Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies.
A/N: A big thank you to everyone who reviewed. I wouldn't have the courage to continue, if it wasn't for you!
CHAPTER FIVE
Through the looking-glass
Working at the Department of International Magical Cooperation was, as Ginny Weasley always thought, an ideal job. The only part of it that caused her a fair amount of discomfort was that her alienated, pain-in-the-arse brother Percy worked in the same department, albeit in a different office. He was demoted from his position of Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic after a minor conflict between him and Rufus Scrimgeour, another subject that was carefully avoided at the dinner table on Friday evenings and which caused her mother a lot of grief nonetheless. Whenever Penelope Clearwater was on the horizon Ginny skillfully dodged her as there was an even higher risk of running into Percy. But luckily for Ginny the International Magical Trading Standards Body where she worked was closer to the lifts and she could make a quick escape whenever she wanted.
That day, when she came to work she found it very hard to concentrate. She was drinking copious amounts of coffee, brooding over the events of last night. Whenever her co-workers stuck their heads inside her office, Ginny looked at them unseeingly, greeted them vaguely and went back to her unhappy reflections.
She couldn't sleep last night. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw herself in a medieval castle, looking out of the window onto a battlefield, where Draco was riding a fire-breathing dragon. Then he would turn to her and shout: "Make me a cup of tea! Three spoons of arsenic, no milk!" And the whole army under his command, including the dragons, would burst in a Homeric laughter.
After tossing and turning in between the nightmares, she felt tired and angry. She was considering going back home, completely ignoring a furious goblin before her who was screaming something about extra thick cauldrons that he had ordered but never received.
Spit flying everywhere, he kept nagging her, until she finally focused her attention on him and promised to fix his problem, whatever it was. The goblin shot her an angry look and marched out of her office.
Ginny followed him with her eyes, forgetting all about his cauldrons the moment he left. The clock struck twelve and she decided to go ask Harry to the lunch. But first of all, she opened her door and checked the corridor for any signs of Percy or his fiancée. When she was sure that the coast was clear, she made a beeline to the lift and, climbing inside, made her way up.
On the next floor, where the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was located, the doors opened, but no one came in, save for the violet inter-department memos.
Ginny peeked out. She rarely visited other levels, especially those where she had no business to be. Curiously, she stepped out and looked around. Immediately she was greeted by a whirl of colours. Three bright-red arrows - Beast Division, Being Division and Spirit Division - pointed in different directions. A beautifully drawn poster advertising new editions of The Monster Book of Monstersand Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology occupied the wall opposite the lifts. Another poster announced a sale of old, second-hand copies of Encyclopaedia of Owls, organized together with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to be scheduled for the 5th of December. Across one of the adverts
someone wrote in purple ink: SAY NO TO THE IMPORT OF THE NEW
BREED OF THESTRALS! The lost pets section of the notice board had only one item: 'Have you seen this dragon?' with a picture of a highly dangerous Ukrainian Ironbelly baby dragon underneath.
Portraits of famous magizoologists like Newt Scamander, Oswald Bigfoot and Cornelia Dragonheart lined the walls of the corridor. Some of their occupants peeked curiously out of the heavy gilded frames. The others were happily snoozing away.
"Ginny?" a surprised voice exclaimed behind her.
She turned and saw a former classmate, Colin Creevey, step out of the lift, with his arms laden with photo equipment.
"I'm surprised to see you here. How are you?" he beamed.
"Oh, I'm fine. I was just on my way to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to see my dad and Harry. I…erm…I saw this amazing poster and decided to stop by," she smiled back at him.
"We've got a lot of nice things here," he nodded enthusiastically. "Especially the portraits. I haven't seen so many since Hogwarts. Have you seen Scamander?" he asked, pointing to the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Ginny nodded. "And how are you?" she asked him in turn.
"All right, I guess. Nothing much happens here. Pretty boring, really. Unlicensed kneazles, sightings of a lethifold in Birmingham which I rather doubt, a missing dragon," he pointed to the writing on the wall. "I'm thinking of going to Wales for a while, gather some material on the local grindylows. You know," he continued, "Luna Lovegood supplied our Beast Division with really nice pictures of merpeople. Wonder how she got them to pose for a photograph."
