*I'm cured of writers block for now, I hope it stays that way. Here's more, I hope you like it!*

Chapter 14.
I woke up in the morning, feeling very weary. I checked the clock on my bedside table. Five thirty. I groaned. I rolled back onto my back. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. After what felt like forever I rolled back over to look at the clock. Five thirty one. I groaned again. I got up, got dressed, brushed my hair and teeth and headed downstairs. When I got there I saw Harry in the same position as he was last night.

“Harry?” I asked. He looked up. When he saw me he went back to starring at the fire. I sat down on the floor and leaned against the couch. He started twirling my hair.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. No answer. I turned around and his hand flopped against the couch.

“Harry. What’s wrong?” I asked again. He sighed.

“Gin, I just don’t know, I mean, I love you, and I want to keep you safe, but I just don’t know how to do it if I’m always gone.” He said. I rolled my eyes.

“Please tell me you are not worked up about me.” I said. “Because if you are, you have no reason.” I added. He looked at me. I studied his expression, it was unreadable.

“Harry, just don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. I really can. I had Fred and George growing up.” I reminded him. He actually chuckled.

“Yea, I guess. Thanks.” He whispered. I looked at him again. He smiled.

“So how are the other boys in your room?” I asked.

“Well, Seamus didn’t come back this year; Dean said his mum didn’t want him back without Dumbledore. Neville is same as always, a little more courageous though, if I might add. Ron, well, he’s Ron.” He ended. I laughed.

“And that will never change.” I added. He laughed this time. It went silent and he turned back to staring into the flames. I became very interested in a rip in the couch. It was silent for about a minute before I heard hushed voices coming from the girls dormitory door. I turned around.

There were two first year girls whispering excitedly to each other. As soon as they saw me looking at them, they stopped talking and blushed.

“Uh, hi, Ms. Prefect, um, are we interrupting something?” the taller of the two girls asked. This time it was my turn to blush. Harry sat up straight and looked at them. They gaped at him.

“Harry Potter? Thee Harry Potter?” the short one asked. He rolled his eyes.

“Yes, girls, thee Harry Potter. Now what do you need?” I asked irritated.

“Well,” started the tall girl, “We were going to ask if its ok to go down to breakfast, but now we want to know…” she paused and whispered to her friend.

“Are you to going out?” the short girl asked loudly. I rolled my eyes.

“No, we’re not, we are just friends.” Harry said before I got a chance to open my mouth. I moved my neck to look at him so fast I thought I got whiplash.

“We’re not?” I mouthed.

“No, we are just really good friends. And in answer to your first question,” he looked at his watch. “Breakfast starts in five minutes; it will take you at least seven if you hurry to get down to the Great Hall, so yes, you can leave. Good bye.” He said shortly.

They smiled at him and glared at me, then ran out the portrait whole.

“Since when did you dump me?” I asked not looking at him. He grabbed my shoulders and made me look at him.

“Because, they’re first years, if they knew that we were together they would tell the whole school and viola, you are Voldemort’s next target.” He explained. I rolled my eyes again.

“How long until you decide it’s ok if I’m Voldemort’s target, exactly?” I asked.

“Gin, stop doing this, you know I’m trying to protect you.” He said.

“Do you remember this summer at your birthday? You know, when you announced to thirty or more people that you loved me? Huh? Why can’t you do the same here?” I asked.

“Gin, all the people at the party were on our side.” He reasoned.

“But what if Voldemort captures them and tortures them for the one you love?” I asked.

“Right, then I need to be more careful.” He said thoughtfully.

“NO!” I screamed. “Harry, you need to be more carefree, what if our last time together is telling people that we hate each other. What if the last words I say is ‘I have no feelings for Harry Potter.’ Or ‘Harry Potter means nothing to me.’? How would that feel Harry? What if my last words were ‘I love you, and I always will.’ Or, ‘I want the whole world to know that I love you with all my heart.’? Wouldn’t that be amazing, Harry? Wouldn’t that mean the world to you? I know that if you did that, I would know you loved me. If your last words were ‘I have no feelings what-so-ever for Ginny’ just so you could save me, I would always think they had some truth in them. Harry, do you know what I’m saying? Please, please tell me that you do.” I begged. He thought for a minute.

