After breakfast Ginny scurried back to her common room to gather all of her stuff into her trunk again. If Millie's plan worked then she would be in Slytherin's common room tonight, safe from her inept brother, his odd friend and their accusations.

'And I can figure out why they call me the 'Bride'!' Ginny was puzzled by this oddity. 'Yes I'm Draco's girl but not his fiancée! If you can define being someone's "girl" as the person that you snog on a regular basis and have wicked fantasies about!"

After hurriedly throwing on her robes, she started to run down the stairs. On the fifth step from the bottom there was a note, which Ginny paused to pick up. Seeing it was addressed to her she slid her finger under the wax seal and slipped the letter from its envelope.

Ginevra,

You little slut of a Gryffindor. I cannot believe the lengths you would go to degrade Harry! It wasn't enough for you to drop him like a bomb, oh no! Then you must whore yourself to his worst enemy! And you act like you love that slimy snake! YOU SICKEN ME!

Loathingly yours,

Hermione Granger

Ginny dropped the letter from trembling fingers and brought her hand to her mouth. Dazedly she finished her descent down the stairs and crawled through the portrait hole. Pansy and Millicent were waiting outside, chatting amiably with each other. They both turned to greet her as she stepped down from the hole, and hurriedly gripped her elbows.

"Your hands are cold," Pansy noted. "Your face, Ginny, it's white."

Millicent glanced at Pansy, "What's next Pans? Angel of Music?"

Pansy shrugged and opened her mouth, "Angel of Music guide and Guardian, bring to me your glory!"

Ginny was snapped out of her daze by the clarity of Pansy's voice, "My God! Where did you learn to sing like that?"

Pansy shrugged and looked at her feet. Millicent sighed and leaned in to whisper in Ginny's ear, "She watched Phantom of the Opera every morning all summer. Then begged her parents for voice lessons until they caved like a house of cards."

The two giggled as Pansy blushed harder and cleared her throat. As she opened her mouth another voice soared from down the corridor, "Who is this angel?"

Pansy raised her voice to match this new one for the next part of the song, "This Angel of Music! Hide no longer! Secret and strange Angel!"

A blonde girl came around the corner of the corridor. "I didn't know there was another Phantom fan here!" She smiled and glided down the corridor, her steps light on the battered flagstones. She reached the three girls and dipped her head.

"Greetings Millicent," She held out her hand to Pansy, "Very well done. And your name is?"

"Amelia Pansy Parkinson. You may call me Pansy." She took the stranger's hand and shook it.

The new girl turned to Ginny expectantly.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley." Ginny intoned, taking the offered hand and shaking it.

The strange girl lifted both her eyebrows. "I'm pleased to meet you Miss Ginny."

"I hope you don't believe those lies about me, I really am a good girl. Most of the time."

"Of course Miss Weasley. One mustn't believe everything one hears. My name is A-"

"ALEX!" A masculine voice called as loud footsteps came closer to the four girls. "ALEXANDRIA!"

"Well, yes. My name is Alexandria, but please call me Alex." She turned her head back the way she came, looking for a moment like she was going to keep silent.

"I'm here Brother!" The girl called back in the direction of the voice, "And I have friends!"

A boy who looked the male copy of Alex came around the corridor, his blonde hair may have been a shade lighter, his eyes more of a hazel than green, but there was no doubt that the two were twins.

"Hello Ladies!" He grinned charmingly.

"Girls this is my, you guessed it, Twin brother. The child's name is Damien." She gestured to her twin, who glared at her. "This is Ginevra, Pansy, and Millicent."

"Your only three minutes older Alex," Damien sighed, "Very nice to meet you three. Do you happen to know where the Ravenclaw Common room is?"

The two Slytherin's nodded. "It's in the tower on the west side of the castle; you must pass through the statue of Lord Macieleit first."

Damien nodded, "Well sister dear, let's be off. I'm sure we shall see you ladies later?"

Pansy nodded, quite intrigued by the two of them. "Wait, did you say Ravenclaw? Are you two in that house now?"

Alex inclined her head. "I am. My darling brother is in Hufflepuff. He's already found his common room and was helping me look for mine."

Millicent got a calculating look on her face as she stared from one twin to the other. "Why is that I wonder?"

Alex chuckled, "Damien noticed the lack of discipline in Hufflepuff house. He seeks to change that. As for myself…I've never been one to conform. The hat wished to put us both in Slytherin, as you can see we rejected its decision." Alex lifted her voice dramatically, "Do you think we've chosen wrongly?"

The three stared at the odd girl as she spun on her heel and swept from the corridor, her brother supplying the farewells.

Ginny glanced at her two companions. Pansy had a dazed look on her face, and Ginny could not find fault with her choice. After all Damien was rather handsome…but Draco was dead sexy. Millicent still had that calculating look in her eyes. The small redhead shrugged.

"We'll see them again I suppose. Let's go girls, Snape'll be wondering about us." Ginny linked her arms with her companions and tugged them down the hall.

"She was a rather odd girl wasn't she?" Pansy asked about halfway to the Common room.

"Just a little," Ginny replied, hating to say anything bad about anyone.

"Right bonkers actually," Alex interjected, twirling a lock of hair round her finger.

The other three shrieked, clutching each other in one of those embarrassing fits of girlishness that over take even the best of hard-core feminists.

Putting a hand to her thumping heart, Millicent glared weakly at the blonde, "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Oh, I just came from Ravenclaw; they're a rather dull lot. Books this, books that, bloody boring really. Saw another red head lurking around though, had a right nice shiner, named….Reginald? No, no, Ragsdale….not that's not it either. Anyway, daft little bint named Luna Lovegood came out right after I discovered him and they tottered off together towards some tower over on the east side," Alex paused, tapping a fingertip against her lower lip, "Ah! Ronald! That was the bloke's name! Friend of yours Miss Weasley?"

She paused, taking in the stunned faces in front of her, "I suppose not then, eh? Relation perhaps? Black sheep of the family?"

"Right bloody git is more like it!" Ginny groaned, rubbing her forehead, "He was dating that Hufflepuff, what's her name, guess that's on the outs then. I need to sit down, let's head to the common room. Alex?"

Alex lifted one shoulder, "Love to, but can't. Have to go and check on my darling brother. Papa would kill me if I let anything happen to the heir."

She had already gotten a few feet away when Ginny called after her, "But aren't you the eldest?"

"I'm just the spare Gin, just a spare." And she was gone around a corner.