A/N: I know you guys are all probably shocked that I came back to this story since the last chapter I wrote was put up close to two years ago. To tell the truth, I'm not sure why I started writing the fic but it was like a cold that just wouldn't go away so I wrote but now it has come back to haunt me. I had so many plans for this fic but it just never got off the ground. I'm gonna try to pick up this fic from where I left off, forgive me if it's a little off cos I'm a bit rusty. To old readers and to those who are reading this for the first time, I have one thing to say REVIEW!

Another thing, I am absolutely wholly utterly totally entirely in love with Draco Malfoy. He is just perfection and I want to eat him all up. He is soooooooooooooo cute! And adorable and sweet and just charms your socks off although I'm pretty sure it's not intentional. sigh I had to get that out. I was just watching the 2nd HP movie on ABC (only because my younger sister insisted) and it was at the part when Harry and Ron impersonate Crabbe and Goyle and they're trying to find their way into the Slytherin Common Room and Draco comes and he sees Goyle (Crabbe?) who's actually Harry wearing glasses, which by the way is one of the many things that are not supposed to happen cos they're not cannon but do, and asks him why he's wearing it and Harry lies and says it's for reading. Draco gets this look on his face and goes, "I didn't know you could read," and I just fell in love with him all over again. If you are a true Draco Malfoy fan then you know what I'm talking about. Or maybe you don't. Well, either way if you just read this are going, huh? What the hell is she on? I wish I could say BUTTERBEER! But I have yet to try that although I plan to just as soon as I find Hogsmeade. Which I will get started on when I finish writing this chapter. Yeah I know it's weird to write the A/N when I haven't written the chapter yet. I have an old chapter which I started back in September of 2004 but I don't want to use it. Unfortunately that means I have to start all over again which is the hardest part for me. The beginning, I mean. Once I get my flow I'm just fine. So I got my glasses on, my favorite pencap in my mouth, a glass of water next to me and I'm listening to one of my favorite songs. Only problem is it has a really good beat and you just want to get up and start dancing. Okay I'm really gonna shut up know and start writing.

One more thing, thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter. You guys rock!

Disclaimer: In my disclaimer for the old chapter four I had written "Harry Potter doesn't belong to me nor do I want to own him so I don't feel bad when I say that he belongs to J.K Rowling. Unfortunately so do the other HP characters and there are quite a few that I would like to own, for example Draco Malfoy. soulful sigh be still my heart!" I still want to own Draco Malfoy but I've changed my mind about Harry. See, I was going thru an 'I hate Harry' stage then and I'm over it know and would gladly own Harry if I was given the chance. I think he is dead sexy, in his own way of course, so I'm not gonna be so hard on him and I have to admit the Harry in my earlier chapters is a bit OOC but I'm gonna change that or find a way around it. And I'm honestly shutting up now.

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The night before the party Ginny was struck with a strong bout of insomnia. Despite the fact that Ginny had gone to bed nearly three hours ago, she was still having a hard time sleeping. No matter which way she tossed and turned, sleep would not come to her. Finally she just gave up. Ginny decided to go next door to the 7th year girls' room where T.J was spending the night with Parvarti and Lavender. She was sure they were still awake, no doubt talking about the party since they were all invited, Ginny thought. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she banished it with a shake of her head. Ginny had spent the better of the past twenty-four hours thinking about ways to get out of it and she had come up with nothing, nada, zilch so she had decided that she wouldn't think about it and pray that if there was a God he would find a way for her to get out of this mess that was her life.

Ginny got out of her bed as quietly as she could, making sure not to disturb the other girls and searched for her favorite slippers and robe. After a while, she found one fuzzy blue slipper on the windowsill and its mate under her table. Her search for her robe, however, turned out to be unsuccessful. Her shirt wasn't that indecent, she mused as she tried to tug it down to at least cover her knees to no avail. Although Hermione would have a heart attack if she saw her wearing it and nothing else. The thought brought a grin to her face and she toyed with the idea of doing just that the next day to get back at her for spilling her secrets to her brother. Speaking of which, he'd probably take off his own clothes and make her put it on. "Honestly Gin," she could imagine him saying, "What will people think?" Ginny had long given up on trying to explain to him that she didn't give a damn what people thought.

