HI guys! I'm soooooo sorry it took so long to update doddges rotton fruit, but everythings been really hectic lately. At least it's a long chapter, right? That counts for something, right? Right? Okay...anyway, I'll try and get the next chapter out a lot faster!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the charecters or settings from Harry Potter. I am only a poor, poor, armadillo-loving author so don't sue me.

Draco woke to the sounds of screaming. It took him a moment to realize the screams were coming from outside the room. He looked around and Weasley was nowhere to be found. For a moment he panicked until he saw, stellotaped to the door, a small scrape of parchment.

Sorry, it read, I couldn't resist.

So she had already left then. He took a brief look around his room and everything seemed to be in order. The shorts and T- shirt she had worn were folded neatly and stacked on top of Blaise's trunk.

He grabbed a towel and headed for the shower, confident that whatever she had done was the cause of the ruckus. And if he knew her at all, he was sure it would still be there after he showered.

And he was right.

When he emerged from his room, dressed and showered, it was immediately obvious what form her trickery had taken. The once dignified room was now a mockery. The floors had been covered in a shag carpet in a ridiculous shade of red. The comfortable chairs had all been changed into an awful shade of bright yellow. Banners (still in red and yellow) of a rather comical snake sticking its tongue out with the mantra 'I know you are, but what am I?' written across the bottom adorned the walls. Looking down at his robes he discovered that the Slytherin crest there, too, had been changed. Not a single hint of green remained in the entire room.

"Well," He murmured. "Looks like someone's recovering just fine."

"Draco! Draco! Have you seen this?" Pansy's shrill voice cried out. "Do you see this?"

"See what?" He asked calmly.

"This!" She said, throwing her arm out widely to gesture to the décor.

"No, I hadn't noticed."

For a minute she stared at him in disbelief, then, slowly, she realized it had been sarcasm.

"Really Draco, your sense of humor rears its ugly head at the most inappropriate times. Look what those horrid little Gryffindors did to our lovely room!"

"You know," Blaise said. "It wasn't necessarily Gryffindor that did this."

"Are you mad? Of course it was them. Why else would it be in these awful colors?"

"Maybe because Slytherin hates Gryffindor. Whoever this was clearly wanted to make an impression. They knew that if they decorated our house in Gryffindor colors, we'd be livid. It could have been anyone. Putting up yellow and black or even blue and silver just wouldn't have had the same affect. Or, going out a limb, Gryffindor could have been framed."

"So…so, it could have been anyone." Pansy said.

"Exactly." Blaise answered.

"But then who-who do we…" She sat down, obviously she couldn't decide whom she should punish for this and the stress was driving her crazy. When she knew with whom the fault laid, it was easy enough. A few hexes would keep them miserable for weeks, but this was harder. It was downright psychological warfare in her opinion. Draco looked from her, face screwed up in concentration, to Blaise, who was fighting very hard not to laugh.

"Well," Draco said, " Isn't someone going to take it down?"

The worst part of it was Gryffindors had no fashion sense. Red and yellow clashed horribly.

"We can't." Blaise said. "No matter what we try it won't change back."

"Even Snape came down and had a go at it." Pansy said. "Finally he gave up. He said it would have to wear off."

"How long will that take?"

"Don't know." Blaise answered. "Let's go, Draco. Snape will have us strung up by our toes if we're tardy. Again."

"How many times must I tell you Blaise, it's not tardy? It's fashionably late."

Blaise half pushed him out of the door. Once in the hall he started laughing.

"How'd she do it?" Blaise asked through his laughter.

"Who?"

"Ginny. How'd she get everything to change?"

"Weasley? What makes you think it was her?"

"Oh come on. This has her name written all over it. How did she manage it all?"

"I don't bloody well know. Ask her."

"You don't know? Hmm…I thought maybe it was you who let her in."

"Why the heck would I do that?" Draco yelled.

"Don't get all defensive." He smiled. "You have to admit, it was pretty clever wasn't it?"

"Sure. Clever indeed."

Blaise watched his friend walk away, not bringing up the fact that he had a t-shirt and a pair of shorts on the top of his trunk that had not been there when he left. A t-shirt that now smelled distinctly like vanilla…

When he showed up to potions she wasn't there. By his Magical healing class she still hadn't shown up. She made a brief appearance to dinner, staying only long enough to scoop some food unto her plate and vanish again. He noticed that even inside where it was warm and dry she wore her scarf. Annoyed, he found himself wondering if there was something wrong.

