A/N: Thank you so much to reviewers! I love you all. Early March. Okay, my apologies, this is a sort of crappy chapter… And it's very short… any ideas on how to make it longer/better PLEASE! PLEASE tell me! Thanks. Anywho… onto the dedications and all that jazz.

DEDICATION: Er… no idea. Skip to the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I am not lucky enough to be as smart enough as to invent these characters myself. They are not mine. Too bad. –pout-

Something Else: Read the story. Do it. NOW.

The Stone Speaks

Thirty-Nine: Seven Out Of Eight

GINNY

"All students report to the Great Hall immediately. All students report to the Great Hall immediately."

McGonagall's voice crackled, before repeating her message, her voice booming through the castle. Ginny sidled over to Neville. "What do you think is going on?" she asked, walking with him to the portrait hole.

"No idea," Neville said truthfully. "I'm a bit worried, to tell the truth. The last time that we were summoned to the Great Hall, it was because Aberforth Dumbledore died."

"I wonder who's died this time?" Ginny joked, but her heart was battering her ribcage. Lord Voldemort's getting closer… SHUT UP, her brain barked, and she then noticed that Neville was talking again. "Sorry, could you repeat that, please?" she asked. "I sort of blanked out."

Neville, looking incensed, said, "As I was saying, I just want a girl's opinion – would it be a good move to get a girl flowers?"

"I think so. Usually. Which girl have you got in mind?" Ginny asked interestedly.

"Erm, well, as you may or may not know, I'm starting to -"

"Trick step."

"-Thanks," Neville said, dodging the step that usually swallowed his foot whole. "I've had a bit of a crush on Hannah Abbott for a while, and I just thought that I'm going to be brave and take it a step forwards. After all, if Ron can get a girlfriend, then maybe so can I!"

"Don't sound appalled that some find my brother attractive," Ginny said with a laugh, "though, I have to admit, I certainly wouldn't. I think I'm on your side."

"Thanks," Neville grinned nervously. "I'm going to go and ask her what her favourite flower is right now." He waved clumsily at Ginny and then hurried away to a small, chubby Hufflepuff with blonde pigtails and large green eyes. Ginny watched as Hannah blushed, giggled, and whispered something in his ear. She could not hear it, but Neville turned the colour of a beetroot and froze solid.

"What's the little heart-breaker done now?" Ginny teased, catching up to him easily now that his limbs seemed to have been petrified.

"She – she -" Neville stammered, and then gazed after her bouncing ponytails and broad smile. "I asked what flowers she liked… and she – she said that there was a type of flower that she loved more than any other… called – c-called Smiling Nevilles." Suddenly he looked rather worried. "I've never heard of them. They must be really rare – how will I get her one?" he stared at Ginny, clearly distraught.

Ginny laughed again. "Smiling Nevilles don't exist," she reassured him, "it was a secretive way of saying that she likes your smile. It means she likes you." She grinned, happy for her friend.

Neville frowned. "Well, why couldn't she just say so?" he sighed. "Ginny, can you please, please write a book all about how girls' brains work?"

"I'll fit in my schedule," she said coolly, and then they entered the Great Hall. They entire school was there, and, to Hermione's delight, the house-elves were present, too, though forced into a corner.

"D'you see that, Gin?" she squealed excitedly. "The house-elves have been called in! They count as beings who are important and need to be protected as well as the students! It's a start!" then her face fell. "Oh, but I didn't bring any S.P.E.W badges! Do you think that they'll let me run up and get my collecting tin?"

"Mione," said Ron, "please stop with the SPEW."

"It's not SPEW!" she said heatedly. "It's S.P.E.W." Hermione was still crazy about her Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.

Leaving the two love-bird's to their argument, Ginny found Luna in the Ravenclaw crowd. "Have you any idea what's going on?" Luna asked.

"No. I was just going to ask you."

Luna opened her mouth to reply, but Professor Umbridge had stepped up to the podium.

"Hem, hem." Everyone looked reluctantly towards the Headmistress. "Hem, hem. I am dreadfully sorry to tell you this, but Hogwarts is in a spot of difficulty. Now, I want us all to be helpful and caring in this time of trouble…"

Ginny frowned, and leant towards Luna. "She's been talking for five minutes straight and I still can't actually tell what's wrong," she whispered, trying to stifle her giggles.

"Dolores, perhaps it would be better if I retained the position of speaker," Professor McGonagall said coldly.

Umbridge scowled, but simpered, "of course, dear," and scuttled back to the rest of the staff.

McGonagall took her place at the podium. "Students of Hogwarts," she began seriously, "new precautions are being taken. Every student will be back in their dormitories by five o'clock in the evening without fail. You will either travel around the school in groups of at least eight, and you will accompanied to your classes with a teacher. You will not go to any other houses."

"Why?" someone yelled.

McGonagall took a deep breath; it was evident that she had not planned on telling them why. "A student has been attacked," she said solemnly.

Gasps rang through the Great Hall, followed by a colossal muttering as everyone confided their thoughts to their friends. Then the teachers began filing out to take students to their classes, and those without a class, such as Ginny, were ushered back upstairs. She hurried to find eight Gryffindors, and was assembled into a group of Neville, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Dean Thomas, a third-year named Euan Abercrombie and his friend Anthony Higson, and Jaqi.

"Who do you think was attacked?" asked Neville nervously. "I hope it wasn't a Gryffindor."

"I hope it was a Slytherin," Ron cut in, earning him a death-glare from Ginny.

"Come on, Ron, not all Slytherins are bad," said Hermione, with a sideways glance at Ginny. The Head Girl was still trying to make up to Ginny about telling Ron and Harry about Draco.

"They are!" Ron retorted. "They're all mean, slimy gits, and if they all dropped dead, I honestly wouldn't give a damn."

"Shut up!" snapped Ginny. "You're so prejudiced about everyone! Can't you just sod off and leave other people alone?"

"Ooh, getting defensive, Weasley?" sneered Jaqi. "I should have known… I knew it. You did snog Malfoy, didn't you?" she smirked, knowing what reaction it would get from everyone.

"WHAT?" Ron bellowed. "YOU – DID – WHAT?"

"I didn't," Ginny snarled, her face on fire. "I never kissed him – you're just making that up off a stupid rumour." Heat flooded her cheeks, and she knew hopelessly that she was fighting a futile battle. By the end of the day, the whole school would be laughing at her. "I never kissed him, I swear to you! He's my best friend. That's like… that's like saying that Neville kissed Hermione!"

Neville and Hermione both reddened, and became flustered at the accusation. They avoided each other's eyes, and stood on opposite sides of the group. Jaqi, and the two younger Gryffindors, Anthony and Euan, snickered.

"But that's different -" Ron began angrily.

"How? How is it different? Please tell me, Ron, because I'd just love to hear this," Ginny said coldly. "Anything you have to say contradicting what I know is right must be so important."

Ron glowered, and before he could speak, Ginny turned her back on him and Jaqi. The dysfunctional group of eight walked back to Gryffindor tower in silence. Seven out of eight knew that Ginny was right, but one very stubborn male seventeen-year-old redhead Weasley refused to acknowledge the truth.

A/N: YES, I know, this is not only an extremely short, but also a rather boring, chapter… I'm really sorry. I just needed to make a link between the last chapter to the next, because the next chapter HAS to be told from Draco's point of view (you'll see why soon enough… .o) I will love you forever if you give me a review (or a hug. Or cheese. Or chocolate…)