Rating: PG
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 5
Published: 08/11/2003
Last Updated: 02/01/2005
Status: Completed
The Source; A Mysterious person at Hogwarts who sells other people's secrets for money. Has Draco finally found someone who will love and understand him? Will Ginny be able to open up and let him love her?
All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter One
“ Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin dinning table and glaring at the one and only Boy-Who-Lived; his usual sneer was present on his aristocratic face and his silver gray eyes were cold and piercing.
<Stupid Potter! The nerve of him, threatening me, a Malfoy, just you wait; I’ll get you back. How dare he make me promise to…> Draco was shook out of his thoughts by Lisa Hutchins, a Sixth year Ravenclaw latching onto his arm.
“Draco! Did you miss me? I know I missed you.” She leaned over and gave Draco a kiss on the cheek and then hugged his arm even tighter.
“Lisa, how many times have I told you not to kiss me in public? Also I did NOT miss you. Now, kindly remove your grip on my arm,” Draco said coldly. Draco glared down at Lisa and gave her his famous, stony glare. Lisa removed her arm away from his and gave him a pleading look.
“But, Draco, last week you said…and I was so happy…I thought you loved me, and we.…”
“Hutchins. Are you really as dense as you look? I never said anything; you were the one who jumped to conclusions. Now please leave, the sight of you makes me sick,” Draco drawled out. The sixth year Ravenclaw burst out into tears and ran out of the main hall, another heart broken by Draco Malfoy.
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Meanwhile on the other side of the room sat Harry Potter, with his friends Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and his kid sister Virginia (Ginny) Weasley. “Come on, Harry,” whined Ron. “Why is Malfoy still here? I know you know.”
“For Goodness sakes, Ron,” Hermione said, “leave Harry in peace. I’m sure he’s had enough of your badgering, you’ve been going on like this for two whole weeks now.”
“If Harry would tell me then I would stop the badgering,” Ron retorted.
“Well why can’t you not badger now?” Hermione said sounding very annoyed.
“I find it quite surprising you don’t want to know too Hermione; considering how you want to know everything all the time.”
“I do not want to know everything all the time!” Hermione said defensively.
“Sure you don’t,” Ron said sarcastically and then rolled his eyes.
“Hey guys!” Harry’s voice cut through Ron and Hermione’s argument and they stopped yelling immediately. Harry turned to face Ron and placed his arm around his best friends shoulder. “Sorry, Ron, but I took a wizards oath that I could not reveal what happened or else I’ll go bald before I’m 20, go blind at 30, go deaf at 40, my legs will fall off at 50 and I’ll have slugs coming out of my mouth when I die at 60.” Ron cringed at the last ‘or else’.
“Oh Damn. That has got to be the worse oath I’ve ever heard of. That’s alright Harry, you don’t have to tell me and I’ll stop pestering you.”
“Finally,” Hermione breathed a big sigh of relief. “I don’t have to hear your voice all the time.”
“Hey, there happens to be a lot of people lining up, just he hear my lovely, charming and hypnotizing voice,” Ron boasted sarcastically. The trio burst out laughing but stopped when they noticed the commotion coming from the Slytherin table. Their eye’s then followed the girl who ran out of the hall in tears.
“What the bloody hell happened over there?” exclaimed Ron.
“I’ll go see if she’s alright.” the trio turned their heads and looked at Ginny. They had forgotten that she was sitting there and if she had not spoken they wouldn’t have notice either. Ginny got up and left the hall in search of the heart broken Ravenclaw.
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Draco began eating his Breakfast after Lisa Hutchins had left. Not caring where the girl went or how she felt. On his left sat Crabbe and Goyle and to his right sat Blaise Zabini. She was looking at a slightly pink colored Parchment and was snickering.
“What’s so funny Zabini?” Draco enquired while not even looking at her.
“Well, Malfoy, it seems that I have found a cure for our boredom. How does taking off house points sound?”
“Keep talking,” answered Draco in his usual careless tone. He was Head Boy this year so he could have the right to take house points off other students, and he’d been waiting to find a chance to use that privilege.
“I’ve come across some information that a couple of sixth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws have a weekly gambling game in one of the classrooms after curfew. This would be a great chance to show some of you power, eh, Malfoy?” she said while smiling.
“Not a bad idea Zabini, but where did you get this information? How do I know it’s reliable? I have better things to do than wander around looking for not existent get-togethers.” Blaise lifted the pink parchment and waved it about.
“Oh it’s definitely reliable. It has yet to fail me.” Draco grabbed the parchment from Blaise’s hand and looked at it questionably:
Level Two, classroom 213
Wednesday weekly.
After midnight, after curfew gambling.
Ravenclaw’s: Jane booty, Kit Lengly and Jason Heroning.
Hufflepuff’s: Bobby Smith, Silvia Oldfield and Megan Hadger.
Clarified
$
“What is this Zabini? And whom is it clarified by?” Draco asked. Snatching back the parchment, Blaise turned her nose up at Draco.
“This is where I got the information, and that,” she pointed to the weird ‘S’ at the bottom of the page, “is a symbol. It stands for The Source.”
“The Source? What is that?” Draco asked.
“More like who is that.” Draco gave Blaise a what-are-you-talking-about look before she answered, “All I know is that it is someone who trades information for money. Anything you want to know about anyone at Hogwarts he can tell you. You just have to pay the right price.” Draco smirked. A plan was forming quickly in his head.
<Payback time Potter.>
“So Blaise. Where can I meet this Source guy?”
Blaise raised her eyebrow at the use of her first name. “Why Draco? Planning to dig up some dirt off someone?” she said in a very seductive voice.
“You could put it that way,” Draco said while smirking. Blaise and Draco eyed each other knowingly before Blaise leaned over and whispered into his hear.
End of Chapter One. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Two
“ Speaking”
<Thinking>
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It was late into the night and Draco was patrolling the halls like a good Head Boy would do, but little did others know that he was actually out looking for his revenge.
<Ok. According Zabini, it should be somewhere around here.>
To buy information from The Source, you have to go to the deserted corridor on level two and into the first room on your right. Write on a piece of parchment what you want to know about whom and sign it with your name and House. Make sure you go alone after midnight today; I’ll contact him for you so he can meet you and tell you the rules.
<Meet me and tell me the rules? Who does this guy think he is? Some godfather of crime or something?> Draco reached the deserted corridor and turned into it.
The corridor was very dark because it was only lit with one torch situated at the entrance, but it was lit enough for him to see the room he was looking for. Draco stepped into the room and observed his surroundings; the room was about the size of a classroom except it was round, and had draws placed against the curved walls throughout the whole room. You could tell the drawings were designed specifically for this room because they too were curved and fit perfectly against the walls. Directly across from the door he entered was another door, and in front of that door were an office desk, with one chair behind and one chair in front.
The door behind the desk creaked open and in walk a figure draped in dark robes, the robes were long and covered the figures feet and also what they were wearing underneath. The hood of the cloak was on the figures head and cast a shadow on his face making it impossible to tell whom it was, but when he looked up he was also wearing a mask that covered his face from the nose upwards, but their rich brown eyes could still be seen.
“Mr. Malfoy, please take a seat,” Said the dark figure. The figure sat down on the chair behind the desk and Draco moved to sit on the chair in front. The figures voice was deep and rough, and sounded like it belonged to a very mature male. “Zabini has notified me of you interest in some of my services. I don’t normally meet in person for these trades but I do like to meet new potential customers.” Draco leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms, a smirk plastered on his face.
“Zabini said you would tell me about some of your Rules.”
“Ah, yes. You see Mr. Malfoy, different types of information have a different price, and the more secret it is the more it will cost to retrieve it. It also depends on whom you want the information of; everyone has their own price depending on their degree of difficulty.”
“Fine,” Draco said not really caring.
The figure passed a piece of parchment to Draco and then stood up. Seeing the figure stand Draco stood too and followed the figures movement towards a cupboard.
“You can write the information you request on some parchment, signed with your name and house, and place it into this draw along with the payment. My reply will be sent to you by owl.” before Draco could say anything the figure had turned around and was leaving through the door. “Goodnight Mr. Malfoy,” he said and then he disappeared through the door. Draco stood still in his spot in front of the draw. He pulled out a parchment from his robes and then opened the draw to place it in along with ten Galleons before leaving to go back to his own room.
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Ginny sat at her desk in her room which she shared with 4 four other Gryffindors and stared at a big pile of parchments.
“Hey Ginny, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Hermione Granger stood beside Ginny and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Hi Hermione, I’m just not tired yet,” Ginny answered. Hermione noticed a black velvet pouch and gestured to it.
“Did you just get paid?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Ginny said happily.
“How about we go to Hogsmead this weekend together and do some shopping?” Hermione suggested hopefully.
“Nah, I think I’ll stay here. I have a lot of homework to do, also a lot of proofreading too,” Ginny said, sounding very apologetic.
Hermione sighed. “Ginny, ever since you got that job for that publishing company we haven’t seen much of you. Maybe you should relax a bit or maybe just quite the job, you look stressed.” Hermione had a very concerned __expression on her face and Ginny just couldn’t snap back at her.
<Easy for you to say, you’re not the one who’s poor. You don’t have to get hand-me downs all the time and be laughed at by other people.>
“Don’t worry Hermione,” Ginny said with a smile, “I’m fine. I really need this job, it pays very well and I’m good at it. I really don’t mind that I have to stay in all the time.”
“Alright then,” Hermione said at bit sadly, “goodnight.”
“Goodnight Hermione,” Ginny said back.
After Hermione left her room, Ginny shuffled all the parchments into her draw and took out a red leather bound book with a Golden ‘H’ on it. She had a lot of work to do.
End of Chapter Two. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Three
“ Speaking”
<Thinking>
For those who don’t know how wizarding money works its 29 Knuts = 1 Sickle, 17 Sickles = 1 Galleon.
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Draco was in his room lying in his bead. He had four more hours before he had to get up for breakfast but he couldn’t sleep; instead he was reading the parchment the Source gave him.
1 Sickle per Question.
1 Galleon for Basic Report.
2 Galleons for Full report.
* Special Requests have to be negotiated with The Source.
Slytherin’s: 3 Sickles Extra
Gryffindor’s: 2 Sickles Extra
Hufflepuff’s and Ravenclaw’s: 1 Sickle Extra
Rules:
1) When caught and asked for where information was retrieved, the Source must never be named.
2) Full payment must be made (placed into Request draw and labeled) within 3 days of request, or trading is cancelled and previous payment will not be returned.
3) The Source is not held responsible for any sudden change in information after reply letter has been sent to Customers.
4) If the Source fails to deliver information within 14 days after request, or if the Source is unable to deliver information for any other reason, then double the money will be returned.
5) Special Requests have to be placed into Request Draw and customers wait for notification from the Source.
The Breaking of any of the above rules will result in you darkest secrets to be revealed to the whole school! Be WARNED.
The Letter ended with the source’s weird ‘S’ symbol and Draco couldn’t help wondering who this mysterious person was.
<Would this Source be able to find the information I want? If he’s as good as Zabini says then it should be simple.>
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Ginny was late for class so she was running down the hall as fast as she could, but it didn’t help that the 7th years all had a free period now, and were blocking up the hallways. Not only did she oversleep and miss breakfast so she was now very hungry, but she would also surely get a detention from Snape for being late to his class.
After rounding a corner too quickly Ginny’s bag of quills tumbled from the stack of books she was holding and rolled onto the floor until it stopped between two sets of feet. Ginny looked up, and saw none other than Pansy Parkinson and Garret Closter, another Slytherin 7th year, snogging in the middle of the hall and also dangerously close to stepping on her bag of quills.
<Great. Just what I need, can my day get any worse?> Ginny thought bitterly.
Ginny carefully headed towards the heated couple while gripping her books tightly in front of her self.
“Ah. Excuse me,” whispered Ginny, but they either didn’t hear her or were ignoring her so she tried again. “Excuse me,” she tried a little bit louder, but since they were obviously not paying attention to her; Ginny bent down and tried to retrieve her quills from between their feet, but instead got her hand stepped on. Ginny didn’t scream or whimper in pain; instead she just quickly pulled her hand back and was rubbing at it furiously.
*CRACK*
Ginny stopped rubbing her hand immediately and looked at the floor in front of her, where her now broken quills lay. Ginny’s first reaction was shock but then quickly morphed into anger, which she was struggling to hold in. Those quills were from her brother Charlie, who had sent them over to her as a reward for being accepted into Mediwitch practice at Hogwarts. Ginny shot up from her crouching position so suddenly that it surprised Pansy and her boyfriend out of their snogging. Her anger had a mind of its own now.
“You would think that you two fondle each other enough in the prefects bathroom every night to have the decency to not snog in the middle. OF. THE. HALL.”
Ginny was screaming at the top of her lungs so loudly and suddenly that Pansy and her boyfriend was speechless and standing dead still. Taking advantage of the stillness in the corridor, Ginny swiftly bent down and grabbed her bag of broken quills before pushing past Pansy and her Boyfriend.
“Why don’t you spare us all from your revolting behavior and go get a room if you’re really that desperate!” Ginny yelled over her shoulder before she stormed down the hall and turned around the corner trying to get to her potions class as soon as possible.
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<Stupid Snape! Giving me one whole week of detention AND taking 50 house points off just for being late.>
Ginny had scored a whole week worth of detention with Snape for coming ten minutes late to class, her punishment being to clean up the potions class room everyday after the last class. So there was Ginny scrubbing furiously at the desktops when a knock was heard. Snape strode towards the door and yanked it open to reveal Draco Malfoy.
“Ah, Mr. Malfoy. The ingredients you need are at the back, and while you are here, please supervise Miss Weasley for me until she has wiped down all the desks, then she may be dismissed. I have more important things to attend to.”
Draco nodded his head and mumbled, “Yes Sir.”
Snape left the room to leave Ginny to her detention duties and Draco to do whatever he was going to do.
Ginny kept cleaning the desks not paying attention to Draco; the sooner she finished the sooner she could leave. But then Draco just had to taunt her.
“Gee Weasley, never knew you could be so fierce.” Draco was leaning against one of the cleaned desks observing Ginny with his arms crossed over his torso. Draco had crisp clean robes that were neatly pressed, with shiny black shoes and his hair gelled back. Ginny was a complete opposite, she had old fading rags with worn out shoes, and her hair had the top half done up in a messy bun while the rest streamed down to the middle of her back.
Ginny didn’t even look at him and just continued on to the next dirty desk.
Draco found it to be his duty to tease the young Weasley and didn’t plan to stop. “You know, I find it very surprising how being as poor as you are, you could possibly afford to buy such private information about Pansy.”
Draco waited for a reaction and Ginny eventually looked up from her work to stare blankly into his silver gray eyes, but then quickly resumed her wiping.
Draco pushed himself up from his leaning position and took slow steps towards Ginny.
“Such exclusive detail into Pansy’s private life must have cost a fortune. I wonder where could you possible get so much money Weasley?” Draco leaned down on the table Ginny was cleaning and tried to look into her eye’s but she just kept on scrubbing and refused to look at him, so Draco straightened up and put his hands into his pockets. “So what did you do Weasley? Sell one of your never ending supply of brother’s as a slave?”
<That’s it. I’m putting an end to the worst day of my life,> Ginny thought.
Ginny threw her cleaning cloth onto the table and whirled around to glare at Draco. He could see a streak of red flash past her blue eyes. <Bingo,> he thought.
“What makes you think I had to buy that information Malfoy?” Ginny had her hands on her hips with her head held high questioning Draco. She wasn’t that much shorter than Draco; she came up to about his eyebrows, so she just had to tilt her head very slightly to look at him.
“Then I presume you have voyeur tendencies. Taking pleasure in watching others snog Weasley?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you Malfoy.” Ginny grabbed her bag and stormed out of the potions classroom leaving a smirking Draco behind.
< Ah, the pleasures of annoying a Weasley. >
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When Draco reached his Head Boy room, he found a pink colored parchment on top of his desk. <That was Quick.> he quickly opened it up and it read.
Harry Potter fears nothing.
Clarified
$
“WHAT!” Draco yelled.
End of Chapter Three. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Four
“ Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco was stomping down the halls that night not caring about how much noise he was making. When he reached his destination, Draco flung open the door, angrily, and slammed it shut behind him.
The Source was sitting at his desk flipping through parchments and occasionally counting some money. He was dressed in his usual long black robes and wearing his black mask.
Draco strode up to the table and slammed the pink parchment, which he had received that morning, onto the table. “I paid you 10 Galleons to tell me what Harry Potter is most afraid of and I expect to receive a proper answer.”
The masked figure looked up at the standing Draco and smirked. “That is a proper answer. Harry Potter really fears nothing,” he said.
Draco roughly sat down on a chair and crossed his arms. “Bullshit. Everyone is scared of something! I refuse to believe that Potter doesn’t fear a single thing.”
“You are right Malfoy; Mr. Potter does fear something, but that thing has been destroyed now, which leaves him to be fearless. Except for one thing, but that doesn’t classify as fear, more like nervousness to me.”
“I don’t care if its fear or nervousness, I paid you for information; now tell me what he is scared of!”
The Source sat up straight in his chair and threw a bag in front of Draco. The contents inside clanked together and Draco looked at it quizzically.
“What is this?” Draco asked.
“Your change. 10 Galleons is too much for this information,” the Source answered.
“This information isn’t even worth 1 sickle. And there Zabini was, going on about how reliable and good you were. What a load of crap that was. And by the time I’m done spreading this news around you won’t have a single person coming to you for information even if you knew where the Five Holy Passages were! ”
(AN: “The Five Holy Passages” is just something I made up, they are mythical passages in Hogwarts, which can lead to five special rooms. They are very important to the students because it’s something very mysterious.)
Draco had his superior face on again; his relaxed leaned back posture, emotionless face with a tiny switch on the right corner of his mouth and steel gray eyes to finish off the over all intimidating look. <You’re bound to tell me now.>
“You don’t scare me Malfoy,” said the Source.
Draco’s little twitch on the corner of his mouth drooped down into a small frown. That was not what he was expecting.
“You can spread any news you want around the school Malfoy, and it wouldn’t matter because I am the only one who can give students in Hogwarts what they want.”
“Shut up,” Draco snapped. “What’s so great about knowing everyone’s little secrets and selling them to other students just so they can play stupid little pranks on each other? You are just some common idiot. You know nothing about what’s really going on in this school.”
The Source put his elbows on the tabletop and rested his chin on his hands.
“You mean how I don’t know that Dumbledore, Mr. Potter and yourself were in the Chamber of Secrets a month ago fighting Voldemort and his Death-Eaters.”
Draco was fully surprised. He was staring at the Source with his mouth slightly open; he didn’t know what to say. <How did he know? The only people who were there was Dumbledore, Potter, some people from the Order and I. Did Potter tell him or is he someone from the Order?>
The Source removed his elbows from the table to lean back on his chair and grinned. “I guess I’m not as pathetic as you think, eh Malfoy?”
“How…” Draco didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence because scratching sounds could be heard from the other side of the door. Someone or something was outside.
The Source shot up from his sitting position and looked at the door. “It’s Mrs. Norris. That means Filch will be here soon,” the Source said and then shoveled the parchments and coins on the table into a black bag, which was sitting beside the table. He turned around to head towards the door behind him. Draco stood up and ran after him. The Source tore open the door and stepped through it with Draco just managing to jump past before it closed behind them.
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The room they were in was dark and narrow. The small candle sitting on a cupboard, where the Source was leaning, was the only form of light. Draco was directly in front of the Source and in such a narrow room it didn’t leave very much space between them.
Draco made a move to find a better position but was stopped by a hand placed on his chest.
“Don’t move,” the Source whispered.
Draco stopped moving and took the chance to observe the Source closer. He still had the black mask on which covered his forehead all the way down to his nose. There were two holes, which showed his deep brown eyes. His pale button nose was not covered and could be seen, as well as his small red lips. Draco continued his observation down to his robes, which were black and long but during the rush to get into the room it had loosened and revealed…
<Knee-high socks and a gray skirt?>
Draco’s head shot up and he looked at the Source again, in a different light. She was looking at the door, straining her neck to try and hear what was going on in the other room.
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On the other side of the door, Filch had arrived in the room and was looking around suspiciously.
“Hey girl, did you find somebody?” he said to his cat.
Meow.
“Doesn’t seem to be anyone, nobody comes to this room anymore.”
Meow. Mrs. Norris rubbed Filch’s leg and was prowling around him.
“Come on now girl. We’ll patrol the other side of the castle.” Filch shooed Mrs. Norris out of the room and left.
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Hearing Filch and Mrs. Norris leave, the Source let out a sigh of relief. She had noticed her hand was on Draco’s chest and pulled it back quickly. Their eyes met and Draco smirked.
“You’re a girl.”
End of Chapter Four. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Five
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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The Source’s eyes went wide for a second but then she brushed her robes down as to straighten them, and in a very steady voice answered him,
“So?”
It was clear now that her voice had been altered with a spell, the deep, rough voice of a man coming from such a little girl sounded really weird to Draco. It certainly didn’t make her seem very feminine. <Wonder what she looks like? She smells really nice though.> Draco thought.
Draco leaned closer toward the Source’s face until his lips nearly touched her ear and whispered in a very sensuous voice.
“It’s just a very convenient fact that’s all.” Draco used his free hand and traced the Source’s jaw line with his finger. He heard her suck in a deep breath and smirked.
The Source pushed him away immediately and ran to the back of the room where there was another door. She pulled open the door and ran out, followed closely by Draco. The Source was scurrying down a flight of spiral stairs where Draco was just barely managing to keep up with her.
<By Merlin, she’s fast>
With the end of her coat out of sight Draco descended the stairs as fast as he could to try and catch up with her but when he reached the end of the stairs it branched out into a dark corridor where he stopped to look left and right. <Which way did she go?>
Hearing some clatter towards his right he started running towards the sound. Rounding the corner of the corridor he bumped into Filch and his cat. Filch held up his lantern and sneered at Draco.
“What are you doing up this late. I ought to tell your head of house and make them punish you. Maybe even get to use the torture chambers again.”
Draco quickly recomposed himself and stood to his full height.
“I happen to be Head boy and am allowed to be in the corridors at night patrolling,” Draco said superiorly.
Draco pushed Filch aside and strode down the hall to head towards his Head Boy room. <Stupid Filch, > he thought.
Meanwhile, a figure hidden in the shadows dashed up some stairs towards one of the towers.
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Draco went to the secret room every night for the next three days but the Source was never there. He was determined to find out who she was.
<She was wearing the school uniform so it must be a student here. Also it’s a girl so that eliminates half the population. What else was there about her? Her smell...>
"Mr Malfoy!"
Draco snapped his head up and looked at professor Snape.
"Your potion is bubbling over and going everywhere."
Draco looked at his ruined potion and began trying to stop it from boiling over the top. The mess was so big that Snape had no excuse not to deduct house points and give Draco a detention.
"Ten points from Slytherin and detention after class."
The bell went for the end of class and Draco was staying behind to clean up his mess. There was a knock on the door and in walked Ginny. She strolled up to the front desk and addressed Snape.
"Professor," she said while waiting for him to give her a task.
"Miss Weasley. Your job today will be to clean up the mess over there." He pointed to Draco's spilt potion. "And when you have done that, to also relabel all the ingredients on that shelf.” Ginny looked over to the shelf and saw all different sized jars filled with squirming bugs and worms of different kinds.
Snape stood up from his seat and proceeded to the door.
"Your detention Mr. Malfoy will be to supervise Miss Wesley until she has completed all her tasks." Snape left the room with a slam of the door.
"Well? What are you waiting for Weasley? Get to work." Draco moved to another seat and leaned back on it to relax and think.
Ginny rolled her sleeves up and went to get the buckets and scrubs to clean up Draco's mess.
.................................................................................................................
Ginny had finished cleaning up the spilt potion an hour ago and was now labelling the jars filled with slugs, worms and bugs. Every time she picked up a jar she would scrunch up her nose and looked at it, disgusted. She was up to her last few jars when Draco spoke,
"Are you quite done yet? I do have better things to do you know?"
Ginny paid no attention to him and continued to write the names on pieces of sticky paper and stick them on the jars.
Draco got up from his seat and walk towards Ginny. "Hurry up. How long does it take to just label a few jars?"
Ginny was getting annoyed. "Well why don’t you do it then Malfoy."
"Please, like I'd ever go near anything as disgusting as these things." Draco scrunched up his nose and made a disgusted face.
"What’s wrong Malfoy? Scared of a little slug?" Ginny held up a ZiggerSlug by it tail and waved it in front of Malfoy’s face. She had taken it out of the jar secretly just to annoy him.
Draco backed up a bit, looking grossed out. "Only a Weasel like you would actually touch a slimy thing like that!"
Ginny got mad. <I’ll teach him to insult me.> She flung the slug, aiming it at Draco.
It landed on the left side of his cheek and Draco froze. He looked down at it, which made him cross eyed, and then he got mad.
"Weasley! GET IT OFF OF ME NOW!"
Ginny was giggling and Draco didn’t like it.
"No. Get it off yourself," Ginny said.
"You're going to pay for this Weasley," he growled.
Draco ran after Ginny and they were circling the table and chairs like five year olds playing tag.
Draco managed to grab Ginny’s arm and was holding it tightly when the ZiggerSlug, which was still on his cheek lifted its tail to spray its mist, which Draco ended up breathing in. After spraying its mist the slug slid off Draco's face and landed on the ground to slither away.
After the slug dropped off his face, Draco started coughing and waving his hands to get rid of the mist floating around. While he was doing that, Ginny managed to free her arm, grab her books and start heading for the door, but Draco's coughs were getting louder and more retching.
Having her conscience getting the better of her, Ginny turned around and went to see if he was all right.
Draco had one hand on a desk supporting himself and the other on his chest while coughing very loudly. Ginny walked up to him and leaned forward to make sure he was all right.
"Malfoy?"
Draco’s coughing still didn’t stop and instead got even worse. Ginny was getting scared.
"Malfoy,” she said desperately. “Stop pretending," She pleaded but Draco was still coughing and was starting to struggle for air.
Ginny placed her hand on Draco's back and was patting it to try and help him get his breathing back but it didn’t help. Ginny was getting worried and started to panic.
"Malfoy, what's going on? Are you Ok? Come on. Breath.” Ginny stroked his back urgently and he seemed to be catching his breath back but only just managed to gasp out.
"It's...a...ver... vex...a...ttack..."
Ginny stopped her soothing motions and stood there shocked. <A Vervex Attack?>
End of Chapter Five. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Three
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny was utterly shocked. She remembered studying about Vervxia and how dangerous it is because the attacks can get so bad that the person suffocates. <He’s going to die soon if he doesn’t breath.>
Ginny quickly grabbed her wand and pointed it at Draco.
“Saclendo,” The mist from the Ziggerslug that was still floating around Draco disappeared into the tip of her wand and he was able to breathe in a little bit more air.
Ginny went over to Draco and slung one of his arms over her shoulder while she placed her arm over his back, her hand on his waist.
She placed her other free hand on Draco’s chest to steady him and started to drag him out of the room.
“What *cough, cough* are you *cough* doing?” he managed to croak out.
“I’m taking you to the Hospital wing. If you don’t get that mist out of your lungs soon you’ll probably permanently damage them. Then you might never breathe properly again.”
Draco was looking down at Ginny and he lost the usual sneer on his face. The worry and concern she showed was something very foreign to him. Besides his mother, no one else had ever really worried about him like she was doing right now and it touched him deeply.
They finally managed to reach the Hospital wing and Ginny quickly dragged Draco to the nearest bed and helped him to get on it. His coughing was getting worse and he was quickly loosing his supply of air. Draco lay down on the bed and was coughing non-stop, his head was tilted to the side. He saw Ginny run into the office to retrieve Madam Pomfrey.
Madam Pomfrey ran towards Draco’s bed and examined him. He was coughing non-stop so she couldn’t even ask what the problem was.
“Mr. Malfoy, can you tell me what’s wrong? Mr. Malfoy?”
“Madam Pomfrey, I don’t think he can answer you,” Ginny told her.
Draco was nearly fainting from the violent coughing and lack of air, his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see what was going on, but in-between his consciousness he heard a bit of their conversation.
“But Ginny I have to ask him what’s wrong.”
“Well can’t you just give him something to stop the coughing first?” Ginny voice was very worried and urgent.
“I need to know his background and if he’s taking any other medication. If I just give him something it could clash with what he’s taking and then make it worse.”
“No he’s not taking anything else. It’s a Vervex Attack. He breathed in some Ziggermist and it triggered it.” Ginny was blurting out this information in one whole breath. Time was of the essence here.
“Oh dear, we must hurry then.”
Some scrambling noises could be heard and then the two figures came back.
Draco felt his head being lifted up and some liquid was poured down his throat. He felt the nice clear air reach his lungs again and he breathed it in hungrily.
“Unbelievable. It was written specifically that any of these symptoms were to be reported to me on the day of enrolment. He’s really going to be in trouble for this now,” Madam Pomfrey said, sounding angry.
“It’s not his fault Madam Pomfrey. He had it cured a year before he came to Hogwarts but for some reason it just came back suddenly. He’s never had an attack before today,” Ginny said sounding really concerned.
“How do you know all this Ginny?” Madame Pomfrey had a curious tone in her voice and was waiting for Ginny to answer.
Ginny’s voice was softer now and Draco could hear her shuffling her feet. “Er… he told me. Just before he started coughing.”
Draco wanted to get up and question her, but was too weak, so instead he surrendered to the much-needed sleep.
……………………………………………………………………..
Draco woke up and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He sat up too see where he was and noticed he was in the Hospital wing and in a bed with his pyjamas on. Draco looked around and saw no one else in the dark room, except for one person, who was sitting in a chair. They had their head resting at the foot of his bed. It was Ginny, and she was sleeping. Draco looked over at the clock and notice that it was 3 AM in the morning.
<Why is she still here?> he wondered.
Draco leaned down closer, towards Ginny and used his hand to move some hair away from her face. <Little Weasel> he thought affectionately, but when his fingers accidentally brushed her face, she woke up and their eye’s met.
Groggily, Ginny sat up properly in her seat and rubbed her eyes so she could see well enough. Draco had immediately leaned back up and pasted his usual emotionless face on. “Malfoy,” her voice was a soft whisper.
He opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out. Panic was written all over his face and he was clutching his throat. Draco started moving his mouth, trying to talk but instead ended up coughing.
Ginny got up from her chair and sat at the side of the bed next to Draco. She was smiling slightly and her voice was gentle.
“Clam down Malfoy.” She moved her hand to stroke his back as to ease the coughing. “You had a very serious attack and it damaged your lungs a bit so you’ve lost your voice. Don’t worry though; it’s not permanent so it will come back in few days.” Draco was shocked at the tenderness in her voice but took the chance to treasure the feeling of her warm hands on his back.
Draco’s coughs stopped after a while so Ginny stopped her stroking and got up off the bed. She turned around and grabbed a vial of blue liquid and handed it to Draco.
“Here, drink this. It will help reduce the coughing and help you breath.”
Draco took the vial and drank it in one big gulp, all the while looking at Ginny. After he was done Ginny handed him a glass of water and took the vial from him.
After he had finished with the water she placed it on the bedside table and then picked up her bag off the floor. Draco creased his eyebrows in a questioning look.
“Well I’m going now. You best get some more sleep.”
Ginny left the Hospital wing and Draco slumped back onto the pillow a bit disappointed.
He thought about the events of the day and smiled at the memory of Ginny’s panic and concern. A thought occurred to him and he shot up in bed.
<How did she know about my Vervexia symptoms and condition?>
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Draco didn’t get back to sleep for a long time so he didn’t wake up the next afternoon at around 12 o’clock.
It was quite annoying actually because as soon as he woke up Madam Pomfrey was hovering over him to examine his throat, check his lungs and take his temperature, when all he really wanted to do was just go to the toilet. But every time he tried to get up she would push him back down to check something else. Draco was positive that he was going to pee in his pants if he didn’t go VERY soon so he started struggling quite forcefully. Madam Pomfrey was still able to push him back down and glare at him to stay put. Fortunately, who should walk in at that very moment but Ginny?
Ginny entered the Hospital wing and the first thing she saw was Draco clawing desperately to get up. She walked over quickly and pulled at Madam Pomfrey’s shoulder.
“Madame Pomfrey, Malfoy just wants to go to the bathroom.”
Madam Pomfrey looked at Draco’s painful face and stopped restraining him. “Well he could have just said so,” She huffed.
Draco took this chance and dashed off to the bathroom quickly.
“He can’t talk Madam.”
Realization hit Madam Pomfrey’s face and she went a little red from embarrassment. “Oh dear, I forgot.”
Ginny smile reassuringly “How about I take care of the troublesome Mr. Malfoy for you?”
Madame Pomfrey sighed in relief and visibly relaxed. “Alright dear, but if anything happens you tell me alright?”
“Of course Madame.”
Madam Pomfrey went back into her office and Ginny went to straighten out Draco’s sheets. All his thrashing about had messed them up terribly. After straightening them up Ginny rolled the bed table, one of those hospital tables at the end of patient’s beds, to the middle of the bed and placed a tray of food on top of it.
……………………………………………………………….
Draco exited the bathroom all refreshed and noticed Ginny fixing his bed and putting some food out for him. He couldn’t help smiling a bit, but as soon as she turned around and noticed him he cleared his face and strode back to his bed to sit back down.
Ginny helped to tuck him in a sitting position and rolled the table further up so Draco could eat his food.
“Did you find the bathroom accessories I left out for you?” Ginny asked while lifting the lid off the tray.
Draco stared at Ginny and nodded. In the bathroom he had found a green cup with a green toothbrush, comb, toothpaste and towel in it all with the initials DM on it. He knew they were for him so he took the moment to wash himself up after going to the toilet.
“Well here’s your lunch. You missed breakfast so I bought you some extra food in case you’re a bit hungrier. Oh and I also went and got your homework for you from your morning classes.”
Ginny gestured towards some parchments on the bedside table.
“I have to go now, but ring this bell if you need Madame Pomfrey.” Ginny left a little silver bell next to the parchments and began to turn and walk away but was stopped by Draco clearing his thought rather loudly.
Ginny tuned around and looked at Draco. His mouth was opening and closing like he was trying to say something but of course he couldn’t, which was evidently annoying him so he quickly stopped his mouth movements. He wanted to thank her but couldn’t.
Ginny noticed his discomfort and smiled.
“I’ll be back to see you later Malfoy, in the mean time eat up and don’t try to talk.”
Ginny left the room, with Draco starring at her retreating back, with a hopeful look on his face.
End of Chapter Six. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Four
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco spent the next three hours eating and doing homework, but he couldn’t really concentrate because every time somebody came into the hospital wing he would look up and see if it was Ginny. It was quite silly really, because he knew that classes weren’t even over yet so she couldn’t possibly come see him now. He just had so many questions he wanted to ask her and also because, subconsciously, he enjoyed how she looks after him.
The bell had signalled for the last class to end and not long afterwards Ginny had arrived at the Hospital wing. She entered so quietly that since Draco had his head down doing homework he didn’t even notice her until she was standing right beside him clutching her bag.
“So how are you feeling Malfoy?” She asked sweetly.
Draco was again stunned by her gentleness and just nodded.
Ginny smiled and sat down on the chair she was sleeping in last night. She placed her book bag in her lap and looked at Draco; he too was looking at her intently.
“I’ve spoken to Madam Pomfrey and she agreed that you won’t be attending classes until you get your voice back. She wants to make sure your lungs aren’t damage too much, and also your Vervexia has returned suddenly so you’ll have to go back on medication.”
At the mention of his illness Draco remembered the many questions he wanted to ask her. He moved his hands about trying to communicate what he was trying to say but noticed it was useless so just gave up and slumped back onto his pillow.
Ginny was amused at Draco’s attempts to communicate to her without his voice and giggled. Draco heard this and shot her a glare. Ginny saw his look and stopped giggling but smiled,
“I know it must be hard for you to not be able to express your oh so many opinions, so that’s why I got you this.” Ginny opened her book bag and took out a small black board, which had light wooded edges around it. She placed it on the table in front of Draco and he picked it up to examine it. The expression on his face clearly said, ‘what is this thing?’
“It’s a Thexo board. If you hold onto the edges while you’re thinking it will write out your thoughts. It may not be as fast as talking but at least people will know what you want to say.”
Draco looked at the board sceptically but eventually held it in his two hands and started thinking.
/ Does this thing really know what I’m thinking? /
Draco’s face lit up.
/ Cool it really works. Thanks Weasley /
/ Damn that wasn’t supposed to show up /
Draco flipped the board over so the side with the words were now facing the tabletop. He didn’t want any other unnecessary thoughts to be shown. At that same moment Dean Thomas stumbled into the hospital wing covering his nose with both his hands. Ginny glanced at him quickly but then turned her attention back to Draco. Ginny smiled remembering Draco’s slip up with the thank you.
“I guess I’ll leave you to practice your thoughts then.”
Ginny left Draco and went to attend to Dean Thomas’s blood nose.
After making sure no one could see the board, Draco lifted it up again and was surprised to see new words.
/She’s wonderful/
Draco knew that it was referring to Ginny and creased his eyebrow together in annoyance. He couldn’t let this board just write out all his feeling. He must concentrate.
/Shut up!/
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Ginny was helping Dean stop his nose from bleeding and to also clean the blood off his face but she still managed to sneak a glance at Draco. She saw him leaning against his pillow with the board held tightly in his hands and his eyebrows creased together in concentration.
<It must be hard keeping everything inside and not letting anyone know who you really are.>
Ginny returned back to cleaning Dean’s face and forgot about Draco for just a while.
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During the time Ginny was helping Dean, Draco mad managed to master and control his thoughts so the board would only show what he wanted it to show. He had been practicing for the last few minutes and was getting annoyed at how much attention and time Ginny was giving to Dean, so he cleared his throat loudly to get Ginny’s attention.
As expected Ginny turned around and looked at Draco to see what the problem was. Draco lifted the board up and showed Ginny the writing.
/I need water/
Ginny put down the tissues she was using to clean up Deans face and stood up,
“I’ll just get Malfoy his water, as well as your medicine. I’ll be right back.”
Ginny walked towards the office area, which was where all the medicine and taps were to get a glass of water and Dean’s medicine.
………………………………………………………….
While Ginny was at the back Draco took this chance to pick on Dean for taking up so much of Ginny’s time.
Draco tapped the board with his fingernails to get Dean’s attention and then words started appearing.
/ What’s wrong Thomas? Copped an eyeful and couldn’t handle it? /
Dean grew red in the face and clenched his hands into fists. “Malfoy! You piece of…”
Ginny walked in at that moment and handed Draco his water and then walked over to Dean.
“Here you go. Take these every day and they should help treat your fragile nostril veins.”
“Thanks Ginny,” Dean said, “Are you coming back to the Common room now? We can walk back together.”
“No,” Ginny said, “not yet. I still have some stuff to do here. Thanks for the offer though,” Ginny smiled at Dean and Draco glared.
“Alright. I’ll see you later Ginny,” Dean said
“Bye Dean.”
Ginny turned around and saw Draco glaring at Dean’s back. She strode over to the seat she was sitting in before and sat down.
“You just love to seek attention don’t you Malfoy?”
/I don’t know what you’re talking about, Weasley/
“Oh. The whole I need water just to get me out of the room so you can tease Dean.”
/Hey. I really needed water. I have damaged lungs and it’s all you fault, so you should be looking after me/
“It was not my fault,” Ginny said angrily.
/Yes it was. You’re the one who threw the slug onto my face, and when it blew its mist out, it triggered my Vervexia/
“Well it wasn’t my fault you found some shitty Healer who couldn’t even cure your illness and instead just suppressed it,” Ginny said defensively.
/Are you implying my father is stupid? /
“No, I’m not implying your father is stupid. I’m merely saying that the Mediwizard who treated you was a dumb ass prick and probably used deedle root instead of deedle root tips which didn’t cure your Vervexia but just suppressed it, that’s why you got an attack even though you haven’t had one in 6 years.”
Ginny was yelling out the last part of her argument and was now red in the face. She sat back down in her chair and was breathing heavily. Draco was shocked at how fierce Ginny could be and also about how much she knew about his illness. As far as he knew, no one at Hogwarts knew he had Vervexia when he was young. Not even Dumbledore, so how did Ginny know?
/How do you know all this Weasley?/
Ginny froze and stared into Draco’s eyes.
<Shit! Me and my big mouth.>
End of Chapter Seven. Thanks for reading and Hope you review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Eight
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
AN: I know you all really want to know how Ginny gets her information, but it will not be revealed yet. It will be in chapter 16. Hope you can wait till then.
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Draco could see Ginny was feeling nervous because she was fidgeting. He was waiting patiently because there was no way she would be able to avoid this.
The hospital wing doors swung open and in came two first years. One was limping so the other was helping him walk in.
Ginny’s relief was evident on her face and a smile broke out on her face,
“I have work to do Malfoy.”
Before she could run off Draco had grabbed her wrist and stared into her eyes. He tapped the board and she looked down.
/Answer the question, Weasley/
Ginny recovered her nervous look again and tried to pry her wrist away from Draco but he was holding on to it fairly tight so she gave up and sighed,
“OK. I bought the information off of the Source when I was studying about Vervexia. I have medical backgrounds of other Hogwarts students as well, just in case something happens. There, are you happy now?”
Draco let go of Ginny’s wrist and she pulled it back quickly.
/What about Parkinson? Why did you need that information? /
“She just really annoys me and I thought knowing some of her secrets could come in handy.”
/That’s it?/
“Of course, now is that all you wanted to know?” Ginny snapped
/Yeah/
Draco didn’t really believe her but thought there was no use in continuing because she would just start to stay away from him to avoid his questions, and he didn’t want that.
……………………………………………………………
Ginny knew that Draco didn’t really believe her story but if he chose not to ask any more than she wasn’t complaining.
She walked over to the two first years and busied herself with cleaning up the little boy’s grazed knee.
After she was done she escorted them out of the hospital wing and returned back to Draco. She picked up her bag and looked at him once more.
“I‘m going to dinner now and then I have detention so it’ll be pretty late by the time I come back.”
/I thought your detentions were after class /
“Yeah but then he changed it to after dinner for my last one. I don’t have time to make your medicine now so I’ll have to do it when I come back. Just don’t stress or try to talk while I’m gone. Madam Pomfrey can’t stand it when you thrash about coughing.”
Ginny left the hospital wing and Draco was left to think about what she had said. There was more to it than just medical records. He just couldn’t actually place his finger on it.
…………………………………………………………………
Draco had fallen asleep by the time Ginny came back from her detention. She quietly walked over to his bed and noticed that his face was scrunched up and he was gripping the sheets tightly.
<Oh no, he’s having nightmares again.>
~ Draco’s Dream ~
Dumbledore, Draco and Harry were in the Chamber of secrets along with five other people from the Order and they were facing Lord Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy.
Curses and hexes were shot and in the end Dumbledore and the five people from the Order were laying unconscious on the floor. Harry had a bleeding wound on his head and Draco had a bleeding leg. Lord Voldemort was still standing along with Lucius Malfoy and the final duel was going to happen.
Lord Voldemort spoke and shivers ran down Draco and Harry’s spine.
“Once I get rid of him, it will just be you and me Potter,” He hissed.
Lucius Malfoy was shocked. Voldemort was going to kill his son. Though Draco had refused to join him on the dark side and chose to help defeat his Lord, Lucius wasn’t mad. And now that his Lord wanted to kill his son he just could allow it, even if he did betray them.
“But my Lord, Draco has just been misled, if you’ll just let him come back with me I’ll…” Lucius said to Voldemort.
“Silence Lucius, your son has betrayed me. No one is allowed to betray me and live to see the next day, including that wife of yours.”
Lucius stumbled back and was shocked. Voldemort was going to kill his wife as well. Voldemort lifted his wand and aimed it at Draco, but Draco was not going to let Voldemort kill him that easily. As Voldemort was about say a spell he was shot from the side by Lucius Malfoy.
“I will not let you kill my son. Great Lord or not.”
Though Voldemort was hit it didn’t affect him that much so in return he hit Lucius with a stabbing curse.
Draco and Harry threw hexes at Voldemort and his curse on Lucius stopped. While Harry was constantly hitting Voldemort with hexes Draco ran towards his father and lifted him into his arms.
“Father, wake up. Please. Father.” Draco was shaking Lucius to get him to wake up and eventually he opened his eyes.
While Draco was with his father Harry had been hit by Voldemort and landed on the floor a few metres away. Voldemort turned to Draco and hissed.
“I will be rid of you, young Malfoy.”
“I wont be gone that easily Voldemort.” Draco raised his want but was disarmed. Voldemort laughed.
“I will enjoy killing you young Malfoy.”
Anger boiled inside of Draco and he held his father tighter in his arms. Voldemort was getting closer and closer. Sweat was pouring down his face and he was trying to shield his father with his own body. Once Voldemort was right in front of Draco he raised his wand and muttered a spell. A Purple beam shot out and hit Draco on the side if his stomach, it would have gotten his heart if Lucius hadn’t lifted Draco up at the last minute. Draco was clutching his side trying to stop too much blood from flowing out when Voldemort spoke.
“I’ll kill the both of you, and then go back to finish off the wife,” he hissed.
Voldemort raised his wand to perform the killing curse but at that moment Draco raised his hand and a green field appeared sending Voldemort stumbling back to protect his eyes from the bright light.
“Potter! Get up and finish him off,” Draco yelled.
Harry shook himself awake and picked up his wand. He aimed and threw the curse he had been practicing for the last two years, at Voldemort. Voldemort screamed and so did Draco’s father. Voldemort eventually burst into flames and turned into a pile of ashes while Lucius spat blood out of his mouth. Voldemort was destroyed and Lucius was going to die.
“Father!”
Draco shot up in bed sweating and wanting to scream but no sound came out, he was breathing heavily and his heart was beating so fast it hurt. His father had not died that night, but was sent to the hospital where he is still unconscious and being guarded by Ministry officers. Draco felt a hand rest on his back and on his chest where his heart was; he looked to the side and saw Ginny with a pained look on her face.
“It’s alright Malfoy. It was just a dream. It’s all over now,” she said gently.
Draco’s heart stopped beating that fast and his breathing was slowing down. Ginny eased him back down onto the bed and Draco could only stare at her while she got a wet cloth from the bed side table to wipe away his sweat. Finishing that, Ginny got a vial of blue liquid and handed it to Draco; he drank it quickly and handed it back to her. She tucked him in, while he watched her the whole time and then she moved her chair closer to Draco and sat down. She placed her hand on his chest and patted it softly.
“Go to sleep Malfoy. I’ll see you in the morning.”
………………………………………………………………
The next morning was a Saturday so Ginny had no classes, which was good because she had spent the whole night sitting next to Draco and was really tired. She wanted to be there if he woke up from another nightmare and luckily he didn’t have another one last night. Ginny had woken up at 5am that morning to go back to her room to change and shower. When she got back to the hospital wing Draco still wasn’t awake yet, so she stood beside the bed and brushed his silky hair with her fingers. Draco’s head started to move which signalled he was waking up. His eyes opened and he sat up straight but started coughing because he was trying to talk.
Ginny placed one hand behind his back and one on his chest. She was soothing his back and patting his front as to help stop his coughing.
“I told you not to try and talk. It just makes it worse you know,” Though her words were meant to be a warning, her tone was far from angry, and instead it was really understanding.
Draco coughed a few more times and then stopped. Seeing this, Ginny made to move her hands away from him but he grabbed the one on his chest and pressed it closer to his heart. He looked into her eyes and noticed how rich and brown they were. Her hair was not tied up so it was dangling close to Draco’s nose and he could smell her shampoo.
“You’re the Source aren’t you?” Draco croaked. His voice had returned and the first thing that came to mind was to know for sure if Ginny was the Source.
Ginny stopped breathing for a moment but quickly tried to act normal. She stood up straighter and tried to move away but Draco still held onto her hand.
“Malfoy, you got your voice back. Well that’s good; I guess your lungs weren’t that damaged after all. Well you can go back to your room now. I except you’ll have to come and get you medicine everyday to prevent yourself from having another attack. Also don’t stress too much because that can cause your condition to get worse, you know,” Ginny was panicking so she was just blabbing out all this information while Draco sat patiently waiting for her to stop talking.
“Well since you’re all fine and dandy I guess I better go, you know, classes and homework and all,” Ginny made a move to try and run away but Draco just pulled her back closer.
“You haven’t answered me yet, Weasley. Are you the Source?”
Ginny looked into Draco’s eyes and didn’t see the menace or the coldness but just pure curiosity.
“Don’t be silly Malfoy,” she whispered.
“Don’t lie to me, Weasley. I know you are, I can tell from your eyes and your smell. Not to mention how much you know about me really gives it away.”
Ginny got mad and snatched her hand from Draco’s grasp.
“Well then if you’re so sure, why ask a question you already know the answer to?”
Ginny stormed to the back room and returned with Draco’s clothes in hand and then dumped them onto him.
“You can change and then leave. Come get your medicine here tonight.”
Ginny left the Hospital Wing fuming while Draco sat there surprised at her outburst.
……………………………………………………………….
Ginny was storming down the hall heading towards the great hall for breakfast. When she arrived she sat next to Ron as usual and grabbed some eggs and bacon but hardly ate any of it.
<Stupid. Stupid Ginny. How could you slip up and let Malfoy know. What am I going to do now? If he tells anyone I won’t be able to find out anything anymore. Not to mention a lot of people would probable come after me for spilling their secrets. What if Mum and Dad find out? What would they think? They would be so disappointed. Stupid Malfoy, why did he have to be so observant and curious all the time? >
The Owl post came in and a letter was dropped onto Ginny’s plate. She picked it up and saw Gringotts usual symbol on top. She opened it up and read the contents she could recite by now. She sighed and looked at Ron, he too received a letter. He looked back at her and placed a reassuring arm over her shoulder.
Ginny left breakfast early and went back to her room. When she got there, it was empty. Everyone was heading off to Hogsmeade, which suited her quite well because then she could do her work in the open and not try to hide it all the time.
<I’ll worry about Malfoy later>
She unlocked her top draw and took out a pile of parchments. Half were your normal yellowy brown Parchments and the other half were pink. She picked up the first yellow one and unfolded it. Out dropped a sickle and then she read it over.
Is Lisa Hutchins from Ravenclaw still in love with Draco Malfoy?
Daniel Jones – Sixth Year Hufflepuff.
Ginny took out a red leather bound book with a Golden R on it and flipped through it quickly. When she found the page she wanted she got a quill and started to write on a pink piece of parchment.
No. Lisa Hutchins doesn’t love Draco Malfoy anymore. Quote “The stupid git doesn’t deserve my love. I can do so much better.” She said this herself.
Clarified
$
Ginny got a piece of pink ribbon and tied up the rolled piece of pink parchment. She continued reading through parchments and taking out different red leather bound books, she had four in total. G, S, H and R, one for each house. She collected all the money from her desk and placed it into a red velvet pouch. She then grabbed the pile of pink parchments and went up to the owlery to send off the letters.
……………………………………………………………….
After getting changed in the Hospital wing Draco didn’t go to the great hall for breakfast but instead went to the kitchens to grab something to eat in private. When he was up in his room he spent the next few hours thinking about Ginny and the Source.
<Well she didn’t actually admit it, but then she did say why I shouldn’t ask questions I already knew the answer to, so if she agreed with my answer that would mean my answer is right then? Does that even make sense?>
<Besides that, all things point to her being the Source. First of all it’s a girl and she’s a girl. Secondly, she knows things about me hardly any body knows. Thirdly, I recognise her eyes and her smell. Fourthly, she moves around so carefully it’s like she does it all the time. Fifthly, where did she get the money to buy information from the Source? So the only way she would know any of this stuff would be if she was the Source>
Draco slapped his hands on his knee.
<It’s Definite. She has to be the Source.>
…………………………………………………………………..
Ginny was in the hospital wing waiting in the back room. It was getting close to midnight and Draco still had not come for his medicine. She was hiding at the back because, first of all, she was the one who has to make the medicine for him and secondly, she wanted to make sure he came to get it, and obviously he wasn’t coming. Madam Pomfrey walked out of her office and looked at Ginny.
“Ginny, it’s getting late so why don’t you go back to your room. If Mr. Malfoy comes I’ll give him his medicine.”
Ginny thought about it for a while but she didn’t think Madam Pomfrey would be able to stay up all night waiting for Draco.
“I think I’ll take the medicine to him Madam Pomfrey. Is that aright?”
“Of course Ginny, you really are a very caring girl.”
Ginny blushed and grabbed the vial of blue liquid along with her coat. <Stupid Malfoy. I specifically told him to come get his medicine every night. Doesn’t he know how sick he will get if he doesn’t drink it.>
Ginny was walking down the hall so quietly you couldn’t even hear her footsteps. This came with many years of practice and was very handy when snooping around. She reached the portrait, which was the entrance to the Head boy’s room and whispered the password. “Superior.”
The portrait swung open and Ginny walked into a small hallway, which lead to a large room. On the left side of the room there was a king sized bed, two comfy chairs and a small coffee table. On the right side of the room was a desk, a bookcase filled with books, some closets and drawers for clothes and then right in front of her, on the far side of the room was another door, which leads to the bathroom.
Ginny was standing at the entrance to the grand room yet she was not overwhelmed by its beauty and size. She had been here many times before, hence how she knew the password.
Draco emerged from the bathroom in his pyjamas and was a little surprised at seeing Ginny in his private room, which was password protected. But after remembering who she really was (The Source), he relaxed and walked over to her.
“Why is it, Weasley that I should not find it surprising that you know the password to my private quarters?” Draco was sitting on the edge of his bed now and looking up at Ginny.
“You can cut the crap Malfoy. So you know I’m the Source, no big deal.”
“I can make a big deal out of it if you want,” he was teasing her. She knew he couldn’t resist. But she still couldn’t help getting scared. It would all be over if he told even one person who she was.
“That is of course unless you tell me what I want to know.” Draco had a smirk on his face again. That meant he wanted to do business.
Ginny glared at Draco. “What do you want to know Malfoy?”
“What Harry Potter is afraid of?”
Ginny clenched her hands and tried to stay calm. Draco stood up and was circling Ginny like she was his prey,
“It all makes sense now. Gryffindor’s have to be loyal to each other. That’s why you refused to tell me before, but also because he’s your precious Potter. You wouldn’t dream of letting me hurt him would you?”
Ginny grabbed the front of Draco’s shirt and pulled his head down to hers.
“Don’t threaten me, Malfoy. I know quite enough about you to make your life a living hell,” Ginny said through clenched teeth. Draco smirked and pried her hands off his shirt.
“Oh really, then please enlighten me on how you plan to make my life a living hell.”
“I could tell the whole school about your little run away in the forbidden forest in your first year. I could tell the younger years about how you were turned into a ferret in your fourth year; lets see them get scared of you then, eh? Also how you’re afraid of mice and about your collection of muggle story books and...”
Draco was quite impressed about how much she knew about him but he could see in her eyes that she was bluffing. Her secret was worth a lot more than any of his little ‘secrets’ and it wouldn’t matter to him of they were spread around the school. Even if she did do that, it wouldn’t benefit her anyway because she’d never get back the money she would earn. And she knew it, that’s why she’s scared.
“You know I don’t care Weasley,” Draco said cutting Ginny’s long list short. “You know it wouldn’t benefit you even if you did spread all my secrets around, because you wouldn’t be able to keep your business anymore. Now just tell me Potter’s fear and I’ll keep your little secret.”
Ginny knew she had lost and was really angry. Angry that she could not beat Malfoy and angry that she could be so careless and accidentally let him know what she was doing. She had no choice but to tell him.
Ginny grudgingly looked at Malfoy and gave him a glare.
“Fine Malfoy, I’ll tell you. Harry’s afraid of Hermione.”
Draco was confused. “What? Wait a minute, that doesn’t make any sense. The little Mudblood? What’s so scary about her?”
“In case you’ve forgotten Malfoy, you promised Harry you wouldn’t call Hermione a Mudblood anymore. And he’s scared of her because he likes her.”
“How did you know about my little deal with Potter?”
“You’re not very bight are you Malfoy? I guess you’ve also forgotten that I know everything about everyone.”
Ginny took the vial of medicine from her book bag and slammed it on Draco’s desk.
“And here’s your medicine. Go get it yourself tomorrow or else if you die it’s not my fault.”
Draco was mad that Ginny had said he wasn’t very bright. All the people who have ever met him always said he was quite sharp and intelligent.
“I don’t need your bloody medicine to survive Weasley. I can do perfectly fine on my own.”
Ginny was heading back towards the little hallway now but before she left she turned around and spoke to Malfoy one last time.
“Well good luck then, I’ll make sure to come to your funeral.”
And then she slammed the portrait shut behind her.
End of Chapter Eight. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source – Chapter Nine
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
Peanutbutter007 – Vervexia is just my made up disease which is similar to asthma. So a vervex attach would be much like an asthma attach where the person finds it hard to breath. Draco’s vervex attach was triggered by him breathing in the mist from that slug. Hope that helps you understand the story more. Thank you for reading and reviewing.
Rea Yume – Thank you for the many reviews. Ginny was a bit careless when speaking to Draco because she secretly likes him. She’s also very nice to him because she likes him. This was supposed to come out slowly but I thought I’d tell you so you wouldn’t be too confused. Draco is supposed to hate Ginny and take pleasure in ruining her life, so Ginny would believe Draco would spill her secret. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.
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Draco couldn’t sleep that night. He was sitting up in bed thinking about Ginny.
<This girl is remarkable; she’s gentle and passionate yet she can be fierce and strong.>
He remembered her in her first year, and wondered how a timid young girl could turn into such a, such a…Slytherin, so tactful and definitely sneaky.
Draco also couldn’t sleep because he refused to take the medicine Ginny bought up to him.
<I do not need her help> he thought stubbornly. So he ended up coughing all night.
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The next morning at breakfast in the great hall, Ginny refused to look at Draco but she could hear his muffled coughs.
<Stupid git, he didn’t take his medicine.> Ginny left her half eaten breakfast and got up to leave.
“Ginny where are you going?” asked Ron. “You haven’t even finished breakfast yet.”
“I have some work to do at the hospital wing. I’ll see you later. Bye Harry, Hermione.”
Ginny left the great hall and dashed to the hospital wing as fast as she could. She wanted to make Draco’s medicine as soon as possible so she could give it to him. The longer he goes without drinking it the worse his lungs will get. And it didn’t help that the medicine had to be taken within 12 hours of completion or else it doesn’t work, that’s why she has to make it everyday for him and can’t have bottles of it ready in the cupboard.
Breakfast was finished and students were all heading off to Hogsmeade or roaming around the school grounds. Ginny managed to complete the medicine just after breakfast finished and was rushing to the hall hoping to catch Draco and give it to him. Ginny was about to round the corner when she heard Draco’s wrenching coughs. He was trying to suppress them, which just made them sound even worse. Ginny took a deep breath and rounded the corner; she walked by quickly and slipped the bottle into Draco’s pocket. It was a good thing he was alone because no one saw her and he was so weak from coughing that his head was always down so he couldn’t see who had walked past and placed something into his pocket.
Ginny had left the hallway very quickly so Draco couldn’t catch a glimpse of whom it was. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar looking vial of blue liquid, and this time there was a note attached to it.
Don’t be stubborn.
If you die I’ll get expelled and you won’t be able to flaunt yourself around.
Make sure to go get your medicine from the hospital wing every night. It will be there for you.
Draco smiled and then drank his medicine quickly. His chest was immediately relieved of the pressure and he could breath properly again.
<Little Weasel> he thought with the smile still on his face.
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It was 11 PM and Ginny was in the Hospital wing stacking some ingredients into shelves and also some medicines into cupboards. Being a Mediwitch was a lot like doing potions; you have to know what substances conflicted with what and also know how to make cures, or counter potions for it. That’s why she was passing Snape’s class with flying colours. The hospital wing doors creaked open and Ginny heard footsteps.
<It must be Malfoy>
Ginny placed the vile of blue medicine on top of the table with a label ‘Draco Malfoy’ on it and left the room via a back door. Though she didn’t want Draco to get sick, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t angry with him, and seeing him would definitely ignite her angry fire.
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Draco walked into the room and looked around for Ginny. She didn’t say she’d be waiting for him but he hoped that she would be. Walking to the back room he saw the medicine on the table with his name on it and went to pick it up, but then heard a distinct sound of a door clicking shut. He knew the hospital wing had a backdoor and he knew that it was probably Ginny leaving from the back as to avoid him.
Draco quickly grabbed his medicine and headed out of the front doors, he was turning the corner when he bumped into someone. That someone was falling backwards but Draco managed to grab their arms and pull them back to a standing position. The girl was apologising non-stop until she looked up and they saw each other.
“Weasley.” Draco stated.
Ginny didn’t even bother to address him and instead brushed his hands away from her arms and stormed past.
Draco was slightly confused so he followed her, trying to catch up and ask her what was going on.
“Weasley, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me. Now leave me alone, I told you what you wanted to know so just go away.”
“Don’t tell me you’re still angry about that thing with Potter.”
Ginny whirled around and grabbed Draco by his collar; she then stomped to the closest classroom and dragged Draco in with her. When they were inside and the door was closed Ginny slammed him against the door and then walked to the front of the classroom. Ginny’s back was facing Draco so he couldn’t see her face.
“Just tell me Malfoy. What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?” Ginny’s voice was tired and defeated.
She turned around to face him and he could see no smile or glare, but just a blank expressionless face and dreary eyes.
“What are you talking about Weasley, I was just wondering what you’re so hyped up about. I didn’t think Potter could be that important to you.”
Ginny got angry again.
“Yes. Harry is important to me, just like all my other friends.” Ginny started pacing around the room. “In all the time I’ve been the Source not once have I sold or given important information about my friends to anyone. No matter how much they offered to pay, I would gladly give them back double to protect the people I care about. But yesterday, was the most horrible day of my life, because I was forced to choose between my friends and myself. I chose to betray one of the nicest people I know just to save my ass and I feel like crap.”
Ginny was sniffing slightly, and was going to cry soon but she clenched her fists, forcing herself not to cry in front of Draco.
“And I don’t expect you to understand. So while you’re off playing a prank on Harry and get your sweet revenge, I have to live through the guilt and you don’t, so enjoy Malfoy.”
Ginny moved past Draco and was heading for the door but before she could open it, a hand from behind her pressed the door shut.
“It’s not like knowing he likes Granger is that important. You make it sound like a life and death situation,” Draco’s voice was soft and reasoning.
Ginny looked into his eyes and saw blankness. He clearly didn’t see what was wrong,
“That’s because you’ve never been rejected before Malfoy.”
Draco creased his eyebrows; he still didn’t really see the problem,
“So, it can’t be that bad can it?”
Ginny shook her head, “You have yet to learn.”
“So what if Granger rejects him, just go find some other girl, it’s not like she’s really gorgeous or something.”
Ginny just gave up; he clearly didn’t know what it feels like.
“Let’s just hope you can practice what you preach.”
Ginny tried to open the door but Draco pushed it closed again.
“Fine then Weasley, I’ll forget what you told me about Potter.”
Ginny turned around to face Draco and she had a full on surprised expression on her face, which she didn’t even try to hide,
“What? You can do that? But why?” Ginny’s face was going through a range of emotions, it was actually quite funny, but Draco still kept his cool.
“But I still want something from you so I can keep your little secret.”
Ginny was a bit worried, but spoke up anyway.
“And what would that be?” she asked carefully.
“I want you to help me cure my Vervexia.”
End of Chapter Nine. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Ten
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco had reached his room and slumped onto his bed face down.
<What the hell are you doing Draco Malfoy?>
Draco was berating himself because he could not understand why he just did what he did.
He had the perfect chance to humiliate The Harry Potter and get his sweet revenge but had just given it up because…he didn’t even know why.
It just came out of his mouth. He just all of a sudden promised to not make Harry Potter’s life a living hell and he didn’t even know why.
<It’s probably my stupid conscience. Just because she looked all sad and it made me feel funny I didn’t have to promise to forget about Potter’s Secret. I’m glad my stupid conscience doesn’t come out all the time or I’ll be a Harry Potter clone. But I guess it’s not all that bad, at least I can get my Vervexia cured. And see the little Weasel. But just because she’s so mysterious, nothing more.>
Draco flipped onto his side and took the vial of medicine out of his pocket.
<I wonder how much she knows about me?> he thought while he had on a silly grin.
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The next day was like any other day in Draco’s life, he went to classes, then had Quidditch practice, he was captain by the way, then hung out with his friends in the common room and then went to his room and studied.
Ginny went to Draco’s room that night and without knocking she just walked through the portrait after saying the password. She caught Draco in just his pyjama bottoms as he was sitting on his bed with some books spread out around him. When she walked in he looked up and their eyes met for a brief second before Ginny walked towards his chest of drawers and pulled out a shirt. She threw the shirt in his face and then sat on one of the big soft chairs next to his bed.
“What’s wrong Weasley, a little shy around topless boys?” Draco teased while putting the shirt on. Ginny snorted,
“I grew up with six brothers Malfoy so there’s nothing I haven’t seen. Vervexia is a lung disease, you can easily catch a cold if you go around topless, and then you’ll be coughing like mad.”
Draco finished buttoning up his shirt and then looked at Ginny. “You seem to really know your stuff,” he commented.
“I have to, if I want to keep my end of the bargain.” Ginny took a vial out of her pocket and threw it to Draco who caught it with ease.
“You’ll have to keep drinking this until I can find all the ingredients for the cure. Hopefully it won’t be long; most of them are obtainable through the right sources and with the right price.”
Draco drank the medicine quickly and returned the bottle to Ginny,
“Why don’t you just give me a few bottles in one go, then you wont have to come everyday.”
“I wish I could Malfoy, but the ingredients in this potion make it useless after 12 hours of completion so I have to make a bottle everyday just for you.”
After hearing this Draco moved his hands to his heart and made a dramatic gesture of gratitude.
“Oh, I just feel so special,” he said sarcastically. Ginny smiled at Draco’s little act.
“You should really go into acting Malfoy, you can be so convincing,” she mocked.
They were both smiling; well Draco had a smirk on because he never smiled in front of people, when a knock was heard. Ginny quickly grabbed her bag off the chair and went to hide in Draco’s closet. Seeing that Ginny had found a hiding place, Draco told the portrait to open.
In walked Pansy Parkinson with her usual strong smell of perfume and wiggling bottom. She made her way towards Draco and sat on the side of the bed making sure to lean in close so he got a good look at her cleavage.
Her attempts at attracting Draco however failed and Draco just lifted her off his bed by her arms and asked her what she wanted.
“Well Draco, I was just wondering of you wanted to go to that secret party this Friday night, you know, the one organised by the seventh years to show who is worthy to be a part of the elite group. It’s on level two in the old potions classroom at midnight and is restricted to only the people who are good enough to go. So do you want to go together?” Pansy fluttered her eyelashes a bit and then tried to smile seductively.
“I’ll think about it Parkinson. Now is that all?” he answered coldly.
Pansy looked a bit disappointed so she just nodded.
“Good night then,” Draco looked back down at his books and pretended he was busy with homework. Pansy, taking the hint took her time to walk back out through the portrait.
When she was finally out, Draco breathed a sigh of relief.
Ginny opened the closet door and stepped out. She quickly walked towards Draco’s desk and grabbed one of his quills; she then scribbled something on a piece of parchment and stuffed it into her bag.
“What are you doing Weasley?”
Ginny turned around and smiled innocently at Draco,
“Nothing.”
Draco gave her a look, which clearly said I-don’t-believe-you-so-you-better-tell-me-the-truth.
Ginny sighed, “OK. I was writing down the time and place for that party Pansy Parkinson was talking about.”
“You want to go to that thing?” Draco asked incredulously
“NO,” Ginny cried so load it was like she just got hit or something. “People are paying good money to find out where that party is being held. Only the rich and popular people know where and when it is, so if you know, and you go, then you become popular too.”
“Don’t you want to be popular, Weasley?” Draco was very curious now.
“Is that a question, Malfoy?”
Draco was annoyed, “Of course it is, Weasley. Don’t you recognise one when you hear it?”
Ginny smirked, “I do, it’s just I don’t just answer questions for free. If you want an answer it will cost you one sickle.” Ginny stretched her palm out waiting for Draco to pay her.
“You can’t do that,” he cried disbelievingly.
“Oh, yes I can. One sickle or no answer,” Ginny taunted.
Draco thought it over for a minute but then curiosity got the better of him so he gave in.
“Fine. I’ll give you one sickle,” Draco made a move to get off his bed but Ginny stopped him by holding her hand up.
“That’s alright Malfoy. I’ll get it myself.” Draco froze and wondered what she meant by that. All his money was…in…his. <No, she couldn’t possibly know…>
Ginny had walked over to a small picture of the Slytherin crest and opened it like a door. Behind it was a miniature vault like the ones in Gringotts except there were eight buttons on the side where you had to press a code for it to open.
Ginny pressed the code she knew and the door opened to reveal Draco’s not so little fortune. She grabbed a couple of sickles and then closed the door of the vault and also the picture, which covered it.
She walked over to the now wide-eyed Draco and placed all the sickles into his hand. She then picked one up and sat down in the soft chair, which was beside his bed.
Draco snapped out of his daze and just stared at Ginny.
“You know Malfoy, it’s rude to stare,” Ginny said calmly.
“How did you? I’ve never told anyone,” Draco was practically stuttering. Now there’s something you don’t see everyday.
Ginny smiled, “Well to answer your first question Malfoy. I don’t want to be popular because there’s nothing good that comes from it.”
