Draco was in his bedroom. His mother had set up the morning's tea and had just called him into the sunroom. Throwing on a shirt and slacks, Draco headed to join her. The room was exquisite, as were all other rooms in the Malfoy castle. In winter, as it was now, it seemed especially bright, the sun's rays reflecting off the snow.
Draco's mother sat at a carved wooden table near a window on the east wall, pouring tea into a decorative china cup. When she noticed Draco enter the room, she tilted her head up to look at him, giving him a glimpse of a silver necklace she wore. She gave him a half smile. Draco didn't need to be told to sit at the table, he'd done this every Thursday morning during the holidays since turning six. Father left on Thursdays for business meetings, and since he was gone and Draco wasn't at school, Narcissa took that time to talk to her son.
"Did you sleep well, my dear?" Draco nodded. Narcissa filled his cup with tea. "I know this school year has been difficult for you so far, Draco, but you know that your future does depend on your choices this year." Draco had heard this before. He nodded in acknowledgement. "I know your father has spoken with you about your obligations to the family many times, but I want you to know that your future is yours, not his."
Draco tried not to show the surprise that he felt when she said it, but it was impossible. His parents had been planning to make him partner in his father's company by marrying Pansy Parkinson. The idea revolted him. If Draco married Pansy, Mr. Parkinson would give him the half of Lucius' company that he owned. Draco's father's dream was to run the whole company within the family and figured Pansy was just a bonus that Draco would get out of the deal.
Narcissa sipped at her tea and asked him something neither of his parents had ever bothered to ask him. "Do you want to marry the Parkinson girl?"
Draco looked up at her. "I don't. She's one of the last people on the planet-"
Narcissa put her hand up to shush him and stood up to call a house-elf to the room. A small elf appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Madam, may Dippy help you?" Narcissa instructed Dippy to tell her if Mr. Malfoy arrived home early. Dippy complied and exited the room. Narcissa locked the door before she returned to her tea.
"She's an awful girl and no choice for a son of mine. Draco, I know you aren't fit for a life in offices and dark work." She pulled a velvet pouch from her pocket and placed it on the table. "Many years ago my mother gave this to me to help me decide whether or not to marry your father."
Draco pulled an amulet out of the pouch and looked at it as she continued.
"I loved a man I had met in school, but your father had an interest in me. Before I used the amulet, I had no intention of marrying him. After, I realized marrying Lucius was more important. Once I used it, I saw you. I saw the great things that could come from a son by Lucius. That's why I know you have a future, Draco. If I had seen a son that would sit in an office doing his father's work, it wouldn't have been worth it."
Draco looked up at her. He knew she meant what she said and had been waiting for this day for a long time. "I want you to take it, Draco. I want you to find what it is that will make you happy. Whether your father is upset or not, I'll help you. You'll know I'm there." She smiled as Draco put the amulet into his pocket.
A frantic knocking at the door broke the silence of the moment. "Mrs. Malfoy! Madam!" Draco's mother unlocked and opened the door for the house-elf. "The Mr. Malfoy has arrived!"
Narcissa thanked him and turned to Draco. "Use it at graduation. The stone will go up the color scale; when it turns white, it'll activate. What you find there will be the best path for your future. It brought me the best thing in my life..." She touched his hand reverently, remembering the little boy he once was and realizing this may be the last time she would see her son. Mrs. Malfoy walked to the door. "It's your turn."
It repeated in Draco's mind as he woke up. "It's your turn...your turn..." He sat up on the couch. He frantically searched his pockets until his fingers caught on something metallic. Pulling out the necklace, Draco flipped the simple tag over and read the inscription. "Your turn." His mind flashed back to the moment when he'd first entered the sunroom those months ago. It was the same necklace she had worn. Draco looked at the necklace, then to Ginny who was still sleeping, then back to the necklace. He decided not the think about it. Tucking it into his pocket, he stood up, picked up a towel and headed to the shower.
Ginny's dreams were different from any she'd ever had. Draco was playing with her hair, braiding it for her before bed. With his arm around her waist, he pulled her back onto his chest, and she inhaled his scent as her head rested on his chest. She turned and put her arms around his neck as he...