Darn it Draco, He thought annoyed, you had to do it. You just had to go soft didn't you?

A small part of him was glad she hadn't shown up for classes because he wasn't sure that he would be able to act natural around her.

He had acted based on emotions. How many times had he been told as a child never to act on emotions? Thousands- perhaps millions. And yet he had done it anyway.

You were just being a decent human being. Nothing wrong with that.

Decent, another part of his head thought, as if any thoughts you were having were decent.

He smirked a bit, remembering how limp her body had been in his arms.

Decent! He reminded himself.

Flashback

She looked so helpless, lying there, the life slowly draining out of her. Of course, he realized it was just a dream and therefore it could not really hurt her, but still the sight was killing him.

"You've…already…lost…" She managed and that was the breaking point.

Not wanting to but unable to stop himself, he sprang up and pushed Tom off of her. Landing painfully on the hard marble ground, he rolled to face Ginny's assailant. The boy was huddled on the ground. He stood and with one cold, hate-filled glare in Draco's direction, disappeared.

Draco picked her up, marveling at how light she was, with every intention of putting her back on the bed. But before he could reach it the familiar pulling sensation informed him the dream was over and the scene faded from his view.

She was the first thing he saw when his eyes opened. Immediately remembering himself he closed his eyes and listened; it would look suspicious if he woke at the same time as her. Hearing nothing, he slit his eyes open. On the bed, she wasn't moving.

His eyes flew open and he pushed away the blanket. Carefully, he climbed onto the bed, checking for a pulse. It was slightly quickened, but steady. She had kicked away the cover and the pillows were in disarray. Not thinking about what he was doing, he climbed closer to her and let her head rest against his shoulder. After a while, he closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep.

Her stirring next to him was what woke him. She rolled over once, twice, before slowly opening her eyes.

Her emerald eyes widened in surprise and terror, but she didn't scream. "Well, good morning to you to, sweetheart."

"I-"Her voice sounded hoarse.

"Here." He took out his wand, pointed it at her, and whispered a painkilling spell.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked. Almost immediately he regretted giving her the spell.

"You didn't look like you were sleeping well." He answered simply.

"Oh right." She said. "So you just decided to come comfort me? Get off or so help me I'll blast your balls off." She shoved him off the bed, brandishing her wand, and he suppressed a smirk.

"You wouldn't know the spell." He said. She raised her wand menacingly and for a moment he was afraid she would make good her threat, but instead she simply said, "Aquarious!"

Nothing happened.

She repeated herself several times, abandoning any actual form and simply beating her wand around wildly as if she were conducting a demented version of 'Flight of the Bumblebee'. Transfiguration was definitely not her best subject.

"Here." He said. "Aquarious."

A glass of water appeared in his hand. He offered it to her and with a scowl she accepted it. As he gave it to her their fingers touched.

She rubbed at her skin. "Now I have to go shower."

"Do I turn you on that much?" He asked, grinning up at her from where he still lay on the floor.

"Eww!"

This time he did smirk. "I always knew you'd end up spending the night sometime."

"You're a pig."

"You know what they say about those who lay with pigs…"

He paused to look at her for a moment "I really am sorry about this." He said.

She opened her mouth to question him, but before she could form the words her eyes rolled back. For a brief second, her muscles convulsed before her head lolled back and her body went limp.

He stared for a moment. "Weasley?"

No response.

Smirking, he asked. "What's your full name?"

"Virginia Anne Louise Weasley." Her voice sounded strained and her eyes never opened. For minute he stared. It was strange talking to her like this. Her eyes were closed and to all the world she appeared asleep. Her voice, normally so animated and full of emotion, was now flat and impassive.

"Does this hurt?" He asked, vaguely concerned that the truth serum he had slipped into her drink would cause her pain. Truth spells he was very familiar with, but he had never used this particular one before.

She shook her head, the rest of her body strangely still. "It's uncomfortable though."

"I need you to tell me everything about Tom- who is he?"

"Voldemort."

"I don't understand how that's possible. Explain."

"He preserved himself in a diary, to give himself a second chance at immortality should he fail in the future. Then, in my first year-"

"Lucius gave you the book." He finished. He recalled now, the first dream he had visited, wondering why she could possibly be so afraid of a book.

She nodded. "At first I thought it was just a diary. Then it wrote back. I started telling him all my secrets, everything about myself."

"So you opened the Chamber…. how?"

"I…I don't know. I can't remember. He…took over…and I-I can't remember."

