Disclaimer: Unfortunately, my name isn't J. K. Rowling...which means that I own nothing. While you guys read, I'll go cry in a corner about the fact that I didn't create this marvelous world and these amazing characters.

The first week of term passed uneventfully but as the week wore on; my mood became darker and darker. I realized that I was in a slump but there was nothing for me to do to fix it. I figured that my bad mood stemmed from Dumbledore not being around to protect us anymore and the feeling of utter uselessness as I sat in classrooms, listening to how filthy muggles are. I missed Hermione and I even missed Ron and Harry a little bit.

I was eaten away with worry for them. I had no idea where they were, what they were doing or if they were okay. The only comfort I had was the knowledge that Voldemort would make sure the world knew that Harry Potter was dead if Harry was caught.

I tried to keep myself as busy as I possibly could so I could fall asleep at night without thinking but images of stormy grey eyes with speckles of blue kept popping into my mind. I often found myself craving his strong arms around me for comfort whenever I had a particularly bad day but I knew I could never have that again.

I avoided him like the plague. Whenever I saw him at meals or in the corridors, I always turned my head or shot him glares. He had tried to approach me a few times with Blaise and Astoria in the corridors after class but I had always turned right around and marched away.

I would not and could not admit to myself that I missed him.

I wasn't as psyched about being Quidditch Captain as I thought I would be which added to my dark mood. I had held tryouts since we had no Seeker, no Keeper and we were missing a Chaser. I had chosen a small fifth year girl named Serena Beckett as the new Seeker, a blury seventh year guy named Callum Macavoy as the new Keeper and Philip Levski—a guy in my year—as the new Chaser.

Serena was definitely not as good as Harry but she was small which let her be able to zoom around and she was the fastest all five times to catch the Snitch. Callum was actually better than Ron at knowing which direction to fly to save a shot and he was definitely better in the nerves department but he wasn't as fast as Ron. Philip worked well with Demelza and I and he had a strong arm which would be good for scoring. He seemed to play at about the same level that Katie did.

I was thrilled with my finds but coaching was exhausting. I was torn between being grateful because it meant I wouldn't dream of him at night and being annoyed because I would have zero energy or motivation to do my homework. Evanna and Florence were sympathetic and often stayed up later than necessary to help me with my homework when I needed it.

"Thank you two so much," I mumbled, running my fingers through my hair.

Evanna and Florence had both let me copy information from their essays for Charms for my own essay since I hadn't had time to do a lot of research.

"You should really try to manage your time better," said Florence, smiling kindly to make her words not sound like a reproach.

"I'm just really busy and I haven't been sleeping well lately," I said, tucking my finished essay into my bag.

Evanna shot up from her position on the floor. "Are you having nightmares again? Like you did last year?"

I shook my head, shuddering at the memories of those haunting dreams. "No, I just haven't been sleeping."

"Have you talked to Madam Pomfrey about getting a Sleeping Draught?" asked Florence.

"I don't think it's at that point yet," I said, standing up and stretching.

"Are you off to bed now?" asked Evanna.

"No, I need to stretch my legs. I'm going to go for a stroll."

"It's after curfew," said Florence. "Be careful."

Florence liked the kind of power she had over the students as a prefect and she tended to take her duties seriously but whenever it came to our group of friends, she didn't even bat an eyelash at rule breaking.

"Yeah, be careful," echoed Evanna. "You know the punishment the Carrows dole out."

The Carrow twins had been put in charge of punishment and I had heard horror stories of what they did. Neville had told me that they used the Cruciatus Curse on students, forced students to use the Cruciatus Curse on fellow students, whipped them and even hung them by chains in the dungeons.

"I'll be careful," I said. "I think I'll just go up to the Owlry. It's peaceful up there."

I left the common room with no intention to go to the Owlry. I wasn't in the mood to stand around in owl droppings and mice bones. Instead, I veered towards the Astronomy Tower.

Last year, the Astronomy Tower had been my favourite place to go. I hadn't been up there since I had helped let the Death Eaters in and Dumbledore had died but I felt a strong pull towards there now.

As I stood with my fingers gripping the stone railing of the balcony, I could almost make myself believe that everything I had done last year was a dream. The night looked so peaceful that I couldn't believe that Dumbledore had been killed on top of this tower on a night much like this.

I heard soft footfalls behind me on the stone and I knew instantly who it was without turning around. I knew that this meeting was inevitable since I had managed to evade him for about a month now. I really was tired and I wasn't in the mood for this confrontation but I knew it had to happen sooner than later.

"What do you want?" I asked, still refusing to turn around.

"To talk to you," Draco answered.

"I have nothing to say to you," I shot back.

"I'm sorry…"

I finally whirled around to take him in. Now that was I up close to him, I could see that he had grown a little bit over the summer but his eyes were still the stormy grey I remembered. "What are you sorry about? You have nothing to be sorry about. It's my entire fault for trusting you."

"You hate me, I get that. But I'm apologizing for how I acted over the summer…"

"You're a Death Eater!" I shouted. "You can't just be cruel to me when you're with your cronies but try to apologize and be all sweet with me when it's just us!"