Draco walked out of his shower with a towel around his waist. Ginny was curled on the bed, clutching a pillow and sighing happily. Draco wondered what she could be dreaming about. Whatever it was, she sure looked cute.
Draco smiled at her as his hair fell into his eyes. He stroked her arms and cuddled her...
Ginny was smiling in her sleep. Draco sat next to her on the bed. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to feel like he had yesterday.
Ginny loved the feel of his skin and the strength of his arms. Draco moved his hand down the curve in her waist. "Merlin, you're beautiful..." Draco smiled at her. Ginny blushed as his hand moved around her waist. He was going to kiss her, she knew it. Ginny relaxed and waited.
Draco didn't know if it was wrong to kiss a girl while she was sleeping. He decided to fight his feelings and go get dressed.
As he was about to get up, Ginny wrapped her arms around him. Pulling his head toward hers, she kissed him.
Draco was so surprised that he didn't move at all at first. After a moment, he melted into the kiss. Nobody had ever made him feel the way he felt when he was kissing her.
His kiss intoxicated her. She couldn't help it. She wanted... Draco moved his lips down her throat to her collarbone and across her shoulders. She whimpered a little, and her eyes fluttered open.
Ginny screamed, hitting wildly and throwing Draco off the bed as she sat up. His towel nearly fell off from around his waist as he was propelled to the ground. His jaw hurt from where she'd punched him, and the pure shock of it all had his chest hurting.
Ginny yelled, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Draco stumbled up, his hand rubbing his jaw. "What do I think I'm doing? You were the one who kissed me! Damn it, Weasley..."
She puffed her chest out and put her hands on her hips. "I did no such thing!"
He snorted. "You sure about that?"
She opened her mouth to retort, then thought about it a moment. She remembered the dream and the feel of him near her. Come to think of it...
He hadn't waited for her to respond, but picked up his clothes and left for the bathroom to change. Ginny waited until he was done, then took a shower herself. Brushing her hair as she finished, she walked into the main room to find Draco still rubbing his jaw.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
He sighed, and with a sincerity Ginny hadn't expected, said he'd be fine. They eventually found their way downstairs to the main lobby where the innkeeper's wife had set up coffee and bagels. Ginny sat at a wooden table near the window with her coffee and waited for Draco to get his breakfast. When he sat across from her, she gave him a half smile and poured him some coffee. There was familiarity in this that Draco found comforting, and he nodded to her when his cup was full enough.
Ginny looked out the window. "I wonder what everyone at home is doing." She looked at her watch. "Classes would have started by now. I hope they don't hold us accountable for our schoolwork when we come back." She paused. "Well, I bet Snape will."
Draco shook his head. "He's not that bad. He gets all his test questions from 'Pretty Peculiar Potions and their Perfectly Preposterous Procedures.' As long as you've got a copy, you've got it made."
Ginny laughed and stirred some sugar into her coffee. "Thanks." She looked out the window again. "How are we ever going to get back to Hogwarts?"
Draco had no idea. The only thing he knew was that he hadn't found what he was looking for in this place just yet. He had a feeling the only way they'd ever leave would be if he found what he came for. "I don't know yet. I think we'll know when it comes."
They finished their meal, then headed up to their room. They decided to pack up their clothing and head out for the day. When Ginny reached for her robe, she noticed an ornately decorated golden key lying on top of it.
"Malfoy?" she called.
"What?"
Ginny held up the key. "Is this yours?"
Draco walked closer. "No, don't you think you would have noticed it? Then again, you are a Weasley."
Her eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He smirked. "If you don't know where this came from, and neither do I, why don't we just leave it here?"
"Fine." She placed the key back on the dresser and joined him at the door. He tried the handle, but found the door was locked.
"Did you lock this?"
"No... house-elves?"
He looked at the messy state of the room and seriously doubted house-elves had been there today.
Ginny looked at the key on the dresser. "Do you think it's a different room key than the one we got when we took the room?"
"People normally don't give room keys that look like that." Draco picked up the key from the dresser. On one side it had a deep red stone, while the other bore a small engraving of the number sixteen. "Sixteen?"
Ginny looked at the engraving. "We're room sixteen aren't we? We could try the key."
"We could." They looked at each other. They were being silly. Obviously, this key was no big deal. Draco took the key and turned the lock. The door swung open.
The hallway had vanished.