring at his shoes. Hermione stormed out of Malfoy Manor without a word and apparated back to the designated spot outside of Hogwarts. She was already through the gates and almost up the front steps of the castle's main entrance before Draco finally caught up with her.

"Hermione, wait!" he yelled.

"Did you hear her?" Hermione bellowed. "All those horrible things she said, and thinking that you're just with me to pass the time! She claims to know her son but clearly she doesn't!"

"Hermione," Draco started to mumble.

"I honestly cannot believe what just happened!" Hermione continued without realizing Draco had started to speak. "What a rude awakening it will be for the Malfoy's when a muggle-born witch enters the family!" "

Granger, listen!" Malfoy said a little louder.

"Granger?" Hermione repeated, finally realizing that Draco was speaking. "I'm Granger, now?"

Draco ignored her comment. "Sorry she reacted that way, okay? Can we just forget about it?"

"No we cannot!" Hermione said. "You need to tell her that this is real! We are real!"

Draco sighed. "I'm not going to do that."

"And why the bloody hell not?" Hermione yelled. There was a long pause. "Do you mean to tell me, Draco, that this was all for fun and games? That you just took me to your bed until your pure blood wife finally came around?" Hermione's face was beet red in anger.

"Hermione, you know I love you, it's just that-"

"Just what exactly, Draco?"

"Come on, I'm a pure-blood Malfoy, I could never marry a Mudblood.."

"A Mudblood?" Hermione repeated, exasperated.

"No, I didn't mean-"

"Goodbye, Draco," and with that, Hermione turned on her heel and ran into the castle without looking back.

Author's Notes: Just to comment on a few messages received, "Guest", you are thinking along the same lines as Ginny in this story. She is not being treated fairly and, unfortunately, that is only going to get worse. The Ginny we know and love, however, will not put up with it, so stay tuned!