One Dark Flame

Slytherish

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance, Mystery
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 5
Published: 11/10/2003
Last Updated: 11/10/2003
Status: in_progress

Must Read Luna Soleil First! Hogwarts heats up with this sequel. Draco Malfoy is premoting house ties, one sarcastic comment at a time, and Ginny is experimenting with the unknown. Mystery and romance await them! Btw, where's Draco's comb?

Chapters

1. To Loose A Comb Is Well... Hard

1. To Loose A Comb Is Well... Hard

Dedication: I would just like to take a moment to dedicate this chapter to my good friend Jenn

:: Chapter One :: To Loose Your Comb Is Well... Hard ::

Like many nights before, he stirred unconsciously in bed. Thrashing in this sheets, his head moving side to side, he was embroiled within another subconscious movie. Trapped within his own head, he was stuck in a series of illusional visions made up by his own bitter and cold heart. After months of these vivid dreams, he believed them to have some importance, and most of the time he was reluctant to make his return to the real world. Nevertheless, these were unnatural occurrences.

He was running down a deserted Hogwarts hallway, being chased by those he had once thought of as his equals. They wanted him dead, and would stop at nothing to bring him down. He was after all, a traitor to them and their cause. Stopping at the end of the hallway, he looked around desperately. This was not the Hogwarts he knew from his many years attending. This was a different school, one which could never be allowed to take the real Hogwart's place. If they caught him, Hogwarts would be doomed. He was the only one who knew.

Lord Voldemort, the infamous dark wizard who was terrorizing the wizard world knew what a great achievement it would be to take over Hogwarts. He also knew the castles one weakness. The Hogwarts students were very partial towards their own houses. Any other house could burn in hell... they didn't care. House rivalry was at an all time high in the wake of the Dark Lord's return. If Voldemort could harness that rivalry, and that hate he could very well take Hogwarts.

Even with the powerful professors and the headmaster more powerful then any of them, Hogwarts was surely doomed to this fate unless the students began to chance how they felt towards the other houses. The Sorting Hat had desperately tried to tip everyone off of Hogwarts fate for two years but no one understood or heeded its warning. He hadn't either until these dreams began and now he knew that this was all true and someone had to stop it. Who better then him, a very influential boy who practically lead the one house which caused most of the rivalry?

To help Hogwarts he needed to get away from this dream, and this chase. He had to survive, and he knew that these weren't ordinary dreams. There was something pulling him into them, and if he died here he and Hogwarts, would die out in the real world too. He went down the hallway to his right and took off, as fast as his fifty galleon shoes could carry him.

No wand, no way to defend himself. He felt naked. How did muggles survive? What did they do when they were outnumbered and in a very sticky situation? Why should he have to worry about getting out alive? Wasn't this a dream? Couldn't he pinch himself and be gone from this nightmare? No he couldn't, because he had tried over the past month. He was stuck until he could get out onto the grounds and fly into the sky. That was always where he was when he woke up.

Why couldn't he find an exit? Angrily, he gazed around him for a door... anything to help him find a way out. He sped up, hearing those who were chasing him begin to catch up. He needed to get out of here! The hallway seemed to never end, but the doors on either side of him suddenly increased. He didn't have much of a choice, he steered himself right into one. Fumbling wildly with the door knob, he pushed it open and entered.

He was standing in a classroom, that looked vaguely familiar. Glancing around uneasily he was relieved to discover the room was completely empty but for several broken wooden desks and an empty bookcase. The walls and ceiling were bare and gray, and it was dark except for a window in the back which was covered by a curtain. He couldn't contain his glee as he hurried towards the window and pulled back the curtain. The outside sunlight fell onto his face, and brightened the room. He turned his attention to opening the window, his heart pounding.

He could hear voices out in the hallway outside the door. He forcefully pushed and pulled at the door in a desperate struggle to get it open before he was found and caught. The window however, wouldn't budge at all. He could now hear doors opening and closing. Soon they'd be there... he was running out of options. So he hit his fist against the door as hard as he could. It shattered and he didn't notice the pain as he smashed the rest of the glass out and climbed through it.

He fell to the ground gracefully and looked around the grounds. They were deserted it seemed so he wouldn't have that much of a problem getting out of here. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he thought about the air around him and willed himself up off the ground. Fear flooded him as he realized he was still on the ground. It hadn't worked. What was he going to do?

