A few friends of mine are some crazy Draco/Ginny lovers, so, just for fun (since its helping my writer's block) I've composed a story for their enjoyment. Jonah, Joya (aka Ferret2) enjoy the D/G saga as it begins!!
In the Shadows: a Tale of Silver and Gold (in seven parts)
Part I: Gold versus Silver: Adventures in the Forbidden Forest
Draco Malfoy moved through the stone corridor swiftly, dodging the packs of Hogwarts students making their way back to dormitories for afternoon break. Any other point, and he would have made them clear a path for him, but urgency demanded he reach the Potions classroom quickly, and so respect for a sixth year Slytherin Prefect would have to wait.
A group of Gryffindor girls squeezed by, barely making room for his slender form despite the massive size of the hall. They giggled and laughed as they went, and as Draco sneered, one of them turned on her heel, sticking her tongue out at him as she passed by. She turned back to her friends, barely a step out of place, her red-gold hair flying around in a soft cloud.
Draco narrowed his eyes at her. Ginny Weasley, the sister of the mudblood loving Ron Weasley, and one of Harry Potter's circle of friends.
She has some nerve...
Somehow, Ginny Weasley had developed from the shy, squeaky voiced little girl she was in his second year to a confident version of her older brothers, and for some odd reason, she seemed to have it in for Draco. He could still remember the scratch of the Bat Bogey hex she'd used on him at the end of the last year; an admirable bit of spellmaking which had more than one effect. Though he'd never let anyone, especially his father, know of it, he'd had a paranoia about bats ever since.
Weasley faded from his mind for a moment as he approached the dungeon stairs, taking them two at a time, and just clipping a group of Slytherin first years. Professor Snape's office was to the right of the Potions lab, and he flew in without so much as a word.
And halted.
Snape was speaking, quietly, at Potter, who was concentrating on the Professor with some intensity. His sudden entrance seemed to startle them both, but as before, when he'd come upon this exact same situation in his fifth year, Professor Snape answered him quickly and calmly, as though nothing were out of place.
"Yes, Draco?"
"We had an appointment today, Professor? But if you're busy..."
Potter lowered his wand. "I'm sorry, Professor, I've kept you over time. I was just finishing up," he spoke aloud, half to himself, half to Draco.
Snape nodded a slight acquiescence to him as he gathered his books. Draco glanced confusedly between them as Potter turned, shifting aside to pass by Draco, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind his gold-rimmed glasses. Draco returned the gaze, then moved towards Professor Snape, who was placing notes into the top drawer of his desk.
The last time this had happened, the Professor had assured him it was a remedial "Potions" lesson, and he'd taken him at his word. But this was the second time he'd entered the Potion Masters office after a tutorial session, and there was no hint of ingredients, cauldrons or utensils about.
If Professor Snape noticed his puzzled expression, he did not let on. "What were we studying now, Draco?"
"The Patronus, sir." He laid his books on one of the shelves in the office, aside a jar of some squiggly substance. "I still can't master it, and we have a test in two weeks."
The teacher nodded, and pulled his dark wand from his robes. "I assume I do not have to go looking for a boggart this time?"
"No sir." Professor Snape was well aware of what frightened Draco the most, and as he had quite a few bats at his disposal, could produce them more than efficiently.
Draco set in defensive stance as the Professor went back into his storeroom to retrieve the bats. His mouth was set as he thought of the ease with which Potter, and all his friends, had managed their Patroni.
He knew he'd never be able to ace Hermione Granger in lessons–he'd almost given up trying, considering the girl never seemed to make an error in her life–but he thought for sure he'd be able to produce better than Potter...or at least Weasley! But to his surprise, it was Potter who'd come up with the first Patronus of the class, waving his wand about as though he was levitating a feather, and producing an impressive deer.
He vaguely remembered Potter casting something similar to a Patronus in his third year, but Draco had figured that was impossible–considering the Patronus was a sixth level spell, and Potter was only a third year, and a relatively mediocre one at that. And yet, even before Granger had attempted hers, which took a few seconds longer than Potter's to complete, he'd had his magnificent stag galloping around the room, enchanting all, even the Slytherins.
Then, when they'd all attempted it, he'd not been able to produce even a whiff of a sliver of smoke. Even Weasley eventually came up with one, a great, roaring lion, which sent Parvati Patil and Pansy Parkinson scampering over to the far corner of the room.
Weasley!
Of course, Weasley was a Prefect, but Draco had assumed he'd been made one because there weren't any others smarter than him in Gryffindor.
That he might fail at something never occurred to Draco. Defenses against the Dark Arts had been a relatively simple class for him, because he knew the curses, jinxes, hexes, and all their appropriate countercurses.
But the Patronus spell required a bit more than knowledge. It required a complex blend of elements that Draco could never seem to put together. Even when he tried his hardest.
Professor Snape returned with a cage; Draco poised his wand, gulping, and tried not to remember the feel of little claws and pug noses all over his face.
An hour later, he was drenched in sweat, his wand hanging limply by his side, as Professor Snape used a summoning spell to pull the bats back into their cage.
"You are never going to master this, Draco, if you cannot do as you're instructed. The Patronus requires a pleasant thought."
"But I did have a pleasant thought, sir. More than one." He grinned as he remembered Weasley's scared look at the thought of Granger being done in by the Death Eaters, or Granger's face as he confronted them in Umbridge's office. Or best yet, of Potter as he fell from his broomstick, in front of an entire Quidditch audience. Only this time, Dumbledore didn't catch him...
"Draco!"
Draco started out of his daydreams. "I'm sorry, Professor."
"For as much enjoyment as you might take out of various ways to fashion Potter's demise, they will not serve to improve your Patronus. The thought must be a happy one."
Draco half-smiled. "But that does make me happy."
Snape cocked an eyebrow at him, trying hard, it appeared, not to smile himself. "Not happy enough, Draco. Find something that serves a useful purpose, not a vindictive one."
Draco's smile faded, and he nodded, gathering his books. Outside, groups of trembling first years were making their way into the Potions Dungeon.
He walked slowly up to the main Hall, lost in thought. A pleasant thought, but not a vindictive one—maybe the time he'd made the Quidditch team? Of course, that had really been his father's doing… He scowled. Maybe he'd never really had a pleasant thought.
There were voices whispering in the corridor close to the main staircase.
"Just...keep an eye out, alright? We will only need an hour, or so."
He recognized Ginny Weasley's voice immediately as she piped a quiet response. "Of course. Only do hurry this time. The last time I had about fifteen different people asking where you were—as you're a prefect. It would be so much easier if you'd just let Ron go—he wouldn't be missed nearly as much."
"He doesn't know Ron. He's more comfortable with me...and Harry. I promise, we won't take long. Ron already knows what to do."
"But why now? Can't you wait until this evening?"
"Hagrid asked us to do it this afternoon. And I'd prefer not to be in the Forbidden Forest after sunset. We have a few hours before we'll be missed. Please...just make sure no one asks any questions. We're in the library and don't want to be disturbed."
Weasley laughed softly. "Everyone will believe that."
Draco watched as Hermione Granger squeezed Weasley's shoulder, then made her way down to the front entrance of Hogwarts, glancing back at the empty hall for a moment before slipping through the front door. Weasley sighed, and began to make her way up the stairs.
