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Chapter 6

We were strangers starting out on our journey

Never dreaming what we'd have to go through

Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing

At the beginning with you

No one told me I was going to find you

Unexpected what you did to my heart

When I lost hope you were there to remind me

This is the start – "At the Beginning" /Donna Lewis & Richard Marx

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[Ginny's POV]

It was 12:23pm when I step out of the shower, racing to find my favorite shirt and lucky pants. I look around my dorm looking for my other earring and belt before jogging back to the bathroom pants halfway on. Why I wanted to wear skinny jeans when my body was still damp from my inadequate job of my drying me off I would never know. Because by the time all my clothes were on and chucks were on the right feet it was 12:45PM. "Bullocks," I mutter as I search for my belt and jacket. I throw my robes and dirty clothes around looking for the cursed jacket, my head screaming that I'm going to be late to meet Cho. I try to calm myself down but my pants fall down a bit as I bend down to look under my bed and my desire to find my belt becomes even more important. Finally on top of my desk underneath my broom and textbooks do I see the buckle poking out. I grab it too fast and it whips me at the hip. "Bullocks!"I yell this time, clutching my hip, looking for wallet through the pain. It is now 12:53Pm, but I've found my wallet, and my jacket. I throw my wallet into my pocket and run out my dorm, into the common room, and then out of the tower.

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It is now 1:00Pm and I've been waiting in the Great Hall for four minutes trying to fix my red hair and straightening out my jacket perhaps a little too much. I check myself out trying to find any faults before panicking and looking at my reflection in one of the suits of armor. I examine my teeth for any bits of unwanted food, my tongue, and then my ears? I want myself to look perfect.

"What are you doing?" I hear an entertained voice ask softly.

I back immediately away from the suit of armor acting as though it was normal to stare at a suit of metal.

"Nothing." I say a little too quickly. "Just erm, checking the knight for any…dents...and such." I pat the suit of armor as though that makes my statement any less idiotic. Check the suit of armor for dents? Oh its official I've lost my mind. Cho raises her eyebrow but thankfully lets it pass.

"Oh…kay…so where are we going?"

I take a deep breath and reply. "How about Three Broomsticks, I could use a butterbeer. Not that I'm addicted or anything, though how could I be addicted there isn't any alcohol, or is there…"

"-Ginny. I stop talking immediately. She comes closer to me, touching me lightly on the cheek, her hand is cold but soft and small.

"Relax," she finishes, touching the bridge of my nose. I smile weakly. "Sorry." I state, "I'm just a bit nervous. You scare me a little bit." I close my eyes and immediately take back what I've said. "What I mean is you intimidate me."

She looks away, and I don't know what to do. Have I offended her somehow? She only scares me because I'm not sure if I control my hands from reading out to grab her face and kiss her.

"We don't have to do this; I knew it was a bad idea." My heart sinks and I feel guilty. I forget she's so fragile. I walk over quietly to face her, "No it's ok, I'm sorry, that was rude of me to say. I'm just scared I'll..." I break off. She looks up.

"Scared you'll do what?" She has an unreadable face on.

"Never mind, come on, I say, let's have a drink!"

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It's been thirty minutes of the most fun I've had in a while. Once you get past Cho's protective walls, she's actually quite funny. She's on her sixth Butterbeer laughing about her fourth year and Snape's fashion sense. "Have you seen those tight robes he wears? And in all black?" She laughs "I mean what is he trying to tell us?" I laugh but in my head I honestly have no idea what she means. I smile anyways because I've never seen her look so happy in my entire Hogwarts career. She downs her Butterbeer and then stands up leaning across the table to whisper in my ear "I'm going to get some Firewhisky, do you want some?" I nod. She smiles, "Great be right back." I watch her go up to bar, watching the way the dress she's wearing hugs her body in all the right ways. She leans over the counter to talk to the bartender and I see her thighs and I think I might explode with pent up sexual frustration. It's been so long since I've been with a girl that I don't know if I can control myself. But then I remember this isn't a date. This is just a friendly meeting of two acquaintances to discuss a common friend in this case Harry. But I examine Cho again, she's dressed in a very tight dress with high heels and I can recall she was wearing makeup. I frown, so it seems like she got dressed up for this occasion, is that normal? And I look around me, staring at her bag, she's asked me where we should go, we are in a rather secluded part of the Three Broomsticks, I offered to pay; she laughed at my jokes and complimented my shirt and hair. IT certainty seems like a date. Cho is walking back now a flask in her hand and two pints of firewhiskey on a tray in the other hand. She is smiling, seemingly enjoying herself. She sits into the booth with me handing one pint over. 'I know you're underage but you definitely don't look it." she says softly, pulling my hair behind my ear and taking a sip.

I take a sip too trying to act as cool as possible but her hand sends shivers down my spine.

I take a deep breath feeling the liquid burn my throat and I pluck up the courage to ask her why were are really here. "So we came in here to talk about Harry," I say slowly. She takes another sipping not looking at me and nods. "Right." she says staring at the table "To clear up any issues, I heard that you were interested in him." she says though there is unmistakably a tone of disappointment in her voice. "Who told you that?" I ask wondering if she is disappointed Harry might be off the market. "Word gets around, I'm Head Girl remember, I patrol the corridors every night and catch snippets of the latest gossip.

"Do you like Harry or something?" I ask innocently taking another sip of the burning liquid. She freezes up the moment the last word is out of my mouth. "No." she says curtly downing the rest of the liquid. "No I don't like anyone. And I suppose I never will again." I observe her to see if she's joking. We've just spent about an hour laughing and telling jokes, but it seems the mood has changed. She is quiet now as though deep in thought remembering something, or someone. My head is now a bit fuzzy, and I boldly ask "Do you want to talk about it?" She looks up from her nearly empty glass.

"Talk about what? She says although she knows what I meant.

"Never mind."I say feeling guilty I've brought it up.

"Cedric, right? You mean do I want to talk about Cedric Diggory." Her tone is cold and vacant and I wonder if maybe we should raincheck the rest of this day, but then she sniffs and in a matter of seconds, tears are pouring out of eyes.

"Cho don't cry please don't cry." I say in a gentle tone.

"You don't understand, I need to get over him, and I need to move on but it's so hard, and, and," her shoulders are trembling and I understand that she needs someone to talk to. And by Merlin I can be that person. I am going to be proactive about this. I grab her jacket and mine and walk around the other side of the table and touch her hand.

"Come on let's talk about this, I know a place no one will be at. We'll be alone and you'll have privacy. Let me help."

I know I haven't known her for that long, but she was normal for an hour, she was happy and I want her to be like that eternally. I want her to move on and cope with her past and I want to the person who leads her to this.

She takes my hand, and I lift her up as though she was a delicate flower. Our hands turn from a cubbed embrace to fingers interlocking. She mumbles a thank you and a sorry and we leave the bar. It's cold outside and I can tell she's cold even though she has her jacket on so I take mine off and put it across her shoulders. We walk up the road en route to a very well-known and definitely abandoned shack.

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