"Luna's very resourceful," Ginny laughed.
"Yeah, I still have a picture of her wearing that stupid hat!" he snorted.
"You know," Ginny asked carefully, trying not to sound too interested, "I've heard you have a portrait of Anselmo Zenatti somewhere here."
"It's funny you should say that," Colin exclaimed. "Draco Malfoy came here recently to have a look at it as well."
"What a coincidence," Ginny muttered.
Colin led her further down the corridor, until they stopped before a very inconspicuous portrait, depicting a man of high stature. His clothes conveyed his wealth in all its radiance. The hem of his burgundy chemise was orfrayed in gold. Rubies and diamonds on his velvet vest coruscated in the sunlight. His mantle, too, was richly adorned with gems and trimmed with sable fur. His statuary features made him look somewhat cold and unappealing, Ginny decided.
Under the frame she read:
Anselmo Zenatti
(1470-1557)
"Why did you want to see it?" Colin asked.
Ginny didn't want to set tongues wagging and she didn't want to be associated with Draco Malfoy in any way, be that romance or pure business. Besides, they haven't made any earthshattering discoveries and their concerted actions and efforts haven't really paid off yet. So, there was nothing to report.
"I just heard from someone that he owned a very valuable manuscript," she replied.
"Oh, okay," Colin said.
"Well, it was nice seeing you," Ginny said hastily. "Good luck with the grindylows."
"Thanks, Ginny!"
Ginny got in the lift again, this time really intending to reach the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Say hi to your dad and Harry!" Colin shouted after her, when the doors almost closed.
In the lift Ginny had to endure a few awkward minutes, having to stand next to a crying girl who not only failed her Apparition test, but also lost her eye-lashes in the process.
When she finally arrived at Harry's office, she knocked twice, but there came no reply. She reckoned that he was so absorbed in his work, that he didn't hear her knock. Carefully, she opened the door and entered his office. Rather unexpectedly, she was treated to a sight of Harry and Hermione engaged in a serious snogging/groping session.
Ginny coughed uncertainly. The two lovers broke apart and stared at Ginny in embarrassment.
"Hmm, hi Ginny," Hermione said, disentangling herself from Harry. She readjusted her robes and sat down in another chair. "What brings you here?"
"I…eh…sorry for interrupting. I was just thinking of inviting Harry to have lunch with me, but I guess he's…um…busy, so I'll just disappear. Please, ignore me."
"Oh, come on, Gin. Stay. We can order something to eat here," Harry said, offering her a chair.
He rather regretted having Hermione sitting in the chair next to him, and not on his lap. But he was grateful that it was Ginny who caught them making out, rather than some Auror.
"So, what are you up to these days?" Harry asked, as he conjured three cups of tea and a dish of cucumber sandwiches.
"Work," Ginny mumbled.
"Oh, fun!" Harry exclaimed jokingly. "By the way, have you heard the last news? About your partner in crime."
"What partner in crime?" Ginny looked surprised.
"Malfoy," Harry said, shaking his head in amazement, "nearly got himself exploded in an old house somewhere on the Scilly Islands. Someone got him out of the rubble and got him transported to St. Mungo's."
Ginny gasped, looking terrified. Her hatred towards Draco was long forgotten. Instead of feeling gleeful at his misfortune, she was worried about him. And no matter how silly it seemed, she felt slightly guilty. Was it her fault? Was it because she refused to sleep with him last night? And then sudden realization dawned on her.
"Did you say Scilly Islands?" she asked.
"Eh, yes," Harry stared at her, clearly surprised at her reaction to the news. "St. Martin, I think. Why? What's wrong?"
She remembered the day when she Apparated to Malfoy Manor and waited for him all morning. When he returned, he looked very peaked and mentioned something about traveling to the Isles of Scilly. He said he was seeing to some urgent business there. She never asked him what he was doing there.
"I have to go," she announced to the startled couple. "See you later." And she left.