Ginny then leaned forward and took another sickle out of Draco’s hand. “And as to how I know your password. If I told you, I would be out of business then wouldn’t I, but I can tell you that it isn’t the first time I’ve been in your room.” Ginny was smiling at the shock on Draco’s face but then after a couple more minutes the information finally sank in and Draco could only smirk.
“Quite impressive, Weasley. I see now why Zabini was complimenting you so much. You really do know a lot.”
“Wow, I must be really good then,” Ginny said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “It’s not easy to impress a Malfoy.”
Ginny slung her bag over her shoulder and headed towards the little hallway.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night then, Weasley,” Draco shouted as Ginny was exiting the portrait.
“Go to sleep Malfoy.” And then the portrait closed.
End of Chapter Ten. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Eleven
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco was walking through the Great hall doors to get to breakfast when he bumped into someone. He looked up to see who the idiot was and saw that is was Hermione Granger. Ron and Harry were close behind, too.
“Watch where you’re going Mudblood,” Draco warned.
Hermione frowned. Even after many years of being called this by Malfoy it still upset her.
“Well I’m sorry Malfoy,” she said and stomped off to the Gryffindor table. Ron was about to pounce onto Draco for upsetting Hermione but Harry held him back with his arm outstretched to block him from walking forward.
“I’ll take care of it Ron,” Harry said while holding a death glare at Malfoy the whole time.
Ron noticed that Harry wasn’t looking very ‘nice’ right now and thought it better not to be around when Harry was mad.
“Sure. I’ll go and sit with Hermione.” Ron left the two boys alone and walked quickly to where Hermione was sitting.
“Where’s Harry, Ron?” Hermione asked when he arrived.
Ron hastily sat down and pointed to the entrance of the hall where Harry was still glaring at Malfoy. The both of them weren’t moving, and that was what made it all so frightening.
“What’s he doing?” she asked while looking attentively at the two boys.
“Don’t know. But he seemed awfully mad when I left him. Said he’d take care of it when I wanted to pound Malfoy for calling you names.”
Hermione blushed at the thought of Harry fighting for her. Even though every time Malfoy called her a Mudblood, Ron and Harry would defend her, she had never seen Harry so mad before and couldn’t help but feel special because it was all for her.
……………………………………………………………….
Ron had left and Harry still held Malfoy’s gaze intently. After a long time of just giving each other death stares, Harry finally spoke up,
“We need to talk Malfoy.” Harry’s tone was threatening and full of anger.
Draco’s face didn’t falter and his tone was cold, “Indeed we do Potter.”
“How about we go someplace else then,” Harry suggested.
“Fine by me,” Draco replied.
The two boys left the entrance of the great hall and walked to a secluded area of the corridor. It was breakfast time so the halls were mainly all empty, which made it safe for them to talk.
“We had a deal Malfoy. I keep your little secret and you stop calling Hermione names.”
“Yeah well you obviously didn’t keep your end of the deal Potter so why should I?” Draco snapped back. Harry was confused,
“What are you talking about Malfoy? I haven’t told anyone about what happened. Not even Ron and Hermione, and Merlin knows I would usually tell them everything.”
“Well maybe you did tell them because I don’t believe you.”
Harry groaned in frustration, “What do I have to do to make you believe me? I didn’t tell anyone Malfoy. I swear on the life of all the people I care about, I didn’t tell a single living sole your bloody damn secret.”
Draco was beginning to believe him. He knew that Harry cared more about his friends than his own life, and if he could swear on their lives, then maybe he was telling the truth. But then how did Ginny know about their battle with Voldemort.
Draco was still thinking when running footsteps could be heard. He looked up to see where the noise was coming from and rounding the corner as fast as they could was Ron and Hermione. Ginny was there too except she was just walking behind them.
“Harry? What’s going on? You weren’t fighting with Malfoy, were you?” Hermione had immediately run up to Harry and grabbed his arms to make sure he was not hurt.
“Yeah Harry, are you alright man?” Ron too had gone up to Harry and was checking him over.
Harry held up his hands and gestured for Ron and Hermione to calm down.
“Hey guys, calm down. I’m fine. I was just having a chat with Malfoy, that’s all.”
While Hermione and Ron were fussing over Harry asking him why he went off with Malfoy and wanting to know what they had to talk about, Draco and Ginny were looking at each other.
Ginny didn’t hold Draco’s gaze for long and quickly turned her head to the side. Draco was annoyed that Ginny was ignoring him, so he diverted his attention back to Harry, who had his friends all over him making sure big, bad Draco hadn’t hurt him.
“Really I’m fine Hermione…” Harry was trying to confirm.
“Yes Granger, he’s fine,” Draco drawled out, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were his girlfriend of something, with your fussing and all.”
Hermione’s mouth dropped open, and then she quickly leapt away from Harry and inclined her head to hide her blush. Harry too, was feeling uncomfortable and was fiddling with his glasses while trying not to look at Hermione. Draco smirked at their shyness and just walked right pass them back to the great hall for breakfast.
<If Potter didn’t tell, then how did Weasley know?>
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Draco was at his desk doing homework when Ginny came into his room. She walked in, placed the vile on the table and then turned around to walk back out again, but Draco’s hand shot out and grabbed her elbow.
“Hey, what’s the hurry Weasley?” Draco questioned her.
Ginny sighed and turned around to face him, “I would appreciate it Malfoy, if next time you wanted to know something you ask me first before you say something stupid like you did today with Harry.”
Draco shot up from his seat and looked at Ginny incredulously. “What did I say that was so stupid Weasley? It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Sure Malfoy, misunderstanding enough that you had to give Harry a death glare for ten whole minutes. Do you know how many people were staring at the both of you? And talking it out with Harry in the hallway as well, what if someone heard you? Do you have any idea what Harry would think after you accused him of spilling out your secret? He might find out about me. And then what?”
Draco sat back down, “Calm down Weasley. I’m sure Potter doesn’t suspect a thing.” He waved his hand as to brush the issue away.
“Don’t underestimate the unknown, Malfoy,” Ginny growled out. She was just so angry. She couldn’t afford to let Harry know about the Source. It was too risky.
“Well I would ask you if I didn’t have to pay for every little question I wanted answered,” Draco said with his arms crossed over his chest.
Ginny creased her eyebrows; she then placed her bag down on the floor and dragged a chair over to sit right in front of Draco.
“Fine,” Ginny said while she lifted one finger and shoved in Draco’s face, “One hour. I’ll sit here for one hour, and in that time you can ask as many questions you want and I won’t charge you a thing.”
Draco leaned back on his char and grinned, “About anything I want?”
Ginny frowned, “You can ask anything but I might not answer it.”
“Ok. It’s a deal then. Now how did you know about the fight we had in the Chamber of Secrets?” was Draco’s first question.
“I was there,” Ginny answered coolly.
“I didn’t see you there. Where were you?”
Ginny shook her head. “I’m not answering that.”
Draco frowned, “Okay. How much of the fight did you see then?”
“All of it. From when all eight of you entered the chambers till the hospital wing, where you made the deal with Harry.”
~ Flash back ~
After Voldemort had disintegrated into a pile of dust, and Lucius Malfoy had fainted, other people from the order had come in to heal Dumbledore, Harry and the five people from the Order. Draco was still bleeding from his wound and couldn’t get up because he had lost too much blood.
The medi-wizards and witches couldn’t do anything to stop the blood from flowing.
Draco was beginning to faint and was going to die soon, when in flew Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes. Fawkes landed next to Draco and cried a few drops of tears onto the wound. Golden threads could be seen sewing up the wound and in a flash, not even a scar was left.
Harry and Draco were lying on beds next to each other in the hospital wing and were both looking up at the ceiling. Images of the battle were still clear in their minds and would probably never leave them for the rest of their lives.
Draco turned his head to the side and looked at Harry.
“You better not tell anyone about what my father did and said, Potter,” Draco warned.
Harry was confused, so he turned his head to the side and looked into Draco’s eyes.
“Why Malfoy? Don’t you want the world to know that your father isn’t all that evil?”
“It’s none of you business what I want the world to know,” Draco snapped back.
At that moment Ron and Hermione had ran into the room and headed straight towards Harry’s bed.
“Harry, are you alright?” “Is He really dead?” “Does it hurt” “How did you finish him off?”
Draco glared at them. “Excuse me!” he yelled.
All three heads turned to Draco, who was now sitting up waiting for their attention.
“If you don’t mind, Mudblood and Weasel, Potter and I were discussing some business.”
Ron and Hermione stared at Draco blankly.
“Uh, guys,” They both turned and looked at Harry who was now sitting up too, “Could you go out for a minute? I just have some things I need to talk to Malfoy about.”
Ron and Hermione were hesitant but left the room anyway. After they had gone out, Harry glared at Draco and Draco glared back.
“Have you got it Potter? You are not to tell anyone about what happened today.”
“On one condition Malfoy,” Harry said and Draco frowned. “You have to stop teasing Ron and Hermione. That means no more Mudblood and Weasel calling. Also no crude comments about Ron being poor either.”
Draco though about it for a while, weighing out the pros and cons.
Harry stretched out his hand to Draco, “Do we have a deal Malfoy?”
Draco grabbed his hand and shook it, “It’s a deal Potter.”
~End of Flash back ~
“You could not possible know about that,” Draco said. “There was no one in the room at the time. I’m certain of it,” Draco was disbelieving.
“I never said I was in the room. There are other ways of finding things out you know,” Ginny answered casually.
“How?”
“I can’t answer that.”
Draco was frustrated, “Then what can you answer?”
“Anything that does not involve me, telling you, how I get my information.”
“Fine,” Draco slumped back onto the chair.
They were sitting in silence for a few minutes and Ginny was getting bored.
“Your time is running out, Malfoy. Better think of something quick or you’ll have to pay for anything you want to know later on.”
Draco thought quickly, “How long have you been doing this for Weasley?”
“Doing what?” Ginny answered innocently.
“This selling of private information.”
“Selling, I’ve been doing for two years. But I’ve been collecting information for about three now.”
“What do you want all the money for Weasley?”
“I won’t be answering that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s about my private life and I’m not going to tell you about that.”
“Well you know about my private life,” he practically yelled.
“That’s different. I found out about your private life. I didn’t ask you about it.”
“What’s the difference? You still know,” he cried incredulously.
Ginny just shook her head and then looked at her watch “Oh, well. Times up. I have to go now Malfoy.”
Ginny picked up her bag and left through the portrait leaving an annoyed Draco behind.
End of Chapter Eleven. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
AN: I know watches are Muggle things but I don’t know how they tell time in the wizarding world so just bare with me please. Thank you.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source – Chapter Twelve
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
A month had gone by and every night Ginny would go to Draco’s room to give him his medicine and answer some of his questions, if he had any.
He never asked really important things, usually just about the recent rumours going around or gossips about couples. Draco wasn’t really interested but he was determined to find something the Weasley didn’t know about.
“So exactly how much do you know about me, Weasley?”
Ginny was flipping through a potions book on the floor looking up a question. It had become a routine for her to do her homework while talking to and/or answering Draco.
“If you give me one Galleon, I’ll give you a full report on yourself,” Ginny was looking up at Draco from her position on the floor and smiling innocently.
“You really are a money sucking leech, aren’t you?” he said while looking down at her from his bed.
Ginny sighed dramatically and returned back to her textbook, “A girl must survive.”
They remained silent for a while then Ginny all of a sudden screamed out,
“YES! I found it.”
Draco was so shocked by her outburst that he fell off the bed and landed on the floor. He scrambled back up onto the bed and glared at Ginny, who was sitting on the floor on the other side.
“What the hell was that for?” he growled.
“I’ve been looking for this page since yesterday,” she squealed “It describes how to preserve deedle roots. This is the main ingredient I need to make a cure for your Vervexia.”
Ginny was so happy that she was still smiling while taking notes on a piece of parchment.
<So the yell was for me.> Draco thought happily.
Ginny slammed the book shut and was picking up all the books and parchments around her. Draco knew that she was going now.
“I won’t be coming to give you your medicine tomorrow Malfoy.”
Draco got up from his bed and stood up next to Ginny.
“Why?” he asked.
“I have to sit an exam, so I won’t even be at school tomorrow night. But I will be making your medicine before I leave so you can go and get it yourself tomorrow night at the hospital wing.”
“What exam are you sitting?”
“An entrance exam to ‘Medica’ the best Medi-Wizard and Witch College in all of Europe.”
Ginny shoved all her books and parchments into her book bag and walk towards the portrait.
“Er, good luck then, Weasley,” Draco said.
Ginny looked over her shoulder and smiled, “I’ll see you when I get back Malfoy.”
And then she left.
Ginny left the castle the next day at around 10 am and was still absent through the whole night. Ginny had gone to sit the exam along with some other 6th and 7th years and they were to stay there overnight.
…………………………………………………………………….
Ginny came back to Hogwarts on the Saturday morning and she was going to go into Hogsmeade with her brother Ron, but it wasn’t going to be a fun outing. It was for business.
The two arrived into Hogsmeade in the carriages and then left Harry and Hermione to go to the small Gringotts bank in the middle of the village. It was a small branch of the actual Gringotts bank in Diagon alley but was still large enough to be intimidating.
Ron and Ginny walked in through the large doors and saw their other five brothers waiting for them. There was Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George. All five stood up to greet their younger brother and sister before they all sat down again to do some quick catching up.
“So how was the test Ginny?” asked Percy.
“Yeah, it was alright. A little hard but let’s not talk about that now. Where’s Mr. Grouch?”
Bill was the one to answer, “They said he was in a meeting, but he’ll be out soon.”
The seven siblings waited for another ten minutes before a short stubby goblin came walking towards them.
“Come with me please,” he said coldly.
The Weasley’s followed the goblin into a room and then all sat down at a round table.
……………………………………………………………….
Draco was sitting across the room watching, when all the Weasley’s came walking out of the room. Once they had all left, he got up from his seat and headed towards the goblin that was with them. The goblin wasn’t walking very fast because he was quite short, but also because he was holding a big pouch of money.
“Mr. Grouch.” Draco addressed him.
“Ah, Mr. Malfoy. Come to get your weekly allowance I presume.”
“Yes. But I was also wondering what the Weasley clan were doing here?”
“Why, they were paying their loan of course.”
…………………………………………………………………………..
The Weasley’s were outside and they all visibly relaxed. They hated doing this every three months, but it had to be done. Fred and George were the first ones to speak.
“Let’s all go back to our shop,” said Fred. (They had opened a joke shop in Hogsmeade).
“Yeah, have a cup of tea and some cake,” George finished.
All the brothers and Ginny looked at each other for approval, but then Percy spoke.
“I should really be getting back to the Ministry,” he said “Maybe some other time.”
He then stepped over to Ginny and gave her a hug, “Hope you did well on your exam, Gin.” And then he said goodbye to everyone and Apparated away.
Bill was next to decline the offer, “Sorry guys. Have to get back as soon as possible. I’ll make it up to you all at Christmas or something,” Bill too walked over to Ginny and gave her a hug. He also patted Ron on the shoulder before Apparating.
“Well. That just leaves us five. Let’s go then,” This was Ron and he was already dragging Charlie and Ginny towards Fred and George’s Shop.
“Sorry Ron. But I have to go too,” Charlie said apologetically.
“Already,” Ginny cried. Out of all her brothers, Ginny liked Charlie the best because he was always looking out for her ever since she was little.
“Yeah Gin. But before I go I wanted to talk to you about something, so how about we go for a quick walk?”
“Ok.”
Charlie said good-bye to his remaining three brothers and guided Ginny down the road.
“There they go to talk in private again,” said Fred.
“She was always his favourite,” answered George.
“Yeah,” said Ron.
There was silence and then the three brothers headed of in the other direction to the joke shop and left Ginny and Charlie to their private conversation.
……………………………………………………………….
“So, what’s up Charlie?” Ginny asked, while skipping along the road. She loved it when she was with Charlie, he always knew what to say and how to comfort her if she needed. She loved her other brothers too, it was just that Charlie was easier to talk to.
“I met your boss yesterday, Ginny.”
“Really, did he say anything special?”
“No, not really. Just that you haven’t been working there for over a year now.”
Ginny stopped skipping immediately and stared up at Charlie. Her ex-boss had promised that if any one asked if she was still working there he’d say yes.
“Your old boss quit two months ago Ginny, and this was the new manager of the publishing company. When I asked about you he looked up employment records and found out that you haven’t been working there for a long time. ”
<That’s why.> Ginny thought.
“Gin, what’s going on? Why didn’t you tell us you quit your job? And where are you working now? Where did you get so much money?”
Charlie had stopped walking and had his hands on Ginny’s shoulders, “Tell me Gin.”
Ginny was on the verge of tears but held them back. She said would not cry in front of her family, she wouldn’t make them worry.
“I can’t tell you Charlie. I’m sorry.”
Charlie let go of Ginny’s shoulders and had a very hurt look on his face.
Ginny went and hugged him really tightly while burying her face in his jumper.
“Trust me Charlie; I’m not doing anything that’s dangerous or degrading. It’s just I can’t let anyone know about it. Not yet anyway. But after we finish paying off that loan I promise I will tell you. I promise,” Ginny was pleading.
Charlie lifted Ginny up so he could look into her face.
“OK. Gin. I trust you. But just be careful. I don’t want anything happening to you, alright?”
Ginny nodded and Charlie smiled.
“I better go now.” Charlie gave Ginny a kiss on her forehead and then Apparated away.
………………………………………………………………..
Ginny managed to drag her way to Draco’s room that night and just handed him his medicine without say a word or even looking at him.
Draco gulped down the blue liquid and handed the bottle back.
“Why so quite Weasley?” Draco asked.
Ginny was slumped into the soft chair next to Draco’s bed, and hearing the question looked up but just shook her head.
“A bit heartbroken at having to give away all that money?”
Ginny’s head shot up and she stared into Draco’s eyes. Her face showed confusion for a while but then seemed to understand. Ginny leaned back down and just sighed.
“I should have known. You were there, weren’t you Malfoy? Picking up your weekly allowance.”
Draco smirked. “Fast thinking Weasley. Yes, I was there. So what did you need the loan for?”
Ginny pulled her feet under herself so she was sitting cross-legged on the big chair and looked into Draco’s eyes. She was too tired to bicker with him so she just told him.
“Three years ago my dad had a heart attack. The Healers needed to perform surgery because it was something magic alone couldn’t fix. The operation was going to cost a fortune, so we had to mortgage our house to the bank. Dad had the operation and it was very successful.
“He soon returned back to work and was ready to pay the bank back after he claimed the health insurance, but the goblins at the bank said we missed the cut off date to pay back the loan so the house belonged to them now. Mum and Dad were really upset, we just had enough to pay back what we borrowed including interest but the goblins wanted double of what we borrowed. There was no way we could afford it.
“Then one night all my brothers and I had a meeting and devised a plan to help pay half the loan off for my parents. Bill and Charlie went to the bank the next day and transferred half the loan to their name. They then signed a contract to state that it would look like the house is given back to our parents at the price we mortgaged it for but in reality it will not be fully returned until Bill and Charlie pay back the other half. Mum and Dad were really happy when they got the house back and so my brothers and I have been paying it back for two years now, not letting our parents know.”
Draco had listened to her story and felt sorry for her. He never knew her life was that hard.
“So that’s why you started the whole Source thing.”
Ginny had her head down and was fidgeting, “Yeah, it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. I had had a few jobs before that, but they just weren’t paying enough. I needed a lot of money and fast.”
“So how much do you have left to pay off?”
“About 1 thousand Galleons.”
“And how much do you pay off every time you go there?”
“My brothers and I aim to pay off 200 Galleons every three months.”
“How do you manage to do that?” Draco asked curiously.
“Well, Bill, Charlie and Percy all have jobs so they can manage 30 galleons each if they really save. Fred and George used to sell pranks and jokes at school to get money and now they have a shop, so 30 galleons each from them are good. Ron goes around winning chess tournaments and getting prize money, but when he can’t do that he coaches chess and earns some, and as for me, I think you already know what I do.”
There was silence in the room for a long time. Draco didn’t know what to say, he never had to do anything remotely similar to what Ginny was doing now. He never sacrificed anything for his family.
Ginny got up from her seat and was picking up her bag and straightening up her clothes furiously. It was like she wanted to get out his room as fast as she could.
“What are you doing Weasley?”
Ginny had her head down and wouldn’t look at him.
“I. *sniff* I have to go. *sniff*”
Ginny was turning around and trying to get out of Draco’s room but he held onto her shoulders and sat her back down on the chair. He kneeled down in front of her and held her face up with his hands.
“Just let it out, Weasley,” he whispered.
Hearing this, Ginny covered her face with her hands and started weeping. Draco was still kneeling in front of her and he still had his hands on her shoulder to stop her body from trembling too much. She was full on crying and wrenching now, three whole years of pain and sorrow being let out, and it was even more agonizing for Draco to watch.
End of Chapter Twelve. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirteen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
Ginny woke up rubbing her eyes and was immediately aware of her surroundings. She was still in Draco’s room and was sleeping in his bed. Ginny started to panic but then smiled because she noticed Draco wasn’t in the bed with her, instead he was in the chair she was sitting in last night, and was sound asleep. Ginny rolled onto her side so she could look at Draco better, and drank in the sight before her.
He was still in his robes and his legs were draped over one of the armrests. His head was leaning on the back of the chair and one of his arms was on his stomach while the other was just dangling off his shoulder and was touching the floor.
Ginny looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw the time. She knew then that he would be waking up soon, and at that moment Draco snorted a bit and he woke up. The first thing he did was to try to stretch, but being in such a small spot; he ended up pushing himself off the chair and landed on the floor.
“Ow!” Draco had landed on his side and sat up rubbing his hip furiously. He heard a giggle and looked up to see Ginny trying to stifle her laughs.
Draco frowned at her, “It’s great to know it gives you pleasure to see me hurt Weasley, and to think I let you have my bed last night too,” he said grudgingly.
“Well you can have it back now Malfoy,” Ginny was making a move to get off the bed but was stopped by Draco waving his hand.
“No, don’t bother. Did you have had a nice and comfortable sleep then?” he asked.
Draco was sitting cross-legged on the floor now and was looking up at Ginny.
“It was alright. Your beds not as good as Harry’s, but I can’t complain,” Ginny knew what reaction he would give and thought to have some fun. Any mention of Harry and he would blow up.
As expected, Draco’s eyes went wide as saucers and his mouth dropped open.
“You’ve slept with Potter?” he cried out incredulously
“I was just kidding Malfoy,” Ginny said while trying hard to hold her laughter in.
Draco frowned. “That’s just so funny Weasley,” he said sarcastically while crossing his arms over his chest.
Ginny smiled sadly, “You don’t have to be jealous of Harry all the time you know.”
Draco glared at her, “Who said I was jealous of Potter. There is absolutely nothing about him to be jealous of.”
“Exactly, so why do you hate him so much?” Ginny questioned.
Draco didn’t answer. The truth was he really was jealous of Harry. He was jealous because he had true friends, he was jealous because people liked him, he was jealous because he could have fun and he was jealous because Harry had a goal in life, to save the world, where he had nothing.
Ginny had gotten off the bed now and crouched down to look into Draco’s eyes.
“Think about it Malfoy.” She then grabbed her bag and left his room.
………………………………………………………………………………
Breakfast in the great hall was nothing special, except for the fact that Draco didn’t feel like eating and was poking around his food with his fork.
He was thinking about what Ginny had said. He knew why he hated Harry; it was because he had the whole world looking towards him every time danger was near. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter, the most powerful wizard in the world. Harry Potter, best seeker in all of Hogwarts. Harry Potter, the boy everyone worshiped.
And he was just Draco Malfoy, the slimy Slytherin.
Draco never showed his jealousy of Harry. He always acted above everyone, smarter, richer, better looking and very charming. But deep inside, he was very insecure and had low self-esteem when compared with Harry Potter. And he hated Harry for that.
Flocking sounds could be heard and Draco looked up to see hundreds of Owls delivering their mail. He put his fork down and waited for something to arrive for him.
<Not like I was going to eat anything anyway> he thought, when a letter dropped into his lap.
………………………………………………………………….
Ginny was nibbling on her piece of toast while sneaking glances at Draco. She didn’t want Draco and Harry to be enemies. In fact, they would have been great friends if they hadn’t have gotten off on a wrong start. They actually had quite a lot in common. They were both really great wizards, both were rich, both were great looking and had half the girls in school pinning after them, both were charming in their different sort of way and both wanted to prove them selves before others. Ginny truly believe that they could be really good friends if they tried. But Draco was just too stubborn and proud to do that.
“Hey Ginny, the mails here,” shouted Colin.
Ginny looked up and for sure, there were hundreds of birds delivering mail. Ginny put her piece of toast down and waited to see if anything had come for her. When nothing landed in front of her she flipped her legs over the bench and got ready to leave the great hall. She took one quick glance to the Slytherin table and saw that Draco had gone.
<Where did he go?> she wondered.
……………………………………………………………..
Draco was holding onto the letter tightly while making his way to Dumbledore’s office. When he reached the gargoyle statue, which was the entrance to Dumbledore’s office, he saw that Harry was there too. Draco frowned.
“What are you doing here Potter?” he sneered out.
“I got a letter from Professor Dumbledore. Said he wanted to see me. What about you Malfoy, what are you doing here?” Harry said politely.
“That’s none of your business,” Draco answered back.
The two stood on either sides of the statue and didn’t look or speak to each other while waiting for Dumbledore to arrive.
After about five minutes of waiting, he finally did, along with Hermione and Ron.
“Ah. Harry, Mr. Malfoy. Sorry for the delay, just had some things to attend to.” Hermione and Ron immediately went to stand beside Harry and waited for Dumbledore to take them to his office.
Dumbledore said the password, ‘cherry chomps,’ and they all went up to his office.
“Please sit down,” Dumbledore said while gesturing towards the chairs in front of his desk.
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco all sat down and were looking at Dumbledore intently, well for Draco as intently as you could tell because he never shows what he feels in front of people.
“I called you all here today to discuss an important matter concerning the incident with Voldemort.”
Harry was waiting for someone to flinch, but no one did. They were not scared of his name or him anymore.
“The advisors from the Order have brought to my attention their admiration of the amazing abilities you four have shown while defeating Voldemort. They have therefore asked for my permission to allow you all to start early Auror training, which I will grant, given that all of you will accept the offer.”
Harry was very excited, he was planning to become an Auror anyway and now he was going to get a head start. This was great.
Ron was ecstatic too. He also wanted to be an Auror and now he was going to get training early. This would really blow his parents heads off.
Hermione was happy too, but also worried. She didn’t want it to affect any of her schoolwork or Head Girl duties.
It was like Dumbledore had read her mind because he immediately reassured Hermione.
“No need to worry Miss Granger. Your Auror training will replace your Defence Against the Dark Arts class and at the end of the year you will be tested and given a grade just like a normal subject. Therefore it will not affect any of your other duties or classes.”
“And who will teach us, Professor?” Hermione asked.
“Representatives from the Order will be coming to teach Harry and Mr. Malfoy actual defences. There will also be someone to come teach Mr. Weasley about war and planning defence skills, and another will be teaching you, Miss Granger, advanced Charms and spells. Now are there any other queries?”
The Trio all shook their heads.
Dumbledore smiled. “Good. Your first class will be tomorrow morning in the old charms room.”
The trio stood up to leave but stopped when Draco spoke,
“Sorry Professor, but I’m not very interested so you can leave me out.”
Dumbledore’s face fell. “Are you sure Mr. Malfoy? It is a great opportunity for you.”
“I’ll have other opportunities,” Draco headed towards the door and opened it to leave.
Harry looked at Dumbledore with a shocked expression. He didn’t think anyone would actually reject such a great opportunity.
“I’ll go talk to him, Professor.” Harry ran out the door trying to catch up to Draco.
When Harry had descended the stairs to Dumbledore’s office he looked left and right down the hall and then spotted Draco walking slowly on his left. He ran to catch up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.
“What are you doing Malfoy?” Harry asked.
Draco shook Harry’s hand off his shoulder and turned to face him.
“What are you talking about Potter?”
“Why are you giving up such a good chance to improve your magic?”
Draco sneered, “That’s none of your business Potter. Not like anybody would care whether I become an Auror or not. All they know is how great the Boy Who Lived is. But I don’t care; I know I’m much better than you anyway.”
“Then prove it,” Harry challenged.
There was silence, and Draco and Harry were just looking at each other.
Harry really admired Draco because he had turned his back on his father to help them beat Voldemort, and he was a great help too. If it wasn’t for Draco, Harry knew he would not have been able to defeat the Dark Lord. Draco was a great wizard and Harry didn’t want him to lose this great opportunity just because he didn’t want to work together with Ron, Hermione and himself.
Hermione and Ron were running down the hall heading towards the two boys and when they reached them they saw that Harry and Draco were just staring at each other.
Ron went up to Harry and was pulling at his arm. “Come on Harry. Don’t waste your breath,” he said. “The git’s probably too stuck up on himself to take a good chance when it comes.”
Hermione also went to speak to him, “Harry, I’m sure Malfoy knows what he’s doing. And it’s him who’ll regret it if he misses this opportunity.”
Harry looked at his two friends and then back at Draco.
“I hope to see you there tomorrow Malfoy,” he turned around with his friends and left.
……………………………………………………………………….
Draco was lying on his bed facing the ceiling when Ginny walked into the room. She strode up to the bed and looked down at him,
“Why Malfoy?”
Draco still kept his eyes closed when answering her, “Why what, Weasley?”
Ginny sat down on the chair that was next to the bed. “Why aren’t you accepting the offer to start Auror training with Harry and them?”
Draco scoffed, “You know about that already? So did Potter tell you or did you have to snoop around and wait till they talked about it?”
Ginny ignored his tone. “Neither. The whole school already knows that Harry, Hermione and Ron are taking the training, and you have declined it. And I want to know why.”
“Since you seem to know everything why don’t you tell me then?” Draco had opened his eyes and was now looking at Ginny.
“Everyone says it’s because you’re a Death Eater, so you wouldn’t accept training to be an Auror. They don’t know that you were in the Chamber helping Harry, so they think you know so much Dark Magic that Auror training would just be baby work to you,” Ginny was sad and it showed in her voice.
Draco chuckled coldly, “Typical. The Death Eater part was predictable but the Dark Magic was pretty new and imaginative.”
Ginny still had the sad look on her face, “Are you giving in to what people think about you?”
Draco sat up and leaned on his elbows, “I’m not giving in to anything, Weasley. You probably think the same way they do, so why do you care that I didn’t accept it. Majority always rules. Potter can be the hero everyone wants him to be, I don’t care so just leave me alone.”
Ginny got mad. How could he feel so defeated? He was just as good as Harry, maybe even better. She would not let him miss this great opportunity to prove that he isn’t evil just because he was feeling sorry for himself.
Ginny got up from her seat and yanked Draco off his bed. She dragged him out of his room and down some corridors. Luckily it was pretty late so no one was around, or else it would be a pretty interesting sight to see a Malfoy being dragged around by a Weasley like a little child.
“Where are you taking me Weasley,” Draco growled, while stumbling to keep up.
Ginny rounded another corned and stopped in front of a wall. She knocked a rhythm from a few different bricks and then they shifted like they did to the entrance of Diagon Alley. Ginny dragged Draco in and the bricks shifted back quickly. The room was dark and cold and Ginny had let go of Draco to walk off somewhere. Draco was trying to adjust his eyes to the dark and find out where he was when he heard Ginny mutter a spell,
‘Incendio!’ Ginny had started a flame on a torch and was walking around the room lighting up all the other torches that were on the wall.
The room was brighter now and not as cold. Draco looked around and was amazed at what he saw. Hanging from the stonewalls, on tabletops and in cabinets were weapons of all different shapes and sizes. There were swords and axes, bows and arrows, hundreds of different sized shields and also different types of armour.
Draco walked around the room touching and observing these wonderful objects.
“What is this Weasley?” he managed to whisper out. He was so stunned by this room he had nearly lost his voice.
Ginny was standing beside him now and was looking at what Draco was looking at, the sword of Godric Gryffindor.
“This is the Holy Passage of War.”
Draco snapped his head to the side and stared shocked at Ginny.
“This is one of the legendary Holy Passages?” he cried incredulously.
“Yep. It has all the weapons ever used in fighting a war. Both Magical and Muggle wars.”
Draco was speechless. This room had every weapon you could possibly think of. To a powerful wizard this would be heaven.
“Here. Come with me Malfoy.” Ginny led Draco to the end of the long rectangular room where there was a small stage and a few steps to walk up from. Ginny walked up the steps with Draco following and he saw a marble stand with a silver dish sitting on top of it.
“This dish,” Ginny gestured to the dish containing silvery liquid, “contains visible images of every war that has ever been fought, both Muggle and Magical. It even contains the recent one you have had with Voldemort and his Death Eaters.”
Draco looked into the dish and images started to appear. He saw the people from the Order gathering at the school. He saw Ron conversing with the people in charge of strategy, trying to fend off the Death Eaters from coming into the school. He saw Hermione working with the charms and spells experts, putting up protection shields and finding strong binding spells. And then he saw himself and Harry standing next to each other looking out of a window. He had his hands crossed over his chest and Harry had his hands in his pockets. They were both waiting for the last battle to begin.
Draco lifted his head away and stopped looking into the dish. He didn’t want to see the fight again because he could still remember it. He walked back down from the stage with Ginny and went to look at some of the more interesting weapons.
“Why did you bring me here, Weasley?” he finally asked.
“To show you what could be possible,” she whispered.
Draco turned to face Ginny, “What do you mean?”
“Every item in this room had once belonged to a great hero, warrior or fighter of evil. After they died, their weapons were placed here to be preserved and remembered. These racks here are for wands from Auror’s that have died in helping defeat evil and this shelf of books records all they have done to help. If Harry died one day, he too will have his wand placed here and have his name in these books. Hopefully along with yours,” Ginny was looking at Draco with hopeful eyes.
“Why would I want my wand to be placed here anyway?” Draco sneered.
“Because it would prove that you’re not evil.”
“So what if I’m evil, Weasley. What if I like being evil?” Draco yelled.
“But you aren’t and you don’t,” she yelled back, “You only act evil to spite Harry and make everyone else afraid of you.”
“It doesn’t matter, Weasley. I really don’t care. The whole world wants Harry Potter to be their Hero and Saviour, so let him be it and the public can get what they want.”
“But I want you,” Ginny said.
“What?” Draco said quietly
“I want you to be the hero, Malfoy. Not because it sounds good, or because you’ll be famous, but because it’s true. You helped defeat Lord Voldemort and are as much of a hero as Harry is.”
Draco was astonished. There was actually someone in this world that believed that he, Draco Malfoy, resident evil of Hogwarts, was and could be a hero.
“Don’t be daft, Weasley. It’s not possible.” Ginny was about to argue but Draco changed the subject quickly, “So how do these things work anyways?” Ginny dropped the subject because she knew he wouldn’t listen and instead went to show Draco how the gun worked.
They stayed in the room for a few hours, lifting swords and having fake battles. They tried on some of the amours and walked around a bit but both fell down within minutes because of the weight and size of the suits. They were soon very tired and decided to leave.
Ginny taped on the wall again and the walls shifted to let them out. They walked quietly back to the portrait in front of the Head Boy room, and Ginny still had a smile on her face from all the fun they had and Draco was also smiling but on the inside.
They reached the Head Boy room and just stood there in silence looking at each other until Draco spoke.
“It’s getting late. You better go back.”
Ginny nodded and there was silence again. Ginny then reached into her book bag and pulled a vial of medicine out of her pocket to place into his hand. When she looked up she was staring into his grey eyes.
“You know, Malfoy. What I’ve always admired about you was your amazing ability to prove others wrong. It’s absolutely priceless when I see the surprised looks on people’s faces when you do something they never expected. I just hope I can see those faces again.”
Then she turned and walked away from him back to her room.
End of Chapter Thirteen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Fourteen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
Harry, Hermione and Ron were in the old Charms room first thing in the morning, waiting for their teacher to arrive. They were chatting casually when the door opened and in came Dumbledore along with three other people.
“Ah. You three are already here. That’s good. Now I would like to introduce you to your teachers.” Dumbledore stepped aside so that two men and a woman could be seen.
“Hermione,” Dumbledore gestured to the lady, “This is Miss Lichtenstein. She will be teaching you advanced charms and spells.”
Miss Lichtenstein was in her early thirties, tall and skinny with straight dark brown hair. She stepped forward and shook Hermione’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you Hermione. I have heard a lot about the wonderful things you have done while helping defeat the Dark Lord and am very happy to be teaching you.”
Hermione blushed while shaking her hand. “Thank you Miss Lichtenstein. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Miss Lichtenstein, could you take Hermione to the room I have organised for you so you can start straight away?” Dumbledore asked.
“Of course,” she answered.
Miss Lichtenstein and Hermione left the room and Hermione waved goodbye to her two friends.
Dumbledore then gesture towards a man with curly brown hair and glasses.
“Ron, this is Mr. Whiteman. He will be training you in battle strategy and other tactical skills needed in battle.”
“Hi there, Ron,” Mr. Whiteman said enthusiastically while shaking Ron’s hand vigorously, “I’ve heard that you’re quite the chess player. How about a game sometime?”
“That would be brilliant,” Ron replied happily.
The two left the room and Ron waved goodbye to Harry.
The last person who was left had a very short hair cut and looked like he was in the army. He was standing tall and straight and was very bulky.
“Harry, this is…”
Dumbledore couldn’t finish his sentence because at that instant the door flung open and in walked Draco.
“Sorry I’m late,” Draco said callously.
All three people were very surprised, so no one spoke for a few seconds and just stared.
<Weasley was right. Their faces really are priceless to see> Draco thought.
Dumbledore was the first to return back to normal and cleared his throat.
“Glad you could join us, Draco. Now as I was saying, this is Mr. Gilding. He will be teaching you all forms of defence and many different curses and hexes.”
Mr. Gilding gripped Harry’s hand and shook it hard; he then did the same with Draco. Both boys cringed slightly at this mans strong handshake and secretly rubbed their hands after he had released it.
“I’ll be leaving you to it then, Mr. Gilding,” Dumbledore said before he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Draco and Harry gave each other worried glances.
“ATTENTION!”
Both boys jumped at the loud voice and turned to their new teacher, Mr. Gilding.
“Today you will be learning to shield and reflect spells and objects. Now take out your wand and repeat after me,” he bellowed in a sergeant kind of voice and tone.
…………………………………………………………………
Mr. Gilding had taught them the spells and had started charming little pebbles to start shooting out at them. They had to use the spells they learned to shield themselves and also to repel the stones backwards.
Draco and Harry were standing in the middle of the empty room casting shields and spells to stop pebbles from hitting them when Harry asked Draco a question.
“What made you change your mind, Malfoy?” Harry managed to say while dodging a pebble.
After reflecting a pebble, Draco took a quick glance at Harry and answered, “I just didn’t want to disappoint someone.”
Harry cast a quick shield to prevent himself from being hit, “Must be someone really special then.”
Draco smirked, “It’s also because I really want to kick your ass, Potter.”
Harry smiled, “Can’t wait to kick your ass too, Malfoy.”
………………………………………………………………….
The two morning periods were over and Mr. Gilding had left immediately. Harry and Draco were picking up their discarded cloaks and putting them on when Hermione and Ron burst into the room talking non-stop about how exciting it was.
When they notice that Draco was also in the room they fell silent and just stared.
Harry smile and Draco smirked.
“Hi guys,” Harry said cheerfully.
Hermione and Ron were still staring at Draco and had questioning looks on their faces
Draco had finished putting on his cloak and was still smirking. <This really is quite funny. Too bad the little weasel isn’t here to see it.>
“If you don’t mind, Granger and Weasley, I do want to get out of this room some time today,” he said nonchalantly
Hermione and Ron stepped aside and watched as Draco strolled out of the room. Once he was gone they bombarded Harry with questions.
“What is he doing here?” Ron asked.
“I thought he said he wasn’t interested,” Hermione questioned.
Harry put his arms around his two friend’s shoulders and led them out of the room.
“I’ll tell you guys over morning tea. Now let’s go get some, I’m really hungry.”
(AN: I don’t know how their classes work so I’m just guessing that they have two periods then morning tea, another two periods and lunch, then the last two periods and then they have some time before dinner.)
……………………………………………………………….
Ginny was already at the Gryffindor table eating an apple when the trio came in and sat next to her. Ron quickly said “Hi” to his sister and then turned his attention back to Harry.
“... and then you guys came in and he left,” Harry was finishing off telling them what happened.
“The git just walked in and that’s it?” Ron asked.
“Yeah, he just changed his mind overnight I guess,” Harry answered while grabbing a muffin.
Hermione was peeling a banana and looked up to give her opinion, “Must be someone really important to have such a dramatic affect on Malfoy.”
Harry and Ron both nodded.
“So what did you two learn?” Hermione asked excitedly.
Ginny stopped listening to their conversation and went back to eating her apple.
<So he did end up going to the lessons.> Ginny smiled behind her apple as she remembered Hermione saying someone had influence Draco’s decision. Her gaze travelled over to the Slytherin table and landed on Draco. He had his head down and was engrossed in reading his potions textbook.
<Must be studying for the potions test they have next.> Ginny got up from her seat and went out of the great hall to head for her next class, which was all the way out at Hagrid’s hut.
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Draco looked up from his book and his gaze followed Ginny out of the Hall. He knew she had been looking at him from the Gryffindor table. He could sense her gaze, but he didn’t want her to see him looking back at her, so he pretended to read his book.
Draco slammed the book shut and grabbed a muffin from the plate. Some other Slytherin’s that were gossiping at the end of the table ran up to Draco and sat next to him.
“So Malfoy, rumour goes that you’ve accepted Auror training with Potter, the Weasel and the Mudblood. Is it true?”
A bunch of Slytherins had surrounded him and even a few people from other houses were gathering around him.
Draco smirked at the attention he was getting. “What’s it to you?” he answered evenly.
“Come on Malfoy,” Exclaimed a 7th year from his house. This caused murmurs of agreement from the people gathered around. Draco just enjoyed the attention more.
A hand then slid onto his shoulder and Draco’s gaze travelled up to meet Pansy’s face.
“Yeah Draco. You only have to answer a yes or a no,” she said very close to his ear.
The crowd went silent and waited for him to answer.
Draco was feeling very uncomfortable. Not because of everyone staring at him but because of Pansy’s touch and the feeling of her breath near his ear. He hated it.
Draco cleared his throat and shook his shoulder to get her hand off his shoulder.
“Yes, I am training with Potter,” he scanned everyone’s faces and saw that all of them had frozen and were starring blankly at him.
Draco had a placid face on but was laughing on the inside.
<I should really take a photo.> He then got up from his seat and walked out of the great hall to go to potions.
……………………………………………………………………………
It was the end of period six and everyone was rushing off to meet their friends before dinner, but Ginny was walking alone down the hall towards the dungeons because Professor Snape had wanted to see her.
Ginny knocked on the door to the potions room and walked inside. Snape was writing something on the board and didn’t turn around. Ginny waited at the front of the desk patiently and then Snape turned around so quickly Ginny gave a little yelp.
“Miss Weasley. Answer the question on the board within 2 minutes or I’ll deduct 50 house points. Your time starts now,” Snape yelled
Ginny was surprised at first but then read the question quickly and smiled. It was an easy question. She walked up to the board and started writing the answer with a piece of chalk. She finished 30 seconds early.
“Is that correct Professor?” she asked with a smile.
Snape didn’t answer. Instead he threw some papers onto his desk.
“Please explain to me then, Miss. Weasley why you could answer a 7th year exam question but failed to answer a slightly difficult 6th year question?”
Ginny looked at the stack of papers and notice that it was the Exam she took a few days ago.
Snape was glaring at Ginny. “I was one of the examiners at Medica, Miss Weasley, and I found it quite interesting how you could possible answer a simple question on deedle roots wrong. I do not appreciate students who sit tests just to deliberately fail. Do you know that it is because of this that you will not be accepted into Medica?”
Ginny was ecstatic and was grinning like mad.
“So does that mean I got everything else right professor?” she asked excitedly.
Snape was confused by her reaction but still answered her, “Yes.”
Ginny was grinning even more now. “So do you know if anyone from Hogwarts has been accepted into Medica Professor?”
Snape frowned, “No one from Hogwarts has been accepted. If you hadn’t answered that simple question wrong, Miss Weasley I’m sure it would have been you.”
Ginny had her head bowed down now; she didn’t want to look at her potions teacher anymore.
“You may go now Miss Weasley,” Snape said coldly.
Ginny turned around and left the potions room.
Snape sat down in his chair and was staring at Ginny’s exam paper. Draco poked his head out from the back room and seeing Ginny had gone walked up to his Professor.
“Why did she do that Professor?” Draco asked.
Snape looked up at Draco, one his favourite and most talented students.
“I don’t know Mr. Malfoy. I do not ignore talent when I see it. And I will admit that Miss Weasley is truly talented in potions. But the stupid girl doesn’t want to show it for some reason. She could have easily advanced to the 7th year level of potions but she refused it when Dumbledore offered it to her. Don’t know how the girl thinks.”
Snape sighed, “Anyways, have you finished that potion, Mr. Malfoy?”
“Yes, I have Professor,” Draco answered.
…………………………………………………………….
Ginny was sitting in the soft comfy chair and was staring at the back of Draco’s head while smiling. She was really happy that he accepted the Auror training.
“Take a picture, it lasts longer,” Draco said coolly and then turned around in his chair to look at Ginny.
Ginny just smiled more, “Don’t have to. I have several already.”
Draco raised one of his eyebrows. “Why do I not find that surprising,” he asked.
Ginny giggled, “Because you should have learned by now not to be surprised at anything I have, do or know.”
Draco smirked, “Then I guess I should not be surprised at how you deliberately failed the entrance exam to Medica, and still manage to be happy about it.”
Ginny frowned, “How did you know about that?” she asked.
Draco shook his head, “I’ll tell you how, if you tell me why.”
Ginny pouted. She sat there grumpily refusing to be blackmailed by Draco but she just couldn’t think of how he could know.
“Fine,” she said, giving up, “I deliberately answered that question wrong because I wanted to see how smart I am, but at the same time not get accepted into Medica.”
Draco was confused. He thought about it for a moment and then it occurred to him. She didn’t want to go to Medica because her family couldn’t afford it, but then she also wanted to know if she was good enough to get into it. That’s why she deliberately put the wrong answer to a question she knew the answer to, so that even if she didn’t get accepted she would know that it wasn’t because she was not intelligent enough but because she chose not to answer correctly.
“So how did you know Malfoy?” Ginny interrupted Draco’s thoughts.
Draco snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her, “I was in the backroom.”
Ginny nodded, “So you heard everything.”
“Yeah,” Draco said softly. He thought some more about it and got frustrated so he got up and paced his room. He really didn’t understand how she could give up such a great opportunity.
“You know Weasley; even Snape said that you were talented in Potions. You could achieve so much if you go to that college.”
Ginny sighed, “If I go there Malfoy, I won’t be able to do business anymore. I have to help pay of the loan remember? I can’t just forget about my family.”
“Why can’t you not worry about your family for once in your life and just do something for yourself,” Draco said heatedly.
“Because my family is my life, I would do anything for them,” Ginny said firmly.
“Even give up your whole future.”
“I would even give up my life.”
The room fell silent. The meaning of her words was sinking into Draco’s mind. She would even die for them. His father had also risked his life for his family. Could Draco do that too?
Ginny saw that Draco was thinking hard about what she said.
<He is probably thinking about his family,> she didn’t want him to remember such sad moments.
“It’s really not that bad Malfoy,” she said softly, “If I’m as good as Snape thinks I am, then I can still be a great Medi-witch no matter where I learn.”
Draco looked into her eyes and just nodded. Ginny smiled,
“OK. Well here’s your medicine. I have to go now, got customers to attend to.”
Draco sat in his chair the whole night thinking about his father. <Can I be as brave as you and die for my family?>
End of Chapter Fourteen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Fifteen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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It was early December now and the first snowflakes of the year were falling today. Everyone was extra cheerful and very excited because it meant that Christmas was near.
The Owl post came in that morning and Draco received a letter. He read it and then walked out the Great Hall rigidly. Draco was missing for the rest of the day, he didn’t go to any classes and no one had seen him at morning tea or lunch. No one thought to go look for him, except for one very observant and caring Gryffindor, Ginny.
Right after her last two periods Ginny went around to where Draco usually hung out but still couldn’t find him. Her last spot to look was on the roof, and that was exactly where she found him. Though Hogwarts had many towers they still had small sections of flat roofs, which could be accessed by old dusty stairways. This particular rooftop was the small section facing the lake and if you stood up and looked far enough you could also see Hogsmead.
Draco was sitting in the middle of the flat roof with his knees bent upwards and his arms resting on top of them. Ginny was hiding behind a small section of wall and she saw that he had a piece of paper scrunched up in his hand.
“You can come out,” Draco said, just loud enough for her to hear.
Ginny was shocked by him suddenly speaking but knew that he was referring to her. She stepped out from behind the small wall and walked towards him. She stood beside him for a second and followed his gaze out onto the lake.
“What do you want Weasley?” he asked, his gaze still fixed on the lake.
Ginny sat down next to him, “I didn’t see you at morning tea or lunch. I also heard that you haven’t been to classes at all today, so I just wanted to see what was wrong.”
Draco turned his head and looked at Ginny. His eyes were blank and lifeless. They weren’t even cold or stony, but just blank.
He looked at the piece of paper in his hand and then handed it to Ginny. She straightened the piece of paper and read its contents.
Dear Young Mr. Malfoy.
We are sorry to inform you that your father, Master Malfoy has just passed away. It happened last night and was quite sudden so there was nothing we could do.
My most sincere regards,
Healer Kaplan
Ginny didn’t know how she felt. Lucius Malfoy had just died. The evil man who had nearly caused her death in her first year had died. She should be happy, but she wasn’t.
Ginny placed her hand on Draco’s arm. “I’m sorry Malfoy,” she said trying to comfort him.
Draco didn’t look at her and instead was staring at the lake below. He then felt a sudden urge to talk to her.
“You know Weasley, contrary to popular belief; I really cared about my father. Though he was strict, he expected the best from me because he believed that I could be the best and the best is what I should always give.”
Draco balled his hands in fists and clenched his jaw. Ginny could tell he was trying really hard not to cry.
“I am what I am today because of him, and I never got a chance to say thank you. He pushed me to my limit so I could achieve my finest and he also saved my life. He died for us Weasley. He died for me and my mother, but I never got a change to thank him.”
Draco had his head slightly bent and was slightly trembling because he was holding back the tears so strongly. Ginny gently lifted Draco’s head up with her hands and looked him in the eyes.
“You don’t have to hide your tears from me, Malfoy,” she said softly.
Draco searched Ginny’s eyes and saw all the concern and worry she had for him. He felt that what she said was true and he didn’t have to hide, so he allowed a tear to roll down his cheek. When it reached Ginny’s finger she brushed it away quickly, so it appeared as if it had never been there before.
The sound of a creaking door caused Draco to whirl his head to the side. It was Pansy Parkinson coming through the door and up onto the roof. He turned his head back to face Ginny but saw that she had already left.
“Malfoy, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Dumbledore wants to see you in his office right away,” Pansy huffed.
Draco looked around frantically trying to spot where Ginny had gone but after seeing nothing he headed back down with Pansy.
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Draco reached the entrance to Dumbledore’s office and the statue automatically opened up to let him enter. When he opened the door to the head masters office he immediately saw Dumbledore at his desk and his mother sitting on a chair.
When Draco had stepped into the room they both stood up to greet him.
No one said anything and Draco was just staring at his mother. Narcissa was also looking at her son intently.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and walked from behind his desk, “I think I’ll leave you two alone for a while.” He then left the room.
Once he was gone, Draco dropped the placid look from his face and Narcissa started to cry.
“Draco,” she managed to choke out and Draco went to hug his mother, “he’s gone, Draco. He’s really gone.” Narcissa’s crying had died down a bit but she was still weeping.
Draco let his mother cry all she wanted until he spoke,
“I’m sorry, Mother. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault and…”
Narcissa didn’t let him continue and held his face firmly to look into his eyes. “Draco, you listen to me. Your father loved you and he didn’t regret what he did.”
“But I betrayed him, Mother. I fought against him.”
“It doesn’t matter. You are still his son.”
Narcissa had stopped crying now and was just looking at her son. The only remaining link she had of her husband. Draco sat down on the chair next to her and was now holding her hand.
“What are you doing here, Mother?” he asked.
“I came here to ask if you could leave school a bit earlier to attend your father’s funeral.”
“What did Dumbledore say?”
“He said it would be fine. But you’ll have to collect homework from your teachers so you can do it at home. This is a very important year for you Draco.”
“I know, Mother. Did he say when I could leave?”
“He said whenever you were ready.”
“Then we’ll leave tomorrow.”
“Alright, I’ll be staying at Hogsmeade in the mean time, so just come and find me when you are ready.”
Draco nodded. Narcissa ran her hands through Draco’s hair and looked at his handsome face. He was the exact replica of her husband and was her one and only precious son.
Her face then showed signs of panic. “I heard that your Vervexia had returned Draco. Are you all right? How did it happen?” she asked worriedly.
Draco took his mother’s hands from his head and held it reassuringly, “I’m fine, Mother. It’s been taken care of. No need to worry.”
Narcissa sighed. “No mother in the world could stop worrying about her baby,” she said affectionately.
Draco smiled, “Please, Mother, it’s embarrassing.”
Narcissa smiled back meekly, “Alright, you can go back down now Draco. I still have to tell Dumbledore about our arrangements.”
Draco got up from his seat and left the room. Dumbledore was waiting outside his office talking to Fawkes, his Phoenix.
“Professor, my mother would like to speak to you,” Draco said to him.
Dumbledore nodded. “I am terribly sorry about your loss Draco,” he said sincerely.
Draco just nodded and walked down the hall while Dumbledore walked up to his office with Fawkes to meet Narcissa.
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Draco was waiting in his room that night for Ginny to arrive. He needed to tell her he was going away.
He finally heard Ginny walking into his room and looked up to greet her. Once she came into view he gestured for her to sit in the chair next to him.
“Where did you disappear to Weasley?” he asked quietly. He was referring to how she left the roof so suddenly.
“I just sneaked away quickly, couldn’t let Pansy Parkinson see me with you. It would cause a lot of questions to be asked.”
Draco just nodded. “I have to leave tomorrow morning,” he said quietly.
Ginny also nodded. “I know. You have to go to your father’s funeral.”
Draco didn’t bother asking her how she knew. She wouldn’t tell him anyway. And he was kind of getting used to her knowing everything.
Ginny took a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to him.
“You’re going to have to hire a personal Healer to make your medicine every night for you. Here are the ingredients and your symptoms. It should be pretty easy to find someone to do it.” Draco took the piece of paper and put it in his pocket.
“Thank you Weasley,” he said softly.
Ginny smiled. Draco hardly ever thanked anyone unless it was something really worth his gratitude.
“You’re welcome, Malfoy.”
Draco looked up and smiled. It looked like a smirk but Ginny could see it was smile. There was a very little difference, which not many people could tell apart.
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Early next morning, before everyone was even up yet, Draco had packed a small trunk of books and clothes to take back home. He walked out of the school and to the front grounds area, where a carriage was waiting for him to take him to Hogsmeade. He dumped his trunk in and was bout to step inside the carriage when someone came running out the front doors, slamming them in the process.
It was Ginny, and she was holding a package while running towards him.
Draco stood there waiting for her to arrive and when she did, he gave her a few seconds to catch her breath before he spoke.
“What are you doing, Weasley?” he asked.
Ginny had caught her breath now and was looking up at Draco, “I wanted to give you this,” she handed him the package.
He accepted it but was quiet surprised that she was giving him something.
“Well I better go now, Malfoy. I’ll see you when you come back,” and then she dashed back into the castle.
Draco shook himself from his stunned state and hoped into the carriage.
While travelling to Hogsmeade Draco took the chance to open up the parcel Ginny had given him.
The parcel felt soft and light, and when he un-wrapped it, he found a dark green scarf and a letter. He placed the scarf to the side and read the letter.
Malfoy,
I know you love the cold weather, but it will be difficult to cure your Vervexia if you get sick, so please use this gift wisely. I was planing to give it to you before the Christmas break but seeing as you will not be here during that time I thought I’d give it to you sooner. Be strong Malfoy. I believe you are more than capable of that.
Draco picked up the scarf and examined it. It was a homemade scarf, which meant she probably knitted it herself. The design was nice and the wool she used felt very soft and warm.
<She must have rushed to finish it last night> he thought.
He then lifted it up and wrapped it around his neck. It really was very warm.
Draco met his mother at Hogsmeade where they travelled back to Malfoy Manor by Floo Powder.
Ginny spent the next two weeks of school doing what she used to do before she had to meet Draco every night, and found it was quite boring.
End of Chapter Fifteen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source – Chapter Sixteen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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On the morning that Ginny was going home for her Christmas Holidays, she received a letter at breakfast from Draco.
Weasley,
It is the beginning of Christmas Holidays now so I will not be returning to school until after the break. I have hired a Healer to make my medicine everyday and though it works, for some reason it doesn’t taste as good as the ones you give me. Father’s funeral was extravagant and many of his so-called friends came to say their farewells and give their regards. Thank you for your words of encouragement, I am fine now and I am using your scarf wisely as to not get sick. I will see you after the Christmas Holidays.
Ginny knew he wasn’t going to coming back until after the Christmas holidays but still thought it sweet of him to notify her of what was going on in his life.
She placed the letter into her pocket before anyone could see it and then went up to the Owlery to send a scarf she knitted to her pen pal Katie Moffat. …………………………………………………………………………
It was the first week of Christmas break and Diagon Alley was packed full of people doing present shopping. Ginny was weaving through the crowd trying to get to her destination as fast as possible.
Ginny found the entrance to Knockturn Alley and paused to pull the hood of her cloak ever her head. Once that was done she walked into the alley with her head down and made her way to the local trading bar.
She pushed open the old door and it creaked a little. Ginny stepped inside and examined her dark and gloomy surroundings. She was pushed further into the room by another figure that went to sit at one of the tables hidden by the dark but she paid no attention because she was busy looking for someone. There were round tables all around the room, which seated some people drinking whiskey or trading goods. To her left there was a bar, where there was a man sitting on a stool holding a drink. This was the man she was looking for.
Ginny walked up to the bar and sat down on a stool next to the man.
“Do you have the deedle roots?” she said clearly.
Ginny wasn’t afraid of where she was. She was here for business and while doing business there is no room for fear.
The big bloke looked Ginny up and down and then scoffed.
“Do you have what I want little girl?” he growled out.
Ginny smirked. She knew he would make fun of her.
“Yes I do,” Ginny pulled a clear vile of liquid out of her pocket and held it in front of the bloke’s face.
The guy looked like he was about to drool when he saw it, but then quickly put on a tough face.
“How do I know it’s real,” he gruffed out
Ginny swirled the vial around a bit so that the contents shimmered under the candlelight. She then placed it on top of the table and pulled a knife out of her pocket.
“I’ll prove it,” She said before slashing the knife across her arm. Blood started dripping her arm and the bloke looked at Ginny’s blank face with shock.
Ginny stabbed the knife into the table and took the lid off the vial of liquid. There was a dropper attached to the lid, which allowed Ginny to drop a drop of the liquid on to her slit arm. Golden light appeared on the wound and then it disappeared. Ginny lifted her sleeve and showed the bloke her clear smooth arm.
“Do we have a deal then?” she asked.
The bloke took out a small brown box and handed it to Ginny. She opened it to inspect the contents and then nodded her head in approval.
Ginny stood up and was about to leave but the bloke spoke, which stopped her from moving.
“How about we make another deal little girl? I still need some more Phoenix tears.”
Ginny smirked, “I don’t think so.” She turned to walk away but the man grabbed her shoulder and sat her back down.
“I don’t take no for an answer,” he spat out.
Ginny still wasn’t scared and just glared at the man, “Well then that’s just too bad.”
The big bloke raised his hand and was about to hit Ginny but a hand slammed onto a table at the back and everyone’s gaze turned to a dark corner. A figure stood up and began walking slowly towards Ginny and the bloke.
“The deals over, so why don’t you let her go.” The figure walked into the light and revealed Draco Malfoy.
Ginny was slightly surprised but still kept her cool. The bloke saw who it was and let go of Ginny. Draco took her hand and pulled her over to where he was standing.
Draco gave the guy one last glare and then walked out of the Trading bar. Once he was outside he was stomping away as quickly as possible until he reached a secluded little area. He pushed Ginny against the wall and held her there by her shoulders.
“What the hell were you doing in there, Weasley?” he shouted.
Ginny pushed him off of her and straightened her cloak, “None of your business Malfoy.”
Draco was still angry, “Do you have any idea how dangerous it was for you in there? If I hadn’t…”
“I would have been fine Malfoy,” Ginny cut in sternly.
Now Draco was annoyed. “How would you have been fine?” he growled.
“I do know how to protect myself you know,” Ginny yelled back. Then she made a move to leave but Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
“No, if you can be so smug about it, then I want to know how you intended on getting away from that creep.”
Ginny struggled to pull her arm away but it was useless. She finally gave up and lifted her sleeve to expose a metal wristband. The wristband had a blue sapphire stone in the middle and was surrounded by intricate carvings.
Draco examined it closely. “Where did you get that?” he managed to say.
Ginny pulled her hand from Draco and rolled her sleeve back down. “Sirius gave it to me,” then she ran off.
Draco didn’t stop her this time because he was certain she could protect herself now.
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Draco was sitting in his room playing with a round metal object and thinking about the events of the day.
He had seen Ginny pause outside of Knockturn Alley to cover herself and found it was weird. When she actually stepped into the Alley, he though it would be better if he followed her. She ended up going to the trading bar, so Draco followed her in and was observing her from the hidden tables at the back. He then saw her pull out a vial of liquid from her bag. She moved the bottle around a bit and then took a knife out to cut her own arm. He had really wanted to run out at that moment and see of she was all right but then soon saw that she was dropping the liquid from the vial onto her hand. Her hand had healed and Draco relaxed, but then the bloke grabbed her and was not letting her go. That really pissed him off, so he slammed his fist onto the table.
Draco understood now, why Ginny was not scared and was even confident about being in Knockturn Alley. The metal wristband she was wearing was the Black Family Heirloom.
The Black Family Heirloom was much like the one he had. Yes, he had one too, except the Malfoy family Heirloom had a green emerald on it instead of a blue sapphire. Most predominant Wizarding families had one, and wearing this band symbolized your authority and status. Many people in Knockturn alley would recognise it because they would love to posses one. These heirlooms were not just a symbol of power; they also contained magnificent power of their own. Draco had worn his when fighting Lord Voldemort and that was how he helped Harry defeat him.
But now the question was <Why did Weasley have the Black family Heirloom and not her own?>
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Draco saw Ginny exit Knockturn Alley a few more times that Christmas. He didn’t care what she was doing in there but he didn’t like the fact that she was so casual about going in there in the first place. She treated it like other people treated Diagon Alley. Nice and safe, but Knockturn Alley was very far from nice and safe. That’s what annoyed him. The way she didn’t seem to care about her own safety. Even if she did have a powerful weapon it was still potentially dangerous.
Christmas was over and they had to return to school again. There was the usual welcome back feast except this time there was a surprise.
Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. The noise and chatter from the students all stopped and heads turned to look at Dumbledore.
“I would like to welcome you all back to school and I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas. I would like to take this chance to introduce to you all, a new student who will be attending Hogwarts for the rest of her 7th year. Her name is Felicity Lateris and I hope you all make her feel welcome.”
A door behind the staff table opened and out walked a girl. She made her way to a stool, which was placed at the front, and she sat on it gracefully. The sorting hat was placed on her head and the hall went silent.
Felicity had brown wavy hair that she let loose to reach the middle of her back. She looked European because she had nice olive coloured skin, brown eyes and a thin oval shaped face. She was beautiful and half the boys in school who had their jaws hanging open was enough proof.
“Slytherin!” the sorting hat shouted and the Slytherin table exploded in cheers. Felicity slowly made her way to the table and found a seat next to some 7th year girls. Most of the boys around the hall were craning their heads to get another look at her but she didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care.
“Now let’s enjoy the Feast,” Dumbledore yelled. The food appeared on the table and everyone tucked in for a hearty meal.
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Draco was patrolling the halls that night doing his Head Boy duties. There really weren’t many students out tonight because it was the first night back and most people were sitting in their rooms chatting to friends about what they did over the Christmas break. He was turning the corner and was surprised when he saw Felicity wondering down the hall looking lost.
“Hey,” Draco called out.
Felicity looked up and a smile made its way onto her face. She rushed up to Draco and stood in front of him.
“Thank goodness you’re here. I’m kind of lost. Can you help me get back to the Slytherin dorms?”
Draco looked the girl over and made a conclusion. She was quite pretty.
“Come with me,” Draco said tonelessly. He turned around but suddenly paused for a second before he continued again.
They were walking in silence but then Felicity chose to start a little conversation.
“I’m Felicity Lateris,” she said politely.
“I know who you are,” Draco answered coldly.
“And you are?” she asked eagerly.
“Malfoy,” he said with the same cold tone.
“Are you this cold to everyone?” she asked. Draco didn’t answer her. He wasn’t in the mood to have a conversation with this girl.
Felicity rolled her eyes, “Do you have a first name then?”
They rounded a corner and Draco stopped in front of a portrait, which was the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Draco said the password and it swung open.
“Next time, take someone with you when you’re going around the school,” Felicity sighed and just walked through the portrait. She didn’t turn around to look at Draco again, but if she did, she would have seen him grabbing onto thin air.
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Draco had one hand stretched out holding onto thin air while the other slammed the portrait shut. He yanked his hand back, then Ginny suddenly appeared and Draco suddenly had a cloak in his hand.
Draco held the cloak up and observed it with a smirk.
“So this how you go snooping around the place Weasley,” he said.
Ginny snatched her invisibility cloak back and draped it onto her arm. “What are you doing Malfoy?” she hissed.
“Seeing what you are doing, by trying to get into our common room.” Ginny gave Draco a glare.
“What do you think I’m doing?” she said sarcastically.
Draco smirked some more. He knew she was already gathering information on the new girl.
<She sure is a fast worker> he thought.
“Well if you’re planning to snoop around, next time, don’t use your current shampoo; I could smell it from a mile away, how do you think I knew you were around.”
Ginny pouted, “Well I don’t usually run into people who have noses like dogs.”
Draco was really enjoying Ginny’s annoyed reaction, “Why, thank you for the compliment Weasley.” Ginny put her invisibility cloak back on and muttered the Slytherin password for the portrait to open.
“It was meant to be an insult,” she yelled out from under the cloak. She was about to walk in but then paused and revealed her head to Draco.
“Have you had your medicine yet?” she asked concerned.
Draco inwardly smiled at her sudden change of tone, “Yeah, the Healer gave me a bottle before I left the house.”
Ginny nodded, “Good, now stop interrupting me from doing my work.” She covered her head again and then the portrait closed.
End of Chapter Sixteen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
AN: OK so now you guys know how Ginny gets her information. Are you all Happy?? I hope I didn’t make you guys wait too long, and there is more to it than just an invisibility cloak. Her other gadgets will be revealed very soon. Thanks for reading and please review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Seventeen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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For the next couple of days Ginny had taken every opportunity she got to secretly spy on Felicity. She would carry her invisibility cloak in her book bag (with the help of a shrinking spell) so that when she had the free time she would go and follow Felicity around and observe her. At night Ginny would go give Draco his medicine and leave immediately to Felicity’s room and listen to her talk to her room mates about her past. Ginny also found out that Felicity kept a diary, so that came in very handy. Certain ethics and morals didn’t exist to Ginny anymore. So to her, reading other peoples diaries was just like reading a grocery list, plus it wasn’t the first diary she had read.
Ginny was slumped onto her chair in her ‘office’ (the room Draco had first met her in) when the door creaked open. Ginny’s head flew up but then she relaxed when she saw it was only Draco.
“What are you doing here, Malfoy?” she said in a deep gruff voice.
Draco cringed. Now that he knew she was a girl the deep male voice really didn’t fit her. He walked to the chair in front of her and sat down.
“Can’t you remove that hideous voice and take that mask off. It’s not like I don’t know who you are.”
Ginny sat up straight and muttered a locking charm, she didn’t want someone just barging in and finding out who she was. She then changed her voice back and removed her hood and mask. Ginny looked at Draco and he could see she was very tired.
“How long since you last slept, Weasley?” Draco asked with a very tiny hint of concern.
“Three days,” Ginny mumbled out.
“Do you want to die or something, Weasley?” Draco cried.
“Hey!” Ginny yelled defensively. “I’ve got business to do you know. Half the boys in Hogwarts want to know about Felicity Lateris and if I don’t answer their questions soon, I will have to pay them double their money back.” Ginny pulled out a vial and lazily slid it across the table to Draco.
“Here. You can save me the trip up to your room.”
Draco took the vial and pocketed it. Ginny had her head resting on the table and looked like she was taking a nap. Draco leaned in closer to see if she was really sleeping.
“I’m not dead yet if that’s what you’re wondering,” Ginny said from her resting position. Draco smiled,
“No Weasley, I was not wondering if you were dead yet. I’m more interested in what you were doing going in and out of Knockturn Alley during Christmas.” Ginny lifted her head up and looked at Draco with a crooked smile.
“Why, Malfoy? Were you worried about me?” Draco was slightly surprised but then sneered,
“No.”