"Stubborn git," she muttered. Despite their closeness in age, Ginny was not close to Ron at all. In fact, she wasn't close to any of her brothers. While Charlie and Bill did their best to spoil her because she was their only sister, there was too much of an age difference between them and the last time they lived at home permanently was when she was seven. The twins were each other's best friends and between getting out of all the trouble they got themselves in, they didn't have much time for anyone else. Percy just didn't know how to be close to anyone and Ron was completely out of the question because he was well, Ron. He hovered over her, stuck his nose into her business, had repeatedly ruined her life and seemed to think he had a right to do all of the above. At least he had been staying out of her life these past couple of days. He had been giving her the cold shoulder ever since he found out that she had not only dumped his best friend but had tried to give him some serious brain damage while she was at it and she was refusing to apologize for either offense.

"And he thinks he's bothering me by not talking to me," Ginny said gleefully.

Eliza, who was the lightest sleeper out of them rolled over to face Ginny and opened one eye. "Who the hell are you talking to Ginny?" she demanded irritably.

"Nobody." Ginny answered quickly. "Myself." She added feeling a need to clarify.

Eliza raised an eyebrow. "You were talking to yourself?" she repeated.

"Is there a problem with that?" Ginny said.

"Um yes, coupled with that smile on your face you look and act the part of a complete maniac." Eliza answered.

Ginny took a quick look in the mirror. Yikes! With her mussed hair (it had gotten that way during her tossing and turning) and gleeful look she did look crazy.

"You need help, Ginny. Bad." Eliza said looking at her look at herself. She turned around and went back to sleep.

"At the moment I'm not sure if completely disagree with you." Ginny said under her breath as she put on her slippers and left the room.

Amidst the silence, she could hear giggles and hushed voices which she could only guess was coming out of the 7th year girl's room. She walked quickly down the dark hall and stopped when she got to the source of all the noise. She rapped twice on the door and stood back when she heard somebody stand up to get the door.

"Who is it?" Parvati called from the other side of the door.

"It's Ginny, open up Parvati." Ginny said impatiently.

The door was immediately flung open by someone with a yellow face and a green hair. Ginny gave an involuntary gasp and took a step back.

"Shush," Parvati (at least Ginny thought it was her) admonished. "Someone might hear you. Come inside quick."

Parvati ushered her in and shut the door behind her. Ginny was greeted by the sight of two other green haired and yellow faced people which could only be Lavender and T.J.

"Hey Gin-bug," T.J said waving cheerfully. "I knew you'd join us."

Now that the initial shock of seeing them like that had worn off, Ginny was struck by how ridiculous they looked and she started laughing. "You guys should see yourselves; you look wow- I don't even think there's a word for how you look right now. Is that pineapple you have on your face?"

"Yup, it's a pineapple mask to be exact," Parvati said. "It gets rid of the fine lines."

"But you don't have fine lines." Ginny pointed out.

"That's cos I use this," Parvati said proudly pointing at her face.

"Okay. I suppose in Parvatiland that makes sense." Ginny said. "And what the heck did you put in your hair?"

"Avocado paste." Lavender chimed. "It's supposed to make your hair more sleek and smooth to the touch."

Ginny looked to T.J as if to ask her if they were for real but she just shrugged.

"You know sometimes I wonder if the whole world has gone insane and I'm the only sane one left or the exact opposite." Ginny said shaking her head.

"Don't we all wish that we knew," T.J sighed. "But that is neither here nor there."

"I totally second that," Lavender said with a wicked grin. "Not when we could be talking about more important things, like say, you're upcoming date with the Dragon."

Ginny looked accusingly at T.J. "I can't believe you told them!" she said. "I told you not to tell anyone."

"No you didn't," T.J disagreed not looking the least bit bothered.

"Yes I did!" Ginny replied.

"No you didn't," T.J repeated spacing her words as if she was speaking to a child. "You told me what happened, how it happened, your speculations on why it happened but you never once said that I couldn't tell someone else."

Ginny wracked her brain trying to think back to when she'd first told all this to T.J. In the end she silently agreed with T.J that she had in fact not told her to not tell anyone but Ginny hated to be wrong, so she continued to argue her non existent case. "Well you should've already known that!" she said.

"'Scuse moi?" T.J said. "I wasn't aware I was a mind reader."

Ginny ignored her sarcasm and plowed on ahead. "It should've been a given. It's like one of the best friends rules. Heck, it's probably the first rule in the best friends' code of conduct book. If thou's best friend tells you a secret, thou shall not reveal said best friend's secret."

"Isn't it supposed to be thy best friend?" Lavender interjected.

At the same time Parvati asked, "There's a book on best friends' code of conduct? How come I never knew that? I didn't even know there was a code of conduct."

Ginny stared at the girl. I always knew that one had a few loose screws, she thought.