“Al right, Ginny, you drive a very hard bargain, but we wont have to hide anymore. I just want you to promise me one thing.” He told me.

“Anything.” I replied.

“Okay, well, two things.” He added.

“Anything.” I replied.

“One: I get to choose when and where, trust me, it will be soon enough. And
two: I get to say it.” He said.

“Fine, but it better be soon.” I replied. He nodded and checked his watch.

“It’s seven twenty. We better get to breakfast.” Harry informed me. I got up and headed for the portrait hole.

“Coming?” I asked when I saw he was still on the couch. He nodded and stood up.

On the way to breakfast we saw the two girls that we had talked to this morning. I quickly let go of Harry’s hand (which I had been holding.)

“So you are going out!” the taller girl giggled.

“Shush!” I ordered.

“You lied, your not a very good person.” The short one said to me.

“I didn’t say anything!” I reminded them. Oh my, I was arguing with an eleven
year old.

“Yes you did, you said you were just friends!” the tall one said.

“No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did!”

“No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did!”

“No I di-”

“Stop it!” Harry yelled. I blushed and both girls smirked.

“I’m the one that said that, and why aren’t you in the Great Hall?” Harry asked the girls.

The short one spoke up. “We got lost Mr. Harry. And Jessie here,” She pointed to the tall one, “Stepped in that trick step on those stairs.”

“I did not, Melissa! You pushed me!” the tall girl (Jessie) protested.

“Whatever the reason, get to breakfast!” I ordered. They both glared at me again, and smiled at Harry, and walked away giggling.

“She has a nasty temper. No wonder Harry isn’t going out with her.” Melissa said loud enough for me to hear.

Harry laughed. I noticed I was glaring, and glared harder. Harry laughed harder.

“What’s funny?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Girls.” He laughed. I rolled my eyes and headed for the Great Hall. When I got to the table I sat down. Not a lot of people were in the room, and the only people at the staff table were Hunter and Trelawney. The only other people in the room were Malfoy, Luna, and the two annoying, obnoxious, irritating first years, Melissa and Jessie.

Soon the room started to fill up, and I found myself sitting by Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville. We started eating breakfast. When we were about done, Professor Hunter (who is our new head of house) handed out our timetables. I looked over mine. Then I heard Ron groan.

“Great, we have potions with Slytherins. Double!” he added.

“What’s the big deal? At least we don’t have Snape anymore.” I told him.

“Yea, but have you seen the way Slughorn treats us? You would think that we won the Quidditch world cup!” Harry explained. I nodded.

“Yea, when we were going out last year, he hounded me for answers to questions like ‘Does he like chocolate’. I mean, come on!” I exclaimed. Everyone around me laughed.

“We better be going to class, they start in ten minutes.” Hermione reminded us.

“Oh great, and I have divination first!” I exclaimed.

“You still took that?” Harry asked me.

“I accidentally signed up.” I replied. I took another sip of pumpkin juice. “See
you guys later, good luck with the Slytherins.” I said. They said goodbye and I ran out of the Great Hall.

I walked through the castle, up almost every stair case (at least it felt like it) and finally I was walking past the portrait of Sir Cadogan.

“Come back! Come back and face me like a man!” I whipped around to face him.

“Excuse me!” I said.

“Err, Come back and face me like a woman!” he corrected. I rolled my eyes.

“You’re a painting.” I reminded him. And I walked off. He ran through the other portraits, knocking down the occupants with his clanking armor.

“Can you just give it a rest?” I asked.

“No! You scurvy dog! Come back and show me what you’re made of!” he challenged. I pulled down the trap door and stepped up into the stuffy room.

“Ah! You have made it! That is truly a surprise, I was looking into my crystal ball in July, and I saw that you were attacked by dementors! I can’t believe you are here!” Trelawney exclaimed.