He waited eagerly as she trudged up the long set of stone steps, listening as her footsteps receded beyond the upper hall.
A chance to catch Potter and that Mudblood Granger outside of the school grounds! He'd not had such an opportunity since his first year. He had to find out where they were going.
Casually moving towards the doors, he checked both ways for signs of teachers or students, then cracked the doors only slightly, until he was able to slide through.
He scanned the grounds, moving towards the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Potter was leaning up against one of the trees, waiting as Granger made her way toward him. Draco had to duck behind a battlement when they scanned behind them for onlookers, but satisfied that no one had followed them, they slipped quickly inside.
He bolted across the grounds toward the place they had disappeared. If they hadn't gone too far, he might still be able to catch them.
The trees of the Forbidden Forest rose menacingly over him, clouding out the sunlight that shone above their gnarled tops. Draco had only been in here a few times before–a few times he'd really rather forget–and the Forest still intimidated him, a bit. But he'd learned a little more since that time they'd gone chasing Unicorn blood with that half-wit, Hagrid. Werewolves or no, he'd be able to handle them at sixteen better than at eleven.
"Going somewhere, Malfoy?"
Draco turned. Ginny Weasley was standing behind him, her face flushed from running, her wand pointed squarely at him. "I thought I saw your silver mop at the corner of the stair. Do you need another bat bogey hex to warn you to keep your nose out of other people's business?"
"Granger and Potter are up to something...and I'm going to find out what. If you want to see the rather nasty countercurse for your little hex, go ahead and curse me." He raised his wand in response.
If she was flustered by his threat, she didn't show it. "Very well. The Bat Bogey Hex is a specialty of mine, and I've been wanting to test the improvements I've made on it."
Draco frowned. If she'd learned to incorporate vampire bats…
"Lay off, Weasley. If you're trying to defend your friends, its going to do you no good. I know where they're at, and if you try and make me go back to the castle, I'll just tell Professor Snape–or the Headmaster–they're sneaking about the grounds."
She didn't respond, and for the first time since she'd cornered him, she seemed to waver a bit. But her wand did not drop.
"And if you're thinking about Memory Charms, don't. They are very complicated spells and dangerous to boot. It would do you no good to try one."
Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment her wand fell slightly. He realized he'd just read her thoughts. She recovered gracefully, however. "You're probably right, Malfoy. Better to get this over now than later. I'll let Harry and Hermione deal with you. I'm sure they'd be happy to do it. March."
Draco stared at her in surprise. She was telling him to go inside? He shook his head a moment, but Weasley stuck her wand to his back and motioned forward. She wasn't as powerful as he was, but Draco was too eager to find out what Potter and Granger were hiding to try and overcome her now.
He placed his wand inside his robes, and moved into the Forest.
"We've been walking for almost an hour now. Are you so certain you know where you're going, Weasley? Or are you trying to get us purposefully lost?"
"Maybe I am. I never promised I'd take you to see them."
Draco turned to face her, leaning back slightly as her wand raised to his face for about the fiftieth time. "That still wouldn't solve the problem of my knowing they came out here. Take me to where they are, or I'll use my privileges and give you all detention."
She lowered the wand, one eyebrow raised. "Well, mister prefect…to do that, you'd have to explain why you've been wandering out here for the past half hour. How do you intend to get away with that?"
"I'll tell Snape."
She narrowed her eyes. "Even Professor Snape has his limitations."
"Not when they come to Potter."
"You really are…" Weasley was cut short by a loud, low moan, followed a pounding which shook the ground on which they stood.
"Oh no…" Weasley gasped softly.
"GRAWP! GRAWP!" Potter's squeaky voice was yelling through the trees, and without another word to Weasley, he took off in its direction.
"Malfoy! Malfoy! Come back, you don't understand…"
He picked up speed as Potter's voice grew closer; across the top of a small rise he could make out a clearing amidst the tall, dark trees.
He crested it, and froze.
Potter was standing in the middle of the clearing, next to Granger, who had her wand raised and pointed at a large, earth colored mound of moving rock. He waved his hands above his head, seeming to signal at the rock.
Weasley bumped into his back, her own brown eyes growing round as saucers at the sight before them. Potter motioned to Granger to lower her wand; she did so slowly, looking at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"Grawp! Its alright…Hagrid's just taken longer than expected, is all. He'll be back soon!"
"HAGGAR!!!" screamed the mound, two pieces of it separating and swinging around, knocking down a few saplings as they went. "I want HAGGAR."
"I TOLD Hagrid not to leave him alone for more than a few days," whimpered Granger, glancing over at Potter. "Now he's upset again and who knows what we can do…"
"HERMY! HERMY! Grawp want Haggar…"
The mound collapsed in front of her and she flew off the ground from where she stood, landing flat on her back a few feet away. Potter scrambled over the broken trees and branches to help her up.
"He's just not used to being left alone is all…we should have come to see him sooner, Hermione."
Granger rubbed her back. "We just can't, Harry! Especially now."
"You're right," Malfoy spat, marching towards them. "Especially since you're a prefect. Which you won't be for much longer."
Weasley reached for him but he'd already started sliding down into the dell, his wand in hand. Granger and Potter both wore surprised looks that were more than satisfying.
"MALFOY!!" Weasley screeched, chasing him down the slide. "You don't know what you're doing!"
"Stay where you are, Malfoy." Potter cried, watching the moving mound of dirt. "You don't want to upset him!"
"Him? That great enchanted piece of dirt? What…has that stupid half-giant gotten bored with flobberworms?"
"Dirt? You don't know…"
To his surprise, the dirt shifted, sliding around in a half-circle…until Draco could just make out a pair of half-lidded, sludge colored eyes peering beneath the muck.
"Mal—FOY…"
Granger's eyes widened. "He knows him!"
Potter's face was pale beneath his dark hair, his lightning bolt shaped scar standing out a ghastly red. "Hagrid must have said something about him…"
"MAL-FOY…"
The dirt mound stood, now facing Draco, and rose to its full height. A pair of bulky arms separated from the hefty body, clenching fists twice Draco's size. Draco's eyes moved slowly up the form, past the heaving, thick chest, to the great slash of a mouth, set in a frown, to the great, muddy eyes, which were glaring at him with a fiery hatred.
A GIANT!
"GINNY! TAKE MALFOY AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Potter cried as Grawp lifted his head and roared. Granger and Potter raised their wands once more, all focus on the giant as his bellows rang through the forest.
"MALFOY BAD TO HAGGAR! GRAWP KILL MALFOY!"
Draco stood frozen to the dirt, agape, as Potter and Granger began hurling spells at the great gray creature. They might as well have been attacking a brick wall, for all the damage it did. Granger shrieked as the giant took a step forward.
A warm hand reached for the nape of his robes, yanking him off his feet; another clasped his hand and pulled him around, dashing madly back up the hill towards the deeper parts of the forest. Ginny Weasley's hair flashed as she raced ahead of him, half-pulling, half dragging him across the bouncing ground.
Draco managed to steady his feet as a great crashing sounded behind him; Granger and Potter's spells continued to fly at the giant, lighting the clearing with gold and garnet flashes.
He could hear the giant in the distance, storming through the trees, trying to chase them. Potter and Granger's voices had already begun to die away.