Meanwhile T.J was answering Lavender's question. "No, I think Ginny got it right." She said.

"Are you sure?" Lavender said with a frown. "Something about 'thou's best friend' sounds wrong."

"Don't you think we're getting a just a bit sidetracked?" Ginny asked.

Both Lavender and T.J ignored her. "Thy's best friend doesn't sound much better." T.J retorted.

"I'm sure we have a book on Old English somewhere in this room. Why don't we just look it up?" Lavender said leaning over the bed so she could rummage under it.

"I didn't know you read," Parvati said inanely, mostly just because she couldn't stand being left out of the conversation.

"I don't. The book mostly likely belongs to Hermione, I just remember seeing it."

"People!" Ginny shouted. "This is all beside the point. The point is T.J shouldn't have told you guys but she did so now you guys can't tell anyone."

"But-" Lavender began.

"Lavender, if you don't want to spend the rest of your year at Hogwarts walking around with green hair and a yellow face, you will not under any circumstances tell anyone about this fiasco with Malfoy." Ginny threatened.

"fiasco?" T.J repeated with a grin. "C'mon Gin, you can come up with something better than that."

"How about date?" Parvati suggested.

"No, how bout interlude, or preview to affair, or your secret tryst with the Dragon?" Lavender said with a wicked grin.

"Oh oh oh," T.J said excitely. "I have the perfect one. Your rendezvous with the Dragon."

"Good one," Parvati said, admiringly.

"I like it," Lavender decided.

Ginny gaped at the girls who were busy exchanging high fives. "You know what?" She said, snapping her mouth shut. "I'm not even dignifying that with a comment."

"Oh c'mon Gin and Tonic," Lavender said. "Why are you so upset? This is the Dragon we're talking about. Any girl would kill to have some one on one time with him."

"Not this one," Ginny said, rubbing her temples. It seemed like she kept having this conversation over and over again. "How about we just drop the subject?"

But Lavender was not one to be deterred. "Do you know how famous you're going to be when people find out? I bet even Witch Weekly would be interested in doing a story on it. The Gryffindor and the Slytherin. Love Defies All. How I tamed the Dragon. Something like that" She said.

"How I tamed the Dragon sounds like it came straight out of the Quibbler not Witch Weekly." T.J commented.

"Hey, it's their job to come up with the title." Lavender replied, waving T.J's comment aside. "We'll just provide the story."

"Not if you plan to live to see your eighteenth birthday, you won't!" Ginny said, appalled at the direction the conversation was going.

"Maybe if it's a big enough story, The Wizard Times will pick it up," Parvati proposed.

"Hmm," Lavender said thoughtfully. "Maybe. You know, if they're having a really slow day."

"Deep breaths Ginny," T.J advised, noticing her best friend was about to blow a gasket. "In and out. In and out. Got it?"

Ginny nodded. When she thought she was able to speak without screaming, she replied to Lavender and Parvati. "That's a nice fairytale but you're forgetting something. There is absolutely nothing going between me and the Drag- shoot, I mean Malfoy nor will there ever be." She said, trying to sound as firm as she could.

"You keep telling yourself that," Lavender said. "Accept it Gin, it's going be the love story of the year."

"But I don't even like him!" Ginny burst out.

"I want to be your bridesmaid!" Parvati suddenly said.

Ginny chocked, she literally chocked. "bbb- bridesmaid?" she managed to croak out.

"That's what it will probably lead to." Lavender said, nodding.

"Is nobody listening to a word I say?" Ginny asked.

"Hmm?" T.J looked up at Ginny. "I'm sorry Ginny did you say something?"

Ginny grabbed the nearest pillow and let loose a very frustrated scream.

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The next morning was no better. If anything it was worse. After she'd left the 7th year girls dorm room, Ginny had gone to her own room to try and go to sleep but that hadn't happening. Thanks to Parvati and Lavender, she kept having really whacky dreams of getting married to Malfoy on a sinking boat but instead of wearing a wedding dress she was wearing a straight jacket. And for some really weird reason she had yet to figure out, McGonagall dressed as a minister was doing the ceremony and Hagrid was playing the piano but instead of playing the wedding march, he was playing the funeral march. It was all very disturbing. As a result, Ginny was in a completely foul mood. She made the mistake of snarling at the Fat Lady on her way out of the Gryffindor tower so instead of going to breakfast with the rest of school she had to endure a lecture about manners. To top it all of, her first class of the morning was Double Potions with the Slytherins, taught by the one and only Severus Snape.