"It's different now," Perhaps he would have been more cautious if he hadn't recognized the voice instantly. He spun around and found a young red-haired girl standing there. She glanced up at the sky and smiled. Her pale skin and abundant freckles seemed to glow in the sunlight.

"How is it different?" He demanded, his voice cracking slightly. This was a dream, this wasn't the real Virginia Weasley, he told himself firmly.

"You want to stop this from happening," She said as if she hadn't heard him, "You can, but you have to ask me how."

He stared at her for a second lost in his own thoughts. She wasn't really making sense. Everyone else he had met during these dreams had been surprisingly normal but Ginny wasn't at all. Ginny was practically and tough, not mysterious with her words full of riddles. He didn't have time for this.

"If your not going to tell me how to get out of here, then leave me alone." He snapped, beginning to turn away. Her hand reached out to him and touched his arm. A prickle dancing up his arm from where she had touched and his eyes flew back to her. Ginny was Ginny after all. Instant chemistry.

The girl didn't say anything, instead she tilted her head up to the sun and closed her eyes. He was about to say something when a shout from across the grounds got his attention. He looked over and felt his heart sink. The three boys that had been chasing him had finally caught up, and now he was going to get his dream Ginny in trouble too.

However just like in real life, Ginny had the means to completely surprise him. She wasn't one to take anything lying down and in this case... she wasn't about to take anything on the ground. He let out a yelp of surprise as they lifted off the ground far away from the three angry Slytherin boys. Now grinning like mad, he waved to them as they flew up into the clouds.

He looked back at Ginny and saw her head was still pointed at the sun, her eyes closed. He eyed the ground under them, and noticed he was much higher up then ever before. What would happen if they kept going? Ginny seemed to sense his sudden anxiousness because her eyes then snapped open and hooked onto him. His eyes began to burn and he shut them tightly.

"Remember,"

Her voice seemed to echo within his head causing an awful headache to replace the sounds seconds later. He was sure the burning in his eyes was over and opened them while shaking his head free of the headache. But he was no longer in the air with Ginny.

He was lying in his bed in the Slytherin boy's dormitory and it was three O'clock in the morning. He sat up, feeling the comfort of knowing exactly where he was wash over him. It was over. Another visionary dream had come and gone and he wasn't the worst of it. It was just like every other night.

Perhaps he should have told someone ages ago, but he didn't. Dumbledore might believe him where as most everyone else would call him crazy, but he didn't want to talk to Dumbledore. The Headmaster of Hogwarts School had to be his least favorite person besides Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The only good thing about Dumbledore was that he knew he meant well. He was the only one to ever really, really care for him besides his mother and Ginny. Maybe that was why he hated the man.

He was Draco Malfoy, he wasn't supposed to like anyone anyway.

He had always been told by his father that liking people would lead to horrible consequences. So far his father had been one hundred percent right. He had screwed his entire life up by liking someone and he wasn't even sure if he actually liked her. Instant chemistry his bloody arse. Damn that Weasley. So what if she was immensely beautiful and had a tongue like a whip? She had freckles. Well actually they don't look too bad on her, Draco noted, Makes her look cute. Dammit. She's a Weasley. Weasley or not, she had changed his life.

Draco did not like to be confused, and when it came to Virginia Weasley he was so lost he felt he was stuck in a never ending maze. She didn't make sense at all and neither did his feelings for her. He hated her completely but he liked her too. Why did liking someone have to be so difficult? Why hadn't he just listened to his father in the first place?

The answer to that was simple. Lucius Malfoy was a cheating, lying bastard and anything he had said was as about as reliable as asking Longbottom to do your potions homework. Lucius had cheated on Draco's mother, Narcissa with Narcissa's own sister Bellatrix. As disgusting as it was to see your aunt and father making out in the hallway, Draco was very glad he had found this out. His father's true colors finally slapped Draco in the face and he revolted against everything he had been taught.

In the end he ended up with a scary crush on Ginny, his parents both dead,and Voldemort wanting his head on a pole. He hadn't come off too badly at all. At least he had the entire Malfoy Fortune attached to his head making his ego bigger then ever. Really the only bad thing was these annoying dreams that haunted his every sleeping moment. Maybe this was some way of his father's to torment him. It wouldn't surprise Draco at all if that was true.

Laying back down against his pillows Draco attempted to fall back asleep but with no avail. He was now wide awake. His brain was buzzing and it refused to shut up. This added with fellow students, Crabbe and Goyle snores, were causing Draco's headache to return. With a very annoyed sigh, he sat back up and started to get out of bed.