"So what does he want with you now?" He asked. He had grown up in the shadow of Voldemort and his followers all his life. There had to be a reason that he would take such an interest in the girl. Maybe he hoped to get information about the Order from her. That of course, Draco knew, was futile. Everyone knew they were very strict about age minimums for their members. Besides, he had seen the many older Weasels in protective mode. There was no way that anyone would tell Ginny of all people any information that would put her in danger. Yet somehow it seemed like something the Dark Lord would try. He had a tendency to come up with stupid plans.

"I don't know." She answered.

The silence that followed was eerie. It was broken only when she stirred slightly and he realized the truth serum must have been wearing off.

"Hey, Weasley," He said, unable to resist, "You don't really think my hair makes me look gay do you?"

But she didn't answer; instead she rolled over onto her back.

"What time is it?" She grumbled.

"Don't worry. Go back to sleep." He told her, not that she had much of a choice considering how much sleeping draught he'd put in her drink.

He leaned over and pulled the blanket up to cover her. She grabbed his hand.

"No, Tom…"

"He won't hurt you."

"Hurts." She said.

"I won't let him. Go to sleep."

Her eyes were squeezed tightly closed and it looked as though she'd turn away. Then she stopped.

"Cinnamon." She murmured. She sunk back onto the pillows, but didn't release his hand.

"Goodnight." He whispered when he thought she was asleep. But then she said one last thing.

"Promise you'll be here when I wake up?"

"Of course." He answered. After all, she still had his hand.

He waited until her breath became slow and even again. He paused a minute longer then necessary, just to be sure she was really asleep this time.

"Weasley?" No response. "…Ginny?"

She stirred slightly but didn't wake up.

"Sorry, love, but I can't have you remembering this now can I?"

She cringed slightly as he preformed the memory charm and then was still.

Potionsthe nextday was particularly miserable. Normally, being an avid student, he had no qualms about that class, but today the whole house of Slytherin was in a foul mood. They had hoped to keep the embarrassing state of their common room a secret,but that had been impossible due to the factthat the transfiguration of the Slytherin crests on their uniforms was not limited to the common room as every other aspect of the curse seemed to be. And it stillhadn't worn off.

One thing was certain: Ginny Weasley would pay for this. No one jeopardized Draco Malfoy's pride as she had done. And by defiling the heart of the Slytherin house, she had knowingly or not, thrown down a gauntlet that could not simply be ignored.

But of course that would have to wait until after he'd figured everything else out first. Something very odd was going on with the Weasley girl. Something much bigger, he suspected, then she could even guess.

His thoughts were interrupted by a large crash from outside the classroom.

"HOLY FREAKING MUFFINS!"

Draco smirked as Ginny walked in the door in complete disarray. Her always-wild hair was now even more disastrous then normal, flying in all directions. Her uniform was wrinkled and askew as though she had just thrown them on. As she staggered in she was still putting on her right shoe and appeared to be missing a sock. If her ragged attire hadn't given away her exhaustion, the look on her face would have. She was pale- more so than usual- and her eyes were surrounded by dark black circles.

"Okay, right outside the door? Yeah, not a good place for a gargoyle." She said, looking annoyed. Snape however, was more then annoyed. He was furious. She was nearly half an hour late.

"Ms. Weasley? Can you please explain to me why you are late?" His voice was startling calm.

At the way her face darkened, Draco was sure Snape had just asked the wrong question.

"You wanna know why I'm late? First I had to stay up all night finishing a stupid report for this class. I WROTE A WHOLE FREAKING PAPER. Which would be great if the stupid idiots in Gryffindor hadn't decided to play exploding snaps right by all my stuff! Look at my book!" She held up what had once been a book, the cover was charred and black and the majority of the pages were singed. Her paper, she explained, had suffered the same fate.

"So I spent the whole morning in the library doing the paper. I was supposed to be finishing the REST of the homework I couldn't do because of the stupid paper! Do you know how boring goat's tongues are?"

Snape opened his mouth to reply, but she wasn't finished.

"And because I was in the library I missed breakfast. Which would have been bad enough but oh, no, it gets worse. Peeves was in the hall singing some ridicules song and I couldn't get by, and I had to eat and I had to get the paper and I had…I had…" She didn't seem to know what to say. She sat down on the ground in the manner of a five year-old.

"This is all your fault you greasy-haired git." She murmured. For a moment Draco thought she was talking about Snape before he realized her glare was directed at him. He suspected her current state had more to do with a certain raven-haired Dark Lord and night spent in enemy territory than any essay.