“Then why do you care?” Ginny asked innocently. Draco was getting mad now. It was just a simple question but she just had to make it difficult.
“Because, I don’t want you to die,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Ginny was very surprised at his answer. She was just playing around and didn’t expect him to say anything along those lines.
“You don’t?” Ginny whispered. Draco noticed his mistake but quickly fixed it.
“Don’t misunderstand, Weasley,” he said coolly. “I just don’t want you to die because you still have to fulfil your end of the deal. I can’t very well have you die before curing my Vervexia.”
<Nice save> Draco complimented himself and then relaxed.
Ginny sighed and shook her head. <Typical Malfoy. Never admitting he actually cares>
“If you really must know, Malfoy. I was in Knockturn Alley collecting the ingredients for your cure,” Ginny informed him factually.
“Oh,” was all Draco could say as he mentally kicking himself. <And here you were thinking she was going in there for fun, when she was really going there to get the cure for you, you stupid git.>
Draco was shook out of his thoughts by Ginny yawning and stretching.
“Well I best be going to get some sleep now, Malfoy.” She got up and was packing her stuff into her book bag.
“Just one more thing, Weasley.”
Ginny stopped packing and looked up at him,
“Yeah?”
“Why aren’t you wearing your own family Heirloom?”
“Because Ron’s got it,” she answered and then resumed her packing up.
“Why did Sirius Black give it to you? Wouldn’t he give it to Potter? Who is he to you?” Ginny laughed.
“Did you ever hear that curiosity killed the cat, Malfoy? Knowing so much might be bad for you,” she teased. Draco frowned.
“Then I take it you’re not going to tell me,” he sighed out. Ginny smiled.
“Usually I wouldn’t but seeing that it’s you, I’ll tell you a little bit. Sirius didn’t give it to Harry because he has one of his own. Also because he knew I needed it so he gave it to me as to help me earn more money. Now, no more questions.” Ginny started her packing again.
Draco stood and just watched as she was collecting her things. Ron using it seemed logical enough. He was always going around with Harry fighting evil so he needed the protection. But Sirius giving it to Ginny was quite surprising. That would mean he knew what Ginny was doing, and he still approved of it. <Maybe I should help too or something> Draco thought.
“Er... Weasley?” he said hesitantly. Ginny stopped packing and looked up at Draco,
“I said no more questions.” Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“It’s not that… I… er… actually want to, ah… make a special request.” Ginny looked at Draco quizzically. He seemed a bit nervous or something.
“OK, then. What kind of request?” she asked.
<Think, Draco, think!> Draco looked around the room a bit trying to come up with an idea, and then saw a parchment with Felicity Lateris written on it. <That’s it>
“I want a full report on Felicity Lateris. Not just any full report though, but a very detailed report. I’ll give you 5 Galleons for it,” he said quickly.
Ginny raised her eyebrows. There was something strange about how he asked for it. He sounded kind of…shy?
“Sure, I’ll give it to you tomorrow then,” Ginny answered with an uncertain tone. Draco sighed,
“Good, then I’ll see you tomorrow night.” He walked out of the door smiling to himself.
Ginny was still in the room packing up her things while thinking about Draco’s weird behaviour. <Could it be that he already likes Felicity Lateris?>
………………………………………………………………………...
Draco was reading a book in one of his comfy chairs when Ginny walked in. He marked the page with a bookmark and stood up to greet her. Ginny placed her book bag on top of his desk and was shuffling around in it to look for the things she wanted. Draco moved to sit down on the chair at his desk, waiting for her to finish what she was doing. He had his elbow on the table and had his head propped on his hand looking at her.
Ginny finally found what she was looking for and pulled out a couple of pages and handed it to Draco. He took it from her and without even looking at it, placed in on the table and took out 5 Galleons and gave them to her. Ginny frowned after she took the money.
“Aren’t you going to look at it?” she asked. Draco shook his head,
“I’ll look at it later.” Ginny shrugged and placed his medicine on the table for him.
“Ok. But I have to go now, though. Lots of letters to return.”
Draco just nodded and watched as she left his room.
When Ginny was gone he picked up the report she had given him and just shoved it into a draw. He wasn’t really interested in the new girl; he was just using it as an excuse to give her some money. He couldn’t very well just give it to her; she might mistake him for caring.
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A couple of weeks had passed and Ginny had returned to the old routine of going to Draco’s room every night for longer periods of time. The rush of letters from boys wanting to know about Felicity had ceased, and for Ginny, business had returned to its normal pace. But she had earned quite a lot off of Felicity’s information. Ginny found it weird how Draco did not show any more interest in Felicity after he had purchased the full report. He didn’t seem to care that a whole herd of boys were lining up to go on a date with her but she only had eyes for Draco. Ginny knew this because not long after Felicity had met Draco in the Hall she had came to the Source and asked for a full report on him.
Ginny’s curiosity got the better of her so she just asked,
“Do you like Felicity Lateris?”
Draco was not prepared for this question so he just looked at her blankly. Ginny mistook the look on his face as him being shy and just giggled,
“Didn’t know you were so shy about these matters, Malfoy? You must really like her if even the mention of her name can make you speechless.” Draco snapped out of his daze and was confused at what she was saying.
“What makes you think I like her, Weasley?” he questioned. Ginny sighed.
“Well, you did want a detailed report on her. And you seemed kind of shy when you asked me for it, so I just assumed you liked her or something.”
Draco remembered what he had done and nodded his head. Ginny again misinterpreted his movements.
“So you do like her then?” she asked again.
Draco thought to answer no, but then she would wonder why he wanted a full report on her, so to get her off the subject he just agreed half-heartedly.
“Yeah, I suppose so,” he said. Ginny smiled.
“Well, I guess you’ll be happy to hear that she likes you, too.”
“Really?” Draco said coolly and not very interested.
“You don’t look very excited,” Ginny said. Draco sighed. She was getting quite annoying.
“What’s it to you anyway, Weasley,” he snapped. Ginny frowned.
“Well, sorry, Malfoy. I was just curious,” then she started packing her things up in a grumpy mood.
Draco regretted snapping at her and just watched as she left the room.
<Stupid idiot. She just wanted to know> he berated himself.
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It was early February and nearly all the students at Hogwarts were cheerfully anticipating Valentines Day.
It was a Friday afternoon and Draco was walking down the hall and dodging giggling girls huddled in groups pointing at different boys. There were also boys just standing around checking out the giggling girls and whispering to mates about who they like.
Draco didn’t mind the happy atmosphere around Hogwarts at this time of the year but it didn’t mean he would participate in such trivial occasions. He decided to go outside for some fresh air.
He reached the lake and saw Ginny leaning against the tree, while sitting on a rug she had laid out. She didn’t look up at him, even when he was standing right beside her.
“What are you doing here, Weasley?” he asked to get her attention. Ginny still didn’t look at him and just answered quietly.
“Just to get away.” She then patted the spot next to her and told him to sit, so he did.
“Not enjoying the happiness in the school?” he asked. Ginny smiled sadly and shook her head,
“Valentine’s Day is more for people who have someone to love and love back. People like me can’t really enjoy it.”
(A/N: Ok, I know Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples but that’s what she’s referring to when she’s implying she doesn’t have anyone to love).
Draco smirked,
“Jealous of all the loving couples, Weasley?” Ginny just kept her sad smile,
“Not all couples. Just one.” Draco creased his eyebrows and thought hard. Then he frowned.
“Potter,” he said. “I can’t believe you’re still not over him,” he grumbled out. Ginny laughed.
“I am over him. I just envy the great relationship he has with Hermione.” Draco’s face was now replaced with a confused look,
“What’s there to envy?” Ginny had a wistful look on her face as she looked out into the lake.
“Haven’t you ever wanted to have someone special in your life, who you could count on to always be there? Someone who has seen you at your best and worst moments and who doesn’t wish for you to be anything but yourself? Someone who understands you more than you understand yourself, and will always place you as their first priority.” Ginny turned to look at Draco and he saw the longing in her eyes.
“That’s what I’m jealous of,” she whispered. Draco could only wonder if such a relationship existed.
“Then you sure expect a lot, Weasley.” It was the only thing he could think of to say. Ginny chuckled.
“I do, don’t I.” Then she stood up and Draco did, too.
He watched as she folded up the rug and draped it on her arm. She straightened up and looked him in the eyes.
“If you really like Felicity Lateris then ask her out, Malfoy. I think she’d be perfect for you and you’ll regret it if someone else does it first,” Ginny said before heading back to the castle.
End of Chapter Seventeen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Eighteen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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It was a Saturday afternoon and was three days before Valentine’s Day. Hogsmeade was packed full of Hogwarts students and the local shops were bursting full of people buying Valentine gifts.
Ginny was walking along with Colin and Amy, another Gryffindor 6th year, while looking at all the students running around. Colin and Amy were holding hands and acting all lovey-dovey so Ginny just walked off, and they didn’t even notice. She made her way to a gap between two stores and took out her shrunken invisibility cloak. She then un-shrunk it and draped it over herself. She was heading to the stores to collect information.
Last year, after Valentine’s Day, she had received many letters asking her to find out who the many anonymous Valentine authors were. A lot of boys had given gifts to girls but didn’t write their names on it and the girls were just too curious, so they had asked her to find out who their secret admirers were. She wasn’t prepared for the rush, so she had ended up losing a lot of money last year and she wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
Ginny had managed to get her hands on devices professional wizard spies used. This particular one was a small silver round pendant looking device, which worked much like a camera did. Ginny had secretly placed the pendant things at the counter of every shop so it could record everything that anybody bought. She would then take the little pendant back to her dorm where she would place it into a slot on a crystal ball. The crystal ball was especially designed to show what it had recorded for Ginny to see. There weren’t many gift stores in Hogsmeade so Ginny didn’t have to purchase that many ‘viso-seekers’, which was a good thing because they were not cheap.
Ginny had gone to all the shops just before they closed to get the little pendants but there was one shop which she couldn’t put a viso-seeker in, because the gifts were not given to the buyer immediately. And that was the flower shop. Many people from school went to the florist to order flowers, which were sent to school on Valentine’s Day; so putting a viso-seeker there would not be of any help. Instead, Ginny had to go and retrieve the order booklet, which had the name of the person who placed the order, the gift, the message they have chosen and also the price.
It was getting late now so all the students had already gathered around to wait for the carriages. This was when Ginny crept into the florist under her invisibility cloak. The owner was at the back doing something so Ginny took the order book from the cupboard and did a copying charm. Another book was immediately duplicated and she put in into her book bag. She then replaced the original book back in the cupboard and quickly rushed outside to remove her invisibility cloak and run to the carriages. She did not notice as a figure crept into the florist while she was running towards the carriages.
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Valentine’s Day had arrived and everyone was all happy and cheerful. Classes had even been shortened to celebrate the occasion, so after lunch everyone was allowed to go and have extra free time.
It was also during lunch that the special deliveries from the florist arrived. Hundreds of owls that had red ribbons tied to them were swooping down to deliver flowers, love letters and boxes of chocolates. All the people around Ginny who received something shouted in delight. It wasn’t very surprising to Ginny because she already knew what everyone was getting; therefore she just sat and watched the happy faces around her.
Ginny nearly had a heart attack when a red shoebox sized object landed loudly on her plate. She immediately jumped back slightly, holding her hand at her heart. The box just sat there for a minute because Ginny was so shocked she didn’t know what to do. So, instead she just stared at it. All of a sudden flaps opened at the top of the box and red fireworks started to fly out along with a romantic tune. All the heads in the hall turned to look and then red and pink butterflies flew out to spread a lovely flower scent all around her. Ginny looked up and saw that the sparks from the fireworks had spelled out a message above the table.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Virginia!
Ginny was very surprised and her hand had flown to cover her wide-open mouth. After the fireworks and the butterflies had returned to the box, screams of excitement rose from all around Ginny. Girls were scrambling around her saying how lucky she was and asking her if she knew who had sent it. Ginny was very uncomfortable because of all the attention, therefore ended up staying silent and blushing through the whole ordeal. After a while the girls finally left her alone. Some went to go back to their boyfriends to complain about what a plain Valentine’s gift they got and some were feeling jealous of what a romantic present Ginny had gotten. But many eyes were still on her and she even heard some girls criticizing her.
“Who the hell is she to get such an extravagant present?”
“I know, she’s not even pretty or anything.”
“Do you think she sent it to herself just to get people’s attention?”
Ginny picked up the red box and left the noisy Great Hall to go back to her room, while many eyes followed her. Hermione, Lavender and Amy also followed her up. When they reached Ginny’s room they saw that she was in her bed with the curtains drawn. They walked over slowly and gently opened the curtains to reveal Ginny sitting on her bed hugging her knees while staring at the red box placed in front of her. She didn’t look very happy.
Hermione was the first to speak.
“What’s wrong, Ginny?” she asked gently, “Are you still a bit shocked from receiving a Valentine’s present?”
“Shock is an understatement,” Amy shouted excitedly. “Did you see that present? It was fabulous.”
Hermione and Lavender frowned at her but then turned their heads quickly when they heard Ginny giggle.
“I’m alright, guys. I just wasn’t really prepared to receive such a big gift, that’s all. I just need some time to let it register in my head.”
All three girls sighed in relief.
“So do you know who sent it to you?” Lavender asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Hermione and Amy were also getting excited and were eager to know. Ginny shook her head,
“No, I have no idea who would send me this.”
The three girls thought for a while and they couldn’t think of anyone either. Ginny wasn’t exactly a popular girl. She always kept to herself and hardly associated with other boys besides Colin, Harry and her brothers. It really was a mystery as to who would’ve sent her a Valentine’s gift, especially one as grand as that one.
Hermione, Lavender and Amy left the room after Ginny said that she wanted time to think. But throughout the rest of the day many girls had come in to ask if they could see her present. When she opened the lid, what happened in the hall would happen again except at a smaller size and the girls just loved to see it. They all complimented on how lucky she was and swooned over how romantic it was. Ginny could just thank them all and wait for them to leave. It wasn’t until 10 PM that night that Ginny finally had some time to herself, and she left her room to head towards the Hospital Wing.
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Draco was siting in his chair smiling to himself when Ginny walked into the room. He hid the smile immediately and swirled around in his chair to look at her.
Ginny was standing stiffly and had a frown on her face. She then slammed his medicine on the table.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” Ginny said accusingly. Draco feigned confusion.
“Whatever are you talking about, Weasley?” he asked. Ginny grew angry.
“I’m talking about the Valentine’s gift. You know, the one that blew up and attracted everyone’s attention,” Ginny yelled. Draco stood up to look her in the eyes
“First of all, it didn’t blow up, they’re called fireworks. And second of all, what makes you think it was me?”
“Only you would actually want to humiliate me in front of everyone, and I bet you got a great laugh from it, too.”
“Well, your surprised look was quite entertaining but I doubt it was humiliating.”
“How would you know, you weren’t the one being stared at by nearly the whole school and also being questioned about it for the rest of the day.” Draco got angry.
“You really are unbelievable, you know that? Any other girl that received that present would be fawning over the guy who sent it to them.”
“So you admit that you sent it?”
“Yes, and if I knew you were going to be like this I would have sent it someone else, at lease they would appreciate it, like any normal girl.”
“Well, I’m sorry that I’m not normal but I don’t like the fact that you used a Valentine’s gift to make fun of me in front of the whole school.”
“Hasn’t it ever occurred to you that I might have given you the gift because I like you?” Ginny grew even angrier.
“This is just all so funny to you isn’t it?” She didn’t wait for his answer and instead turned swiftly to leave. Draco reacted quickly and held on to her arm to stop her from leaving. He looked into her eyes and saw how miserable she was. He didn’t expect her to have this kind of reaction. He lost his anger and his voice was gentle.
“I’m sorry, alright,” he whispered.
Ginny’s eyes widened and she also lost her anger. Draco hardly ever apologized to anyone.
“I didn’t mean for it to humiliate you,” Draco continued with the same gentle voice. “I just wanted to give you something back for the scarf you gave me at Christmas. I thought you’d like it.”
Ginny was facing Draco now and was feeling ashamed. The present really was wonderful, she was just really angry at being surprised that’s all. After being the Source she didn’t receive surprises anymore. She knew everything beforehand and she had just forgotten what it felt like to be surprised.
“I…ah…I mean,” Ginny stumbled. “It was nice. Thank you, Malfoy. I’m just not used to surprises, that’s all.” Draco sighed in relief.
“So, you’re not mad anymore?” he asked. Ginny smiled,
“No, I’m not mad anymore.” Draco also smiled very slightly,
“I’m glad to hear that.”
They were staring at each other for quite a while until Ginny spoke.
“Well, I’d better go now. I have some things to do,” she said very quietly.
Draco just nodded and she left his room. He then slumped back down in his chair with a genuine smile plastered on his face.
Back in her room Ginny was laying side ways on her bed and looking at the red box. She had a smile on her face and had the warmest feeling flow through her just before she went to sleep.
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Draco and Harry were both shivering while standing outside in the snow because Mr. Gilding had taken them outside to train them in cold weather.
“Today you will be defending my attacks in the cold weather. While being an Auror, you will be expected to perform at your best under any circumstances or conditions. You have to learn to block out any feelings, which will affect your ability to fight. Even…” Mr. Gilding was unable to finish because a house elf came out and whispered something in his ear.
“I’ll be back in a while, stay here.” he said and then disappeared back into the school.
Draco and Harry gave each other questioning looks and then shrugged. Even though Draco liked the cold weather, being only in his pants, shirt and jumper, he was freezing.
“I swear, if I get sick I am so going to report him to the Headmaster and get him fired,” Draco said.
“You c-can’t get him fired. H-he’s a representative from the order,” Harry chattered back.
The two stood there rubbing their arms and hugging themselves to get some warmth.
“Hey, Malfoy, how about a little warm up practice?” Harry said.
Draco looked at Harry and then smirked,
“You’re on, Potter.”
The two walked apart and took up a duelling stance. The excitement from actually being able to duel with each other blocked out all the cold and they were now pumped full of adrenalin and ready to fight.
Spells were thrown back and forth, and defences were put up and down. This duel wasn’t as deadly as the one they had in their second year. They were actually holding back a bit and having fun. Draco cast a spell, which sent a wave of snow from the ground to wash over Harry.
Harry was buried underneath and after a few seconds he managed to get his head out from under all the snow. His glasses were crooked and he had a dazed look on his face.
Draco clutched his stomach laughing loudly. He was so engrossed in his laughter he didn’t notice Harry scrambling out from the pile of snow and casting a spell, which sent a spiral of snow to rise from Draco’s feet. It sent him in the sky and back down again to land on his ass.
It was now Harry’s turn to laugh his head off at Draco’s stunned expression. Draco picked himself off the ground and brushed the snow off. Harry had stopped laughing now but still had a wide smile on his face as he walked towards Draco.
“How about we call it a draw, eh, Malfoy?” said Harry. Draco pocketed his wand.
“Sure, Potter, but just this once.” And then he also smiled.
The two made their way to the steps leading into the school and sat down in silence.
“Hey, Malfoy,” Harry said and Draco’s head turned to look at him. “Do you remember how we met in our first year?” Draco smirked.
“How could I forget? The great Harry Potter didn’t want to associate with me.” Harry smiled sadly.
“Yeah, well, what do you say we give it another try then?” Harry said and then held out his hand.
Draco looked at it before he took Harry’s hand and shook it, the indication of a newfound friendship.
End of Chapter Eighteen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Nineteen
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco and Harry were not ‘best buddies’ now, but they were the type of friends who had a mutual respect for each other. Draco thought that he could do with one less enemy and an extra acquaintance, that’s why he accepted Harry’s proposal to have a truce. Plus, he only picked on Harry and his two friends because during their first year Harry had declined his offer to be friends in front of everyone and that was very embarrassing. Many years of revenge was Draco’s plan, but right now, having a halfway decent friend for once sounded really nice, so he accepted.
Ever since the defeat of Voldemort, Harry had been contemplating what kind of person Draco was really like. He was a Slytherin, a snobby brat and always picked on him and his friends, but he could also be very noble. Defying his father and helping them defeat Voldemort took a lot of courage; Harry didn’t think he could betray his family even if he knew they were dreadful, that’s why Harry admired Draco for his actions. He was the one who declined Draco’s offer to be friends in their first year and now Harry wanted to take that back and be the one to offer a new start.
Harry told Hermione and Ron about the truce between him and Draco. Hermione took the news well and Ron was still sceptical but still respected Harry’s decision.
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Draco was in his room with Ginny and they were both doing their own homework. Draco however could not concentrate, and was staring off into space.
<I wonder if she knows? She must have heard about it by now. Potter would have told his two friends and she would surely know. Why isn’t she saying anything about it? Is it because she doesn’t care?>
Ginny was looking at Draco and noticed the deep concentrating look he had on, but it didn’t seem to be directed at his work.
She waved her hand in front of his face but still he didn’t blink.
“Malfoy!” She yelled.
Draco shook his head and looked at Ginny with blank eyes.
“Huh?” he said. Ginny sighed.
“What is up with you today?”
“Nothing,” Draco answered grumpily.
“Ok, then,” Ginny said reluctantly and returned back to her work.
Draco thought for a while longer until he just couldn’t stand it anymore. He just had to know if Ginny knew about his truce with Harry, but he couldn’t be too direct.
“So, Weasley,” he started casually. “Anything interesting happening lately?”
Ginny looked up and made a thoughtful look before she shook her head.
“Nope,” she said and then turned to face Draco. “Why? You want to know something in particular?”
“Ah… No, nothing in particular,” he said dejectedly.
Ginny returned back to her work for a couple of minutes when Draco spoke again.
“So, there’s nothing new happening in Gryffindor?” he asked eagerly. Ginny turned her head and looked at Draco again.
“Nope, just the usual boring news,” she answered and then turned her head back.
“Really? Not even anything new happening in Potter’s life?” Draco said eagerly. Ginny giggled and turned her head to face a frowning Draco.
“You know, Malfoy, you’re not very subtle when it comes to finding things out.” Draco frowned at being laughed at.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Weasley,” he said quickly. Ginny smirked.
“If you’re wondering whether I know about your truce with Harry then yes, I do know.”
There was silence, and Draco waited for a comment from Ginny, but she never gave one.
“And…” he asked impatiently.
“And what?” she said back casually.
Draco was furious that she didn’t have a reaction.
“Nothing,” he said grumpily.
<She was all happy when I agreed to accept the Auror training but now that I have a truce with Potter she doesn’t even give a smile or anything> he thought crossly.
Ginny was grinning at how Draco was acting like a child who wanted to be praised for doing a good job. She found out about Draco’s truce with Harry when she overheard Harry talking to Ron and Hermione. She was so happy that she went to sleep smiling and the next morning had a sore cheek.
Ginny started to pack up her things and noticed that Draco was ignoring her.
<What a big baby> she thought amusingly. After she had finished, Draco was still angry and didn’t even look at her. She walked over and touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips. This made him look at her and he could see her wonderful smile.
“I’m happy for you, Malfoy,” she said and then left the room.
After Ginny had left, a huge smile made it’s was onto Draco’s face and stayed there for a long time.
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On the other hand, as Ginny was exiting Draco’s room with a huge smile on, she met none other than Hermione Granger. Ginny immediately lost her smile and froze.
Hermione saw Ginny and could only be shocked. She walked very slowly towards Ginny until she was right in front of her.
“What were you doing in Malfoy’s room, Ginny?” she asked worriedly.
Ginny was at a lost for words. Being caught by Hermione was not what she was expecting. Ginny quickly grabbed Hermione’s arm and dragged her away from Draco’s door.
“What are you doing here, Hermione?” Ginny asked back. Hermione frowned.
“Answer my question first, Ginny,” she said firmly. Ginny sighed. She was not getting out of this.
“I can’t tell you here, Hermione. Can we go somewhere else?” she said desperately.
Hermione nodded and then led Ginny to her own private room.
They stayed in Hermione’s room for a long time. Ginny told her about how she accidentally triggered Draco’s Vervexia, making sure to leave out the details about her knowing all about him. Ginny then twisted the story a bit to hide what really happened because it would surely blow her cover. She ended up telling Hermione that Draco was stubborn and wouldn’t take his medicine so she had to take it up to him every night. She also told Hermione that she wanted to cure his Vervexia for research and experience purposes.
Ginny could see that Hermione was listening to the story and at the same time contemplating how much of it was true.
<Please let her believe me. It is kind of the truth, I’ve just left some little details out that’s all.>
“So that’s why you were in his room,” Hermione asked.
“Yeah,” Ginny said.
“And you’ve been doing this for how long?”
“Ever since the first two weeks of school.”
“Why didn’t you tell us Ginny?” Hermione said hurtfully. Ginny sighed.
“Because then Ron would find out and he would throw a fit. You know how much he hates Malfoy. Oh, please don’t tell him about this, Hermione.” Ginny pleaded.
Hermione frowned. She didn’t like lying to her friends.
“Well…”
“Please, Hermione. Please, I’ll do anything,” Ginny begged. Hermione sighed.
“Can’t Madam Pomfrey take the medicine up to Malfoy for you? I don’t trust him with you alone in his room. You know what the git is like.”
Ginny inwardly smirk. <Of course I know what he’s like; it’s all you other people who really don’t understand him>
“But Hermione, it’s good for my training,” Ginny lied, “I get to see the real effects of Vervexia and not just read about it in books. Please, Hermione, I promise to be careful.” Ginny secretly laughed at her last comment. <Malfoy is the one who needs to be careful around me.>
Hermione hesitated for a while but then nodded.
“Alright, Ginny, I won’t stop you, or tell Ron about what you’re doing. I’m just worried bout you that’s all.” Ginny got up and hugged Hermione.
“Thanks, Hermione. I really appreciate this.” Hermione hugged her back,
“Just be careful Ginny.” Ginny had pulled back and was picking up her book bag.
“I will,” she called out as she left Hermione’s room.
<Merlin, that was close> Ginny thought as she headed back to her room.
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Draco was sitting in the library doing his work when a pile of books where dumped onto the table in front of him. He looked up and saw the stern face of Hermione.
“What do you want, Granger?” he drawled out as he returned back to reading his book.
Hermione sat down in the chair next to Draco “I came here to give you a warning, Malfoy. You better not do anything to Ginny or else you’ll regret it,” she said acidly.
Draco closed his book and looked at Hermione coldly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Granger. What has the Little Weasley got to do with me?” he asked casually. Hermione glared at him.
“Cut the crap, Malfoy. Ginny told me everything.”
Draco’s eyes widened slightly. <She knows that Weasley is the Source?>
“That’s right,” Hermione continued, “She told me about how she has to bring you your medicine every night and about how she’s looking for a cure for you. I promised I wouldn’t tell Ron but I don’t know why she insists on curing a git like you. If it were me I’d just leave you to rot.” Draco got angry.
“Well, you aren’t her, Granger, and I don’t think its any of your business what happens between the little Weasley and me,” he said defensively.
“It is my business because Ginny is my friend,” Hermione snapped back.
“So, she’s your friend now is she? I’m sure she doesn’t feel like it when you three deliberately leave her out of all your plans and ignore her,” Draco growled. Hermione was shocked.
“Is that what Ginny told you? That we deliberately ignore her?” she cried out.
“No, but even a blind person can tell you don’t treat her like a friend. Real friends don’t overlook each other.”
“We don’t overlook her. We’re just protecting her.” Draco smirked.
“Well, she doesn’t need your protection. I’m sure she is capable of protecting herself.”
Hermione was about to protest but Draco stopped her.
“By the way, Granger. Did you know that the little Weasley was smart enough to advance to 7th year potions but chose to decline?” Draco asked provokingly.
Hermione frowned. She didn’t know what Draco was getting at, but still answered,
“Of course I know.” Draco smirked.
“It must be really devastating to know you’re not the smartest witch in the school, eh, Granger,” he taunted. Hermione did not appreciate Draco’s tone of voice.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Malfoy, but I’m actually very proud of Ginny. I aim for good grades because I expect the best from myself and not because I want to be the smartest. There are many other people in this world who are smarter and better than me and I admire them for their intelligence, I don’t envy them like you do.”
Hermione stood up and picked up her books from the table.
“Just remember, Malfoy, if you do anything to hurt Ginny I guarantee that I will personally hex you to the moon.” And with that Hermione left Draco to be by himself again.
End of Chapter Nineteen. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco had finished patrolling the halls and was making his way back to his room. When he entered his room Ginny was already there, sitting in the chair next to his bed and reading a piece of parchment. She looked up and their eyes met. Ginny smiled.
“How was Head Boy duty?” she asked happily. Draco raised an eyebrow. She never asks about such insignificant matters.
“Fine,” he said casually.
Draco walked over to his drawer and was getting things ready to have a shower. He was rummaging through his clothes when Ginny spoke.
“Malfoy, why did you stick up for me today?” she asked. Draco was still shuffling through his clothes.
“What are you talking about, Weasley? I haven’t seen you all day so how could I stick up for you. Not that I would anyway,” he said half-heartedly.
“What about in the Library when Hermione approached you?” Ginny stated. Draco stopped what he was doing and turned around with a deep frown.
<She was not supposed to know about that> he though grumpily and was growing angry.
“You were spying on me again weren’t you?” he said and then slammed the drawer shut. Ginny winced. “Just because I know you’re the Source doesn’t give you the right to know about everything in my life, Weasley,” Draco continued yelling. “I don’t care if you go around snooping on everyone else but I find you very annoying. Stop being a pest and give me some privacy will you.”
He was really glaring at Ginny now and she could see the rage in his eyes. Ginny was on the verge of tears but hid it very well. She just put on a stone face.
“I wasn’t deliberately spying on you, Malfoy,” she said quietly. She then got up and placed a piece of parchment on his desk. “I was just collecting this from the Library. I place one under every table in there; I didn’t mean to know about your conversation with Hermione.”
Ginny couldn’t look into Draco’s eyes and was instead looking at some books, which were on the side. Draco was still mad and strode to the table to snatch up the piece of paper. He looked over it and saw that it was written like a role-play of exactly what he and Hermione had talked about in the Library.
Draco Malfoy: What do you want, Granger?
Hermione Granger: I came here to give you a warning, Malfoy. You better not do anything to Ginny or else you’ll regret it
Draco Malfoy: I don’t know what you’re talking about, Granger. What has the Little Weasley got to do with me?
The parchment continued on with their whole conversation written out. He looked at Ginny who still had her head down. She took a deep breath and spoke again.
“It’s a spell I cast on parchments so that it writes down what anyone near it says. It’s the only way I can know what secret things are happening around the school,” Ginny explained, now looking at Draco. “I stick them everywhere, even on walls, where I make them invisible. I was collecting them and reading through them when I came across this one. I wasn’t deliberately spying on you, Malfoy, and I just wanted to say thank you.” Ginny then quickly grabbed her bag and ran out of the room.
Draco was torn between running after her and remaining angry. He had not wanted Weasley to know that he had defended her. Letting anyone know he actually did something nice was what he always avoided, which was why he blew up at her. By the time Draco had regained his senses she had left ages ago so there was no use chasing after her. He ended up sitting in the chair all night holding the empty medicine bottle while thinking about Ginny and trying to sort out the feelings he has for her. More like trying to deny he has feelings for her.
………………………………………………………………………..
Ginny was running as fast as she could. Twisting and turning around halls until she reached a particular wall. She tapped a rhythm on the wall and a golden door appeared. She yanked it open and stepped in. The door closed behind her and materialised back into the stonewall pattern. Ginny was in the Holy Passage of Character.
The long rectangular room was lit brightly and had a gold and cream colour co-ordination. The room contained 6 full-length mirrors, three on each side of the room. In the middle of the room there was an extravagant fountain, spraying clear, glittery water. Behind the fountain there was a small platform that was covered in golden silk sheets and piled full of soft cream cushions.
The mirrors in the room all portrayed a different characteristic of a person. There were six mirrors in total: Truth, Comfort, Dreams, Hate, Denial and Love.
Truth always told what was true in one’s mind.
Comfort made you feel better with nice words.
Dreams would speak what one wished and hoped will happen.
Hate voiced the loath a person had within them.
Denial would help deny any painful truths.
And Love would remind a person of what they truly loved.
Ginny went to sit down on the soft silk sheets and leaned back onto a big comfy cushion. She reached out to her right and picked up a piece of chocolate from a small table filled with fruits and sweets. She popped the chocolate into her mouth and then walked over to the Mirror of Comfort. The mirror was on the wall to her left and was covered by a curtain. Ginny pulled a rope on the side, which opened the curtain to reveal a mirror. The mirror had a gold, hand-carved frame and the word ‘Comfort’ was inscribed on the top. Next to it hung the mirror of Truth and after that was the mirror of Dreams. On the opposite wall hung the mirrors of Love, Hate and Denial
Ginny looked into the mirror of comfort and saw her own reflection.
“Looking good, Ginny, dear,” the reflection said back, “Have another chocolate. They’re 99% fat free.”
Ginny saw herself smiling at the mirror’s antics but a tear rolled down her face and ruined the happy image. She turned her back on the mirror and the tears were flowing heavily down her cheek now.
All the curtains covering the mirrors magically opened and the mirror of Truth spoke,
[He hates me. Not because I’m a Weasley but because if what I do,] said her reflection. Ginny cried harder. The reflection from the mirror of Dreams called out from the end of the room,
[I wish the pain would go away]
[Get a grip, Ginny. So what if Malfoy hates you. He’s Malfoy, he’s always hated you,] said the reflection of Hate.
[You do what you do for your family, Ginny. Nothing matters more than them,] said her reflection of Love.
All the voices were making Ginny confused so she lifted her wand and closed all the curtains so that mirrors were all covered.
Ginny breathed in deeply and then walked out of the room. What all of the mirrors said was true because they each reflected a different part of her.
The Mirrors in the room had helped to clearly show Ginny what she felt, especially what the mirror of Love had said. You do what you do for your family, Ginny. Nothing matters more than them. She knew what to do now.
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Draco couldn’t concentrate for the whole day because Ginny was always on his mind. He had yelled at her and now he felt terrible.
<Not that she’s important or anything,> he kept telling himself. But it didn’t help ease his mind or heart.
It was finally nightfall and Draco was waiting patiently in his room for Ginny to arrive. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. He waited and waited but she never came. At first he was worried that she wasn’t coming because she was still mad at him but towards the last hour he grew angry with her for making him wait.
The portrait creaked open and Draco glared at Ginny entering. She glared back and walked to his desk to put her book bag down. She rummaged through it and took out a vial filled with red liquid. She threw it at him and he caught it easily.
“What’s this, Weasley?” Draco asked.
“Your new medicine,” Ginny replied coldly.
“What happened to my old one?” he asked curiously.
“I changed it,” she said.
Draco eyed the vile and looked at it cautiously. Ginny crossed her arms and was giving him a death glare.
“If you’re worried I’m going to poison you, you don’t have to. Just because I make a living off other people’s secrets it doesn’t mean I’m morally corrupt enough to enjoy murdering someone.”
Draco inwardly cringed at her sharp words. She was obviously still very mad about what he said last night so he got up from his chair and walked towards her. He extended his arms a bit and was going to hug her but Ginny moved away to pick up her bag and sling it over her shoulder. Draco felt rejected.
“Look, Malfoy,” Ginny huffed. “You’re medicine is different because I spent the whole day creating a new one which can prevent your attacks for a whole week. So just drink it and then I won’t have to come back for another week.” Ginny turned quickly on her heel to head out but Draco reached out and pulled her back.
“Weasley, why are you doing this? Is it because of what I said last night?” he asked, sounding very apologetic. Ginny snatched her arm back and turned to glare at him.
“The world doesn’t always evolve around you, Malfoy. What I do isn’t necessarily because of you. I’m actually going away with Madame Pomfrey to St. Mungo’s soon, so I won’t be around for a few days. That’s why I changed your medicine.”
“So this medicine is only for this week then,” he said hopefully.
“No, you’ll be drinking this from now on so I won’t have to come here every night. I wouldn’t want to invade your privacy,” Ginny said, deliberately emphasizing the last few words. Draco got angry.
“Hey, I’m sorry about what I said last night, alright? What more do you want me to do?” he yelled.
“No, you are not sorry,” Ginny yelled back, “so don’t say it when you don’t mean it. I don’t want you to do anything either, Malfoy. I just don’t want to come here every night to waste my time on you.” Draco was furious now. He was trying to make things better and she just had to make it difficult.
“Fine, Weasley, Just get my cure done quickly then I wouldn’t have to see you ever again.” Ginny had her hands clenched in anger.
“Fine, I’ll get it made as soon as possible then I’ll be rid of you for good,” she yelled.
Ginny then stormed out of the room steaming. After she had left, Draco roughly pulled the lid off the vial and downed the medicine quickly. He then threw the bottle against the wall and it smashed into little pieces.
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Ginny was true to her word and the following day she left with Madam Pomfrey to go to St. Mungo’s for some more proficient work experience.
Draco watched through his common room window as Ginny walked away from the school with Madam Pomfrey. He cursed her for making him feel so hopeless. He hardly ever apologized, and when he did last night, she just threw it back at him like it was nothing.
<Well you’re also nothing, Weasley. You mean nothing to me,> he tried to convince himself. And it worked, but only for a very short time.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked up and found that it belonged to Felicity Lateris.
“Hi, Draco,” she said sweetly.
“Hey,” Draco answered gloomily.
Felicity ignored his depressing tone and just continued with what she wanted to do: ask him out.
“You know, there’s this party tonight on level two in an old classroom, and I was wondering if you would like to go. With me,” she asked nervously. Draco sighed tiredly.
“Sure, whatever,” he answered nonchalantly. Felicity was ecstatic. She wanted to scream and jump up high but restrained herself.
“Cool,” she said with strained calmness. “I’ll meet you here tonight at 10 then.”
Draco just nodded and Felicity went skipping away with joy.
<Stubborn, irritating and incomprehensible Weasley,> Draco thought grumpily. <I miss you already>
End of Chapter Twenty. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty One
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco was sitting in a chair in the common room and waiting for Felicity. He was dressed very casually in black pants, a grey turtleneck and a black jacket. His hair was loose and kind of messy (he still looked good, though) because he was constantly running his hand through it, trying to clear his mind of Ginny. The stairs creaked and Draco looked up to see Felicity coming down. She was wearing a very form fitting back dress and high heels. The dress was held up by spaghetti straps and reached just above the knee.
Draco stood up and was looking intently at Felicity. She made her way towards him and stood there for him to look at.
“So, ready to go?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Draco managed to say. “You look great, Lateris.”
“Call me Felicity,” she said with a smile.
“Sure, shall we go then?” he then held his arm out for her to hook onto.
Felicity nodded and linked her arm into his; they then headed out of the common room to go to the party.
The party was held in an old and abandoned classroom on level two. It was charmed to look like a nightclub, with tables, chairs and love seats and there was also a bar where they served juice and butterbeer. There was music playing loudly and luckily the room had a silencing charm on it or else the whole school would have been woken up.
Draco had danced with Felicity and had a couple of drinks with her as well. During the time that he was in her company Ginny didn’t cross his mind even once. They had been at the party for a few hours and were now sitting in a seat facing a couple that were snogging. Draco could read the words ‘Mystical Starlight’ sparkling on one of their shirts and then Felicity said she wanted to go. They left the party and she said she wanted to go to the Astronomy tower.
They arrived at the tower and both looked out from the window. They were standing very close and Draco could smell her hair.
“What shampoo do you use?” Draco suddenly asked.
Felicity was a little surprised that Draco was asking such a question but just smiled brightly.
“Do you like it? A girl in the Hospital wing gave it to me when I went down to get a spare bottle of the normal shampoo. It smells really nice doesn’t it?” she said while playing with a bit of her hair.
Draco could only stare at her and nod. He knew that Ginny used the same kind of shampoo because when she had slept in his bed last time, she left her smell there and he could smell it when he went to sleep that night. It was also this smell that helped him catch her trying to sneak into the Slytherin common room.
He was shaken from his thoughts by the feeling of Felicity moving even closer towards him. He looked at her and was met by big brown eyes.
“You know, Draco,” she whispered, “Ever since I met you on my first night here I haven’t been able to erase you from my mind.” Felicity was very close to him now and had her hands on his chest.
Draco kept looking at her and didn’t move.
“I just wanted to tell you that I really like you.” She moved her face closer to his until they were only an inch apart. “And I was wondering of you like me too?” she whispered hoarsely and then kissed him.
Draco closed his eyes and accepted the kiss. It grew more passionate so he placed his hands onto her waist. She then linked her hands behind his head to press him closer to her. Hands were roaming and their breathing became ragged. After some time, they broke off the kiss and were both breathing heavily.
“So, what do you think,” Felicity managed to say between breaths.
“I think you are great,” Draco answered.
Felicity smiled widely and pulled Draco down for another kiss.
………………………………………………………..
For the next few days Draco spent as much time as he could with Felicity and the whole school soon came to the conclusion that they were a couple. The time he spent with Felicity was all right; they talked about normal stuff, which wasn’t very important and then mostly snogged. Draco didn’t mind the relationship he had with Felicity, it was much like the other relationships he had had with girls at Hogwarts. Felicity was beautiful, smart and liked quidditch which suited Draco quite well. She had opinions of her own and didn’t flaunt around like Pansy, which was good, but Draco knew that it was all just a game. It wouldn’t last. She was probably just using him for the fame and money, but he didn’t mind because he needed someone and she needed him, it was all just a bargain.
<What I have with Weasley is also a bargain,> he thought sadly.
Draco had Auror training that morning with Harry but he really wasn’t paying attention and was being yelled at a lot by Mr. Gilding.
“What’s gotten into you, Malfoy?” Harry whispered.
“Nothing,” Draco answered gloomily.
Harry glanced at Draco worriedly but left him to himself. Draco started to concentrate more because it would help him forget about Ginny for a short while.
After some time of attacks and defences with Mr. Gilding, Draco was sensing that something wasn’t quite right. He glanced at Harry in between attacks and gave him a look; Harry returned the look signalling that he also felt that something wasn’t really right. Mr. Gilding was attacking a bit more forcefully today and they were barely able to defend themselves.
Harry thought it would be better that he tell Mr. Gilding to ease up a bit because he and Draco had already received a number of burns and cuts.
Mr. Gilding just laughed in an evil way. “Why would I want to ease up when I have the chance to get rid of you two pestering kids?” He then cast a very strong spell that sent Harry and Draco across the room where they slammed into the wall, hard.
Draco and Harry were stunned for a short time but then quickly got up. Mr. Gilding was launching another attack at them and they both brought their wands up to cast defence spells they had learned. They weren’t strong enough to hit the spell backwards but were strong enough to shield themselves.
“What do we do now, Malfoy?” Harry asked.
“How am I supposed to know?” Draco answered back.
“Well we can’t hold this shield up forever. We have to go and find Dumbledore or some other teacher,” Harry said.
“Alright then, can you keep this shield up by yourself for a few seconds while I perform a spell on him?” Draco asked. Harry was now struggling with keeping his wand up.
“I’ll try. You’ll have to be quick though,” Harry said through clenched teeth.
Draco nodded. He had to do this quickly. Draco then stopped his wand from performing the shield and the instant he did that, the force of Mr. Gilding’s attack pushed Harry back. Draco then swiftly bent down and performed a spell.
“Locomater mortis!”
This locked Mr. Gilding’s feet together and his attack stopped because he had fallen down onto the floor. Draco used this time to help Harry up and they both ran towards the door.
They were running towards the door when Gilding reached out and managed to grab onto Draco’s foot making him fall down. Harry turned around to try and lift Draco up but Draco stopped him.
“Go find Dumbledore, quickly!” he said.
Gilding had released the lock from his feet and was pulling at Draco’s leg. He also had his wand ready to hex Harry but Draco kicked his arm and his wand went flying.
“Go, Potter!” Draco yelled.
Harry then ran out of the room to go get Dumbledore. Draco had managed to crawl away from Gilding and was getting up, but when he did manage to stand up, Gilding had Draco in a headlock and was threatening to suffocate him.
“You pathetic little traitor. I wasn’t supposed to kill you but I think it will add to the bonus,” Gilding hissed out.
“You won’t get away with this,” Draco managed to say between breaths. Gilding just chuckled evilly.
“Yes I will, but only after I get what I came for.” He then started heaving Draco out of the room and was heading towards Draco’s Head Boy room. On their way there they came across a few students and Gilding stunned all of them.
They finally reached Draco’s room and Gilding forced Draco to say the password to let them in. Once they were in the room, Gilding shoved Draco onto a chair and held him there with a strapping spell.
“What do you want?” Draco asked. Gilding was messing up Draco’s room looking for something.
“The box your father left for you.” Draco struggled with the straps.
“What do you want with that and how did you know I have it?” Draco asked him. Gilding was getting frustrated because he couldn’t find it. He whirled around and leaned in very close to Draco’s face.
“Tell me, young Malfoy. Where is the box?” he growled. Draco smirked.
“Like I would tell you that.”
Gilding backhanded Draco’s face and blood was dripping from the side of his mouth. Draco continued to smirk.
“You can hit all you want, Gilding, I’ll never tell you where it is.” Gilding was getting furious. He grabbed Draco’s face and glared into his grey eyes.
“You really are Lucius Malfoy’s son. Both of you are such arrogant fools.” Draco spat on Gildings face.
“Who are you to insult my father?” he hissed. Gilding wiped the spit off his face and punched Draco on the eye.
“You piece of trash. There’s nothing a little torturing can’t fix.”
Gilding raised his wand and performed the Cruciatus curse on Draco.
…………………………………………………………………………..
Meanwhile, Harry had run as fast as he could to Dumbledore’s office. When he reached the statue, Dumbledore was already standing outside talking to many teachers.
“Evacuate all students to the west wing of the castle. Do not allow anyone to come to this side until I have said so. Is that clear?” Dumbledore was instructing them. Dumbledore then turned quickly to face Harry.
“I know all about it, Harry. We must hurry now.”
Harry nodded and started heading off in the direction of their classroom. Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall followed behind him.
They reached the classroom but clearly Draco and Gilding were not there anymore. Dumbledore looked around a bit and decided to walk further down the hall. Not long afterwards they saw students who had been stunned, lying on the ground. Dumbledore instructed Snape and McGonagall to attend to them while he and Harry followed the trail of students.
Harry and Dumbledore reached the Head Boy room and looked at each other. Dumbledore waved his wand and the portrait swung open fiercely. They entered the room and saw Gilding holding a knife at Draco’s neck.
“Well, hello there, Dumbledore,” Gilding said smugly.
“Let Draco go, Gilding,” Dumbledore said. Gilding laughed.
“I can’t let him go. He’s going to be my escort to safety.” Gilding yanked Draco up from the chair and the knife dug into his neck, drawing blood.
Draco was weak from being victim to the Cruciatus curse and had trouble walking. Dumbledore and Harry were backing away so Gilding could get out of the room.
Dumbledore and Harry were following Gilding and Draco at a good distance. Gilding still had the knife at Draco’s neck and was threatening to kill him if Dumbledore made a single move.
They reached the grounds outside the school and then Gilding stopped. He lifted his wand with his other arm and called for his broom. It came whooshing down and he straddled it with Draco sitting at the front.
“Fly it, Malfoy, or I’ll slit your throat.”
Draco held onto the broom while Gilding sat behind him with the knife still at Draco’s neck. To steady himself, Gilding used his other hand to hold onto the back of the broom.
They lifted off the ground while Dumbledore and Harry watched. Harry then called for his own broom and straddled it quickly. He kicked up off the ground and was going after Gilding and Draco.
Harry caught up with them and had his wand pointed at Gildings head.
“Let Malfoy go,” he yelled. Gilding smirked.
“Alright, since you asked for it.” He then pushed Draco off the broom. Harry was going to dive for him but Gilding used his wand to suspend Harry in the air, making him unable to fly down to catch Draco.
“Malfoy!” Harry screamed as he struggled to move. Gilding just laughed evilly.
End of Chapter Twenty One. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
………………………………………………………………………..
All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty Two
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
Draco was falling but he was too weak to scream. <I’m going to die,> he thought sadly.
Draco closed his eyes and was waiting for the impact with the ground. He heard a loud swishing sound and then he felt himself jerk to the side. He opened his eyes and looked up. It was Fawkes, and he had his claws on Draco’s shoulder, taking him back to Hogwarts. Draco felt relieved that he was saved and then succumbed to darkness.
Fawkes had flown back to Hogwarts and set Draco down on the ground for Dumbledore and the other teachers to attend to. Fawkes then flew back away to save Harry.
After Gilding had seen Fawkes save Draco he released Harry from the suspending spell and flew away as quickly as he could. Harry was soon in control of his broom again and started flying after him.
Harry was throwing curses and hexes at Gilding but he always dodged them. Gilding turned his head around and disarmed Harry. He then laughed.
“This will be the end of you Potter.” he shot a couple of spells but Harry dodged them all.
Gilding then started to do more dangerous spells and more frequently, Harry was beginning to get tired and was slowing down because he was still bleeding from some cuts.
When Gilding was aiming for a direct hit Fawkes pushed him off his broom. His wand fell from his hands and he was plummeting down to the ground. Harry started diving for him and when he was close enough to grabbing him Fawkes came and brushed Harry away.
“Fawkes, what are you doing? He’s going to die if he falls to the ground,” Harry yelled. He then reached for Gilding again but again, Fawkes brushed him away with its wing.
Harry was panicking. It was only about thirty or so metres till Gilding would splatter onto the ground and Fawkes was not letting him save Gilding.
When they were only a few more metres from the ground Harry had to pull up or he too would hit the ground, and so he did, and left Gilding for Fawkes to save or not save.
It was at the very last minute that Fawkes grabbed onto Gildings shoulders and stopped him from becoming a pancake. Harry sighed and instantly felt relieved. He and Fawkes flew back to Hogwarts where Gilding was dumped into a puddle of mud before Fawkes flew off.
Snape did a full body-binding spell on Gilding and Professor Flitwick levitated him back into the school.
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The hospital wing was bustling full of people. They were mostly students who had been stunned and were now awake but were moaning about their sore arms and legs. Ginny had returned just that morning and was left to attend to these students while Madam Pomfrey went to take care of Harry and Draco. They placed Harry and Draco back in their own rooms because the Hospital wing was just too noisy, so Ginny couldn’t see if they were all right.
It wasn’t until later that night that Ginny had gotten most of the students to stop whining and go to sleep. Madam Pomfrey had come back from treating Harry and Draco and looked very tired so she just retreated to her office. Ginny didn’t want to bother Madam Pomfrey but was dying to know if Draco was all right. She had found out that he was hurt the most, where as Harry just had minor cuts.
Ginny made her way to the Head Boy’s portrait and notice that it didn’t automatically open when she said the password.
<Must still be broken,> she thought so instead she grabbed the frame and opened it a crack so that she could slip in.
Draco’s room had been cleaned up and everything was back in its original position. Ginny saw that he was tucked into bed and his chest rising slightly with each breath. She was instantly relieved to know that he was still alive. Ginny had heard from Hermione that both Harry and Draco received cuts and bruises, but Draco had also had a knife placed near his neck.
Ginny made her way next to Draco and pulled the sheets back a little so she could inspect him. She lifted his arms a little and saw they had no cuts or bruises.
<Madame Pomfrey must have healed them.> She knew this but still felt a need to check herself. She covered his hands with the blanket again and then went to inspect his neck. She ran her hand along his neck and didn’t even feel a scar. This was expected but she was still only satisfied now that she could personally see he was perfectly healed.
Ginny sat down in the chair next to Draco’s bed and watched his chest moved up and down which symbolised he was breathing. But then it stopped. Ginny sat in the chair clutching the armrests waiting for his chest rise again, but it didn’t. She flung up from her seat and was standing beside the bed within seconds. She then started to shake him, trying to wake him up.
“Malfoy, wake up,” she said in a panicky voice. “Malfoy? Can you hear me? Wake up,” she said more urgently. But still he didn’t.
She checked to see if he was breathing but he wasn’t. Ginny then pulled the covers away and checked to see if he had a pulse. There wasn’t one.
“I have to get Madam Pomfrey,” she said and then turned around to leave the room, but was suddenly stopped by something grabbing her hand. She whirled around quickly and saw Draco sitting up in his bed grinning.
His hand was holding hers and he pulled a stunned Ginny back, closer to the bed.
Ginny’s other hand had flown to cover her mouth.
“Surprise,” Draco said while still grinning.
Ginny couldn’t say anything and just started to cry. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and Draco lost the grin on his face. He stood from the bed and placed his hands on Ginny’s shoulder.
“Hey, it was just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously,” he said gently, trying to stop her crying.
“That was not funny,” Ginny managed to choke out, “I thought you were dead.” And then she cried harder. Draco felt so guilty for making her cry and pulled her into a hug. He pressed his cheek against hers and spoke softly into her ear.
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” he said while rubbing her back to try and reduce her sobbing. Ginny had her arms wrapped around him and she used her hands to hit his back softly.
“You stupid git,” she said through sobs, “It’s not funny to play with death.” And she hit him again. Draco smiled.
“Ok, ok, I won’t do it ever again. I promise,” he soothed into her ear, “Now don’t cry. Shh…” and he held her tighter.
Ginny buried her face into his shoulder and was hugging him tightly to assure herself that he was not dead. After a while Ginny had calmed down and stopped crying. She realized that she was in Draco’s embrace and pulled back quickly. Draco was taken back at her sudden reaction and felt empty after she had moved away.
Ginny had all these different emotions running through her and couldn’t think of anything to say. She looked into Draco’s eyes and saw his disappointment.
“You should get back in bed, Malfoy,” she said softly, “You have to rest.”
Draco stepped backwards, getting closer to the bed, and never removed his gaze from Ginny. When he sat down onto the bed, he lifted his feet up and Ginny tucked him in.
“How did you hide your pulse anyway?” Ginny asked.
“If I hold my breath, it just becomes very weak. It’s always been like that,” Draco said.
Ginny nodded. She would have found it if she wasn’t panicking so much.
The sound of the portrait door creaking made Ginny look up and stand back, further away from Draco’s side. Felicity walked in and saw Draco in bed while Ginny was standing awkwardly at the side.
Felicity remembered seeing Ginny in the hospital wing and recognised her as one of the Weasley’s. All her Slytherin friends told her how pathetic they are.
“What are you doing here?” Felicity asked.
“Uh, I was sent to check up on Malfoy. And he’s fine now, so I’d best be going,” Ginny said and then hastily left the room.
Felicity watched as Ginny left and then went over to Draco.
“How are you feeling?” she asked sweetly and then kissed him passionately. Draco broke the kiss off early.
“What’s wrong?” Felicity asked concerned.
“I’m just tired,” Draco said.
Felicity nodded and sat on the chair next to his bed silently.
“Do you know her?” Draco asked. Felicity laughed.
“Not personally, but I know she’s a Weasley. Embarrassing lot, aren’t they, with the red hair and shabby clothes.”
“Yeah,” Draco said half-heartedly.
It wasn’t long until Felicity left Draco’s room to go back to her own room and Draco fell asleep that night with a smile on his face. Happy that Ginny had come back.
………………………………………………………………………
The next morning Draco and Harry were called to meet Dumbledore in his office. Harry and Draco met each other in front of the statue and paused before going up.
“Are you alright, Malfoy?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, and you?” Draco asked back. Harry nodded.
“I’m good.”
There was an awkward silence and then Draco extended his hand out towards Harry. Harry grasped Draco’s hand and shook it. He knew it was Draco’s way showing his gratitude and Harry also used it to show his own thanks. No words were needed; they both knew what each other meant.
They were both seated in front of Dumbledore’s desk and waiting for their headmaster to arrive. Fawkes was perched on his stand and Draco went over to stroke his feathers.
“That’s the second time you’ve saved me, Fawkes,” Draco said to the bird. Harry also stood up and walked over to where Fawkes was.
“He also caught Gilding for us. Though it did seem like he was going to let him die,” Harry said.
Draco looked at Harry weirdly and Harry explained how Fawkes reacted yesterday.
Dumbledore walking into his room just as Harry finished telling Draco what happened.
“Draco, Harry. Are you two feeling well today?” he asked them.
Draco and Harry both nodded.
“I am very sorry about the incident that happened yesterday. I have contacted the Order and notified them of Gilding’s actions. They have taken him back to their head quarters and are attempting to find out whom he was working for. I know that this attack was aimed specifically at you Draco, and was wondering if you have any idea what he wanted?”
“All I know is that he said something about wanting a box my father left for me. I’ve looked into the box and there’s nothing in it except some parchments and books, so I don’t know what he wanted with it,” Draco answered. Dumbledore nodded.
“Well, it’s all over now so we can leave that all behind us. Because of this incident I have had to make special arrangements for your Auror training. I have been forced to consider cancelling…”
“Please don’t,” Harry yelled out, while Draco said,
“What!” Dumbledore smiled.
“Clam down, boys. I was saying that I was force to consider cancelling because there was trouble in finding a suitable and trustable instructor to teach you two. But now the perfect candidate has been found so your classes will not be cancelled.”
Harry and Draco both relaxed.
“Who will be our new teacher?” Harry asked. Dumbledore smiled even more.
“You’ll be really happy to hear, Harry, that it will be your Godfather, Sirius Black.”
Fawkes screeched at that moment and made all three heads turned to look at him. Fawkes settled back down and they returned back to talking about Sirius.
“Sirius will be arriving in a few weeks so you can both have the free time to rest and perfect what you have already learned. I will notify you of when your classes will begin again,” Dumbledore informed them.
Both of them nodded and Dumbledore gestured to them that they could leave now.
…………………………………………………………………………
Later that day Draco was walking past the Hospital Wing and the thought of Ginny automatically sprang into his mind. He paused outside the door and then chose to go inside and see if she was in there.
Indeed she was and he saw her using a very small cauldron to make a potion. He stood in the doorway of the backroom watching her make the potion and she was concentrating so hard that she didn’t notice him standing there. Draco recognised the smell and concluded that is was his medicine. He watched as she picked up some fresh jasmine and was placing them in little by little.
“I don’t recall Jasmine being one of the ingredients on the list,” Draco said.
Ginny turned her head and saw Draco. At first her face was blank but then she smiled.
“It’s just something extra that I add to make it taste better,” she answered and returned her attention back to the little cauldron.
Draco stepped into the room and looked over Ginny’s shoulder. “Then why didn’t you add it onto the list so the Healer I hired could make it taste better too?” Ginny shook her head.
“Most professional Healers don’t approve of adding unnecessary ingredients to make medicine taste better. Your Healer would disapprove of the list I gave you and make up one if his own, and then there would be trouble.”
Draco just nodded at her reason. He was standing very close to Ginny and he could smell her hair. He recognised the smell now. It was Jasmine. He actually realized now that he rather liked the smell of it.
“How did you know I like the smell of Jasmine?” he asked. Ginny chuckled.
“You only realized you like it now?” she teased. Draco smiled.
“Exactly, I only realized it now, so how did you know before me?” he asked again. Ginny turned around to face him.
“Just the little things. Your after-shave has a hint of Jasmine in it. You requested your clothes and sheets to be cleaned with the ‘Clenzo’ spell and that leaves a slight Jasmine scent behind. Your mother packs your suitcase with scent packets, which contain Jasmine, and the bookmark you use is made with Jasmine scented paper. You’ve always like it, it’s just you didn’t notice.”
Ginny turned back to the medicine and stirred it.
“And you deliberately gave Felicity Jasmine-scented shampoo,” Draco said. Ginny smiled.
“I didn’t deliberately give it to her. Another student gave it to her accidentally. But it has seemed to have worked to get your attention.” she said. Draco smirked.
“So do you deliberately use Jasmine shampoo to get my attention?” he teased. Ginny laughed.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Malfoy. I just happen to like Jasmine, too.”
Draco felt a little disappointed but didn’t show it. Ginny then turned around and gave him a vial of blue liquid.
“Here, this is your medicine,” she said to him.
“What happened to the red, once a week one?” he asked.
“Oh, that one has side effects so I’m taking you off of it,” she said factually.
“What kind of side affects?” Draco asked, concerned for himself. Ginny waved her hand.
“It’s nothing big. It only makes your hair go red.”
“What?” Draco yelled. He was frantically looking for a mirror and touching his hair. Ginny grabbed his arm and told him to calm down.
“It only happens if you consume it for a long period of time. It won’t affect you if you’ve only taken it once.” Draco relaxed but then became angry.
“And you were planning to give it to me anyway?” he cried incredulously. Ginny got defensive.
“Well you did yell at me you know. It sure made me angry enough to consider it,” she huffed and then crossed her arms across her chest. Draco didn’t want Ginny to get angry with him again so he let the incident drop.
“Alright, alright. We’ll call it even then,” he said. Ginny smiled.
“Good,” she said cheerfully.
Draco shook his head in defeat but was just glad that Ginny was speaking to him civilly again.
End of Chapter Twenty Two. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
………………………………………………………………………..
All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty-Three
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco was looking at a map Ginny had given him while walking down the hall. He looked down at the paper and then looked up again.
<It should be around this corner,> he turned around the corner and true to the map there was a small stairway. He put the map in his pocket and walked up the small dusty stairway. At the top there was a door and he opened it.
The room was bright compared to the small dark stairway. There was a large floor to ceiling window, which allowed the moonlight to shine through and light up the whole room. Ginny was sitting in front of the window on a rug hugging her knees. She turned her head around and looked at Draco.
“You’re late,” she said.
Draco walked into the room and sat down next Ginny.
“Is it really necessary to meet here?” he asked
“Of course it is,” she said. “You have a girlfriend now; you must want some privacy in your own room. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to all of a sudden barge in. Meeting here is more suitable.”
“But it’s so cold and dirty in here,” Draco complained.
Ginny smiled at him and grabbed something that was in her bag. It was the scarf she gave him for Christmas. Ginny leaned closer to Draco and wrapped it around his neck.
“I knew you’d stop using it after you got back to Hogwarts, so I took it from your room this afternoon so you could use it now.”
Ginny sat back in her original position and grabbed a thin blanket to wrap around herself. She then handed Draco his medicine. Draco took the bottle and drank it.
“I was actually wondering, Weasley, how many Holy Passages do you know of anyway?” Draco asked. Ginny smiled.
“Why? Do you want to see them?” she said while looking at him.
“Yeah, and why can’t we meet in one of them rooms instead of up here? The Passage of War was interesting enough,” Draco said enthusiastically. Ginny shook her head.
“They’re legendary passages, Malfoy. They can’t be used hastily just for us to meet so I can give you your medicine. If you really don’t like it here you can go pick up your medicine at the hospital wing,” she said. Draco sighed.
“Fine, here will be fine then.” he sulked. Ginny could tell he wasn’t happy about it and giggled at his childish behaviour. Draco looked up at her.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
Ginny controlled her giggling. “Nothing,” she said.
Draco looked at her sceptically and then she suddenly stood up, so Draco stood to.
“Come with me, Malfoy,” she said and then ran out of the door.
Draco ran after Ginny, trying to catch up. Twisting and turning they went down the hall until she stopped.
Ginny smiled up at Draco and then tapped a rhythm on the wall. Every tap on the stones emitted a clear chiming sound. After she had stopped, bright fairy lights appeared to form a rectangular shape and Ginny stepped through. Draco followed.
The room they were in was large and bright. The ceiling was dome shaped and had lovely patterns painted on it.
“Welcome to the Passage of Music,” Ginny said cheerfully.
Draco observed his surroundings and saw instruments all around the room. There were harps, horns, drums, flutes, chimes, xylophones, violins, cellos and many more. Some instruments he didn’t even know the names of. Ginny took Draco’s hand and took him to the middle of the room.
She stood him in front of a very large object covered by a velvet cloth. She then pulled the cloth off to reveal a shiny, black grand piano. Draco was speechless as he circled the piano while running a hand over it.
“Can you play something for me?” Ginny asked.
Draco stopped examining the piano and looked Ginny in the eyes. He nodded and lifted the lid of the body on the piano. He took Ginny’s hand and led her to where the seat was. He sat her down next to him and positioned himself to begin playing.
Ginny watched as Draco’s fingers glided over the keys so naturally. The piece he played was radiant and entrancing, causing Ginny to close her eyes and feel the music. Draco took the opportunity to reach behind Ginny and played the keys on the other end. Ginny giggled at his mischievousness and Draco smiled. The piece ended and Draco sighed in content.
“That was beautiful,” Ginny said.
“I almost forgot how good it felt to play,” Draco said sadly. Ginny saw his saddening look and thought of an idea to cheer him up.
“How about a duet then,” she said happily. Draco looked at her and raised his eyebrow sceptically.
“What can you play?” he asked.
Ginny smiled and got up. She went over to a bench and picked up a violin.
“Anything you can,” she replied while holding the violin in a position ready to begin.
Draco smiled and began a piece composed for duets. Ginny knew this piece and was soon joining in.
They played song after song, sometimes even funny little pieces, like tunes from wizard nursery rhymes; they even had a competition to see who could do scales quicker. Time flew by very quickly and they were both getting tired. Draco was pulling the cloth over the grand piano while Ginny was putting the violin back on the bench.
They stepped out of the room and the fairy light door turned back into the stonewall.
“Why did it look like you hadn’t played the piano in years?” Ginny said while they were walking down the hall. Draco put his hands in his pocket.
“Because I really haven’t played in years,” he replied.
“Why?” Ginny asked. Draco sighed.
“I guess the challenge was lost. But you have given that back to me tonight,” he said and then smiled at Ginny.
Ginny also smiled back. They walked in silence until they reached the main staircase where they stopped.
“I have to go back up now,” Ginny said pointing to the staircase leading to the towers.
“I have to go down,” Draco said gesturing to the dungeons.
“Goodnight, Malfoy,” she said and then turned to go up the stairs.
“Goodnight, Weasley,” Draco said quietly and walked back to his room.
……………………………………………………………………….
Draco stepped into his room and immediately felt someone was in there. He walked quietly, deeper into his room and saw Felicity rummaging through the drawer at his desk. She must have heard him enter because she quickly closed the drawer and smiled at him.
Felicity stood up straight and walked away from the desk to sit on his bed.
“So where have you been?” she asked
“I was patrolling the halls,” Draco answered as he walked towards his desk. “How did you get in here anyway?” he asked while he quickly scanned his desk and the rest of his room to see if there were any changes.
“I have my ways of finding out the password. Why? Don’t you want me in here?” She was feigning hurt and then pouted her lips.
“You’re right, I don’t,” he said coldly. Felicity was shocked at his response.
“W-why?” she asked.
Draco walked over to where she was sitting on his bed and took her hands so he could lift her up. He didn’t like her sitting on his bed so he placed her into a chair.
“Because I don’t like people going through my things,” he answered her.
“Oh, Draco, I’m sorry,” Felicity apologised. “I promise I won’t come in here again unless you want me to, alright?” she pleaded. Draco sighed.
“Alright,” he said and then went over to his desk to do some homework.
Felicity had been sitting in his room for 20 minutes now as Draco sat at his desk doing his homework. She was getting bored, so she went over to his desk and hugged his neck from behind. She had her lips close to his ear and whispered into it.
“Would you like me to stay tonight, Draco?” she asked seductively. Draco laughed. He turned around in his chair and removed Felicity’s hands from his neck.
“I don’t think that is necessary,” Draco said nonchalantly.
Felicity frowned.
“It was good while it lasted, Lateris,” Draco answered her look. “But you know how the game is. It’s all just for the thrill of the moment, but that moment has finished now, so I think it’s time for us to end.” Felicity got angry.
“What do you mean; it was just for the thrill of the moment?” she yelled. Draco smirked at her.
“You don’t seriously expect me to believe, that you really like me just from meeting me once, do you? You hardly know me, Lateris. Being a couple for a few days was fun but you can’t expect me to go steady with you.”
Felicity remained silent for a while and then breathed in a deep breath to hold in her anger. She knew that if she whined, it would just put him off even more. No, she would find another way to get him.
“Fine, Malfoy, then it ends. But I can tell you now, that I won’t be giving up so easily. You will be mine, one way or another.” She then flicked her hair and walked out of the room.
Draco shook his head in disgust.
<Like I would ever be yours,> he thought.
…………………………………………………………………….
Draco and Harry were sitting in the empty classroom where they were supposed to have class but because Sirius had not arrived yet they were just doing nothing.
“Hey, Malfoy?” Harry said.
“Yeah,” Draco answered.
“What do you get a girl for a birthday present?”
Draco looked at Harry weirdly.
“Why are you asking me?” Harry sighed.
“It’s Ginny’s birthday next week and I have no idea what to give her? Maybe you could help me out.”
<It’s Weasley’s birthday next week? She never told me. Maybe I should get her something too? What should I get her? What does she like?>
“Malfoy, are you still here?” Harry said while giving Draco a push.
Draco stopped thinking and looked at Harry.
“Huh, oh yeah, I’m here.”
“Well then? What do I get her?” Harry asked urgently.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you go ask her brother or one of your other friends?”
“I can’t, they can’t think of anything either.” Draco sighed.
“What does she like then?”
“I have no idea.”
Draco frowned. <And she used to like you, too.>
“Well then, do you know anything about her at all that could give you a clue as to what she might like?” Draco asked.
Harry thought for a while, a long while and still nothing.
“What is she good at then?” Draco asked exasperatedly.
“Well, she is training to be a Healer,” Harry answered.
“Then get her something to do with Healers,” Draco stated.
Harry thought about it for a while and then nodded.
“Thanks, Malfoy. I think I know what I’ll get her now.”
……………………………………………………………………….