"Somebody just Avada Kedavra me right now and put me out of my misery." Ginny mumbled as she stood outside the dungeon in which they had their Potions class.

"You don't mean that, Ginny." Colin Creevy said looking a bit reprimanding.

"Oh yes I do, Colin. If a Death Eater- if there's any left of them- was to walk in here and start killing people, I'd put myself directly in his path." Ginny replied.

"That's twisted, Gin," Colin said shaking his head.

"So is my life," Ginny retorted.

"Mr. Creevy, Ms. Weasely, you two have exactly five seconds to get inside the classroom and find seats or I will deduct ten points from Gryffindor, each." Snape said, smiling sickeningly.

The two rushed in the room and finding an empty bench in the back of the room, sat down. Ginny usually would have sat next to T.J but since she had been a bit late, her seat had been taken.

"Now today we are going to continue our discussion on healing potions, Open your books to page 543." Snape snapped out.

The class rushed to do as he said. The minute he began to lecture, Ginny zoned him out. Although they were going to have to spend the next half of the class making the potions he was talking about, Ginny was confident in Colin's potion making ability. He was one of the smartest students in her year. Not the coolest, not the bravest, nor most coordinated but definitely one of the smartest. With that in mind, Ginny dozed off. She was rudely awakened later by Colin's elbow jabbing into her side.

"Get up," Colin hissed. "We're supposed to be getting our supplies." He motioned to the rest of the class who were busy digging in the cupboards.

"Right," Ginny said, yawning. "What are we making anyway?"

"You don't know what we're making?" Colin asked jaw slacked.

"Nope." Ginny said, leisurely getting up when she noticed Snape wasn't in the room.

"Don't you ever pay attention?" Colin demanded.

"Not in Potions." Ginny replied.

"And how do you plan to get through school without paying attention?" Colin asked as he bent down to get a cauldron.

"I pay attention," Ginny disagreed. "Just not in Potions. I don't plan to be a Potions Master, or a Medi-witch or anything in that field. So for me, this class is basically just a load of crap."

What happened next was extremely bizarre, at least in Ginny's eyes. For some reason, all the students had stopped buzzing and chattering, so what had been intended only for Colin's ears was heard throughout the entire classroom.

"Is that so, Ms. Weasely?" Came Snape's soft menacing voice from right behind her.

Ginny winced, as she slowly turned around. Well, at least now I know why everybody was so quiet, she thought. Now how to get out the jam she had just put herself in?

"Umm, that is, you see-" She stammered unintelligibly as she tried to think of a rational, reasonable, way to explain why she had called his class a load of crap.

"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor." Snape said. The Gryffindors in the class groaned and shot Ginny hateful looks, T.J and Colin being the exception. "And detention tonight. Here. With me. You will organize all the potions and potion ingredients in this room alphabetically. If you took this class seriously Ms. Weasely you might've had a chance of getting out of here early but since you consider my class 'a load of crap', I foresee that it will take you until dawn, maybe longer."

"But I can't have detention tonight," Ginny blurted out. "Tonight's- Wait a minute" Could it be? Had she finally found a solution to her problems? It seemed almost too perfect. "Thank you, God! And I'm so sorry I ever doubted you." Ginny said looking towards the heavens, or where the heavens would've been if she wasn't inside the school dungeons. She was so excited, she completely missed the stares she was getting.

"Ms. Weasely, may ask why you're thanking God?" Snape said, more than a little confused by his student's behavior.

"You're right," Ginny said, positively beaming. "You're absolutely right, I should be thanking you, so thank you!" And with that, in a move she would later chalk up to temporary insanity, she hugged him. Virginia A. Weasely, a Gryffindor, hugged her teacher, the head of Slytherin, Severus Snape. The silence in the classroom was deafening.

"Ms. Weasely, do remove yourself from my person," Snape said as icily as he could mange which really wasn't that icy at all considering the fact that he was still dumbfounded.

Ginny instantly let go of him. "Sorry, I'm just so happy-"

"That I'm giving you a detention?" Snape asked just to make sure he was hearing right.

Ginny nodded vigorously. "And it's really going to take all night?" she asked, stars shining in her eyes.

"Oh for Merlin's-" Snape started to swear. Remembering he was in a classroom full of children he stopped himself. "Contrary to what I might have led you to believe, it won't take that long. You'll most likely be done by midnight."