Snape, however didn't seem to notice that. "What did you call me?" He roared.

"Nothing I can repeat in good company." She replied.

"MISS WEASLEY, I-"

"Don't you yell at me!" She said, "I had a really, REALLY bad day and I don't need you yelling at me!"

"It's not my fault you didn't do your assignment-"

She reddened, not from embarrassment, but from anger. "I did the FREAKING paper. It's right here!" She pulled out her parchment and waved it wildly around. "Do you know what the ten healing properties of goat's tongue are? I do." Then, crossing her arms she said. "Goat tongue is used to purify the liver and spleen."

"Miss Weasley-"

"It can be used to help relieve the effects of poisoning from many natural poisons when boiled with dragon's breath. It can also be used as a source of vitamin A and B. When mixed with eucalyptus leaves it-"

"Miss Weasley-"

She continued, ignoring all Professor Snape's attempts to stop her.

"Mr. Zabini?" Snape asked finally.

"Goat's tongue is commonly used in sobering potions and as a neutralizer in unstable mixtures." Ginny said, frowning.

"Aren't you friends with her?" The professor asked.

Blaise nodded.

"However when mixed with powdered beetles it becomes explosive." Ginny continued.

"Is there any way to shut her up?"

Blaise stood and walked over to Ginny.

"Goat's tongue is boring." She said as greeting. "And when added to a polyjuice potion it turns green and fizzes. I want to find out why it does that."

"Doesn't anybody know?" He asked kindly. The best thing to do when she was in a mood like this was humor her, unless you wanted to be the proud recipient of an infamous Weasley breakdown.

"Nope. Nobody's been stupid enough to try it. Someday I'll find out why it does that." She said.

"I'm sure you will. Bad day?"

"The worst. Tell you 'bout it later. Did you know goat's tongue supposedly has a bitter taste to it? Who would be stupid enough to eat a goat's tongue? Or any other part of a goat for that matter?"

"I don't know. One of the great mysteries of the universe. Now, as amusing as it was to what you have an emotional breakdown in the middle of class, what's it going take to get you to stop this?"

"Pie." She said. "I want pie."

"Fine." He said with a glance towards Professor Snape who snorted, but obligingly summoned a piece of pie and gave it to Blaise. After all, every physiology book he had ever read said you were supposed to indulge lunatics.

"Goat's tongue is used to fight infections of the lungs." She said shyly.

"No." Blaise said, holding the plate just out of her reach. "One more fact about goats and you don't get your pie."

"Fine." She said, reaching for the pie. He handed the plate over to her and watched as she scooped off all the whipped cream and ate it in one bite. When she swallowed, she grinned brightly. "Want my pie?" She asked Blaise, returning the plate to him.

"Are you kidding me?" Someone asked.

She glared. "Pie is not a joking matter."

She stood, wiped of her robes and took her seat as though nothing had happened.

Blaise smiled and handed the plate back to the Professor, who was openly gaping.

"She doesn't like pie." He explained.

"Then why…why did she…"

"Whipped cream. She wanted the whipped cream."

"Then why didn't she just ask for whipped cream?" He asked, completely baffled. In all his years of teaching he'd never had a student behave like she had acted this morning. She was clearly delusional.

"'Cause then you don't get all the yummy pie flavor." She said.

"I swear you're a five year-old. Where's Colin?" Blaise asked. "It was his turn to watch you today."

"I resent that." She said. "I can take care of myself."

Blaise snorted. "Hence this little demonstration?"

"Today was an exception. I didn't have my coffee." She said.

Professor Snape, having finally regained control of the classroom was opening his mouth to deliver a rant that would no doubt have been the equivalent of sliding down a banister of broken glass and landing in a pool of malnourished piranhas, was fortunately cut short by the bell. Ginny got up, followed closely by Blaise, and walked, unabashed, out of the door, leaving the rest of the class, including her rather incensed professor, gawking. After a moment of awkward silence, her bright red head popped back into view from the doorway.

"Oh, and I suppose I'll have detention tonight? After dinner?" She asked.

Snape merely nodded.

Whew! Finally finished! Umm...I don't like this chapter as much as I like the others. It's kinda strange, but whatever.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to all my reviewers. I check my mail like ten times a day just looking for reviews. Pathetic, I know, but highly entertaining.

Please, please, please, review! For a cookie? For pie? licks lips umm...pie.