Draco didn’t tell Ginny about him breaking up with Felicity because he thought she probably knew about it already, and plus he didn’t see it as anything important enough to talk about. So now since he was single again Ginny was safe to come to his room.
Ginny was sitting on the floor with her books around her and Draco was sitting on his bed with his books around him too. He was getting tired of studying so he leaned back onto his pillows to relax.
“I heard your birthday is coming up soon,” Draco said casually. Ginny kept reading her book while she answered Draco.
“From Harry I presume,” she said carelessly.
“Yeah, he asked me about what present he should get you.”
“Really,” she said in the same careless tone. Draco frowned at her lack of emotion.
“Yeah, I suggested lingerie,” he said trying to get a different reaction from her, and it worked because Ginny giggled.
“Yeah right, Malfoy, I already know what Harry’s getting me,” she turned her head so she could look at Draco. “Your suggestion of something to do with Healers helped him a lot to decide.” Draco sat back up.
“So you know what you’re getting for your birthday already?”
Ginny nodded her head.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Draco asked. Ginny sighed.
“Well that’s the price to pay to be the Source,” she said sadly. There was a brief silence before Draco spoke again.
“Well at least this way you can hint to them that you don’t like what they’re getting you before they give it to you. Then they can change it to something else,” Draco suggested. Ginny smiled sadly.
“What I want isn’t easy to get,” she said softly.
“Really?” Draco said. “Tell me. I bet you I could get it,” he said boastfully. Ginny raised her eyebrow at him.
“Are you proposing a bet, Malfoy?” she said, grinning. Draco smirked.
“Yes, I am.”
“What’s the wager then?” she asked. Draco was very interested now.
“Simple, if I can get you what you want for your birthday, then you show me one of the other Holy Passages,” he said.
“And if you can’t?” Ginny asked.
“Impossible,” Draco said confidently.
“But just in case,” she said smiling.
“Alright, if I can’t then I’ll do anything you want.” Ginny thought about it for a while and then nodded her head.
“Alright, it’s a deal then Malfoy.”
She extended her hand out and Draco shook it.
“Good, now what is it that you want for your birthday, Weasley?” Draco asked. Ginny smiled evilly.
“A fairy tale.” Draco’s eyes went wide.
“What? But I hardly know what that is, so how am I supposed to get it?” he yelled. Ginny just smiled.
“That’s up to you to figure out.” And then she picked up her books and left.
………………………………………………………………………
Ginny left Draco’s room and took her shrunken invisibility cloak out of her bag. She enlarged it back to its normal size and covered herself with it. Ginny was making her way to her office to meet Felicity Lateris.
Felicity was sitting in a chair at the Source’s desk waiting for the Source to arrive. She had come here a while ago to get a report on Draco, and now she wanted some more information. The Source entered the room from a secret door behind the desk and emerged from the shadows to meet Felicity.
Ginny, wearing her disguise, sat down and looked Felicity in the eyes.
“How can I help you, Lateris?” Ginny said in her deep gruff voice.
“I want to know everything about Draco Malfoy,” Felicity said with a hint of anger.
Ginny leaned back into her chair and looked at Felicity coldly.
“What do you mean by everything, Lateris? You have to be a bit more specific,” Ginny said casually. Felicity leaned forward onto the desk and glared at Ginny.
“I mean, I want to know all his weaknesses and what he loves the most. I know he has a secret vault in his room and I want to know where it is and what the combination is. There is also a secret passage to go to his room and I want to know where it is and how to use it. I want to know who likes him now and if he likes anyone in return. I need to know what type of girl he likes, how many girlfriends he has had and also who they were.” Felicity finished, and then took a deep breath. Ginny smirked.
“This much information will cost you a lot. Is it worth it, just because he broke up with you?” she asked. Felicity glared at Ginny.
“That is none of your business. Now tell me how much it will cost and when I can have the information,” Felicity growled out. Ginny just sighed.
“I can’t give you this information,” she said.
“What!” Felicity yelled. “You said that you could tell me anything I wanted to know, about anyone in Hogwarts. And now you tell me you can’t give me the information I want. Why?”
“Because Draco Malfoy has paid me to keep his information private,” Ginny lied.
“I’ll pay you double if you give me the information,” Felicity shouted. Ginny shook her head.
“A deal is a deal. Plus I don’t think you can afford it.”
“How do you know what I can or can’t afford?” Felicity yelled. Ginny laughed at her.
“You’re not really that stupid are you, Lateris? Open your eyes and look at whom you are speaking to. I know exactly how much you have in that little vault at Gringotts and trust me, it isn’t enough.” Felicity growled and then stomped her foot.
“Thanks for nothing, you sorry excuse for a Source,” she said and then left the room.
Once Felicity had gone Ginny locked the door with a charm and removed her disguise. She then let her head fall onto the table and groaned in frustration.
“I can’t believe I gave up a deal that was worth galleons, just so I could save Malfoy’s ass,” Ginny mumbled to herself disapprovingly, but then smiled.
She managed to lift her head up again and took out a little notebook. She flipped to the middle of the book and found her last entry.
Lisa Hutchins, Sixth year Ravenclaw – Two weeks
Ginny picked up a quill and added another entry.
Felicity Lateris (transfer student), Seventh Year Slytherin – One week
Ginny closed the little notebook and sighed.
<When will he stop playing around and commit to someone seriously?>
End of Chapter Twenty-Three. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
………………………………………………………………………..
All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty-Four
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………..
Draco had three days to figure out what Ginny meant by a fairy tale and was raking his brains for ideas. The only fairy tale he knew was The Trojan Horse. He knew that because he was looking at War stories when he was young and came across it accidentally.
Draco was sitting in the middle of the Prefects meeting mumbling to himself. “…Fairy tale?” he was lost in his own world and didn’t hear Hermione calling him.
“Malfoy!” She screamed into his ear.
Draco shot up from his chair because of the sudden load noise.
“Do you want to make me deaf or something, Granger?” he growled. Hermione shook her head and sighed.
“Really, Malfoy, I thought you would have become more responsible after becoming Head Boy, but here you were daydreaming through the whole meeting,” Hermione tutted. Draco glared at her.
“I was not daydreaming. I was actually thinking about some very important things,” He argued and then stormed out of the room to head for the library.
Draco made his way to the muggle section secretly and was looking for their books on fairytales.
<I know it must be somewhere here,> he thought and pulled out a book to read the cover.
<What the hell is Cinderella?> Draco thought and then roughly shoved the book back, but was then surprised when someone cleared their voice behind him.
He turned his head around and saw Hermione standing behind him with a peeved look on her face.
“Being Head Boy, you should really treat the books in the Library with respect,” she said acidly. Hermione then pushed past Draco and went to put the book back properly.
“What are you doing in the muggle section anyway, Malfoy?” Hermione asked. Draco frowned.
“None of your bloody busin-”
<Hold on, Granger is a muggle-born, she’ll know about fairy tales.> Draco then cleared his throat.
“Uh, I mean nothing really important, just looking for some fairy tales. Do you happen to know where they are?”
<No way am I going to lose this bet, even if I have to ask Granger for help>
Hermione gave Draco a weird look but then bent down to the lower shelf and grabbed a couple of books.
“Here, Malfoy, are all the fairytales the Library has.” And she dumped the books into his arms. “What do you want with them anyway?” she asked.
<No harm in telling her the truth I guess,> Draco thought.
“It’s to win a bet,” he answered and then left quickly.
Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and also left the muggle section.
………………………………………………………………………..
Ginny walked through the portrait to go into Draco’s room but was prevented from going any further by him standing in front of her.
“Bloody hell, Malfoy. What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?” Ginny said holding her hand to her heart.
“No, It’s just you can’t come into my room for the next few days. I’m preparing for our little bet so I can’t let you see anything.” Ginny raised her eyebrow.
“Really. You’ve figured out what I want already?” Draco smirked.
“Maybe, now get out of here, I’ll go pick up my medicine at the hospital wing the next few nights but you have to come here on the night of your birthday, alright?” Ginny sighed.
“Alright then, here, take your medicine.” She handed him a bottle and then left his room.
After Ginny had gone Draco relaxed. His room had papers everywhere. They were all copies of the fairy tales Hermione had given him; he had copied them and took them back to his room to analyse. So far he had found out that most fairytales had princes who rescued girls in trouble. There would be a problem at the start but then the hero, which would be the prince, would solve the problem by killing the bad guy and then live happily ever after with the girl.
<I can’t believe Weasley actually likes this kind of stuff. Oh well, a bet is a bet, and I will not lose.>
………………………………………………………………………..
Ginny’s ‘surprise’ birthday party (she already knew about it so it wasn’t much of a surprise) had ended and she could finally get the chance to go to Draco’s room and see what he had come up with. She said the password and stepped into his room.
Ginny was very confident that Draco would lose the bet. He probably didn’t even know what a fairytale was, let alone give one to her. Hell, she didn’t even know how he could give a fairytale to her. She had asked for it because when she was little, her father would read fairytales to her before bedtime and then she would have wonderful dreams about princes on white horses. It had been wonderful.
Draco was sitting in his chair at his desk waiting for her and the moment he saw her he stood up to greet her.
Ginny smiled victoriously. It didn’t look like Draco was going to give her the present she wished for.
“So, Malfoy, are you prepared to lose?” Ginny asked. Draco smirked.
“No, I’m actually prepared to win,” he said smugly. Ginny raised one of her eyebrows.
“Really? Now I really want to know how you plan on winning our bet.”
“Simple,” Draco said and then took a red leather bound book from the top of his desk and handed it to Ginny. “I think this should qualify for me to win.”
Ginny took the book and looked at the front cover. Printed in nice gold cursive writing was the word Rosalie.
Ginny ran her hand over the word in astonishment. “How did you know that was my middle name?” she asked, utterly surprised. Draco smiled.
“I saw Granger writing you a birthday card.”
Ginny then opened the book and read the first few lines. Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there lived a farmer who had a wife, six sons and a lovely daughter named Rosalie.
Ginny couldn’t hold her self up anymore and sat down in one of the chairs next to Draco’s desk.
“You wrote me a fairytale?” she said with wonder and disbelief.
“It was what you wanted wasn’t it?” Draco asked.
“It’s more than what I wanted, it’s absolutely wonderful,” Ginny said cheerfully and returned to start reading her Fairytale.
Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there lived a farmer who had a wife, six sons and a lovely daughter named Rosalie. This merchant and his family lived on a small farm out in the countryside. The farmer and his family worked together to keep the farm running so that they could buy food to feed the whole family.
Unfortunately, during one particular year, the farmer’s land did not grow enough wheat for them to sell and pay for food and necessities, so the farmer had to borrow money from the evil sorcerer, Gobbing. The farmer promised to pay back the money the following year, where he hoped the land would improve and produce more wheat.
For one more year, the farmer and his family lived happily together but when it was time to harvest the wheat to sell and earn money, the farmer found that it was not enough to pay the evil sorcerer back. The Farmer was very worried, and on the night his loan was due the evil sorcerer came and was demanding to get his money back.
“I am sorry, Sir,” the farmer said. “Please give me one more year, and I will give your money back,” the farmer pleaded.
The sorcerer grew angry and sent the Farmer flying to the other side of the room. The noise woke up the whole house and the Farmer’s wife and children came running into the main room.
The sorcerer saw the farmer’s only daughter, Rosalie, and captured her in his arms.
“I will keep your daughter with me until you can pay back the money you owe me.” And then the evil Sorcerer left the house dragging a screaming Rosalie.
The sorcerer made Rosalie help him with his potions everyday and during the night, to prevent her from running away; he turned her into a Red Rose, and placed her on his windowsill.
Every year the farmer would come and beg the sorcerer to give his daughter back but the sorcerer refused because he was greedy and always said that the farmer didn’t have enough money.
Years had gone by and Rosalie was now 16 years old. She was tall and slender with freckled cheeks and a head of long silky red hair. Rosalie was a happy girl but had no friends because during the day the sorcerer always kept her locked up in his dark gloomy house making potions while at night he turned her into a Red Rose to prevent her from escaping.
It was on a bright sunny day that Prince Drake-
Ginny giggled and looked up at Draco who was sitting in the chair opposite of her waiting patiently.
“Prince Drake?” Ginny teased.
“Well, I don’t think there is another name in the world better than that,” Draco said, smiling.
Ginny smiled back and then returned back to her reading.
It was on a bright sunny day that Prince Drake was roaming the countryside on his horse and came across the sorcerer’s gloomy house. He heard from villagers about all the great potions this sorcerer could make and wanted to pay him a visit. Prince Drake knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer.
The sorcerer was out doing business so Rosalie was left alone in the house but a spell prevented her from stepping outside the house. Rosalie opened the door and saw the handsome face of Prince Drake. He was tall, had a head of white blond hair and had silver-gray eyes.
“How may I help you, Sir?” Rosalie asked politely.
“I was hoping to speak to the great sorcerer and ask if he could help me,” the prince answered politely.
“My master is out right now, but you could come in and wait for him if you like,” Rosalie informed the prince.
The prince nodded his head and stepped into the house. Rosalie gestured to a chair for the prince to sit in and he did.
“May I ask what you need my Master for?” Rosalie asked politely.
“I was hoping he could help cure an illness that I have had for many years,” the prince told Rosalie.
“Maybe I could help you, Sir,” she said.
“Really,” the prince said happily. “It is a coughing disease. If I breathe in dust it makes me unable to breath,” Prince Drake told Rosalie of his symptoms.
Rosalie nodded and began taking out ingredients from cupboards and draws.
“What are you doing?” the prince asked.
“Making your cure, Sir,” Rosalie answered.
Prince Drake sat back in his chair and watched as Rosalie expertly mixed ingredients together in a cauldron. After she had finished she poured the potion into a bottle and handed it to the Prince. He took the bottle and looked at Rosalie.
“It should cure you, Sir,” Rosalie said politely.
The prince believed her and drank the potion quickly. He didn’t feel any different so was unable to tell if it worked or not.
Rosalie picked up a hand of saw dust and blew in onto the prince’s face. The prince waved his hands about to clear up the dust and then paused.
“I’m still breathing,” he said cheerfully. Rosalie smiled.
“Then it proves you are cured,” she said. The prince was very grateful.
“Is there anything I can do for you to repay how you have helped me?” he asked her. Rosalie smiled sadly.
“I wish to be free again. Could you help me achieve that?” she asked pleadingly.
Rosalie then told the prince of her story and how the sorcerer was evil and even if her family had enough money to pay him back he would not let her go.
The prince listened to her story and devised a plan to rescue Rosalie. And the only way to save her was to kill the evil sorcerer.
The prince devised a plan to come back at night and kill the evil sorcerer when he was asleep, and told Rosalie to make a potion which could turn her from a red rose and back into a person.
It was midnight that night and Prince Drake crept into the old house quietly. Rosalie had told Prince Drake where the sorcerer slept so he made his was quietly to its room. The sorcerer was indeed sleeping and didn’t notice as Prince Drake held his sword up high and stabbed it through the evil sorcerer’s heart. The sorcerer’s eyes shot open and stared up at Prince Drake while its hand flew out and grabbed the sword, which was stabbed into its heart. Prince Drake was surprised brought out all his courage to push the sword deeper into the sorcerer’s heart. The sorcerer let go of Prince Drake’s sword and his eyes closed shut.
Prince Drake put his knife back into the sheath and descended down the stair to look for Rosalie. He looked through the whole house and finally found her on the kitchen windowsill. A once stemmed rose in a flowerpot, the flower bud was spread wide and was a rich red color. Prince Drake made his way to the windowsill and took out the potion Rosalie had given him this afternoon. He poured it over the rose and watched as it transformed back into the girl he met this morning.
“Thank you, Prince Drake,” Rosalie said gratefully.
“Is that it?” Ginny said disappointed. Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Well, I didn’t know how to end it. All the endings from the fairytales I’ve read were so soppy and boring, not to mention way too cliché.” Ginny sighed.
“I know, but still, it must have a nice ending or it wouldn’t be a fairytale.”
“Why don’t you tell me how you want it to end then, it is your fairy tale after all.” Draco suggested.
Ginny thought about it for a while and then nodded. She handed the book back to Draco where he opened it up on his desk and got a quill ready to write.
“Since you don’t think it should be too soppy, then maybe Prince Drake should take Rosalie back to her family,” Ginny said. “And then she can live happily ever after.”
Draco thought about the idea and nodded his head. “It is much better than the prince marrying her, and then they both live happily ever after,” he said. Ginny also nodded.
“Yeah, now is that original enough for you and not too cliché?” Draco smiled.
“It’s good, but I think I can make it better.”
He turned around in his chair and started to write the story again.
Prince Drake led Rosalie out of the dark, gloomy house and told her he would take her back to her family. She got onto the Prince’s horse sitting in front of him and they set off away from the evil sorcerer’s house.
Prince Drake and Rosalie finally made it back to the farm and he helped her to get off the horse.
“Thank you, sir, for freeing me and also returning me back to my family,” Rosalie said to the prince.
“It was the least I could do to repay you for curing my illness,” the prince answered back.
Rosalie smiled.
Prince Drake then took a bangle out of his pocket and slipped it onto Rosalie’s hand. .
“I don’t know if we will ever meet again, but I would like to give you this for you to remember me by.”
Prince Drake then kissed Rosalie on the cheek and jumped back onto his horse. He took one last look at her and then rode away.
Rosalie looked at the wonderful piece of jewellery on her hand and watched as the Prince disappeared into the horizon. She then walked into her house to see her family again and lived happily ever after.
Draco put his quill down and handed the open book back to Ginny. She stood there reading it and didn’t notice Draco going to his secret little vault. By the time Draco was back to Ginny’s side she had finished reading it and was smiling.
“That was a beautiful story, Malfoy. I guess you win the bet then,” Ginny said to him.
“I knew I would win,” he said confidently. “And now, to give you your birthday present.”
Ginny was confused and held the book up. “But this was my birth-”
“No, that was to win the bet,” Draco cut in. He then took Ginny’s hand gently and from behind his back produced a silver bangle. “This is your real birthday gift.” He then slipped the piece of jewellery onto her hand.
Ginny was clutching the book tightly in one hand while the other hand, which had the bangle on it, was frozen in mid air.
“But, Malfoy, I can’t accept this. It’s…”
“It’s just a simple birthday present,” Draco finished for her.
Ginny looked at Draco and saw that he was very sincere so she accepted it.
“Thank you, Malfoy,” she said smiling.
“Happy Birthday, Weasley.”
End of Chapter Twenty-Four. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty-Five
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
Draco won the bet, so Ginny had taken him to one of the other Holy Passages, as promised. She ended up taking him to the Passage of Character and she made sure that the curtains were covering all the mirrors. She didn’t want them to reveal her thoughts to him and I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted his thoughts to be revealed to her either.
“Well that passage would have been interesting, if you’d only let me actually see a mirror,” Draco said while he and Ginny were walking back to his room from the passage. Ginny was getting annoyed because Draco had been going on about it for ages.
“I told you already, Malfoy, I don’t want you knowing what I’m thinking and I’m sure you don’t want me to know what you think either, so keeping the curtains closed was wise.”
“What about the mirror of Hate then. I don’t mind letting you know about what I hate.” Draco suggested.
“But I don’t want you to know what I hate. Now will you drop it already?”
“Couldn’t you have shown me another passage which was more interesting?” Draco whined. Ginny sighed.
“I wasn’t supposed to show you any of them in the first place. You’re lucky you’ve seen three already.”
“Why aren’t you supposed to show me? And how did you find them in the first place anyway?” Ginny was losing her patience but still remained calm.
“I can’t tell you. You don’t need to know, so stop asking. You know I won’t tell you anyway.” Draco frowned.
“It’s not very fair that you can know everything about me when I know absolutely nothing about you.”
“You already know more about me than anyone else has ever known,” Ginny said sadly.
Draco sighed again. There was no use arguing with her. She would always have an excuse.
They reached the main staircases and then went their separate ways. Ginny went up to the towers and Draco went down to the dungeons.
…………………………………………………………………….
It was the beginning of March now, which meant it was the beginning of spring. The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was in two days so Draco took his team out to the field to practice.
He and his team reached the field and saw the Gryffindor team already there. Draco told his team to wait for him on the side as he went to talk to Harry, the Gryffindor captain.
“Potter!” he yelled.
Harry turned his head around and saw Draco walking towards him.
“Malfoy,” Harry said back. “What are you doing here?” Draco frowned.
“That was what I was going to ask you. We’ve already booked the pitch for today.” Harry frowned.
“But Ron said it was free.” He then called for Ron over his shoulder. Ron heard Harry calling him so he made his way over. When he saw Draco he immediately scowled.
“Yeah, Harry,” Ron said.
“I thought you said the pitch was free today?”
“Well it is now,” Ron said confidently and then took a piece of paper out of his robes and handed it to Draco. Draco read the note and crunched it up in his hand.
“You slimy git,” he growled. Harry was confused.
“Hey, what’s going on, Ron? What was that note about?” Ron had a smug look on his face as he was staring at Draco.
“Nothing really, just a note from McGonagall telling Malfoy here, to get off the pitch so we can practice.” Harry was shocked.
“So they did book the pitch first?” he asked.
“Of course we did, Potter,” Draco said, “I don’t care what any teacher says. We booked the pitch first so we’re not leaving.” His tone was lethal and was aimed at Ron.
“Come on, Ron,” Harry said while putting his hand over his friends shoulder. “They did book it first, we’ll practice tomorrow.”
Ron shook Harry’s hand off his shoulder. “No, Harry. We have permission from the professor, so bugger off, Malfoy!” Ron yelled. Draco got angry.
“Make me, Weasel!”
“I will,” Ron yelled and then pulled his wand out. He aimed it at the quidditch box and the lid snapped open so that the bludgers went flying out. He used his wand to control one of the bludges and sent one flying towards Draco’s head. Draco saw the bludger coming and dodged it easily.
“If you want to play Weasel, then we’ll play,” He growled and then took out his own wand to control the other bludger to fly towards Ron.
The two boys sent the bludgers flying around everywhere trying to hit the other person. Harry and Hermione yelled at them to stop while everyone else on the pitch was too busy dodging the dangerous balls to do anything to stop them.
Madam Hooch came out to the pitch and saw that the two boys were trying to hurt each other.
She blew her whistle loudly and this got the attention of everyone on the pitch. Draco and Ron were also distracted by the sound so were each hit by a bludger. Ron was hit on the back, up near the neck and Draco was hit right in the stomach. Both boys fell to the ground moaning in pain and their teammates went to attend to them. Madam Hooch shook her head in disgust.
“Alright, some people help take the both of them to the Hospital wing, now.”
Hermione and Harry slung Ron’s arms over their shoulders and dragged him in the direction of the castle. Two of Draco’s team members also slung his arms over their shoulders and started taking him back to the castle.
They walked past Madam Hooch but she stopped them for a moment. Both boys were moaning in pain and had scrunched up faces.
“Because of such atrocious behaviour, the both of you are suspended from the up coming match.”
Both Ron and Draco’s eyes bugged out. They wanted to protest but the pain didn’t allow it.
They all reached the hospital wing and walked through the doors. Once they stepped in, Ginny rushed towards them immediately.
“What happened?” Ginny asked Hermione as she gestured for her and Harry to put Ron on a bed.
“Hit by a bludger,” Hermione answered quickly.
Ginny just nodded and then left to show where the two Slytherin’s should put Draco.
“Where you hit by a bludger, too?” Ginny asked Draco softly. Draco just nodded as he hugged his abdomen.
Ginny used her hand to gently move one of Draco’s hands away from his stomach so she could see, but Ron’s voice made her stop.
“Ginny, why aren’t you treating me? I am your brother,” he said grumpily.
“I’m coming,” she yelled to Ron. Ginny then sighed and pulled a blanket over Draco’s curled up body.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said to Draco and he nodded.
Ginny strode over to the other side of the room where Ron was and started attending to him while Hermione was explaining what had happened.
Ron wasn’t injured that badly, but he kept on complaining about a headache so Ginny gave him a potion and then sent him out of the hospital wing.
While Ginny was treating Ron, Madam Pomfrey had gone to attend to Draco and was still not finished. There was a lot of squabbling coming from them so Ginny walked over to see what was happening.
Draco was lying on his back and was holding his shirt down over his stomach. Madam Pomfrey was trying desperately to push Draco’s hands away so she could lift his shirt and attend to his bruises but he refused.
Ginny stood next to Madame Pomfrey and looked at Draco and then back to Madam Pomfrey.
“What’s the matter, Madam?” she asked. Madam Pomfrey released a big sigh.
“Oh Ginny, it’s good you’re here. You can attend to Mr. Malfoy for me,” she said and then went back into her office.
Ginny gave Draco a questioning look.
“What?” Draco said defensively and then relaxed his hold on his shirt. “She was very rough and made the bruises hurt even more.”
Ginny just shook her head and moved Draco’s hands away from his stomach.
She lifted his shirt up and saw the big purple patch in the middle of his nicely toned stomach. She pressed her fingers on it and he winced.
“Sorry,” she said. She then went into the back room and got a container of cream out.
She sat down on the chair beside the bed and then started to apply the cream onto the bruise.
Her touches were feather light and with the help of the cream made the pain slowly ease away. Ginny moved her hand away and looked at Draco.
“Does it feel better?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said softly.
Ginny smiled and then stood up. Draco pulled his shirt back down and sat up on the bed.
She put the lid to the container back on and then sighed. Draco looked up at her.
“What happened, Malfoy?” Ginny asked concerned. She wanted to get both sides of the story but was quiet sure that what Hermione said would be pretty true.
“It was just an argument that went a bit too far, that’s all,” he said coolly.
“I don’t think any argument is worth missing a match for,” Ginny said harshly. Draco groaned.
“Damn, Hooch said I was suspended from the game.”
“And so is Ron. If you had just followed the professor’s orders then you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Why should I? It was your git of a brother who was the idiot and went to the tea…” Draco didn’t continue because Ginny had started to walk away.
“Hey, I’m still talking, you know,” he called out.
“I know, but I don’t want to hear it,” Ginny called back “You can go now; your bruises will heal in no time.”
Draco grumpily got out of bed and stomped out of the hospital wing.
…………………………………………………………………………
Draco was still in a grumpy mood when Ginny came to his room that night. She placed the bottle of medicine on his table and was starting to walk out again. Draco got up quickly from his seat and blocked her path.
“Hey, can’t you listen to what I have to say?” Ginny crossed her arms over her chest.
“If it is insulting any of my family members then I don’t want to hear it.” Draco frowned.
“I was not insulting your brother. I was merely telling the truth. He’s not exactly perfect you know and he is a bloody…” Ginny held her hand up to silence Draco.
“I don’t care what you think about Ron. I just don’t need to hear it. I know he’s not really great but he is still my brother and if you insult him anymore I might do something to shut you up. Don’t force me to do anything to you, Malfoy.” Draco groaned in frustration.
“Why do you have to be so bloody protective of him? I really don’t understand. He’s not even worth your trouble.”
“What Ron is worth to me is not your concern. Just don’t say anything bad about him in front of me and then you’ll be fine.” Draco grumbled to himself,
“Fine.”
“Good,” Ginny said, “I have to go now.” And then she left his room.
<Stupid older brother Weasley. Don’t know how he can have a sister like her when he’s such a big, fat prick. Doesn’t even appreciate what she does and only ignores her anyway,> Draco thought angrily.
………………………………………………………………………
Today was the day of the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. All the stands were packed full of people and Draco was sitting on the side bench down on the pitch waiting for the game to start. He had been looking forward to this match because he wanted to beat Harry and get the snitch first, but now that was impossible.
Someone came and sat down beside him and Draco looked to see who it was. He was shocked to find it was Harry.
“What are you doing here, Potter?” Draco asked. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready to play?” Harry smiled.
“I won’t be playing today, Malfoy. I convinced Madam Hooch that since I am captain then I should be responsible for the actions of my team members. Therefore I should be the one to be punished.”
“Why the hell did you do that?” Draco said incredulously.
“Well this game means a lot to Ron so I thought I’d help him out and let him play. Plus, it wouldn’t be a very good game without some worthy competition.” Harry said while looking at Draco and smiling. Draco smiled slightly back at him.
“Didn’t know you were so competitive, Potter?”
“Well, some healthy competition makes life more interesting. Don’t you think? It’s a pity we couldn’t play a good game together though.” Harry said sadly.
“Maybe we could organise a small match of our own then,” Draco suggested. Harry immediately brightened up.
“You name the time and place, and I’ll certainly be there.”
Draco smirked, “Sure.”
They sat in silence and watched as the players were flying out into the pitch. Harry then took a small container out of his robes and opened it.
Draco leaned over and looked in the container.
“What is that?” he asked. “It looks like plastic.”
“They’re contact lenses,” Harry answered him. “I use them so I can see without my glasses when I play. Fred and George did something on them a couple of day’s ago and said it would help me win so I just wanted to test them out now and see what they meant.”
“How would a piece of plastic help you win, and where do you put it?”
“I don’t know how it would help but it goes into your eye.”
“What! You have to shove that piece of thing into your eye?” Draco cried out.
“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt. You want to try one?” Harry asked and passed the container to him.
Draco just looked at it disgustedly.
“You aren’t scared are you, Malfoy?” Harry teased.
“No,” Draco yelled and then took the container from Harry. “Ok, so how do you put it in then, Potter?”
Harry took one of the contact lens out and then placed it on the side of his eye; he then slid it in slowly. Draco mimicked Harry’s actions and the contact lens went into his eye. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt and he still saw things normally.
“Hey, Potter, why do I still see things clearly? Shouldn’t I see things that are blurry?”
“The Healer placed a spell on them so they adjust to make your vision clear only if you need it, so anyone can wear them and see things clearly.”
“Well I still don’t see how a piece of plastic in your eye can help you win.” Harry nodded.
“Yeah, I don’t know either. Maybe they didn’t do anything and was just joking around. Typical behaviour for Fred and George.”
They were sitting on the bench quietly watching the game when halfway through; Hermione came down to see how Harry was going. She went down from the stands and was at the edge of the pitch on the grass. She called out to Harry to get his attention.
Harry turned to look at Hermione when he heard her voice and then his mouth dropped open. He blinked a couple of times and then closed his left eye. His right eye, which had the contact lens in, could now clearly see Hermione wearing a really nice outfit. It was made up of a black mini skirt with high heels and a tight red tank top. The outfit was a bit revealing, but she looked stunning.
Harry managed to close his right eye and open his left eye, which made him see Hermione blurrily so he put his glasses on while his right eye remained closed. This way Hermione was wearing her normal plain school robes.
Hermione was standing in front of Harry now and was looking at him strangely.
“Is there something wrong with your eye, Harry?” she asked.
“No, nothing’s wrong with it. What are you doing down here anyway Hermione?” Harry managed to say.
Hermione wasn’t paying attention to Harry now because she was feeling uncomfortable at the look Draco was giving her. Harry remembered that Draco had the other contact len in his eye so he slammed one hand over Draco’s left eye.
Both Draco and Hermione were shock by the sudden action.
Draco was struggling to get Harry’s hand away from his eye and Hermione was also trying to pull Harry away from Draco as well.
“Get your hand away from me, Potter,” Draco growled as he was yanking at Harry’s hand.
“Yeah, Harry,” Hermione reasoned. “What are you doing covering up Malfoy’s eye anyway?”
Harry kept his hand firmly in front of Draco’s left eye and turned his head to look at Hermione with only his left eye open. “Nothing Hermione. It’s a guy thing. Maybe you should go back up and watch the game, I’ll talk to you afterwards alright?”
Hermione heard the urgency in Harry’s voice so she didn’t question him and turned to leave.
“Alright then. I’ll talk to you later, Harry,” she waved goodbye and went back up.
Once Hermione was out of sight Draco was able to pry Harry’s hand away from him.
“Bloody hell, Potter. What are you trying to do? Pop my eye out?”
“No, I was stopping you from looking at Hermione in an improper way. Now give me back that contact lens.”
Draco was straining his neck upwards trying to look at Hermione again and Harry got pissed. He pushed Draco back down onto the bench roughly.
“Give it back now, Malfoy, or I’ll rip your eye out!” Harry growled.
Draco sat back down again and removed the lens from his eye. He didn’t really want to see Hermione in that outfit again; he was just doing that to annoy Harry.
Harry took his contact lens out and put both contact lenses back into the container.
“It was a nice surprise the twin Weasley’s gave you?” Draco commented while chuckling.
“Shut up, Malfoy. If Hermione ever finds out about his she’d kill the both of us.”
“Don’t fret, Potter. If you don’t tell and I don’t tell, no one will know. Though the Twin Weasley’s seem to already know about your little crush on Granger.”
Harry grew red in the face and remained silent. Draco laughed at Harry’s shyness.
“I can’t believe that you can dare to face Voldemort but are too scared to admit you like Granger.”
“There is a lot at stake if I admit I like her,” Harry said defensively. His tone then changed to one of curiosity. “And what’s with your sudden change, Malfoy? Is it the influence of a special someone.”
Draco just frowned and Harry prodded him some more.
“So who was that person who pulled you back down to earth?” Draco was confused.
“What do you mean, Potter?”
“Well someone had to pull you back down from the planet ego you were on. Who was it anyway? I’d love to meet the person who could influence you so dramatically.” Draco smirked.
“Even if she was standing right beside you, Potter, you wouldn’t even know her. I hardly even know her myself.”
All the people on the stands then suddenly erupted in cheers and both Draco and Harry looked up into the sky. The quidditch match had ended and they were waiting for the commentator to announce the scores.
“And Gryffindor wins, beating Slytherin by ten points with a score of 250!”
Draco stood up first, followed by Harry. They looked up into the sky once again and saw their team members flying down towards their captains. Draco then turned to face Harry.
“Congratulations, Potter,” he said.
“Thanks, Malfoy.”
End of Chapter Twenty-Five. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty Six
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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There was a big party in the Gryffindor common room that night to celebrate their winning. The party had only just begun when Professor McGonagall stepped into the common room with someone behind her.
She cleared her voice to get everyone’s attention. “Congratulations to Gryffindor on a well-played game. Please keep the noise at a satisfactory level and Miss Granger; please make sure this party does not run too late. There is also someone here to see you, Mr. Potter.”
Professor McGonagall stepped aside and revealed Sirius standing behind her.
“Sirius!” Harry yelled and stepped forward to hug his godfather. They hugged in a guy’s way; you know, with the patting of the back and then stepped apart. Hermione also hugged Sirius more furiously and Sirius patted Ron on the shoulder.
“When did you arrive, Sirius?” Hermione asked.
“Just this morning. I was in the stands hoping to see my godson in action on the quidditch pitch but he was actually sitting out this time.”
Harry felt like he had disappointed Sirius and bowed his head. “But after hearing that he helped a friend out I am very proud.” Sirius smiled at Harry and Harry smiled back.
The four of them, Sirius, Ron, Hermione and Harry sat on a couch talking and enjoying the party. They talked about what was going on in the school, what Sirius had been doing and even about him teaching Harry and Draco.
Sirius had in fact been on duty for the Order investigating some Death Eater’s and since everything has to remain confidential he left out the details and just told them he was working.
It was getting late now so Hermione had to leave the conversation to round up all the people and make sure they went to bed.
Not long after, Ron said he was tired after playing a big game so he retreated to his bed. Harry and Sirius talked for a while longer before Ginny walked into the common room. Ginny saw Sirius and smiled immediately.
“Sirius,” She said excitedly and then went to hug him fiercely. Sirius also hugged her tightly.
When they separated Harry spoke up. “I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ll see you tomorrow morning Sirius. Goodnight Ginny.”
Ginny and Sirius nodded and watched as Harry went up to his dorm.
Ginny sat down excitedly with Sirius.
“So how is my most favourite student?” Sirius said.
Ginny laughed. “I’m your only student Sirius.”
“Not for long. I’m going to be teaching Harry and Draco Malfoy soon.”
“Oh, I better be careful then. Wouldn’t want them to over ride my ‘most favourite student’ position.”
They both laughed.
Ginny had first met Sirius during Christmas of her second year. She had just been through the whole Voldemort diary thing and was still not very stable. She didn’t make friends easily and only had Colin and Amy, and it was during the Christmas break that she found Sirius in a tunnel near her house. He was in the form of dog then and was injured. Ginny felt sorry for him so she came to him everyday to bring him food, dress his wounds and also pour her heart out to what she thought was just a dog. When she went back to Hogwarts after the Christmas break, she was sad that she had to leave him behind but then when she found him near the forbidden forests she thought he had followed her, and so continued to bring him food. It was only at the end of the year that she found out her dog was actually Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather.
She found out that Harry had helped Sirius escape and felt sad because she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. But when she went home for the summer holidays, she found Sirius was hiding in the tunnel she found him in. He was still in dog form so she led him to a secret place near her house that no one knew of. He changed back to a person at that time and thanked Ginny. He wanted to repay Ginny for helping him and since he knew of her situation with the loan at the bank they devised a plan to help her. Sirius was very talented in spying and things along those lines so he taught her what he knew so she could use it to her advantage. That was how they formed a great friendship.
In Ginny’s fourth year, Sirius was found to be innocent and so he could be seen in public again. He still taught her things and even treated her like a daughter. This puzzled everyone, because they didn’t know about what they had been through together. He found out that she sometimes had to go to dangerous places, so since he had control of his vault at Gringotts again he decided to give her his Family Heirloom so she could be protected. Harry already had one of his own and since Ginny was like a daughter to him he wanted her to have it.
The laughter stopped and Sirius spoke seriously.
“How are you Ginny?” he asked concerned.
Ginny smiled, “I’m fine. Same old, same old.”
Sirius nodded. “How long to go until you can stop?” he asked sadly.
“Not that long. I can still manage till then.”
Sirius sighed. “I can give you the money now you know, Ginny. I want to help you.”
Ginny shook her head. “You have helped me a lot already, Sirius. The knowledge you have passed onto me is more than enough. Not to mention all the years you have had to hear me rant on about my life,” Ginny said and smiled at him.
Sirius patted Ginny’s hand; he knew she was very proud and stubborn so there was no use in trying to persuade her. “Alright, you go do what you need to do then. But if you ever need anything, just ask.”
Ginny nodded. They both stood up and hugged briefly before Sirius left and went to his own room.
………………………………………………………………………..
After the weekend, Sirius had requested that Harry and Draco have extra lessons after class to make up for the lost time, so they did. Harry and Draco walked into the room and saw Sirius standing in the middle in only his pants and a t-shirt.
“Come in, Harry, Draco.”
They both stepped into the room and closed the door behind them.
“Why are you dressed like that Sirius?” Harry asked.
“Well I have decided to teach you unarmed battle. Some times you can be unarmed and still have to catch a suspect so I want you to be physically able to capture them as well as magically.”
Both of them nodded.
“Now I know the both of you are part of a Quidditch team so you must be pretty fit. I will only be teaching you some martial art moves so that you can make use of your physical abilities. Now take your cloaks and jumpers off. You will have to be in just your pants and shirt for this lesson.”
Harry and Draco complied and shed their cloaks, jumpers and ties.
Sirius then told them to follow his actions.
………………………………………………………………………..
Draco flopped backwards onto his bed still in his uniform. He was too tired to change his clothes and all he wanted to do was sleep. The portrait creaked open and Ginny walked into the room. She saw Draco on the bed still in his uniform and thought it was weird.
“What’s the matter with you, Malfoy?” She asked looking down on him while she was standing beside his bed.
Draco groaned. “That godfather of Potter’s, Sirius Black, made us do martial arts after class today and now all my muscles are too sore to move.”
“Ah, the martial arts lessons. They were always hard,” Ginny said understandingly as she sat down in a chair beside his bed.
Draco was in pain but still managed to roll onto his side so he could see Ginny.
His brows were furrowed in confusion. “Why does it sound like you’ve learned from him before?” He said.
Ginny smiled. “That’s because I did, and still, learn from Sirius. Who do you think taught me how to gather information?”
Understanding dawned on Draco. “That explains a lot. So you’re one of his students,” he said.
“Yes I am. Now here is your medicine,” Ginny said and then handed him a vial.
Draco groaned as he lifted his hand to get his medicine. “Too bad there isn’t a spell to heal sore muscles,” He said and then drank it.
Ginny smiled. “There may not be a spell but it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to heal sore muscles in another way.”
Draco raised his eyebrows. “You know a way?” he said.
Ginny nodded and stood up. She took her cloak off and rolled her sleeves up. “Sit up for a minute, will you,” She said. He was having trouble doing that so she had to help pull him up.
When he was sitting up she helped him remove his jumper and tie.
“What are you doing, Weasley?” Draco said curiously with a hint of excitement.
“Just lie on your stomach and then you’ll see,” She answered.
Draco did that with some help from Ginny and was now resting his chin on his hands while lying on his stomach.
Ginny sat on the side of the bed and then place her hands on his shoulder. She began massaging his shoulder and slowly making her way down his back and then back up again.
Draco moaned and Ginny smiled. She moved her hands from his shoulders along to the side of his arms and then back again.
“That feels great, Weasley,” Draco said softly.
Ginny continued massaging while talking to him. “This isn’t great. If you want great you should try Colin’s massages. His technique is really wonderful.”
An image of Ginny lying on her bed in a flimsy shirt with Colin running his hands all over her back made its way into Draco’s mind and he tensed up.
“His fingers are so soft and he uses just the right amount of strength. It really feels like heaven.” Ginny continued.
Draco was clutching the quilt under him now and had his jaw locked.
Ginny could feel him tense up and smiled mischievously. “Well, that’s what I hear from Amy anyway,” She finished.
Draco immediately relaxed and knew that she was playing with him so he flipped over quickly which causing Ginny to fall on top of him. Draco didn’t expect to do that and froze, as did Ginny. Her hands were the only things holding her head up, away from Draco’s and their eyes were locked. Draco could feel her body on top of his and swallowed the lump, which had formed in his throat.
Ginny was the first to snap out of it and sat up quickly. Draco also leaned up onto his elbows and looked at her with a weird feeling.
Ginny got off the bed and was quickly rolling down her sleeves. “I think I should go now,” She said quickly while putting her cloak back on.
Draco cleared his throat. “Ah, yeah. Thanks for the, um, massage,” he said awkwardly.
“You’re welcome,” Ginny said softly and then left the room in a hurry.
Draco’s heart was racing as he flopped back onto his bed and rubbed his face with his hand. <What the hell is wrong with me? It was just a massage. Get over it.>
Draco pulled the covers over his head and forced himself to go to sleep.
………………………………………………………………………
Ginny closed the portrait and leaned against it. She had her eyes closed and held her hand over her heart trying to stop it from jumping out. <Control yourself, Ginny> she told herself.
Someone cleared their throat and Ginny snapped her head to the side.
“Sirius,” she whispered. Ginny stood up properly and walked away from the portrait towards him.
“I think we need to chat, Ginny,” Sirius said. Ginny nodded and followed him back to his room.
They sat at a coffee table in Sirius’s room and had two cups of tea in front of them. Sirius was leaning back onto his chair next to Ginny very relaxed but Ginny was sitting straight and rigidly in her seat. The silence was killing her so she thought it was time for her to start explaining.
“I only go there to give him his medicine,” She said bluntly.
Sirius sat up straight in his chair and looked Ginny in the eye. “I know. Hermione told me about what you are doing with Draco,” he said casually.
Ginny relaxed. “Good, then you know it’s nothing important,” she said hopefully.
Sirius looked at her sceptically, “Don’t lie to me, Ginny.”
“I’m not lying,” Ginny said, her pitch slightly higher.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. “I’ve known you for four years now Ginny and I’m also your teacher. Don’t I deserve the truth?” he said, hurt.
Ginny felt ashamed and bowed her head. Sirius placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
“You know, I always wondered what made you lose the crush you had on Harry. But I think I know now,” he said gently.
Ginny looked up at Sirius and shook her head. “It wasn’t because of him,” she said. “I stopped liking Harry because I saw that it wouldn’t work between us. We don’t have much in common and he only sees me as a little sister.”
“Then what about Draco? I can tell it’s more than just giving him medicine. Do you like him?” Sirius asked gently. Though Sirius had only been at school for a few days, he was a master of spying and also knew Ginny well enough to make very accurate conclusions.
Ginny sucked a big breath of air in. “It doesn’t matter. I can already see it wouldn’t work,” she said shakily.
Sirius pulled her in for a hug and tried to comfort her. “You’re too hard on yourself, Ginny. How do you know it won’t work if you don’t try?” he said into her ear.
Ginny pulled back and looked at him. “We’re too different, Sirius. He’s a Slytherin and I’m a Gryffindor. He’s rich and I’m poor. He’s popular and I’m just normal. Society wouldn’t accept it, and the most important thing is that our families hate each other. It wouldn’t work, even if we tried. So why waste the time.”
“But it wouldn’t be fair on him if he likes you too,” Sirius reasoned.
Ginny laughed sadly. “He doesn’t like me. I’m a Weasley. We only associate with each other strictly for business purposes only. He found out I was the Source, and to stop him from telling everyone I promised to cure his Vervexia. Once I have made the cure it will be the end of our meetings and nothing will ever develop between us.” Ginny said so certainly.
Sirius sighed. He couldn’t convince Ginny to do anything, especially if it was something her family wouldn’t like. And having a relationship or friendship with their enemy is not what her family would approve of.
“Alright, Ginny, I trust you know what you are doing.”
“I do know what I’m doing Sirius. Don’t worry, everything is under control,” Ginny said reassuringly and then left his room.
Sirius watched sadly as Ginny left. <The problem is that love cannot be controlled.> he thought.
………………………………………………………………………..
It was three AM and her roommates were sound asleep and had their curtains closed, so Ginny was safe to take out something private. She would have gone to her office, but a lot of students like to go there at this time and place letters of request into the drawer, so she couldn’t go there.
Ginny had the desk lamp on and had a metal box in front of her. She opened the lock, which was charmed to open to her fingerprints only and lifted the lid. Inside the metal box was a green, leather-bound book, which also had a lock on it, and Ginny reached in to take it out. She pushed the box aside and placed the book on her desk. Ginny ran her fingers over a gold cursive D, which was printed on the cover, and then pressed a button, which unlocked the book. It was also charmed to open for her fingerprints only.
She opened the hard cover of the book and inside was some parchments, which were placed in-between the pages. She lifted the pieces of parchments and looked at them.
There was a photo of a 13-year-old Draco at the top of the page and then under that was some writing.
Name: Draco Malfoy or titled Master Malfoy.
Date of Birth: 17th May
School House: Slytherin
Favourite colour: Black, Blue, Green and Silver,
Favourite Food: Apple pie
Favourite Drink: Lemon Squash.
Favourite Sport: Quidditch
Ambitions: To be the richest man in the Wizarding world.
To be an Auror
To be a famous Seeker
Talents: Brilliant potions student
Great Piano Player
Fluent in Latin and French
Wonderful seeker
Excellent business mind
Good intimidator.
First Rate heart breaker
Personality: Cold on the outside but very caring on the inside.
Charming and Romantic to those he likes.
Respects people who he sees are talented and worth respecting
Is a gentleman towards ladies
Keeps his feelings to himself and doesn’t express them easily
Absolute neat and hygiene freak
Courageous and daring
Can be sensitive
Family and Relations: A mother who loves and pampers him
A father who is proud of him and pushes him to be his best (But recently died)
An Uncle named Edward Malfoy
No cousins
Grandparents are all dead
Residence: Lives in a mansion and has his own bedroom, bathroom and study.
Has his own room at Hogwarts because he is head boy.
Personally owns 3 houses, one in Paris, one in the snowy mountains of the Alps, one in Ireland in the middle of a meadow.
Responsibilities: Heir to Malfoy Family
Takes care of his mother
Will take over family business and has control of all Malfoy Family finances
To produce an heir
Secrets: Likes the muggle writer Shakespeare and has all his plays
Want’s to find a true friend
Would like to travel the world some day
Wants to grow a garden of his own
Fears: Scared of mice
Scared of disappointing people he respects, like his father
There were more parchments and they all just listed out the many things Ginny knew about Draco. Three years worth of knowledge was placed into those pieces of parchments and was the most valuable thing Ginny had. She placed the parchments aside and looked at the contents in the book. It was actually a photo album, but with a difference. Under each photo was the date and also was a paragraph illustrating her thoughts.
At the top of the first page were the words FOURTH YEAR
(AN: Fourth Year for Draco, meaning Ginny was in her Third Year)
Then there was a photo of Draco sitting at the Slytherin table looking bored and occasionally sighing.
And under the photo were some words.
September 1st 1998
He was just announced as a prefect for his house but doesn’t even look happy. I often wonder if he’s ever happy at all.
Ginny remembered that this was the first secret photo she took. Sirius had just given her the first lesson on how to do things without people noticing, and Draco was the first person Ginny wanted to get some secrets from. She remembered thinking that it would be helpful for her to blackmail him someday.
Then there was a picture of Draco yelling at a first year in the hall.
September 5th 1998
It has only been a few days into the term and he has already started to exploit his rights as a prefect. Does it really please him to hurt others?
Ginny smiled. She knew the answer to that now. It was no. She didn’t know it at the time but now she knew that sometimes Draco did things so people would fear him and prevent them from trying to get close. Ginny then skipped a few pages.
She came to a photo of Draco helping a first year find a book in the library. The picture showed him roughly shoving the book into the first year’s hands and waiting for him to go, and then after he had left Draco’s mouth twitched up a bit.
October 16th 1998
I can’t be sure if it’s a smile but I think there is something more to Draco Malfoy than what he portrays. He might not be that bad.
Ginny remembered that being the first time where she thought of Draco as being someone different from what her brothers told her about him. She had used three years to find out the truth about him and she was delighted to know that he really was different from what everyone thought; he was special.
Then there was a picture of Draco looking up at the Christmas decorations and smiling.
December 20th 1998
I finally got to see him smile, but it’s sad because he only does it when he thinks there is no one else around.
Ginny smiled at the comment she wrote. Through out the years she was able to secretly see Draco smile more and she had also figured out the difference between his smirk and a slight smile. She was very proud that she could do that.
Ginny flipped through the pages quickly and occasionally giggled softly.
There was a photo of Draco covered in cream and other food crumbs while standing in the Great hall. The photo showed him throwing foods and smiling happily.
October 30th 1999
A food fight was started and he joined in. It’s not very often that I see him having fun and letting himself step out of the neat and tidy line.
Ginny didn’t recall any other moments after that where Draco acted like that again, so this photo was very precious to her.
Then there was a photo of Draco on his broom and flying around the Quidditch pitch with the snitch in his hand.
June 24th 2000
He was finally able to accomplish what he has wanted to do for ages, and that is to get the snitch before Harry.
Ginny remembered shouting for joy quietly and having the urge to go and congratulate him, but she never did because it would have been too weird.
Ginny flipped to the middle of the book and found her last entry.
There was a picture of Harry and Draco sitting together on the Quidditch bench and looking like they were talking.
March 5th 2002
Though he wasn’t able to compete with Harry for the snitch again in his lat year at Hogwarts, I don’t think that it’s that important for him to beat Harry anymore.
Ginny smiled and took out a picture, which she had recently taken with her spy camera. It was this camera that had helped her capture the many special moments in Draco’s life through out these three years.
It was a photo of Sirius, Harry and Draco practicing martial arts moves while just in their pants and shirts.
Ginny glued the picture into the book under her last entry and picked up a quill to add some words.
March 8th 2002
He’s really enjoying the Auror training with Harry and Sirius. It’s another step closer for him to achieve one of his ambitions of being an Auror. And maybe make a few friends at the same time.
Ginny sighed happily and closed the photo album. She then stood and looked into the metal box where she saw the fairytale Draco had written for her. She smiled, before placing the parchments back into the photo album and locked it. She then placed the album back into the metal box and locked that too. Ginny lifted the metal box off her desk and went to put it back at the bottom of her trunk before she slipped into bed and fell asleep.
End of Chapter Twenty-Six. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny was walking down the hall alone. She was going to the hospital wing. Ginny wasn’t in any hurry because she had left breakfast early and had a good amount of time before she had to go to her first class.
Ginny was skipping down the hall in a very good mood because she had a wonderful dream last night about Draco. It was one of the many frequent nice ones she had, and this particular one was of her and Draco ice-skating on the frozen lake alone.
Her dreams about him would always start with her standing alone on the flat white lake and then Draco would grab her waist from behind and swing her around. They would then hold hands and he would guide her around on the lake, skating happily, but this wasn’t the nice part though. It was after they had finish skating that he would stop to hold her hands and look at her intently. She would then look into his silver eyes and hear him say ‘I love you’. She would then say it back and together they would lean in for a kiss. Usually Ginny would wake up just before they kissed, but last night her dream allowed her to kiss him. Even though it was only a dream it was enough.
Ginny smiled at the memory of her dream. These dreams were what kept her love for Draco under control and prevented her from just going up to him and kissing him silly. She knew she could never be with him and she didn’t even consider trying it. She had been observing him for years and was satisfied with just knowing what he was doing, yes it did sound like she was a psycho stalker, but knowing all about him was the closest she could get to him. This new development with his Vervexia though, was really something Ginny couldn’t have wished more for. Not for him to be sick but for the chance to spend some time with him before he left.
However, what happened last night was starting to make Ginny worry and reconsider if she should see him that often anymore. She was afraid that Draco might be developing feelings for her, and if he did then things would start to get complicated. She knew that if he really did end up loving her, he would do anything for them to be together, even if it meant turning his back on family, friends and society. She couldn’t allow him to ruin his future for something that can never be.
Ginny was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that dust and little pebble sized pieces of the ceiling were dropping down around her. An arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her backwards, just in time for a big chunk of the ceiling to miss her. Ginny snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to meet a pair of silver grey eyes.
“Malfoy?” Ginny whispered. She still had not comprehended what had happened so was still in a daze.
“Merlin, Weasley. Watch where you are walking will you,” Draco said irritably.
Ginny looked at the ground and saw the big piece of ceiling just a few centimetres away from where her foot was.
Draco only just started to feel the warmth of Ginny pressed against him and involuntarily hugged her closer. Draco’s sudden move snapped Ginny out of her daze and she looked at him again.
“Malfoy!” a loud voice echoed in the hall.
Ginny and Draco’s head whipped to the side and saw Ron stomping towards them; with Harry and Hermione close behind. Ron stopped right in front of them and yanked Ginny out of Draco’s arms.
“What the hell are you doing with my sister?” Ron questioned Draco angrily.
Draco was annoyed that Ginny was forcefully removed from his embrace but didn’t show it. “I was saving her from a falling piece of the ceiling,” he answered Ron coldly
The sight of Draco always made Ron furious, and even though it sounded very logical, Ron still didn’t believe it and thought Draco had alternative motives. He was about to yell at Draco again but then felt Ginny pulling on his arm.
“Ron,” Ginny hissed in embarrassment. “Malfoy was just helping me, can we just go now already,” she practically begged while pulling him away.
“Yes, Ron,” Hermione chipped in. “You’ll be late for class if you don’t hurry.”
Ron was hesitant to go but then gave Draco one last death glare before turning around and mumbling about stupid Malfoy’s. “Come on, guys,” Ron said and gestured to his two friends.
“I’ll just clean this mess up first,” Hermione said.
Ron just nodded and started walking away with Ginny and Harry. Ginny turned her head around quickly to give Draco an apologetic look before rounding the corner.
Hermione didn’t miss this and turned to look at Draco.
“Help me clean this up, Malfoy,” Hermione said to him.
Draco didn’t say a word and just conjured up an automatic broom and spade. They also conjured up barriers to prevent other students from coming into the dangerous hallway.
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Draco was pacing his room and deep in thought. That was the second time he had felt something special when Ginny was near him, and he couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Well it’s definitely not love,” he thought out aloud. “It never felt like that with my other girlfriends, plus I would never feel that way towards a Weasley.”
Draco frowned. “Then what is it?” And then he paced some more.
“Maybe it’s because I’m spending too much time with her. But then, it’s nice when she’s around. Why is that though?”
Draco groaned in frustration. “This is getting me no where, plus I’m now talking to myself and acting like an idiot.”
“Who’s acting like an idiot,” said another voice.
Draco turned his head around and saw Ginny standing in his room. Draco was like a deer caught in headlights.
“Ah… no one in particular,” he managed to say.
Ginny nodded and then handed him his medicine. Draco accepted it and drank it quickly.
Ginny took the vial back but was still standing in front of Draco, like she was waiting for something.
“Malfoy?” Ginny said softly.
“Yeah?” Draco answered slowly.
Ginny looked up and her face showed confusion and sadness at the same time.
“I think that maybe it would be better if you go pick up your medicine from the Hospital wing from now on.”
“What? Why?” Draco was panicking. He didn’t know why but he just didn’t want to go the hospital wing to get his medicine.
Ginny was fidgeting with her hands. “Well, I don’t think it’s…” Ginny was struggling to find a word. “appropriate for me to come to your room at night, that’s all. I will still find you your cure; I just won’t be giving you your daily medicine personally.”
Draco was taking in all that she was saying, and then frowned. “Is this because of last night,” he asked
Ginny couldn’t look into his eyes as he looked at her intently. “Er…not exactly. I mean it did make me think a bit but…Oh, I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.” Ginny managed to say. But inside she was feeling the opposite. <It feels too right to be with you, so I’m afraid you will get too attached to me>
Draco was now confused. Ginny always knew what to say, do and think, but now she was so lost. “Well I think it feels fine. Last night wasn’t anything, Weasley, I am definitely not interested in you so you don’t have to worry about me doing anything.” Draco reassured her.
Ginny felt a tinge of pain at the declaration of Draco’s non-interest in her, but her brain told her that it was what she wanted: for him not to be interested in her.
“Then why does it matter whether I come give you your medicine or not,” Ginny challenged him. It was her heart, which made her say this, and not her logical brain.
Draco was stuck on this question. It was something he had been trying to figure out but still did not have an answer to. He felt that he enjoyed seeing her every night but couldn’t understand why. He knew that he was not thinking of her in any sexual way, which was what made this feeling so weird.
Ginny was waiting patiently for Draco to answer and could see that he was thinking.
“Well, Malfoy?” she urged him.
“I...er… I enjoy your company,” Draco said. “It’s interesting to have you around, because then I have access to everyone’s secrets. That’s why I want you to deliver my medicine.” <That sounds reasonable,> Draco congratulated himself and hoped that Ginny would believe it.
Ginny thought about it for a while. <So he enjoys my company. Even though it is just for the secrets, it’s still nice. He is leaving this year and then I won’t have another chance to be with him, so I should really treasure this opportunity.>
Draco was studying Ginny’s face and trying to figure out what she was thinking but couldn’t. He was beginning to panic but then she smiled.
“Alright, Malfoy, I’ll keep on bringing you your medicine, but Hermione and Sirius already know about it and even that’s two too many. If anyone else finds out, then you’ll have to go pick it up yourself. Deal?”
Draco smiled. “Deal” <As long as she is here, and it feels right, then who cares about what feeling it is,> he thought. So he stopped trying to figure out what it was and just enjoyed his time with her.
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Ginny was walking down the stairs to the common room the next morning and saw Hermione sitting at a table with sheets of paper spread all around her. It was pretty early, even for Hermione, so Ginny walked over to see what she was doing.
“Good morning, Hermione,” Ginny greeted.
Hermione lifted her head up and smiled. “Good morning, Ginny. Did you sleep well?” she greeted back.
“Yeah,” Ginny replied and then sat down “What are you doing?” she asked.
Hermione sighed heavily and then slumped back into the chair. “I have to get funds to help refurnish that rotten ceiling. You know the ceiling in the corridor you were in yesterday.”
Ginny nodded. “Is it going to cost a lot? Doesn’t the school have any money?”
Hermione shook her head. “To fix such an old building would cost a lot and the school doesn’t have enough cash right now. It works out that we’re missing around 200 Galleons, and we need that money quick. If that roof isn’t fixed soon the damage could spread to the other connecting ceilings.”
Ginny frowned. “It sounds really bad.”
Hermione sighed again. “You have no idea. Now the problem is finding the extra 200 Galleons, and being Head Girl its part of my duty to help out.”
Ginny didn’t know what to say. 200 Galleons wasn’t a small amount and it would not be easy to get.
“Hey, Ginny, I was thinking of using a muggle idea to raise the money. Do you think it would work?” Hermione asked.
“Depends on what it is,” Ginny said.
Hermione sat up straight and started to explain. “Well, at my cousin’s school they had a day where they auctioned off teachers to students for one day. Who ever had the highest bid got to buy the teacher and spend one whole day with them to do whatever they wanted. Usually it was for tutoring in a particular subject but it still worked to raise money. So do you think it would work here?”
Ginny thought about the idea for minute and then smiled. “I think it would be really great. Except I don’t think the teachers would like to be auctioned off.”
Hermione nodded. “Yeah, that’s why I was planing to auction off some special students instead. Like prefects and Quidditch Captains.”
Ginny also nodded. “Yeah, that would be good. So are you going to organise that now?”
“I already have the names of all the prefects and captains, so all I have to do now is ask if they are willing to do this.”
“I’m sure they would, it would be so fun.” Ginny smiled.
Hermione also smiled. “Yeah, I’m hoping it will work. Thanks Ginny, you’re a great help.”
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Hermione spent all morning going around the school asking people to do this favour for her. All of them eventually agreed, but some needed more persuading than others. The last person on her list was Draco Malfoy, and Hermione knew he would be difficult.
“Why don’t you just do the auction without him, Hermione?” Ron asked during lunch.
“Because he’s Head Boy, so he should contribute to this cause.”
Ron just mumbled an indignant reply and went back to eating. Hermione spotted Draco walking out of the hall and got up to follow him so they could talk privately.
Hermione stopped Draco in the Hall and asked him to give her a few minutes so she could explain what she wanted to do.
“No,” was Draco’s answer.
“Come on, Malfoy, you’re Head Boy; you should participate in this so you can be a role model for younger students,” Hermione reasoned with him.
“I said no, Granger. I will not be sold off to some idiot at a school auction,” he said sternly.
“It’s not like you have to stay with them forever, it’s only for 24 hours.”
Hermione continued to reason with Draco and tried to persuade him to agree.
Ginny was rounding the corner and saw Hermione having a heated conversation with Draco.
“You do practically nothing, so this is the least you could do to help out,” Hermione was saying.
“Well what can I do when you hog everything to do for yourself,” Draco argued.
Ginny had made her way to Hermione’s side now and was trying to understand the situation. The moment she arrived, Draco stopped his yelling and became quiet. Hermione raised her eyebrow at Draco’s sudden change of behaviour.
“What’s going on, Hermione?” Ginny asked quietly.
“Nothing really, Ginny. Just that Malfoy here is being a prat and won’t cooperate.”
“Hey, who are you calling a prat?” Draco said defensively.
“You of course, ferret,” Ron’s voice came from behind them.
Draco frowned as Ron joined into the conversation; Harry was also standing with them now.
“Come on, Hermione,” Harry said as he placed a hand on Hermione’s shoulder “If Malfoy doesn’t want to help then just let him be.” And then he turned Hermione around to walk away.
Ron also placed his hand on Ginny’s shoulder and was leading her away.
“Make sure you keep away from him, Ginny,” Ron was saying in Ginny’s ear. “That prat is bad news.”
Draco clenched his hand into fists at what Ron was telling Ginny. <How dare that git belittle me in front of her and tell her to keep away from me!>
And then Draco stomped away angrily.
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Ginny entered Draco’s room and found him sitting at his desk reading a book. After Ginny had put her bag down Draco had swung around in his chair and was looked at her expressionlessly.
Ginny threw his medicine to him and he caught it easily and then drank it.
“Why won’t you help, Hermione?” Ginny asked.
Draco sighed. He knew she would ask him about that. “Because I don’t want to make a fool out of myself in front of the whole school.”
“How would you be doing that? It’s only a harmless auction to help the school.”
“Having a price being placed on me is very insulting. I like to think of myself as being priceless. And I am. No one can just buy a Malfoy,” he said arrogantly.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “This is about your ego again isn’t it?” she said exasperatedly.
“It’s not about my ego; it’s about pride and dignity. I refuse to be sold.”
Ginny smirked. “You’re just scared that no one would want to buy you, or someone else would have a higher price than you.”
“I am not scared,” Draco said defensively.
“Then prove it,” Ginny challenged.
Draco was silent but then smirked. “Nice try, Weasley, but I will not fall for your little trick.”
<Damn!> Ginny thought. “Fine, then don’t go into the auction.”
Draco smiled at his victory. “Why is it so important to you for me to go into this auction anyway?” he asked.
“Because you would help the school raise a lot of money.”
“How?” Draco asked curiously
“All the girls in your house are mostly rich, and they would love to get a chance to spend a day with you, at a high price of course.”
Draco understood now. Ginny was saying that he was worth quite a lot.
“So will you do it?” Ginny asked hopefully.
“I’ll think about it,” Draco said.
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The auction was going to be held this Thursday and the rules were as follows.
Students will be sold to the highest bidders and are required to stay with their buyer for 24 hours. These hours will be split up into two parts. The first 12 Hours will start on Friday at 9:00 am and last until 9:00pm that night. All purchased students must follow their buyers to class and stay with them after class until the required time.
The next set of 12 hours will be held on Saturday and will also run from 9:00 am till 9:00 pm. Activities done on that day are solely up to the buyer.
NOTE: School rules still apply through out this auction.
(AN: I’ve read other stories where they have had this auction thing and they made it one whole 24 hours so that the girl had to stay with the guy over night and *cough* *cough* you know, naughty things happened. So I have made my auction a little different and they will only be together during the day, and since the little note at the bottom says the school rules apply it means no inappropriate requests from buyers. I just thought I should make that clear.)
All students and teachers were in the hall after classes on Thursday and Dumbledore was going to start the auction.
“Thank you all for being here today,” Dumbledore said loudly. “Today’s Student Auction was organized by our Head Girl, Hermione Granger, and all proceeds will be going to rebuild the broken ceiling in the east wing, so I hope you will all bid highly. With everything said, let the auctions begin.”
The hall then erupted in screams and cheers. Lee Jordan, the Weasley Twins good friend had heard about the auction and volunteered to come back to school and be the auctioneer. He was after all, very good with words.
“Alright ladies and gentlemen. Today we will be auctioning off students who have special positions at Hogwarts and first off will be the Prefects.”
The prefects were each asked to come onto the stage and auctioned off while Lee told the audience about whom they are and what their position was.
After a long time of slowly auctioning off some common students it came to our group of famous people.
“And now we have Ronald Weasley.” Gryffindor cheered and screamed. Ron walked up to the stage and was standing there, waiting for bids while Lee was introducing him.
“Here we have Ronald Weasley, youngest son in the Weasley Family. Ron is currently Captain of the Hogwarts Chess team and is also Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Now are there any bids?”
“One Sickle,” yelled a first year blond girl from Gryffindor.
“Two Sickles,” a girl from Hufflepuff screamed.
“Five Sickles,” came another yell from across the room.
Bids were placed and getting higher and higher, until it was up to a 5th year blond girl from Ravenclaw who had bit 2 Galleons and 8 Sickles. If no one bid any higher he would be sold to her.
“Two Galleons and 8 Sickles, going once,” Lee yelled. “Two Galleons and 8 sickles, going twice. Come one people. We have Captain of the Chess club here and also wonderful Keeper on the Quidditch team. Calling for the last time: Two Galleons and 8 Sickles…”
“Three Galleons,” came a high scream. All heads turned and landed on Lavender Brown.
“Alright, we have three Galleons. Any bids higher than three Galleons? Anyone?” Lee was looking around but everyone was quiet. “OK then, three Galleons, going once. Three Galleons going twice, three Galleons going for the third and last time…” Lee hit a hammer on the bench loudly. “And sold, to the lovely Miss Lavender Brown.”
There were cheers and screams as Ron ran down the stage towards Lavender and kissed her on the cheek.
“Alright, next up is our one and only Head Girl of Hogwarts, Hermione Granger!” Again there were extra loud cheers from the Gryffindor table as Hermione walked up to the stage.
“Miss Granger is Head Girl this year at Hogwarts and is also the sole founder of S.P.E.W. She has been top of her class 6 years in a row and has wonderful achievements in Transfiguration. Bid for her and she could give you a one on one transfiguration lesson.”
After saying that, a lot of students who had difficulty with transfiguration were bidding.
“Two Sickles!”
“Five Sickles!”
“Ten Sickles!”
“One Galleon!”
“One Galleon and two Sickles!”
“One Galleon and 12 Sickles!”
Lee was following all the hands being raised and numbers being called out and Hermione was blushing at all the bids she was getting. From what she could hear, it was up to five Galleons now.
“Five Galleons and five Sickles!”
“Five Galleons, seven Sickles!”
“Five Galleons, 11 Sickles!”
“Ten Galleons!” Boomed a voice. All bids stopped and people turned around trying to find who placed such high bid. Harry raised his hand. “Ten Galleons for Hermione Granger.”
Lee widened his eyes but then cleared his voice. “OK, does anyone else have a higher bid?” He looked around but all was silent. “Ten Galleons going one, twice and three times.” Lee’s hammer stuck again, “Sold to Harry Potter at ten Galleons.”
Hermione was smiling very widely as she made her way down the stage to hug Harry.
“Harry, you didn’t have to double the price in just one bid,” she whispered quickly.
Harry just smile at her, “Hey, you’re worth even more than ten Galleons. I think I’ve gotten you at a bargain price.”
Hermione hit Harry playfully and he smiled even more.
“Next up is our Head Boy this year, Mr. Draco Malfoy!” Super loud screams and cheers came from the Slytherin table as Draco walked up to the stage.
“Draco Malfoy is Head boy this year at Hogwarts and is also Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He-” Lee was unable to finish because bits we already being thrown his way.
