First of all… I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry it took so long for the update. I really thought I'd have this done all the way back at Thanksgiving but… that just didn't happen. I know I'm a horrible person.Thanks to those of you who E-mailed me and told me to update soon (Cat!) It's so nice to see that people are actually enjoying it. (Yes, I know; I'm a sentimental old fool)

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize from the books. No money is being made from this or any exploitation of the characters or plots belonging to J.K. Rowling. So please don't sue me because I have no money.

(P.S. I couldn't get the default line thing to work so... anywhere you see an 'A' with a bunch of exclamtion points it means the scene is changing.)

A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Draco walked into the common room and slowly eased himself into one of the soft, black couches. He couldn't imagine where Blaise could be. What good was it to be fashionably late if the other person didn't have the common courtesy to be on time?

"Hey, Draco." Blaise said walking into the common room as if on cue.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry; I was just finishing up some homework." He said gesturing to an essay he had set down on the table in front of them. Draco took it and began to read.

The properties of the Iris petal as a key component in many healing potions are not amazing in themselves; it is the vastness of its uses that are truly phenomenal. The petal is used in every thing from concoctions to relieve headaches to restoring broken bones. The exceptionally amazing property of the petal…

"You got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"It actually looks like you researched this."

"So?" Blaise said defensively, grabbing back his parchment and affectionately smoothing it.

"You mean to tell me you actually went to the library, researched your topic and wrote a one thousand word essay in…" He paused and looked at his watch. "Forty-five minutes?"

"Ginny helped. What'd you do to her anyhow, she was pretty… peeved."

"Weasley? Weasley helped you with your homework?"

Uncertainly he replied, "Yes?"

"So you spent the last hour in the library doing homework with the Weasel's little sister?"

"Well we didn't just do homework. And don't look at me like that we didn't snog. We just talked."

"You talked? What could you possible have spent an hour talking about?"

"Different things, you know. Classes, quidditch, relationships-"

"Wait, are you saying you talked to Weasley about girls?"

"Well, yeah, she really-"

"Relationships? Really, Blaise, what's next? You gonna have a sleepover, paint your toenails and share your feelings?"

"Geez, I don't know why I put up with you."

"Because you know, you secretly love me. Just like everybody else in the world."

"Yeah…that's it, Draco."

"Well it's true."

"So, are you ever going to tell me what you did to Ginny?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said innocently. Then, standing, he said, "So are we going or not?"

Blaise grabbed his broom and followed his companion out to the pitch.

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It had to be at least midnight. She was going to kill Snape for making her write this stupid essay. And then maybe she'd use his body to beat Malfoy…

She smiled to herself; there was always a bright side.

Unfortunately it didn't contain the five more inches of information on memory charms she needed. She drifted off to sleep with images of painful ways to torture Malfoy dancing in her head.

A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Ouch!"

"Ron, shut up!"

"I'm sorry but this thing is too small for the two of us."

"Shhhhh."

"Huh?" Ginny asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Who's there?"

Suddenly two familiar heads materialized, apparently levitating in midair.

"Oh, good, it's only you, Gin." Her brother said, the rest of his body emerging. The remaining parts of Harry appeared beside him. At least they both had the decency to look shamefaced; it was nearly 3 A.M. and they were just now returning from some midnight excursion that was almost certainly against the rules. Not to mention they had woken her up from her nap.

"Sorry for waking you."

"What are you doing? It 3 in the morning! You know, I don't even want to know."

"And that's why I love you so darn much." Ron said leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

"What are you doing out here?" Harry inquired.

She groaned. "Stupid potions essay. Due tomorrow and I still need another five inches."

Sitting down and examining her essay, Ron asked, "You need some help?"

"I've read all these stupid books. Twice. And I still don't have enough."

"That's what you get for waiting until the night before it's due to get it done."

"Arrrggg. You're really starting to sound like Hermione, you know." She said, somewhat bitterly considering she had gotten the same lecture from Hermione already. At the same time Harry coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "Whipped".

It really wasn't fair to blame her for procrastinating. She would have done it sooner except she had spent every afternoon that week in the Infirmary. And could she really be blamed? She had to be there. Well, at least three of the days she had to be there, admittedly the other had been of her own accord. But still, she found it new and thrilling. Madame Pomfrey had even allowed her to heal minor afflictions such as headaches and sprains by herself. For more major problems she had been permitted to assist and observe the nurse. On slow nights Ginny busied herself with small tasks such as organizing the supple cabinet and re-labeling the potions ingredients. The only down side was that she had bear spending two of those nights with Malfoy, nights that had been silently endured on both parts.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Thanks for the offer, but I really just need more research."

Harry grinned. "How about a trip to the library?"

She looked doubtful. "It's late, the library is closed."

His grin widened as he held up the invisibility cloak the two boys had previously been wearing. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny…have the twins taught you nothing? Rules are meant to be broken."

"Oh, Harry, your cloak! You don't mind?"

"No, course not." He replied handing her the glinting material of the cloak. "Just so long as you don't get caught."

