all I have to say is...

I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

actually please don't hit me. I literally could not write because I essentially died. and by died I mean swim season started. sooooooo....

still no excuse I know.

Blah

jk rowling still owns it all

Ginny was allowed to leave the Hospital wing a few days after Nora had come to visit her. As the red head rose from her bed to leave the wing she cringed, her ribs still hurt. But as Madame Pomfrey walked her down the isle of the Hospital wing Ginny found herself trying to ignore the pain as she twisted her head in order to get a look at the door to Draco's room.

Her lips tingled with the memory of his and she shivered turning back around. "What is it dear?" Madame Pomfrey asked, feeling the shiver. "Are you not feeling alright?"

Ginny answered quickly, "No, Madame Pomfrey, I'm fine, really." Madame Pomfrey was famous for not letting people out of the Hospital wing days past the time they could really leave and Ginny did not want to be one of those people

Madame Pomfrey let her off into the care of Neville to take Ginny back to the tower. "Merlin, it's good to see you, Neville." Ginny told the boy, beaming.

"You too, Ginny," Neville said quietly giving her support across her shoulders.

Ginny frowned. "What's up, Neville?"

Neville jerked and looked at Ginny. "Nothing, Ginny, I'm fine."

"Sure you are," Ginny scoffed. "Just tell me what's wrong. It can't be anything worse than what I've just gone through. Come on, tell me-"

"Ginny, shut up," Neville cut her off. Ginny was astounded. Neville had never yelled at anyone in his entire life before. "We can't talk here," he continued in a whisper. "Just hold on until we get to the common room."

Ginny just started at Neville wide-eyed until they reached the portrait hole and Neville gave the password. "Rebellion," Neville whispered to the Fat Lady who was looking equally as shady as Neville was acting.

"Neville," Ginny started as soon as they climbed into the hole. What on earth is this all about-Oh!" Ginny exhaled her last breath into an exclamation of surprise. The entire Gryffindor common room was standing up facing the portrait hole, waiting for her. "What…?" Ginny tried to ask before Neville plunked her down in her favorite chair.

"Before you ask any more time wasting questions we want to know if you still have your DA galleon?" Neville asked.

"Yes, but-"

"And do you hate Snape and the Carrows more than anything else in the world?"

"Yes, but Nev-"

"Will you or will you not be joining our rebel faction against the Hogwarts invaders?"

"Rebel faction? Merlin Neville, you sound like a muggle loony." Ginny tried to smile but the seriousness of the faces around her made her stop. "What's going on?" Ginny demanded. "This is ridiculous, just tell me what the hell his going on!"

Neville sighed. "After you landed in the Hospital wing, things have gotten worse, a lot worse."

"How much worse can it get?" Ginny asked.

"Look around," Neville said quietly. Ginny looked at her fellow Gryffindors in the firelight and was astonished to see black eyes, cut and bruises staring angrily back at her.

She shook her head. "The Carrows wouldn't resort to physical blows, would they?"

"You're right," said Colin Creevey stepping forward to proudly show off his two black eyes. "They haven't, yet. It's the Slytherins that have done this. Mind you, you should see their wounds. We get them just as good as they get us." His younger brother Dennis nodded eagerly at his side with a giant cut on his cheek.

"But the Hospital wing," Ginny said. "I've been in it for at least four days and I haven't seen any of you there."

Neville smiled grimly and a couple of people laughed. "We don't want to give the Slytherins the satisfaction. And besides, there haven't been any really bad injuries yet, nothing that we Gryffindors can't handle."

There was a resounding chorus of 'yeahs' to Neville's statement and Ginny had to stop herself from laughing in amazement. This was not the Neville Ginny knew but she liked it. He wasn't this shy awkward boy anymore. Ginny wondered for a brief moment if Luna realized this fact too.

She realized with a start that everyone was staring at her. "Oh," she said softly. "Er…I'm in?" She posed it as a question, unsure if that was the right thing to say. She jumped with a smile when a loud cheer went up from the crowd.

"Great," Neville said after the crowd began to disperse. "As you are one of the original members, it's going to really help the organization of it all." Ginny tried not to laugh as he grabbed a chair and brought it towards her.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just that you look so serious." Ginny grinned. But Neville didn't smile back.

"Ginny, this is serious. This is an underground operation. You get that, right?"

Ginny frowned, annoyed at feeling stupid. "Yeah, I know that, I've just got a lot on my mind right now, sorry. I really am all for it."

Neville nodded. "I understand. But I haven't even told you the best part. Not everyone knows this, just the original DA members, the ones that are still here anyway…" Neville trailed off looking around.

Ginny was exhausted and looked longingly at the staircase. "What is it?" She egged him on, knowing that's what he would have wanted.