“Ten Sickles!”
“One Galleon!”
“Two Galleons!”
“Two Galleons and seven Sickles!”
“Three Galleons!”
“Five Galleons!”
“Six Galleons!”
Bids were coming very fast and Lee’s head was turning from one side of the Hall to the other trying to catch up with who was bidding.
Draco was standing there, bored as hell. He only agreed to do this because Hermione kept pestering him about this being his ‘duty’ as Head Boy and had to contribute to the school. But it was also because Ginny had personally asked him as well. Speaking of which, he was trying to search for Ginny in the crowd of people. <I wonder if she would bid?> he thought but he knew she wouldn’t because she didn’t have that much money. Even if she did she would use it to pay off that loan her family has rather than buy him.
“Eleven Galleons and eight Sickles!”
“Twelve Galleons and nine Sickles!”
“Thirteen Galleons and five Sickles!”
Draco was getting sick of all these girls biding for him. He didn’t want to spend a day with any of them.
“Twenty Galleons,” he yelled out to the crowd.
Lee Jordan looked at him shocked. Draco just stared back at him.
“There’s no rule saying I can’t bid for myself,” Draco said matter-of-factly “I would like to buy myself.”
Lee Jordan pondered the idea for a while and then nodded. “True, There’s no rule saying you can’t buy yourself. I just have to sell to the highest bidder, so is there anyone else who can offer more that 20 Galleons?”
All the girls trying to bid for a day with Draco sighed and sat back down defeated. Even Pansy Parkinson gave up because she knew Draco would just raise the bid higher until he could buy himself back. Merlin knows he could afford it.
“Alright then, going once, twice and three times.” Lee slammed the hammer “Sold back to Mr. Malfoy himself!”
There was clapping and cheering from the male population of Slytherin because they supported Draco’s idea of not being sold to some girl for a day.
The noise died down and Lee continued onto the next student, “Next up is Harry Potter.”
There were screams and cheers from Gryffindor but also from girls in other houses.
Harry stepped up onto the stage and looked into the crowd. He was looking into the eyes of one Hermione Granger and smiled at her sweetly.
“Harry Potter is currently Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and is also defeater of the Dark Lo-”
“Lee,” Harry yelled as he gave Lee a death glare to shut him up. He hated it when people promoted his defeating of the Dark Lord.
“Alright, sorry there, Harry,” Lee apologized. He was about to say some other things but bids started to come.
The bids were as frequent as Draco’s and was just as high. It went on for ten whole minutes and girls were really digging their pockets for every last Knut they had. It was now only between some 6th year Ravenclaw and Hermione.
“Seventeen Galleons, eight Sickles and 15 Knuts,” the Ravenclaw yelled.
“Seventeen Galleons and nine Sickles,” Hermione yelled back.
Lee Jordan looked over to the Ravenclaw waiting for her bid but she was grabbing onto her friends arm looking like she was begging.
“Any more bids higher than 17 Galleons and nine Sickles,” Lee asked. The Ravenclaw shook her head and Lee sighed in relief. Harry was finally going to be sold.
“Seventeen Galleons and nine Sickles going once, and twice, 17 Galleons and nine Sickles going for the final time…” he slammed the hammer, “And sold, to Hermione Granger!”
Harry walked down the stage towards Hermione and took her hand to kiss it. They both sat back down and waited for the auction to end.
The other two captains from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were auctioned off for eight and ten Galleons respectively. It was now down to the last remaining person.
“For our last and final person to be auctioned we have Miss Virginia Weasley.”
Draco, Harry, Ron, Lavender, Colin and Amy all sat up surprised. They didn’t know Ginny was being auctioned. Only Hermione knew.
They all followed her as she walked up to the stage from the back door. She was fidgeting with her hands as she looked out into the crowd.
“All of you may recognize Virginia as Ginny. She works in the Hospital wing and helps with any illness you have, and she may have even treated many of you. It is a wonderful achievement to look after the sick and weary,” Lee complimented her and Ginny blushed.
Ron was feeling very proud of his little sister so he made the first bid.
“One Sickle!” he yelled.
“Two Sickles!” Dean called after him. Ron turned his head and looked at Dean with a questioning look. “Ginny helped me with my bloody nose so I though it would be nice to hang out together for a day.”
“Three Sickles!” called out Colin. Ron and Dean both turned to look at him. “Hey, she’s my friend you know,” he answered them.
“Four Sickles!” Amy called out. “I just want some girl time with my girlfriend that’s all.”
All four of them made it a friendly competition to see who could get Ginny.
“Five Sickles!”
“Six Sickles!”
“Seven Sickles!”
“Eight Sickles!”
“Nine Sickles!”
“Ten Sickles!”
“Eleven Sickles!”
“Twelve Sickles!”
They went on and on raising the bid by one Sickle until one special bid made them stop and stare.
Draco Malfoy offered five Galleons for Ginny.
Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Dean, Colin and Amy all looked at Draco, shocked.
Draco looked back specifically at Ron and smirked. A guy beside Draco leaned close and whispered a question in his ear.
“What do you want with the Weasel, Malfoy?”
“It’s a good way to piss off the elder Weasley,” Draco whispered back. The guy chuckled and leaned away.
In the meantime Ron, Dean, Colin and Amy were wondering what Malfoy was doing bidding for Ginny.
“I don’t care. Malfoy can’t get Ginny. He’ll probably torture her or something,” Ron said.
“Yeah,” Colin agreed.
“How about we combine our money and get Ginny away from that git,” suggested Dean.
All four of them Agreed and place their money together.
“Five Galleons and ten Sickles!” Ron yelled out.
“Six Galleons,” Draco said.
Dean, Colin and Amy were organizing their money and after Draco’s bid Colin leaned towards Ron and told him a new value they could afford.
“Six Galleons and eight Sickles,” Ron said.
“Seven Galleons,” Draco said.
Ron was growing angrier by the minute. Colin told him a new value.
“Seven Galleons, five Sickles!”
“Eight Galleons!”
“Eight Galleons, three Sickles!”
“Ten Galleons,”
Ron was absolutely fuming now. “Come on guys, do we have any more? I’m not letting that git get his hands on my sister!” Ron bellowed.
Dean, Colin and Amy shook their heads.
“We don’t have anymore money, Ron,” Dean said.
Ron clenched his fist in anger.
Hermione leaned towards Harry and whispered in his ear. “Harry, why don’t you see how high Malfoy is willing to go?”
Harry smiled and nodded. Lee was about the hit his hammer when Harry raised his arm, “Twelve Galleons!”
Draco turned his head to look at Harry. Harry smiled at him and mimed a message.
‘Let’s see how high you can go Malfoy’ Draco understood the message and smirked.
“Thirteen Galleons!” was Draco’s new bid.
“Fifteen Galleons,” Harry said
“Seventeen Galleons!”
“Twenty Galleons!”
“Twenty-five Galleons!”
“Thirty Galleons!”
“Thirty-five Galleons!”
“Forty Galleons!”
“Fifty Galleons!” Draco yelled.
Harry didn’t respond. He looked at Hermione and whispered into her ear.
“Do I continue? He’s willing to buy Ginny for 50 Galleons. Do you really think he’s up to no good?”
Hermione had been observing Draco intently. “Let him have Ginny. I think she’ll be fine.”
Harry and Hermione smiled at each other.
“Any more bids higher than 50 Galleons?” Lee said. Of course there was none so he slammed the hammer. “Sold, to Mr. Malfoy for 50 Galleons.” And that was the end of the auction.
Everyone was getting ready to leave and Ron grabbed Harry’s arm.
“Hey, why didn’t you continue to bid, Harry?” he asked.
Harry looked apologetically at Ron. “I’m sorry, Ron, but Malfoy would just raise it higher and higher, there was no point. He has his mind set on getting Ginny.”
Ron sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, Harry; I didn’t mean to blame you. I’m just really worried about what the creep wants to do to her.”
Hermione went over to Ron and placed her hand on his shoulder “Don’t worry, Ron. I’m sure Ginny can look after herself.”
Ron just nodded. He then saw Ginny talking to Draco and stormed over there.
He pulled Ginny backwards so he could stand in front of her and face Draco. “Malfoy, what are you playing at, bidding for my sister,” he yelled.
Draco just smirked. “Hey, I just wanted to own a Weasley for day that’s all, and I don’t see your sister complaining.”
Ron was about to punch him but was stopped by Ginny coming forward and stopping him.
“Ron, it was a fair auction, and nothing bad is going to happen. The teachers and Hermione can guarantee it.”
Hermione stepped forward and also helped to restrain Ron. “Yeah, Ron, let’s go up to the common room and I’ll explain to you how safe it is.”
Ron was hesitant and was still death-glaring Draco but was eventually pulled away by his friends.
Ginny was also following behind but turned her head around to give Draco one last look. She was not happy about what he did today.
End of Chapter Twenty-Seven. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
Ginny was sitting in the common room and groaning in frustration. Harry and Hermione had got together not long after Sirius arrived and were now lovingly sitting together in a couch. Since the auction was so successful in raising 213 Galleons and was more that enough to fix the ceiling they were very giggly. This was annoying Ginny because they were giggling non-stop. Don’t get the wrong idea, Ginny wasn’t jealous, she just didn’t like them being so lovey-dovey in front of everyone.
Then there was Ron who was pacing constantly in front of her mumbling curses about Draco and trying very hard to think of a way he could kill him before tomorrow morning.
Dean, Colin and Amy were also close by and were arguing about what they thought Draco wanted to do to her.
Ginny got fed up and so she stood up and started to leave the common room.
“Where are you going, Ginny?” Ron asked her.
“To the Hospital wing,” she called over her shoulder.
Ginny was in fact going to Draco’s room. She was so going to kill him for doing this to her. Why, oh, why, did he have to bid for her? If it were anyone else then it would not have been such a big deal. But a Malfoy bidding for a Weasley was bound to attract attention, and at 50 Galleons, there would definitely be problems, not so much for Draco but for her.
Ginny had received glares from many girls after the auction and had a big lecture from Ron telling her to be careful and blah, blah, blah. And this was all Draco’s fault.
Ginny stormed into Draco’s room and threw him his medicine before she sat down in a chair angrily glaring at him. Draco seemed oblivious at Ginny’s anger and was just looking back at her innocently.
“Of all the ways you could annoy my brother, why did you have to use me?” Ginny demanded.
“Why do you always assume the worst of me, Weasley?” Draco asked innocently.
Ginny glared at him “Stop pretending, Malfoy, because I know exactly why you bid for me. Does ‘It’s a good way to piss off the elder Weasley’ sound familiar to you?”
Draco dropped his innocent look and curse quietly. “Ok, so that’s what I said, but it doesn’t mean I meant it.”
Ginny raised an eyebrow sceptically. “Then what do you really mean by bidding for me?” she asked.
Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Ah…because I have a potions test tomorrow and I want you’re help?” he said, hoping it was a good reason.
Ginny just glared at him even more. “Are you trying to insult my intelligence here? You’re good enough at potions already, so you do not need my help.”
Draco sighed. “Alright, so I did buy you to piss off your brother, but it was only because he dared to tell you to be careful around me and that you best stay away.” Draco finished angrily.
“You embarrassed me in front of the whole school just because of some little thing my brother said? What are you, some six-year-old?” Ginny yelled.
Draco got defensive. “Why is it that every time I do something, you always say that I embarrass you?”
“That’s because you do. You just couldn’t make it any more obvious that you wanted to buy me, and with 50 Galleons no less. Do you know how many glares I have received all day? Not to mention the insults.”
“Well the whole point of buying at an auction is to have the highest price. Don’t blame me for buying you at such a high price; blame Potter for raising it. And so what if you got a few glares, you won’t die.”
Ginny just growled in annoyance. She clenched her fists and breathed in deeply.
Draco was looking at her weirdly. He didn’t know what the hell she was going on about.
“Ok,” Ginny said, straining calmness. “I can’t do anything about it now anyway so there’s no point in arguing. It’s just 24 hours. I’m sure I can manage 24 hours of being seen in public with you.”
“Hey, you make it sound like its torture,” Draco said, feeling insulted. “Do you know how many girls are lining up to spend even just an hour with me?”
“Well why didn’t you bid for them?” Ginny said, her anger flaring up again.
Draco sighed, “Alright, alright. Can we just drop the subject now? I promise I won’t embarrass you or anything, I just want to annoy your brother that’s all.”
“Fine,” Ginny huffed. “But I won’t be helping you in any way; I will only follow the rules of the auction.”
“Of course,” Draco said. Ginny then left his room.
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Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were heading towards the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning when they bumped in Draco and his gang. Draco and Ron were glaring at each other while Harry was just staring at Crabbe and Goyle, and Hermione was giving disgusted looks at Pansy and Blaise.
Draco eventually broke eye contact and smirked. “Come over here, Little Weasley.” he motioned for Ginny to walk towards him. “I want you to serve me at breakfast,” he said arrogantly.
Ron clenched his jaw and his hands were balled into fists. Ginny slowly walked over to where Draco was and gave Ron a reassuring smile. Draco put one hand over Ginny’s shoulder and gave Ron a victorious smirk. “Don’t worry Weasley; I’ll take good care of your sister.” And then he walked into the hall with Ginny and his group.
Ron was furious and was growing red in the face and ears. Harry and Hermione were desperately trying to calm him down and led him into the hall for breakfast.
Over at the Slytherin table, Ginny sat next to Draco while Crabbe and Goyle were on his other side. Pansy and Blaise sat on the opposite side of the table in front of Draco.
All the Slytherins could see how Draco’s actions were pissing off Ron and were enjoying the glares they got from across the room. Ginny felt uncomfortable sitting at the Slytherin table but was definitely not intimidated by them.
“Weasley,” Draco said. “I think I want some grapes for breakfast. Get me some.” Draco was just sitting in his seat waiting to be fed.
Ginny sighed and grabbed a bunch of grapes from the fruit bowl. She picked one off the stem and handed it to Draco.
“Here,” she said.
Draco shook his head. “I don’t like the skin,” he said casually.
Ginny silently groaned and started to peel the skin off one grape. The Slytherins who were close enough to see this all snickered and Draco smirked at the look on Ron’s face as he could see his sister peeling a grape for him.
Ginny finished peeling the grape and handed it to Draco. “Here, no skin.”
Draco just opened his mouth.
“You can’t be serious,” Ginny hissed as she held the grape.
“Of course I am. You are practically my slave for the next 12 hours you know. Why do things myself when you can do it,” he said and then opened his mouth again.
Ginny grumbled to herself and then popped the grape into Draco’s mouth. The Slytherins around snickered again and Ginny could see Ron was really furious. Ginny continued to peel and feed grapes to Draco throughout breakfast until there were only ten more minutes to class. At this time there weren’t many students left over at breakfast. Even Ron, Harry and Hermione had left because they didn’t want to be late.
Seeing that the Hall was practically empty Draco told Ginny she could stop feeding him.
Ginny sighed and wiped her fingers on a napkin. Draco could tell she was upset so he picked up an apple and started to peel it with his pocketknife. After he was done he handed it to Ginny.
“Here, you haven’t eaten anything yet,” he said kindly, and offered her the apple.
Ginny was frowning at him and refused to accept it. Draco gave her an apologetic look so she took the apple and started eating it. Draco smiled.
“Look, Weasley,” Draco said softly. “I had to do that so other people in my house would know why I bought you at the auction. It would help decrease the attention placed on you because they know you are only a tool in my scheme to annoy your brother.”
Ginny thought about it and then stopped frowning at Draco. “Ok, I understand.”
“Good,” Draco said and then stood up. “We better get going or we’ll be late for transfiguration. As much as I don’t care, an angry McGonagall is not how I want my morning to start.”
Ginny nodded and also stood up. Draco picked up his books and dumped all of them into Ginny’s hands. Ginny was weighed down by them and was about to fall, but then Draco performed a spell and the books felt weightless.
He then leaned forward and whispered into Ginny’s ear. “We must keep appearances up but I would never make a lady carry heavy books.”
Ginny blushed at Draco’s thoughtfulness towards her and smiled. They then headed towards transfiguration class.
…………………………………………………………………………
They made it to class just in time and sat one desk away from where Hermione was sitting. There were whispers in the class about how Draco was treating Ginny like a servant, first with feeding him at breakfast and now carrying his books. The Slytherins were cheering for Draco while Gryffindors were feeling sorry for Ginny. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws just remained neutral.
(I’m assuming that in 7th year, since people can choose different classed to do then classes would not just be all Slytherin and Gryffindor. Anyone who choses to do that subject would all be placed in one class)
Hermione was watching Ginny as she entered and placed the books down. She could tell that a spell was cast on the books to make them weightless and smiled. <I guess Malfoy isn’t as cruel as I thought>
“Alright class,” McGonagall said, silencing her class. “Today you will be transfiguring matter from one state to another. In other words you will be required to transfigure liquids into solids and vice-versa. Please take out what you need and repeat after me.”
Draco sat back in his chair and waited for Ginny to take out what he needed for today’s lesson. After she was done, Ginny sat there quietly with Draco listening to the professor teaching them what incantation to say when transfiguring.
McGonagall had finished talking and left her students to practice by themselves. Draco was holding his wand and concentrating while Ginny sat there feeling very bored. Professor McGonagall walked over towards Ginny and smiled at her. Ginny looked up at the professor and smile back.
“Miss Weasley, maybe you could give this lesson a try. I’m sure Mr. Malfoy wouldn’t mind.” And then she left.
Ginny looked at Draco and he just shrugged. “Go for it, I don’t care,” he said and returned back to what he was doing.
Ginny had nothing else to do so she took her wand out and thought to transfigure her piece of parchment into a puddle of water. She repeated what McGonagall had said and was concentrating very hard but nothing happened. Ginny was getting frustrated so she just gave up and slumped back into the chair.
“Giving up so easily, Weasley?” Draco drawled out at he was in the middle of changing a cup of juice into something solid.
Ginny huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s too hard, I’ll be learning it next year anyway so there’s no rush,” she said
Draco tutted at her and turned to face her as he took her hand which held the wand and positioned it for her. “Your hand movements were wrong that’s all,” he said in a teacher sort of tone. “Try it now, and remember to flick up a bit more.”
Ginny nodded and tried it again. She tapped on the parchment and flicked up while saying the incantation. And then it changed into a puddle of water. Ginny smiled widely and looked at Draco to see if he was looking at her success.
Draco glanced at it quickly and said “Good,” tonelessly, but Ginny could see that the side of his lip was twitched up slightly.
<This day might not be that bad after all,> she thought.
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Their next lesson was Arithmacy and Hermione and Harry were in this class. Once again Draco entered the room with Ginny behind him carrying all his ‘heavy’ books. Draco sat at the back of the room while Harry and Hermione sat at the front.
Draco was relaxing in his chair resting his eyes while Ginny copied down all the notes and questions they needed to do. Ginny had to elbow Draco awake when it was nearly the end of class and he yelped out loud, which caused the whole room to look in their direction.
Ginny blushed and declined her head. “What are you all looking at?” Draco snapped and then they all turned back around.
Draco and Ginny were the last ones to leave the classroom and Draco was yawning as they walked towards the great hall to get some morning tea.
Draco was stretching his limb as they walked and then he spoke. “It’s quite nice having a slave. I don’t have to take down boring notes which gives me time to get more sleep.”
Ginny snorted. “I could just take down fake notes for you so you learn the wrong things,” She said arrogantly.
Draco laughed. “Yeah right, you wouldn’t dare do that.”
“And why not?” Ginny asked slightly insulted.
Draco smiled at her. “Because you’re not that kind of person.”
Ginny didn’t know how to answer to that so she just left it and they walked together in silence.
……………………………………………………………………...
After morning tea, Draco had double Auror training with Harry and Sirius. Ginny was very exited and was smiling through out the whole trip to the old classroom they used.
They entered the room and saw Sirius already there waiting for them, but Harry wasn’t there yet.
“Hello, Ginny, Draco.” Sirius greeted them.
Draco just said a simple ‘hi’ and then sat down on a chair.
Ginny however was more excited and was still smiling. “Hey, Sirius,” she said cheerfully. “What are you going to teach today? Anything I could participate in?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Sirius said mysteriously.
Harry then walked into the room and greeted all of them.
“All right, now that we are all here,” Sirius began. “Today we’ll be doing strong summoning spells. These spells allow you to summon very large objects, which are a short distance away to come towards you.”
The double lesson was very boring for Ginny. Even though they had gone outside so that there would be more room for Harry and Draco to practice, all she did was sit there and watch them.
Sirius left Draco and Harry to practice by summoning big rocks to come towards them and went over to sit with Ginny.
They both sat there in silence watching Harry and Draco try to make the big rocks move towards them, but they still didn’t even budge and inch.
“How long will it take for them to get those rocks moving?” Ginny asked tiredly.
“Don’t know,” Sirius answered. “Depends on the person. Some take days, others take months.”
Ginny sighed. “That means I’ll be sitting here for the rest of the lesson watching them stare and point their wands at rocks.”
Sirius laughed. “Welcome to my world,” he said and Ginny also laughed.
Ginny could see that Draco was concentrating very hard because his eyebrows were knitted together and he was frowning. <Please let him do it, please let him do it,> she chanted in her mind.
The big rock then shook at bit and Ginny held her breath. The rock shook some more and Draco was starting to grin. He was going to make the rock come towards him.
But then it stopped. Draco lost his grin and went back to frowning while Ginny sighed in disappointment. She just sat there watching him try again.
“He’s a good kid,” Sirius suddenly said.
“Huh?” Ginny said. She didn’t hear Sirius because she was so engrossed in watching Draco.
“I said Draco is a good kid. Once you know him that is. And he’s quite talented, too.”
Ginny nodded while smiling. “He is isn’t he?” she said proudly and returned to watching him.
……………………………………………………………………….
Lunch was next and Ginny was once again sitting next to Draco cutting up his food for him. He didn’t request Ginny to feed him this time because he found that then she would not have enough time to eat herself.
Nearly all the Slytherins were ignoring Ginny while she ate silently and was glad for it. Draco’s plan seemed to work and no one noticed her unless she was doing something very obvious for Draco and attracted other Gryffindor’s attentions. Draco was talking to some other 7th year Slytherin and wasn’t paying attention to Ginny so she just sat there observing the people around her.
<Might as well see of I can find out some secrets,> Ginny thought. She then ‘accidentally’ dropped her knife and crawled under the table to get it. While Ginny was under the table she took the opportunity to stick a few of her special parchments under some popular people to see what they were saying or planning to do.
Draco had noticed Ginny going under the table to retrieve her knife but thought it was weird how she was taking such a long time. He peeked under the table and saw her sticking pieces of paper under the tables.
He shook his head. <She just never stops does she?> he thought sadly.
Ginny finally ‘retrieved’ her knife and sat back in her seat. She noticed that Draco wasn’t sitting next to her and was instead already standing and waiting for her. She quickly got up and stood next to him holding his books.
“Let’s go, Weasley,” he said and then started walking.
Ginny followed behind him.
Ginny was dreading potions because it was the only class where just two houses were learning together. Potions is such an important subject that everyone does it so classes have remained the same since first year. That meant it was held with Gryffindor and Slytherin together.
Draco sat in his usual seat on the right side of the room while Ron, Hermione and Harry were on the table just next to them.
Draco gave Ron an “I’m-more-superior-than-you” look before he sat down with Ginny next to him. Ginny didn’t want to look at her brother or her fellow housemates so instead started to unpack Draco’s things.
Ron was not happy about what he was seeing and had his jaw locked and fists clenched.
“Ron,” Hermione was trying to calm him down. “Ginny’s only helping him copy down notes and stuff like that. It’s quite normal; a lot of students who bought people are asking them to help out in their classes. Nothing bad is going to happen,” she reassured him.
Ron managed to calm down a bit but was still glaring at Draco. Draco didn’t miss Ron’s glares and was actually enjoying it.
“Hey, Weasley,” Draco said to Ron. “I know I’m gorgeous but you don’t have to stare at me all day.”
All the Slytherins cracked up laughing and Ron turned his red face away.
“That should stop him from staring,” Draco whispered to Ginny and she smiled secretly.
Snape stormed into the room and everyone diverted their attentions to him. He wrote the potions they were making today on the board and told them to get it done by the end of class or else they would get a whole weeks worth of detention. They had to work with partners and since Snape knew of Ginny’s abilities he allowed her to be Draco’s partner.
The potion was quite hard but if you concentrated it would be possible to complete. Draco was already very good at potions and with the help of Ginny he was sure it would turn out even better.
Everyone was too busy worrying about their own potion to actually notice that Draco and Ginny were working quite well with each other. They split up the work so that it would help them be more efficient and Snape sat back watching his students. While Draco was in charge of getting the ingredients, Ginny remained at the desk to cut them up appropriately and separate them into the right amount. After all the ingredients had been prepared and placed into separate dishes, Draco retrieved a cauldron and was boiling some water.
While they were waiting for the water to boil, Ginny sat back down and copied down the potion on a parchment for Draco to use later. When the water had boiled, Draco called for Ginny to help him. Though he was capable of completing the potion by himself he felt an urge to do it with her. It seemed to make it more enjoyable.
“OK, then the newt eye goes in,” Ginny said and Draco dropped the newt eye in.
“When that sinks to the bottom the dried centipede goes in and then we are done,” Ginny said happily.
Draco waited for the newt eye to sink and then he added the dried centipede. The potion started to bubble rapidly and then there was a small poof of smoke. Draco got a ladle and put some of the potion into a glass vial. He examined it and then nodded in approval. He then showed it to Ginny and she smiled.
“We’re done!” she said excitedly.
“Yes we are, and before everyone else, too,” Draco said.
Snape had walked towards them and looked at their potion. He just nodded and then turned around to face the rest of the class. “You must also complete all the questions on the board and hand it to me by the end of the day,” he announced to the rest of the class.
Snape then walked away while everyone else in the room groaned. All except Draco, who was sitting down answering questions with the occasional help from Ginny.
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When the bell went off, signalling the end of classes, only a couple of people were ready to leave potions class, while majority of the students were still either finishing the potion or still copying down the questions. Draco was especially happy that he was able to finish the potion and questions today. He wasn’t sure if he could have finished all those questions without help from Ginny, but he would never tell her that.
“Let’s go put these books away in my room,” Draco said to Ginny.
Ginny just nodded and followed him. As soon as they entered the room Draco took the books from Ginny and put them on his desk.
“So what do we do now?” Ginny asked.
Draco raised his eyebrow and smirked. “What do you want to do?” he asked suggestively.
Ginny smiled. She knew he wouldn’t do anything to her and he was just playing around.
“How about we go get my homework,” she suggested.
Draco frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be my slave, and not the other was around.”
Ginny sighed. “Well you don’t have anything else to do. And if you really don’t want to come then I’ll go by myself.” Ginny began to walk out of the room but then Draco ran after her.
“All right, but just because you have to be with me until 9 o’clock tonight and that I could do with a stroll,” he said casually.
Ginny smiled secretly at the excuses he came up with, but was still happy that he was accompanying her.
By the time they had collected all of Ginny’s homework it was time for dinner so Draco and Ginny headed to the great hall.
Draco attended to his dinner himself so that Ginny could enjoy her dinner and take her time eating. A lot of the 7th-year Slytherins were doing Snape’s homework while eating and Draco smirked at them.
Ginny had finished her dinner and yanked Draco’s sleeve to get his attention.
“I have to go to the hospital wing,” she said quietly. “Can I go by myself, or do you have to come with me?”
Draco got a napkin and wiped his mouth. “I’ll go with you,” he said. “They won’t have time for me anyway.” He gestured to his friends who were still scribbling down answers.
They got up and left the great hall to head towards the Hospital wing. They entered and Madam Pomfrey greeted them.
“Good evening, Madam,” Ginny said politely.
“Hello there, Ginny, how has your day been?” Madam Pomfrey asked and then glanced at Draco who had found a seat to sit on while he waited.
Ginny smiled. “It was quite interesting,” she replied.
Madam Pomfrey nodded and then went back to her office.
Ginny went into the back room and got the things ready to make Draco’s daily medicine. She was in the middle of making to potion when Draco stepped into the room and stood next to her.
“Is that for me?” He asked.
“Yep,” Ginny answered and then added some more ingredients. There was some bubbling and then it stopped. Ginny spooned the potion into a bottle and gave it to Draco.
“Here you go,” she said and was waiting for him to drink it, but he didn’t.
“I’ll drink it later,” he said, answering her confused look. “Do you want to go outside or something?” he said, and gestured to the grounds in front of the school.
“Sure,” Ginny said, and walked beside him down the hall and outside.
They ended up sitting on the steps outside which lead into the school. They were silent for a long time before Ginny laughed quietly.
Draco looked over at her and had a questioning look on his face. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
Ginny shook her head. “Nothing really,” she said casually. “It’s just weird how I don’t have to have an excuse to be able to sit here with you. For one day, I’m actually allowed to be near you without questions asked.”
Draco also laughed a little at what she said. “Yeah, and then after tomorrow you’ll have to go back to being with the Dream team, and I’ll have to do potions with another dimwit again.”
Ginny smiled. “Finishing first feels really good, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, but not without you,” Draco said and then slapped his hand over his mouth.
<You weren’t supposed to say that out loud! You idiot. What is she going to think now?>
Ginny was shocked for a few seconds but then smiled and pulled Draco’s hand away from his mouth. “Don’t worry, Malfoy. I know what you mean, and I won’t take it the wrong way.”
“You do?” Draco asked surprised. <What did I mean anyway?>
“Yeah,” Ginny answered. “You meant that without my help you wouldn’t be able to finish first, anyway”
“Hey, I so could have made that potion by myself,” he said defensively.
Ginny laughed at his serious reaction. Draco realised that she was joking with him so he relaxed and also laughed.
The laughter died down and they sat in silence again.
“Would you like to go Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?” Draco asked suddenly.
Ginny’s heart skipped a beat and she looked at Draco silently. <Is he asking me out?> She wondered hopefully, <No. You have to be with him for 12 hours tomorrow, remember.>
“Don’t I have to go where you go, anyway?” Ginny said.
“Yeah, but I just thought it would be polite to ask. That’s all,” Draco said hesitantly.
“Oh, then, um… Sure. I’ll go to Hogsmeade with you,” Ginny answered.
“Good then. I’ll… um, wait for you outside the Gryffindor portrait,” Draco said nervously.
“OK,” Ginny managed to squeak out.
There was silence while Ginny was calming down her rapidly beating heart and Draco was gripping his hands tightly trying to lose his nervousness.
Ginny glance at her watch and saw it was 9:30. She wanted to stay here forever but knew that it would be strange if anyone saw them, now that they were not expected to be together, so Ginny forced herself to tell him.
“Malfoy, its 9:30 now,” She said sadly.
Draco took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. “Indeed it is. Time sure flies fast don’t it?”
“Yeah, it does,” Ginny said softly. “I should be heading back.” and then she stood up.
Draco also stood up. “I’ll wait for you at the Gryffindor Portrait then,” he said.
Ginny nodded and then left quickly. Draco also made his way back to his room.
End of Chapter Twenty-Five. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Twenty Nine
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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It was 7 o’clock in the morning and Draco was already awake. He had finished freshening up and was now looking for something to wear.
He took out grey slacks, a white shirt and a black jumper.
“I don’t think so,” He said himself. “I look like I’m still my uniform.” And then he dumped them aside.
He then took out a pair of blue jeans, grey t-shirt and green jacket.
“It’s a bit too casual,” Draco said while frowning. “And too muggle looking too.” So he threw them aside as well.
Outfit after outfit Draco threw aside because it was either too plain or too colourful, too little and it would be cold or too much and he felt fat.
He finally settled on a pair of Black Dragon hide pants, black boots, white shirt and a grey cloak.
Draco was observing himself in the mirror and was happy about it. The pants and coat would keep him warm and it wasn’t too much to make him feel weighed down. He then looked at the time and saw that it was 8:30 already, so he quickly grabbed his wand and left to head towards Gryffindor tower.
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Over in Gryffindor tower Ginny was also looking for something to wear. She couldn’t wear just anything, because she was going to be seen with Draco and he was always so stylish.
Ginny couldn’t run around her room throwing ugly clothes away when her room mates were there. That’s why she had to do it at the last minute, when everyone was going to breakfast. After everyone had left, Ginny quickly threw the lid of her trunk open and rummaged through her clothes.
Jeans. “No.” T-shirt. “No.” blue jacket. “No.” khakis. “No.” tank top. “No.” jumper. “No.”
Ginny had her whole trunk, and drawers of clothes thrown on her bed when she finally found a good combination. It was a black knee length dress, red three quarter length sleeved shirt and her hand me down black (not slightly grey) cloak.
Ginny went to the mirror and did her hair up in a ponytail. After one more glance in the mirror and twirling around, she put on a pair of black half heeled lady boots and grabbed her wand before she walked down into the common room.
Ginny reached the common room and saw Hermione through the wide open portrait shooing fellow Gryffindor’s away from the tower. Ginny sensed that something was happening so she hid back into the staircase and peeked out to see what was going on.
Ron and Draco were in a heated argument where Harry was forced to restrain Ron while Hermione was shooing people away from the private argument.
“What do you think you are doing, taking my sister to Hogsmeade,” Ron was yelling
“In case you forgot Weasley, she has to come with me. I bought her remember and until 9 o’clock tonight it is none f you business what I do with her,” Draco was yelling back.
“You piece of rotting scum. If you do anything I swear I will…”
“Will what? Kill me? Please Weasley, like you would be able to,” Draco sneered.
“I definitely will, if you hurt Ginny or do anything inappropriate.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Weasley. Your sister isn’t exactly glamorous so don’t worry about me pouncing her,” Draco said in a disgusted voice.
Ron didn’t know whether to feel relieved or angry at what Draco said about Ginny. He didn’t get a chance to make up his mind anyway because Ginny chose that moment to step through the portrait and look at all of them.
“Have you quite finished arguing yet?” She said calmly but was glaring at Ron and Draco. No one spoke a word.
“No need to worry, Ron,” Ginny said, turning to face her brother. “I am very capable of protecting myself, and if you don’t believe me you can go ask Sirius.”
She then turned to Draco and was still glaring at him. “Are we going now?”
Draco just nodded and started walking away; leaving Ron, Harry and Hermione standing there watching them go.
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Draco did not take Ginny to breakfast at the great hall because he was planning to eat breakfast with her at Hogsmeade. But right now he was too worried about how much of the conversation Ginny had heard to think about Breakfast.
Ginny was not glaring anymore and noticed how uncomfortable Draco was, so she decided to speak up. She pulled out a small coned shape object which had an ear piece attached to it by a piece of wire and showed it to Draco.
“Do you know what this is?” She asked him. Draco shook his head.
“It’s a Sono-phere,” Ginny started explaining. “You point this cone shaped piece at a person and it allows you to hear what they are saying through this ear piece. It can detect the speech of a person as far as 15 metres away and still be as clear as if you were standing right in front of them.” Ginny then put the object back into her pocket and was silent.
“Does that mean you heard everything your brother and I said?” Draco asked.
“Yes,” Ginny answered.
“Are you mad?”
“No.”
“You aren’t?” Draco said surprised.
“Why should I be? I don’t find what you said to be insulting,” She said with a more casual tone now.
“You don’t,” Draco said once again surprised.
“Nope. I believe having brains is more important than having looks, plus your comments on beauty have always been harsh. You could make even a super star feel ugly, so I don’t mind.”
Draco didn’t know what to say so he just left it and concentrated on walking. They were the first people to get to the carriages, so they just hopped on and it drove them to Hogsmeade. (If it doesn’t really work that way, I’m sorry that it’s incorrect)
Ginny didn’t look mad during the whole trip to Hogsmeade so Draco assumed she really didn’t mind what he had said. Though he had said it, it didn’t mean he meant it. Ginny also knew this, but still felt sad that he had said it.
They entered The Three Broomsticks and found a table near the back. Draco pulled the chair out for Ginny to sit in, like a perfect Gentleman, before he sat down opposite her. Ginny smiled at Draco’s manners and he was happy to see her smile again. They ordered a standard breakfast of Bacon and eggs and discussed what they were going to do today.
They were finishing up breakfast when a lot of the Hogwarts students bustled into the restaurant. Ginny felt very nervous and didn’t look up while Draco remained very calm and collected. People were staring at them as they walked past and some were even staring from across the room. Draco sensed how uncomfortable Ginny was and finished off his breakfast quickly.
“Let’s go shall we,” He said and got up to pull Ginny’s seat back.
“Thank you,” Ginny said quietly while Draco put a few sickles on the table and left the restaurant leaving behind snickering Slytherin’s, glaring Gryffindor’s and surprised Hufflepuff’s and Ravenclaw’s.
Once outside Ginny breathed in deeply to calm her nerves; she really hated all the attention she was getting. This was exactly what Ginny was afraid of and was one of the reasons for her not to admit she likes Draco. Along with other complications as well; but being with him just attracted too much unwanted attention.
“So, where do we go now?” Ginny managed to ask.
“Um. How about Zonko’s. We can see if they have anything new,” Draco suggested.
“OK,” Ginny said and then they started walking.
Draco and Ginny went around Hogsmeade just looking at anything and everything. They seemed to attract a lot of stares, more so from the 7th and 6th years than the other year levels. Especially from Ron, who had to be calmed down by Harry and Hermione every time he saw them on the street. At first Ginny was uncomfortable but then she concentrated on ignoring them and tried to enjoy this one time where she could be with Draco and pretend it was a date.
Draco and Ginny were walking down the street heading towards The Three Broomsticks for lunch when Draco spoke to Ginny quietly.
“Can you feel it?” he whispered so that no one else could hear.
“Yes I can,” Ginny whispered back.
“How long do you think?” Draco asked.
“Right after we left Zonko’s. They’ve been following us ever since.”
Draco nodded. He had had a sense of being followed for a long time now, and at first he thought it was just the stares but then it was getting obvious so he thought he’d ask Ginny. After all, she was a very well trained spy and she could sense these things easily.
“Do you know who is it?” Ginny whispered.
“Don’t know,” Draco said. “But we’ll know soon enough.” and he opened the door to The Three Broomsticks for Ginny to step in. He then took this opportunity to quickly glance around the main street and found who their stalker was.
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Felicity Lateris stood outside on the main road opposite of the Three Broomsticks and was frowning. Some 7th year girls were standing next to her and she could hear their conversation.
“Draco is so handsome.”
“I know. It’s such a waste for him to be around that red head.”
“Don’t know why he’s wasting time on her though.”
“Don’t you know? It’s to piss off her brother or something.”
“That’s right. Her brother is Ron Weasley isn’t it.”
“Yeah he is. And you know how much Draco hates that group.”
“Of course, and he’d do nearly anything to piss them off.”
“And what’s better than going out with his little sister and he can’t do anything about it.”
The group of girls giggled and Felicity snorted. This caused them to turn their heads in her direction and give her weird looks. Felicity walked closer towards them and smirked.
“You can’t see it can you?” She said superiorly. “Draco isn’t just using that girl; he really, actually likes her,” She finished disgustedly.
The girls listening to Felicity and then all burst into laughter.
“Really, Lateris,” One of them said. “You haven’t been here for long so we can’t blame you for not knowing Draco.”
“Yeah, but don’t worry, we’ll be happy to explain things to you.”
“First of all, the Malfoy Weasley feud has been going on for a very long time so there is no chance that Draco will like a Weasley.”
“Secondly, Draco only likes really pretty girls. That red head is absolutely hideous. I just can’t imagine what pain Draco is going through just looking at her.”
“Thirdly, Draco hates Muggles and muggle lovers. Everyone knows the whole Weasley family just loves Muggles so Draco wouldn’t possibly like that red head.”
Felicity listened to what they had to say but was still not convinced. Draco’s behaviour towards that Weasley girl was different, and she could tell that it wasn’t just to annoy the brother.
Draco and Ginny exited The Three Broomsticks at that time and Felicity looked up to observe them. Felicity started backing up slowly because Draco was walking towards her while Ginny walked down the street. Draco had a very stern look on his face as he approached Felicity and she was getting scared.
“Lateris,” he said coldly.
“Hi Draco,” She said sweetly.
Draco was not swayed by Felicity’s innocent look. “I don’t enjoy being followed Lateris,” Draco hissed as he leaned forward and was invading Felicity’s private space “So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop it immediately. You understand?” Draco’s tone was threatening and Felicity knew better than to defy him.
She nodded her head and Draco moved away. He gave her one more warning look before he strode down the street to catch up with Ginny.
Ginny was waiting for Draco at the carriages while holding a basket. She saw Draco walking towards her and she walked to meet him half way.
“So who was it? What did you do?” she asked but he didn’t answer her immediately
Draco led Ginny to the carriages and opened the door for her to get in. Once they were seated inside and the carriage had started to move Draco started to explain.
“It was just some girl, but I’ve told her to stop following us. Plus, we’ll be at Hogwarts so she’ll have to stop,” Draco said reassuringly.
“It was Felicity wasn’t it,” Ginny stated more than asked.
Draco stared at Ginny for a second and then nodded. “Yes, but we don’t have to worry about her. I asked Madam Rosmerta to prepare us a picnic so that we won’t have everyone staring at us while we eat.”
Ginny smiled brightly at that and they both remained silent until they reached Hogwarts.
Draco suggested they set up their picnic on the roof, because no one would notice them up there. He cast a wind blocking dome over the area on the roof so that the wind wouldn’t blow everything away. It was a very normal picnic, with a rug, salad, drinks, sandwiches and apple pie for dessert. They both sat there eating and talking about the landscape they could see from where they were sitting.
They were packing up the cutlery when a lot of the carriages were coming back from Hogsmeade. Ginny glanced at her watch and saw that it was 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Ginny knew that after 5 more hours she wouldn’t be able to spend time with Draco like this and felt really sad. Draco saw the frown on Ginny’s face and asked her what was wrong.
“Nothing really,” Ginny said. “But, by any chance, would there be dinner in that basket so we don’t have to go to the Great Hall and eat,” Ginny asked hopefully.
Draco smiled at her. “No dinner in that basket, but it can be arranged of us to eat up here if you like.”
“You wouldn’t mind?” Ginny asked excitedly
Draco shook his head. “I wouldn’t mind. It would be quit nice actually. Dining under the stars in the company of Hogwarts one and only Source. What a wonderful experience,” Draco said exaggeratedly.
Ginny laughed softly. “Gee Malfoy, don’t get too romantic, or I might not be able to stomach any dinner at all.”
Draco grinned at Ginny and then stood up. “Please stay seated milady as I go prepare for our wonderful evening,” he said like a butler and even did a little bow when he left.
Ginny smiled at his antics and watched as he left. After a while Ginny remembered that she had to go prepare Draco’s medicine so she quickly dashed down to the hospital wing to get it ready, hopefully before Draco got back.
Draco was whistling while walking down the hallway towards the kitchen and had his hands in his pockets. He was in a very good mood because today was such a fun day for him. He had a very special feeling when he was around Ginny. Special because he didn’t it feel it when he was in the company of other girls, and he felt he could be a different person around her. Never before in his life would he pretend to be a butler in front of a girl just to make her laugh, or even come and get dinner for her because she wanted to eat on the roof. Ginny ignited a different person within him, and really liked it. Draco reached the portrait which was the entrance to the kitchen and tickled the pear.
…………………………………………………………………….
Ginny was in the hospital wing making Draco’s medicine as quickly as she could because she wanted to be there when he got back. She didn’t want to waste anytime, because she wanted to spend every minute she had to be with him. Tonight was special and she didn’t want to ruin it in any way.
After Ginny had finished making his medicine she ran as fast as she could to the staircase leading up to the roof. As she reached the little hallway she saw Draco coming in the other direction carrying a basket. She managed to stop just in time before they could clash and was breathing heavily. Draco was confused at to why she was not on the roof and instead running really fast.
“I…” Ginny was panting and had trouble speaking. “I.” Breath. “Was.”
Breath. “Ma.” Breath. “Making.”
Draco couldn’t understand a single word Ginny was saying. “Weasley, just breathe first. You can tell me later.” And he helped Ginny up the stairs to the roof. He sat her down on their rug and put the basket down.
Ginny had caught her breath and was now ready to explain. “I had to go down to the hospital wing to make your medicine because I didn’t want to go down later and since I didn’t want you to wait for me when you got back I made it as quickly as possible and had to run back here very fast so I could get back here before you did,” Ginny said, all in one breath.
Draco was listening intently because she was saying it so fast, and amazingly, he understood it all and smiled.
“Alright then,” He said. “Well I got us some dinner. I don’t know what you like so I just got a little bit of everything from what we were going to have for dinner tonight.”
Draco started to unpack the food and Ginny saw that there was a lot of it.
“That’s a lot of food,” Ginny said while smiling. “How are we ever going to finish it?”
“Well, we do have all night,” Draco answered. “It can be counted towards our midnight snack.”
They started eating the food little by little while talking about anything that came to mind. Ranging from annoying teachers to most up to date gossip in the school and they had managed to finish most of the food too. They assumed that talking needed a lot of energy that’s why they could eat it all.
It was dark now and the stars were starting to appear in the sky. Draco cast a warming spell on the previous wind blocking dome so that they wouldn’t get cold. All the food and cutlery had been packed away so that Draco and Ginny were sitting on the rug next to each other looking up at the stars.
“You see that cluster of stars over there,” Draco said while pointing into the sky. “That’s the constellation Orion.”
Ginny laughed and gave Draco a weird look. “It is not,” She said. “Orion is on the other side,” she said and then pointed to some spot no where near where Draco had pointed.
“Oh,” Draco said and then shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I see a lot of guys who just point into the sky and say some crap and then the girls swoon over how romantic it is. I thought I’d give it a try.”
“Is Draco Malfoy trying to me romantic with little ol me?” Ginny teased.
“Well you are a girl, and don’t all girls love to be romanced,” Draco said arrogantly.
“They do not,” Ginny protested.
“They do so,” Draco said
“How would you know, you’re not a girl,” Ginny argued while still smiling.
“But I’ve been with enough of them to know what they like,” Draco said, like he was an expert.
“Well this girl doesn’t like to be romanced,” Ginny replied. “And especially not by you.” and then she flicked his nose playfully.
Draco rubbed his nose and pouted which made Ginny laugh.
“Well that’s because you’re weird,” He said.
“Then glad I’m weird,” Ginny said while smiling.
There was a moment of comfortable silence before Draco spoke again
“Hey, Weasley. Could I ask you a question?” He said very seriously.
“Sure,” Ginny answered.
“Well, I was just wondering. Would you have still agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me if you weren’t obligated to?” Draco said while looking into Ginny’s eyes.
Ginny wasn’t expecting such a question and didn’t have an answer straight away. Draco was waiting anxiously for her answer and was getting nervous. He didn’t know why her answer was so important to him, but it just was.
“Would you still have taken me if it wasn’t to annoy my brother?” Ginny asked him back.
Draco looked at Ginny blankly while trying to think of an answer. He didn’t know and so he was just silently looking at her. Ginny could see that he didn’t have an answer, so she just smiled sadly at him.
“Though it was required of us to spend the day together, I still had a very good time. Thank you, Malfoy,” Ginny said sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” Draco answered.
……………………………………………………………………….
Draco was walking Ginny back to her common room and was walking as slow as possible. There were still a few more minutes to go until it was exactly 9 o’clock and he wanted to use them up. Ginny said that she was tired after a long day so they had headed down from the roof early.
They soon reached the portrait of the fat lady and it was time for them to separate. They stood in front of the portrait silently looking at each other but Ginny knew that she had to go.
“Thanks again Malfoy, and goodnight,” Ginny said before she entered the common room.
“Goodnight,” Draco whispered and turned around to go down to the dungeons.
As soon as the portrait closed behind her, Ginny was bombarded by questions from her brother.
“Where have you been? Where did he take you? Did he do anything? Are you ok?”
Ginny held her hand up to silence Ron and told him to calm down. “I’m fine Ron, Malfoy didn’t do anything to me and we were just out walking.”
“WALKING!” Ron yelled. “With Malfoy and at this hour of the night.”
“Well I couldn’t refuse to go and it was only a walk Ron. It was perfectly safe.” Ginny said while trying very hard to keep calm.
Ron was about to protest again but Harry and Hermione pulled him back. Ginny took this chance to go up to her room where it was nice and quiet.
End of Chapter Twenty Nine. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny was sitting in her office and in her disguise waiting for Felicity Lateris to arrive. She had received a letter from Felicity which requested a meeting with the Source to discus some business. Ginny was sitting casually behind her desk in her chair when the door to her office opened and in walked Felicity.
She walked to the desk and sat down in the chair in front of Ginny.
“What can I do for you, Lateris?” Ginny asked in her deep gruff voice.
Felicity smiled. She had had a bad experience with The Source the last time. But since everyone says he is the best she wanted to use him again. (Ginny is going to be a ‘him’ when she is the Source)
“I want some detailed information on someone,” She answered him.
“Cut to the chase, Lateris,” Ginny said slightly annoyed.
“I want information on Ginny Weasley.”
Ginny was utterly surprised. But years of doing business had trained her to remain calm through nearly everything. She thought quickly on how to handle this and also protect herself at the same time.
“Sure,” was Ginny’s answer. “Anything specific you want to know.”
“Yes,” Felicity said desperately. “Besides all the general things, I also want to know what she has to do with Draco Malfoy.”
Ginny raised an eyebrow behind her mask. “As far as I know,” Ginny said. “She has no link with Malfoy besides the common Weasley Malfoy dispute.”
Felicity smirked. “I know there is more to it than that. And don’t tell me you can’t give me this information. I’m sure the Weasley’s are not rich enough to pay you off. So that means their information in not protected, so I’m expecting a good answer.” Felicity said snobbily.
Ginny was very annoyed at the tone Felicity was using, therefore she didn’t think straight before snapping back.
“Well if she really did have any sort of relationship with Draco Malfoy then his payment to me would also protect that information and I would not be able to give it to you,” Ginny said arrogantly.
Felicity smirked. “So are you implying that there is something between the Weasel girl and Malfoy?”
Ginny’s hand clenched as she kicked herself for her mistake, but she fixed it up quickly. “No. I am not implying anything. You will receive the report in a few days.”
“Good,” Felicity said and then placed a few Galleons on the table before walking out.
After she had left Ginny slammed her fist onto the table and cursed. <Damn you Felicity Lateris. She means trouble and I have to fix her up soon before she does anything. I think some deeper digging into this girl’s background is needed>
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It would take some time for Ginny’s sources to help her find out more about Felicity’s past, therefore in the mean time Ginny gave Felicity the minimum amount of information she could about herself.
All the normal things about herself, like family background, friends and hobbies she could tell Felicity without any worries. Ginny obviously left out all the things about her being the Source and personally caring for Draco. Not another living soul could know about that, besides Hermione and Sirius, and especially not Felicity Lateris.
Felicity had accepted the information but wasn’t very happy about it and came back to yell at the Source. Ginny managed to convince her that there really was no connection between her and Draco so Felicity just had to accept it.
Ginny was sitting in Draco’s room thinking about how much of a problem Felicity was. Her outside Source had not contacted her yet so she didn’t have a background on Felicity. Ginny had a really bad feeling about her. Even though Felicity kept a diary, Ginny didn’t think that it was very usefully in finding out about her past.
Draco had been looking at Ginny for a couple of minutes now and was wondering what she was thinking about.
“Hey Weasley,” Draco said.
This managed to get Ginny’s attention and she snapped out of her daze.
“Yeah,” She said still unfocused.
Draco shook his head. “What is going on in that little mind of yours?” he asked curiously.
Ginny smiled. “My mind is not little,” She said. “And what goes on in there is none of your business.” And she turned back to her books.
Draco left her alone for a while and then spoke up again. “I think I should tell you that I won’t be at school this weekend,” He informed her.
Ginny looked up at Draco curiously but then she nodded her head understandingly. “You have to go to your annual Dragon race, don’t you?” she stated.
Draco nodded
“It must be exciting,” Ginny said enthusiastically.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Draco said while smiling. “Have you ever been to one?”
Ginny shook her head. “But I’ve heard a lot about them from Charlie. Sounds interesting, but dangerous too.” Ginny said concerned. “Are you sure you’ll be safe?”
Draco nodded his head. “Don’t worry Weasley,” he said confidently. “I’ve trained with Dragon’s since I was six, also I’ve been racing for a few years now…”
“I know I know.” Ginny interrupted. “And you know perfectly well how to protect yourself. But you can never be too careful.” and she gave Draco one of her big beady eye looks and he couldn’t argue with her. Instead he thought of an idea.
“Why don’t you come with me?” Draco suddenly asked.
“What?” Ginny said surprised.
“I said come with me,” Draco repeated.
“I know what you said, But. I. We.” Ginny stumbled.
“So is that a yes you will come?” Draco said hopefully.
“No,” Ginny answered. “I mean. I can’t. I have school and everything, plus what would I tell everyone?”
“Just tell them you’re off at St Mungo’s doing some more work experience,” Draco said hopefully. He was really starting to like the idea of Ginny coming to watch him race.
“That’s only to fool the students though. What would I tell Professor Dumbledore? And Madame Pomfrey? And the other professors? They wouldn’t believe that lie and then they would find out the truth and then what? The whole school might know about it and that would be a disaster!”
“Calm down Weasley,” Draco said exasperatedly. “Do you always worry this much?” he said while smirking at her.
Ginny glared at him “Of course I worry. Do you know how much trouble it will cause if it got out that we…”
Ginny didn’t get to finish because Draco placed his hand over Ginny’s mouth to stop her from talking.
“Shhh Weasley,” Draco said calmly. “If I can figure this out for you, will you come with me?”
“How could you possibly figure this out?” Ginny protested “What are you going to do, what are you going to say, who are you…”
Again Draco silenced her. “Just leave the complicated stuff to me and I promise I will find a good excuse for you,” he said confidently. “Now to answer my question. Will you come to the Dragon race with me?”
Ginny could see he was very hopeful and she just couldn’t bear to say no and make him feel disappointed. Plus she had never seen a Dragon race before and this would be a very wonderful experience.
Ginny gave in and nodded her head. “It would be my pleasure,” she said while smiling.
Draco also smiled. “Alright then, I’ll have that organised as soon as possible.”
………………………………………………………………………..
Bright and early the next morning, Draco had woken up and ran to Dumbledore’s office. He knew the headmaster was usually up early, so when he reached the statue he found Dumbledore was just heading up the stairs to his office.
“Professor,” Draco called.
Dumbledore turned around and smiled at Draco. “Good morning Draco. You’re up early this morning,” He said cheerfully.
“Good morning Professor,” Draco greeted. Though he was impatient it didn’t mean he would forget his manners. “I actually wanted to discuss some things with you.”
“Very well,” Dumbledore answered. “We’ll head up to my office then.”
Draco was sitting in front of Dumbledore and waiting for his headmaster to sit down after getting a cup of tea. Dumbledore finally sat down and Draco was impatient to begin.
“Professor,” Draco started. “You know I have the annual Dragon race this weekend.”
“Yes,” Dumbledore said quite excited himself.
“Well, I was wondering if I could take someone from school with me.”
Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled and a smile made its way to his mouth.
“May I ask who this someone is?”
“Er…” was the only sound Draco made as he was desperately trying to avoid answering the question. He knew he needed the permission of the headmaster to take anyone out of the school, but at the same time he didn’t want anyone knowing he was taking Ginny to a world known wizarding event. These Dragon Races are like the muggle Olympics but even more amazing because there are a limited number of people allowed to attend and tickets cost a fortune.
Dumbledore noticed Draco’s discomfort and his smile widened.
“Very well Draco,” He said and Draco’s attention was averted back to his headmaster. “I will give you permission to take one student from Hogwarts to the Dragon Race. But one student only.”
Draco immediately smiled and was very excited. “Thank you Professor,” he said very cheerfully and then headed for the door.
“But Draco,” Dumbledore said and this made Draco stop and turn to look at his headmaster. “I would be careful as not to let the Gryffindor’s know about this. Especially Miss Weasley’s brother, I wouldn’t want any trouble to arise from me granting you this special request.”
Draco was surprised to say the least but was still able to nod his head. “I will be careful Sir,” and then he left, once again surprised by his headmaster.
Dumbledore smiled to himself as he sat in his office. Nothing ever happened in this school without him knowing about it. Especially something as big as The Source, whose knowledge was capable of ruining any student’s life. But Dumbledore had faith in Ginny that she would never do something that drastic.
Fawkes flew on to Dumbledore’s shoulder and squawked.
“Looks like our little Ginny is all grown up now,” Dumbledore said to the bird and then stroked its feathers.
……………………………………………………………………….
Later that day, Madame Pomfrey approached Ginny and told her that Dumbledore had found a good opportunity for Ginny to have more training. Ginny was curious as to why it suddenly came up but then after Madame Pomfrey had explained that it was happening this weekend and that she was to report to Dumbledore’s office early Saturday morning she knew that it must have something to do with Draco and his Dragon race.
Ginny just followed with the excuse and told all her friends that she was going on more training this weekend. None of them suspected anything, which wasn’t very surprising to Ginny. Anything Dumbledore organised would never be suspected.
That night when Ginny went to Draco’s room, he explained to her about what Dumbledore said and when Draco said how he was surprised that Dumbledore knew that it was her he was taking, Ginny wasn’t surprised at all. She knew that Dumbledore was very resourceful and also knew that he knew she was the Source.
Ginny managed to persuade Draco to stop worrying about how Dumbledore knew and told him to concentrate on his race. Ginny also stopped worrying because she had a good excuse to go now and was very excited to be going to a wondrous event.
Saturday morning arrived quickly and Ginny was already in Dumbledore’s office waiting for Draco to arrive. When Draco walked in, he saw that Ginny was already there and was patting Fawkes.
“Sorry I’m late,” Draco said.
“Of course not Draco,” Dumbledore said as he stood up
“I was early,” Ginny said and then walked to stand next to Draco.
Dumbledore gestured to a small metal statue of a gargoyle on his desk and spoke to them.
“That is the portkey which will take you to the race. I’m sure you all know how Protkey’s work so I wont explain. Good luck with the race Draco and I hope you have fun Ginny.”
Draco and Ginny both thanked Dumbledore before they touched the statue and disappeared.
………………………………………………………………………
Ginny opened her eyes when she felt the ground under her feet and saw a wonderful sight before her.
She was standing on the edge of a dusty road while lots of movement was around her. The street looked like the streets of some where in Italy and there were stalls everywhere and people walking around chattering. There were carts that were moving without anything pulling it and also performer’s obviously performing magic. Ginny came to the conclusion that she was in the wizarding world of Italy.
She was shook out of her thought by Draco pulling at her arm. “Come Weasley or we’ll be late.”
Draco had his hand around her wrist pulling her along and Ginny was following him while he weaved in between the crowd like a real snake.
After a few minutes they stopped in front of a very large and round stone stadium. Ginny looked up at the large building with aw but Draco pulled her in through a door and she couldn’t see it anymore. The guards gave Draco a nod as he guided Ginny in and for the first time in a while Ginny felt oblivious.
They were walking down a hallway briskly now and not in as much of a hurry as before. Draco was still holding Ginny’s wrist as she tagged along behind him. He occasionally nodded his head towards some people and gave greetings.
“Draco,” a voice called behind them.
Draco stoped walking and quickly turned around. A woman in her mid twenties was half jogging towards them and Draco sighed in relief.
“Francesca,” Draco said. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Same here,” Francesca said with a deep European accent. Ginny looked at this woman and analysed her. She had a nice curvy figure, pretty face and brown hair which was up in a ponytail. She was wearing brown boots, beige shorts with a belt and a light brown shirt. She looked like she was dressed for hunting but this didn’t interfere with the air of beauty she emitted.
“You better hurry Draco,” Francesca said and this woke Ginny up from her analyses.
“Yes I should,” Draco said hurriedly. He was about to run off but then he remembered Ginny. “I nearly forgot. Francesca, this is Virginia Weasley, she’s one of my guests. Could you look after her for me?”
“Of course,” Francesca said and then smiled at Ginny. Ginny smiled back.
“Great. I’ll see you all later then,” Draco yelled as he ran off.
“Good luck,” Ginny called out to him.
“I won’t need it,” Draco called over his shoulder and then disappeared into the crowd while Ginny smiled at how arrogant he was.
“Virginia Weasley is it?” Francesca said, getting Ginny’s attention.
Ginny turned around and smiled at the lady. “You can just call me Ginny.”
“Ok, Ginny.” Francesca said while also smiling. “My name is Francesca Capadino and I am Draco’s Dragon trainer as well as his personal trainer. Come with me and I’ll get you ready for the race.”
Ginny followed Francesca as she walked in the opposite direction that Draco went.
“What do you mean by get me ready?” Ginny asked.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Francesca reassures her. “it just means you will have to change out of them school robes you have. They are not very good to wear under the hot sun here.”
“Oh. Ok then,” Ginny said and just followed Francesca. They came to a door and Francesca opened it for them to go in. The room was decorated in cream and gold in a very luxurious European style. There were lovely carved poles which extended from the ground to the roof and also silk sheets of fabric all around acting as curtains and as decoration.
Francesca picked up a dress which was draped on a chair and handed it to Ginny. Draco had told her he was bringing a guest so she had prepared it for her.
“You can change into this, it will be more comfortable and you will not stand out as much with your school uniform.”
Ginny thanked her and walked behind a curtain to get changed.
Francesca smiled at Ginny’s shyness. All the girls she knew were not shy about showing off their bodies to other girls.
Francesca also shed her clothes and put on a pair of beige pants and slightly long and loose hunting shirt. She finished off with her boots and a belt around her waist over the shirt.
Ginny stepped out behind the curtain and Francesca was surprised. Ginny was wearing a white long v-neck dress that went down to her ankles and sandals.
Francesca smiled at Ginny’s nervous look. “You look beautiful, Ginny,” She said.
“Thank you,” Ginny said meekly.
“Come here, I’ll see if I can do something with that lovely hair of yours.”
Ginny walked over to Francesca and sat down in a chair. Francesca got her wand out and was performing a hair spell. Ginny ended up with hair which was slightly curly, where some was up in a bun with vines wrapped around to give an earthy look and the rest fell down her back.
Francesca looked at Ginny and smiled. “Come now. I better take you up to the stand so you can see Draco.”
Ginny was led up a flight of stairs and at the top was a platform where there were only two seats and a table filled with Fruits and drinks. Ginny and Francesca each sat down in a chair until Francesca called out.
“There,” she said and pointed down.
Ginny leaned forward in her chair so she could look down and she saw Draco. He was standing there with a few other men and he was dressed in boots, brown leather pants and a peasanty sort of loose shirt that showed off his torso. Ginny smiled at the god like look of Draco and sighed.
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The stadium Draco was standing in was a very large oval shape one and the walls making up the stadium were made of stone. The walls extended a few hundred metres high and were actually places where audiences could sit and watch the race.
Draco looked up searching for the stand which he had reserved and when he found it, saw the smiling face of Ginny looking down at him. Their eyes locked and he waved. ‘Be careful’ Ginny mouthed and Draco nodded.
Ginny sat back in her seat and looked at Francesca. She was sitting back in her chair relaxing and eating some grapes.
“My brother is a Dragon trainer too,” Ginny said
Francesca smiled. “Is his name Charlie. Charlie Weasley?”
“Yeah, that’s him, have you met him before?” Ginny asked.
“Yes, I have worked with him a few times,” Francesca answered happily. “He is a very talented Dragon trainer, and very handsome too.”
Ginny smiled, being very proud for her brother.
“Have you come to a Dragon race before?” Francesca asked.
Ginny shook her head. “No. I think that’s why Mal- I mean Draco brought me today.”
Francesca smiled. “A lot of people have not seen a Dragon race before, but Draco doesn’t bring them.”
Ginny was confused at what Francesca was trying to say and gave her a questioning look.
Francesca noticed this and started to explain what she meant. “Draco has come to watch these races ever since he was six years old. He started racing three years ago, but besides his parents he has never once brought anyone to watch before. You must be a very special girlfriend if he brought you to his race.”
“I’m not his girlfriend,” was Ginny’s immediate answer. “I’m just …”
Ginny couldn’t finish her sentence because she really didn’t know who she was.
<What am I to him?> Ginny wondered <Friend? Stalker? Source? Blackmailer?>
“Just what?” Francesca asked curiously.
“Just his medical advisor,” Ginny said sadly “I’m just here because he needs to take medicine that I make every night.”
“Oh,” was all Francesca said and then the race began.
A Dragon race is a yearly wizarding event held to race Dragons. Not the full grown Adult Dragons but the younger one’s who are not as big yet. These Dragon’s are about two to three years old and are a little bit bigger that a horse. There are special saddles designed for the riders to sit on, and the race is made of laps around the stadium while over coming obstacles.
This race not only tests the speed of the Dragons but also the ability of the rider to control their Dragon and use the Dragons abilities to defeat other competitors.
There were smaller Dragon races which were held in the time span of a few days, testing younger riders and different abilities of Dragons, but today’s race was the Grand Race and tested very skilled riders.
There were a total of seven competitors this year and all of them were lined up ready to begin. A whistle was blown and the Dragons flew forward.
The first obstacle was a flaming hoop the Dragon and rider had to go through.
Ginny sat in her seat fidgeting while praying that Draco would not get brunt. She followed him with her eyes as he was the third to get through the hoop safely, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
Francesca was smiling at the worry Ginny was showing, while she just sat there relaxing. She knew very well what Draco was capable of, and Draco was definitely going to win this race because he is the best. <I don’t believe that this girl is just a medical advisor to Draco. I’ll have to ask him about it later on> she thought but then adverted her attention back to the race.
The next obstacle was a maze of sharp spiky poles that the Dragons had to weave through. This obstacle was to test the ability of the rider to control their Dragon.
Once again Ginny was on the edge of her seat praying Draco would not get hurt. Drago held onto the rein on his Dragon and guided it in between the sharp poles. Behind him he heard a scream and he could only guess that one of the riders got hit, or their Dragon was not under control and slammed into a pole.
The next obstacle was a bunch of sharp beaked Ravens flying towards the Dragons to try and attack their eyes. The ravens were not real, and the point of this was to test the control riders had over their Dragon’s abilities.
Ginny squeaked when a Raven just flew past Draco’s head, while he was busy ordering his Dragon to burn the birds away with its fire breath. However, one of the other Dragons were attacked by a Raven and plummeted to the ground.
Ginny thanked Merlin that the Dragon on the ground was not Draco’s but didn’t have time to rejoice anymore because the next obstacle of shooting arrows had begun and Ginny was once again panicking.
One by one the competitors were dropping off because of the difficulty of the obstacles so now there was only Draco and another competitor left.
The last obstacle was the most dangerous and Draco had to concentrate hard. As he was flying along side the last competitor, a volcano suddenly erupted from the ground. Draco was quick to act and guided his Dragon upwards to avoid hitting into the rising ground. As Draco was steadying himself and his Dragon, the Volcano started spitting out balls of lava. Draco had to dodge them and at the same time get over the volcano so he could get to the finish line. Dodging the lava balls, Draco headed upwards towards the mouth of the Volcano and he saw that the other competitor was doing the same thing. They both reached the mouth of the volcano and as they were flying over it a spray of lave shot out. Draco acted quickly and was able to just miss the scolding substance but the other competitor was not as quick and his Dragon was hit so they plummeted to the ground.
Draco flew down the other side of the Volcano quickly and reached the finishing point where he landed his Dragon and got off. Cheers erupted all around him and he smiled and waved like a winner.
End of Chapter Thirty. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty One
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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There was a feast held on the grounds of the stadium that night and there was lots of music, food, drinks and chattering. Tables were arranged around in circles which all faced the middle of the stadium and all the competitors sat in the inner ring of tables. Ginny was sitting next to Draco because she was his guest and Francesca sat on his other side.
They had finished eating a long time ago and Draco had gone off to do some socializing. Being a good sport, he went and talked to the other competitors. He also had to speak to the judges, other well known people in the wizarding world who funded this event, Dragon trainers and of course the many girls who praised him were never more than a few meters away.
Ginny just sat at the table looking around at all the people here. She was enjoying herself and liked to watch as Draco went around talking to people she didn’t know. Right now though he was surrounded by his many lovely female fans, and they were all chatting and laughing.
“Why don’t you go and join in?” Francesca said to Ginny as she moved to sit closer.
Ginny looked at Francesca and shook her head. “I don’t think so,” She said and then stopped staring at Draco.
“Draco is very popular with the ladies,” Francesca said
“I know,” Ginny said while looking at Draco again. “It’s also like this at school.”
Francesca wanted to coax something out of Ginny. “He’s never brought a guest here before,” She said. “and he usually just comes to the race then meets as many girls as he likes and has lots of fun.” <Let’s see what reaction she’ll have now> Francesca wondered.
“Well I’m sure my presence hasn’t changes anything,” Ginny said coldly. “He certainly looks like he’s having lots of fun.”
Francesca smiled. <I think I detect jealousy> “Draco is much like his name you know,” She said to Ginny. “Just like a Dragon, he cannot be tamed by someone he does not choose.”
“Well I’m sure he has a lot of choices,” Ginny replied curtly but then quickly forced a smiled on. “Excuse me Francesca, but could you tell me where I can find my school robes, I need to get something from them.”
Francesca pointed to a door on her right and Ginny thanked her before walking in that direction.
Ginny entered the room she was in this morning and found her robes. She got her wand out along with a small box and then made the lights go on. She walked over to a table and put the box down where she performed a spell to un-shrink it so she could get the things out to make Draco’s medicine.
