Ginny reached the portrait hole and gasped, "Blast Ended Skrewt," to the Fat Lady, who nodded and replied, "Dear me, Miss Weasley, it seems as if you have run a marathon." Ginny inhaled sharply and responded blandly, "I feel like I have. Did Harry just walk in?" The Fat Lady nodded and obviously sensing her urgency, she allowed Ginny in through the door.

She rushed inside the common room and saw Harry sitting in his usual spot, thinking. He looked up when she came in and she saw a tear trickle down his eye. Ginny ran to his side, sat beside him on the couch and she placed her arms around him in a tight embrace. Harry murmured, "I'm sorry…it was too much for me." Ginny nodded in understanding and whispered, "I know, Harry. I felt the same and I decided being there for you was far more important right now." He smiled at her gratefully before leaning his head on her shoulder and whispering, "It's not only that. At the beginning of the year I had a dream about Riddle. He was planning something in a house and he had killed someone called Bertha. Wormtail was there too and an old man I didn't know. In the dream, Riddle was talking about his plot to…to kill me." Ginny's breathing hitched up a notch and she swallowed hard, "Harry…Harry why didn't you say anything?" Harry shrugged and replied, "I thought it was just a dream. I didn't think it was really happening." She sighed and shook her head, "So Riddle's back and he's probably already plotting to try that again. How are we going to keep you away from him?" She bit her lip as she thought and watched as he sat up and replied, "I have no idea. I'm safe in the Dursley's house at least and while I'm here at Hogwarts. Next time at least I will know it's real."

Ginny nodded and asked quietly, "Who else knows about this?" Harry sighed, "Just Dumbledore, you, Ron and Hermione." She nodded and said sternly, "Well next time you dream something like this, you tell us immediately, alright?" Harry smiled a little and replied, "Yes ma'am," rather cheekily for someone who had been upset moments ago. Ginny put her hands on her hips and looked him seriously in the eye before saying, "Seriously, Harry, I'm not joking around, here." Harry nodded gravely and murmured, "I know, Gin. I just…I just don't like talking about it." Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "It's more a case of you've got to than whether or not you want to."

Harry nodded grimly just as Ron and Hermione walked in through the doors. Ron asked casually, "Where did you two disappear to?" Ginny shrugged and replied before Harry opened his mouth, "It got too much for me. I asked Harry to come back so I didn't have to be alone." He smiled at her gratefully. Obviously he didn't want to discuss it with the two of them. It was almost like Ginny could hear his thoughts, and it sometimes scared her a bit- how strong their connection was.

Ron nodded in acceptance but Hermione looked a tad suspicious as she narrowed her eyebrows into a frown. Ginny asked quickly, "What are you two guys doing back so soon?" Hermione shrugged and replied, "It was ending soon anyway. I just feel so tired and drained, especially since I had classes up until four and the funeral was only an hour later."

Silence fell upon them. It still freaked Ginny out to think that Ced was dead and not coming back. She couldn't process it so she tried not to think about it. But then her tears got the better of her and they fell thick and fast down her cheeks. Harry was immediately at her side and holding her tightly to him as she sobbed for Cedric. He was gone. He was gone. He was gone. And he'd been her boyfriend for all of a few hours. And he was gone. She missed her friend so much, but she didn't feel like he was truly gone. He was just nowhere to be seen.

Ginny heard rather than saw Ron get up and put a comforting arm around her other shoulder as he body wracked with sobs. She face buried in Harry's chest, and she clasped onto him as if her life depended on it. Eventually, when the sobs faded, she could hear the beating of his heart through his jersey and it calmed her down somewhat. She listened to it and Harry ran a hand down her lose hair and whispered, "I'm sorry Ginny." She nodded and clutched him tighter until she was pretty certain she was squeezing the air out of his chest.