"Malfoy, you are really the stupidest prat alive!" Weasley panted as she pulled him along, glancing behind her periodically for signs of Grawp. "Walking down to face a giant!"
Draco opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, concentrating on breathing.
Better not to let her know I couldn't recognize a full grown giant on sight!
The bouncing beneath their feet had begun to cease; Weasley's pace slowed a bit, and she released his hand. Grawp's roars could still be heard, but they were fainter. Whether that was because of Potter's aid or the giant's great size hindering his speed, he couldn't say.
They paused to catch their breath beside a large tree, Draco panting heavily. "That great lump of an oaf Hagrid is going to be chucked out of here for sure, this time! I'm going to make CERTAIN that he and that monster are both destroyed!"
"You'll do nothing of the sort, Malfoy!" Weasley panted in return. "Or I'll make sure that Grawp finds you first, make no mistake!"
He raised his head to glare at her, and found her eyes narrowed darkly, a seething anger burning straight through him. He realized something.
She hated him. She really hated him.
That unnerved him, for some reason.
He laughed shakily. "I'd like to see you. You and your friends are so good, you couldn't kill a snake if it bit you. I'd like to see you hand me over to that half-wit of a creature."
She stood to her full height, marched over to him, and seized him by his neck, pushing him back in the direction of the clearing. Draco struggled with her, twisting around, but her grip was tight, and surprisingly, strong.
"I'm a Chaser, remember Malfoy? We tend to be a little stronger than the Seekers are."
The twist of his robes prevented him from glaring at her again, but he sneered anyway. "Fine. I'll won't say anything."
Of course, he had no intention of doing so, but better to have Weasley unaware of that.
She released him, one eyebrow raised as though she didn't trust him, but she straightened her robes and marched forward, away from the direction they'd been running.
He followed her unwillingly, shrugging to put his own robes into place. That stupid mudblood loving twit! I'll make sure she pays for this.
They walked together in silence for a while, Weasley leading, Draco following behind so he wouldn't have to look at her face. They came alongside the crest of a soft cliff face, and suddenly, her pace began to quicken.
"I know this place," she said, half to herself, "we're almost out."
"Good."
Above them, the sun was setting. Night would settle on the Forbidden Forest soon.
"When we get out of here, Malfoy, we're going to talk about what exactly the terms of what you owe should be."
"What I owe? I beg your pardon?"
"You didn't think I'd believed you, did you? You'll keep about as silent as a warbling whipper. But you owe me."
"For what?"
"For saving your life, you idiot!"
"Saving my…you did nothing of the sort!"
She whirled to face him. "If you don't agree to something here and now, I swear, Draco Malfoy, your life is going to be plagued with every horrid jinx imaginable, and if you think the Bat Bogey Hex is bad, you just wait and see what I can cook up! Fred and George were my brothers, you know, and they invented a lot more than spells to torture people!"
He gaped at her. "You…you little…"
A great crashing shook the forest, interrupting them.
"GRAWP KILL MALFOY!!!"
"Oh my…" Ginny gasped. "He can't have…Harry and Hermione…"
"Failed. Now MOVE!" Draco cried, shoving her aside. The ground tremored beneath them, and Grawp hurtled through the thick trees, his massive form blocking out the remaining sunlight. Ginny screamed as the dirt she was standing on shifted; as Draco moved past, she clutched at his robes, managing to wrap one arm around his. Instinctively he clasped her arm, preventing her from taking him with her over the cliff side, and tried to pull her to her feet, but the giant was rushing towards them, every footstep he took an aftershock to the forest floor.
Draco whirled around, attempting to keep his balance as she pulled at him, but the earth was too unsteady. Ginny was finally upright, her arms still wrapped in his, staring over his shoulder at the immense shadow of Grawp's form as it closed in on them. He felt her brace herself, trying to keep them steady, but it did no good.
He stumbled forward toward the cliff's edge, trying to release her, but she wouldn't let go; she was leaning against his weight with all her might, trying to keep him up. Something her slender body couldn't do for long.
She slipped backwards with a muffled scream, the soft dirt beneath her feet giving way under their combined weight. Draco managed to whip around and pull her into him as they tumbled down the side of the cliff, a tangle of robes, arms, and silver and red-gold hair. The last thing he saw was Grawp's face as he roared down at their disappearing forms, sliding into the darkness beneath a tangle of thorns.
"Hermione. Hermione!"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as his friend stirred, opening her eyes slightly and wincing. Grawp had knocked Harry into Hermione as he tromped after Malfoy, slamming them both into a large tree. Harry was uncertain as to how much time had passed since then, only that it was now nearly dark…long past when they should have returned to the castle.
"Harry? What happ—" She bolted upright. "GRAWP!"
"He's okay for now…I think." Harry motioned to the great mound that was Grawp's body, now silent and still. "He's sleeping."
"What!?" Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, fine then! That's just dandy. He goes tromping about the forest, knocking us around as though we're playthings, and now he's sleeping like a little baby. This is the last time I go about babysitting him for Hagrid! No more! And now Malfoy knows! I might lose my prefect's badge!" She looked close to tears.
The nervous knot in Harry's stomach tightened. "I know."
The last time Malfoy had discovered one of Hagrid's secrets, it had cost them a detention IN the Forbidden Forest. But having a giant hidden away in the forest was a much worse offense than being caught out of dormitories after hours. Hagrid was sure to be chucked out as both Professor and Keeper of the Keys, and Hermione was very likely to lose her position as prefect. Not to mention the hours and hours of detention for McGonagall they'd have to serve—if they didn't get chucked out of Hogwarts as well.
"Did you see Ginny? What did she say about Malfoy?"
Harry shook his head. "I haven't been back to the castle yet. I carried you out of the forest behind Grawp. It wasn't hard to find him, of course." He motioned to the pathway the giant had carved for himself in his mad rush after Malfoy.
"Hagrid's going to lose his position for certain, this time," Hermione sniffed.
Harry's knot tightened even more, and he tried not to think of the disappointment his friend might have to face. "Let's get back to the castle before we're too much missed. Ron's been having to cover for us far longer than he should. I'm sure we'll know what Malfoy's said the moment we get back to the castle."
"What about him?" Hermione motioned to Grawp's sleeping form as he helped her to her feet.
"We'll stop by Hagrid's cabin on the way back. He should have returned by now."
With a last, somewhat remorseful look at the peacefully sleeping giant, Harry limped out of the forest.
To Harry's surprise, however, nobody mentioned anything about a giant, Hagrid, or a rule-breaking trip into the Forbidden Forest. In fact, common room discussion focused on the same things it always did.
Ron came up to greet them almost as soon as they entered the portrait hole, eyeing their bruises with confusion.
"He give you a hard time?" he whispered, low enough to avoid attracting attention.
"You have no idea," Hermione whispered back. "Is anyone in your dormitory?"
Ron's eyebrows raised in surprise, but shook his head no.
A few minutes later, they were in Harry and Ron's empty room, Hermione seated cross legged on the bed, massaging her sore shoulder; Harry rubbing a bit of alcohol on one of the cuts on his arm.
"You should probably go and see Madam Pomfrey about those."
"I wish we could…but…oh, it was awful, Ron! He was tramping about, just barreling after Malfoy and Ginny! We were certain the whole of Hogwarts could have heard him."
