~Hope you’re all enjoying this so far, it does take me a while to update sometimes but I apologise for that. Tell me what you think in a review. Thanks.~

~Chapter 8~
~Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You’ll be alright
No one can hurt you now.~

The door to the empty building slammed closed as the edge of the cloak as dark as the night it travelled in whipped through the gap. The owners in the flat above never even realising that someone had passed through their shop. The normally crowded village was empty and dark; the only lights were the result of a few of the still open pubs. The cloak wrapped around the obviously feminine body shadowed the face of the tall girl, not even a hair escaped the confines of the hood wrapped so tightly against the increasing cold weather of early autumn.

She quickly sped down passed the friendlier option of The Three Broomsticks, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen by the odd wanderer she then entered the quieter and older building that was The Hogs Head, sitting at a bar stool alone she waited to be served, it took merely seconds for Aberforth Dumbledore to approach the girl.

“Back again?” The girl didn’t answer the question, just lifted her head lightly, the hood was still up, cloak tightly wrapped around her willowy figure.

“The same as normal please.” She added on the end at the look he older man was giving her. The owner of the tavern just sighed before moving to place her normal order of 5 shot glasses of fire whiskey in front of the girl, it took her mere minutes to empty the glasses and motioned for more, the sound of skin connecting hard with wood plus the vibration of the surface she was leaning her chin on made her look up, she glared at the man who’s face had become angry.

“What are you doing? I understand that you obviously have something going on in your life that you won’t share even if I do have a pretty good Idea; you have a good life in front of you, stop wasting yours away. I shouldn’t even be selling this to you; do you know how much trouble I could get into just for doing this?” She stood up, her hands also hitting the wooden countertop with force, attracting the attention of the few people who were sat at various table’s, she leant forward, her voice low and almost touching noses with the red faced man facing her.

“I’m of age Aberforth so don’t sprout that dung on me, It’s none of your business what I choose to do with my life so don’t try and pretend you know what’s happening. I’ll just take a bottle or two back to school with me instead of staying here tonight and don’t think of saying no or I’ll just go and buy it from somewhere else, you need the money, you know you do, I’ve been one of your best customers over the past week.” He wordlessly handed over the two full bottles of fire whiskey and after leaving a few coins from her pocket she marched away, just before she left through the door Aberforth called to her.

“You’re worth so much more than this, just realise it, you have friends and family that you can talk to, don’t carry on with this, you have to stop trying to drown your problems in drink, before you can’t stop, just remember that Miss Weasley, before it’s too late.” A gust of wind blew down the hood of the cloak, leaving the screaming red hair of Ginny Weasley visible to all, a lone tear slipped down her cheek before she left. A whisper in the wind was all that was left of the 17 year old Hogwarts student.

“Thank you.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Hermione didn’t expect to mind anything as she was walking so late at night. At midnight on a Friday and although it wasn’t her night to patrol but she had nothing to do, all her homework was done and she had no one to talk to, Ginny had once again disappeared immediately after finishing dinner and all her other friends had things to do or were no longer at Hogwarts any longer. It had been quiet so far but as she went towards the corridor where the entrance to Gryffindor tower was situated She thought she heard a noise, she carried on in the same direction and after passing the sleeping portrait of The Fat Lady she was convinced that it was nothing, her eyes began to droop, she was tired, it was much too late for her to be out really and anyone who should have been on patrol would have been in bed by now, she started wandering in the direction of The Heads dorms but before she got there she bumped into a tall figure in a black cloak, she pulled her wand out, the face of the stranger was hidden, it could be anyone.

“Who are you? Show your face or I’ll call for a teacher!” The cloaked person halted, frozen in fright before trying to escape but as it did, Hermione’s arm reached out and grabbed the fleeing student- Hermione realised that if it wasn’t a student they would have tried to hurt her, whoever it was didn’t want to, most likely meaning it was a student- by the arm, she heard the familiar sound of bottles clanking together, the sound like wind chimes sounded the halls.

“For Merlin’s sake Hermione, do you want to get me caught, make much more noise and you’ll wake the whole bloody school.” Hermione recognised the voice at once but it was also thick with tears, this person had recently been crying- or still was.

“Ginevra Molly Weasley! What are you doing out at a time like this, I should take points for this!” A pale hand came up and ripped the hood backwards, leaving a trail of hair billowing behind her before it settled down.

“Oh really Hermione? Like you weren’t out later when you were with Ron and H-Harry. Just let me get back to my dorm and no one will know.” She once again tried to pass but Hermione once again stopped her, her brown eyes locked on the tear streaked face of her closest female friend. She heard the sounds of bottles again and reached into the cloak, pulling out the two bottles of Fire whiskey that were secured there.

“Ginny! Do you know how much trouble you could get into for bringing this into the school, think about the younger students, what if they got hold of it?” Ginny just blinked, her eyes welling up before the tears began to drip silently down her cheeks, she then fell into Hermione’s arms and began to sob.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t find another way, I just thought it would help, please don’t be angry with me!” Hermione just pulled Ginny along with her, half dragging the girl to the Head’s rooms, letting them both in she realised that they weren’t the only two in the Common room she and Draco shared, the head boy himself and his Best Friend Blaise Zabini sat relaxing in front of the fire, they had stopped talking when they entered and it was silent apart from the faint flickering of the fire and Ginny’s much more obvious sobs of pain. Draco sat with his eyes wide whilst Blaise jumped up, not moving any closer but looking more concerned for the red haired Gryffindor Girl then the Italian Slytherin boy should have.

“Is she okay?” He asked softly, his deep voice quiet and calm but his dark eyes showed his desire to run over and check for himself. Hermione didn’t answer, just threw the two boys a look, not malicious or cruel in any way, just telling them to shut up. She pulled Ginny away to her room leaving the boys watching after them.

“What do you think’s up with her?” The dark skinned boy in the green tie asked.

“Merlin knows, she probably broke a nail or something, girls cry about that don’t they? Or at least the Slytherin ones do.” Draco looked more relaxed now, his feet just clad in black socks were up on the sofa stretched out in front of him and his tie was on the floor next to his cloak, the first few buttons of his white school shirt were undone and his hair was messy, for once he looked like a normal teenaged boy.

“Come on Drake, you know she isn’t like that. It must be bad, she hardly ever cries, you must have noticed.” Blaise was looking deep in thought, looking upwards as if trying to see into the room where Hermione and Ginny currently were.

“No Zabini, I hadn’t noticed because unlike you I don’t watch the girl every second I’m in a 10 metre radius of her. You’re the one who fancies the Gryffindork girl, not me.” Blaise just glared at the smirking blonde haired boy.
“Come on, you might as well stay in my room the night, you’ll get caught going back this late knowing you, but were conjuring another bed, there’s no way in hell that you’re sharing mine, I just don’t play for that team.” The boy’s grabbed their belongings and put out the fire trailing up the stairs to Draco’s room in the early hours of the morning, with no Idea that the two girls in the room not so far away wouldn’t be sleeping for a long time, they had a lot of talking to do.


~Better? Yes or no? I think so, compared to the failure of the last chapter, if you don’t mind I really would love some reviews, you guys just make my day when I see that I have one or two... Or more. Next chapter should be sooner, Promise!!~