"Some of the Slytherins are in on it too!" Neville whispered excitedly. Ginny opened her mouth in shock. "I know!" Neville continued in hushed tones. "Several of them have contacted us letting us know that they are as anti-Death Eaters as we are and that they want to help in anyway they can."

All traces of exhaustion were gone from Ginny's mind now as it was racing. So that's what Dra-Malfoy was talking about, she thought rapidly. I knew something was going on. "Well what have you told them? I think you should say yes."

"We were waiting to see what you would say but that was our decision too. Not all of them want to help, but the ringleaders, Nott and Zabini seem decent enough."

Ginny nodded, smiling to herself. "They are…"

Neville gave her an odd look. "I'm not even going to ask why you know that."

Ginny laughed. "Neville I think that this idea is great. Especially with all the shit going on around here."

"I know…" He trailed off lost in thought and then turned back to her. "I'm so sorry Ginny, where are my manners? You must be exhausted."

Ginny was startled to feel how tired she was again and she nodded. "It has been a long couple of days. I'll see you tomorrow Neville."

Her friend wished her a goodnight and went back to doing homework near the fire. As Ginny passed the fireplace she noticed with a twang in her heart that the Trio's couch was still open, as if in respect for the three that were no longer with them.

Ginny sighed as she opened the door to her dormitory. It was dark and she was grateful for it. But before she could she saw a movement in the corner.

"Merlin, Moreno, you scared me. What the fuck are you doing?" Ginny demanded.

The dark haired girl stepped out of the shadows behind the foot of Ginny's four post bed. "I just wanted to welcome you back, and tell you how happy I am that you are feeling better." Her voice was fake and it made Ginny very nervous.

"Uh…thanks," Ginny said resting her hand on her wand in her back pocket.

Nora walked past her and paused in the doorway so she was silhouetted with a halo of yellow light. Ginny had to squint to make out her features. "Oh," Nora said, like she had really forgotten something. "I also wanted to say that I know what you guys are planning with the enemy and that it's not going to work. Not when everyone finds out that you're hiding a very important secret in the hospital wing. Just food for thought. Goodnight." The door slammed.

Ginny sat down on her bed without bothering to turn on any lights. She felt more alone than she had in a long while.

Draco felt empty.

It had been a treat to have Ginny around for a while and he wasn't used to her absence even two days later. He smiled at the memory of her calling him by his first name.

And at the memory of their kiss…

Except that it had a bad taste for she had pushed him away. Draco growled in annoyance and sat up from his lying position on his bed.

Just one kiss was supposed to have done it. Just one kiss would have gotten her out of his system. It would have allowed him to bypass this weird curiosity about the girl who rescued him who was also, coincidentally, very pretty.

Damn it!

Draco prided himself on being conservative in his emotions and for the Malfoy reserve. Too bad his control had slipped ever since the task given to him last year had started to affect him.

His heart clenched and he lay back down on his bed as if to hide from his own feelings of guilt and shame.

"I have to do what?" Draco remembered shouting at his mother and father when they had told him.

His mother looked like she was going to collapse. His father had put his arm around her shoulder. "You heard us, son." Lucius' voice was anything but steady, breaking into creaking whispers at every vowel.

Draco began to shake. "This is your fault," he said pointing a finger at his father. "You know it is."

Narcissa began to cry. "Merlin damn it, Draco I know it is! But there is nothing I can do." Draco had begun to turn away when he heard his father sob. "I am so sorry."

A door shut somewhere in the main hospital wing and Draco's thoughts were rocketed back to the present. He wiped his eyes and took out his word-cards to distract himself. It wasn't my fault, he told himself. I had to do it.

When he had reached the word broom and couldn't do it, he gave up. His head was just too full. He needed to clear his mind, get out of the cell of a room. He stood up and crossed to the window. Wrenching it open he inhaled the night air deeply.

That was it.

He needed to fly.

Ginny was alone in the common room. It was a Saturday night and everyone was either at a party, making out with someone or in bed. She was the only one cool enough to be doing homework at eleven o'clock.

But she had missed a lot of school she had told everyone who had begged her to go out with them. You need some fun, they had told her but she hadn't relented.

Now she was beginning to regret that decision. Putting her quill down, Ginny gazed out the window into the fresh night air. It had been uncommonly warm today for November and of course that had gotten everyone riled up. Looking out at the moonlight reflected in the lake Ginny felt reckless and she opened the window. She shivered with excitement at the thought that somewhere out there, Harry, Ron and Hermione were having an adventure.

Her heart squeezed with worry for them but she couldn't help feeling jealous as well. She never got to go on adventures. Not since the Chamber and then the Department of Mysteries. They had been terrifying but worth it. She never regretted a single moment.

HEY WEASEL.

Big purple letters popped up right in front of her face causing her to shriek. Draco floated behind them on a broom grinning.

please review? even though i've been bad and I haven't updated in a million zillion years