I could tell that he was getting angry by his balled up fists. "I still feel the same about you as I did last year."

"Oh, do you!" I laughed mirthlessly. "Well sorry but you can't have me like you did last year."

"Do you not feel the same way?" he pressed, taking a step closer to me.

"No, I don't," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Not after what I helped you do when you could have easily told me what I was helping you with."

"You didn't want to know, remember?" Draco said, taking another step closer.

I refused to be intimidated by his advancing form. "I was blinded and stupid."

"So I don't affect you anymore?" he asked, now standing right in front of me.

His height towered over me but I stood my ground. "Not a bit."

"Then this won't do anything to you?" he asked, cupping my face in his large hands.

As soon as he raised his hands to cup my face, I knew what he was going to do. Unfortunately, he was faster than me and I found his lips pressed down on mine. As our lips met, all the other times we had embraced raced through my mind.

One of his hands moved down to grasp my hip and I was pulled flush against his strong frame. I gasped at the contact and Draco used my small distraction to lace his hand into my long hair. I had been unresponsive until then but when I felt his fingertips running through my hair—which had always been a weakness of mine—I pressed myself closer and snaked my arms around his neck.

The kiss was as electric as it used to be as our lips moved together passionately. His touch made my blood sing and my heart to beat erratically. No thoughts about how I shouldn't be doing this entered my mind as I was surrounded by the scent of Draco which used to be as familiar to me as the smell of my shampoo.

When we finally broke apart, he kept his hands on my hip and in my hair. Both our chests were heaving and I felt a blush on my cheeks. I could feel my heart beating an erratic rhythm and I was worried that Draco would be able to hear it.

"So I don't affect you anymore?" he asked again.

I backed away from his touch but I felt like crying at the loss of contact. "No, you don't."

He smirked because we both knew how much we affected the other. No matter how much I told Draco that I didn't care for him anymore, my heart was screaming the opposite.

"I'm asking for you to stop hating me," said Draco. "I want things to be like they were before."

I gathered all my resolve and straightened my back. "Just leave me alone. I can't do this right now."

"Just stop hating me Ginny."

"Look," I said, readying myself for my inevitable broken heart. "I don't have the energy to hate you right now so leave me alone."

"Then don't hate me anymore," Draco said simply. His smirk was no longer on his face and he looked almost earnest.

"It's not that simple," I said.

"It can be that simple if you want it to be."

I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes. I had no idea if they were sad tears or angry tears but I did know that no way in hell would I give Draco the satisfaction of seeing me cry. "I'm about to cry right now so I'm going to leave before you see that."

"Ginny…"

"Just stop," I said, moving towards the staircase. "Let me go."

"I never want to let you go," he said, his eyes wide in truth. "I still feel the same about you as I did last year."

I marveled at how different he was than he had been during the summer. He had been cruel then, nothing like the boy I had gotten to know. Now, he was acting just like he had been last year. He was acting like the Draco I knew and cared deeply about. The thing was, I had no idea which one was the real Draco now.

"I can't talk about this right now," I said. "We can talk another time."

Draco moved to block my path to the stairs. "It took me a month to catch you long enough to have this conversation. How many more months do I have to wait until our next one?"

"You want to talk?! Fine!" I shouted, my temper over boiling. I felt like I had snapped and everything was spilling out. "We'll talk now! What do you want to talk about?! How I helped almost kill my brother?! How I helped kill Dumbledore?! How everything that happened at the end of last year was my fault?! Or do you want to talk about how the guilt is eating me up inside?!"

"Ginny…stop, please," he said, trying to calm me.

As quickly as the strength for the outburst came, it vanished. "Look, I can't deal with this right now. I have to go."

"Weasley…"

I flinched at the nickname that only he used but I shrugged it off. "Stop. Just stop," I said pushing past him to the stairs.

He let me go and I was grateful as the tears had started to fall. I hurriedly brushed them away and forced myself to calm down. The walk back to Gryffindor Tower was uneventful and I was pleased to see that no one was left up in the common room.

I trudged up to the dormitory, changed into sweats and a t-shirt and crawled into bed with the hangings closed. Everyone was asleep but I didn't want to take any chances as I cast a silencing charm around my bed.

And then I laid back in bed and let myself cry as loudly as I needed to make my broken heart hurt less than it did.

I had been looking forward to the first Hogsmeade weekend in October but that Friday, we found a notice in Gryffindor Tower that said all Hogsmeade trips would be cancelled all year. Of course it was by order of the Headmaster.

"Snape can't do that!" raged Evanna.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Yeah, he can. He's the Headmaster."

"What are we going to do for fun now?" she pouted, following slightly behind Florence and I as we made our way down to breakfast.

"You could always come to watch us train for our match," I said, grinning at her displeased expression.

"When is your first match?" asked Florence.

"Next weekend," I said. "The team is still a bit rough but I think we can beat Slytherin."

"I'm sure you guys will be fine," said Florence.

"Can we stop talking about Quidditch for a second," said Evanna, pushing between Florence and I so she walked in the middle of us. "I mean, I'm having a crisis. How am I supposed to get my sweets now?"