It was then Ginny hit rock bottom. Remembering what Lavender had been telling her the night before about Slytherin parties not starting until midnight, Ginny began to panic. She seized the front of Snape's robes. "No, no my detention can't end at midnight! It can't!" She said shaking her head and because of the strong grip she had on Snape's robes, shaking him too. To both their surprises, she started to tear up. "I'll do anything, but please don't let my detention end!" she blubbered.

At this point, Severus Snape, who was known for his ability to never show any emotion except for hate and contempt and who was rarely shaken, lost his cool. "That's it, I'm taking you to the hospital wing." He said to the now sobbing girl. He was pretty certain that she must've been the unfortunate victim of a confounding charm. Or maybe somebody slipped her a potion that dulled her senses. Or maybe it was just that time- Snape stopped that train of thought before it even had a chance to leave the station. Whatever it was, it was more than Severus Snape could or was willing to handle. "Class dismissed. You, Gryffindor take her books to your Common Room. And you, Creevy come with me."

"I'm coming too," T.J said getting up from her seat, her face etched with concern for her best friend.

"Suit yourself," Snape said curtly. "Ms. Weasely, can you walk?" He said in a voice that was almost gentle, which was really a scary thought. He was going to have to give the entire class an impossibly hard surprise test and an extra load of homework to forget about this incident.

"W- walk?' Ginny hiccupped.

"Oh in the name of everything holy," Snape said loudly. "Creevy, carry her."

"What? I can't carry her!" Colin said. "She'd be too heavy."

"You think I'm fat?" Ginny asked, still crying. "He thinks I'm fat!"

"No, Ginny, he doesn't think you're fat." T.J soothed, shooting Colin a murderous look. "Tell her you don't think she's fat, Creevy." She commanded out of the corner of her mouth.

"I don't think you're fat," Colin repeated dutifully.

"You're lying. He's lying, isn't he? Do you think I'm fat?" Ginny asked Snape, sniffling.

In all his years of teaching, Snape couldn't remember the last time he'd been shocked speechless so badly. Finally, he just shook his head and deciding it was the best course of action or maybe just the easiest, he pulled out a mild sedative and gave it to her to drink. Surprisingly she didn't question him and drained the bottle dutifully. It knocked her out immediately.

"Thank God," Snape said, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"I second that," Creevy said. "That was a whole new side of Ginny Weasely that I never want to see again."

"She's had so much on her mind lately, I guess it just became too much." T.J said.

"No, this looks like the work of a confounding charm." Snape replied.

"What's that?" T.J asked curiously.

Snape sent her a withering look. "Do I look like your Charms Professor, Ms. Chickalini?" he asked.

"No, sir." T.J replied evenly. "Now, how are we getting Ginny to the Hospital Wing? Since I can't carry her, and Creevy refuses to, I guess you're going to have to, Professor." T.J said that last part with a bit of relish anticipating Snape's reaction.

"What?" Snape asked, paling considerably.

"Your student, your responsibility." T.J said sweetly.

"She's right, sir." Colin said daringly.

"Be quiet, Creevy," Snape said sharply. "I am trying to think. I suppose I could levitate her."

"Through the halls of Hogwarts? You do realize that we're talking stairs, corners, and low doorways. Not to mention, hundreds of students. It's too dangerous." T.J said, shaking her head.

"And the only other way is to carry her?" Snape asked, too shocked by the possibility that he would have to walk the halls of Hogwarts, carrying a student, looking all heroic and noble, to notice that he was having what could actually be called a conversation with one of his students and a Gryffindor to top that.

"Time's ticking, Professor." T.J said, barely concealing her smile which would show how amusing she was finding all this. "You don't want to be responsible for any long term damages do you?"

"Alright you've made your point." Snape said, picking up Ginny like she was a sack of potatoes. He strode purposefully out the door. In the process he managed to knock Ginny's head solidly across the doorway.

"I'm thinking levitating her might not have been such a bad idea." Colin said.

"Too late now. Let's just follow him to make sure he doesn't do much damage." T.J said, grabbing Colin's arm and heading out the door.

Luckily the hallways were relatively empty. The few students who were in the hallways stared avidly at the strange sight of Snape carrying one of his students but they immediately averted their eyes the minute he threatened them all with detention and fifty points deducted from their respective houses.

They made it to the Hospital Wing in record time. Of course Ginny suffered a few more bruises because of this but that really wasn't at the forefront of Snape's mind and T.J and Colin really couldn't do anything about it. They both winced as he unceremoniously dumped her in the nearest bed and she banged her shin.

"What did you do, Severus?" Madame Pomfrey asked the minute she laid eyes on them.

"I didn't do anything." Snape answered.