Ginny was determined to find out what had happened, but more importantly she wanted to see Draco, to make sure that he was okay. Her heart bled when she pictured him maimed and burned. She Apparated to the reception area of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and went straight to the desk marked Enquiries.
"Could you please tell me where I can find Draco Malfoy? Apparently, he had been brought here recently."
The welcome-witch looked at her notes and said: "Fourth floor, Spell Damage, ward twenty-nine. Please take the stairs on the left."
Ginny thanked her and went up to the fourth floor. She entered the SPELL DAMAGE corridor and started looking for Draco's ward. Crystal bubbles full of candles floated up on the ceiling and seemed to move along with her. A continuous drone came from the portraits on the walls. The last time Ginny was at St. Mungo's was when her father got bitten by Nagini and nearly died. Since then she associated the hospital with unhappy events.
At the door of his ward she stopped, hesitating. What would she say to him? He probably didn't expect her to show up. Then she cast all her doubts aside and entered the sun-lit room.
He was obviously wealthy enough to afford a separate ward. Everything in it was clinically white and neat. She saw Draco sitting up in his bed, reading a newspaper. He looked bruised and battered, but other than that he was very much alive. When he saw Ginny come in, he stared at her unblinking.
"I've just heard that you had an accident and I thought I'd drop by," she said as she came closer. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," he said. "Never thought I'd see you here."
Ginny looked at him to see if he was joking, but he looked very serious. She sat down on the only chair in the room, feeling very awkward. Draco folded the newspaper and leaned back against the pillows.
"Can I ask you something," she asked at last.
"Anything," he replied with a grin.
"What were you doing on St. Martin?"
"Aren't you clever?" Draco snorted. "By the way, it wasn't St. Martin, it was St. Agnes."
"You've been there before, the day I came to your house," Ginny reminded him.
Draco nodded. "I have a house there."
"A house?"
"It belonged to my father. He inherited it from his aunts Freya, Agatha and Octavia Dunsworth, who lived in Lochow, Scotland and never really had any contact with him or any other members of the family. Obviously, when my father died, I became the next owner."
Ginny waited for him to go on, but he was silent.
"Something exploded there," she said. "It wasn't an accident, was it?"
He looked at her intently. "No, it wasn't. I blew it up myself."
Ginny gaped at him. "Why?"
He thought a while, then he said, "Have you heard of Horcruxes?"
Her face clouded over and she nodded gravely.
"Well, my father made one for himself. He knew his days were numbered. The other Death Eaters were dying, deserting the Dark Lord. He knew he wasn't going to be spared. So, he had made a Horcrux before he was sent to Azkaban. Wanted to become immortal. He kept it in that house and I was the only person who knew about it. He told me to try to resuscitate him in case he died."
"Did you?" Ginny whispered.
He shook his head resolutely.
"Not only was a part of his soul stored there, but a part of his anger as well. I was his son. His only child. When I decided not to go through with it and destroyed the Horcrux, his anger was released. And I blew up the house to erase every trace of the Horcrux."
His mouth was firm and his steel-grey eyes were flashing angrily. Ginny had to fight the sudden impulse to kiss him. Kiss away the pain.
"I hope you won't tell anyone. I don't want people to know," he said suddenly.
"Of course," she nodded.
She wondered why he told her. He obviously trusted her enough to keep his secret. Did he…could he feel something for her, other than sexual desire?
Draco's voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Maybe we can continue working on the manuscript," he suggested.
He reached for his cloak and took out the silver filigree case. Then he unscrewed the top, took out the parchment and started reading. Ginny flinched. It brought back the memories of the past day.
"Listen, about last night," Ginny started uncertainly. "I hope it won't influence our working together in any way."
He smirked and said, without even looking up at her, "I hope not."
Ginny was vexed with him again. He tried to get her in his bed and never apologized for the way he acted. She was the only one to visit him in the bloody hospital and she didn't even get so much as a 'thank you'! She should have said no in the notary's office!
Draco hemmed as he read, "I feel like I'm back at Hogwarts, with that brute of a-" he checked himself, seeing Ginny ready to explode.
When he finished reading, he looked up at her questioningly. "Any ideas?"