Wearing nothing but a pair of dark green boxers, Draco sleepily made his way towards the bathroom. A nice shower would wake him up completely since going back to bed was just not an option. As he staggered in and shut the door behind him, his eyes gazed around the messy room. Clothes lay everywhere, but what else could be expected in a bathroom shared by five sixteen year olds?

Long ago Draco had reserved his own part of the bathroom. Equipped with a mirror and cabinet full of hair styling supplies, Draco had spend over five hours making sure he looked the very best during the past years. It had been normal for him to get up before the sun to fix his hair. He blamed this and his arrogance on genes.. the only thing he had inherited from his father that he didn't want.

Then again he was unnaturally hot, and the girls seemed to agree so maybe it wasn't a bad thing after all.

Picking up his prized comb, he began to comb back his white blond locks. This was the only comb he would use on his hair, and the reason why was a very closely guarded secret. This very comb had an enchanting spell upon it, and was the reason his hair always sparkled and shined, and could be used as a mirror the way lights reflected off of it. What he would do without his precious comb, Draco didn't know but one thing was certain, he would die for it.

Setting it back down, Draco let out a low sigh. He turned from the sink and started towards the shower, only pausing to pick up a silver and green towel from the cabinet. Draco fixed it around his shoulders, and continued his stride to the showers, unaware of two dark green eyes watching him from a nearby corner.

In the shower, Draco turned his head so the soft warm mist splashed over his face and inhaled deeply. Shutting his eyes, he reached forward for his specially blended shampoo. Made from pure herbs, the shampoo was a secret recipe made by Draco's late mother. Luckily her death had not been the end of the hair care product, her recipe had been included to Draco in her will.

A few minutes later, he switched the water off, and stood their dripping water onto the shower floor. Draco stuck his hand out of the shower and felt around for the towel he and hung up right outside. Unwrapping it, he carefully tucked it around him and stepped out of the shower.

"You should always look before you undress,"

The soft mysterious voice made the hair's on Draco's neck stand up as he jumped and looked around the bathroom in surprise. Standing in the doorway was a fellow sixth year and Slytherin, Blaise Zabini. Suddenly blushing furiously, Draco wildly stepped back into the shower and tugged the shower curtain back in place.

"Zabini!" He hissed, "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

The female Slytherin, answered by giving him a low chuckle. Draco pulled the curtain back a little so he could stick his head out and yell at her properly. She looked like she was enjoying Draco's frustrations which make Draco even more angry then he was before.

"Nott stole my book, I was looking for it."

"In the bathroom?" Draco asked through gritted teeth.

"No," The girl admitted, her dark green eyes full of laughter, "But I saw you come in, and I thought--"

Draco cut her off so sharply her mouth closed quickly, "And you thought you'd see me undress and take a shower! Your a slut!"

"Call me what you want, Malfoy," Blaise told him, her voice suddenly icy, "But your the one who dating a Weasley."

"You know that insult has gotten old," Draco snapped, "Your lucky your a girl or I'd hit you around the head!"

"If its gotten old," Blaise retorted, "Then why are you so intimidated by it?" The dark read haired girl did not wait for Draco to reply, she merely turned around and left the bathroom, the only thing remaining of her presence was a strange icy chill.

Strange was definitely a world Draco would use to describe the girl. There was more known about the after life then their was about Blaise Zabini. Everything but her name and high intelligence she kept hidden. Mysterious and secretive in her ways, she had no friends and had a very weird way of appearing when you didn't want anyone around. Draco had suspected that Blaise liked him, but he wasn't entirely sure anymore. The girl sent so many mixed messages.

With a sigh, Draco stepped back out of the shower. As he did so the door opened again but this time it was just Crabbe apparently trying to use the bathroom while being half asleep. With a wary glance at the idiot, Draco picked up his boxers and dried off before going back out into the dormitory.

Almost all the boys were awake by now, grumbling about the sun and how early it was. Ignoring them all, Draco opened his trunk and retrieved a clean uniform and robes. He dressed and then went back into the bathroom to work on his hair. It was then, when he stared at his reflection in the mirror that he realized something was very wrong.

His eyes darted to the sink and the cabinet nearby searching for something that wasn't there. His eyes now wide with horror, he let out a high pitched scream that quieted the bathroom and the dormitory as the boys scrambled to the doorway and towards Draco to see what was wrong.