"Beyond that, he knocked us both out…so we couldn't see where he'd gone to or what he'd done," Harry said. "But I checked things out, and I don't think he chased them out of the forest."
"And Ginny?"
Harry stopped rubbing and looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"Where's Ginny?"
Hermione's eyes were wide. "You mean she didn't come back?"
"NO!" Ron jumped up from the bed. "I figured she'd gone out after you, knowing that you might need a lookout. She'd mentioned something about going after Hagrid if you hadn't returned by dinnertime. I supposed she was there!"
Hermione stared at him with a horrified look, then turned to Harry.
Harry glanced between the both of them. "Now…don't lets panic. I'm sure there's an explanation. I told you I checked around Grawp, and I didn't see anything that could show that he had caught up to them."
"Don't get upset?! My sister is out in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, being chased by a giant—with a Malfoy! What's not to get upset about?!"
"We have to go tell someone. McGonagall perhaps…or Dumbledore."
"No!" Ron cried. "She'll get in trouble…we'll all get in trouble! Hagrid will be chucked out, you and I will probably lose our Prefects' badges…I'd never heard the end of it from Mum…or Percy. And Malfoy will have the last laugh!"
"What do you want to do? Leave Ginny out in the Forest at night, hoping she'll be safe?"
"Of course not! Harry and I will go out and get her."
"You're mad! You can't go out into the Forbidden Forest at night by yourselves, even if you are sixth years! You could get killed—or caught!"
"Please, Hermione! We've faced—what…a great bloody spider, a great bloody snake, a great bloody dragon, werewolves, Death Eaters, Dementors, even Voldemort…we can handle the Forbidden Forest."
"You ran away from the spider, the werewolf was your friend, and Harry faced the snake, dragon, Death Eaters, Dementors and Voldemort—four times!"
"We can handle it, Hermione!"
"What if you can't handle it? And what's worse, you want to get Harry involved! What if you both get into danger, hurt, or…or…?
"It'll be all right, Hermione," Harry said. "We can take my Dad's Invisibility cloak out."
"An Invisibility Cloak isn't going to protect you if something attacks you."
"No…but we can take care of ourselves. Like you said, we've handled all those things before, we've had Defenses against the Dark Arts training…and above all Ron's right, Hermione. We can't get Ginny or Hagrid into trouble."
She pursed her lips, but after a moment, nodded.
"You stay here and keep watch…pretend you're studying, or something."
"Not much of a stretch," Ron replied, but it lacked his usual snap.
"If we're not back by morning, tell McGonagall…or Dumbledore."
"And what about Malfoy? The Slytherins are bound to notice he's missing…what if they go questioning Professor Snape?"
"Does Malfoy have anyone who would miss him?" snarled Ron, digging through Harry's trunk for the cloak.
"Despite what you may think, Ron, Malfoy is rather popular in his own house. Pansy Parkinson, for certain, will be worried about him." Hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste as she mentioned Pansy's name.
"Hopefully they'll think he's just up to something nasty. He's done it before. But we do have to hurry. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can deal with Malfoy and Slytherin."
"What'll we do if we're missed?" questioned Ron, sliding the cloak halfway around him. He was so tall, he had to bend down in order for the shimmering folds to cover his body.
"Don't worry about that," said Hermione, rising. In a few moments, she had stuffed pillows into their bedclothes, and whispered a spell that echoed Ron's loud snores and Harry's quiet breathing perfectly.
Harry looked at her in amazement. "How do you know what we sound like when we're asleep?"
"I do not sound like that!" Ron hissed.
Hermione blushed a bright shade of red. "I…I'm certain I've heard you when you've fallen asleep in the common room."
Harry said nothing but eyed her suspiciously. She blushed more deeply. "You had better go now, before it gets too late!"
They nodded, covering themselves completely with the cloak—which, if either of them grew any taller, they wouldn't be able to do much longer—and headed down through the slowly clearing common room. Waiting at the portrait hole for a Gryffindor to enter or exit, they made their way out of Hogwarts, into the night.
Draco raised a hand to his pounding head; his vision blurry as he tried to survey the scene around him. The last thing he remembered was falling away from a hideous face, and hearing a loud crack as his head collided with some hard, unseen object.
His body wouldn't move; he felt as though a weight had been laid upon him, and for a moment, he panicked.
As his vision cleared he could just make out a splash of red covering his entire chest—was he bleeding?
Then, he remembered.
That giant…Potter…and Weasley…
Ginny Weasley was lying halfway across him, her soft hair spread over his stomach. He sat up, wincing at the pains that burned across his body, and touched her face.
She was still warm, meaning she wasn't dead—in fact, she was breathing softly, despite a large gash across her forehead, near her eye. Draco felt his own head tenderly; his hand met with a sticky substance near his neck, already caking in his hair. He must have hit a rock or some other sharp object, but the blood was nearly dry, meaning it hadn't cut him too deeply, though it had given him a throbbing headache.
He slid out from under Weasley and stood carefully, his head spinning. He tried to survey the scene, but in the gathering darkness all he could make out was the tangle of shrubbery around them. He felt about for his wand, and sighed thankfully at finding it completely intact.
"Lumos," he murmured.
The air around him lit up from the glowing spark at the end of his wand tip, and he could make out the high, rounded sides of the small vale they'd fallen into. Luckily, there was a path leading out of it, but it headed away from where they'd fallen—and the direction Weasley had been sure would lead them out of the Forest.
He lowered the wand to her face and she stirred as the brightness neared her, opening her eyes slowly. "Where…where are we?"
"In the Forbidden Forest, remember? Where your bloody so-called 'friends' put us."
"Malfoy?" she squinted, then moaned as she pushed herself into sitting position. "What are you…" Her eyes widened as she remembered. "Grawp?"
"If you mean that hideous giant, he's not anywhere. At least, not that I've heard."
She glanced around the vale, taking in the dark corners eerily lit by the light from his wand. "How far did we fall?"
"Too far to hike back up, if that is what you're thinking," Malfoy raised his wand to the level path that led out of the valley. "The only way we can get out is through there."
Weasley pushed herself to her feet, tottering unsteadily, and touched a finger to her cut, wincing. Despite himself, Draco reached out a hand to help her, but she shoved it away.
Really hated him…
"This is all your fault, Malfoy. If you hadn't been so determined to get Harry and Hermione into trouble, we'd never be in this mess! Isn't it enough that they've got to risk their lives to save you and all the people like you from Voldemort? Now we might get detention…or worse!"
Draco started; he'd never heard another witch speak so openly about the Dark Lord. "They have not done anything to "save" me. I don't need saving! And if anyone has a reason to hate them, its me, considering they put my father in Azkaban!"
"It was nothing he didn't deserve."
Draco's pale face twisted with rage. "If Potter and all his friends—including your family—end up dead, then they'll have gotten exactly what they deserve!"
The side of his face exploded as she slapped him forcefully, knocking him off balance and to his knees.
"You'll get yours, Malfoy!" she shrieked, tears of anger coursing down her face. "One of these days, you'll join your father in Azkaban—or get killed—and no one will care one bloody bit!"
He hadn't even seen her pull out her wand, but it was shaking unsteadily in her hand as she tried to control herself; he remained, stunned, on his knees, his head still spinning, holding his cheek where she'd slapped it. "I hope you die in these woods! Grawp had it right! Kill Malfoy!"