Draco was finally able to untangle himself from the horde of girls and managed to make his way back to his seat. He saw that Ginny wasn’t there and asked Francesca where she went.
“Are you worried about her Draco?” Francesca asked him.
Draco detected the tone in Francesca’s voice and frowned. “No. It’s just she doesn’t know anyone here and I’m scared she might be lost or something.”
“Who is she to you Draco?” Francesca asked like a caring older sister.
“No one,” Draco replied slightly annoyed. “Now can you please tell me where she went?”
“She went with some boy into the room over there,” and she pointed to the same door she showed Ginny.
“I’ll go look for her,” Draco said gruffly and the then stomped in the direction Francesca pointed.
Ginny had just finished the potion and was packing up her things when the door burst open. Ginny snapped her head up and saw Draco walking towards her with an angry expression.
Draco scanned the room quickly while he walked towards Ginny and found that there was no one else in this room besides him and her. He saw the confused look on Ginny’s face and he smiled to reassure her.
“Do you always have to make a grand entrance no matter where you go?” Ginny said agitatedly as she began packing her things up again.
<Damn Francesca, she tricked me> Draco thought. “What are you doing in here Weasley?” he asked her just to make sure.
“Making your medicine,” Ginny said and then handed him a vial. Draco took it and drank it quickly.
He watched as Ginny was packing up the things along with her robes into a wooden box. After he had won the race he saw Ginny for the first time since this morning and was stunned at how beautiful she looked in her dress and with her hair done up. Sure there were beautiful women all around him, heck he just untangled himself from a whole group of them minutes ago, but Ginny was different. She didn’t flaunt herself at him, and she was shy about her beauty, which is what makes her cute and loveable. Not sexy and alluring like most girls he knew.
Ginny had finished packing her things up and had shrunk the box so it could fit into her pocket. “When are we leaving?” She asked.
“Tomorrow,” Draco answered her. “We’ll be staying here for the night. Is that alright with you?” he said, slightly worried that she might be having a miserable time therefore wanted to go home.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I just wanted to know that’s all,” Ginny said with a smile.
“Alright. You want to go back to the party now?”
Ginny nodded her head and walked out with Draco back to the party.
They headed back and saw that all the tables were moved to the edge of the stadium so that the middle had a lot of free space. Music was playing and people were dancing while some were just watching, but all were having fun.
Draco grabbed Ginny’s hand and was leading her towards the middle.
“What are you doing Malfoy?” Ginny asked as she was being dragged.
He turned around to look at her and gave her a big smile. “Dance with me,” he said and twirled her around.
Ginny smiled but then gave Draco a worried look when their eyes met again. “But I don’t know how to,” She said.
“Doesn’t matter, just feel the music and go with it.” and then he swung her around quickly which made her move away from him but then he pulled her back again.
Since Draco was insisting, Ginny just thought what the heck and did anything. Draco was doing most of the moving while he just told her what to do sometimes but he was mostly just swinging and twirling her.
Partners were being changed all the time around them but Draco didn’t want to change partners and danced only with Ginny for the whole night. The party had pretty much ended and majority of people went to the rooms which were within the stadium to sleep, but Draco had taken Ginny to the back, where all the Dragons were kept and was showing her his Dragon.
“He’s name is Dover,” Draco said while patting the Dragons head. “He’s only two years old but is a superb breed.”
Ginny reached her hand out and was stroking the top of Dover’s nose. “Hello Dover,” She said sweetly. Dover licked Ginny’s hand and she giggled.
Draco smiled. “He likes you,” he told Ginny and she smiled at him.
“I like him too,” Ginny said and patted the Dragon once more before removing her hand.
Dover was tired and had quickly lied down to sleep like all the other Dragons in the stable, so Ginny and Draco walked outside to look up into the sky.
“The stars are brighter here,” Ginny said as she gazed upwards.
“Yeah they are,” Draco agreed and then pointed to a cluster of stars. “And that is the constellation Centaurus.”
Ginny smiled as she looked at it. “Someone’s done their homework,” She said teasingly.
Draco smiled. “Of course.”
“Draco,” called out another voice.
Ginny and Draco looked away from the sky and saw a group of three boys and four girls walking towards them.
Draco smiled as he greeted them. “Hello,”
One of the boys put an arm around Draco’s shoulder and smiled. “Congratulations on winning,”
“Thanks,” Draco replied. “So what’s been up with you?”
Ginny wasn’t listening to Draco’s conversation with his friend anymore because they had walked away, but also because the four girls were now talking to her.
“Who are you?” One of them asked.
“Hi,” Ginny said. “I’m Virginia Weasley.”
“What are you doing with Draco?” another questioned.
“Er, he was just showing me his Dragon; Dover.”
The girls gave her an unbelieving look but then laughter came from the group of boys and they turned their head to see what was happening.
The fours boys were making their way towards them. Draco was shaking his head but still smiling while the other three were smirking.
“Alright,” One of the Guys yelled. Ginny was confused as to what was going on but when Draco came to her side she didn’t feel as scared anymore.
“Tradition is tradition and will not be broken,” another one said. “So Draco will now receive the ‘bacio di vittoria’ from anyone he chooses.”
The guys yelled out cheerfully and the girls giggled. Ginny didnt know what they were talking about and turned to ask Draco what was going on.
“So who will it be Draco?” One of the guys interupted so Ginny couldn’t ask her question.
“Her,” Draco said while smiling and gestured to Ginny.
The guys cheered while the girls all pouted and glared at Ginny.
Ginny tugged on Draco’s sleeve to get his attention. “What’s going on?” she asked desperately.
Draco smiled at her. “It’s just a game. Every year the winner of the Dragon race gets to receive a bacio di vittoria from a girl. It means a victory kiss, and I’ve chosen you to give me one.”
“What?” Ginny said frantically. “No. No I can’t,” She protested.
Draco held Ginny’s hands and looked her in the eyes. “It’s only a game Weasley. It doesn’t have to mean anything, just a little peck even. It’s just for tradition.”
Ginny looked up and saw the girls smirking at her and the guys looking at her expectantly.
“Ok then,” Ginny said timidly and then slowly leaned towards Draco and give him a kiss on the cheek.
The guys booed and the girls smirked at Ginny’s inability to give a proper kiss. Ginny blushed and looked down at her feet.
Draco smiled after Ginny kissed him. He found her shyness to be cute, and he didn’t mind that she only kissed him on his cheek.
“Alright guys,” Draco said. “You’ve had your fun, now get out of here,” He said good-naturedly and then shooed them away.
After they had left Ginny was looking at a very interesting crack on the wall and Draco could tell she still felt awkward. He stood next to her and looked in the direction of where she was looking.
“It must be a very interesting wall to keep your attention for so long,” he teased.
Ginny stoped staring at the wall and looked at him apologetically.
“Lighten up Weasley,” Draco said gently, trying to comfort her “You don’t have to worry about them. It was only a stupid game, and to tell you truth, I personally didn’t mind…”
Draco was unable to finish his sentence because Ginny had grabbed his face and pressed her lips to his.
Draco was frozen for the first few seconds but the feeling of Ginny’s soft lips made him respond and he kissed her back. Draco’s hands snaked around Ginny’s waist to pull her closer while Ginny’s hands made their way to the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. The world around them became nothing as their senses where over whelmed by the sensations created by the kiss. When air becoming scarce Draco was reluctant to stop but still pulled away slowly so he could savour her taste.
Ginny took in a breath of much needed air and looked into Draco’s eyes. She didn’t know what possessed her to kiss him, and so passionately too, but that was amazing and she wanted more but knew she couldn’t. She released her hands from behind Draco’s head and slowly eased her way out of his arms.
Draco felt Ginny pulling away and he didn’t want to let her go but it was too late and she had already stepped back.
There was a moment of silence before Ginny spoke up. “Could you show me where my room is? I’m kind of getting tired,” She said quietly and avoided his eyes.
“Ok,” Draco said still slightly dazed, and then started walking. Ginny was walking beside him but was very tense and didn’t say a word.
They reached a door and Draco opened it for her. Ginny stepped into the room and started to close the door, but Draco stopped it.
“I’ll be in the room three doors down to your right,” He said. “I’ll come pick you up in the morning ok?”
Ginny nodded and then closed the door. She leaned on the door and touched her lips with her fingers. <I kissed him> She thought surprisingly and then sighed happily. <I finally kissed him>
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Draco lay in bed staring up at the ceiling because he couldn’t sleep. He found it hard to believe that a kiss from Ginny could affect him this way. It was probably because all the girls he had kissed before had given signs before hand, like flirting and touching, but she had just taken him by surprise. And to make it worse she only kissed him once, very quickly. Usually he would be kissing the girl till morning or at least for most of the night, but no, she just left it. She brushed if off like it meant nothing.
<But it did mean nothing. Didn’t it? I mean, could it have meant anything?>
Draco knew he wouldn’t be getting much sleep so he got out of bed and walked outside. He stepped out his door and to his left he saw Ginny leaning against the rail of the path looking into the sky. Draco made his way towards her and when she heard some sounds she turned to see who it was.
Ginny had her school skirt and shirt on because she didn’t know what else to wear and when she turned her head, she saw that it was Draco, dressed only in dark green silk pyjama bottoms.
“What are you doing out here?” Draco asked her
“I could ask you the same question,” Ginny said.
“Couldn’t sleep.” Was Draco’s simple reply.
“Neither could I.”
And then there was silence. This awkwardness was really starting to annoy Ginny so she decided to speak up.
“Look Malfoy,” She said and turned to face him. When she did face him though she was met with his deep silver eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She knew she would not be able to say what she wanted if she was looking him in the eyes so she looked up into the sky instead.
For the brief second that Draco saw Ginny’s eyes, he was sure he saw yearning in them, but then she had turned away and he couldn’t tell.
“What happened before,” Ginny continued while still looking into the sky. “It didn’t mean what you think it means. I was just feeling guilty about not giving you a proper victory kiss so it just happened,” she explained.
Draco felt pain. Pain that he had never felt before, but he couldn’t pin point where it was so he hid it.
“Of course I knew it was just a victory kiss Weasley. You didn’t think I took it seriously did you,” Draco said trying desperately to sound casual.
Ginny smiled weakly at him. She could look at him now, since the hard part was over. “That’s good. So why can’t you sleep?” She said, changing the subject.
Draco was glad for the change of subject and answered her. “You know how I like the cold,” He said. “how could I possibly sleep in this heat. I really prefer the dungeons at Hogwarts. So why can’t you sleep?” Draco asked her back
Ginny smiled and gestured to her outfit. “Don’t have anything comfortable to sleep in.”
“How about nothing?” Draco said while smirking.
Ginny scrunched her nose up. “That’s just gross,” she said.
Draco raised an eyebrow. “If you think that is gross, it could cause a lot of problems for you in the future,” he said while suppressing his amusement.
“Shut up,” Ginny said and then also smiled. “It’s different with that.”
“What’s that,” Draco said teasing her.
Ginny blushed and didn’t answer. Draco saw this and smiled. <She’s so gorgeous> he thought. Draco then took her hand and started leading her towards his room.
“Where are you taking me Malfoy?” Ginny said while following him.
“Just come with me,” he said as he entered his room.
Ginny felt nervous standing in Draco’s room but he had let go of her hand when they entered, and he was now rummaging through a trunk. Ginny stood there waiting for Draco to finish and then he finally stood up.
He held some navy blue silk pyjama’s and handed it to Ginny.
“My mother sent them over this morning along with a whole trunk of clothing,” He explained “She didn’t know I bought my own clothes, so you can wear these.”
Ginny accepted them and smiled. “Thanks Malfoy,” She said and then turned to leave the room.
“Good night, Weasley,” Draco said.
“Good night, Malfoy,” Ginny said and then left.
Draco flopped onto the bed with some closure on the kiss. At least he knew it had some sort of meaning in it so he went to sleep, where his subconscious was playing the kiss over and over again.
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Ginny changed into the pyjama’s Draco had given her and slipped into bed. The pyjama’s smelled like him even though they were clean and Ginny went to sleep dreaming about a world where she could kiss Draco whenever she wanted.
End of Chapter Thirty One. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
………………………………………………………………………..
All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Two
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
………………………………………………………………………
The next morning Ginny was up bright and early ready to leave. She didn’t have to pack anything and was dressed in her school robes with her shrunken box of ingredients in her pocket. Ginny then folded Draco’s pyjama’s up and was taking them back to him.
Ginny reached Draco’s room and knocked on it lightly. ‘Come in’ she heard and opened the door to go inside. Draco was half dresses, meaning he was only in his school pants with his shirt hanging off his shoulders, and was running around the room trying to pack things into his trunk.
Ginny was surprised, to say the least, at how Draco could make his room so messed up when he only stayed here for one night.
“I wanted to return your pyjamas,” Ginny said and handed them to Draco.
“Ok. Can you put them on the bed for now,” he said quickly and then ran to shove a shirt into the trunk while trying to put a sock on and comb his hair at the same time.
Ginny sighed and stopped him from jumping around. “Malfoy,” she said sternly “You just go freshen up and I’ll clean this stuff up, alright?”
Draco looked around and then nodded. “Ok. Thanks,” and then he dashed off into the bathroom to brush his teeth and dress himself.
Ginny pulled most of the stuff out of the trunk and started folding them quickly. Only folded clothes, of this amount could fit into a trunk this size, and Ginny was very efficient in completing the job. After a few minutes all of Draco’s things were packed into the trunk and ready to go.
Draco burst out of the bathroom tying his tie and talking to Ginny without looking up. “Thanks Weasley but I can fini…” Draco had looked up to see the trunk was packed and his room was clean.
“Wow Weasley. You should be a professional cleaner,” he said surprised.
“AHEM,” Ginny cleared her throat loudly. “What is that supposed to mean Malfoy?” and she gave Draco a glare.
“Uh nothing,” Draco said quickly and then returned to doing his tie but then Ginny started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Draco asked looking at her.
Ginny was pointing at him and suppressing her laughter. Draco looked down to see that his buttons were all done wrongly and he groaned in frustration.
Ginny sighed and felt sorry for him. “This really isn’t a good morning for you is it Malfoy?” she said and then walked towards him to help him fix his buttons.
Draco let Ginny dress him while he just stood there massaging his head with his fingers. His headache was gone very soon and he relished in the feeling of being dressed by Ginny and how it would be great if she would do this for him every morning.
Ginny had finished fixing his buttons and also done his tie, so she patted his chest lightly to signal she had finished.
Ginny handed Draco his jumper and he put it on himself. After he had finished Ginny had his cloak ready and slipped it on to him. Draco buckled the cloak up and ordered someone to come in to carry his trunk.
“Make sure that is delivered to Malfoy Manor,” Draco told the servant and then he guided Ginny outside so they could go back to school.
They reached the doors Draco had entered from yesterday, and was greeted by Francesca.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully.
“Good Morning,” Draco and Ginny answered back.
“Your portkey is ready Draco,” Francesca said and then handed Draco a small wooden box. “It’s in here, and you know how to use it.”
“Thank you Francesca,” Draco said.
“Thanks,” Ginny also said.
“That’s alright. I’ll see around then,” Francesca said and then left the two.
Draco turned to face Ginny and smiled. “Ready to go back to school now?” he said.
Ginny pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Can we go look around? I’ve never come to Italy before and I want to see what it’s like. Please?” Ginny said with puppy dog eyes.
Draco smiled and nodded his head silently. How could he possible say no to Ginny?
“Yay!” Ginny shouted. “Thank you Malfoy,” she said cheerfully.
“Let’s get going then,” Draco said and started walking out of the big doors which led out of the stadium.
Ginny was fascinated by all the different things she saw and found it interesting how the wizards and witches in Italy used their magic.
Ginny was moving from store to store looking at artefacts and trinkets, while Draco just followed her with a small smile constantly plastered on his face. Ginny arrived at a store that was fully covered by black cloth so the inside was hidden from passer bys.
“What’s in there?” Ginny asked.
Draco stood next to Ginny and spoke into her ear. “That’s the potions store. Nobody goes in there because you can only buy from them with body parts.”
Draco took Ginny’s elbow and was pulling her away but Ginny wouldn’t move and continued staring at the store.
“Weasley,” Draco said warningly. “You better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
Ginny kept her eye’s glued to the store and smirked. “What are you thinking then?”
“We are not going into that store,” Draco hissed.
Ginny turned to face Draco with a determined look on her face. “Ok. I’ll just go in by myself then,” She then moved her arm out of Draco’s grasp and walked towards the store.
Draco groaned in frustration and stomped after her. <This girl in going to be the death of me>
Ginny pushed the black cloth, which was the door, aside and stepped in to the room with Draco just behind her. The room was rather bright and Ginny could see jars upon jars of ingredients and also bottles of different coloured liquids. Ginny walked to one of the shelves and was scanning the dried ingredients looking for something.
“Do you really want to buy something?” Draco whispered
Ginny nodded and continued looking.
“You don’t pay with money here,” Draco hissed quietly.
“I know,” Ginny whispered back “Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Now be quiet, I’m trying to look for something.”
Draco huffed indignantly and just stood there waiting for Ginny to finish what she was doing. He heard Ginny shout a ‘yes’ quietly and looked at what she was holding. It was a dried, shrivelled up looking piece of twig and Ginny was smiling while looking at it. She then turned around quickly and headed in the direction of the counter.
“How much for this?” Ginny asked an old wrinkled lady. The lady picked up the twig and then smiled at Ginny.
“What can you give little one?” the old lady said in a deep European accent.
Ginny smiled and took a very elegant looking crystal vial filled with red liquid out of her pocket. She then opened the lid and put the bottle under the old lady’s nose so she could smell it. The old lady inhaled the smell and afterwards looked like she was in heaven.
Ginny smirked and then put the lid back onto the bottle. “Would this be sufficient payment?” Ginny said smugly.
The old lady cackled. “You are a talented one,” she said and cackled some more. Draco was very confused but just watched as Ginny waited patiently for the old lady to calm down.
After the old lady had calmed down she wrapped Ginny’s twig in a piece of cloth and placed it on the counter. Ginny in turn also placed the crystal vial onto the table and took the twig. “Thank you,” Ginny said politely and then turned to walk away with Draco following her.
Once they were outside Ginny put the twig safely in her robe pocket and smiled. Draco didn’t give Ginny time to say anything and immediately took her hand dragging her to a near by café. He sat Ginny down and told the waiter to come back later.
“Ok,” Draco said sternly. “You better explain to me what the hell went on in there Weasley.”
Ginny smiled innocently at him. “What if I don’t want to tell you?” She said teasingly.
“Then I’ll leave you here all alone in Italy,” Draco threatened.
Ginny’s eyes widened and then she sighed in defeat. “Ok, I’ll tell you,” she said grudgingly. “That twig I just bought is the last ingredient I need to start making your cure, and I have been looking for it for months now. It’s very hard to find in England and since we happened to come across a potions store here, I thought I would take a chance to see if I could find it, and I did.”
Draco was waiting for her to continue but she didn’t. “What about that vial you used to buy it. What was in it?” he asked.
Ginny looked uncomfortable and was trying to avoid the question.
“I’ll leave you here if you don’t tell me,” Draco threatened.
Ginny pouted and gave Draco a dirty look. “It was blood. Phoenix blood to be exact.”
“From Fawkes?” Draco cried incredulously.
“NO,” Ginny said disgustedly. “I would never hurt Fawkes.”
“Then where did you get it?”
“From the black market, now can you stop questioning me?” Ginny said angrily. “I go to all this trouble to find ingredients for your cure and here you are questioning me like I’m some criminal,” Ginny then crossed her hands over her chest and looked away from Draco angrily.
Draco felt bad but didn’t regret questioning Ginny. Everything she did was just packed full of danger and he worried about her. Especially when he didn’t know what she was doing, which was usually everything she did. However, before in the store he really was scared that she was going to lose a finger or something. Ginny was still angry at Draco and wasn’t looking at him, instead she was looking out of the window.
Draco saw that she was still angry so he thought of an idea to cheer her up. He got out of his seat very quietly and since Ginny was still so mad, her senses didn’t detect him leaving.
<Stupid Malfoy. I do so much for him and he still has the nerve to interrogate me. I should just let him die from an attack and then that’ll teach him> Ginny thought angrily.
In fact Ginny had been hoping to come across that particular potions store. She had heard about it and once she knew she was going to be going to the Dragon Race with Draco, she prepared a bottle of Phoenix blood just in case. Phoenix’s are a very rare and special bird. There were only 3 that were known to the wizarding world, while there were few wild ones. Their tears could heal practically any wound and their blood makes any spell which needs to use animal blood ten times more powerful. Though Ginny knew that this particular store sold with body parts no one could pass up on Phoenix blood.
Ginny had calmed down a bit now and could sense someone standing next to her. She looked away from the view outside the window and saw Draco standing there with a big cup of ice-cream in his hands.
Draco placed the dessert in front of Ginny and sat back down opposite of her. Ginny was just looking at the treat and not moving.
“Couldn’t you just taste a little bit and accept my apology?” Draco said sincerely.
Ginny saw in his eyes that he was really sorry and so she lost all her anger. She smiled at him and then started to eat the big cup of ice-cream. Draco smiled when Ginny started eating and he just sat there watching her.
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The portkey Francesca gave Draco transported them back to the front door of the school and they had arrived back at the school just before morning tea.
They walked up the stairs and when Ginny was about to walk into the school Draco stopped her.
“Hey Weasley,” Draco said nervously. “I just wanted to say that I’m really glad you came to the Dragon race with me.”
Ginny smiled brightly at Draco. “Well I’m really happy that you invited me. It was a pleasure to go with you.”
Draco was very pleased to hear her say this. “Well I better get going then,” he said and then walked into the school along side Ginny. “I’ll see you tonight,” and then he walked off quickly.
Ginny watched him go and then headed for the hospital wing.
In the shadows of the stone walls stood a figure who witnessed the whole conversation between Draco and Ginny, and it (the shadowed figure) was not happy.
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Ginny spent the rest of the day hiding away in the hospital wing preparing Draco’s cure. She had to get it started as soon as possible because it would take a month for the potion to be ready, but that wasn’t the end of it. After the first month she would give Draco his first dose but she still had to keep the potion cooking because a month after that she would have to give him another dose. The cycle would continue until Draco had received four doses of the medicine, and only then would he be 100% cured of his Vervexia.
Ginny had finished putting all the ingredients into a special cauldron, which she could lock away, when she heard someone noisily entering the hospital wing. Ginny levitated the boiling potion into a metal box so it could be protected and then locked it. She then made her way out to the main room to see who had come in.
Madame Pomfrey was helping Felicity Lateris onto a bed when Ginny came out into the main room.
“Ginny,” Madame Pomfrey called over her shoulder. “Could you please bring me the ‘Scalier’ potion?”
“Ok,” Ginny said and then went back into the backroom to get the potion. She came back out and walked over to the bed to give the potion to Madame Pomfrey. But at the same time the Hospital wing doors burst open and two students carried a moaning little girl in. It looked like the little girl had broken her arm because she was cradling it protectively.
“I’ll have to attend to them, Ginny,” Madame Pomfrey said. “You can take of Miss Lateris.” and then she walked off leaving Ginny with the potion.
“Hi,” Ginny said politely to Felicity “Can you tell me what happened?” Ginny asked and held up Felicity’s arm.
“A potion was spilled onto my arm,” Felicity answered coldly.
Ginny noticed the lack of emotion in her voice and wondered if she felt the pain. Most of her right arm was very red and was slightly bleeding from skin which had started peeling. Ginny cringed just by looking at it and found it amazing how Felicity could remain so calm.
Ginny didn’t ponder the matter any longer and took her wand out to perform a cleaning spell on the wound. Ginny was extra gentle when lifting Felicity’s hand, being very careful to not make the wound hurt anymore. Even though Felicity didn’t seem to feel the pain it was still a policy of Ginny’s to try and not inflict pain while healing.
‘cle-infectum’ Ginny said while pointing her wand at Felicity’s wound. A white mist came out of her wand and covered the wound on the girls arm. The white mist evaporated away and the blood and left over potion on the wound had disappeared. Felicity’s arm was still scorched and her skin was peeling badly so Ginny placed the arm down carefully and poured a few drops of the potion onto the wound. Felicity hissed at the stinging feeling and Ginny blew on the wound to relieve some of the pain. Ginny then took some bandages and wrapped Felicity’s arm up carefully.
“All done,” Ginny said after she finished. “Don’t take that bandage off until tomorrow morning because only then will your arm be fully healed,” Ginny instructed Her.
Felicity just smirked and gave Ginny a dirty look. “I understand how you managed to do it now,” she said maliciously. “You sure are cunning Ginny Weasley.”
Ginny frowned. “What are you talking about?” she said confused.
Felicity frowned. “Don’t act all innocent with me,” She growled. “I know that you’re the one Draco is obsessed with, and I also know what dirty tricks you used to get him to like you.”
Ginny was looking at Felicity like she was crazy. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” Ginny said and started to walk away but Felicity lashed out and grabbed Ginny’s hand in a tight grip. Ginny was struggling to pull her arm away but Felicity was very strong and her nails were digging into her arm.
“You’re pathetic you know that,” Felicity hissed. “Acting all caring and gentle when Draco was vulnerable so that he would open up to you and then start to like you. It was in your plan all along to lure him into your hands and then control him. Well let me tell you something you stinking little Weasel, you wont get him, I wont let you.”
Felicity’s expression was of pure hatred and Ginny was getting scared. Her grip on Ginny’s arm tightened and her nails dug in so deep that it started to draw blood. Ginny yelped at the pain and managed to snatch her arm back.
Felicity gave Ginny an evil glare and then walked out of the Hospital wing. Ginny gripped her arm and got a cloth to wipe away the blood. <There is seriously something wrong with her. I better get that background information on her quickly>
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Ginny didn’t tell Draco about what had happened in the hospital wing and in the next week or so Felicity hadn’t done anything so Ginny just left it at that.
Ginny was walking down the hall after class one day when someone grabbed her hair and pulled her into a deserted corridor. This person had their other hand covering Ginny’s mouth so she couldn’t scream and then they slammed her into a wall. Ginny could see her captor now and it was Felicity Lateris. Felicity still had her hand over Ginny’s mouth while the other amazingly strong hand kept Ginny against the wall.
“Wasn’t the warming I gave you last time enough Weasel?” Felicity hissed very close to Ginny’s face. “Why are you still going to Draco’s room at night?”
Ginny couldn’t answer because Felicity’s hand was over her mouth and it didn’t look like she was going to let Ginny talk either.
“Maybe I should remind you where your position is,” Felicity growled and then took out a pocket knife. “A few stabs here and there should help you remember what I’ve said,” She said evilly and had the flat side of the knife on Ginny’s face. Ginny wasn’t going to take this anymore and lifted her knee to hit Felicity in the stomach. Ginny managed to get a hit in but it didn’t seem to affect Felicity because she just cackled and then got mad.
“You’re going to pay for that now, Weasel,” and she started to press the knife harder against Ginny’s face.
End of Chapter Thirty Two. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Three
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny could feel the blade starting to scrape her skin. If Felicity pressed any deeper then the blade really would start to dig into her skin and make a cut.
“What are you doing?” a voice echoed into the hall.
Felicity still kept Ginny pressed against the wall but had removed the knife and Ginny took this chance to push Felicity off of her and backed away.
Draco was walking quickly towards Ginny and went to take her arm. He glanced over her quickly to see if she was hurt, and since he couldn’t see that she was, he glared up at Felicity.
“Care to explain what you were just doing, Lateris,” Draco growled angrily.
Felicity looked at Draco innocently and smiled. “I was just having a little chat with her that’s all,” she said sweetly.
“It didn’t look like a little chat to me,” Draco hissed and was starting to move towards her.
Ginny pulled him back and looked into his eyes. “It really was just a chat,” She said desperately.
Draco was about to protest but was silenced by Felicity speaking.
“I told you,” she said smugly and then turned around to walk away.
After she was out of sight Ginny let out a sigh of relief.
“Can you tell me what really happened now,” Draco asked thoroughly concerned.
Ginny just smiled weakly at him. “It was nothing really. She was just picking on me because I was a Gryffindor and a Weasley,” she said trying to reassure him.
Draco had a sceptical look on his face which clearly said he didn’t really believe her, but then he sighed and smiled slightly.
“Alright,” he said gently. “Can you make it back to Gryffindor tower by yourself?”
Ginny nodded and then walked away.
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Draco was sitting in the common room feeling slightly annoyed that Ginny wouldn’t tell him what really happened. He didn’t believe it was just the simple Slytherin bullying Gryffindor thing because it looked more like a threat. He having made many in his lifetime knew the difference between bullying and threatening, and what he saw was definitely a threat.
Draco was also annoyed that he didn’t have enough proof and information to tell Felicity to back off. He couldn’t very well just walk up to her and say ‘don’t go near the youngest Weasley or I’ll kill you’ it would sound too weird and he didn’t have any right to say it anyway. But if he ever did find out Felicity hurt Ginny he would not hesitate on the payback.
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It was the last few days of March and Ginny was very busy doing business. April fools jokes were being planned everywhere and everyone wanted to know if they were being targeted, so the Source was getting a lot of business.
April first finally arrived and nearly everyone in the school was acting like Slytherins. Sneaking around and planting tricks. Ginny found some of the pranks highly amusing and it was a good thing she knew what all of them were because then she could avoid the messy ones, like when someone put paint at the top of a door and it splattered everywhere when the door opened and got more than just one person.
Being the Source and assuming she knew everything that happened in the school, Ginny didn’t know that there was one person who secretly planned an April fool’s joke just for her.
It happened in the great hall during Dinner, when everyone had gotten over the pranking cheers and was having a good laugh at the jokes performed earlier that morning. Ginny was sitting next to Colin and Amy and opposite of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Her friends had played a few small jokes on each other throughout the day and were now retelling the stories and laughing about it.
Dessert for tonight was slices of mud cake and was made to magically appear on everyone’s plates. When Ginny’s piece appeared she was very happy because she loved mud cake, but there was also a piece of paper on the side. Ginny picked it up and it read ‘I love your flaming red hair’ Ginny thought that it was just a joke or something so she just left it and began to eat her dessert. As soon as Ginny’s fork touched the cake she received an electric shock sort of feeling run up her hand and course through her body until it reached her head. Her hair then ignited into flames.
Everything happened very quickly. As soon as Ginny’s hair was in flames all the people around her screamed and were scampering away. Ginny’s friends were also standing now while Ginny rolled onto the floor screaming. Ginny touched her hair with her hands automatically but only got them burnt. Amy and Colin where shocked but got their goblets to throw their water onto Ginny’s hair but it wasn’t enough to put out the fire. Hermione scramble over the tables as soon as Ginny had rolled onto the floor and was now holding her wand out and performing some sort of ice producing spell over Ginny’s hair to put out the flames. It worked and the flames had gone but Ginny had been burnt badly and her head was black from the burnt hair and scorched skin.
After the flames had been put out Ginny fainted from the immense pain she felt, not only on her head but also on her hands and upper back.
The professors had now come down to take control of the situation. Professor McGonagall conjured a stretcher for Ginny to lie on and Professor Flitwick levitated Ginny to the hospital wing.
“Could all Prefects take students back to the dorms now please,” Dumbledore ordered. All the students were shocked at what just happened and just followed their prefects out of the hall.
Draco had told the prefects of his house to take students back to the dorms. Meanwhile he stayed behind to try and find out what had happened. The professors had retreated back to the staffroom to discuss how this incident will be investigated and the hall was now empty. Draco made his way over to where Ginny was sitting and was looking around the area to try and find some clues as to who done this to her.
After a few minutes of searching he noticed something poking out of Ginny’s piece of cake. Draco carefully pulled the thing out and saw it was a piece of paper. ‘I love your flaming red hair’ it read and Draco recognised the handwriting immediately.
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Madame Pomfrey was devastated when Ginny was bought into the Hospital wing. As she attended to Ginny’s scorched skin privately behind the curtains, Colin, Amy, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Sirius were waiting anxiously outside. Amy was clutching Colin’s arm tightly as she thought about all the pain Ginny was going through and Hermione was holding Harry’s hand trying not to cry. Ron was pacing up and down with his hands balled into fists and Sirius was sitting down in a chair with his hand clasped together hoping desperately that Ginny would be alright.
Madame Pomfrey finally came out from behind the curtains and looked very sad. Everyone rushed to her immediately and wanted to know how Ginny was doing.
“Shhh,” Madame Pomfrey told them. “Ginny needs to rest.” and then she walked a few metres away from where Ginny was resting.
“Ginny will be alright,” She started explaining and everyone relaxed. “Her burns aren’t life threatening but are quite painful. She will have to stay here for a while so I can heal her burns and hopefully give her some hair back. Poor dear, don’t know who would play such a horrible prank on such in innocent little girl,” Madame Pomfrey said while shaking her head in disgust.
All of them were relieved that Ginny was not in any life threatening danger but was still worried.
“I don’t think Ginny is up for visiting now so maybe you could all go back to rest and come back tomorrow,” Madame Pomfrey suggested.
Ron and Sirius were especially hesitant to leave, but Madame Pomfrey had reassured them that she would take very good care of Ginny and so they left and were planning to come back tomorrow morning.
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Draco was stomping down the stairs towards the Slytherin Common room and when he reached the portrait he flung it open with so much force it slammed loudly against the wall. All the heads in the common room looked up to see who it was but once they saw that it was Draco their heads immediately turned back to what they were doing. Draco scanned the room quickly looking for her and then he found her sitting in a corner with some other girls. He made his way over and glared down at her. Felicity finally looked up and smiled at Draco.
“Hello there Draco,” She said sweetly.
“I want to talk to you Lateris,” Draco said with dead calmness. “Privately.” he added.
Felicity smiled smugly at the girls and got up to follow Draco out of the common room. As soon as they were out of the Portrait and far enough away from the common room Draco turned around quickly and slammed Felicity against the wall. His arm was pressed at Felicity’s throat, threatening to break it or stop her air supply. Right now though, he was close to suffocating her and Felicity’s hands were grabbing his arm trying to pull it away but couldn’t.
Draco eased away a tiny bit so that she could breathe again but he still held her in place.
“What are you doing Lateris?” Draco hissed angrily at Felicity.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Felicity managed to answer while trying to push Draco away.
Draco was getting pissed and so he took the piece of paper out and showed it to Felicity. “This is your handwriting,” He growled. “And I found it on the youngest Weasleys plate. You were the one who made her hair burst into flames.”
Felicity chuckled and Draco didn’t understand why she was laughing at a time like this. “Why are you so worried Draco?” Felicity said smugly. “Do you like the Weasel or something?”
Draco got angry and pressed his arm harder against Felicity’s neck so she chocked a bit but Draco then pulled back slightly again. “That is not of your concern,” he warned her
“Oh but it is,” Felicity said arrogantly. “If you didn’t leave me for that piece of crap then I wouldn’t have had to remind her that you are mine.”
“I am not yours,” Draco shouted. “Get it through your thick head. I stopped seeing you because I don’t like you, it isn’t because of anyone.”
“No,” Felicity screamed. “You were mine until she came along and tricked you into liking her.”
Draco sighed; she obviously did not understand “You just stay away from her Lateris,” He warned. “If you play any more of your tricks on her you will regret it.” Draco then removed his arm from her neck and stepped away.
He gave her one more glare then walked away while Felicity slid down to the floor clutching her throat. <Stupid Weasel. I will get you> She thought.
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Draco snuck into the Hospital wing later that night and crept quietly around the room looking for Ginny. He found her behind one of the curtains and the sight before him made his insides churn.
There was Ginny, lying in bed with her whole head wrapped in bandages and only leaving her face open. Draco could see the bandages went all the way down her neck and could only guess that even her shoulders would be bandaged. Draco sat down in a chair next to the bed and went to hold her hand but noticed that they too were wrapped in bandages.
“I’m sorry,” Draco whispered as he gently touched Ginny’s cheeks.
The curtains then opened and Draco turned around swiftly to see who it was.
“Madame Pomfrey,” He said while standing up
“What are you doing here this late Mr. Malfoy?” Madame Pomfrey asked curiously.
“Ah. Well um. Weasley usually brings me my medicine but seeing as she can’t, I thought I’d come down and get it.” <Whew, that was quick thinking>
“Oh,” Madame Pomfrey answered. “You better come with me then. Ginny isn’t up for visitors yet,” She said and then led him to the back room.
Draco stood patiently in the back room as Madame Pomfrey made his medicine.
“So…” Draco said, trying to sound casual “How is she?”
“Are you talking about Ginny?” Pomfrey asked without turning around.
“Yeah,” Draco answered.
“She’s burnt quite badly but won’t be in any life threatening danger; though it’s a pity all her lovely hair is gone,” Pomfrey sighed sadly
“What!” Draco accidentally yelled.
Madame Pomfrey turned to look at Draco weirdly but then smiled. “You don’t have to worry Mr. Malfoy. I have a potion that can help Ginny grow her hair back quickly.”
Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Not that I care or anything. It’s just that it’s easier to find her when she has her red hair,” he said sounding casual.
Madame Pomfrey smiled to herself. Though she didn’t know too much about what the friendship/relationship between Ginny and Draco was, she could tell that Ginny was especially concerned about Draco. It was because she knew Ginny had a thing for Draco that she allowed Ginny to take care of his illness by herself, she definitely had the skill to, and it would give the shy girl some fun in her life.
Madame Pomfrey finished the potion and smiled at remembering how Ginny had locked Draco’s cure in a box. The girl checked it at least three times a day making sure nothing was wrong and that no one had touched it.
“Here you go Mr. Malfoy,” Madame Pomfrey said and handed a vial to Draco.
“Thanks,” Draco said and then left the backroom. He went to give Ginny one last look before he left the Hospital wing.
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Ginny woke up the next morning feeling very tired. She lifted her hand up to rub her eyes but felt that they were bandaged and the events of yesterday came back to her. Ginny sat up in the bed and noted that she was in the hospital wing.
“Ginny,” Madame Pomfrey said as she entered through the curtains “How are you feeling dear?” She asked while smiling.
Ginny wanted to speak but her jaw couldn’t move because her whole head was bandaged only leaving her face so she could see and breath.
Madame Pomfrey smiled shyly and then came over to start removing the bandages. “Sorry dear, I forgot you can’t speak with your jaw locked in place,” Pomfrey said.
After all of Ginny’s bandages were removed Ginny was exercising her jaw so that she could speak again and then lifted her hands up to examine them. She didn’t know how badly she was burnt yesterday but it didn’t matter now because there wasn’t even a scar left over. Ginny then lifted her hands up to her head and felt her scalp.
Ginny bit her lips willing herself not to cry. She didn’t have any hair.
“Oh Ginny,” Pomfrey said sympathetically. “You don’t have to worry, I’ll give you a potion later on and your hair will grow back in no time.”
Ginny sniffled but then forced on a smiled. “Thank you Madame Pomfrey.”
“You’re welcome my dear,” Pomfrey answered. “You must be hungry. I’ve ordered you some breakfast, it should arrive soon.”
“Thank you,” Ginny said. “Do you think I could have a shower? I’m feeling kind of dirty.”
Pomfrey nodded and Ginny got out of the bed to head for the hospital bathroom.
After Ginny had cleaned herself up, she had to continue wearing one of the hospital gowns because her clothes had been burnt and had to be thrown away. Ginny felt very self conscious about being bald and had a towel wrapped around her head all day, even when all her friends came to visit her she didn’t remove it.
After Ginny didn’t have anymore visitors, she went into the back room to check up on Draco’s cure, and because the towel was getting heavy she took it off. Forgetting to put it back on, Ginny walked out of the back room and was met face to face with Draco, who had just walked into the hospital wing.
Ginny was stunned while Draco was starring at her. She quickly stepped back into the back room and slammed the door shut. <Of all the people to see me like this it just had to be him> Ginny thought madly and then she started to cry silently.
Draco walked quickly to the door leading into the back room and knock on it. “Weasley,” Draco said. “What are you doing in there?”
“Go away,” Ginny said while leaning on the door and holding in her tears.
“Just come out will you, Weasley?” Draco said desperately.
“No,” Ginny said. “I don’t want to see you. Just go away.”
“Weasley,” Draco said more desperately. “I’ve already seen you without hair so there’s no point in hiding from me.” He reasoned with her.
Ginny didn’t say anything this time. He was right. He had seen her without hair already so there was no point in hiding from him. Ginny opened the door a little bit and then walked out slowly.
She was looking at him sadly and he could tell she had been crying. Ginny wrapped her arms around herself and looked away from Draco. She felt ugly and she didn’t want to see the humour in his eyes.
Draco didn’t find it funny and was instead feeling very guilty because Felicity had done this to her because of him. He took his cloak off and wrapped Ginny in it so she wouldn’t be so cold while wearing the Hospital gown. Ginny looked up at him with pained eyes and he pulled the hood over her head.
“I won’t look if you don’t want me to,” he said gently.
Ginny smiled for the first time that day and felt warm, but not because of Draco’s cloak.
End of Chapter Thirty Three. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Four
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Madame Pomfrey said that it would take the Hair growing potion a few days to kick in, so for the last few days Ginny had hair growing little by little, but after a week it would be back to its original length. Ginny’s hair was now down to her ears only, but at least she wasn’t bald. Amy lent her a few clips so that she could clip the short strands out of her eyes and she looked lovely.
Ginny was let out of the hospital two days ago and it seemed that the whole incident in the hall was forgotten already. The culprit had confessed to the Professors and had been punished. Obviously the person had been paid by Felicity to own up to the crime, but no one knew that except Draco and he didn’t tell the professors because he didn’t have any proof.
Draco didn’t know whether to tell Ginny it was Felicity who had played the prank on her or not. He was afraid that if he did, then Ginny would be scared to come near him because it would mean she was in danger. He knew that it was dangerous for Ginny be near him since Felicity was obviously insane, and he knew he was being selfish, but he also knew he would miss her terribly. Plus he was sure he could protect her so he ended up not telling her.
Ginny was sitting on the floor next to Draco in his room, and they were both doing their homework. Ginny was getting frustrated because there was this one bit of hair which kept getting into her eye. She was about to throw a tantrum when Draco’s elegant fingers helped her to move the bit of hair to the back of her head and slip it into a clip.
“I never thought a piece of hair could annoy you so easily,” Draco teased.
Ginny huffed “I hate this short hair,” She complained. “It gets in the way so much because it isn’t long enough for me to tie up.”
Draco smiled. He had never seen Ginny get annoyed with anything and it was even more amusing since it was just some hair. “Well I think you look nice with short hair,” he complimented her sincerely.
Ginny looked at Draco with a surprised expression and then blushed.
“Short hair makes me look like I’m a walking torch,” she said sadly. “maybe I’ll dye it brown or something, just for now.”
“Don’t dye it,” Draco said. “I like your red hair.”
Ginny was once again shocked at what Draco was saying. “But I thought you hated red hair,” She said.
“I don’t hate red hair,” Draco stated truthfully, “I wouldn’t hate something so rare and special.” he smiled and played with a strand of her hair. He then couldn’t help wondering what Felicity was planning now. <What part of her is Lateris going to harm next?>
Ginny was looking at Draco worriedly because he had suddenly zone out and was staring into space.
“Malfoy?” Ginny said carefully. Draco snapped out of his daze and looked at Ginny sadly. He really didn’t want anything else to happen to her and the rush of emotions caused him to do something very out of character. He hugged her.
Ginny was in Draco’s arms, pressed against him and was very confused. One minute he was complimenting her, the next he was off in his own world and now he was hugging her.
“Malfoy?” Ginny said with concern in her voice. “Has something happened? What’s wrong? Please tell me?”
Draco pulled back and was torn between whether or not to tell her about Felicity being the one who hurt her, and about how much he worried about her.
Ginny could see in his eyes his inner turmoil. “Is this about Felicity Lateris?” she asked.
Draco looked at her surprised. “Do you know that she…?” But then he trailed off.
Ginny sighed. “I know it was her,” she said. “and I also know that she is targeting me because she thinks it was because of me that you two broke up.”
Draco didn’t know what to say. She knew everything.
“But I won’t let her get to me,” Ginny said confidently. “Her little games don’t scare me, and I won’t let her affect my life.” And then Ginny smiled reassuringly at Draco.
Draco also smiled. What he was worrying about wouldn’t happen now because Ginny had just said that she would not stop coming to see/heal him just because Felicity was threatening her. He was overjoyed but at the same time very worried.
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Draco had to do some extra requirements for Potions tonight so he told Ginny about it and she had agreed to go to the potions room to give him his medicine.
Ginny entered the potions room and saw Draco already in there concentrating on making a potion at the front desk. She walked in quietly as not to disrupt his concentration and sat down at a desk watching him.
<He really is one of a kind,> Ginny thought dreamily. <It’s no wonder half the girls at Hogwarts drool over him.> Ginny blushed at that thought because she too drooled over him, but then she sighed sadly. <I’m getting too attached to him. Observing him for the last three years was alright because he didn’t even know I existed. But now that we have a sort of friendship going, I don’t think I can let go when the time comes. And I don’t want to either.>
“Have you finished day dreaming yet?” Draco asked from the front of the room.
Ginny snapped out of her daze and looked at Draco who was at the front desk. He was leaning on the table and looking at Ginny while smirking.
“What are you smirking about?” Ginny asked him back while standing up and walking towards the front desk.
“Nothing. Just that I think someone was daydreaming about what a hunk I am,” Draco said arrogantly and then ran his hand though his hair sexily.
Ginny blushed but them composed herself as she reached the front desk. She put his medicine on the table and Draco took it.
“Have you finished the potion yet?” She asked him.
Draco nodded. “All done. I just have to pack up now.” and then he started taking the jars of ingredients into the backroom.
There were a lot of jars on the desk so Ginny thought she’d help him. Ginny would take the jars into the room while Draco put them back in the right places on the shelf. Ginny was holding the last two jars in her hand as she entered the back room but she tripped as she was walking into the room. Luckily Draco was quick and caught her before she fell flat on her face.
“Are you alright?” Draco asked as she was steadying herself.
Ginny was about to answer but the sound of a door slamming shut caused her to turn around and look at the closed backroom door. Ginny and Draco both froze and just stared at the door.
“Please tell me they’ve fixed that door,” Ginny said desperately while looking at the door.
“Nope,” Draco said bluntly. “It still doesn’t open from the inside.”
“Then please tell me you have your wand,” Ginny said hopefully.
“Nope,” Draco said again. “I left mine on the desk.”
Ginny groaned and found a shelf to put the jars she was holding down. “I left mine in my book bag, which is on the table outside,” she said grumpily. “How are we going to get out?” She asked.
Draco sighed. “We’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning when Professor Snape comes in,” he said calmly.
Ginny frowned. “Why are you so calm about this?” She asked curiously.
Draco shrugged his shoulder. “There’s no big deal in being stuck here for the night.”
“Well I think it’s a big deal,” Ginny whined. “Its cold and dark.” she said and then wrapped her arms around herself.
Draco smiled and then unclasped his cloak.
“You better not take that off Mister,” Ginny warned Draco while glaring at him.
“Gee Weasley;” Draco said annoyed. “You said you were cold so I’m giving you my cloak.” And he resumed taking his cloak off.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Ginny said and then pulled the cloak back onto his shoulder. “I’m not going to let you catch a cold while I’m in the middle of healing you.”
Draco sighed in frustration “I’ve worn less going to Hogsmeade Weasley, and I never got sick.” And then he started to take his cloak off again.
“Don’t be stupid Malfoy,” Ginny said quite annoyed, “that’s because I always made sure…” Ginny slapped her hand over her mouth once she knew what she was about to say.
Draco raised his eyebrow at her and shrugged his cloak back on properly. “You made sure what Weasley?” Draco asked her.
Ginny dropped her hand from her mouth and shook her head. “Nothing,” she said.
“I don’t believe you,” Draco said while smirking and advancing on Ginny.
Ginny was backing up against one of the shelves and Draco was getting closer.
“Come on Weasley, tell me the truth.” Draco coaxed her. He was enjoying this.
Ginny shook her head again.
“I’ll tickle you?” Draco threatened with an evil smile, and when Ginny wouldn’t speak up he put his fingers on her sides and tickled her.
Ginny yelped and was trying to get away but Draco grabbed her waist and prevented her from getting away. He kept tickling her and Ginny was laughing so much her stomach was beginning to hurt.
“Alright, alright,” Ginny said between laughs. “I’ll tell you.”
Draco stopped tickling her and Ginny was able to get away from his fingers.
“Now tell me,” Draco said while smiling.
Ginny pouted but knew she had to tell him. “Ok,” She said and then sighed. “You never got a cold from going to Hogsmeade while wearing very little, because I always made sure the clothes you wore had very fine warming charms on them. The charm is cast at the opening of the clothes so that no wind can get in. That’s why you didn’t get cold that easily.” Ginny explained.
Draco listened to all this and was speechless at how caring Ginny was towards him. No wonder he never got sick in these past few years. Ginny had been secretly looking after him and he didn’t even know it.
Draco stepped closed to Ginny and took her hand in his. He then started to sit down on the floor and dragged Ginny down with him so that she was sitting between his legs with her back facing his chest.
“What are you doing?” Ginny asked as she was seated in front of him.
“Well,” Draco said while wrapping his arms around her, “since you won’t let me give you my cloak, I’ll be your cloak for tonight.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Ginny said nervously and then tried to get up, but Draco’s hold on her was too strong.
“If you’re worried that I’ll…”
“I’m not worried,” Ginny said sincerely and turned her head so she could look at him.
“Then don’t move,” Draco whispered and he hugged her tighter.
Ginny didn’t want to protest anymore and just leaned against Draco to relax. He was so warm and it was so comfortable that she dropped of to sleep very soon, resting her head on his shoulder. Draco smiled at how easily Ginny was able to go to sleep and so he rested his chin on her shoulder so that he too could fall asleep.
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Draco woke up with the feeling of something pressed against him. He opened his eyes to see lots of jars filled with potions ingredients and the events of last night came back to him. He had been locked in the backroom with Ginny and she had ended up sleeping in his arms.
Draco looked at what he was holding and indeed it was the form of Ginny, who was still sleeping soundly. Ginny’s head was resting on his shoulder and then she suddenly nuzzled her nose into his neck. Draco smiled and used one of his hands to move some hair out of Ginny’s face.
A door was heard slamming shut and it startled Ginny out of her slumber. Ginny rubber her eyes with her hands and sat up a bit. Once she saw her surroundings she seemed to remember where she was and shot up from the ground.
Draco was a bit surprised at her sudden movements but then he too got up off the floor. The door to the backroom flung open and Professor Snape stood at the entrance staring at them.
“I presume you got locked in last night Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Weasley,” Snape asked in his usual emotionless voice.
“Yes Professor,” Draco said while brushing at his robes and Ginny just nodded.
“Back to your rooms. Now,” Snape told them and allowed them to come out of the back room.
Ginny walked over to her bag quickly to pick it up and then walk out of the room. Draco packed his stuff up slowly and watched as Ginny left without a word.
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Draco walked into the Great Hall and the commotion he saw made him stop and stare. Everyone was chattering very loudly and some people were even staring at him and pointing. There was a crowd of people crowding in the middle of Gryffindor table and there were also pieces of paper flying everywhere.
A fellow Slytherin came to Draco and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Nice one mate,” the guy said and handed Draco a photo.
Draco’s eyes widened when he looked at it. It was a photo of Draco hugging Ginny in the backroom of the potions room. More specifically, it was a photo of the position Draco and Ginny were sleeping in last night.
“I hear that red heads are very frisky. So is it true?” The guy asked and then chuckled. His laughter stopped though when he saw Draco glaring at him and so he backed away quickly.
Draco scrunched up the photo in his hand and threw it onto the floor. He then pulled his wand out and aimed it at the middle of the room.
‘Accio Photo,’ he yelled at the top of his voice.
The Hall went silent and all heads in the hall turned to look at him while every single photo in the room went flying towards Draco to land in a pile at his feet.
Draco’s movements were quick and once every photo was at his feet he pointed his wand at the pile, whispered ‘incendio’ and they ignited into flames.
Draco had a menacing look on his face as he looked up at everyone in the Hall. He saw that the crowd at the Gryffindor table had moved away slightly and he could see Ginny and the pain in her eyes.
“Who did this!” Draco yelled into the silent hall.
End of Chapter Thirty Four. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
AN: Ok, I know that the hug Draco gave Ginny was VERY out of Character, but I did say that it was out of character for him and after 34 chapters I think Draco is allowed to be a little bit different towards Ginny. Don’t you think?
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Five
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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“Mr. Malfoy,” Dumbledore called out while standing up. “Please control yourself. Everyone return to your breakfast. Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley please come with me.”
Dumbledore walked down from the staff table and was heading to the doors behind Draco. Ginny had stood up and waited until Dumbledore walked past before following behind the headmaster.
When Dumbledore, Draco and Ginny disappeared around the corner Ron slammed his fist onto the table.
“I’m going to kill him,” he growled.
“You will do no such thing,” said a voice from behind. Ron looked up and saw Sirius standing behind him.
Ron was furious and stood to speak to Sirius. “Even if I don’t kill him, I’ll definitely pulverise him,” Ron said heatedly.
Sirius placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder to calm him down. “I think you three should come with me. It’s about time you knew about Ginny and Draco.”
Ron and Harry were confused but Hermione nodded her head and followed Sirius.
Sirius took the trio to his room and sat them down. Sirius’s main goal was to try and explain to Ron that Draco wasn’t a bad person and if Hermione and Harry also knew then they might help to convince Ron. Also deep down, Sirius knew that it was mainly the Weasley family hate towards the Malfoy’s that makes Ginny too afraid to admit she likes Draco. Sirius thought that maybe if Ron didn’t hate Draco so much it would be easier on Ginny and so he started to explain what he knew.
Sirius told them about Draco’s health condition, something that Ginny didn’t tell Hermione in detail. To hide the fact that Ginny was the Source Sirius lied about Draco disliking Madame Pomfrey and didn’t want to be treated. He then told them that Ginny wanted to heal Draco because it would provide good training for her if she could see the affects of Vervexia. Luckily Ginny had told Sirius what she told Hermione so he could stick with the story. He then told them about how Draco was being a spoilt little brat and wouldn’t go to the Hospital wing to collect his medicine and so Ginny had to bring it to him every night.
Ron, after hearing this grew angry again but Sirius told him to calm down and listen. Sirius then explained more so to Ron than Harry and Hermione that Draco had been a real gentleman throughout Ginny’s visits. He didn’t hurt her or anything during the whole few months that she had been attending to him. Sirius also tried to reassure Ron that what he saw in the photo was no indication of anything ‘improper’ happening between Ginny and Draco, and that the photo was probably a fake. Though Sirius highly doubted it personally, it was the only thing he could say to ease Ron’s temper.
Ron was doubtful as to what Sirius was saying but Sirius told him that Ginny had told him all this, and since Ron knew how close Sirius and Ginny were he believed what was said. Ron was now angry about Ginny secretly going to see Draco every night for the past few months and was planning on giving her a lecture when he saw her next. Sirius couldn’t stop Ron from being a protective brother but at least Ron did not want to kill Draco now, which is some sort of improvement.
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Dumbledore had taken Ginny and Draco up to his office but didn’t really say much. He just told Draco to control his temper in the future and then dismissed him so that he could speak to Ginny alone.
Draco had left Dumbledore’s office still angry and in search of who had started this whole mess. He desperately wanted to speak to Ginny and comfort her but she didn’t look like she wanted to speak to him right now so he would wait. So in the mean time he would find who started this and deal with them.
Ginny was sitting quietly in Dumbledore’s office after Draco had left and was holding in her tears. Her world was crumbling down around her. The whole school had seen that picture and would jump to all these weird conclusions. Ron would definitely throw a fit and just this morning she was bombarded by girls questioning her. She had tried not to be noticed, but now she was the centre of attention and she definitely couldn’t go see Draco anymore because everyone would be looking out for them. All this mess was too much for Ginny to bear and she dug her fingers into the side of the chair to stop herself from crying.
Dumbledore had become somewhat like a grandfather to Ginny after the whole Chamber of Secrets incident. He was constantly looking out for her after her first year and was very sad to see that she hadn’t gotten over it, but was overjoyed when he found out that Sirius was helping her. Ginny had regained her self-confidence after Sirius had taught her how to spy, and when she set up her business in the school, Dumbledore didn’t stop her because he believed Ginny could use other peoples secrets to her advantage but at the same time not hurt innocent people. Ginny would only use what she knew badly on bullies or people who deserve to be humiliated, and other people who are nice students, Ginny would try her best to help them but at the same time earn money. Dumbledore trusted Ginny’s character and knew she would do the right thing. Most of the information students asked for were harmless anyway.
Dumbledore was waiting for Ginny to calm down a bit and she was now looking up at him and didn’t look as tense.
“Are you alright, Ginny?” Dumbledore asked gentle.
Ginny put on a forced smile “I’m fine Professor. Nothing to worry about.”
Dumbledore smiled back at Ginny. He could tell she was trying to be strong.
“You may be dismissed from class today, Ginny,” Dumbledore said. “Just so you can have some time alone and clear your mind.”
“Thank you Professor,” Ginny said and then left Dumbledore’s office.
The corridors were empty because classes were running and Ginny was grateful for the lack of students. She remembered what happened this morning and shuddered.
Ginny entered the Great hall and sat down next to her friends and had started to eat, but then there were whispers going on all around her so she looked up to see what was going on. Pieces of paper were falling down from the ceiling and she managed to grab one. It was a photo of her and Draco in the potions backroom resting against each other and sleeping.
Ginny’s heart had literally stopped beating and people started to crowd around her demanding she explain what the photo was; Ron being one of the very persistent ones. Ginny couldn’t handle what was happening so she had covered her ears and bowed her head down so she didn’t have to explain; she really wanted to die at that moment. Suddenly everyone around her was moving away and Ginny lifted her head to see what else had happened. Ginny locked eyes with Draco and then she heard him demand to know who had done this.
Ginny reached the Gryffindor Portrait and said the password to enter. Ron, Harry and Hermione were waiting for her and she froze.
The moment Ginny stepped into the room Ron had stood up and walked towards her. She took a deep breathe and was preparing to explain, but Ron stopped her.
“Sirius told us everything,” Ron said angrily before starting his lecture. “Of all the people to heal, you just had to choose Malfoy didn’t you? What is wrong with you Ginny? Don’t you know what a bastard that Git is? What were you thinking? Or were you not thinking at all?” he yelled at her.
Ginny clenched her fists and glared Ron. “What I do is none of your business,” she said through clenched teeth. “Who I choose to heal and where I choose to heal them is for me to decide.”
“You still will not admit you are wrong,” Ron yelled
“There is nothing wrong here,” Ginny screamed.
“You were sleeping with Malfoy!” Ron bellowed and then held a picture in front Ginny.
“We were only sleeping!,” Ginny said back.
“It’s doesn’t look like it,” Ron screamed.
“Well it’s true,” Ginny yelled back. Ron was obviously over exaggerating things.
“I’ll send this to Mum and Dad,” Ron growled, “then we’ll see what they think.”
“Don’t you dare threaten me with Mum and Dad,” Ginny said angrily and held a finger in front of Ron’s face. “I could also send them pictures of you and Lavender, or better yet, I’ll send the photo’s to Lavender’s parents.”
Ron grew red in the face and ears. “You wouldn’t dare,” he growled.
“Try me!” Ginny yelled.
Ron and Ginny were glaring daggers at each other so Harry and Hermione thought that it was about time they stepped in.
Harry patted Ron’s back and was trying to make him stop death glaring Ginny. Hermione placed her hands on Ginny’s shoulders and was trying to guide her to sit down.
Ginny shrugged Hermione’s hands away and snatched the photo from Ron’s hands. “I know what I’m doing Ron so I don’t need you babying me,” She said sternly and then ran up the stairs to her room.
Ron growled before stomping out of the common room grumpily.
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Ginny locked the door to her room and fell onto her bed burying her face in her pillow. She breathed in deeply so that she could relax and think of a way to fix this mess. Ginny rolled onto her side and looked at the photo she had snatched from Ron.
<I guess Malfoy’s Accio wasn’t strong enough to get all of them.> Ginny thought sadly but then couldn’t help smiling when picture Ginny snuggled up against picture Draco.
<I would have loved this picture if it was given to me under different circumstances, but because it is causing so much trouble I hate it right now.>
Ginny scrunched the picture in her hands and threw it into her trash can, where it caught fire and turned into ash. Her trash can was charmed to burn anything that entered it. Since Ginny had a lot of private information she thought that it was necessary to eliminate any thing written on paper.
Ginny breathed in deeply and started thinking about how she could fix this problem. Finding out who distributed the photo was a must, but convincing the whole school that there was nothing between her and Draco was the more important issue right now, so looking for the culprit would have to wait till later.
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Draco had gone to class after he left Dumbledore’s office but he wasn’t paying attention to what the teachers were teaching anyway. A lot of students were giving him looks during the day, some were laughing at him, some of them were giving him compliments (mostly the guys from Slytherin) and all the Gryffindor’s were just down right glaring at him. Draco ignored all if this because his main goal was to find out who had distributed those photos. He wasn’t as good as Ginny in finding information secretly but he was very intimidating and if he wanted to know something all he had to do was ask (in his own special way). Draco suspected who it was but he needed the proof, or at least someone who could clarify that it was that person who did it. No use jumping to conclusions.
Draco found the witness to be one of his fellow Slytherin classmates. It was a 7th year girl who was one of Felicity’s victims of bullying. She knew that Draco was looking for who had distributed those photos and telling by Draco’s grumpy mood, she knew that he would be really mad at Felicity, and so to get her revenge, she told Draco about what Felicity did.
“I was walking past the potions room this morning,” The girl was explaining to Draco in a deserted hallway, “when suddenly Felicity Lateris came barging out and bumped into me. The camera she was holding crashed to the ground and broke into two pieces. I was apologising but she looked very angry and was about to yell at me when I offered to help her fix it. She agreed to let me fix it and also ordered me to develop the photos for her while I was at it. I did as she asked and fixed her camera while also developing the one photo she had taken. As soon as I had it developed she snatched the photo from me and warned me not to talk to anyone about what had happened. The photo was the same one the whole school saw this morning.”
Draco was listening to this calmly. “How do I know what you are saying is true? Since you hate Lateris so much you could be making this up to frame her,” Draco said.
“If I’m brave enough to lie to you then I should be brave enough to stick up for myself when Lateris picks on me,” The girl said logically. “I’ve told you what I know Malfoy. Believe it or not it’s up to you.” And then she left.
Draco chose to believe the girl because all his house mates knew better than to lie to him. All except one girl who even dared to interfere in his life. Felicity Lateris.
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Ginny was in her bed with the curtains drawn around her and hugging her knees. Hermione and Harry had kindly told Amy and Colin that the photo was a fake and so now all four of them were explaining to all the Gryffindor’s, who were gossiping about her, to stop and that the photo was a fake. Thanks to them Ginny wasn’t bombarded with questions from her room mates, but she didn’t know how the others were reacting because she hadn’t left her room since she had that fight with Ron. Ginny chose to hide behind her curtains because she didn’t want to see the looks she would get and even when everyone had gone to dinner Ginny still stayed in the sanctuary behind the curtains of her bed.
Ginny heard the door creak open and then footsteps walking into the room. Her curtain was drawn back slowly and she saw Colin’s face smiling down at her.
“I brought you some food,” he said with a small smile and then handed the plate to Ginny along with a fork. He then sat down on the bed and watched as Ginny ate.
Colin had been Ginny’s very first friend, even before Tom Riddle and so she always had a special connection with him. Even though he was a guy, she still felt closer to him than she did to Amy or Hermione.
Ginny wasn’t feeling very hungry so after a few bites she was just poking her food around with her fork. Colin saw this and took the plate away from Ginny to put on the bed side table. Only then did Ginny look into Colin’s eyes and for the first time after Ginny’s first year, he saw that she was lost. Lost within herself.
“The photo wasn’t fake,” Colin stated more than asked.
Ginny took in a deep breath and shook her head.
Colin smiled weakly at Ginny. “With my experience with photos I could kind of tell, but only after seeing you like this were my suspicions confirmed.”
“We were really only sleeping,” Ginny started to explain.
“Shh…” Colin said, stopping her from explaining anymore. “I know you would never do anything more than that.”
Ginny laughed sadly. “You’re the only one who seems to understand and believe me,” she said shakily.
“Don’t worry, Ginny,” Colin reassured her, “I don’t know what’s going on but I know you will figure it out. You always do.”
“Thank you, Colin,” Ginny said and then hugged him briefly.
“I won’t tell anyone that the photo is real,” Colin said into Ginny’s ear and then pulled back. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Ginny. It was the photo.
“More of these were distributed around the school after Malfoy burnt the ones in the hall,” Colin explained. “Practically everyone’s got one, so I thought that since you’re in it you should at least have a copy.”
“Thanks,” Ginny said quietly.
Colin nodded his head and then left Ginny alone.
Looking at the photo once and then slipping it under her pillow, Ginny grabbed her invisibility cloak along with her book bag and left her room quietly.
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Draco was waiting around the corner from the Great Hall waiting for Felicity to arrive. He saw her walking down the corridor towards the Great Hall and when she walked past his hiding place, he pulled her into the shadows and covered her mouth with his hand so she couldn’t scream. Draco dragged Felicity into an empty classroom and roughly shoved her into a seat.
Draco slammed both his hands onto the table and leaned close to Felicity’s face with a fierce look on his.
“What are you trying to do?” Draco growled. “Why do you continue to interfere in my life?”
Felicity smirked and slid out of her seat so she could place her hand on Draco’s shoulders.
“Because I want you, Draco,” she whispered into his ear.
Draco pushed her away and drew his wand out to point at her. Felicity had predicted his movements and so she too had her wand pointed at him.
“I warned you, Lateris,” Draco hissed
“Yes, you did, Draco,” Felicity said smugly. “But I didn’t hurt her this time. I might have even helped her to be with you.”
“You didn’t help her with anything,” Draco yelled. “You just caused lots of trouble and ruined everything.”
Felicity smirked. “What’s wrong Draco? Embarrassed that you were seen with a Weasley? Oh but no, it’s not you is it. She’s the one who is embarrassed to be seen with you, and that pisses you off.”
Draco’s grip tightened on his wand because Felicity hit the bull’s eye. Draco did have a feeling that Ginny was embarrassed to be seen with him.
“Painful isn’t it Draco?” Felicity purred. “The way she hides when people come near. How she ignores you during the day but is a totally different person at night.”
“Shut up!” Draco yelled.
Felicity laughed. “You know that she’s going to leave you soon. Now that the whole school suspects something, you know that she would start to back off. Get as far away from you as possible because she’s ashamed of you. Hogwarts bad boy isn’t good enough for the Gryffindor angel.”
Draco breathed in deeply and then smirked. “And you aren’t good enough for me Lateris,” Draco said smugly. “You were only a replacement for her. Just a little thing to occupy my time but as soon as she came back I dumped you. Why stay with trash when I could have real beauty, something you obviously don’t have.”
Felicity growled and lashed out at Draco. He managed to dodge her and she fell over the desks landing on the floor in a heap. Draco smirked at her sprawled out on the floor and then left. Felicity hit the floor with her hands and growled.
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Draco wasn’t feeling hungry so he made his way back to his room. As soon as he entered, he saw Ginny sitting in a chair waiting for him. Draco was happy to see her because he had so much he wanted to tell her, but her face was void of any emotion and Draco got a dreaded feeling.
“Malfoy,” Ginny said as she stood up, “we need to talk.”
Draco heard the coldness in her voice and tensed up. “Sure,” he replied and then sat down in a chair opposite of her.
Ginny sat back down and handed him a vial of his medicine. Draco took the bottle and waited patiently for her to start.
“I can’t come here anymore,” Ginny said while looking into his eyes.
Draco clenched his fists. He was hoping that she wouldn’t do this. “Why?” he asked in an equally cold tone.
“Because the whole school is suspecting something is between us and I don’t want to give them an excuse to start anymore rumours,” Ginny explained.
Draco was just sitting there looking at Ginny with his silver grey eyes. They were cold and piercing this time, not glistening like they usually were when she was here.
Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat and continued. “Ron also knows,” she said, “He knows that I’ve been coming to give you medicine and so he’s keeping a constant eye on me along with the other people in my house.”
Ginny looked at Draco and waited for his reaction. His cold demeanour was scaring her.
“There’s another reason you’ve left out,” Draco said and bore his eyes into hers.
Ginny was confused. She didn’t know what he was talking about and since she was not giving him the answer Draco told her instead.
“You’re embarrassed to be seen with me,” He stated.
Ginny was shocked. “Where did you get that idea?” She asked.
Draco smirked. “But its true isn’t it?” The pain was evident in his voice. “All the times you hid when someone walked in here, the anger you showed when I bid for you at the school auction, you even said it yourself that you might be able to survive 24 hours with me.”
“It’s not like that,” Ginny said desperately
“Then what is it like? Why do you insist on keeping us a secret?” Draco said angrily.
“Because there is no us.” Ginny said.
“Fine,” Draco said back “Then this agreement we have, whatever you want to call it. I just want to know why you don’t like people seeing you with at times you are not obligated to.”
“Because it isn’t right,” Ginny said.
“How is it not right?” Draco asked.
There was silence for a moment while Ginny pondered the question.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she muttered and then got up to leave.
“Ginny,” Draco called.
Ginny paused in front of the portrait and turned around to see Draco standing in front of her. He stepped closer and looked into her eyes sadly. “Don’t go,” he said softly.
Ginny was trying very hard not to give in. She told herself that when the time came she would let go, and now it was time to do that. Ginny took a deep breath and looked Draco in the eye with as little emotion as she could.