He turned, his face paler then usual and his eyes glinting madly towards them. Many of the other boys took a step backwards. A Malfoy who was in a foul mood was one thing, but a Malfoy who looked ready to kill was another thing altogther.

"That fucking wrench stole it!" Draco roared, his sanity finally lost.

"Stole what?" Avery asked very cautiously, "And which wrench?"

"My comb!" Draco snapped impatiently, "And Zabini!"

"What was Zabini doing in here to begin with?" Nott asked sleepily, "Draco!" Avery, Crabbe and Goyle began to snicker but stopped as Draco turned around picked up a glass bottle of gel and chucked it at them. They were too busy trying to flee to laugh.

"She was looking for a book or something!" Draco yelled, waving his hand unconcerned, "Thats not the point! The point is she was the only one in here before, and I know I left the comb right here! She had to have taken it!"

"You need to calm down," Avery said, taking another step backwards, "It's just a comb!"

Draco suddenly seemed to have grown five inches as he stood over Avery, glowering so angrily that the boy gulped unconsciously. Draco did not have to say anything to get Avery to shut up, but he did anyway. "Its just a comb? Its my comb you imbecile! My comb. No one, and I repeat no one, steals from Draco Malfoy. Especially not that comb."

His eyes darted over to the mirror where his white blond hair lay on his head like a mop. He cringed, and flew to the mirror to get a closer look. In reality there was nothing wrong with his hair. Maybe it wasn't shining and shimmering but it was clean and rather impressive never the less. Yet Draco was acting as if it had all turned black.

"I can't leave the dormitory! I can't leave my bed! Oh my beautiful hair! My comb! Oh I hope that evil wrench isn't hurting you my precious..."

By now all the boys had fled, both Draco's insanity and anger keeping them as far away as possible. Draco didn't care, as he very lazily walked over to his bed and sat down, all he could think about was what this would do to his reputation of being the hottest boy in Hogwarts. This would effect everything he had worked for all these years. He didn't even know if he could insult Potter properly without his hair being fixed by that comb.

"This is going to be horrible day... I should curl up in my bed and never wake up..."

However fate really was against Draco Malfoy. Not only five minutes after he had gotten into bed, Professor Snape arrived, looking highly annoyed and irratated . Nott, Avery, Crabbe and Goyle had all went straight to their head of house to report Draco's state of mind. It was Snape that convinced Draco that leaving the dormitory would mean he would be able to locate the comb.

And as Draco walked into the Great Hall a half of hour of complaining later, he realized that maybe Snape had been right. Hiding in the dormitory would not get anything done. Not that he cared about lessons and homework, no there were more important things to get done. He had to find that comb and figure out what the hell Blaise was doing with it, and there was something else he had to do...

Draco's thoughts went crashing into the back of his brain as he physically crashed into someone else. He immediately saw red hair and groaned. He had run into a Weasley. Ron's ugly freckled face appeared moments later and the boy glared at Draco in what must have been his most deadly glare. Draco thought it looked more like Ron had to sneeze.

"Watch where you're going Weasley!" Draco warned.

"Watch where I'm going?" Ron demanded, "Your the one who ran into me!"

"Well its no wonder, I probably tripped over your abnormal feet. You should see if there is medication to take care of that," Draco snapped.

"Like you can talk about the abnormal. What happened to your hair?" Ron asked with a triumphant grin.

Draco's hand went flying up to touch his white blonde locks. His cheeks almost flushed, but he stopped them quickly as he put his hand back down. Was it really that noticeable that his hair had not felt the magic touch of that comb? Or was Weasley in on this insult of character Blaise was pulling off?

"There is nothing happening to my hair," Draco snarled.

"Could have fooled me! You look like your taking lesson from Snape!" Ron began to laugh stupidly but Draco throwing himself at Ron and dragging him tot he floor cut the boy off.

Ron let out a strangled cry for help as Draco began to beat his head into the floor. Each time he hit it harder and harder, until something echoed in his head that sounded very familiar... Leave him alone! Was that really still in his head from last time Ginny Weasley witnessed a Draco-Ron argument?

Actually it wasn't, it was from the actual Ginny who had just walked into the Great Hall and spotted the fight. Before Draco knew what was happening, Ginny had pried Draco's hands from Ron's neck. She was amazingly strong for such a small little girl.