Without another look, her shoulders still shaking, she marched past him, down the pathway and into the Forbidden Forest.
Draco slowly rose to his feet, his face contorted in anger. Who was she, to think that by destroying his family, she and all her friends were in the right?
Kill Malfoy?
"WEASLEY!" He gathered himself and began to chase after her. "WEASLEY!"
"I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO SAY TO YOU, MALFOY!" she screamed back at him, turning only slightly so that her hair flew out around her. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"WEASLEY!"
She broke into a trot ahead of him, trying, he assumed, to put space between them.
He gritted his teeth and dashed after her. He was going to make her see things more clearly! But she was quick. She had been a seeker, and even Draco, with his Seeker build and training, would have a difficult time catching her. He raised his wand.
"Demorari!" His spell flew across the clearing, covering her in a shower of silver and green sparks. Weasley pitched forward, her feet frozen to the ground. Draco crossed his arms.
"Now we can talk. About respect…and Bat hexes."
Weasley turned, eyebrows narrowed, then swiveled as best she could. If she'd been angry before, she was angrier now. "Impedimenta!"
Not expecting her to react, the spell hit him full force, knocking him completely backwards. He lifted himself up onto one arm, wincing, as she freed herself from the Halt Spell. She turned to face him, a snide smile spreading across her tear-streaked face. "What was that, you git?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Draco struck out again. "Averte Statum!"
The spell smashed into her, whipping her feet out from underneath her and slamming her onto her back with a very satisfying crash. For a moment she lay still, and Draco thought he might have hurt her, but as he straggled to his feet, Ginny, startled but not stunned, had already raised her wand.
"Immobilus!"
He flew to the side, just dodging the blast of silver and gold sparks flying at him.
"Expelliarmus!"
Ginny rolled over, his spell just missing her red hair. She leapt to her feet with grace, and raced for the shelter of a large tree trunk.
"Impedimenta!"
"Petrificas!"
"Supplico Adegi!"
"Silencio!"
The clearing was now a shower of silver, green, and gold sparks. Draco had rolled behind one of the tree's large roots, trying to catch his breath. Her last spell had just missed him. Who would have known Weasley would be so skilled?"
As if in response, her voice rose over the forest floor. "Accio Chiroptera!"
The spell burst out through the thick trees with a golden gleam as bright as sunlight. There was silence for a moment; then, the squeak and flutter of hundreds of wings filled the air, and Draco felt a familiar sense of dread spread through him.
Bats! She summoned bats!
The bats were already flying into the clearing, towards the still glowing tip of Ginny's wand. He would have to be quick, or they would be directed towards him, and he would never be able to get away. Panic-stricken, there was only one spell he could think of that might work.
"Finite Incantatem!"
The bats, who were blocking out the slender beams of moonlight spearing through the trees, began to disperse, the flutter of wild wings and tiny, furry bodies gone within seconds. He stood up to glance at the air above him, now silent, but even before he'd fully emerged, he knew he'd made a critical mistake.
"EXPELLIARMUS!!" His wand blew out of his hand and he was shoved backwards, into the tree. Ginny pointed her wand at his, a good few yards away from him. "Accio Wand."
His precious wand, unmarred by even six years of fierce use, flew into her hand.
"Ron's right. You really are a cowardly prat. I saved you from Grawp, I tried to prevent you falling off the cliff, and what do I get? Chased. Attacked in the back."
"You insulted my family. You ran away from me. And you returned the favor."
"Because I would expect you to do what…talk rationally about your problems? Or hex first, ask questions later?"
She twirled his wand in her fingertips. "I have half a mind to leave you right here, to see how you like being snuck up on. Or left for dead…"
"You wouldn't dare!" he said, seething. "You're just like that idiot brother of yours. You don't have it in you."
"Ahh…but I would. See, you're wrong about me, Malfoy. My family might be muggle-lovers, but we're not all of us kind. I'm not particularly like my mother. In fact, I guess you could say I'm a bit like my brother—my brother Percy. Show no mercy."
She pointed her wand straight at him. "Petrificus Totalus!
A soft silver cloud shot from the wandtip, engulfing him in a spell which immobilized him, until he couldn't feel anything. He stared at her in horror as she moved towards him, coming so close her face was only inches from his.
"Let's see how you like lying about in the Forbidden Forest, waiting for someone to find you, at the mercy of every beast imaginable—manticores—werewolves—gytrash—and other pleasant things. Will you scream? Or go out bravely? If you can't live with honor, maybe you can at least die that way." With that, she turned on her heel, still twirling his wand about her fingers.
Leaving a petrified Draco agape in the middle of the clearing.
Harry had tried to make his way towards the great burst of light that had filled the forest just a few moments ago, but he had no idea where it had come from, or who had cast it.
For now, he and Ron had split up (an agreement they'd decided they'd not fill Hermione in on) and had been searching the forest independently for quite a while. Harry had been certain that the light had come from either Malfoy or Ginny, but he was a bit puzzled to what purpose it served, unless they were being attacked by something…
Hagrid tromped over towards him, lantern in hand and Fang by his side. "Hiya, Harry. Any sign o' them?"
Harry shook his head. "I've not heard a word, Hagrid. I'm a bit worried."
"I'm so sorry 'bout this," Hagrid sniffed, bowing his shaggy head. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't asked you an' 'ermione to keep watch o'er Grawpy…"
"Look, Hagrid…there was nothing you could have done. Malfoy's Malfoy. He decided to follow us, and Ginny decided to follow him."
"I know…but if I hadn't mouthed off to Grawpy about the terrible things Malfoy's done ta you and everyone…guess I'll be keepin' my mouth shut about such things from now on…"
"Um, listen, Hagrid—about that…there isn't anyone…else…Grawp knows about, is there?"
"Well…er…mighta mentioned somethin' 'bout Professor Snape a time or two…and V-Volder…You-Know-Who, 'course, but if Grawpy has a run in with 'im I'm not like ter stop him!"
Harry sighed. "Unless he gets himself killed. You need to take more care with him, Hagrid. You're lucky Malfoy didn't know the Killing Curse, or Grawp might very well be dead right now."
Hagrid grew somber. "O' course, you're right, Harry. I don' want nothin' ta happen to Grawpy. Or you. Or even Malfoy, fer that matter."
A tramping through the bushes interrupted them; a few moments later Ron emerged, pulling off the invisibility cloak—which Harry, after rather a long discussion about acromantulas, had finally convinced him to take.
"Have you seen anything?"
"Not a sign."
Ron's face was beginning to show signs of worry. "Where could they be?"
"Right behind you."
Harry, Ron and Hagrid whirled about in surprise as Ginny made her way out of the Forbidden Forest, wand tip aglow.
"Nox."
"Ginny! Where have you been? Are you alright? We've been looking for ages!" Ron rushed over and hugged her, a gesture which made both of them, after a moment, blush red to the roots of their hair.
"Where's Malfoy?" Harry asked, peering behind them.
Ginny smiled as Ron released her. "He's coming."
Within a few moments, a rather battered-looking Draco Malfoy emerged from the gloom, dark circles lining his eyes, a weary look across his face. His usually perfect silver hair was mussed, stained with dirt, leaves, and a red, caked film that looked like blood.