"You gave her a sedative." T.J said helpfully which earned her a glare from Snape who in turn got a glare from Madame Pomfrey.

"Why pray tell did you give her a sedative?" Madame Pomfrey asked. Without waiting for an answer, she began to lecture him. "You may mix my potions, Severus but that does not give you the authority to prescribe them to students."

"I know that, Poppy," Snape said annoyed. "She was becoming extremely hysterically and it was the only way to keep her from hurting herself or others."

"She wasn't going to hurt anybody." Colin said in Ginny's defense.

"I don't know, Creevy." T.J said. "She looked like she wanted to tear you in two when called her fat."

"I did not call her fat." Colin said, now defending himself.

"Oh yes you did." T.J replied.

"I said she was too heavy for me too carry which is the truth."

"In girl language, that was you calling her fat." T.J said. "Boy, are you in for it when she gets up."

Colin paled. Nobody liked to be on the receiving end of Ginny's temper and that included him. "Maybe I should get going," he suggested.

"You do that," T.J said, grinning as he left the room.

Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat. "This is a lovely conversation but I'd really like to treat my patient and I can't do that until somebody tells me what's wrong with her. And telling me she got hysterical is not telling me what's wrong with her, Severus." She said.

"Well,-" T.J began.

"She's confounded." Snape said, deciding at last.

"You mean she's been hit with the confounding charm?" Madame Pomfrey asked, checking Ginny's vitals.

"It appears that way." Snape said.

"What makes you say that?" Madame Pomfrey asked, taking Ginny's temperature.

"Well, her moods were all over the place. One minute she's angry, then she's happy, then she's sad then she's asking me if I think she's fat." Snape recounted, visibly shivering at that particular memory.

"Really?" Madame Pomfrey said, beginning to get an idea of what was going on. "Why don't you tell me what exactly happened?"

"She called my class 'a load of crap' so I gave her a detention." Snape said.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "What has the world come to? Punishing students for being honest." She said.

"I thought I was punishing her. However, you'd think I just told her she'd won a million galleons judging from her reaction." Snape said.

"She was happy?" Madame Pomfrey asked with a frown.

"She hugged me, Poppy." Snape said seriously.

Madame Pomfrey gasped. "You're joking," she said in a hushed voice.

"You have no idea how much I wish I was." Snape deadpanned. "Ask Chickalini over here if you don't believe me, she saw the whole thing."

"He's right," T.J nodded.

"Okay, that's a little too much even if she was PMSing," Madame Pomfrey mused out loud.

"She's not. That was two weeks ago." T.J reminded her. "You know when she sent Travis Sullivan in here for eating the last chocolate chip cookie at dinner."

"Oh yes, I do remember that," Madame Pomfrey said nodding.

"Must you discuss this in my presence?" Snape asked through clenched teeth.

"Grow up, Severus. You're too old to be acting childish about such matters," Madame Pomfrey said. "Wait a minute- how'd she get all these bruises?"

"Ask him," T.J said, jerking her thumb at Snape. "He's the one who tossed her around like a sack of potatoes."

Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips reprovingly. "Next time, be more careful." She chided.

"Next time?" Snape chocked out. "Next time? If there ever is anything that closely resembles a next time, I'm resigning."

"In that case, I'll make sure there's a next time," T.J muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something, Ms. Chickalini?" Snape asked, having heard her just fine.

"Who me?" T.J said with an innocent grin.

Before Snape could interrogate her further, Madame Pomfrey interrupted them. "what happened after she hugged you, Severus?" she asked.

"It got stranger and stranger. When I told her that her detention would most likely end at midnight, she burst into tears and began begging me not to end her detention."

"Hmm," Madame Pomfrey said. "It does sound like she was confounded."

"There's something else." Snape said gravely. "Before class, Ms. Weasely was talking about her wish to die. I believe she might've been contemplating suicide."

"That sounds extremely serious."

T.J had to roll her eyes. "C'mon, every normal teenager wants to die at least once day. It doesn't mean anything."

"Not alone," Madame Pomfrey agreed. "But with everything else that's going on-"

"With all due respect, Madame Pomfrey," T.J interrupted. "I don't think Ginny's confounded or anything else. She's just had a heavy load to carry these past couple of days and it just proved to be too much for her. If you can give me a couple minutes I'll explain everything and it will all make sense."

"How strong was the sedative you gave her?" Madame Pomfrey asked Snape.

"It was very mild."

Madame Pomfrey nodded. "So she should wake up in say, twenty minutes?" she asked.

"Maybe even less," Snape said.