"Oh Draco!" Ginny sounded exasperated.

Draco got to his feet and backed off as Ginny helped her brother up. Ron's lip was bleeding and he looked dizzy. Ginny made sure that he was standing and alive before rushing to Draco's side to check on him. Her hand checked over his face, turning it gently. Draco could feel the heat coming off of Ron.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, fine." Draco explained, uncomfortably aware of how close she was. When Ginny was so close it was hard not to want to grab her ass and kiss her. But they were at an agreement, no public displays of affection until they were sure they really had affection for one another. "But look at my hair!"

"Aw, poor baby," Ginny teased reaching a hand up and ruffling it. Draco winced, he hated that and Ginny was the only one allowed to do it without Draco breaking their arm.

"Ginny!" Ron looked outraged, "I'm your brother, and he tried to kill me!"

"Well you probably deserved it," Ginny noted, urning towards him. "You probably provoked him in some way or form. You always do."

"But I'm your brother! You should at least check to see if I'm alright! I'm the one he wrestled to the ground!" Ron was whining again, Draco hated it when he whined.

"Oh honestly Ron, your a big boy! If you can start your fights, you can finish them." She smiled at him warmly, "And anyway, I think a few hits to the head might knock some sense into you."

"Your right about that," Draco muttered loudly, "Going out with Lovegood! Honestly Weasley I always thought it would be the Mudblood!"

Ginny turned back to him and glared, "Draco!" Her voice had a hint of icy edge to it and told him that if he didn't shut up she was going to slap him. In some sick twisted way he wanted her to slap him. Maybe then he could slap her butt in retaliation.

"I don't know what see in him," Ron furiously said, "He's a disgusting dog."

"Yes he is," Ginny agreed looking back at Ron, "But all dogs can be trained."

Draco grinned, he was a dog! "Yes and since I'm not trained yet I can say whatever I want!"

"You can not!" Ginny snapped, "Apologize for calling Hermione a Mudblood!"

"I most certainly will not!" Draco protested, "I can't be bossed around like some ignorant Hufflepuff! I have a real crisis on my hands!"

"What happened, someone steal your shampoo?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"I knew it!" Draco yelled, "I knew you had something to do with this!" He pointed a finger at Ron.

"Your edgy because someone stole your shampoo?" Ginny asked with a smile.

"No of course not!" Draco said angrily, "Someone stole my comb, and I think it was Blaise Zabini!"

A few moments of silence followed Draco's remark. Then together, Ginny and Ron began to laugh. Draco glared at both of them. They didn't seem to realize what a big situation this was. His comb had been stolen and his hair was victim. He was at risk to loose his reputation and all they could do was laugh!

"Really Draco, sometimes your too much!" Ginny said grinning.

"I'm being serious!" Draco snapped.

Ron shook his head, "Good luck Ginny, I know you'll come to your senses soon and dump this arrogant buffoon." Without waiting for another reply, Ron left and walked over to the Ravenclaw table to talk with his girlfriend, Luna Lovegood. Draco had suspected they were both ideal for the insanitarium, but Ginny didn't think so.

Draco watched him walk away with mild concern and then let his eyes snap back onto the red head in front of him. Ginny's hazel eyes looked up at him and for a moment Draco really had to work hard not to lean down and kiss her soft lips. She must have realized this because she smiled.

"We should go out next weekend. Just the two of us so we can talk. Lately I've been busy with studies and you with... well who knows what. I'd like to be with you for awhile."

"I'd like that too," Draco drawled, "But I'd really like Ron to fall off a cliff."

Ginny sighed, "One day you two will learn to get along.... one day."

"Don't count on it."

"I guess your probably right," She smiled and then looked over at the Gryffindor table, "I promised Hermione a study session over breakfast." She leaned up and kissed his cheek and then walked away, leaving Draco there feeling incredibly stupid. He always felt weird when Ginny kissed him without warning and these were one of those times.

Draco collapsed into the nearest Slytherin table seat and reached over to grab a cup of coffee. He suddenly felt extremely tired, and needed something that would successfully wake him up. As he added his sugar, his thoughts left his coffee and wondered over to Blaise's empty seat.

Why, he thought, should I just go find and her demand to have my comb back? I should follow her and get all of her secrets.. there has to be a very good reason why she stole it.. besides to annoy me. And I could use all the information I discover to blackmail her! A very evil grin had begun to creep across his face.