"Oy, Malfoy, ter you alrigh'?"
Malfoy glared at them hatefully, then at Ginny, who raised her wand at him. With a slightly beleaguered look he nodded.
"Let's get you both ter Madam Pomfrey…that cut needs to be looked after…and so does your head, Malfoy."
"I'm fine" he spat, pushing past the group roughly. I don't need the Hospital Wing."
He started back towards the castle, but Ginny yelled out after him.
"Don't forget our promise, Malfoy."
He stopped, shoulders jerking in consternation, but after a moment, nodded and continued on.
Both Ron and Harry turned to her in amazement. "What did you get him to promise?"
Ginny smiled, but shook her head. "Its not important. Let's just say that he won't be spreading information about Grawp, you, or Hermione any time soon. Now let's get back—people will be missing us, and my head is pounding!"
Harry glanced over at Ron in puzzlement, but his friend just shrugged, handed his sister his arm, and started back towards the castle.
They managed to get back into Hogwarts without a fuss. A few hours later, Hermione was walking back from the Hospital Wing with Ginny, who had a cold compress held to her forehead.
"At least you've only got to deal with the bruising."
Ginny nodded. Madam Pomfrey (after much questioning and a few critical looks) had healed her cut instantly and told her to hold the compress to her head to help ease the pain. But she'd been satisfied there wasn't any greater damage. She'd even spared some time to help heal Hermione's wounds, albeit sour-faced at Hermione's secrecy regarding how she got them.
"I wonder if Malfoy will go. He really struck his head when we fell."
Hermione eyed her suspiciously. "Why would you care what happens to him? According to you, he deserved what he got."
Ginny frowned. "I know it's the truth, but perhaps…there was something in his mannerisms that puzzled me. I don't quite understand it."
"Like what?"
"Well, for one, when we fell down the edge of that precipice? Malfoy turned."
"So?"
"I mean he turned as though he wanted to be the one to take the first blow. He pulled me into him…like he was protecting me."
"Malfoy?" Hermione laughed. "You were imagining things. He probably did that thinking he'd suffer less damage if there was someone soft to land on."
"Maybe…but…"
"Draco Malfoy has never attempted to protect anyone in his life. Not even other Slytherins. Why would he start with a Weasley of all people?"
"I don't know!"
Hermione stopped in the hall, eyebrows raised at Ginny's rather sharp tone. "What are you thinking, Ginny?"
Ginny blushed. "N-nothing. It's just…when he attacked me with the spells and such…he could have used a much more damaging one that a Halt spell. Why didn't he use a Stunning Spell? Or any one of a number of hexes? Or the Imperius or Cruciatus curses? I'm certain he knows those. But all he did was a Halt spell. I just…don't understand."
"He probably wasn't thinking. Or maybe he was waiting to torture you after you talked. Or maybe he didn't want to be responsible for injuring you further, knowing what might happen to him. After all, if he didn't come out with you, he'd have to explain it."
"So? No one knew that I'd gone out with him."
"Except Harry and I."
"Okay then…so why not just say I'd been attacked by a thestral or gytrash or something? He wouldn't have to claim responsibility, and any number of people would believe him. Why not at least knock me out? Or leave me for dead when I was unconscious? It doesn't make sense."
"It makes perfect sense. Malfoy was protecting his own interest, is all. That doesn't mean he has to get rid of you. He's not Voldemort."
"Still…"
Hermione placed her hands on Ginny's shoulders. "I believe in trying to save a person as much as the next girl. But I think you're looking too hard in this case. Draco Malfoy has never been, nor will he ever be, the kind of boy who believes in decency. Or compassion. Don't try to look for the good in him, because you'll never find it."
Ginny raised a hand to her throbbing head. "I know you're right. I just…I don't know…for some reason I was hoping…"
"I've thought about that from time to time too, so don't feel bad. Thinking that perhaps people aren't as evil as they appear. But after last year…with some people, particularly the Slytherins, I think I've finally given up trying."
"Its…it makes me sad, is all."
"Because you're a good person, Ginny. You've got a kind heart."
"Thank you, Hermione," Ginny smiled faintly. "Listen…do you think you could…you know…keep this between us? Don't tell any of the others, okay?"
"Are you joking?" Hermione laughed. "Your brother would kill you. Then he'd kill Malfoy. Don't worry about it…and try to forget what happened tonight. You're going to have to find some way of dealing with your brother and keeping an eye on Draco all at the same time."
The thought heightened the pounding in Ginny's head. "Ugh. Let's just get back to Gryffindor."
Hermione smiled and followed her, but thought pensively the entire way.
"You just HAVE to go, Draco! You have to! That could really be serious!" whined Pansy, touching a damp cloth to the back of his head.
Draco winced in pain, but shook his head.
"Draco…"
"LAY OFF! I'm fine!" he snatched the cloth out of her hand and tossed it to the floor, rising from one of the lush settees that lined the Slytherin common room.
Pansy looked hurt, but at the moment, he didn't care. She was irritating him. Everyone who was staring at him was irritating him.
Zachary Tolbert shifted from his sitting position, crossing an arm casually over the side of the couch. "So, then, what exactly happened again?"
Draco fidgeted, one hand opening and closing in a compulsive clutch. "I told you…I was trying to find out what Potter and Granger were up to. When I followed them into the forest, I was attacked by…by something and I don't remember what happened next."
"Professor Snape should know about it, then," said Blaise Zabini. "You know how keen he is to catch Potter in any kind of trouble."
"It might have been Potter himself who attacked you."
"Right," snorted Vincent Crabbe. "Potter, the peace-loving saint? You've got to be joking."
"I wouldn't call him peace loving!" yelled Anthony Dolohov. "He laid it out on my Dad!"
"And mine."
And MINE," Theodore Nott looked up from his book. "He's got it in for all the Slytherins."
"If you parents had been a little more up on guard," snapped Millicent Bulstrode, "he wouldn't have gotten to any of them. Besides that, they were done in by Aurors, not Potter. I wouldn't give him that much credit."
"It wasn't Potter…it wasn't anyone! I don't know who it was!" Draco stood and pushed aside Pansy, who'd been attempting to treat his wounds again with a new handkerchief. "Its over and done…I wasn't able to catch Potter OR Granger doing anything and it won't do any good to tell Snape…you know how he'll want evidence that even Dumbledore can believe."
"Which you don't have," said Millicent.
"Right! So lay off!"
"We're only trying to come up with something. It seems a shame you having gotten hurt to come up empty handed."
"Well that's the way it is, isn't it? That's ALWAYS the way it is! Bloody Potter and his bloody, no good friends, always winning, never getting hurt! It's the way its always bloody been and the way its always bloody going to be!"
He kicked his foot out, smashing over a candelabra that had been set on the table. The other Slytherins lifted their carefully drying parchments out of the way of the skittering sparks and flying candles.
Pansy dropped her third handkerchief.
"Bloody Hell," muttered Nott, wiping up an upturned ink jar. "What's wrong with you? You've been foiled by Potter and his friends before, this is nothing different. Why are you getting so upset?"
Draco glared at him, turned from the group and marched up the stairs to his dormitory. A well placed enchantment saw to it he wouldn't be disturbed.