"In that case, Ms. Chickalini, why don't we step into the hall?" Madame Pomfrey said.

"Are we done here?" Snape asked impatiently.

"Yes, Severus, you may go." Madame Pomfrey said, holding the door open for him then for T.J. Finally she exited the room, locking the door behind her.
Fifteen minutes later, Ginny woke up with a throbbing headache, an aching hip, and a bruised shin.

"I was wondering when you were going to get up."

Ginny stiffened instinctively. She knew that voice.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, sitting up. "What am I doing here? Where is here?"

Harry smiled amusedly. "I'm here because I sprained my thumb in Quidditch Practice this morning. Nobody's really sure why you're here yet. And as I'm sure you figured out, this is the Hospital Wing." He said.

Ginny shook her head. "Ugh, I had the weirdest dream, I was in Potions, and something happened and I hugged Snape. Then I just started crying and I couldn't stop and Colin called me fat, which is, really, not like Colin at all."

"Dream?" Harry repeated. "You mean- great, they left me alone here with you." He scanned the room.

"What are you looking for, Harry? And what do you mean they?" Ginny demanded suspiciously.

"Just making sure there aren't any vases in the room for you to break over my head." Harry said giving her a quick grin.

Since Ginny didn't quite know what to say to that, she decided to keep quiet.

Harry sighed. "Here's thing, Gin. The potions ordeal, the Snape thing, everything including the crying and the Colin calling you fat- well, actually he didn't call you fat exactly, he just said you were too heavy for him to carry."

"Hmm," Ginny sniffed. "Same thing."

Harry ran a hand through his raven locks. "Well, all of that and I'm sure there's more, it actually happened Gin." He said, inwardly flinching as he waited for her outburst.

Surprisingly one wasn't forthcoming. Ginny nodded slowly as she took it all in. She thought about freaking out but decided against it in the end; she'd had enough hysterics for one day. Besides it would take too much energy. And the fact that she'd managed to get out of the Malfoy dilemma did manage to sooth some of her ruffled feathers.

"So I really hugged Snape?" she said, shivering in disgust. "That is sick. I am going to have to burn these clothes."

"If it makes you feel any better, he feels the same way." Harry said trying to be reassuring.

"Oh no," Ginny groaned. "I can't believe I totally lost it in Potions. It's just what I needed to be labeled Hogwart's very own nutcase."

"No, no that goes to Tanner Woodson." Harry said, grinning. "You know, the Ravenclaw fifth year who goes around referring to himself in third person."

"Well, that's a relief." Ginny said, brightening considerably.

"But you do come pretty close," Harry couldn't resist saying.

"Oh stuff it, Potter," Ginny said, making a face.

They had a moment of peaceful silence. But of course that didn't last long.

"Ginny?" Harry began hesitantly. "There's something I want to tell you. See-"

Ginny groaned inwardly. For a minute she'd forgotten who she was talking to. "Harry, please don't go there. I mean we were actually having a conversation for once and you were being amusing- you know like it to be sometimes before we started dating and you got all weird - and I just forget that we have all this history. And said it before and I'm going to say it again, I don't want to date you, Harry. I like you, well at least I used to," Ginny paused. "But even then, save for back when I was eleven, I didn't like you like that."

"Wow," Harry let out a breath. "Okay. Well, first of all that wasn't what I was going to say."

That was embarrassing. "In that case scratch everything I just told you." Ginny said quickly.

"No, I'm glad you told me how you felt. Usually you're just yelling and throwing things." Harry said, softening the comment with a smile.

"I do that a lot, don't I?" Ginny said feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Harry asked in mock seriousness.

Impulsively, Ginny threw a pillow at him. "Oops." She said, remembering what they were talking about.

Harry laughed openly at her and Ginny joined him.

"What can I say?" Ginny said with a shrug. "It's the Irish in me."

"Does that excuse actually work?" Harry had to know.

"You'd be surprised," Ginny said with a grin.

They both laughed at that and had another moment of shared silence. "This is nice." Harry commented.

Ginny gave him a questioning look.

Harry gestured to themselves. "You know talking, laughing. That kind of stuff. I guess I ruined that all when we started dating. Looking back now, I can't believe I acted like such a wanker."

"Well, that you did." Ginny agreed. "But I think that I might've also had something to do with the whole ruining thing."

Harry nodded. "Want to hear the really strange part?" he said. "You were saying earlier that you like me but not in that way and I completely agree. I know that's hard to believe after the crazy possessive way I acted when we dated- and no joke I still don't know why I acted like that- but it's true."