"I won't, I promise."

Quickly she gathered her quill and parchment and shoved them into her knapsack. She slipped under the cloak making sure no part of her was visible.

"Do you want to come along?" She asked, peeking her head out. In response, Ron yawned.

"Too tired. Good luck." Harry said and followed his friend sleepily up the stairs.

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She sneaked quietly up the steps, careful to avoid the ones that creaked.

"Lumos."

She paused, listening for any noise. Hearing none she gingerly slipped the cloak off and searched the shelves for an appropriate title. Once she found one she sat down at one of the deserted tables and unrolled her parchment trying to ignore how eerie the vacant library seemed in the dim lighting.

She glanced once again at her watch (3:15) before setting to work.

Memory Charm is the generic term for the many spells and potions used to modify a person's memory.

She read from the old, yellow pages of the book. For a moment she considered just copying her report straight out of the huge volume; it was so old surely no one would recognize it. But then again, knowing her luck, Snape probably had every potions book in existence memorized. With a moan she continued reading the ancient book.

Many times they are used to strip a person of only one memory but can successfully block weeks, or even years worth of memories. A recent patent of St. Mungo (one Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart) had twenty-five years of his memory erased in a freak accident. The strength of spell varies directly with the length of time needing to be erased. The charm is weaker when applied to eradicate memories of greater lengths and therefore will not last as long as spells that span a lesser duration. Three basic types of Memory Charms are Reverie Incantations, Dazing Charms and Memory Draughts. Reverie Incantations are perhaps the most complex and rare. The spell creates or replaces a memory with one that never actually occurred but appears completely authentic to the individual affected.

Dazing Charms are placed upon one a specific item, as opposed to a person. They also frequently act as a binding charm and disable the recipient from being able to discuss the given object. The individual who comes into contact with the item in question often experiences confusion, dizziness, or suddenly remembers a pressing previous appointment. In rare cases if the person continues to resist the spell it can lead to nausea and even loss of consciousness.

Clutching the chain around her neck the redhead managed, "Oh, crap. This is bad, this is very, very, bad."

She lay asleep, her red hair spilling in disarray over the books that lay open on the desk, and her quill lay abandoned in a puddle of ink. It was the sound of a door closing that woke her. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and attempted to smooth her hair.

"Ah, heck." She said, realizing for the first time where she was. The library. And not just the library, oh no, in the restricted section. "Ah, heck." She repeated.

Grabbing her essay and quill along with the cloak she turned to leave. It was the sight of the numerous books lying open upon the table that stopped her. If she didn't put them away Madame Pince would know someone had been there.

"Crap. Oh, please don't come in." She begged quietly as she moved to replace them. She threw them haphazardly on the shelves and prayed Madame Pince wouldn't notice.

Slipping on the cloak she carefully opened the door enough that she could see out of it. The librarian was checking the shelves on the opposite side of the library. Assured that the coast was clear she opened the door enough to slip her slim frame through it. To her horror it creaked and she saw the older woman turn towards the noise. Ginny ran the rest of the way out of the library and into the hall.

She stopped to catch her breath only when she was sure it was safe.

Well that was close.

Leaning against the castle wall for support she quickly removed the cloak and threw it into her pack.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A familiar voice from behind her drawled.

Of course. Of course of all the people to see me it HAD to be him. I should've seen this coming.

"Long night, Weasley?"

She blanched realizing how horrible she probably looked, with her day old robes wrinkled and her telltale red hair sticking up.

"You know, I really think I should take points from your house for your roaming around in an out of bounds area."

"I'm not in an out of bounds area!"

"Well, I know that and you know that, but I don't know how keen Professor Snape would be to believe it."

"Shut up Malfoy. I hate you." She spat vehemently. "I hate you more then I've ever hated anyone in my life."

She watched, in horror of what she had just said, as his eyes darkened. He smiled.

"Ahh, you figured out my little secret, did you?"

"That's right and I'm going to tell Dumbledore."

"You can't tell Dumbledore." He said waving his hand in dismissal and rolling his eyes. "You can't tell anyone. I thought you'd figure that out the first time you tried to tell that sniveling Creevy kid about it."

"As soon as you take this thing off I'm going to tell everyone."

"All the more reason not to take it off."

"Then what good would it do you? You'd just lose your bargaining chip."

"You really believe that's all the necklace is good for? No, no, love, it has all kinds of fun tricks about it."

From somewhere in the distance she heard a door shut and footsteps approaching. Before she could reply he leaned forward, close enough that the smell of his cologne drifted to her nose.

He whispered almost inaudibly, "Remember, our little secret."

And in a billow of black robes he was gone leaving Ginny to fume and hope he was bluffing. Somehow, she doubted he was.

A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna try to update again before Christmas. Thanks to all my reviewers. I love you guys!

Please review! It makes me happy.

I leave you with the words of the infamous Al Capone.

You get more with a kind word and a big gun then with just a kind word.

(Grins evilly while holding a gun to a Draco plushy)

Hehehehe….