He sat on the edge of the bed, the back of his head still throbbing. He'd been irritated ever since he left the forest, and for good reason.
He really thought she'd leave him there. Her footsteps had died away, and the wand tip, which she'd lit, folded into the darkness. For a few moments, he'd heard the howls of the wolves, and sounds of things he'd imagined only in his nightmares. The shadows had crawled along the dimly lit forest floor like ghouls, and he could have sworn he heard the sounds of a low-pitched moan heading towards him. Just a few minutes alone, and he'd actually been reduced to a sniffling, teary-eyed child before fear had made him scream piteously.
Only then, had she returned—laughing.
Laughing!
He buried his head in his hands, her face still flashing before him. "Nothing…absolutely NOTHING about Grawp, Harry or Hermione that would get them in trouble. Or I'll tell the whole school—the whole world—about how the great Draco Malfoy screams like a little girl."
And she'd released him.
What irritated him the most, however, wasn't the humiliation. Or the promise. Or the looks on Potter's or Weasley's face as they'd watched him at his lowest, agreeing to obey her without protest.
It was that he couldn't get her face out of his head.
Her soft brown eyes, sparkling mischievously, as she'd bent down to him. The turn of her lips, a sweet, yet malicious, smile. And her hair…a waterfall of red, flowing down over her shoulders, just tickling the edge of his face…
He flung himself on the bed, oblivious to the pain it caused the gash on the back of his head. Ginny Weasley! He was admiring Ginny WEASLEY!
He was disgusted with himself. That he could admire someone like her—one of Potter's friends—a Weasley—sister to that knit Ron. Friend to that mudblood Granger—it made no sense!
It couldn't be her personality…Granger had defied him many times, and he'd never felt anything for her!
If anyone in Slytherin found out they'd been together…
It had been this, and not her threat, that had kept him silent about that big oaf's hidden giant. The idea that the Slytherins would have to question how he got out of the forest, what had happened between him and Weasley…he was certain she'd tell them everything.
How he'd tried to protect her when they'd fallen…
He shook his head—that had been an instinct to protect himself—he knew it would be safer with two people, to shelter the blow each of them would receive at the bottom. He'd wanted to live…and he needed her as a cushion to do it.
Except I twisted around…
"Bloody HELL!"
He leapt up, the table to his right toppling over. He grabbed the nearest object, a Bathmorda's Eye, and threw it at the picture of Slytherin that decorated every Slytherin dorm room. The eye shattered on impact, and the portrait ripped, an ugly tear gashed down the side of the ever noble face.
"Draco?" the knob turned on the door, and Goyle's voice filtered through. "Are you alright?"
Draco flopped back down on the bed, pulling out his wand (which she'd given him back after considerable taunting, and only at the edge of the forest) and dispelled the enchantment.
Crabbe and Goyle pushed in. "Are you going to be alright?"
He turned to his side, ignoring them. He had to think of a way to get Weasley out of his thoughts.
In the front of the room, Crabbe poked at the fire with his wand, the sparks sending out a slightly greenish tint to the flames.
His eyes closed for a moment, absorbing the heat and taking in the quiet crackle of the fire.
And he realized what he could do.
He couldn't get Potter and Granger in trouble…Weasley wouldn't allow that…but he could find a way to get rid of Hagrid once and for all. And get Weasley out of his head—and back to hating him—for good. He smiled slyly, and turned to Crabbe and Goyle.
"I think I need to visit the hospital wing. Come on, help me up."
**Draco can be rather dastardly, can't he? Well, you're not supposed to love him—but how about Ginny? She's not quite as sweet as she first appears—well, she is the sister of Fred, George and Percy too! So what's Draco going to do to thwart Ginny's well laid plans? And redeem him nasty side? Find out in the next part!
***Thanks to Joya for helping me lay the groundwork for this D/G series!
In the Shadows: a Tale of Silver and Gold (in seven parts)
Part I: Gold versus Silver: Adventures in the Forbidden Forest
Draco Malfoy moved through the stone corridor swiftly, dodging the packs of Hogwarts students making their way back to dormitories for afternoon break. Any other point, and he would have made them clear a path for him, but urgency demanded he reach the Potions classroom quickly, and so respect for a sixth year Slytherin Prefect would have to wait.
A group of Gryffindor girls squeezed by, barely making room for his slender form despite the massive size of the hall. They giggled and laughed as they went, and as Draco sneered, one of them turned on her heel, sticking her tongue out at him as she passed by. She turned back to her friends, barely a step out of place, her red-gold hair flying around in a soft cloud.
Draco narrowed his eyes at her. Ginny Weasley, the sister of the mudblood loving Ron Weasley, and one of Harry Potter's circle of friends.
She has some nerve...
Somehow, Ginny Weasley had developed from the shy, squeaky voiced little girl she was in his second year to a confident version of her older brothers, and for some odd reason, she seemed to have it in for Draco. He could still remember the scratch of the Bat Bogey hex she'd used on him at the end of the last year; an admirable bit of spellmaking which had more than one effect. Though he'd never let anyone, especially his father, know of it, he'd had a paranoia about bats ever since.
Weasley faded from his mind for a moment as he approached the dungeon stairs, taking them two at a time, and just clipping a group of Slytherin first years. Professor Snape's office was to the right of the Potions lab, and he flew in without so much as a word.
And halted.
Snape was speaking, quietly, at Potter, who was concentrating on the Professor with some intensity. His sudden entrance seemed to startle them both, but as before, when he'd come upon this exact same situation in his fifth year, Professor Snape answered him quickly and calmly, as though nothing were out of place.
"Yes, Draco?"
"We had an appointment today, Professor? But if you're busy..."
Potter lowered his wand. "I'm sorry, Professor, I've kept you over time. I was just finishing up," he spoke aloud, half to himself, half to Draco.
Snape nodded a slight acquiescence to him as he gathered his books. Draco glanced confusedly between them as Potter turned, shifting aside to pass by Draco, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind his gold-rimmed glasses. Draco returned the gaze, then moved towards Professor Snape, who was placing notes into the top drawer of his desk.
The last time this had happened, the Professor had assured him it was a remedial "Potions" lesson, and he'd taken him at his word. But this was the second time he'd entered the Potion Masters office after a tutorial session, and there was no hint of ingredients, cauldrons or utensils about.
If Professor Snape noticed his puzzled expression, he did not let on. "What were we studying now, Draco?"
"The Patronus, sir." He laid his books on one of the shelves in the office, aside a jar of some squiggly substance. "I still can't master it, and we have a test in two weeks."
The teacher nodded, and pulled his dark wand from his robes. "I assume I do not have to go looking for a boggart this time?"
"No sir." Professor Snape was well aware of what frightened Draco the most, and as he had quite a few bats at his disposal, could produce them more than efficiently.
Draco set in defensive stance as the Professor went back into his storeroom to retrieve the bats. His mouth was set as he thought of the ease with which Potter, and all his friends, had managed their Patroni.
He knew he'd never be able to ace Hermione Granger in lessons–he'd almost given up trying, considering the girl never seemed to make an error in her life–but he thought for sure he'd be able to produce better than Potter...or at least Weasley! But to his surprise, it was Potter who'd come up with the first Patronus of the class, waving his wand about as though he was levitating a feather, and producing an impressive deer.