“We are merely two students of Hogwarts, in rivalling houses,” She said in her coldest voice “To me you are a blond haired Slytherin who is one year above me, and to you, I am only a little red headed Girl who is the sister of your worst enemy. This is how it was at the beginning and this is how it will remain.” Ginny turned around and left Draco’s room quickly, under her invisibility cloak.
End of Chapter Thirty Five. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Six
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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For the next few days Ginny spent every minute of every day being in the company of other people, because she knew that rumours would start quickly if people noticed she was alone. They would then jump to conclusions as to where she was and with whom. This had a negative impact on Ginny’s business because she couldn’t go around collecting her parchments or spy on other people.
Ginny hadn’t spoken to or seen Draco after that night in his room, and she really missed him. His Medicine was now made my Madame Pomfrey and he had to go to the hospital wing every night to collect it. Ginny knew that if she really wanted to see him she could do it without anyone knowing, but this incident with the photo had woken her up from the dream like state of her friendship with Draco. He was going to leave soon, and she would have to get used to him not being here. She also had to let go now, while she could, and before she got too attached to him. The photos and Ron knowing about them was just an excuse to break it off earlier.
Ginny sat in the common room in a seat where people could see her but was still far enough in the corner so she could have some much needed privacy. Ginny looked like she was reading a book but in fact she had been staring at the same page for ten minutes thinking about Draco and wondering what he was doing. She was now a whole week behind in her news and especially now that she couldn’t see Draco and also couldn’t spy, she didn’t know what he had been up to recently, and it was really bugging her.
<You’re just being stupid, Ginny,> she berated herself. <He’s going to be leaving next year anyways and then you wouldn’t know anything about what he’s doing. Get out of the habit and forget about him!>
Ginny slammed her book shut and got up from the seat to head for the portrait. Ginny then remembered that she shouldn’t be alone so she dragged Colin along with her. Amy didn’t mind that Colin was going with Ginny. She knew that they were very good friends and that Ginny wasn’t interested in him that way.
Ginny was just walking quietly while Colin followed her. She was heading for the kitchens to get something to eat and Colin didn’t complain. They entered the Kitchen and a few House elves started fussing over them.
“What would you like Miss?” A female house elf asked.
Ginny smiled down at her. “Just some of your wonderfully delicious cheese cakes please.”
The elf walked to a table and carried it over to where Ginny was but then slipped and the cake smashed to the ground.
Ginny walked over to where the elf was and bent down to help her. “Are you alright?” Ginny asked the elf.
“Sorry miss,” The elf said and then started banging her head on the floor.
The elf’s behaviour was unnerving Ginny so she held back the elf’s head and thought quickly. “It’s alright,” Ginny was saying. “I don’t like cheesecake that much anyway, how about some of the pound cake. Could you get me that?”
The house elf immediately stopped hitting her head and walked away quickly to get the cake. Ginny sighed in relief and sat down at a table next to Colin with a sad face.
“Disappointed at not getting some of the Cheese cake that you really love?” Colin asked.
Ginny smiled weakly and shook her head. “I live in a family with six brothers Colin; I’m well accustomed to not getting what I want. Not getting a piece of cake is nothing compared to other things I’ve wanted but never got.”
The house elf had come back and placed a cake on the table along with two plates, two forks, a knife and a jug of custard.
Ginny cut the cake up and gave Colin and herself a piece, each drenched in custard.
“Pound cake is still nice.” Ginny commented and then ate her cake with as much satisfaction she could muster.
Colin ate his cake half heartedly as he was observing Ginny. He could tell she was forcing on that happy face, not because of the cake but because of someone in particular.
“Is there someone to replace Malfoy?” Colin asked.
Ginny froze for a slight second but then continued to eat.
“Answer me Ginny,” Colin continued “Who’s going to be second best if you can’t have Malfoy?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Colin,” Ginny said icily.
Colin was getting annoyed. “Talk to me Ginny. Why are you doing this to yourself? What is it between you and Malfoy?”
“There is nothing between us,” Ginny said firmly.
“If there really was nothing, then you wouldn’t be acting this way,” Colin said. “Why won’t you tell me what’s happening?”
There was a moment of silence before Ginny answered him.
“You don’t know what its like,” She said with a tremor in her voice and looked at Colin with watery eyes.
“Then explain it to me,” he said desperately.
Ginny looked at Colin and then took a deep breath. “Do you know that toy store on the corner of Diagon Alley?” Ginny asked.
“Yeah,” Colin said while nodding his head and wondering where this was going.
“When I was seven years old my Mum took me to Diagon Alley to get school supplies for my brothers and we walked past that toy store. In the window display was the most beautiful snow globe I had ever seen; it had a fairy in it and glitter falling all around, it was absolutely wonderful and I just had to have it. I asked mum to buy it but was devastated when she said we didn’t have enough money and pulled me away from the store, but that didn’t stop me. I went back to that store every year so that I could at least look at it, and after three years of saving up my allowance I finally had enough money to buy it. I went in there on Christmas Eve one year all excited and happy about being able to buy that snow globe; I lifted it from the shelf smiling widely as I took it to the counter. There was another family at the counter paying for their things so I waited patiently but the couples little girl saw the snow globe I was holding and told her daddy she wanted one too. The father asked the shop keeper if he could have one but the one I was holding was the last. The father didn’t look too happy and the shop keeper was scared that the man would not buy his things so he took the globe from my hands. I asked him what he was doing and he said to me ‘grubby little girls don’t deserve to have such beautiful things’ and then he sold it the man. I ran out of that store to my Mum and cried in her arms. I knew there was nothing she could do about it and I never blamed her for that incident.” Ginny looked away from Colin and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Hope is a very painful thing you know?” Ginny continued speaking with a tremor in her voice. “Having high hopes for something and then to have them shattered is the worst feeling that a person could possibly feel. There is a saying that goes, the higher you hope the harder you fall. How true that is.”
Colin felt really bad for Ginny and hugged her so she could know that he was here for her. Ginny buried her head in Colin’s shoulder and cried quietly.
“I don’t want to hope, Colin,” Ginny said in between sobs. “I don’t want to have this feeling for him.”
Colin knew that Ginny’s story was the explanation to the weird relationship she had with Draco.
Ginny sniffled and looked up at Colin. “I won’t make that same mistake twice Colin. I won’t get my hopes up only to have them shattered. Giving something up early on is better than having them removed when you thought you had it.”
Ginny took a deep breath and controlled her crying. She gave Colin a weak smile and then patted his hand.
“Thank you,” She said, “I needed to get that out.”
“Any time, Ginny,” Colin said before they both left the kitchens in silence.
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Ever since Ginny had left, Draco felt angry because she would not put in the effort to be with him. He then started to question himself. Why was it important to him that she be near? Draco refused to believe that it was love, so his subconscious erased that possibility instantly, which then made him very confused.
<I guess it’s because she’s the only one who really knows me> He concluded.
People at Hogwarts know of Draco’s powerful side, his friends in Italy know his friendly side and his Mother knows his gentler side. Ginny was like a combination of all of them and it comforted him to know that he didn’t have to change masks for her.
Draco’s anger quickly disappeared and loneliness replaced it. All the nights without seeing her, all the things he couldn’t discuss with her and all the smiles he couldn’t show her. He missed her terribly but there was nothing he could do about it so he went into denial.
<I am Draco Malfoy> he thought <I don’t need anyone, I never need.>
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Draco’s medical responsibilities had now been transferred to Madame Pomfrey and so he had to go down to collect his medicine every night.
The photo incident happened a week ago and people had started to slowly forget about it, though Ron was still keeping an eye on Ginny. Business was back to normal for Ginny, now that she didn’t see it was necessary to have someone prove where she was every minute of every day.
It was on a very normal day that Ginny received an Owl from her outside Source. The letter from him explained that it had taken this long to get her this information because apparently a Felicity Lateris didn’t even exist.
Dear V.
I could not trace a Felicity Lateris in all of England, Scotland or even Ireland. I retraced her steps and used the photo you supplied to trace her background to be originated from Bulgaria. Her real name is Felicity Caruso and was an orphan but was adopted by an unknown man 7 years ago.
She lived in Bulgaria for 15 years until she moved to England with the adopted man 2 years ago. It was at that same time she was initiated by the Dark Lord making her an official Death Eater.
No other information on her after she was initiated has been found and it seems that she was deliberately made to seem non existent after that. No one in England has heard about her, not even the Death Eaters, and this Mystery man is also unknown.
From X
X was a spy/detective/informant whatever you want to call it, but it just meant that he was hired to find out information about people, except he specialised in the dark side of the wizarding world and was friends with many of the Death Eaters. Ginny didn’t know if X was a Death Eater himself but she didn’t really care because X was a very nice person. Ginny had never met X in person before but X knew who Ginny was.
Ginny first encountered X when one of the richer kids at school wanted to know who the Source really was and hired X to find out. Since this kids father was one of X’s friends he had to do it. X had found out who Ginny was very easily but was impressed at how good Ginny was, even though she was very young. He had sent Ginny a letter telling her that a kid at school was investigating her and he even taught her how to protect herself. Ginny had ended up threatening the kid with one of his very secret secrets so the kid told X to stop investigating. After that incident X had sent a letter congratulation Ginny on how she was really talented and from that day on, whenever Ginny needed any outside information she would ask X for help, and he was more than happy to help her.
“I have to tell Dumbledore,” Ginny whispered to herself and then stuffed the piece of paper in her pocket and ran down her dorm stairs.
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Felicity was sitting in her room reading a letter from her guardian.
Your identity has been revealed. Report back to me now, with or without the item.
Felicity scrunched up the letter and threw it into her bin. <I’ll go back just as soon as I finish my business with the Weasley>
Felicity then picked up her wand and walked out of her room. She made her way to the Hospital wing because she knew Ginny spent most of her time there.
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On her way to Dumbledore’s office Ginny ran into someone and caused them both to fall over. Ginny was apologising none stop but was knocked unconscious and dragged out of the school.
Ginny cracked her eyes opened slowly and cringed at the pain at the back of her head. She tried to move her hands to touch her head but found that she couldn’t and so she opened her eyes fully to see what was going on. Ginny saw that she was tied up and dangled from a tree over the lake. She struggled to get free but it was no use. The last thing she remembered was crashing into someone and then blacking out.
“Enjoying the view?” said a voice from below.
Ginny looked down and saw Felicity smirking up at her. “What are you doing Lateris?” Ginny called down to her.
Felicity smiled some more before hopping onto her broom so she could fly up and talk to Ginny face to face. Felicity was now hovering next to a struggling Ginny.
“There’s no use trying,” Felicity purred, “I’m very good at tying people up.”
“From experience I suppose,” Ginny snapped.
“You’re a sharp one,” Felicity said. “I’ve never resorted to killing a girl so she would stop pestering my man.”
Ginny’s eyes widened slightly but then she composed herself quickly. She would not show Felicity her fear.
“That’s right,” Felicity continued, “I’m going to kill you Weasley, because you wouldn’t leave my Draco alone.”
“He is not your Draco,” Ginny growled.
“And he wont be yours either when I’m done,” Felicity said while smiling evilly. She then took out a knife and held it at the rope holding Ginny up on the tree. “You will die slowly for stealing him from me.”
Felicity then started to glide the knife slowly over the rope so that it would fray little by little. Felicity watched in amusement at Ginny struggling to get free; seeing her victims panic was always fun.
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Draco was sitting through a very boring Prefects meeting when there was a sharp pain on the pinkie finger on his right hand. Draco held his hand up and he could see the ring he wore on his finger glowing red. Draco stood up so quickly that his chair fell backwards and startled the meeting to a stop.
“What are you doing, Malfoy?” Hermione asked sounding very annoyed.
All the people in the room were also looking at Draco weirdly and was wondering what was going on. Draco felt the ring burn his finger even more and so he clenched his hand into a fist. <Ginny must be in trouble>
Draco ran out of the room quickly and tore the ring off his finger while running down the hall. He stopped after a while and looked through the ring. He concentrated hard and then he could see a fuzzy tree and then a large area shimmering. <The lake> Draco then started running towards the outside as fast as he could.
The ring he wore on his hand was actually the other half of the bangle Draco had given Ginny for her birthday. The bangle was actually a tracking device and Draco’s ring was the tracer. The bangle would send a kind of message to the ring when the wearer was in danger and the Ring would react and tell the ring wearer that something was wrong. Draco had never used this before so he didn’t know exactly what it meant when the ring started to burn his finger, and it was also why he couldn’t see very clearly where Ginny was through the ring. But he did know that she was some where near the lake and that she was in danger.
Draco burst through the front door of the castle and ran towards the lake. As soon as he was close enough, he saw that Ginny was tied up on the tree while Felicity was floating above her on a broom. Draco quickly put two and two together to conclude that Felicity was going to make Ginny fall into the water and let her drown.
“Stop Lateris,” Draco yelled as he was running closer towards the lake.
Felicity stopped her cutting and turned her head to see who had spoken. She smirked at Draco before speaking.
“If I can’t have you, no one will,” She said before slashing the knife across the rope and Ginny fell down towards the lake still bound by the ropes.
Ginny screamed but it was short because she stopped at soon as she hit the water. Draco ripped his cloak off immediately and dived into the water ignoring a smirking Felicity who was flying off on her broom, back to her guardian.
End of Chapter Thirty Six. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don't belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Seven
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Draco wasn't affect by the cold of the water so he could concentrate on searching for Ginny. The water in the lake was rather clear but sea grass was getting in the way. It was good that Ginny had red hair though because it was because of the rich colour that helped him find her so quickly.
Draco managed to drag Ginny onto the shore after he found her and laid her down. He pulled the ropes off of her, but she wasn't waking up.
“Wake up, Weasley,” Draco said desperately as he patted Ginny's face. Ginny didn't give any reaction and Draco checked to see if she was breathing.
She was breathing faintly, and Draco knew that he had to get all the water out of her. He placed his palms over her stomach and pressed down hard.
“Come on, Weasley,” Draco chanted as he continued to press down on Ginny's stomach.
After many tries Ginny still wouldn't cough up the water and Draco was starting to panic.
“Wake up, Ginny,” Draco yelled desperately, “You can't die on me. You can't,” he said and pressed down harder. After a couple more pushes water spurted out of Ginny's mouth and she started coughing.
Ginny rolled onto her side so that the water could come out and Draco was immediately relieved. Her eyes cracked open and she looked at Draco while coughing. Draco lifted Ginny up and hugged her fiercely.
“Thank Merlin you're alive,” Draco said while clutching onto Ginny very tightly.
Ginny was weak from all the coughing and spitting of water but managed to hug Draco softly, and rested her heavy head on his shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Draco squeezed her once more before picking her up and carrying her back to the castle quickly. Ginny had her arms loosely around Draco's neck while her head was pressed against his shoulder. Ginny was very weak so she blacked out in Draco's arms.
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Draco had taken Ginny to the hospital Wing immediately so that Madame Pomfrey could see if there was anything else that was wrong. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sirius and Ron were notified immediately about Ginny falling into a coma from the injury to her head as well as the trauma from nearly drowning. Draco was on the other side of the room explaining, for the twentieth time; to Dumbledore, McGonagall and Sirius what had happened when Ron and his friends came bursting into the hospital wing. Ron rushed to Ginny's bed side immediately and looked at his sister with so much care that everyone stood back to let him have his time.
Ron slid into a chair slowly and took Ginny's hand in his. Madame Pomfrey stood next to him and explained that Ginny was not dead but was in a coma, which meant that she was sleeping and they didn't know when she would be waking up. There was also no magical way to wake her up and it was up to herself to overcome this obstacle.
“Please be alright Ginny,” Ron said on the verge of tears, “I couldn't bear losing my only sister,” he said and tears began sliding down his face.
Harry placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and smiled weakly at his friend. “It's alright Ron,” Harry said, “Madame Pomfrey said that Ginny will wake up eventually.”
Ron wiped away his tears and placed Ginny's hand back down. Dumbledore and McGonagall walked over to the group of Ginny's friends and told them what had happened, while Sirius wanted to talk to Draco alone.
Draco and Sirius walked out of the Hospital wing towards the little garden situated just outside.
“I think I should Thank you for saving Ginny,” Sirius said to Draco as they stood outside looking into the window of the Hospital Wing.
“You don't have to,” Draco said, “Ginny's already thanked me.”
“So when did you give Ginny the tracer?” Sirius asked.
Draco smiled faintly at how observant Sirius was. “It was her birthday present,” he said “I didn't think I'd ever need to use it, it just looked like a nice piece of jewellery.”
“With what Ginny does, she needs all the protection she can get,” Sirius said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Draco didn't think it was funny though. “Well I don't like what she does,” he said coldly.
Sirius could detect the displeasure Draco had and smiled sadly. “Neither do I, but she won't stop because of what you, or I think.”
“Then when will she stop?” Draco asked.
“Soon,” Sirius said, “but until then, there is nothing we can do except support her.”
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Dumbledore told Ron, Harry, Hermione, Colin and Amy about how Draco saved Ginny from Felicity's attempt to kill her and they were all quite puzzled as to how Draco knew where Ginny was and that she was even in Danger. They were even more puzzled to hear that Felicity wanted to kill Ginny. Hermione and Colin knew very well why Draco had saved Ginny but Harry and Amy only had a faint idea as to why. Ron was just full on puzzled.
Ron was permitted to stay behind with Ginny while everyone else returned to classes, and he was now seated in a chair next to Ginny's bed watching her.
“Please wake up Ginny,” Ron said softly, “Mom and Dad would be devastated if anything happed to you. Bill would miss his baby girl, Charlie would miss his favourite sister, Percy would start pestering us non stop if your not there to control his bossiness, Fred and George would miss spoiling you rotten with their treats.” Ron's voice then began to crack. “And most off all I would miss how you can beat me at chess.” Ron was about to cry again but sucked it back in “I'm so sorry Ginny, I'm so sorry for yelling at you. I promise I won't ever yell at you again if you wake up. I won't boss you around or control what you do. I'd never question your decisions or demand anything from you. I just want you to wake up, just please wake up.” Ron buried his face in the side of the bed trying to control his emotions.
A figure walked towards him and stood next to Ginny's bed. Ron lifted his head up and saw that it was Draco. Ron stood up to face him but didn't know how to react to his enemy; his enemy who saved his sister.
“Stop thinking she'll never wake up, Weasley,” Draco said coldly.
“I'm not thinking that,” Ron retorted.
“Then stop acting like you're mourning,” Draco snapped
Ron was getting mad and had all this anger boiling up inside him. For one split second Ron was able to stop the sadness and it helped him control it. Ron calmed back down and gave Draco a weird look.
Draco smirked and then handed Ron something.
“What this?” Ron said while looking at a ring.
“Wear it, Weasley,” Draco said. “If anything happens to Ginny again, you'll know and then you can go help her.”
“Is this how you helped Ginny today?” Ron asked.
“Yes. And now I'm giving it to you.”
“Why are you helping me?” Ron asked cautiously.
Draco laughed. “I'm not helping you, Weasley.” he said coldly. “You and I will always be at odds, except we now have one thing in common. We both don't want Ginny to get hurt.”
Draco then turned on his heel and strolled out of the Hospital wing. Ron plopped down into the chair and looked at the ring Draco had given him. He looked at Ginny and then back at the ring.
“What is Malfoy playing at?” Ron mumbled curiously to himself. “What is it between you two, Ginny?”
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The next day Draco had received a message from Madame Pomfrey to go to the Hospital Wing and collect his cure, so he was now heading towards the Hospital Wing. News of Felicity Lateris running away from school had spread around the school quickly but no one really knew what had happened and didn't know that her departure was linked to Ginny being in a coma.
Ron had asked Dumbledore not to notify their Family just yet. He didn't want their parents to start worrying, and his brothers were all very busy trying to earn a living. And since it had only been a day, he was hoping that Ginny would be waking up very soon.
Draco entered the Hospital Wing and saw Ron, Harry and Hermione visiting Ginny. They were sitting around her bed and talking to each other where Ron would occasionally touch Ginny's face or hand. Seeing them there Draco didn't think it was appropriate for him to go and visit Ginny.
Draco walked into the back room and saw Madame Pomfrey already in there waiting for him. She had a silver cauldron boiling in a metal box and Draco thought it was rather weird.
“Interesting set up isn't it?” Madame Pomfrey said to Draco.
Draco looked at it weirdly “Why is that cauldron in a box?” he asked her.
Madame Pomfrey smiled and then levitated the cauldron out of the metal box. “Ginny put it in there. You won't believe how concerned she was about this cure of yours. She would check it at least three times a day and she even had it placed in a box with a lock on it, she treated it like it was a pot of gold.”
Draco thought about all that Ginny had done for him and it made him ache for her even more. He missed her so much it hurt.
Madame Pomfrey had spooned some of the potion into a bottle and handed it to Draco. The liquid was a mercury green colour and Draco drank the foul tasting medicine. He couldn't help but think that Ginny might have made it taste better.
“Alright then Mr. Malfoy,” Madame Pomfrey said. “You'll have to come back every month to have another dose until you've had four doses. Today was your first, so come back in a month, and you won't need any other medication during this time. Any questions?”
Draco shook his head. “Thank you. Madame Pomfrey,” he said.
“You should thank Ginny,” she said and smiled.
Draco simply nodded his head and left the room. He saw that the trio were still there with Ginny so he decided to come back later.
Later turned out to be midnight, and Draco stepped into the Hospital Wing quietly as not to disturb anyone. The area around Ginny was deserted so Draco felt it was safe for him to talk to her. He sat down in a chair very close to Ginny and took her hand in his.
Draco had so many emotions running through him, but he didn't know what they were let alone know how to put them into words. But he still tried his best.
“I don't know if you can hear me,” Draco started while looking at Ginny's face and slowly rubbing her hand. “But I guess it's easier for me to tell you if you can't yell back,” Draco said and smiled a bit. “I don't really know how I feel about you but I do know that I miss you a lot, Ginny. Ginny; I don't think I've said your name very much but now it's running through my head constantly. I didn't know you were such an important part of my life until you left, and now that you're not with me I'm just not myself.” Draco held Ginny's hand in both of his and pressed it to his lips. “Please wake up. I'm begging you now Ginny, please wake up. If not for me then for your family and friends, I know they couldn't bear losing you, because I couldn't bear to lose you either.”
Draco looked at Ginny hopefully once more before getting up and leaving the Hospital Wing. After Draco had walked out of the room Ron stepped out of the bathroom and sat down next to Ginny feeling very confused.
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Ginny could feel tingles all over her body but couldn't quite move, she tried her fingers and managed to grab onto some kind of fabric. Ginny tugged on it a little and tried to open her eyes but it was too bright.
Ron was resting his head on his arms sleeping when he felt something pulling on his sleeve. Ron lifted his head and looked at his arm where he saw long slim fingers clutching his jumper. Ron's head flew up quickly and he looking into the squinting eyes if Ginny.
“Ginny!” Ron yelled while shooting up from his chair. “You're awake. Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey! Ginny's woken up,” Ron called loudly.
Ron clutched Ginny's hand and Ginny managed to open her eyes a bit more to see her brother.
“You're so loud,” Ginny managed to whisper.
Ron cracked a smile but was bombarded with so much emotion he was having trouble standing.
“You scared the hell out of me, Ginny,” Ron said while holding her hand very tight.
Ginny managed a smile at her brother. “Didn't know you had hell in you,” she said.
They both managed a smile.
Madame Pomfrey came walking out quickly and moved Ron aside so she could examine Ginny. Ron waited outside as Madame Pomfrey checked Ginny behind the curtains. Harry and Hermione came in at that time and Ron was ecstatic about telling them Ginny had woken up. Harry and Hermione were very happy for him and also relieved that Ginny was now awake.
“I better go tell Sirius,” Harry said happily.
“Yeah,” Ron said, “Thanks Harry.”
And then Harry went to tell Sirius. Hermione was standing next to Ron waiting for Madame Pomfrey to finish examining Ginny.
“Hermione,” Ron said softly.
“Yes,” she said.
“Could you do something for me?”
“Of course Ron,” Hermione answered.
Ron cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Could you go tell Malfoy that Ginny has woken up?”
Hermione was a bit confused as to why Ron wanted Draco to know, but thought she wouldn't ask him.
“Alright Ron. I'll go now then.”
“Thanks Hermione.” Ron said.
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Hermione was standing in front of the Head boy room and knocked on the Portrait. The portrait swung open and Hermione walked into the room to find Draco was sitting at his desk doing some work. Draco looked up at Hermione expressionlessly.
“What can I do for you Granger?” He drawled out.
“Nothing actually,” Hermione answered him. “I just wanted to tell you that Ginny has woken up.”
Hermione detected a slight change in Draco's posture for a short time but then he returned back to normal.
“That's nice,” He said flatly.
Hermione was expecting a bit more excitement but seeing as it was Draco, she thought it was as much excitement as he could muster. Hermione then left his room without another word.
As soon as Hermione had gone, Draco ran his hands through his hair and couldn't help smiling. <Thank Merlin she's finally awake>
………………………………………………………………….
Madame Pomfrey had finished examining Ginny and found that she was in perfect health except that she was feeling a bit tired. This was normal after she had slept for nearly two days and so she instructed Ginny to rest for a while before she could leave.
Ron, Harry, Hermione, Colin, Amy and Sirius were all surrounding her bed and chattering non stop. Ginny was smiling at how much her family and friends cared for her.
Dumbledore and McGonagall came into the room and asked to speak with Ginny alone.
“Can you tell us what happened, Miss. Weasley?” McGonagall asked.
Ginny nodded her head and then started telling them what happened. “That day I was walking down the hall when I bumped into someone and while I was apologising I felt a pain at the back of my head and then blacked out. When I woke up I was dangling from a tree above the lake and Felicity Lateris was telling me that I would die. She was on her broom hovering above me and had a knife at the rope ready to cut it so I would fall into the lake. She eventually did cut it and I fell into the water. The last thing I remember after that is Malfoy saving me and carrying me back into the school.”
“Thank you Miss. Weasley,” McGonagall said and then walked out of the Hospital wing.
“Professor Dumbledore,” Ginny said.
“Yes, Ginny,” he replied.
“I have something about Felicity Lateris I have to tell you. It is quite important.”
Dumbledore nodded his head which told Ginny to continue.
“She's a Deatheater,” Ginny said softly.
Dumbledore didn't look like he was affected by the news. “Thank you Ginny, I will attend to this information carefully. You should rest now.” He said with a smile and then left.
The headmaster left the Hospital Wing and Ginny was once again surrounded by her family and friends. They too asked her what had happened and asked her why Felicity had wanted to kill her. Ginny said that she didn't know why Felicity wanted her to die but they all had a rough idea as to why. Surprisingly, Ron didn't continue to pester Ginny about the issue. Ginny's near death experience seemed to have shocked him so much it changed his attitude towards her.
Everyone had left to go to classes but Ron was still sitting beside Ginny peeling an orange for her to eat. Ginny found Ron's behaviour was very out of character so she spoke up.
“Alright Ron,” she said, “You can come out with the lecture now.”
Ron looked up at Ginny with a blank expression “What lecture?” he asked innocently.
Ginny sighed in annoyance “You know the one I always get when something weird happens to me. Come on, I know your dying to say it so you might as well get it over and done with.”
Ron had a hurt look on his face when he spoke to Ginny. “I don't have a lecture for you Ginny.” he said sounding very sad. “I don't have one because it is not your fault that you were nearly killed. It's my fault and I'm sorry.”
Ginny was surprised at what Ron was saying. “Ron, how is it your fault?” Ginny asked softly.
Ron looked at Ginny apologetically. “I should have looked after you more carefully.” He said “This is the second time Ginny. The second time I've nearly let you die because I wasn't a good brother. First it was the Chamber and now it's with that Lateris girl. I'm a complete failure at being a brother.”
Ginny was shaking her head. “No, Ron. You are not a failure at being a brother; you have all it takes to be the perfect brother.” And then she leaned forward to hug him.
Ron smiled sadly. “Somehow I find that hard to believe,” he said
Ginny pulled back and smiled at him. “How can that be?” She said. “You have all the traits of a good brother.” She said exaggeratedly.
Ron raised an eyebrow and smiled at Ginny. “Really,” he said disbelievingly, “and what might they be?”
“Well, you're annoying, bossy, possessive, and violent toward any guy who looks at me…”
Ron was beginning to look sad again.
“But most of all you care,” Ginny said while smiling at Ron and he smiled back.
“I guess I'm not that bad then,” Ron said arrogantly.
Ginny giggled and hit Ron on the shoulder. “Don't you get big headed,” she said and Ron laughed.
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It was rather late that night when Draco crept into the hospital wing to visit Ginny. He walked over to her bed but found that she wasn't in it. Draco's first reaction was to think if something else had happened but then he thought maybe she already left the hospital wing.
There were some clanging sounds coming from the backroom so Draco walked over to investigate. He opened the door slowly and saw a figure with long red hair standing at a bench doing something.
“Ginny?” Draco said softly.
Ginny whirled around and looked at him. Draco strode towards her quickly, until he was right in front of her. He was so happy to see that she was alright; he didn't know what to do.
They both stood there just looking at each other not knowing what to say or how to act.
Ginny cleared her throat uncomfortably and moved her gaze away. “Thank you Malfoy, for saving me,” She said quietly.
Draco's face fell. “You've already thanked me,” he said, slightly hurt at the use of his last name when he used her first.
“Oh,” Ginny said, “well, it doesn't hurt to say it again.”
“But it does.” Draco said sadly. “After all that's happened, thank you is all you have to say to me.”
Ginny looked into Draco's eyes and saw how hurt he was.
“What do you want me to say?” She said softly.
“I don't know,” He answered. “I just know it's not Thank you.”
“But Thank you is all I can give right now,” Ginny answered and then turned around to continue what she was doing.
Draco stood there looking at Ginny's back. “I've taken the cure,” he said.
“I know,” Ginny said with her back still facing him. “Did Madame Pomfrey tell you how it works?”
“Yes,” Draco answered. “I have to come back every month.”
“Good,” Ginny said. “You understand then.”
Once again there was an uncomfortable silence. Draco didn't know what he was expecting from Ginny, but he didn't like how it was between them now. Ginny knew that Draco wanted them to go back to how it was before but it wasn't possible. They were from two different worlds and it would never work between them, even if Felicity was now gone.
“I just wanted to see how you were going that's all,” Draco said and then started walking out of the room. It was obvious that he was making her uncomfortable. “Good night, Weasley.” And then he was gone.
“Goodnight, Draco,” Ginny whispered.
End of Chapter Thirty Seven. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Eight
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s were coming up for the senior years so the following weeks were very busy for Draco and Ginny. There was still the awkwardness between them and since Draco didn’t need medicine everyday, Ginny didn’t go to Draco’s room anymore so they didn’t really have an opportunity to really talk about things. Ron stopped keeping an eye on Ginny after she was allowed to leave the hospital wing; he said something about not wanting to be a suffocating brother and wanted to treat Ginny like an adult or growing woman. Ginny also noticed that the whole trio (including Ron) started to be a bit more civilized towards Draco and Draco was also holding back on the snide remarks.
It wasn’t long before Ginny became the invisible girl again. Hardly anyone besides her friends and a few close housemates noticed that she had been out of class for a week. Ginny only ever saw Draco in the great hall where he would be sitting across the room from her chatting to his friends. No body else knew that Draco had saved Ginny from Felicity so there was no worry about more gossip about anything between them. Felicity’s disappearance was questioned for a few days but Dumbledore had informed the students that Felicity had left because of a family emergency and so she too was soon forgotten.
It was early May and one more month before the N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s. The library was super busy and the common rooms were packed full of study groups. Madame Pince was having an extra hard time because all her books were being borrowed so the library looked practically empty, not to mention it would take her days to stack back the books when they would all come back at the same time (after the exams).
Ginny was in the library late one night when she witnessed Draco arguing with their librarian.
“But I need that book,” Draco hissed.
“I’m sorry Mr. Malfoy but it has been damaged and I have to fix it before anyone can use it again,” Madame Pince was explaining.
“But I’ve been on the waiting list for weeks, and now that it’s my turn you tell me I cant have it,” Draco was practically yelling.
“Mr. Malfoy,” Madame Pince warned. “You will keep your voice down in here, and this is my library. If I refuse to give you a book then that is that. No more arguing.”
Draco was about to debate some more but Ginny placed her hand on Draco’s arm which made him look at her.
Ginny was shaking her head telling Draco to drop the subject and though Draco was reluctant to, he knew there was no use in arguing with the Librarian.
Draco stomped away grumpily towards his seat with Ginny following behind him. When Draco reached his desk, he started packing his things up roughly and mumbling to himself because he was obviously pissed.
“Is that book very important?” Ginny asked.
Draco was so busy getting angry that he had forgotten Ginny was still there. The anger drained out of him and he looked up at Ginny tiredly.
“It’s for a project in Magical History. It’s due next week and I was hoping to get that book so I could do it tonight but she wouldn’t give it to me,” Draco said and then began packing his things again.
Draco had packed his things and now stood up, ready to leave. Ginny also stood up and smiled at Draco.
“Follow me,” she whispered into his ear and then started walking out of the library.
Draco didn’t have time to ask her where she was taking him and so he just followed Ginny. Once they were out of the library and in a small hallway, Ginny grabbed Draco’s sleeve and started pulling him very fast down the halls twisting and turning. Draco had a feeling of familiarity and knew that Ginny was probably taking him to another secret place.
Ginny soon stopped in front of a wall and tapped on the bricks with her wand. An old oak door materialized and Ginny opened it so they could step in. Once they were inside, the lighting on the ceiling went on and the room was lit brightly. The first thing Draco noticed was that the room was even bigger than the great hall and was filled with loads and loads of books. The room had a very warm woody feeling to it, probably because everything in the room was made out of wood. Directly in front of Draco was a long wooden table with a dozen chairs surrounding it, and on the table tops were some lanterns and candle’s which gave light. On either side of the room there was a set of stairs that led up to another level and Draco could see that the upper levels had many shelves that were all filled with books.
“This is the passage of Knowledge,” Ginny said and then walked towards the table to put her things down. Draco followed her and also placed his things onto the table.
Draco was overwhelmed by the size of this room and about how many books there were. It looked like a massive library that was very, very old. He didn’t notice that Ginny had walked up a flight of stairs and was now coming back down with a book in her hand.
“Here,” She said and handed Draco the book.
Draco looked at the cover and saw that it was the book he wanted to get from the Library. “Thanks,” He managed to say and then walked over to the table to sit down and start reading it.
“You’ll have to use it in here because you can’t take the book out,” Ginny told Draco.
“Sure,” Draco answered and then started reading again. Ginny also took out her own work and started doing it next to Draco.
<Just like old times> Ginny couldn’t help thinking.
Draco had copied down some information on a parchment and then closed the book. “Do you come here often?” Draco asked.
Ginny looked up from her work and shook her head. “No. These books are very old and shouldn’t be used too much. I only come here if it’s very important information I need.”
“Oh,” Draco said.
“Was the book helpful?” Ginny asked.
Draco sighed and shook his head. “It wasn’t as good as I though it was. I’m supposed to study the origins of Merlins magic and how he developed them, but this book doesn’t go that far back.”
“We can use another book then,” Ginny said and then got up from her chair and walked up the stairs.
Draco didn’t know how the books were organised in this room so he just followed Ginny up the stairs. Ginny was standing in front of a shelf and reading the spines of some books. She took out two and handed it to Draco.
“Look through these and I’ll see if I can find some more,” She said and then walked off to another isle.
Draco looked at the two books before heading back down the stairs to the table. He flipped through the two books and found some good information which he copied down onto parchments but it wasn’t enough. As soon as Draco had finished with the two books another two were placed in front of him.
“Here’s some more,” Ginny said and then took the other two Draco had finished with and walked back up the stairs. They continued this routine with Ginny bringing Draco books while Draco copied down any useful information he found.
It soon evolved to a whole stack of books being piled in front of Draco so Ginny had to help him flip through them looking for information.
Ginny handed Draco a book and pointed to a paragraph. “Here,” She said. “I think this could help you.”
Draco glanced at the page that was written in Latin and then looked up and stared at Ginny.
“What?” Ginny asked innocently “Do I have something on my face?”
“No,” Draco said while smiling. “It’s just I didn’t know you knew Latin.”
Ginny smiled. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” she said teasingly.
Draco smiled and then began reading the paragraph.
They continued to research until it was very late and Ginny had slowly drifted off the sleep, resting her head on her arms which were on the table. Draco saw Ginny sleeping and didn’t want to wake her up so he took his school robe off and placed it over her shoulders. Draco then continued his research by himself.
Ginny woke up and the first thing she did was stretch. As she did this Ginny felt something fall off her shoulders, so she turned a bit and picked up the school robe that had slid off her shoulders.
Ginny immediately scanned the room and found Draco sleeping in a chair with his hands crossed over his torso. Ginny walked over to him quietly and placed his cloak back onto him. She then started close all the books which were on the table and took them back to their shelves.
Mid way through Ginny’s packing up Draco woke up and was now rubbing his eyes.
“Ginny?” He said and then started looking around for her.
“I’m up here,” Ginny called down from where she was stacking the last few books.
Draco put his robe back on and walked up the stairs. Ginny emerged from one of the isles and smiled at him.
“Good morning,” Draco said while smiling at Ginny.
“Good morning,” Ginny said back. “We should get going now.” and then she started to walk back down the stairs.
Draco packed up his parchments and they both left the room. The oak door materialised back into the stone wall while Draco and Ginny made their way back to their rooms.
“Thank you for the help,” Draco said while they were walking down the deserted hallways. It was rather early in the morning so no one was up yet.
“You’re welcome,” Ginny answered back with a smile.
Last night had broken the awkward silence which had developed between them and now they seemed to warm back up to each other. They reached the main staircase and had to go their separate ways.
“You have to go get your cure next week,” Ginny reminded him.
“I know,” Draco answered. “Madame Pomfrey owled me.”
“Oh, that’s good then,” Ginny said while nodding.
They stood there for a moment in comfortable silence.
“I should get going now,” Ginny said and then started walking backwards.
“Yeah,” Draco said. “I should go too.” And then he started to also walk backwards towards the dungeons.
They kept eye contact for as long as they could but when they couldn’t any more they turned around and headed in the opposite direction.
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The weekend came but not that many students were going to Hogsmeade because they were all studying for the up coming exams. Ginny and Ron however had to go to Hogsmeade because it was time for them to pay some of their loan off.
Ron and Ginny got out of the carriage and headed towards the Bank where they would meet their other brothers. The procedure went like usual and their loan was reduced by a further 200 Galleons. Bill was shaking Mr. Grouch’s hand when the door to the bank burst open and figures dressed in black cloaks were marching in with Wands pointed at people.
Screams were emitted and people were trying to run away, but those that ran were stunned and fell to the floor. All of Ginny’s brothers were quick to react and pulled their wands out but didn’t confront the Deatheaters. That’s what they were, they were Deatheaters.
“Charlie,” Bill whispered. “Apparate out of here and notify the Ministry.”
Charlie nodded and did as he was told.
“Fred, George,” Bill said softly.
“Yeah,” the twins replied.
“Do you still carry a supply of your bombs?” Bill asked.
The twins nodded and Bill smiled. “Good,” He said.
The Deatheaters weren’t killing anyone and looked like they were robbing the bank. Everyone in the bank was now crouching on the ground huddled in little groups while the horde of Deatheaters was standing in the middle of the foyer while some were at the counters, telling the Goblins to take them to the vaults.
When there was only about ten or so Deatheaters left in the foyer Bill began his plan.
“Ok Percy,” Bill said. “On the Count of three we perform the captivity charm to hold the Deatheaters together for a while so that the other people can escape. The captivity spell can only last for a few minutes so after it has failed Fred and George, you two throw all of your bombs at them so that they can be distracted and we can run out. The ministry people should have arrived by then. Do you all understand?”
Everyone nodded except Ginny and Ron.
“What do we do Bill?” Ron asked.
“You two leave with everyone else.”
Ginny wanted to complain but Ron shook his head. Bill counted to three and the caging spell was performed on the Deatheaters. As soon as they were held in place Fred and George ran around to the people and told them to get out. Ginny and Ron also helped to direct the people to leave. When nearly everyone was out of the building Bill and Percy were already sweating from holding the charm in place for so long. Fred and George yelled at Ron to get Ginny outside because they knew it was nearly time for them to throw the bombs and it would be dangerous if they were lost in the smoke.
Ginny started running towards the exit but a Deatheater appeared at the door and blocked her way out. Ginny screamed at the sudden appearance and her brothers turned to see what was wrong. This caused Bill and Percy to lose their concentration therefore allowed the captivity charm to disappear. Within a few minutes, the Weasley siblings were surrounded by Deatheaters and cornered.
Bill instinctively pushed Ginny behind him and Percy while holding his wand up, but he was then quickly disarmed.
“If it isn’t the Weasleys,” One of the Deatheaters said and then stood at the front of the group.
“I thought you lot would have given up after we won,” Percy said to him.
The Deatheater lifted his wand and pointed it as Percy’s head. “We’ll win this time round,” He said. His lips started moving to hex Percy but Ginny pushed forward just as the spell was coming out of the Deatheaters wand.
The hex was absorbed by a blinding blue light and the Deatheaters all stepped back while shielding their eyes.
Ginny was now standing in front of her brothers with her arm held in front of her. The Heirloom Sirius had given her was emitting a shield that protected her and her brothers.
“Get out of here,” Ginny called to her brothers.
“No!” all of them answered automatically. The bright light was still able to keep the deatheaters at a certain distance away from them but Ginny didn’t know how long it would hold them off for. The heirloom had a limit to its power and Ginny wasn’t sure it could protect all six of them.
“Please go now!” Ginny said. “I can’t protect all of you with this.”
Bill and Percy were hesitant but then nodded to each other; they knew that Ginny was right.
“Come on,” Bill said and then guided all of his brothers towards the exit quickly.
As soon as the Weasley brothers were out of the door, Auror’s from the ministry came running forward with their wands out.
“They’re in there with my sister,” Bill said to the head Auror. The man nodded and ran in with a horde of men.
Charlie was at the back of the group and ran up to his brothers.
“Are you all alright?” He asked them and everyone nodded. Charlie then noticed that Ginny wasn’t with them.
“Where’s Ginny?” he asked starting to panic.
“She was holding the Deatheaters off with an Heirloom.” Bill informed him.
Charlie was about to ask where Ginny had gotten an heirloom but right then a man walked out holding onto Ginny.
All the Weasley brothers ran towards Ginny and the man. Ron, Fred and George Hugged Ginny tightly between them while Bill, Charlie and Percy was asking the Auror what had happened.
“When we walked in we found her struggling to stand up while keeping the Deatheaters in a corner with some sort of force field.”
Charlie thanked the man and the three brothers walked over to see if Ginny was alright.
Ginny was now standing up surrounded by her brothers. Fred, George and Ron were glaring at her but Ginny was still smiling.
“Don’t you ever do that again young lady,” Fred was saying in a Molly Weasley kind of voice.
“What if something bad happened?” George chipped in with and Arthur Weasley tone.
Ginny couldn’t stop the giggle from escaping her mouth.
“Don’t you start laughing,” Ron said sternly. “You still haven’t told us where you got that Heirloom from.”
“I gave it to her,” said a voice from behind them.
All the Weasleys turned and looked at Sirius who was standing in front of them along with professor Dumbledore and professor McGonagall.
“Sirius,” Ginny said happily.
Sirius smiled at seeing Ginny and went to give her a brief hug.
The Head Auror walked towards them and asked to talk to the whole Weasley clan. Ron and Ginny were not required to stay behind so they said goodbye to their brothers and went with their Headmaster.
“We should head back to the school,” Dumbledore said. “We have much to discuss.”
End of Chapter Thirty Eight. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Thirty Nine
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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When Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sirius and all other students who were at Hogsmeade arrived back at school, Professor McGonagall was instructed to take the students to a room and help calm them down.
Sirius however took Ginny somewhere else and Professor Dumbledore took Ron up to his office.
“Where are we going?” Ginny asked.
Sirius smiled at Ginny sneakily. “To see someone special,” he said.
Ginny’s eyebrows knitted together while she was trying to figure out who she was going to meet.
They reached Sirius’s quarters and stepped inside. As soon as Ginny entered, she saw that there was a man standing in the room with his back facing them. Ginny studied the figure of the man trying to identify him but couldn’t.
“Sit down, Ginny,” Sirius instructed.
Ginny sat down in a near by chair but never removed her gave from the figures back. The man turned around to face them and Ginny saw a pair of dark brown eyes. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before scanning him all over. He didn’t look very old; maybe 25 max. He was wearing black pants, black shoes and a black jacket. He was tall and had a slim build but looked fit and had neatly trimmed brown hair. He was quite ordinary looking but Ginny sensed something different about him.
The man smiled at Ginny and moved to sit down in a chair next to her.
“Analysing me already?” he said with an amused tone.
Ginny blushed and moved her gaze away.
The man just smiled. “You’re prettier in person you know,” he said.
Ginny looked back to the man and gave him a suspicious look. “Who are you?” she asked.
“Take a guess V,” the man said.
Only one person in the world called her, V.
“X,” Ginny exclaimed incredulously.
“I’d really prefer Andrew,” The man said while still smiling.
Ginny was very shocked to meet her outside Source for the first time and said the first thing that popped into her mind. “You’re younger than I thought.”
Sirius laughed at this. “I told you, you sounded like a grouch,” Sirius said teasingly to Andrew.
Andrew ignored Sirius and extended his hand out to Ginny.
“I think I should formally introduce myself,” he said politely and then shook Ginny’s hand. “My real name is Andrew Fletcher and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you Virginia.”
Ginny was finally able to compose herself and smiled at Andrew. “You can just call me Ginny,” she said.
The two immediately created a strong bond and felt very comfortable with each other.
“Alright,” Sirius said, “now that introductions have been done lets get down to business.”
“What business?” Ginny asked.
“It has to do with Felicity Caruso and the Deatheaters.” Andrew told her. “She was actually ordered to come to Hogwarts and collect something for her Guardian.”
“What was it?” Ginny asked
“I don’t know yet, but I do know that she didn’t get it, but still returned to her Guardian and I find that very suspicious.”
The three people sat in the room for a long time discussing the matter concerning Felicity Caruso, the Deatheaters and the possibility of a Dark Lord arising.
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Meanwhile up in Dumbledore’s office sat Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco. They too were being told about the possibility of there being a new Dark Lord.
“Do you have any suspects?” Harry asked.
“Not exactly,” Dumbledore answered, “but it is suspected that it would be one of the more powerful Deatheaters.”
Gazes shifted to Draco but Draco’s face didn’t change. He knew what they were thinking. Lucius Malfoy had been the most powerful Deatheater and it would most likely have been him who would be the next Dark Lord, if he was alive that is.
“So what are we going to do?” Ron asked.
“Everything will remain the same for now,” Dumbledore said. “I just wanted to inform you of the possibility of another war. We have found out that this new possible Dark Lord sent a spy into the school trying to obtain some kind of object. What the object is we do not know but we do know that the spy was not successful.”
“If there is anything we can do to help Professor,” Hermione said.
Dumbledore smiled but held his hand up. “Thank you for the offer Hermione,” he said. “But right now there is nothing we can do; we will need more information before any plans can be made. Just be prepared for the request of your help from the ministry.”
Everyone nodded and the stood up to leave Dumbledore’s office.
“Draco,” Dumbledore said.
Draco paused and when the trio were far enough down the stairs, Dumbledore spoke.
“The spy I was talking about was Felicity Lateris. Maybe you could think of something she has said or done that might help us.”
“Of course professor,” Draco said and then left.
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“I actually believe she was targeting Draco Malfoy,” Andrew was saying.
Ginny tensed up at the mention of Draco’s name and Andrew noticed this.
“Do you know something about Young Malfoy and this girl Ginny?” he asked.
Ginny looked at Andrew and frowned. “Not exactly. It’s just that it all makes sense now. She had wanted to be his girlfriend very badly; maybe the item she wanted to get belongs to him.”
Both Sirius and Andrew nodded.
“Could you possibly find out if he has anything special she might want?” Sirius asked.
Ginny pondered the idea for a while and then nodded. “I should be able to.”
“Good,” Andrew said, “and now that my job has been completed, I think I should get going.”
Sirius stood up and shook Andrew’s hand. “Thanks for the help Andrew.”
“Anytime Sirius,” Andrew said.
“Why don’t I escort you?” Ginny said.
“Sure,” Andrew said.
The school was quite empty for a Saturday afternoon, but considering the shock some students had gotten at Hogmeade, they were all probably crowding around common rooms retelling their stories.
“So you and Sirius are pretty good friends then,” Ginny asked as they were walking down the corridor.
Andrew smiled. “Sirius and my father were good mates; he was like an uncle to me. He asked me to help him out with some suspicions he’s had about a new Dark Lord and it just so happens that Felicity Caruso was apart of it.”
Ginny nodded her head understandingly. There were so many questions she wanted ask him but she didn’t know how to start. Why didn’t he tell her he knew Sirius? Did he deliberately help her because Sirius told him to? Who was he exactly? Was he a Deatheater?
“You’re dying to know aren’t you?” Andrew said.
Ginny snapped her head up, surprised that he knew what she was thinking.
“How about we sit down and I’ll tell you anything you want to know?” Andrew offered.
Ginny smiled. “That would be great.”
They headed towards the lake and spent a long day just talking.
It turns out that when Andrew was hired to find out who the Source was, he also found out about Ginny and Sirius’s friendship, and since Andrew knew Sirius so well, he had helped her. Andrew did however really admire how talented Ginny was, not only at Healing but as a true observer/detective/spy. He was not a Deatheater, but his family was a ‘dark’ family so he knew a lot of the Deatheater families. He had told Ginny that if she ever got tired of healing or anything there would always be place for her in his workplace. Ginny thanked him for the generous offer and then he was off.
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The whole school was now aware of the Deatheater attack at the Bank, not only at Hogsmeade but apparently the one in Diagon Alley had been attacked too. Rumours were flying around about another war, everyone dying and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rising from the dead.
Everyone was so nervous and worried, but Dumbledore had announced that everyone would be perfectly safe in Hogwarts and everyone seemed to be comforted by his words. Everyone except Ginny.
Ginny had been thinking a lot lately and was beginning to come to a conclusion as to what Felicity Caruso had been planning to do. Ginny couldn’t be sure, but if what she suspected was true then the Wizarding world was going to face another Dark Lord, but this time he would have a body and would be stronger.
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May seventeenth arrived and it was Draco’s eighteenth Birthday. A party was organised for him in the common room by his few friends and also everyone else because they wanted to suck up to the richest guy in the school. The Party was wild and was more like a night club than a party for him. Draco really didn’t mind because it allowed him to go back to his room without anyone really noticing.
Draco entered his room and was immediately aware of someone else being in there. He walked further in and his heart leapt at who he saw.
Ginny sat in a chair holding a rectangular object in her hands. Draco was soon standing in front of her and she stood up so she could see his face.
“Happy birthday,” Ginny said cheerfully and then handed the wrapped gift to him.
“Thank you,” Draco said and accepted the gift. He tore the wrapping off and looked at the book in his hands.
Economy in our Society
“I thought that it would be useful to you after you finish school,” Ginny said.
Draco smiled at her thoughtfulness. “It’s wonderful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Ginny said while smiling. After a few seconds of silence she began to walk towards the door.
When Ginny brushed past Draco, he took her arm and held her back.
“Could you stay for a while,” he asked, “Just to celebrate with me.”
Ginny turned to face him again and nodded. “Sure. How do you want to celebrate?”
Draco smiled. “With wine of course.” He put the book down and headed over to a cabinet in the corner of his room. He opened the doors and scanned the many bottles of alcohol he had in there.
Ginny was now standing behind Draco and looking over his shoulder at the labels.
“That one.” She pointed.
Draco picked up the bottle and gave Ginny a smirk. “Expensive drinker, aren’t we?” he said.
Ginny smiled back innocently. “All your wine is expensive,” she retorted.
Draco only smiled and grabbed two wine glasses before heading over to his desk to get the opener.
Not very long later, Ginny and Draco were sitting at the little table in the room, with half the bottle of wine gone, but they were both still sober.
“So who taught you to drink?” Draco asked.
Ginny was swirling the wine in her glass but stopped to take a sip. “No one in particular,” she said. “Bill always said it was dangerous for a girl to get drunk, and Percy has the good taste, so they both taught me a thing or two.”
Draco smiled. “Then you should know a lot about wine then?” he asked.
“I know enough,” Ginny answered and then downed the rest of her glass.
Another bottle was soon opened and another one after that. Their defence was crumbling and they were slowly forgetting their worries. The two had somehow ended up on the bed lying beside each other with their heads at the foot of the bed while their feet (without the shoes) were at the head, propped up by the pillows.
“And so half naked Fred and George ended up being chased around the house by a fluorescent pink dog,” Ginny was saying and then cracked up laughing along with Draco.
“Your brothers really know how to get in trouble don’t they,” Draco said.
Ginny took a sip from the bottle of wine that was between them and then nodded. “They’re the experts,” she said and then giggled.
She passed the bottle to Draco and he took a sip but then dumped the bottle onto the floor because it was now empty.
Ginny rolled onto her side and draped her arm over Draco’s chest, moving it around like she was searching for something.
Draco laughed because it was ticklish. “What are you doing?” He said.
“Where’s the bottle?” She mumbled.
“There’s no more,” Draco managed to say and then held Ginny’s moving hand so that she would stop searching. He then turned onto his side so that he was facing her.
Their eyes met and locked in place. Ginny’s face was flushed red from the Alcohol and her hair was fanned out around her.
“You’re beautiful,” Draco whispered.
Ginny’s eyes widened for a second before she smiled weakly. “You’re drunk,” she said.
Draco squeezed Ginny’s hand and moved closer towards her.
“It’s still true though,” he said. “You’re the most magnificent girl I’ve ever met.”
Draco’s words were simple, and to any other girl it would just be nice compliments. But no one had ever said things like that to Ginny before and it counted even more that Draco was saying it.
Ginny’s eyes were watering so she looked up at the ceiling to stop them from flowing. Draco took this chance to wrap his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Ginny turned her head back to look at Draco and her hands resting on his chest.
“Why do you have to be so wonderful?” She whispered before the tears started to run down her face.
Draco gently wiped Ginny’s tears away and she wrapped her hands around his neck so that she could bury her face into his shoulder.
“I missed you,” He whispered into her ear. “So very much.”
Ginny pulled back a bit and looked Draco in the eyes. “Malfoy, we shouldn’t…”
“Draco,” he cut her off. “I’m just Draco, Ginny. Can you ever see past my family name?” The hurt was evident in his voice.
“It’s not that simple,” Ginny said softly while looking at him. “We can’t escape the obligations we have to our family. Our name defines a part of who we are and how people see us. Even if I can look past it, it doesn’t mean everyone else can.”
Ginny was beginning to ease herself off of the bed, but Draco pulled her back and looked at her eyes seriously.
“There’s no one else here Ginny,” he said. “No one to please or act for. It’s just you and me.”
Ginny looked him in the eyes and saw Draco. He wasn’t a Malfoy or anyone else; he was the Draco only she knew.
“Please stay,” he said.
There were a thousand reasons for Ginny to leave and only one for her to stay, but that one reason was enough. She loved him.
Ginny lay back down next to him with her back facing his chest and Draco wrapped his arms around her. They stayed that way in silence, just being content with each other’s presence. Draco could hear Ginny’s steady breathing and assumed she was asleep. He propped his head up on his elbow so that he could look down at her face.
He then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I think I love you,” he whispered, before lying back down to sleep.
A tear escaped Ginny’s eye and trailed down her face, but disappear into the fabric of the bed.
End of Chapter Thirty Nine. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Forty
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny woke up with her head lying in the crook of Draco’s shoulder. She opened her eyes and was immediately met with silver grey ones as Draco was propped up on his elbow and just looking at her sleeping.
“Good morning,” Ginny said and sat up to stretch.
“Good morning,” Draco said and also sat up.
The two should have had hangovers with the amount of wine they drank last night, but a quick spell fixed that. There was silence as the two just sat on the bed. Both Ginny and Draco were still wearing their uniforms but they were a bit rumpled. Nothing had happened last night but some awkwardness was still there.
Draco made the first move by taking Ginny’s hand in his. Their eyes met and he felt very nervous. He was going to tell her.
“Ginny,” he started, “I want to tell you something.”
Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew what he was going to say. She had secretly heard him say it uncertainly last night but she was sure he was going to say it very certainly right now and she didn’t know what to do if he did.
“I’ve never said this to anyone before,” Draco continued, “and I don’t think I’ve felt this way about anyone before either, so I’m not quite sure about it myself.”
Ginny couldn’t help smiling a bit. The great Draco Malfoy was blabbering, obvious signs that he was very nervous.
“But I just want you to know that *ahem* I…”
Draco couldn’t continue after that because his room suddenly shook like there was an earthquake occurring. The bed shook once, paused, and then shook even harder.
Ginny gave a worried look to Draco before jumping off the bed. She ran to the portrait and opened it a crack. As soon as she opened it, screams filtered into the room. Draco immediately leapt off the bed and ran towards Ginny.
“What’s happening out there?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Ginny said, “but I think I should return to Gryffindor Tower.”
Before Draco could say anything else Ginny was gone.
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Draco ran over to his desk and quickly grabbed his wand. By the time he was out of his room, he had lost Ginny in the crown of running and screaming students. Draco grabbed some random student and asked them what was going on.
“There are trolls running around the school smashing everything and anyone they see,” The kid said before he ran off with the other students down, deeper into the dungeons.
Draco was able to push his way up to the normal level of the school and saw that there were three trolls smashing walls down with their batons.
Some of the teachers were dodging the trolls while trying to get the students to safer places in the school.
Draco could hear stomping on the upper and lower levels, concluding that there were more trolls roaming around.
Draco knew he needed to knock these trolls out if there was any chance for the school to survive and also for him to find Ginny. So he pointed his wand at the baton that one of the trolls was holding.
‘wingarium leviosa’
The baton was now controlled by Draco and he levitated the heavy object above the trolls head and then let it drop. The troll was stunned for a second then started to fall like a tree.
“You’re using Ron’s trick, Malfoy,” Said a voice.
Draco turned his head and saw Harry controlling a baton of another troll then letting it drop so that the troll was hit on the head and fell down.
The two boys were walking towards each other while looking around to see where they should go next.
“Weasley’s trick was dumb luck, my action was pure talent,” Draco said when Harry was close enough to hear.
Harry smiled and was about to say something when very loud screams came from their left. The two ran as fast as they could to find out where the screams were coming from.
It took a handful of seventh years and most of the staff the whole morning to get the trolls under control. Half the school was in ruins, but luckily no students were killed, only injured. Dumbledore had called the ministry in and the experts were now moving the trolls out of the school.
Draco, Hermione and all the prefects had organised the students to go back to their commons rooms, which luckily had not been abolished. By the end of the day, the school had settled down somewhat and was relatively clam again. The ministry had taken all the trolls away and promised to investigate the matter. They had also organised for people to come in and fix the broken school up as soon as possible. They also provided extra Medi Wizards and Witches to help with the injured students.
The Hospital Wing was swarming with moaning students. A lot of them had been injured from falling pieces of gravel and some had even fallen down the stairs trying to get away.
After Ginny had left Draco’s room, she ran outside and found the trolls smashing the school. One of her fellow house mates were stuck under a piece of the ceiling and calling for help so Ginny went to save her. She took the girl to the hospital wing, where she found a lot of other injured students and that was where she had been all day.
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Meanwhile, up in Dumbledore’s office sat many ministry officials along with Sirius, Remus, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.
There sat a ministry official from nearly every department that was involved when the war with Voldemort had occurred last year. There was a representative from the Aurors, defence against the dark arts, advanced spells and charms, Magical creatures, strategic defence and of course the Minster of Magic himself.
They were having an important meeting concerning the safety surrounding the school. It had been found that Deatheaters were behind today’s problem and they had big plans concerning Hogwarts.
“We must evacuate the school,” Fudge was saying. “The students must leave immediately.”
“But doing that would only make the school more vulnerable,” Said Mr. Whiteman (Ron’s strategic defence teacher)
“But keeping them here could mean a possible death to all of them” Said a man from the Auror department.
“Extra charms and wards can be placed the protect them,” Said Miss. Lichtenstein (Hermione’s advanced spells and charms teacher)
“Hogwarts has always had special protection against Dark forces,” Said the representative from the Dark Arts sector in the ministry. “I don’t think students will be any safer at home anyhow.”
There was a lot of discussion concerning whether or not students should be sent home, until a final argument made the decision for them, and it was Sirius who provided this information.
“Their main goal is to take over Hogwarts,” he said. “An empty trunk is easier to steal that a full trunk. With lots of help from the ministry, we can protect the students and at the same time make it difficult for the enemy to invade the school.”
People were nodding their heads in agreement.
“Very well,” said Fudge. “The students will stay at Hogwarts then. I also grant you all the resources you need Dumbledore.”
“Thank you Minister Fudge,” Dumbledore said and shook the Minister’s hand.
After the minister had gone, some people also left, leaving behind a few to discuss with Dumbledore their plans to defeat this new Dark Lord.
It was agreed that since Hogwarts was a main target, troops of Aurors would be ordered to surround the area around the school and the charms surrounding Hogwarts will also be made stronger. Another war was officially now on, against Voldemort’s remaining Deatheaters and their new leader, who still remains anonymous.
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Draco couldn’t hate being Head Boy any more than he did right now. All he wanted to do was to go find Ginny, see if she was alright, and if she was, to take her to a nice quiet place, sit her down, hold her hand, look into her beautiful eyes and just tell her. But no, he was Head Boy and so he had spent the whole day calming students down, running around ordering students to stay where they were and answering questions he didn’t even know answers to.
But at last he found his chance. While he was in a heated discussion with Hermione about him not concentrating on his duties, a kid said he felt sick and wanted to go to the hospital wing. Draco saw the opportunity and jumped for it.
“I’ll take you to the hospital wing then,” he said quickly and dragged the kid away before Hermione could say anything.
When Draco reached the Hospital Wing, he handed the kid over to a Medi Witch, but instead of leaving he went around looking for Ginny. He didn’t know for sure that she would be here, but he couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t hurt and may have needed medical attention. He would feel better if he just had a look.
All the beds in the Hospital Wing were occupied and extra’s were conjured up and placed closely together because of the small space. There were also way too many Medi Witches here that a normal school needed, but this was normal considering what happened today and the amount of injured students there were.
“Just lie back down and I’ll get you something for that cut, alright?”
Draco recognised the voice immediately and spun around to see Ginny covering a student up with a blanket. She was fine, she wasn’t hurt and she was even treating other students. When Ginny straightened up, she saw Draco standing in the middle of the room and looking at her with the weariest face she had ever seen. Ginny walked over to him quickly with a worried expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” She asked frantically and roamed her eyes over him. “Are you hurt? Did you get hit? Why didn’t you come here earlier?” Ginny was saying all the while dragging Draco ever to a chair and sitting him down.
A smile made its way onto Draco’s face as he looked at Ginny fussing over him. Ginny paused and looked at him questioningly.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked.
Draco simply stood up and wrapped Ginny in his arms. “I was so worried,” he breathed out heavily into her hair while hugging her tighter. “I didn’t know what had happened to you.”
Ginny smiled into his shoulder. “I’m fine,” she said and sunk deeper into his embrace so she could enjoy the security he provided. She had been helping injured students all day but not one person had asked her how she was doing, or even given her an encouraging gesture like a hug or a pat on the back. It’s not that Ginny helped people because she wanted praises; it’s just sometimes some concern helped cheer her up. Draco gave her warmth and for once, she felt cared for instead of her needing to care for others.
The noise in the Hospital Wing was quick to shatter their sweet moment and they both moved apart. Ginny looked around and sighed with relief that all the patients were too busy to notice that a Weasley and Malfoy had just hugged.
“What did you come here for?” Ginny asked.
“I brought a sick kid down here and thought I’d see of you were also here,” He said.
“You’re not hurt then?” she asked. Draco shook his head and Ginny gave a small smile.
“Good. I have to go now though. A lot of people need healing,” Ginny said and started to walk away but Draco held onto her arm and pulled her back.
“I have something to tell you,” he said quickly.
“Can you tell me some other time?” Ginny said. “I really have a lot to do.”
Draco’s face fell and Ginny felt bad, but this wasn’t the time or the place for what he wanted to say. Ginny also felt that she wasn’t the person he should be saying it to. She managed to slip away and Draco slowly made his way back to the Slytherin common room.
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The next day, Aurors were already surrounding the perimeter of the school. Hogsmeade weekends were cancelled and so were any other outdoor activities. Students were to stay inside of the castle at all times and the curfew was made even earlier. These new rules were very strict and punishment was very severe.
Draco was getting grumpier by the day because believe it or not, he had not spoken to Ginny ever since he was in the hospital wing, and that was three days ago. The N.E.W.T.s and O.W.Ls were not cancelled because of the war, but moved forward in time. This meant that all the senior years were trying to cram three weeks worth of study into 5 days. It sounded very unreasonable, but the teachers said it was for the best because they didn’t want anyone to not pass and not become a fully recognised wizard or witch.
Draco was angry because he had to spend most of his time studying so he couldn’t go and find her. But he was also angry because he didn’t have the skill to sneak into Gryffindor tower and he didn’t see her around so he couldn’t give her a message to meet him somewhere. He was also angry because she could come to his room easily but she didn’t, even after he told her he had wanted to tell her something. Surely, someone with her intelligence would have a slight idea as to what he wanted to say, right?
Sure Ginny knew. She knew exactly what he was going to say. The three big words every girl wanted to hear but to which Ginny dreaded. She couldn’t let him say it to her; she wouldn’t let him say it to her. If she just kept away from him for the next few weeks then he would be out of school soon and her problems would be solved. He would graduate, meet some pretty girl and forget all about little Ginny. If only it were that simple. Life didn’t deal Ginny very good hands and she had started believing a long time ago that good things don’t happen for no reason, and Ginny couldn’t see what she had done to deserve Draco as a reward. Not to mention the fact that they are known to be enemies and their families loathed each other.
As the exam dates approached, Draco was forced to forget about Ginny for a few days because school work was literally being fed into his brain and everything else was forced aside. Luckily all the exams for senior years lasted for only three days and after that, everyone was able to let their brains deflate.
Draco raced out of his last exam (potions) and started to search for Ginny. Nothing was going to get in the way of his declaration today, and he would crush anything that tried. He knew that Ginny had her last exam that morning and would most likely be at the Hospital Wing right now, so he made his way over there.
When Draco reached the Hospital Wing doors, Dumbledore stepped out from behind them and caused Draco to stop abruptly in front of the Headmaster.
“Ah. Draco. Just the person I was looking for,” Dumbledore said.
“Professor Dumbledore,” Draco said politely.
Dumbledore placed a hand lightly on Draco’s shoulder and turned him around to the direction away from the hospital wing. “I have some important matters to discus with you,” Dumbledore said and started walking while guiding Draco in front of him.
“Can I come see you later Professor?” Draco asked hopefully, “I just need to go to the hospital wing for a minute.”
“Are you sick?” Dumbledore asked sounding concerned.
Draco hesitated a bit. “Not exactly,” he answered.
“Good, because this is very important so everything else will have to wait,” Dumbledore said very seriously.
Draco was left with no choice but to go with his headmaster.
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Up in Dumbledore’s office sat Harry, Hermione, Ron and Draco. They were all waiting for Dumbledore to tell them the very important news.
“We need you on the battle field,” Dumbledore said bluntly. He gave them a few moments to digest the information before continuing again. “The Deatheaters have threatened to wreak havoc in all the wizarding towns if we don’t surrender Hogwarts to them. It’s seems that they are acting on their threat now and a lot of the Aurors have been called away to help elsewhere. I know that asking this of you is expecting a lot but you four do have some experience in dealing with Deatheaters. I will understand if you do not wish to go.” Dumnbledore finished off with a weak smile so he would not look like he was pressuring them to go into battle.
There was a moment of silence as the news was sinking in.
“When do we leave?” Draco asked while looking dead straight at Dumbledore’s eyes. He had lost his father for this freedom and he’d be damned if his father had lost his life for nothing.
“Tomorrow morning,” Dumbledore said.
Everyone in the room nodded then stood up to leave. Dumbledore escorted them down the stairs where they were met with Ginny standing in the corridor.
“What are you doing here Ginny?” Ron asked her.
“I’m here to give Professor Dumbledore a message about low supplies on medicine,” Ginny answered but before another word could be said, a student came running towards them shouting ‘Ron and Ginny’.
By the time the student arrived he was panting and trying to catch his breath. “Ron. Ginny. Go to hospital wing…Fred injured…critical condition…might die…”
Hearing those words, Ron and Ginny bolted down the corridor towards the Hospital Wing with everyone following behind them.
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Ron and Ginny rammed through the doors of the Hospital Wing and headed towards where Madame Pomfrey was standing. Madame Pomfrey stood aside and let Ginny and Ron, see their brother. Fred was lying in bed with a very pale face and his hands were pressed to his abdomen. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and George was in no better condition. Though he was not physically wounded, his bond with his twin made this very hard for him to accept and he too was very pale while sitting on the other side of the bed. He might lose the closest brother and friend he had ever had.
“What’s wrong with him?” Ron asked frantically. “Why aren’t you healing him, Madame Pomfrey?”
Madame Pomfrey had tears in her eyes and she shook her head silently. Dumbledore could see what was wrong and went to comfort her.