"No," she admitted, "I keep thinking why he made an allusion to this manuscript. What kind of clues are we supposed to be looking for?"
Draco shrugged.
"This is so infuriating!" Ginny cried, her arms flailing in the air.
With her right hand she accidentally knocked down the glass with lavender-coloured potion that was standing on the night stand. It fell, splashing, in Draco's lap, right on the parchment.
"Oh, Merlin! I'm so sorry!" Ginny apologized, rising to her feet.
Draco didn't hear her as he stared at the left bottom corner of the manuscript. A dark-purple spot appeared there, growing and forming an oval shape. The blurry blob came into focus and a word became visible: DOLEROS. Now Ginny saw it too and her mouth flew open.
"What is it?" she croaked.
All of a sudden, Draco started laughing maniacally, pointing at the purple blob.
"What is it?" Ginny repeated her question, this time in a much angrier tone.
"Doleros is Greek for 'spurious', 'deceitful'. Comes from the word dolos, which means 'trick'," he exclaimed.
"You mean this copy is fake?!" all colour drained from Ginny's face.
"Absolutely," he confirmed her words as he stopped laughing.
Ginny was almost on the verge of tears.
"We've done all that work for nothing?" she asked. "And you had to buy the bloody thing! By the way, you never told me how much you paid for it."
"A lot. But that's beside the point."
"Why are you laughing then?" she demanded.
"It's the most expensive thing I've bought in years and it turned out to be absolutely worthless! A third of my vault is gone!" he laughed again. "I don't expect you to understand."
Ginny gave him a strange look and then turned away from him. She was disappointed. It seemed to her that the workload had increased, now that they had to take a step back.
"I wish we had the original manuscript," she sighed.
"Ha! Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Draco snorted.
"I guess, we'll just have to work on the book and see what happens," Ginny said.
He nodded wearily.
"Well, I'm going to go now," she stood up again, "You need to get some rest. Besides, someone else might come to see you."
"I don't know about that," Draco replied.
"Say, are you seeing Zabini's stepsister?" Ginny asked suddenly, casually inspecting the duvet on Draco's bed.
"Catherine?!" he burst out laughing.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm just curious. I saw you two in a restaurant the other day."
"Seeing, as in shagging each other's brains out?" he smirked.
Ginny nodded as her mouth curled in a smile.
"No. Not anymore, that is. We used to though, a couple of years ago. She's still a good friend of mine."
"I see," she said. "Well, I hope you'll get better soon."
"So do I," he replied with a sigh.
Ginny put her cloak back on and left the ward.
***
Three beautiful owls fluttered their wings as they alighted on her dining table and released the parcel from their beaks. The box, which was the size of a cauldron, was heavy and Ginny pitied the poor birds. The brown paper wrapping bore no marks, except for a warning on the side of the box:
ADVISORY
Dear customer,
Please take extra care in unpacking
this item as some parts will not withstand
rough handling.
Apprehensive, Ginny put her buttered toast aside and pulled the box towards her. She turned it around, and in the rays of the sun saw a small inscription in the corner. The name Draco Malfoy was encircled in a ring and adorned with curlicues.
She eyed the parcel apprehensively, for she suspected it to be some maledict object from Burgin and Burkes that had been sent to her with only one purpose - to get rid of her. Why Malfoy wanted to kill her per se, she did not know, but in the light of the past days she reckoned that he would do it just on principle. But then again, this was an odd way of murdering her, and besides not the best moment. He could kill her later, after she will have completed the work on the project.
Casting all her fears aside, she tore the wrapping and opened the cardboard box. Inside it, wrapped in three layers of black velvet, rested a looking-glass. Carefully, Ginny took it out and placed it on the table. The oval frame and the pedestal of the mirror were made of delicately carved cherry wood. The surface of the mirror was dull and opaque.
Ginny crossed her arms and stared at the object before her. It looked like an ordinary innocuous mirror, and yet she doubted that Draco would send her a mirror, even if it was ancient and beautiful. Upon some thought, she drew her wand out of the pocket and tapped the smooth surface. It did not budge. Ginny was a bit surprised, but she rather expected something like this to happen. Some complicated magic was involved. She nodded thoughtfully, then peered into its depths, bringing herself closer, and waited for something to happen. Still nothing. She tried her wand again, but the tarnished amalgam surface was adamant as ever and did not yield. She frowned and pocketed her wand.