"Can't you owl your parents for some?" Florence asked.

Evanna instantly brightened and she turned to me. "Can I borrow Pig?"

"Sure," I said. "He hasn't made a delivery yet this year so he's probably really eager."

"Your parents haven't written you?" asked Florence, frowning. "I would think they would want to keep you informed on what's happening outside Hogwarts."

I shrugged as we walked into the Great Hall. "The letters are being searched so they know the letter would probably never get to me."

As Florence lapsed into silence as she contemplated this new information, my eyes unconsciously sought out the familiar blonde head. He was seated with his usual group of friends and it was just like it had been last year.

It was like he knew I was looking his way because he turned in my direction and smirked upon seeing me staring. I frowned and turned away but not before I saw his little wink.

"Are you okay Ginny?" asked Evanna.

I started as I saw that both Evanna and Florence were sitting down but I had been standing immobile, staring over at the Slytherin table. I blushed at how awkward I probably looked and hastily slid down into a seat between Florence and Neville.

"Hey Neville," I greeted, reaching for a bowl of cereal.

"What's up Ginny?" he said. I had expected him to smile warmly like he usually did but his face remained stony.

"Nothing much. Are you okay?" I asked.

He frowned like he was deep in thought. After a moment, he seemed to make a decision and he leaned closer towards me. His voice was hushed with his next words. "Can I speak to you and Luna after class today?"

I was confused but I was intrigued. "Yeah, okay. I'll get Luna after class and we'll meet you in the library, yeah?"

Neville shook his head and his voice got quieter. "The Room of Requirement."

I didn't have the best memories with that room but I shoved down my feelings. "Okay, we'll be there around four."

"Perfect," said Neville, turning back to his plate of kippers.

"What do we have to think?" I asked.

Neville lapsed into thought again. "Think about the old DA room."

Why he chose that, I had no idea but I readily agreed.

Luna was happy enough to come along with me to meet with Neville. So at four, Luna and I met outside the stretch of wall that the Room of Requirement was hidden behind.

"What do we have to think?" Luna asked.

"Think about the old DA meeting room," I said.

Luna and I walked side by side three times in front of the wall and when we both turned, the plain black door occupied the wall.

"Hey," Neville greeted us as we shut the door behind us.

"Hello," said Luna.

The room was just like it used to be. There were little tables, numerous plush cushions, dark detectors and a bookshelf filled with Defence Against the Dark Arts books. All three of us took a seat around a small table.

"So what's going on?" I asked. All day I had been extremely curious as to why Neville would want to meet with me and Luna.

"Well, you know what kind of classes the Carrows teach now, right?"

Luna and I both nodded. Defence Against the Dark Arts used to be a class I loved but now, it was filled with rubbish about how we should use our magic to become the dominant race. We didn't learn how to defend anymore as Amycus only taught us torturous spells aimed to severely harm. Muggle Studies was no better as Alecto continued to lecture about how disgusting muggles were.

"I don't think it's fair for the younger ones—like fourth year and below—to not be taught how to defend themselves from the Dark Arts."

I instantly knew what Neville was getting at as the significance of this room became clear. "You want to restart Dumbledore's Army, don't you?"

"Oh, that would be great," said Luna. "I really missed those meetings."

I pressed my fingertips against my temples in an effort to calm myself. "With the Carrows in charge of punishment, it's a stupid idea. Do you know how dangerous it will be? Can you imagine what the Carrows will do if they discover the DA?"

Neville squared his shoulders. "We shouldn't have to live in fear here at school. The other students deserve a chance to learn how to defend dark spells."

"Imagine the risk you'll be asking them to take," I said.

"I think it's a good idea," said Luna. "I still have my fake Galleon that Hermione gave us so we could use those."

Neville brightened up that someone agreed with his idea. "Luna's in. Are you, Ginny?"

My head was telling how stupid of an idea this was but in my heart, I knew that it was the right thing to do. I smiled to myself as I realized that Neville was acting a bit like Harry.

"Who would teach them?" I asked.

"Me, you and Luna," said Neville. "Or I could if you guys don't want to."

"Are you capable of teaching a class?" I asked, images of Neville's clumsiness flashing in my mind. "I know you're a good wizard but none of us are really qualified to teach younger students Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Please Ginny," said Neville. "We can do this."

I ran my finger through my hair and sighed. "I'll think about it Neville. I got a lot of my plate already with homework and Quidditch."

"Harry managed it," said Neville, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

"I'm not Harry," I snapped.

Neville looked taken aback by my tone but he didn't say anything.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I'm just really tired. I think I'm going to go take a quick nap."

"Have a good sleep," Luna called as I made my way to the door.

"You aren't going back to Ravenclaw Tower?" I asked, my hand on the doorknob.

Luna smiled and shook her blonde head. "No, I think I'm going to stay here and visit with Neville for a bit."

I flashed them both a small smile before I slipped into the empty corridor. If I was reading Luna right, she really wanted to stay and visit with Neville.

Review! Please! Review! Please!

So here is another chapter for my amazing readers. Looks like Draco is back and I even threw in a bit of Nuna in there for those Neville/Luna shippers :)