Eventually Hermione whispered, "So…so what did Mrs Diggory have to say to you, Harry?" At that moment, Dean Thomas appeared through the portrait, and was followed by Seamus and Neville. Ginny jumped up from Harry's grasp and Dean stared at them for a second before carrying on his way towards an empty table. Harry leant down and whispered to Ginny, "He doesn't believe me." Ginny shook her head and asked, "And Neville and Seamus?" Neville had given her a sideways glance when he'd seen her with Harry, but otherwise ignored her. Harry murmured softly as the other three started talking, "I think Neville believes me. Seamus definitely doesn't." Ginny grimaced irritably and shot a glare at the two of them. They had their backs to her so they didn't notice, but Hermione whispered warningly from further away, "Ginny," she nodded and held back the anger that was threatening to bubble up inside of her.
The four of them didn't talk much that evening. Ron and Harry played a game of chess and Ginny and Hermione watched. Nobody even did homework because all assignments had been postponed to later due dates. As the common room filled up, Ginny watched people shoot Harry dirty looks and she didn't know how he ignored them with such ease-especially when it made her so angry. She also noticed that she received a few glares herself from some of the girls. She could only assume that they had had a crush on Cedric too. Romilda Vane was one of them. The atmosphere on the whole though was generally somber and Ginny felt exhausted by nine o clock. She told them quietly halfway through round two of chess, "I'm going to sleep, now. Goodnight guys. Ron and Hermione said goodnight but Harry paused and whispered, "Thank you…for earlier. Are you going to be alright?" She nodded and smiled bleakly, "Maybe eventually. Thank you too. Try and get some sleep, Harry."

Harry nodded and she quickly headed towards her dormitory. She didn't want to cause a big scene by hugging Harry even though she felt like she could really use one. It would only make people suspicious because it seemed like a guy and a girl could never just be friends with no romantic feelings attached to most people. She didn't want to start any rumors either and he seemed to sense that. Maybe he felt just as strong as a connection as she did.

As Ginny had a shower and got ready for bed, she heard Julia and Rebecca gossiping about her. She leaned against the bathroom door and heard Rebecca saying, "...Dean told me that when he walked in, they jumped apart. Obviously they were doing something they shouldn't." Julia's softer voice replied, "Or, they could just be best friends. I've never seen them kiss or anything." Ginny could almost hear Rebecca rolling her eyes and replying sharply, "Oh Julia! Don't be so naïve! She kissed him on the cheek in front of everyone after the second task! And the way she ran to him and comforted him after he bought back Cedric's body! It's so obvious they're together and keeping it a secret!" Julia asked quietly, "But why do you think he would keep it secret?" Rebecca laughed scornfully and replied, "Because he doesn't want her to be involved in all the lies that people are saying he's created."
There was a silence and so Ginny decided to break it by walking in after having changed into her pajama's and she announced, "Well, actually we are just friends, Rebecca. Not that it's any of your business. It's been obvious for a while that you're interested in Harry, but I can tell that it's only his fame and for no other reason. I have some advice for you: stop wasting your time because he's not interested. He likes someone else and before you jump to conclusions, it's not me."

Rebecca looked thoroughly disgruntled as Ginny hopped into her bed and drew the curtains around her. The silence in the bedroom was deafening and she was pretty certain the other two girls had called it a night. Rebecca was too embarrassed to say anything. Ginny wasn't about to let that girl start rumors about her or Harry- he had enough rumors of his own to cope with.

Before Ginny drifted off, she thought of what Mrs Diggory had told her. How she hadn't liked Ced with Cho and she was glad that Ginny had had some time with him. How she believed Ginny when she had insisted that Harry was innocent and telling the truth. However mostly she couldn't believe how Mrs Diggory wanted Ginny to come to their house during the holidays. She found that the strangest part of all. Ginny drifted into an uneasy sleep and was grateful when morning came.

Author's Note: Today I managed to start and finish an assignment as well as finish the previous chapter, and start and finish this chapter. I also managed to add in some fitness in between and go out for dinner with the family. It's been a productive day but the part I looked forward to the most is always writing for you guys! I really don't understand how some people live without writing-then again not everyone's dream is to be a writer so that's somewhat understandable. I just find it the most freeing form of creative energy and it is so easy to let your imagination to run wild! Thank you guys for sticking with me! Please keep the reviews I generally love receiving coming!