Then, as the last resort, she touched the mirror with her bare hand. A tingling sensation traveled from the tips of her fingers through her body and before she realized what was going on, she was sent flying across the kitchen. She landed right before her fridge, hitting her head on the tiled floor.
She lay for a while, groaning and cursing the day Draco Malfoy was born. Then, at last, she got up and straightened her clothes. She touched her head and felt a very painful bump.
"It's time to pay someone a visit," Ginny grumbled, taking the box under her arm and Disapparating from her kitchen.
Within a second she was standing in the sitting-room of the Malfoy Manor.
"I suppose this is your idea of a joke!" she spat and hurled the package at Draco, who was conveniently sitting on the couch.
"Ah, Weasley! You have an uncanny ability of imposing upon my hospitality."
"You wanted to kill me!" Ginny shrieked.
"As attractive as it seems, I wasn't planning to. And you might want to be a little bit more careful with that thing, there is a very delicate object inside. Says so on the box."
"Are you deaf?! IT NEARLY KILLED ME!" Ginny screamed. "What is this thing?"
"This is Speculum," Draco replied. "It's more than just a portkey or a time-turner, because it has the power to get you to any place and any time. Because the copy of the manuscript we have is fake, we have to get the original. You said so yourself. So, somehow we have to get to the Mancini library before it gets destroyed in the fire. The trouble is, I haven't figured out how this thing works."
"And the reason you sent it to me is?" Ginny asked viciously.
"Well, I figured that you might know the way to make it work," he shrugged.
"Why should I?"
"Argh, because two heads are better than one! We are partners now, aren't we?"
"Nice partnership, Malfoy! You spend a fortune on some artifact and I do the rest of the work! Guess what, I'm not so eager to do it just yet, because when I touched the bleeding mirror, it sent me flying across the room and now my head hurts like hell!"
Ginny flopped on the couch and put her head on the cushions. She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn't hear Draco get up and walk up to her, and only when she felt a warm feeling inside her head, she opened her eyes. She saw him standing above her, with his wand pointing against the back of her head, his lips muttering a spell.
"What are you doing?" she turned to him abruptly, surprised that the pain was gone.
"A simple spell," he said, as he walked back to his place. "A perfect remedy against hangovers and headaches."
"Err…thanks," Ginny muttered. "I feel much better now."
He nodded and then said thoughtfully, "I wonder why it reacted that way."
He took the mirror out of the box and set it down on the couch between them.
"Didn't they tell you how it works when you bought it?" Ginny asked.
"I didn't buy it. It belonged to my father," Draco said, turning the mirror. "I found it yesterday in his study."
"I was sure you bought it at Burgin and Burkes," Ginny said.
"To kill you, undoubtedly. I'm not that predictable, Weasley."
Ginny rolled her eyes and watched Draco study every inch of the mirror.
"Tell me exactly what happened," he asked her.
Ginny sighed. "I tried my wand first, but nothing happened. Then I touched it with my bare hand and the next thing I know I'm lying on the floor of my kitchen."
"Hmm, fascinating," Draco muttered.
"It is, isn't it?" Ginny glared at him.
Draco laid his hand on the mirror to see what would happen. Nothing changed. He looked at it quizzically.
"Strange," he said, putting the mirror aside. "I was hoping we could make it work and get that manuscript."
"Yeah, I wonder what it looked like, the Mancini Library. Right before the fire on the 7th of February
1523."
"I think I've seen a picture in a book somewhere," Draco said and stood up abruptly, heading towards the bookcases.
The mirror that was standing on the couch between them fell forward and Ginny caught it in time. The moment she touched it, mother-of-pearl sheen appeared on the surface, as if it was submerged in thick glaucous fog. Ginny gasped as she felt the familiar sensation on the tips of her fingers. Her body shook and her eyes watered. She tried to focus, but the room reeled. Until it vanished altogether.