"Well," Ginny said not knowing what else to say. She was a bit shocked to tell the truth and secretly though she would never admit it a bit disappointed. There was something nice about knowing that there was somebody who was madly in love with you, even if you didn't like them back, especially considering that that person was Harry Potter. Draco Malfoy might've been Hogwart's Bad Boy Heartthrob but Harry Potter was Hogwart's Poster Boy of Perfection.

"Why don't we start over?" she suggested. "Be just friends for once. I mean we went through the best friend's little sister phase and the girlfriend phase, let's try being friends and see how it works out."

"That'd be cool," Harry said. "I'm not sure how badly my reputation will be damaged when it comes out that I'm friends with a nutcase……… but I'll manage."

"Ha ha. Ha. You're cracking me up." Ginny said dryly.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Ginny called.

The door opened and Blaise Zabini stepped in the room. She was wearing her school uniform, Blaise style. Sans tie, skirt hiked up a couple of inches higher than was deemed decent, shirt buttoned strategically in ways meant to make boys drool, face made up in a way that made her looked good but didn't look like she was wearing make-up and it was all topped off with her bombshell blond hair. Ginny took a moment to envy her for that. If she tried anything like that with Ron and Hermione around they'd, well she wasn't sure what they'd do but it'd be drastic. She couldn't wait for her seventh year to come around, it would be the first time she'd be in school and not have to worry about her brothers reporting home to mom.

"Weasely, Potter," Blaise said with a nod. "How's it going?"

"It's going," Harry said with a shrug. "You?"

"It's going," Blaise repeated, her lips quirking up for a second. She nodded towards his splinted thumb. "Let me guess, Quidditch?"

"What else?" Harry said with a grin.

"Speaking of Quidditch," Blaise transitioned smoothly. "You seen Wood lately?"

"No, I heard he's back in London but I just haven't had the time to see him yet. Maybe over the weekend." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So Weasely," Blaise said, leaning against the door.

"Yeah, Zabini?" Ginny said, still amazed that Blaise and Harry had just had what was almost a conversation.

"Rumor has it you went completely around the bend in Potions this morning." Blaise said casually.

"Ack," Ginny said, resigned. "You mean it's already out?"

"Oh yeah, biggest talk around the school since you tried to bash in Potter's head here." Blaise said.

"I wasn't trying to bash in his head," Ginny muttered.

"Sure felt that way to me," Harry quipped.

Ginny shot him a murderous look. "Before I forget," Ginny said. "I can't make it tonight. I got detention with Snape." She resisted the urge to grin smugly. Well, okay she didn't resist it but it was only fair.

"Yeah that's what I want to talk to you about," Blaise said, examining her nails.

"Oh?" Ginny said, trying not to sound suspicious.

"I talked to Snape," Blaise said. "In light of what happened, he's willing to revoke your detention but he refuses to return the house points he took."

"He's willing to wha-?" Ginny asked faintly.

"Here's a note if you don't believe me," Blaise said handing her a crumpled piece of parchment.

Ginny scanned the parchment, her heart sinking as she recognized his unintelligible scrawl. "You are the bane of my existence." Ginny said looking Blaise square in the eye.

"I aim to please," Blaise said, standing up straight. "I'll see you at seven tonight. Be there." Her voice left no room for argument as she slammed the door behind her.

"That sneaky, conniving bitch." Ginny said angrily. "Oh god, I hate her."

"I thought you guys were friends," Harry said.

Ginny snorted. "Me and the Queen of the Dammed? Not likely. She only puts up with me because of Dom and the feeling's absolutely mutual."

"So what was that all about?" Harry asked curiously.

"Harry are you completely serious about this being friends thing?" Ginny asked. When he nodded, she said. "Then don't ask."

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A/N: To those of you who are a bit confused by Harry's behavior, be patient, I still got some 'splainin to do. One more thing, when I wrote the last scene, the one with Blaise, I kinda saw sparks go off between her and Harry. Anybody else see it? Anybody else want to see it? Or should I stick with my original plan of pairing her with Wood? I'd have to admit it'd be extremely intriguing and maybe a bit challenging to write a relationship between Harry and Blaise but then they'd both become more major characters in the fic. Either way, how about I put it to a vote? If you review, please tell me what pairing you want to see. I hope you enjoyed this chappie, I had a heck of a lot of fun writing it. Now go click that little button at the bottom of page and tell me what you think! You know what I'm talking about!

-TDL

Coming Soon…. Chapter Five: Rendezvous with the Dragon.