Unfortunately , Draco could not continue to plot his evil schemes. Pansy Parkinson had just sat down opposite of Draco and was looking at him dreamily. Draco's eyes went past her and darted over to the Gryffindor table, where Ginny was engaged in a conversation with Granger and Potter. Slightly relieved, he let his attention fall back on Pansy. Ginny got awfully upset when she saw Pansy near him... she always thought she was flirting, and usually Ginny was right.

"Can I help you?" Draco asked lazily.

Pansy's dark eyes widened, "Oh, well I just wanted to tell you that its over."

For a brief second Draco felt sorry for the girl. She was just now realizing that they would never have a relationship after years of telling herself that she and Draco would marry one day. "Good, maybe you'll leave me alone then."

"I'm going out with someone else," Pansy continued.

"Perhaps then you can stare at him instead of me?" Draco drawled.

"I just wanted to get a good look at you one last time," The girl explained. Even though her voice was surprisingly strong, Draco could sense she wanted to burst into tears. It bored Draco to death and he searched around for something to say. His eyes fell back onto Blaise's empty seat.

"Do you know know where Blaise is?" Draco asked.

Pansy looked horrified. Her eyes filled with tears but she determinedly blinked them away. She gave him a very hard look as if she couldn't believe he had asked her such a question. Draco sighed loudly and was about to tell her off, when Pansy stood up and sniffed loudly.

"She's probably snooping around Snape's dungeons." Pansy made to walk away, but hung back slightly for Draco's reaction.

"I see," Draco said softly, his eyes drifting back to the girl's empty seat. What was Blaise doing wondering around there? This had to be a clue in this extremely complex situation.

"I thought you liked Weasley?" Pansy asked hotly, standing there with her hands on her hips.

"I do," Draco replied looking back at her, "Blaise stole my comb, and I want to know why."

It was the strangest change of emotions Draco had ever seen. Pansy when from being horribly sad to amused. Her eyes light up instantly and she began to laugh. Furious, Draco let his hand wander to his cup of coffee and he squeezed the handle. Why was everyone laughing at him over this?

"Stop laughing! You'd react the same way if you broke a nail," Draco glared at her and stood up, ready to storm out of the Great Hall in a huff. But he couldn't, not as long as Pansy stood their laughing at him. They all thought he was just being shallow. They had no idea that this could actually be something deep. "Fuck off you little slut!"

That certainly caused Pansy to shut up. Her eyes went cold on him and her face began to redden in anger. She wound up and slapped him hard across the face. Draco winced but did his best to ignore the slight pain in his face. Pansy had slapped him before, but this time the entire hall had turned around at Draco's harsh words, including Ginny. Ginny's eyes widened a little and she bolted into a standing position. Draco could feel conflict before Ginny spoke.

"What the hell do you think your doing?"

"Teaching your boyfriend some manners!"

"He's not my boyfriend! Your just jealous because he may like me and your just a piece of ass!"

"So are you!"

"Hey," Draco said mocking offense, "I am not so shallow that I just love women asses!"

Both Ginny and Pansy turned their heads in his direction. "Shut up Malfoy!" they said in unison. Draco pouted, but not for long.

"Look, you two have to stop this! I like Ginny, I don't like Pansy. Thats the bottom line, so I think you should both..." But Draco never finished his sentence, both girls turned back to him for a second time and gave him such horrible looks that Draco wasn't sure if breathing was a smart idea. In fact, standing there didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.

Without another word at the fuming girls, Draco slipped out of the Great Hall and out into the entrance hall. With a sigh of relief and frustration, Draco leaned against the wall outside, vaguely aware of two Gryffindors who were just walking into the hallway. Their voices seemed slightly high pitched and Draco couldn't help but over hear them.

Draco glared at the two girls and let go of the wall, starting back to his dormitories. He felt like his head was about to explode. There was just far too much on his mind, like for instance, Blaise and his comb. But why was he so concerned about something of this nature when Hogwarts was in danger? Or was it? Was his dreams just that... dreams? He really didn't know.

Just as Draco said the password and was about to step into the common room, something yet again distracted him. This time however, it was an ear-piercing scream.

**

Authors Note: Finally I've gotten a chapter out! 9 pages in all, and its taken me forever. School is horrible! I'm hoping to get chapters out every three or four days, and I can't wait for all your wonderful reviews! Anyway, there isn't much to say here, so... Happy Reading!