It wasn't anything like Apparating at all. It didn't feel like her body went through a mangle. On the contrary, it felt rather pleasant. She tottered and her head felt fuzzy, like after a couple of pints of Madam Rosmerta's best butterbeer. Then the drunkenness faded away and her head was once again clear and sober.
She looked about her, here eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light. She found herself standing in the middle of what she assumed was an entrance hall or an anteroom of some sort. The simple equilateral room was bare, save for the coat of arms above the heavy oaken doors in front of her. Solely guided by her intuition, she put her hand on the knob and turned it. The doors yielded with a creak and revealed a long winding corridor.
Her heart pounded. She had absolutely no idea where she was and how to get back to the manor. She hesitated, wondering if she should stay where she was and wait for Draco to help her out. She was afraid that maybe he didn't know how to get her back either. Scared and hesitant, she stood there and did not move. But the feeling passed off gradually and she became very curious like the day she stumbled upon Narcissa's boudoir. To alleviate some of her curiosity she decided to walk down the corridor.
After a while she entered a spacious vaulted hall. High twisted columns of dark granite supported the ceiling. The mosaic floor, stained glass windows, lancet arches and everything else in the hall was so incredibly beautiful that Ginny just stood there, staring in awe. Something caught her eye when she looked up at the vaulted ceiling. The central wedge-shaped voussoir bore a tiny image of a crane. For some reason it seemed very familiar. Ginny wished she could stay there longer and have a better look at it, but instead decided to move on.
She made her way down the passage that led out of the hall. She had a feeling that she was walking round in circles. Lost in the labyrinth of the passageways that looked absolutely identical, she paused. Suddenly, she felt something soft against her left ankle. She looked down and saw a Maltese cat at her feet. It meowed and rubbed its silky, bluish-gray body against her legs. Ginny bent down to stroke it, but the cat ran inside one of the corridors and meowed even louder. She followed it and saw it disappear further down the corridor. She tried not to lose it out of sight and had to quicken her steps. On the way, she barely had tome to admire the tapestries on the walls and the latticework on the windows.
She turned yet another corner and arrived at an open space. Here, the floors were decorated with back and white tiles and in the middle stood a sculpture of the Greek goddess Minerva, the patron of sciences and crafts. In her right hand she was holding an owl. Ginny laughed, because the owl looked exactly like Harry's Hedwig. It was a very mysterious house, she decided.
She looked around to see where the cat had gone, but couldn't find it. Moreover, she realized that the room only had one way out - a door in the opposite wall. Ginny approached it and turned the handle, but the door was locked. Puzzled, she wondered where the cat could go. She inspected every nook and cranny, even looked under benches, but, alas, found nothing.
Ginny was so absorbed in her thoughts, that when she heard muffled voices coming from behind the mazarine-blue banners hanging in the corner, she was paralyzed with fear. She was shaking as she slowly approached the banners and looked behind them. She was surprised to find a small gap there through which bright light filtered. Overtaken by curiosity again, Ginny plastered herself against the wall and peered inside the tiny gap.
The voices she had heard belonged to ten men that were sitting around a round table. They wore grey-and-white robes and most of them were aged and bearded, reminding her of a flock of peregrine falcons. The man who was sitting the closest to Ginny had pronounced features. Hoary hair was falling over his face. He was mumbling something and shaking his head. The rest watched him intently, waiting for something. Suddenly, a door opened, somewhere close to where Ginny was hiding, and another man entered the room. He had the same garments on, except he also had a tiny black cap on his head. The other men rose at once.
Ginny was about to dash back into the corridor, when she felt a mighty pull and everything grew turbid. The blurry images before her eyes were finally coming into focus. The marble mosaic floor and the bearded faces were replaced by the sitting-room of the Malfoy Manor. Right before her was sitting Draco Malfoy, an expression of immense relief lighting up his face.
She stared at him, her face ashen and her eyes wide with fear.
"You owe me an explanation!"
~~~
~> For a more detailed account of Ginny's adventures at St. Mungo's please read my other story, Endlessly. LOL!