“Somebody answer me?” Ron yelled.
“Its dark magic,” was Ginny’s whispered answer. She knew what was happening to Fred and she also knew how to heal it. Ron was bewildered at her answer so he didn’t protest when Ginny shoved him aside and slowly moved Fred’s weak hand from the wound. The wound was deep and had black blood oozing from it. Tears formed in Ginny’s eyes as she looked into Fred’s half opened ones.
“I won’t let you die, Fred,” Ginny proclaimed before spreading her hands out around her and transforming into a Phoenix. Ginny perched herself on the bed and cried an endless stream of tears onto Fred’s wound. She didn’t stop crying until the wound had healed and Fred was able to lift his hand to gently stroke Ginny’s feathers.
Fred then slumped deeper into the pillow and fainted. Madame Pomfrey regained her senses quickly and went to check up on Fred to make sure he was alright. Ginny, still in her animagus form, stood at the end of the bed ignoring all the looks directed at her, as she waited for her brother to wake up again.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, George and Draco could only stay quietly still as they tried to digest what they had just witnessed. Ginny was as animagus and had just transformed into a phoenix.
End of Chapter Forty. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Forty One
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Sirius burst through the doors of the Hospital Wing and it shook the people out of their stunned stances. He walked towards the crowded bed and saw a Phoenix resting on the leg of an unconscious Fred Weasley while a crown of people were staring at the bird.
Ron looked at Sirius and began blabbering. “Ginny…she…” he pointed at the phoenix. “Bird…Change…Fred….Dying…”
Sirius placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder to calm him down and then sighed. “I think some explaining is in order, don’t you think Dumbeldore?”
“Indeed Sirius,” Dumbledore answered back. “Maybe my office?”
“Come on kids,” Sirius said. “Leave Fred and Ginny. I’ll explain everything in Dumbledore’s office.” Sirius then directed Harry, Hermione, Ron, George and Draco out of the Hospital Wing.
Everyone sat in Dumbledore’s office still in shock, except Draco who had a thoughtful look on his face. Sirius then began his explanation quickly.
“Well Ron and George, you know how you find it hard to understand how close I am to Ginny, well it’s because I was the one who taught her how to be an animagus. In truth, I met Ginny even before I saw you again, Harry. I was hiding out as a dog near the burrow and Ginny just came along one day and found me wounded and hungry. She cared for me and when I was running away after your third year, I went back to the burrow to thank her and she seemed so sad, so I taught her something special. So that’s how she became an animagus. I know she’s not registered, but she doesn’t really use her abilities much, only when it is an emergency.”
Sirius left out the bit about teaching her spying because of obvious reasons. Plus, having once secret revealed is enough for one day.
Everyone left Dumbledore’s office in silence and while the Gryffindor gang went back to the hospital wing to visit their friend and brother, Draco went up to the roof to think. Ginny being a Phoenix explained a lot of things now. And it was proof of how much Ginny had done for him.
Draco stepped onto the roof and saw that someone was already sitting there. He saw a mane of red hair and walked closer to sit down next to Ginny. There was silence until Draco spoke.
“Healing me in the Chambers. That was you wasn’t it?” Draco asked slowly while staring at the landscape. He wasn’t angry or demanding. He just wanted to know.
“Yes,” Ginny said while staring at the view before her. The sun was setting and cast a beautiful orange glow over the horizon.
“Phoenix tears in the trading bar, saving me from Gilding and the blood from the black market. That was all you?” Draco said softly and turned his head to look at her.
Ginny nodded her head slightly and looked down at her fidgeting fingers. She didn’t want him to know. It was supposed to be a secret, like most of her life was.
“How long have you been an animagus?” Draco asked softly and moved his gaze back to the sunset.
“A little more than a year,” Ginny answered. There was a pause.
“How is your brother now?” Draco asked.
“He’s fine. Even started telling jokes to Madame Pomfrey.” a smile dawned on Ginny’s face but disappeared quickly.
There was silence between them as they sat together watching the sun set and the stars rise into the black sky. This was the moment Draco had been waiting for. He was here with Ginny, in a quiet place, with stars in the sky and he had just found out the lengths she would go to help him. Draco slowly stretched his hand out ready hold hers, but Ginny stood up suddenly. By reflex, Draco also stood up.
“You should go rest now,” she said softly. “You have to leave tomorrow morning.”
It was too dark, so Draco wasn’t able to see the silent tears running down Ginny’s face as she left the roof.
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Draco was all ready to go as he waited at the entrance hall for the trio, because they were ordered to set out together. They had been assigned to help in the area near the forbidden forest and so Hagrid was going to take them there. The Trio finally arrived and with Ginny too. Draco was taught never to show he was affected, and so he remained perfectly still when Ginny hugged Ron, Hermione and then Harry while wishing them safety.
“Alright, let’s go then,” Ron said and then started to walk out the big doors with Harry and Hermione.
Draco remained perfectly still and waited for the trio to head out first. He wanted to turn around and look at Ginny one more time before he left but was surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him very tight hug.
“Stay safe, Draco,” she whispered into his ear.
“Hurry up Malfoy!” Ron called from outside.
Ginny gave Draco a quick peck on the cheek before letting go of him and running away quickly. Harry poked his head in at that moment and looked at Draco who was just standing there.
“Are you alright, Malfoy?” Harry asked with concern.
Draco smiled to himself quickly before putting on his cold front again. “I’m fine Potter. Let’s get going.”
Draco then left with Harry to catch up with Ron and Hermione.
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Ginny walked back to the Hospital Wing and found Fred sitting up in bed scribbling on a piece of parchment. His wound had healed practically immediately with the help from her Phoenix tears and he was all better now. Ginny sat herself down in the chair next to Fred and let out a big sigh. Fred put his plans for new jokes aside and looked at Ginny.
“Nice trick you have there, Ginny,” Fred said with a big smile. Ginny looked up at Fred and gave him a weak smile. “Why didn’t you tell us you were an animagus?” he asked.
Ginny sighed again and shrugged her shoulder. “I guess I wanted something that I could keep to myself,” she said quietly.
“Why do you say that?” Fred asked. He didn’t really understand what she meant.
“I feel like I don’t have anything that I can say is mine,” Ginny explained. “I’ve never had anything that was solely mine and mine only. Things were always used by someone before hand or are something I have to share. Decisions are not even solely up to me to make. I have to have permission from Mum and Dad or from one of you guys. Being an animagus was my secret. My own secret, no one to share it with, no one to ask permission for and no one to restrict me,” Ginny looked at Fred with sad eyes. “Was I being selfish, Fred? Was I wrong?”
Fred shook his head and pulled Ginny in for a hug. “I understand Ginny. You’re not selfish or wrong. You should have your own secrets, and I promise I won’t tell anyone else. I’ll even make sure George and Ron don’t tell Mum and Dad. I’ll protect your secret, Ginny.”
“Thank you, Fred,” Ginny said and then pulled out of the hug. “Now you still haven’t told me how you got injured so badly? And where is George? You two are usually inseparable.”
Fred smiled widely. “One question at a time,” he said. “George and I were planning to come into school and see if there was anything we could help with when suddenly we were attacked by Deatheaters. I’m telling you, Ginny; you can hardly get in and out without getting injured. They’re really set on getting into this place. Anyways, that’s how I got that hole in my stomach and as to where George is, he went to speak with Dumbledore to see if there is anything we could help with.”
“Why don’t you stay out of it?” Ginny said desperately. “One of you is already hurt, and Ron’s gone to help already. I don’t want to lose any of you.”
Fred patted Ginny’s hand reassuringly. “All of us Weasley’s are helping, Ginny. Bill is in Egypt battling the Deatheaters over there. Charlie is getting the dragons ready to burn all of them assholes away. Percy’s doing what he’s doing inside the ministry along with Dad. Ron’s an Auror in training and you’re also helping by healing us wounded. George and I can’t be the only Weasley’s not doing anything. We can also be useful you know, even if it’s to distract our enemies by showing them our ass.”
Ginny couldn’t suppress her giggles at the image of Fred and George wiggling their naked behinds at the Deatheaters. “Alright then,” she said seriously “I’ll let you help, but you must be careful.”
Fred gave her a salute. “Yes Mum!” Ginny could only smile at her brother and hope every other member of her family was safe.
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A week went by and occasionally an Auror or two would come in with the same wound Fred had. The only cure so far was Phoenix tears and Ginny had bottles of it prepared and stored in the backroom. It took Ginny many nights of crying to get a large enough supply to ship some out to the perimeters of Hogwarts so that healing could be done immediately. Ginny had offered to go out and be with Ron and them but Madame Pomfrey had protested, saying that she was safer at Hogwarts and would be more useful inside.
Draco was ordered by Madame Pomfrey to go back up to the school for a day to take his medicine. He had seen the bottles of Phoenix tears that were delivered and had wondered how long Ginny had cried to get that many bottles. Draco was wondering if when he saw Ginny, her eyes would be all red and puffy. Either way, Draco was still excited to have a chance to see Ginny again.
When Draco was rounding the corner to reach the Hospital Wing, he saw a glimpse of red hair exiting the Wing quickly. He knew that it was Ginny and started running to catch up with her. After a few minutes of chasing, Ginny notice that someone was following her and stopped to see who it was. She stood in the middle of the hall waiting for the person to catch up and a few seconds later Draco appeared before her.
“Stop following me,” Ginny ordered him sternly.
“Where are you going, Ginny?” Draco asked while he walking closer towards her.
Ginny remained still and glared coldly at Draco. “Not somewhere you would go. Now stop following me,” she said warningly.
Draco wasn’t going to leave this easily. Ginny was acting very strange and he wanted to know what was going on. “How do you know I wouldn’t want to go there?” he challenged.
“It’s not about what you want. It’s about what you should and shouldn’t mess with,” Ginny told him and then turned swiftly to run away again.
Luckily Draco was pretty fast himself and was able to keep up with her. He was able to catch his breath when Ginny stopped in front of a wall. She ignored Draco while she tapped her wand on the wall and a black lead door appeared. Ginny pushed the door open and it squeaked loudly. The room was dark but as soon as they had taken a few steps into the room, the torches flared up with an eerie green flame.
This room was cold and the flames didn’t seem to emit any heat. Ginny didn’t say a single word as she walked to the back of the room and picked up a thick leather bound book from a black marble table. The book was very weird and unique. Draco could sense a familiarity about it but couldn’t remember where he had seen it before.
“Where are we, Ginny?” he asked.
Ginny blew away some dust from the book and ran her hand over the cover. “The Passage of Dark Arts,” she said just above a whisper.
Draco stepped back a bit and looked at the room. All around, there were Dark artefacts, Torture equipment and Dark Magic books from all around the world.
“What are you doing here, Ginny?” Draco asked.
Ginny turned around and placed the book under her arm. Without answering him she walked out of the room and Draco followed her. Once they were out in the normal hallway again Draco grabbed Ginny’s arm and made her look him in the eyes. As he suspected they were blood shot, but they looked moist, like she had just finished crying.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Ginny,” Draco pleaded.
Ginny looked at Draco with so much anger in her eyes. “I’m only doing what I should have done a long time ago. If they want to fight with Dark Magic, then so can I,” she hissed. Ginny made a move to get going again but Draco held her back against a wall.
“But why now?” Draco asked. “What’s happened to trigger this from you?”
Ginny’s strong composure fell and she was once again on the verge of tears. “They got him. They got him in Egypt and I can’t do anything to help him,” Ginny said softly but then she grew angry again and began shouting, “He’s dying and it’s all their fault. I’ll get rid of them, the whole lot, once and for all.”
Draco shook Ginny a bit so she would come out of her trance. “You can’t use Dark Magic, Ginny. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop.”
Ginny pushed Draco off of her and looked him straight in the eyes. “I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again,” she growled. “No one can stop me, including you.”
And then she was running away again. Draco didn’t know what was wrong with Ginny. It was like she had gone mad with revenge, but it was reasonable. All the things she had done these past few years was to help her family stay safe and together, but then these Deatheaters come along and nearly kills off half her family. Draco made it back to the Hospital Wing and was surprised to see Ginny sitting on the floor with a letter in her hand while the book was lying discarded on the floor. Ginny had tears running down her face but a weak smile could be seen. Draco crouched down in front of her and pulled her close. Ginny relaxed into his arms and breathed in deeply.
“He’s not dead,” she said quietly. “They found the cure just in time and he will be fine. He’ll be fine.”
Draco helped Ginny up and sat her down on a near by chair. He crouched down in front of her holding her hands and looked her in the eyes. “Promise me that no matter what happens, don’t resort to Dark Magic,” Draco pleaded.
Ginny moved her gaze away and didn’t answer him. Draco used his hand to move her face back so she was looking at him again. “Promise me Ginny. Don’t use Dark Magic,” he said a bit more forcefully.
Ginny shook her head. “I can’t do that,” She said firmly. “I have to kill all of them. I need to kill all of them.”
“Then let us do it,” Draco said. “There are other ways, and we can do it. Don’t travel on a path of no return.”
“It will just be once and then I won’t use it again. It will be easy.”
“No it won’t!” Draco yelled at her. “It will consume you and you’ll get addicted.” Draco remembered how it had changed his father.
“I’m willing to make that sacrifice,” Ginny said determinedly.
Draco’s face darkened. “But I wont let you,” he said and then picked the book up from the floor.
Ginny made a move to grab it but Draco moved back quickly and had his wand pointed at her. “Don’t force me, Ginny,” he warned her.
“You wouldn’t,” Ginny said confidently and moved a step forward. Draco took a step back and gripped his wand tighter.
“You know I would,” he said. It was true; he could be this ruthless if it had to do with her safety. Unfortunately Ginny underestimated the degree of love Draco had for her and lunged forward, only to end up unconscious in his arms.
Draco lay Ginny down on one of the hospital beds and tucked her in. She would wake up in a few hours, but in the mean time, Draco had to get his medicine from Madame Pomfrey and also hide this book.
End of Chapter Forty One. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Forty Two
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny knew Draco well enough to know that he would hide the book in his room. After she had woken up, Madame Pomfrey told her that Draco had gone back to the forbidden forest so she took this chance to go to his room and get her book. She honestly thought that Draco was over reacting. Just because she was going to use Dark Magic, it doesn’t mean she’ll become some evil witch. She had used Dark Magic before; it was Tom Riddle who introduced her to it. It was how she opened the Chamber of Secrets.
Ginny entered Draco’s room and walked over to his secret vault. She moved the little painting aside and punched in the code, but it wouldn’t open. Ginny laughed at her own stupidity. Draco was smart, and he would have changed the code so she wouldn’t be able to open it. But Ginny had her own way of getting it, like blowing open the door. She took her wand out and pointed it at the little vault. A spell was muttered and the door flung off the hinges to land on the floor. As Ginny expected, the book was inside and she took it back to the hospital Wing to start on her plan.
I guess you could say that great minds think alike. With the information that Ginny managed to gather from different sources like Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, other officials talking to one another and from Andrew, she had a good idea as to who this Dark Lord was and what he wanted to do. He was Felicity’s guardian and he was going after the item inside the Box Lucius Malfoy had given to Draco. Ginny didn’t tell anyone about it though, because they would want to deal with it the right way and that would mean a lot of lives would be sacrificed, including those of her brothers. No, Ginny was going to do this her way, with the use of Dark Magic, and no one would be hurt, except maybe herself.
A few days had passed after Draco had come back to the school and Ginny managed to find out a change in the Deatheaters patterns of attack. A large portion of them had retreated, so only a little were left to attack the school. The Strategy team thought that they were probably giving up, or sending their people to other places where the ministry had more Aurors. However, Ginny knew what they were really up to and took this as her chance.
Ginny took her time walking to Draco’s room while occasionally patting her pockets to make sure the items were still there. She reached the portrait and saw that it was slightly open. Ginny smirked at how right she had guessed. Stepping inside, she kept her cool demeanour as she faced Felicity Lateris.
Felicity pointed her wand at Ginny as soon as she stepped inside, but Ginny only smirked as she walked slowly over to a chair and sat down leisurely. Ginny kept her cool smile on as she raised her eyebrow at Felicity. “Don’t stop because of me,” she said mockingly.
Felicity walked closer until the tip of her wand was between Ginny’s eyes. “Do you want to die, Weasel?” She spat.
Ginny pushed the wand away from her face and laughed. “You won’t find it here Lateris, or should I call you Caruso?”
Felicity tensed up and tried not to panic. “I could kill you right now,” she tried to say confidently but failed.
Ginny stood up steadily to face Felicity. “I know what you’re looking for,” Ginny said. “But you won’t find it here.”
“I presume you know where it is then?” Felicity asked.
“Naturally,” Ginny said with a smile, “Take me to you’re guardian and then I’ll hand it over.”
“Why would I be stupid enough to do that?” Felicity answered back.
“Because it’s the only way you can complete this assignment.”
Felicity pondered the idea for a moment before shoving her wand roughly into her robes and walking out of the room. “Follow me,” she told Ginny.
They made their way to the grounds outside where Felicity had a broom and invisibility cloak. Because a lot of the Deatheaters had retreated, the Aurors had slacked off therefore allowing Felicity the chance to get inside the school. Straddling the broom and being covered with the invisibility cloak, they flew off away from the school.
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Felicity and Ginny landed in front of an old dilapidated stone building. They both got off of the broom and Felicity led Ginny inside. Amazingly, the inside was far from old and broken; it was rather clean and extravagant, though the stone walls emitted a lot of cold and darkness. Felicity led Ginny up a long flight of stairs and entered through a door. The room they were now in was lit brightly with torches and was rather large and long. There was a fireplace, large dinning Table and comfy chairs littered around. There was a long row of windows on one side of the wall, but they were not covered with glass and were just openings in the walls, but they must have been charmed to not let the wind in. A tall slim man with silver blond hair stood by the fireplace looking into the fire. Ginny could see him from the side and one look was enough to tell her who it was.
“Sir Edward Malfoy,” Ginny said gracefully while standing next to a rigid Felicity. The man turned so that he was fully facing the two and gave Ginny a smile.
“Miss Virginia Weasley,” he said politely and walked towards them. “Please come in and take a seat.” He gestured.
Ginny complied and sat in a chair near the fireplace so she could warm up. Edward Malfoy also sat down in a chair so that he was facing Ginny. Felicity stood stiffly behind her Guardian and watched Ginny.
Edward flicked his wand and a tray with a bottle of wine and two glasses appeared. “Wine, Miss Weasley?” He asked while Felicity poured her guardian a glass.
“No thank you, Sir Malfoy,” Ginny answered.
“Please, call me Edward,” he said as he picked up his glass. “Sir Malfoy makes me sound so old.”
“Then you can call me Ginny, rather than Miss Weasley.”
Edward took a sip of wine and then for the first time since Ginny had walked in, he looked straight into her eyes. Ginny simply looked straight back at the eyes that were so much like Draco’s yet different at the same time. Ginny didn’t blink or try to move her gaze away as Edward continued to stare at her. She looked back at him with equal power. After some time Edward laughed and stood up from his seat. He stood next to the fireplace and turned to face Ginny again.
“They’ve trained you well,” he said approvingly. “When faced with Death, not the slightest movement gives away your fear. You would make a wonderful Deatheater, Ginny.”
Ginny stood up and smiled at Edward. “As tempting as it sounds I don’t think it’s really one of my interests.”
“Then what are your interests?” Edwards asked curiously. When she didn’t answer, he just smiled. “I had a background check done on you, Ginny. Very impressive I must say. You have talents in all fields of magic and are very resourceful. But don’t you think you’re a waste of talent in the crowd on the good side. I can promise that you would never be ignored if you come and help me. Anything you ever wanted I could give to you.”
Ginny smirked at Edward. “I don’t think you’re background check was very thorough,” she teased. “I’d recommend changing your spy in the future. You can’t offer me anything I would want Edward, but I on the other hand can offer you something you really want.”
Ginny took a black leather bound book out of her pocket and Edward’s eyes widened when he saw the object, but he remained calm. Ginny flipped the empty pages of Tom Riddles diary casually and then looked back up and Edward. “The only remaining essence of Tom Riddle,” Ginny said to him. “I know you’ve been looking for this, but unfortunately you looked for it in the wrong place. It was in the possession of Draco Malfoy but it was very soon kept safe with me.”
After Gilding had attacked Draco earlier on the year, Ginny had looked through the box Lucius gave Draco to try and find what Gilding was after. Ginny saw what Draco had missed because he hadn’t possessed Tom Riddles diary for a whole year. One look at the book and she knew what it was. Suspecting that the book would be important but didn’t yet know for what reason, Ginny took the book and kept it for the time being.
“You Bitch,” Felicity yelled and attempted to attack Ginny, but Edward held his hand up to stop her. Seeing her Guardians gesture, Felicity moved back to where she was standing.
“What can I do for you, Ginny?” Edward asked calmly.
Ginny smiled innocently. “I’m surprised Edward,” she said feigning shock. “I thought you would just kill me and then take the book. Why do you waste time to bargain with me?”
Edward smiled. “Because I believe you are smart enough to only allow that book to be willingly given and not forcefully taken.”
There was a spell which could be cast so that if the item left Ginny’s hand without her saying a secret word, the item would instantly blow up.
Ginny gave Edward an appreciative smirk. “It’s good to finally find someone with enough intelligence to compete with,” she said with amusement but then quickly turned serious and lost her smile. “I want you to call off all your Deatheaters, now.”
Edward only laughed and looked at Ginny with amusement. “Really Ginny, I thought you would be smarter than to have that request,” he mocked her. “Sure I could call them off, but then once I get the diary, I could tell them to attack again.”
“Sure you could do that,” Ginny said casually and picked up the bottle of wine to inspect it. “But then I could so this.” Quick as a flash she threw the diary into the fireplace along with a splash of wine and the diary was ashes within seconds.
Edward was furious and held his wand out. “You little Brat!” he yelled.
“Calm down, Edward,” Ginny soothed before taking out a vile of charcoal coloured liquid. “This is what you really wanted from the diary. The essence of Voldemort.”
As soon as Ginny knew who the New Dark Lord was she was able to guess what he was up to. Being a Malfoy, Edward would have known at lease a bit about Lucius possessing something of Lord Voldemort’s, and this diary had even contained his spirit for quite a long time. Though Harry had eliminated Voldemort from the Diary, a small part of him still remained. The small part however was still very powerful. Not powerful enough to let Voldemort rise again, but powerful enough to make Edward Malfoy want to get it. Ginny had used magic from that Dark Arts book to retrieve that little amount of Power and captured it inside a bottle.
Edward calmed down and put his wand away. Ginny knew how to play the game and he had to tread carefully. He took a deep breath and composed himself. “Very well Ginny, I will call them off,” he agreed.
“And they must not attack anywhere within the next year,” Ginny said. Edward gave her a questioning look and she started to explain. “All I want is to graduate Edward. That’s why I’m bargaining with you. One more year and then you can do whatever you want.”
Edward only nodded; he’d have to agree with everything for now if he wanted that bottle of Voldemort’s essence. “I better get that organised then,” he said like his old suave self again.
“I’m feeling kind of peckish too; could I get something to eat?” Ginny asked.
“Of course,” Edward answered while he was halfway across the room. “Felicity will attend to your needs.” Then he was gone.
Felicity had her fists clenched and was glaring at Ginny. “You little tramp!” she growled.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Ginny shook her finger. “I wouldn’t get me angry if I were you. I could accidentally drop the bottle of very important essence that your guardian wants.”
Felicity could only growl. “What do you want to eat then, Weasel?”
Ginny smiled evilly. “Mash potatoes and a lemon meringue pie.”
Felicity stomped out of the room to go and get Ginny’s food.
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Back at Hogwarts, everyone was surprised to see that the Deatheaters were all retreating. The head officials were happy but thought that it was kind of weird. But since everyone was celebrating they didn’t see that it was anything they should worry about. Draco didn’t have a very good feeling about this and couldn’t help thinking that Ginny had something to do with this. But could a single girl have such an affect? He hoped not.
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Felicity presented the tray of food on the table in front of Ginny and sat down in a chair.
Ginny swirled the spoon around in the mash potatoes and then lifted up a spoon full of it. “Did you get close to Draco because you wanted to get the diary?” Ginny asked her tonelessly.
Felicity snorted. “Of course,” she answered and a blob of mash potatoes landed on her nose. Felicity flicked it off with her hand and glared at Ginny who was holding the empty spoon. Felicity growled and wanted to hit Ginny but Ginny shook her head.
“Remember my warning Felicity,” Ginny said. Felicity could only sit back down and wipe her nose with a napkin.
“Did you enjoy being with Draco?” Ginny asked calmly.
Felicity only smirked. “Yes I did. Are you jealous?” Another blob of mash potatoes landed on Felicity’s face.
“Of you?” Ginny said, “of course not. I just don’t like people using Draco like that.”
Felicity laughed. “Admit it Weasley! You’re jealous that at lease I was able to be with him for some time, whereas you were always hiding away. Sure I didn’t really like him, but he brushed me off because of a low life like you. I could have finished my assignment easily but you had to make him dump me. Only I can say when it’s over.”
“It never began anyway,” Ginny said smugly. “You were only a replacement for me, and even then you weren’t even good enough.” Ginny then lifted the lemon meringue pie and mashed it into Felicity’s face.
Felicity was shocked and was frozen still for a minute. She was finally able to snap out of it and got her wand out to clean off her face. She then pointed it at Ginny while glaring daggers at her. “I don’t care what you’ve warned me of, I will not tolerate this insult from trash like you.”
Ginny rose from her seat quickly and gripped the arm Felicity was holding the wand with. One quick twist and Felicity’s wand was on the floor and her arm was held behind her back. Ginny kicked the wand away and let Felicity go. Felicity was rubbing her arm while glaring at Ginny. Ginny didn’t hold back her anger anymore and slapped her across the face.
“That,” Ginny said with venom, “is to teach you not to mess with people out of your league.” Ginny then slapped her again on the other cheek. “That if for threatening me with a knife.” Another slap. “That if for burning my hair.” Another slap. “That is for trying to kill me,” one last slap. “And that is just for being a bitch!”
Felicity’s cheeks were red and she had her hands pressed against them. She was about to lash out at Ginny but Edward Malfoy stepped in at that moment and looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Felicity walked over to him while pouting and he whispered into her ear. Felicity nodded before leaving the room and giving Ginny one last glare.
Edward smiled as he walked into the room. “Revenge can be so sweet, cant it Ginny?” he asked.
Ginny smiled back at him. “You should know better than me. You’re revenge is coming along just fine.”
Edward laughed. “Yes, it was going fine, until you popped up.”
Ginny only shrugged her shoulders. “What’s another year, when you’ve waited seventeen?”
Edward only nodded and summoned a chess set onto the table. “How about a game while we wait for the news?” Edward asked.
“Why not?” Ginny said before making the first move.
“How much do you know about me anyways, Ginny?” Edward asked after he made a move.
Ginny was playing the game while answering him with a half-hearted tone. “It’s funny you should ask that when Draco asked the exact same question. Maybe it’s a genetic thing.”
Edward smirked as he played. “Maybe it’s because it’s rare to find someone who knows a lot about a Malfoy. So tell me Ginny, how much do you know?”
Ginny smiled as she made a move. “You are Edward Malfoy, younger brother to Lucius Malfoy and Uncle to Draco Malfoy. You were banished from the Malfoy Family Seventeen years ago when you attempted to kill your brother and his family. You moved to Bulgaria where you made friends with wizard Royalty and was pronounced Sir Edward Malfoy for your services. You helped a lot of Deatheaters escape from going to Azkaban by acting as their Lawyer under the name Edwin Malloy, and you were very good. After saving their lives, they pledged their loyalty to you and you found this chance to get your revenge on your bother. But he is now dead, so you decided to take over the wizarding world instead. However, to do that you would need to get Voldemort’s diary so you could gain even more power from him. You were smart and adopted a girl many years ago, and had her become a Deatheater so you could know what was happening in the dark aspects of England. You managed to blackmail an official from the order to try and get the Diary, but he was threatened by you sending Felicity in so he acted first but failed. Felicity was up next but she didn’t succeed either so you thought that taking over the school could allow you to go in and search for what you wanted.”
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Meanwhile at Hogwarts all the Aurors and helpers were making their way back up to the castle to rest. Draco was packing up the last of his things when a hand landed on his shoulder. Draco turned around and glared when he saw that it was Felicity. He held his wand out and pointed it at her.
Felicity only smiled. “Calm down Draco. I just want to take you to see your little Weasley girl.”
Draco frowned. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
Felicity smirked. “Virginia Weasley is with us, and if you don’t come with me, she will die.”
“Why should I believe you?” Draco said.
Felicity frowned. “Don’t believe me then. But if you find her body dumped somewhere, just know that she died because you wouldn’t come.” She then turned around and began to walk away.
“Stop,” Draco called and then walked up to her. “I’ll go with you.”
And then they both left on Felicity’s broom.
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“Maybe I should replace my old spy with you,” Edward said and moved a piece.
Ginny smirked. “I don’t do business outside of Hogwarts,” she answered calmly as she made a move.
“Even if it depended on the life of someone very important to you?” Edward said suggestively.
Ginny’s hand froze for a second while she was moving her piece, but she controlled herself quickly. “What are you saying?” She asked coldly.
Edward smirked after he moved his piece. “Checkmate, Ginny.” The door flung open and in walked two men dressed in black holding up an unconscious figure. Ginny stood up so abruptly that her chair toppled over behind her. They had Draco.
Ginny glared at a smirking Edward. “What is the meaning of this?” She demanded. The men dumped Draco on one of the chairs and left the room while Felicity walked in. Edward walked over to Draco and placed a hand on top of Draco’s head.
“I just wanted to see my only nephew. You know, get acquainted after all these years,” Edward said innocently.
Ginny knelt in front of Draco and checked his pulse just to make sure he was alright. He was fine, just knocked out. “What do you want?” Ginny asked.
Edward smiled as he crouched down next to her. “I’m letting you have the experience of a lifetime, Ginny. I’m going to absorbed Voldemorts essence tonight, and after I have all the power, you are going to be the first of my followers. I’m going to give you my first Dark Mark.” Edward then stood up and straightened his robes. “I’ll get the bottle off of you after all my followers have arrived.”
Edward then left with Felicity so that Ginny and Draco were alone in the room.
End of Chapter Forty Two. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Forty Three
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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The first thing Ron noticed when he went back to Hogwarts was the fact that Fred and George were in the common room pacing like mad. When the twins noticed Ron, Hermione and Harry they both stopped and spoke at the same time.
“Ginny’s missing.”
It took a few seconds for Ron to digest the information but then he blew up like he usually did. “WHAT!”
“We haven’t seen her all morning,” Fred said
“We searched everywhere but still can’t find her,” George aid.
“We don’t know what to do,” They both said at the same time.
Ron was panicking and so he began blabbering. “What are we going to do? What will Mum and Dad say? Oh I’ve failed again, and this time I’ve lost her. I am so going to die…”
“Calm down Ron,” Harry said to his friend and put a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “We’ll ask around and see if anyone has seen her.”
Everyone nodded and started to go around the school asking if anyone had seen Ginny. Everyone they asked said they hadn’t seen her and the Weasley’s were getting anxious. Though the Deatheaters had retreated, it was still a dangerous time and they thought the worst could have happened.
Ron was clutching his hands nervously when he felt the ring on his finger. He’d forgotten about what Draco had given him. Ron pulled the ring off his finger and looked through the hole. Nothing. Ron clutched the ring and swore.
“What’s wrong Ron?” Hermione asked.
Ron looked at Hermione and sighed. He showed the ring to everyone and then started to explain. “Malfoy gave me this and said if Ginny was ever in trouble, then it would be able to tell me, but I don’t know how to work it.”
“Maybe it’s not working because Ginny’s not in trouble,” Hermione suggested. It sounded reasonable to everyone but Ron was still unsatisfied.
“Why don’t we go talk to Sirius if you’re still uneasy about it,” Harry suggested. Everyone nodded and they headed off to find Sirius.
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Draco woke up slowly and blinked his eyes rapidly to get them focused. He didn’t recognise where he was but looked around and saw Ginny sitting in another chair looking like she was asleep. Draco stood up and walked over to her quietly, unfortunately not quiet enough because Ginny’s eyes snapped open. She saw Draco standing there and shot up from her seat. Before Ginny could yell at him he had pulled her close and crushing her in a hug.
“They said they were going to kill you if I didn’t come,” Draco said into her ear. The thought of yelling at him slipped out of Ginny’s mind but she still pulled back.
“It’s dangerous here,” Ginny said urgently. “We have to get you out.”
Draco frowned. “Then what are you doing here?” He asked.
Ginny gave Draco an emotionless look and distanced herself from him. “Nothing you need to know about.”
The door opened at that moment and Edward walked in. “So you’ve woken up Draco,” he said. “Did you have a nice trip?”
“Uncle Edward,” Draco said coldly. “How surprising it is to see you here.”
Edward smiled. “It’s not surprising at all. I’m actually in the middle of a negotiation with Ginny.”
Before Draco could say anything else Ginny spoke first. “What do you want?” She asked.
Edward removed his gaze from Draco and smiled at Ginny. “We will start soon, Ginny. Please be ready.” With the flick of his wand a cage appeared around Draco and he was locked in. Ginny glared at Edward but he only smiled.
“Just to make sure there’s no escaping.” With that said, Edward walked back out.
Ginny had her hand balled up into fists but she was determined to not let Edward win this round. It was even better that he was going to bring all of his men here, she could finish them off all in one go. Ginny took in a deep breath before walking towards Draco’s cage and placed her hand onto the bars.
Draco stood as close as he could to Ginny and he didn’t seem affected by the fact that he was locked up.
Ginny looked at Draco with watery eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said before the tears rolled down her face. Draco slipped his hands through the bars and held Ginny’s face so that he could wipe the tears away.
“Shh…” He soothed. “Don’t cry Ginny, everything will be alright.”
Ginny sniffled and controlled her crying. “Yes, everything will be alright,” she said confidently. She then pulled the heirloom off of her wrist and put it onto Draco’s so that he had his own on one wrist and Sirius’s on the other.
“What are you doing Ginny?” Draco asked as he went to pull her one off. Ginny stopped him by grabbing his face and kissing him between the gap of the bars. Draco was reluctant to kiss back because he knew she was just trying to shut him up, but Ginny still kissed him with all her passion. Ginny finally pulled back and held her tears back. She still had her hands on the sides of Draco’s face and stopped him from talking by placing her thumbs over his mouth.
Draco looked into Ginny’s eyes and tried to search for an answer to what was going on. He knew she was hiding something and it was something very important. Draco could hear and sense the door opening but Ginny kept his face still, so that she could look into his eyes for just a bit longer.
“I love you,” she whispered before turning around abruptly to face Edward Malfoy, Felicity Lateris and the horde of Deatheaters.
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Ron, Fred, George, Harry, Hermione and Sirius were all up in Dumbledore’s office and waiting for the headmaster to say something. They had given the ring to Dumbledore and he was now inspecting it. They had gone to Dumbledore after they found out that both Ginny and Draco were missing. The ring still wouldn’t give off any indication as to where Ginny was, and it was most likely because Ginny wasn’t in any immediate danger.
Dumbledore put the ring down on the desk and sighed. “I’m afraid that until Ginny is in any danger, this ring cannot…”
Dumbledore stopped talking immediately because a hologram shot out of the ring and an image of an old dilapidated building was shown. Everyone leaned forward as the image zoomed in through a window to see Ginny standing in front of a cage surrounded by Deatheaters and a tall blond man.
“Is that Edward Malfoy?” Sirius asked Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded his head while frowning. “We must hurry Sirius. Contact the ministry officials immediately and take them to the old abandoned museum.”
Sirius nodded and then ran out quickly. “What’s going on?” Ron asked
Dumbledore stood up and told everyone to follow him. He explained to them that they knew where Ginny was and were now going to save her.
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Draco was trapped in his cage while looking at the scene before him. There were hundreds of Deatheaters in the room right now and they were all surrounding Ginny and his Uncle Edward. Once his uncle and the Deatheaters came in, Draco didn’t have a chance to tell Ginny that he felt the same before she was shrouded by a swarm of Deatheaters. Ginny had given him her heirloom for a reason but he didn’t want to know or accept what that reason was.
There was a circle of Deatheaters all around Ginny and Edward. Ginny knew what was happening and she was prepared. She had planned to do this before hand, and now that all the Deatheaters were here it was even better. She had worried about Draco’s safety, but the two Heirlooms would protect him now.
“Give me the bottle, Ginny,” Edward said and held his hand out.
Ginny slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the bottle of charcoal liquid. She then turned to face Edward and gave him a smile. “Check mate, Edward,” she said. In one swift move Ginny pulled out another bottle from her other pocket and threw the bottles to the ground.
Both the Heirlooms on Draco’s wrist detected the massive force as soon as the bottles hit the floor. An aqua, light blue field surrounded Draco and protected him like a shell. He could only see blinding aqua light and no sound or anything was getting past the field to him.
………………………………………………………………………………
Many Aurors along with Ron, Fred, George, Harry, Hermione and Sirius made their way towards the old abandoned museum. Some were flying on brooms while some had apparated somewhere close and were now walking. The building was independently standing in the middle of an old forgotten area and was pretty far away but close enough for everyone to see that it was a big building. Everyone was planning to run up and attack when the building suddenly exploded like it had just been hit by a nuclear bomb. The force from the explosion was very big and everyone that was hiding out closely had to shield themselves. There was a big cloud of dust and everyone looked on in horror. No one would have been able to survive that explosion.
The filed surrounding Draco began to slowly fade away and he was left standing on a pile of rubble unscathed. Draco inspected his surroundings and saw that the building he was in had been fully abolished. Everything had burned into ash and not a single corpse could be seen.
“Ginny!” Draco called out. He didn’t know what else he could do. He prayed to Merlin that a miracle could have happened and Ginny was saved. Or maybe this was a nightmare and he would wake up to see Ginny in the Hospital Wing working. Draco took a few steps trying to look for some remains of something. Everything he saw was burnt to tiny bits or just a pile of ash. Draco stopped his steps when he thought he heard a sound. He strained his ears to hear where the faint sound was coming from. He found its general direction and took a few steps to the left. He listened again and bent down lower towards the ground where the sound got louder. Draco thought he found the spot and started digging at the dirt.
After a few minutes he dug up a little chirping bird. It was a baby Phoenix. “Ginny?” he asked but the bird only chirped. Draco picked the baby bird up delicately in his hands and stood up. As soon as he did, he saw that there was a mass amount of people heading in his direction. Draco walked towards them and saw that they were Aurors and people from Hogwarts.
Ron, Fred and George were the first ones to rush up towards Draco.
“Where’s Ginny?” They all demanded.
Draco could only lift his hands up and show them the baby bird. Everyone went silent and didn’t know what to say. How could Ginny be a baby bird?
Sirius was the first to break the silence. “Reborn from the ashes,” he said and stroked Ginny’s little head. “We better get back to Hogwarts.”
Ginny was snatched from Draco’s hands by Ron, who handled Ginny like she was the most fragile thing in the world. Draco was still in a state of shock and just followed everyone back to Hogwarts.
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Back at Hogwarts Draco retold the story of what happened and answered questions like a robot. He told them that he was captured by the Deatheaters and taken to the old museum where he also found Ginny. When all the Deatheaters had gathered at the building, Ginny had mixed some ingredients and created and explosion. He didn’t show any emotion and didn’t seem to care about what was going on around him. He didn’t go into all the details but it still helped the Aurors a lot. After the information was collected, Dumbledore saved Draco from the reporters and unnecessary questions. Dumbledore took Draco up to his office and only then did Draco’s eyes brighten up because Ginny was perched on the desk. She was a bundle of little fluff just sitting there and Draco picked her up in his hands as soon as he could. A genuine smile was on Draco’s face as he stroked Ginny’s fluffy feathers. Dumbledore smiled at the scene before him and let Draco have his time with Ginny.
“Is she going to change back?” Draco eventually asked. Dumbledore straightened his glasses and gave Draco a weak smile.
“I’m not sure, Draco. It’s amazing that Ginny could have survives that explosion. The power from Voldemort’s remaining essence mixed with other ingredients created a very deadly reaction.”
“Is there a possibility that this isn’t Ginny?” Draco asked beginning to panic.
“Not to worry, Draco,” Dumbledore said. “I personally believe that this is Ginny, but she was reborn as a bird and I don’t know how being reborn will affect her memory. If she can remember, then as soon as she is old enough, she will transform back into a person. However if she doesn’t remember, then I guess she will forever remain a Phoenix.”
Draco looked at the fluffy Ginny in his hands and stroked her little head. “How long will it take for her to be old enough?” he asked.
Dumbldore smiled. “Phoenix’s grow quickly, and Ginny will not need to be fully grown, so I’m estimating around three weeks.”
Draco gave Dumbledore a weak smile and then returned his attention back to Ginny.
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The rest of the Weasley clan was notified and the next morning every one of them were at Hogwarts and up in Dumbeldore’s office along with Sirius. Ginny was also there being passed around to each of her family members who found it very hard to believe Ginny was a baby Phoenix. Ron, Fred and George were less surprised because they already knew about it last night.
Sirius also thought that it was about time he told them about EVERYTHING. This included forcing the siblings to tell their parents about their secret loan repayments. He told Ginny’s family about her training, her being an animagus, her starting the business as the Source and about her little deal with Draco. Of course Ron was furious that Sirius lied to him about Ginny being interested in Draco’s condition where in fact he was blackmailing her, but he soon got over it.
Dumbledore organised a room for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to stay in for a few weeks. However half of Ginny’s brothers had to leave for work again, but still tried to talk to Ginny even though she probably didn’t understand. Bill, Charlie and Percy had to leave for work while Fred and George could come to school occasionally to visit and Ron just stayed at school all the time. Since Ginny wasn’t ‘in danger’ Bill, Charlie and Percy didn’t feel as bad about leaving. Charlie however wanted to meet Draco and see what he was like before leaving.
Charlie found Draco standing near the lake and deep in thought. “Are you Draco Malfoy?” he asked.
Draco turned to look at Charlie with an expressionless face. “And you are?”
“I thought you were good at spotting a Weasley?” Charlie teased, however Draco wasn’t in the mood.
“I know you’re a Weasley, but which one? There are so many,” Draco answered coldly. Just because he liked Ginny it didn’t mean he was going to turn nice all of a sudden.
Charlie frowned. “I’m beginning to understand what my brothers are going on about,” Charlie said sounding a bit disappointed.
Draco scoffed. “I can just guess what they say about me. So what do you want Weasley?”
Charlie still chose to make an effort. He wanted to find out what this guy had, that could draw so much of Ginny’s attention and efforts. “My name is Charlie and I’m Ginny’s second oldest brother.”
“The Dragon trainer,” Draco said tonelessly.
“Yes,” Charlie answered. He was waiting for Draco to maybe say something else but he didn’t. After a long moment of silence Draco finally spoke.
“What do you want?” he asked again.
Charlie just sighed. He gave up on trying to understand a bit about Draco. “I wanted to find out what Ginny saw in you,” Charlie answered truthfully. “But unfortunately I don’t see anything that was worth all her efforts.”
Draco frowned and looked into Charlie’s eyes. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for your sister?”
“Are you?” Charlie said while looking back blankly. Draco didn’t have anything to say back so Charlie walked away, back into the castle.
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It was close to the end of the year and so the graduation ceremony was being organised and would be held in a week’s time. Ginny had stayed a Phoenix for a week now and everyone had taken their turn looking after her. First it was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then Ron, Fred and George, Harry, Hermione, Colin, Amy and then finally Sirius’s turn was next. While Ginny was in the care of those people, they kept her in Gryffindor tower the whole time so Draco wasn’t able to see her. Sirius knew of this, so as soon as it was his turn to care for Ginny, he invited Draco over to his quarters.
Draco walked into Sirius’s room and was told to sit down. Draco sat down in front of the coffee table where Ginny was jumping around on. He smiled a little at how cute Ginny looked. He then remembered something and took Sirius’s heirloom out of his pocket.
“I think this belongs to you,” Draco said and handed the heirloom back to Sirius.
Sirius took the heirloom and smiled sadly at it. “I thought it would protect her, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”
Draco had a guilty look on his face. “I’m sorry,” he said. “She forced me to wear it. I wanted to give it back but she wouldn’t allow it, and I didn’t know she was going to do something like this.”
Sirius patted Draco’s back. “It’s alright, Draco,” he said sincerely. “Ginny did what she thought was right. I’ve always believed in her judgement and she wanted to save you. She had her reasons and she would not regret it. Plus she’s not dead. She’s just not herself yet.”
Draco smiled and picked Ginny up in his hands. “Did she ever talk to you about me?” He asked while patting Ginny. Ginny seemed very comfortable in Draco’s hands and snuggled up to go to sleep.
Sirius smiled at how happy and content Ginny looked. “What do you want to know?” he asked.
Draco sighed. “Charlie Weasley told me that he didn’t think I was worthy enough to be with Ginny.”
“Charlie said that?” Sirius said slightly surprised.
“Well he didn’t say those exact words but that’s what he meant. I just wanted to know. What did Ginny see in me?”
Sirius smiled. “What do you think she saw?”
Draco shrugged. “I don’t know. People don’t exactly see me as a night in shining armour you know.”
“Maybe that’s what Ginny liked about you, that you weren’t a night in shining armour.”
“But she encouraged me to be a hero. She wanted me to take the Auror training. I think she was expecting me to be something great, but I’m just not.”
“I think we’re simplifying things here,” Sirius said. “No one really knows how Ginny thinks because she keeps everything to herself. She’s never told me about how she feels about you, but I could just see it. I think the best way for you to find out is to ask her yourself.”
Draco nodded thoughtfully to what Sirius had said. <I guess I will have to wait until Ginny’s back>. “Thank you, Sirius.”
“You’re welcome,” Sirius said with a smile.
End of Chapter Forty Three. Thanks for reading and I Hope you Review.
AN: Ok. Just because Ginny was reborn it doesn’t mean she’s immortal. My thoughts on her ability is that if she stays in her animagus form for long enough, she will be like fawkes and eventually grow old (in bird years) and then ignite into flames. But that would have to be a very long time. So as long as Ginny doesn’t stay as a Phoenix for very, very long periods of time then she will age like a normal person. ……………………………………………………………………..
All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Chapter Forty Four
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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There was one more week left until Draco and all the other seventh years would graduate and everyone was very excited except Draco. He managed to take Ginny away from Harry for the afternoon while Harry had some quality time with Hermione. He took her to the roof and sat down on the floor with his legs stretched out in front so that Ginny could hop on the length of his legs. Ginny had grown a bit more now and some of her fluffy feathers were stronger and a deeper red colour. Draco didn’t really have to look out for Ginny because she would never hop too far away from him.
“I miss you,” Draco said gloomily as he stroked Ginny’s feathers. “I hope that you’ll remember everything. If you don’t, then there would be nothing left for me to live for.”
Draco took in a deep breath and looked out at the landscape. “I know it is hard to understand what I feel for you when I don’t know you that well, but though I might not know what your favourite colour is or what your favourite book is, I know who you are.” Draco looked down at Ginny who had perched herself on his left leg and was now looking up at him. “Can you understand what I’m saying?” Draco asked hopefully but Ginny just used her break to ruffle her feathers. He picked Ginny up in his hands and lifted her up close to his sad face. “You once said that I knew more about you than anyone else did. In return, you are the only one who knows me so deeply. Not another person in this world knows me better than you do, and I don’t want to let anyone know me. You’re the only one for me Ginny; there will never be anyone else, no matter how things work out.”
Draco closed his eyes and pressed them tightly together. “I’d give anything to see you healthy and normal again,” He whispered.
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Draco graduated a week ago along with his entire fellow seventh year school mates. His mother and butler had come to the ceremony where his mother had cried and Draco was happy that he graduated. But when it was time to leave, he didn’t want to because then he wouldn’t know if Ginny was able to turn back into a person or not.
Draco held in his hands a bottle of his medicine. This was his last dose and then he would be cured forever. After he drank this, it would be the end of his bargain with Ginny. The bargain that had started everything.
“Don’t worry, Malfoy,” Harry said to him softly. “I’m staying at the burrow for the first three weeks, and if Ginny turns back I’m sure she’ll contact you, but if she doesn’t…well I’ll notify you.”
“Thanks Potter,” Draco said, and only then did he willingly go home. Draco was kept busy the first week back home because he was now officially the owner of all the Malfoy investments. Draco wasn’t that interested in business but he loved being rich, so he forced himself to deal with the finances. The book Ginny had given him came in very handy that week.
The week flew by pretty fast and when Draco least expected, an owl came for him. He ripped open the letter furiously and read the words from a trembling piece of paper because his hands were shaking.
On the roof
Tomorrow noon
Draco understood the message immediately. He took a deep breath and held the massage tightly in his hands. He was going to fly back to Hogwarts and go to their roof.
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Draco arrived at Hogwarts early so he spent a lot of time waiting and thinking. He stared out into the landscape and held his hands behind his back nervously. Dumbledore said that if Ginny remembered everything then she would be able to turn back into a person, but if she couldn’t then she would forever remain a bird. When it was exactly noon, a dot could bee seen in the distance getting bigger and bigger. It was a bird, but not just any bird, it was a Phoenix. The Phoenix landed on the roof and stood next to Draco. At first Draco thought that Ginny probably lost all her memory and would remain a Phoenix forever, but then it transformed back into Ginny.
Draco could only stare at her. She was here, as a human. That could only mean she had remembered everything. Draco picked her up in a fierce hug and swung her around. Ginny giggled into his ear and he thought it was the most wonderful sound he could hear. He was finally able to settle down and stopped swinging her around.
Ginny was still smiling as she had her hands around Draco and looked into his eyes. “I have so much I want to tell you,” she said.
“I do to,” Draco answered.
“Let me go first then,” Ginny said and he nodded. “I got a scholarship to Medica. They recognised all the help I put in during the war and many of the Healers I worked with put in a good word, so they have given me a full scholarship into the school.”
“That’s great,” Draco said excitedly for Ginny, but she wasn’t smiling.
“But I’ll be leaving tomorrow and I won’t be back for three years,” she told him sadly.
Draco’s face fell. “What do you mean you won’t be back for three years?” He asked.
Ginny took a deep breath. “It’s a boarding school somewhere far away and they don’t allow students to go back home before they graduate.”
“But what about Hogwarts? You haven’t even finished school yet?”
“I’m going to finish my last year over there. It’d be better because then I get a head start for my first year.”
Draco frowned and his forgotten mask of coldness came back on. “I should have guessed that you would just leave like that,” he said disgustedly and took a step away from her.
“Please don’t be like this, Draco,” Ginny pleaded.
“How do you want me to be?” he said angrily. “I’ve waited so long for this day and then you tell me you’re leaving for three years. Sure, just brush me off like I’m nothing. I probably never meant anything to you in the first place.”
Ginny grabbed Draco’s arms and looked into his eyes. “That’s not true,” she said forcefully.
Draco pushed Ginny away and looked coldly at her. “Somehow I find that hard to believe,” he said spitefully.
Ginny was on the verge of tears and considered just leaving, but she didn’t want to leave on bad terms with him. She stepped closer towards him but he wouldn’t look at her, and instead was glaring at the landscape. Ginny placed her hand on Draco’s face and moved it so he was looking at her again. She was searching his eyes for warmth. Draco was expressionless but his eyes betrayed him and Ginny kissed him. He let her hands wrap around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her. As angry as he was, he couldn’t push her away again. Ginny took her time showing Draco just how much he meant to her and deepened the kiss. They both eventually had to separate for air and rested their foreheads against each others.
Draco’s anger had disappeared and was replaced with yearning. He wasn’t really angry with her, he was just frustrated with how there were always obstacles for them.
“I…” he began but Ginny stopped him by pressing a finger to his lips. She looked into his eyes seriously as she spoke.
“I love you,” She said. “Much more than words could ever express and I don’t want you to ever doubt that. I love you for you Draco, and I wouldn’t want you to be anything else. You are so much more than what people see and I really wish others could witness the wonderful you that I know.”
“Please don’t go,” Draco pleaded but Ginny shook her head.
“As much as I love you, it just isn’t enough for me to be with you.”
“Why?”
“Because too many people will disapprove of us.”
“Is it really that important?”
“It is to me,” Ginny said sadly. “And it should be for you too. Remember what your Father said, Draco. You are a Malfoy, and with that comes specific obligations.”
Ginny gave Draco a quick last kiss before stepping out of his embrace. Draco stared at her with longing eyes but he couldn’t get his mouth to work as Ginny took slow backward steps further away from him. “You will always be my one and only,” she whispered before transforming into a Phoenix and flying off.
Draco was once again left on the roof with his unsaid words. ‘I love you’ was harder to say than ever.
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THREE YEARS LATER
Ginny stepped out of the long distance floo network with just a handbag. She was wearing a black knee length skirt, low heel shoes and a red long sleeve shirt. Ginny had grown a few inches in height and also fully grown into her womanly figure. She searched the crowd for a familiar face and saw Fred and George jumping up and down waving at her. Ginny smiled at her brothers antics and weaved her way through the crowd. She hugged them both at the same time before they lead her away.
“Do you know how to apparate, Ginny?” George asked.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “Of course I do. I told you in my letter two years ago,” she said with a smile.
It was now Fred’s turn to roll his eyes. “That was two year ago Ginny, how are we supposed to remember.”
Ginny could only smile. “Come on, lets go home,” she said cheerfully and then apparated to the burrow.
Ginny landed on the soft grass in front of her house and Fred and George were soon standing beside her. Ginny was feeling slightly nervous about stepping inside her home after not being there for three years, but her brothers helped calm her down. Fred opened the door and as soon as Ginny stepped inside, everyone popped out of no where and shouted ‘Surprise’. It indeed was a surprise to Ginny and she covered her mouth with her hands. Fred and George prodded her so she would start moving inside. Everyone was here, her parents, all her brothers, Harry, Hermione, Colin, Amy, Sirius, Remus and even Andrew. The first thing Ginny did was to go and hug her parents. Then it was Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Harry, Colin, Amy, Sirius, Remus and Andrew. Ginny left Hermione last because she was heavily pregnant (From Harry) and Ginny wanted to be carefull around her. There were lots of Ginny’s favourite foods, many of which she hadn’t eaten in three years and she had so much to say to everyone.
Ginny had send letters occasionally, but there were a lot of details that she couldn’t write because it was too time consuming. She had graduated top of her class and a lot of time was put in to get that award. It was getting very late and Harry, Hermione, Colin, Sirius, Remus and Andrew were leaving. Ginny was sad to see them leave, but she knew that now she was back; she had all the time in the world to see them again. Ginny was finally able to relax and she sunk into their old but soft couch. Arthur Weasley sat down next to his daughter and patted her hand. Ginny looked at her Dad and smiled at him. He had gotten older, but was still very healthy. Considering how well off the Weasley’s were now a day, Arthur Weasley didn’t have to work that hard and that certainly help his health.
Though Ginny was away from home for three years, she was very well informed about what was happening with her family members. Within these three years, Bill had moved back to England and opened his own curse breaking store which was quite successful because he was very quick at identifying curses and breaking them. Charlie had opened his own Dragon reserve on the outskirts of England and it was a very good place to learn how to Dragon race. Percy was in a pretty high ranking position in the Ministry and all her brothers had complained to her about how big headed he was, but she was still proud of him. Fred and George had opened a few of their joke stores around the world and were very successful. Ron was second in command at the Strategic Battle sector in the Aurors division of the Ministry, all these years of playing chess really paid off. And lastly, the sector in the Ministry that Arthur worked at (misuse of Muggle artefacts) had risen in importance as well as expanded over the years. Therefore Arthus was finally recognised as an important person within the Ministry and with that came a much bigger pay check.
Seeing all her family members with such successful lives gave Ginny a great feeling of contentment. She was awoken from her thoughts when Arthur spoke.
“It’s good to have you back, Ginny,” Arthur said.
Ginny smiled “It’s good to be back Dad. I missed everyone so much.”
Arthus sighed and gave Ginny a weak smile. “I’m only glad that you have no worries Ginny. It’s your turn to live the life you deserve; you shouldn’t have any more burdens to carry.”
“Oh Dad,” Ginny said and then hugged her father. “Don’t worry about me. I’m perfectly happy.”
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Ginny didn’t need to work at St. Mungo’s until next week so she spent most of her time readjusting to living at home again. It wasn’t a very hard task, considering she had lived at the Burrow for seventeen years. Ginny was in the middle of unpacking her study things when she picked up a green leather bound book. She took the book over to her desk and opened it up. There were news paper clippings and written entries in the book that dated back to three years ago.
This was her book on Draco starting from the day she stepped foot into Medica. Draco had lived a very interesting life in the past three years, and Ginny knew every detail about what he had done. He had spent the first three months after he graduated setting up a company that helped the villages that were ruined by Deatheaters to be restored. Draco’s company was unique in way that they provided Muggle things to those who were willing to try it. There was electricity and phone lines available to those willing to attempt using it. Not many people wanted to install these weird muggle gadgets, but slowly people started to enjoy it and Draco’s company went booming with so much business. After three months of setting it up, Draco left the work for other people to do but he still kept a sharp eye on the business.
He had left to become an Auror and help catch the remaining Deatheaters that were roaming around the world. Draco spent the next six months as an Auror and then when he thought he had done enough, he returned back to his business. Muggle items were becoming more and more popular in the wizarding world and Draco saw this as a good business line. He built a special House in every big wizarding city around the world. That house was a full Muggle house open for people to explore and if they liked it they could order for their house to have some of the items installed. This boost of interest in Muggle Artefacts had enlarged Arthur Weasley’s sector in the Ministry to ‘enquiries about Muggle Artefacts’. Draco had actually hired people that knew everything about the Muggle world to teach Arthur about all the things in the Muggle world, and it really made Arthur happy. Draco also received an Award for his contribution to development in the Wizarding world. Draco spent the year or so working at his company and then a few months ago had stopped to play professional Quidditch. Draco owned his own team and thought that it would be interesting if he could play seeker in it for a season or two.
Draco had been a popular face in the media because of the very odd reputation he had developed. At school he had despised Muggle borns but now he was the owner of the wizarding world’s biggest Muggle artefact producing company. At school he was know as a playboy but reporters were unable to write any bad gossip about his love life. They once stated that he might be gay and expected Draco to throw a fit and sue, but when people asked him about it he just laughed it off good naturedly. Draco’s unexpected behaviour made him a subject in the newspapers nearly every day and was very popular with the ladies. That’s why Ginny’s note book had filled up so quickly. The most recent article was about him and his Quidditch career, talking about how he was travelling around the world. He was now currently in Ireland preparing for a game.
Ginny heard a creek of the floor board and whipped her head around to see Sirius sitting on her bed next to her. Ginny’s hand flew to her heart.
“Sirius! You nearly scared me to death.”
Sirius smiled. “You’re getting rusty Ginny. I came in a long time ago and only now you notice?”
Ginny gave him a smile. “I’ll brush up my skills some other time,” she said cheekily.
Sirius gestured to the book and raised an eyebrow. Ginny closed the book and blushed.
“Is it out of habit, or because it’s him?” Sirius asked.
Ginny sighed and ran her hand over the cover. “It was always because it’s him,” she whispered but then put on a forced smile. “How is he Sirius?” she asked.
“I think everyone’s told you enough about him,” Sirius said.
Ginny smiled. “Somehow hearing compliments about him from Ron is very hard to believe.”
Sirius also smiled. The whole Weasley family had changed their outlook on Draco dramatically in the past three years and everyone accepted him, even Ron and especially Arthur Weasley. He had proven that he was not the evil man everyone though he was.
“He’s good, Ginny,” Sirius answered. “Witch Weekly just named him the most sought after bachelor in all of Europe. He’s rich, good looking, healthy and has a good family background.”
Ginny nodded her head. “I guess he has everything then,” she said happily.
Sirius frowned. “All except you,” he said, slight annoyed at how Ginny could not have known that.
Ginny simply cast her eyes down. “I know he misses you Ginny,” Sirius continued.
Ginny sighed and looked at Sirius gravely. “I doubt he’s been waiting for me these past three years. He probably hates me for leaving anyways.”
“I don’t think he could ever hate you Ginny,” Sirius said sincerely and then left Ginny alone.
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Ginny started work at St. Mungo’s a few days ago and on a particular day she walked past the Children’s ward to see the children huddled on a bed making a lot of noise. Ginny was on her lunchbreak so she walked inside to see what the problem was. There were a few kids holding onto a book and trying to pull it away from the others. Ginny held onto the book and told them all to let go.
“Why are you fighting over this book?” Ginny asked them. All the kids sat back down on the one bed and looked at Ginny with big beady eyes.
“We all want to read it, but there’s only one book,” One child said.
Ginny smiled at all of them. “Why don’t I read it to all of you then?” she suggested.
All the kids clapped and got themselves comfortable on the bed in front of her. Ginny sat down and looked at the cover of the book, then gasped. ‘Rosalie’ was the name of the book. Ginny looked at who the author was and only found the name Y.O.O. She opened the book to the first page and read the dedication.
Dedicated to the most magnificent girl I have ever met.
Words cannot express the love I have for you, but hopefully this story can.
I anticipate the day I can tell you how I feel.
Ginny looked at the page and noticed that it was published a year ago. She flipped to the first page of the story and read the first sentence out loud. The rest she could recite from her heart. This was the exact story Draco had written for her, and for the past three years, Ginny had reread the story so many times, she had it memorised. Ginny flipped the pages robotically so it looked like she was reading it but her eyes didn’t read the words, instead they were clouded over as she reminisced her days with Draco. Ginny finished the story where Rosalie lives happily ever after with her family. But when she finished that sentence all the kids were screaming ‘No’ and ‘what? That’s not the ending’. Ginny was slightly confused and didn’t really understand what the children were going on about. That was how her story ended.
“Why don’t I finish the story properly,” a voice said from the doorway. Ginny lifted her head up and saw Draco standing at the doorway. He was there in clean, immaculate black robes and had neatly trimmed blond hair. He was breath taking and even all the children were staring at him. Ginny was so surprised to see him she was frozen in place. Draco took slow steps into the room keeping his eyes on Ginny as he told the rest of the story.
“Prince Drake returned to his castle, cured of his illness of many years. His one flaw had been removed and he was now announced as a perfect Prince. You could say he had everything in the world but deep down the Prince did not feel complete. Time flew by and the King suggested that it was time for Prince Drake to get married. Women all across the land were introduced to Prince Drake but none would catch his eye. On one fateful day, as the Prince was walking in the Market, a shimmer of red caught his attention. Prince Drake followed the shimmering red colour and found that it was the mane on a young woman. The Prince nervously walked closer towards the girl but then she suddenly turned around. He recognised her to be the girl he saved some time ago.
“Rosalie,” The Prince whispered.
Rosalie looked up at the prince slightly surprised but then curtsied. “Prince Drake,” she said.
“What are you doing here?” Prince Drake asked with a smile.
“I’ve come to cure people of a plague,” she said urgently.
“What Plague?” Prince Drake asked.
Rosalie then told of how other villages had contracted a plague and nearly everyone had died. The disease would be coming soon and she wanted everyone to drink her medicine and become immune to it. Prince Drake believed her and took her to see his father, the King. Rosalie’s medicine was distributed within the next day and after a few weeks; all the animals had died of some unknown disease but the village people had survived because they had taken Rosalie’s medicine. A Feast was placed in honour of Rosalie, and her family was also invited.
In the days that Prince Drake and Rosalie were together, they found out that they had loved each other the minute they had met and being together these past few weeks had just strengthened their love. Prince Drake announced at the feast his and Rosalie’s plans to get married and everyone in the Kingdom cheered for them. An extravagant wedding was held for the Prince and his Princess the following week, and they lived happily ever after.”
Ginny had stood up some time during Draco’s story telling and they were now both standing in front of each other. The children in the ward looked on quietly at the couple in front of them.
“You changed the ending,” Ginny choked out while she was trying to hold in her tears. “That’s not how it ended in the original.”
A tear escaped Ginny’s eye and Draco wiped it away. “The original was incomplete,” he said “This is how it should end, and everyone in England knows this ending.” Draco took Ginny’s hand in his and looking into her eyes. “We should be like that too,” he said softly.
Ginny didn’t know what to say. She never expected this from him. It was all too good to be true and she was certain it was just a dream. Draco saw the uncertainty in Ginny’s eyes and he was determined to get rid of it once and for all. He reached into his pocket and pulled an object out. It was a snow globe. He placed the globe in Ginny’s hands and then placed his hands over hers. Tears were streaming down Ginny’s face now as she looked at the object in her hands. It was the globe she had wanted thirteen years ago. The exact same one.
“Don’t be afraid, Ginny,” Draco said as he squeezed Ginny’s hands. “If you hope enough, things will always come back to you. I hoped for you, now here you are. I won’t leave you, Ginny. No one can ever take me away from you.”
Draco wrapped his arms around Ginny and she did the same while crying on his shoulder. He was real, this was real and she started to believe that being with him was possible. A lot had changed these past three years and things were looking less impossible between them.
“Will you live happily ever after with me?” Draco whispered into Ginny’s ear.
There was no more cause for doubt in Ginny’s mind as she answered. “Yes, I will.”
Draco was so relieved and happy to hear her words. He held Ginny’s face in his hands and let his emotions pour from his eyes. “I love you,” he said before leaning in and kissing her passionately.
All the children cheered and clapped while Draco and Ginny kissed in the middle of the room. The start of their happy lives together.
THE END.
There is still an Epilogue coming so it’s not really the END, but an epilogue it just to sum up a few things. Thanks for reading and I hope you review.
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All Harry Potter Characters don’t belong to me.
The Source - Epilogue
“Speaking”
<Thinking>
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Ginny stood in the busy street of Diagon Alley waiting patiently for someone to arrive. A smile crept onto her face and she whirled around attempting to startle the person creeping behind her. The person however, was very quick and wrapped their arms around her waist so that they could pull her close for a kiss.
Draco broke the kiss off slowly and grinned at a flushed Ginny. He then began to trail slow kisses down her neck. Ginny couldn’t help giggling. “Draco,” she whined, “People are staring,” she whispered.
Draco lifted his head up and had a grin on his face. “Who cares,” he said. “They’re all used to it. Plus I like showing people how much I love you.”
Ginny shook her head at him but still gave him a smile.
“…and apparently he spent the night while her husband was still in the house.”
This section of conversation drifted in the air and Ginny’s trained ears started to follow it. This caused her attention to wander off from Draco.
“Really?” says another lady. “They’re becoming so daring.”
“Yes, and she doesn’t even care…”
Draco placed his hands on the side of Ginny’s face and gently turned her head back to face him.
“Ginny, dear,” he said calmly. “Might I remind you that you’re husband is here and not behind there,” he said with one raised eyebrow.
Ginny grinned at Draco’s greed for her attention and also placed her hands on the side of his face. She pressed his cheeks together so that his lips were puckered up like goldfish lips and then gave him a quick kiss.
“I’m sorry,” Ginny apologised, “but old habits die hard.” And she put on her innocent face that always made him go soft.
Draco moved Ginny’s hand from his face and wrapped them around his neck. He then pressed his forehead against hers and gave her a crooked smile. “Maybe we should find you a new habit then,” he said.
“And what do you have in mind?” Ginny asked.
“How about kissing me senseless,” Draco suggested and then gave her a long passionate kiss. Ginny smiled against Draco’s lips as he tightened his hold on her waist. They soon had to break apart because they were running out of air.
“That sounds like a good habit,” Ginny said breathlessly afterwards.
Draco smiled evilly at her and then with a pop, they both disappeared.
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In the main bedroom of Malfoy Manor there sat a trunk at the end of a king sized bed. Within that trunk was a box, charmed only to open with Virginia Rosalie Weasley’s fingerprints. Inside that box was a Green Leather bound book and on the very last page, there was a newspaper clipping.
WIZARDING WORLD WONDER
DRACO MALFOY AND GINNY WEASLEY GET MARRIED
[There is a picture of Draco and Ginny in their wedding clothes facing each other while holding hands and looking at each other lovingly. Picture Draco would occasionally lift picture Ginny’s hand and kiss it without breaking eye contact.]
Wizarding worlds number one sought after bachelor has tied the knot today with Miss Virginia Weasley, a healer at St. Mungo’s. News of the couple dating had surprised the world a few months ago and the news of them getting married was another blast to fans of the handsome ex-bachelor.
The Wedding was held privately in Malfoy Manor with only close friends and family permitted to attend. Interviews were allowed to be conducted before and after the wedding and only selected pictures have been shown to public.
However, mystery still surrounds the question on how the two got together. None of the friends and family will tell the story of how the former enemies became a couple.
“I wouldn’t trust my daughter with anyone else…” says Arthur Weasley, Father of the bride.
“She’s a miracle in Draco’s life,” says Narcissa Malfoy, Mother of the groom.
Only compliments and praises have been made about the couple and shows no signs that the two families had once been foes.
It has been recently revealed that Draco Malfoy is the mystery writer of the wizarding worlds first Fairytale ‘Rosalie’. Published under the pen name.Y.O.O, Draco Malfoy has revealed in an interview that it stands for Your One and Only. He also admitted that he had written this story for his wife many years ago and had published the books so that his love for her could be shown to everyone around the world.
As odd as it may seem, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley look like a perfectly happy couple. Maybe fairytales really can happen in real life and that they can live happily ever after.
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THE OFFICIAL ENDING!
P.S – If you have a request for which story you would like to read next please tell me in a review or email me. My list of ideas can be found on my website. The address can be found in my profile.
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