“Dementors?” I asked raising one of my eyebrows. "I haven’t seen dementors since second year!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, well, then it must be happening this summer, because I am never wrong.” She whispered.

“You predicted Harry’s death everyday for the last three years, and he’s still alive and well. I do not think that you are always right.” I said. Wow, I have never talked to a Professor like that.

“Oh, well yes, I suppose, but Harry Potter is a different boy, very strange. I-”

“Don’t you dare talk about Harry like that!” I warned. Her eyes widened. (If possible.)

“How dare you talk to me like that, I will not have that in my class!” she said with wide eyes.

“Fine then, I’ll leave.” I turned around and knelt down to the trapdoor. “And mind you, I’m not coming back!” I added as I opened the door and hopped down.

The people going to class stared at me. One of them asked where I was going.

“Away.” I replied simply. They left it at that.

I walked back to the common room. When I got there I threw my bag off, letting it slide and hit the wall, the contents scattering. I don’t know why I was so worked up; I had dealt with Trelawney for two years. I guess the last straw had just been pulled.

Without looking, I walked over and fell onto the couch. But I jumped right up as I hit something harder than cushions, and there was a muffled scream coming from my hair.

“Sorry!” I said quickly, my eyes clamped shut tight. I really hoped I hadn’t landed on a younger student.

“Ginny?” Harry asked. I relaxed.

“Well, you saw my hair, who else would it be?” I asked sarcastically.

“I don’t know, my mum back from the dead?” he asked, trying to be funny. He
chuckled and sat up, making room for me on the couch. I sat down.

“That would be interesting.” I said simply. He nodded.

“So why are you here?” I asked.

“I really didn’t want to deal with potions today, and I figured that we wouldn’t be doing anything important. I told Ron to tell Slughorn that I ate a Fever Fudge on accident.” He replied. “what about you?”

“Well, I walked into Divination, and Trelawney immediately insists that I should have died this summer. I back talked her, and she said ‘I will not have this behavior in my class, blah blah blah’ and so I left.” I told him. “And, I thought I might need the study time later in the year.” I added, so as not to sound like a bad student. Harry nodded again.

“Cool.” Was all he said. I nodded.

“Are you okay?” I asked, I hated seeing him like that.

“What do you mean? Of course I’m okay.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Harry, you’re not talkative, and I think there is a bigger reason why you didn’t want to go to potions.” I said.

“Fine, you got me. It’s unbelievable that you know me that much, look.” He reached down onto the floor and grabbed a piece of parchment. “When I came to get my bag, this was on my bed, with a Ministry Owl.” He handed the letter to me. I unfolded it and began to read.

September 2

Dear Mr. Harry Potter,
We are very sorry to inform you, but it has come to our attention that your aunt, Petunia Dursley and your uncle Vernon Dursley, have fallen victim to the Dark Lord’s followers. It is our knowledge, that when they were watching television, they were ambushed and tortured for information on your whereabouts. They did not give in, and they passed away saving you.
You cousin, Dudley Dursley was out at the time of occurrence, and he has had an explanation of this event. He is currently at the “Burrow”, being attended to by Mrs. Molly Weasley, she said that you knew her and that she would take care of your cousin. He is a little shaken, but otherwise okay. He has one request though, that you write him and assure him he will not get a “pig’s tail again”.
Number Four, Private Drive, Little Whinging, Surry, Has been locked up. A corner of the roof has blown off, as a result of the misuse of the killing spell, and it has been blocked from muggle eyes.
We understand that you are in school, but you and your friend Mr. Weasley are excused from classes to go to the “Burrow” for one week to comfort your cousin. If you decide to go, there will be a Ministry escort in Hogsmeade Wizard Village on the day after today (the 3rd). If you decide to go, you must meet the Ministry Wizard at the Three Broomsticks Café at nine o’clock in the morning.
Thank you for your time, and again we at the Ministry are all very sorry for your loss.

Sincerely, Madam Hopkirk

I let the letter fall to the ground.

“I’m sorry. I-are you okay?” I asked seeing he had tears in his eyes.

*Thanks! More to come soon! (hopefully)*

~Sydnie