He vaguely remembered Potter casting something similar to a Patronus in his third year, but Draco had figured that was impossible–considering the Patronus was a sixth level spell, and Potter was only a third year, and a relatively mediocre one at that. And yet, even before Granger had attempted hers, which took a few seconds longer than Potter's to complete, he'd had his magnificent stag galloping around the room, enchanting all, even the Slytherins.
Then, when they'd all attempted it, he'd not been able to produce even a whiff of a sliver of smoke. Even Weasley eventually came up with one, a great, roaring lion, which sent Parvati Patil and Pansy Parkinson scampering over to the far corner of the room.
Weasley!
Of course, Weasley was a Prefect, but Draco had assumed he'd been made one because there weren't any others smarter than him in Gryffindor.
That he might fail at something never occurred to Draco. Defenses against the Dark Arts had been a relatively simple class for him, because he knew the curses, jinxes, hexes, and all their appropriate countercurses.
But the Patronus spell required a bit more than knowledge. It required a complex blend of elements that Draco could never seem to put together. Even when he tried his hardest.
Professor Snape returned with a cage; Draco poised his wand, gulping, and tried not to remember the feel of little claws and pug noses all over his face.
An hour later, he was drenched in sweat, his wand hanging limply by his side, as Professor Snape used a summoning spell to pull the bats back into their cage.
"You are never going to master this, Draco, if you cannot do as you're instructed. The Patronus requires a pleasant thought."
"But I did have a pleasant thought, sir. More than one." He grinned as he remembered Weasley's scared look at the thought of Granger being done in by the Death Eaters, or Granger's face as he confronted them in Umbridge's office. Or best yet, of Potter as he fell from his broomstick, in front of an entire Quidditch audience. Only this time, Dumbledore didn't catch him...
"Draco!"
Draco started out of his daydreams. "I'm sorry, Professor."
"For as much enjoyment as you might take out of various ways to fashion Potter's demise, they will not serve to improve your Patronus. The thought must be a happy one."
Draco half-smiled. "But that does make me happy."
Snape cocked an eyebrow at him, trying hard, it appeared, not to smile himself. "Not happy enough, Draco. Find something that serves a useful purpose, not a vindictive one."
Draco's smile faded, and he nodded, gathering his books. Outside, groups of trembling first years were making their way into the Potions Dungeon.
He walked slowly up to the main Hall, lost in thought. A pleasant thought, but not a vindictive one—maybe the time he'd made the Quidditch team? Of course, that had really been his father's doing… He scowled. Maybe he'd never really had a pleasant thought.
There were voices whispering in the corridor close to the main staircase.
"Just...keep an eye out, alright? We will only need an hour, or so."
He recognized Ginny Weasley's voice immediately as she piped a quiet response. "Of course. Only do hurry this time. The last time I had about fifteen different people asking where you were—as you're a prefect. It would be so much easier if you'd just let Ron go—he wouldn't be missed nearly as much."
"He doesn't know Ron. He's more comfortable with me...and Harry. I promise, we won't take long. Ron already knows what to do."
"But why now? Can't you wait until this evening?"
"Hagrid asked us to do it this afternoon. And I'd prefer not to be in the Forbidden Forest after sunset. We have a few hours before we'll be missed. Please...just make sure no one asks any questions. We're in the library and don't want to be disturbed."
Weasley laughed softly. "Everyone will believe that."
Draco watched as Hermione Granger squeezed Weasley's shoulder, then made her way down to the front entrance of Hogwarts, glancing back at the empty hall for a moment before slipping through the front door. Weasley sighed, and began to make her way up the stairs.
He waited eagerly as she trudged up the long set of stone steps, listening as her footsteps receded beyond the upper hall.
A chance to catch Potter and that Mudblood Granger outside of the school grounds! He'd not had such an opportunity since his first year. He had to find out where they were going.
Casually moving towards the doors, he checked both ways for signs of teachers or students, then cracked the doors only slightly, until he was able to slide through.
He scanned the grounds, moving towards the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Potter was leaning up against one of the trees, waiting as Granger made her way toward him. Draco had to duck behind a battlement when they scanned behind them for onlookers, but satisfied that no one had followed them, they slipped quickly inside.
He bolted across the grounds toward the place they had disappeared. If they hadn't gone too far, he might still be able to catch them.
The trees of the Forbidden Forest rose menacingly over him, clouding out the sunlight that shone above their gnarled tops. Draco had only been in here a few times before–a few times he'd really rather forget–and the Forest still intimidated him, a bit. But he'd learned a little more since that time they'd gone chasing Unicorn blood with that half-wit, Hagrid. Werewolves or no, he'd be able to handle them at sixteen better than at eleven.
"Going somewhere, Malfoy?"
Draco turned. Ginny Weasley was standing behind him, her face flushed from running, her wand pointed squarely at him. "I thought I saw your silver mop at the corner of the stair. Do you need another bat bogey hex to warn you to keep your nose out of other people's business?"
"Granger and Potter are up to something...and I'm going to find out what. If you want to see the rather nasty countercurse for your little hex, go ahead and curse me." He raised his wand in response.
If she was flustered by his threat, she didn't show it. "Very well. The Bat Bogey Hex is a specialty of mine, and I've been wanting to test the improvements I've made on it."
Draco frowned. If she'd learned to incorporate vampire bats…
"Lay off, Weasley. If you're trying to defend your friends, its going to do you no good. I know where they're at, and if you try and make me go back to the castle, I'll just tell Professor Snape–or the Headmaster–they're sneaking about the grounds."
She didn't respond, and for the first time since she'd cornered him, she seemed to waver a bit. But her wand did not drop.
"And if you're thinking about Memory Charms, don't. They are very complicated spells and dangerous to boot. It would do you no good to try one."
Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment her wand fell slightly. He realized he'd just read her thoughts. She recovered gracefully, however. "You're probably right, Malfoy. Better to get this over now than later. I'll let Harry and Hermione deal with you. I'm sure they'd be happy to do it. March."
Draco stared at her in surprise. She was telling him to go inside? He shook his head a moment, but Weasley stuck her wand to his back and motioned forward. She wasn't as powerful as he was, but Draco was too eager to find out what Potter and Granger were hiding to try and overcome her now.
He placed his wand inside his robes, and moved into the Forest.
"We've been walking for almost an hour now. Are you so certain you know where you're going, Weasley? Or are you trying to get us purposefully lost?"
"Maybe I am. I never promised I'd take you to see them."
Draco turned to face her, leaning back slightly as her wand raised to his face for about the fiftieth time. "That still wouldn't solve the problem of my knowing they came out here. Take me to where they are, or I'll use my privileges and give you all detention."
She lowered the wand, one eyebrow raised. "Well, mister prefect…to do that, you'd have to explain why you've been wandering out here for the past half hour. How do you intend to get away with that?"
"I'll tell Snape."
She narrowed her eyes. "Even Professor Snape has his limitations."
"Not when they come to Potter."
"You really are…" Weasley was cut short by a loud, low moan, followed a pounding which shook the ground on which they stood.
"Oh no…" Weasley gasped softly.
"GRAWP! GRAWP!" Potter's squeaky voice was yelling through the trees, and without another word to Weasley, he took off in its direction.
"Malfoy! Malfoy! Come back, you don't understand…"
He picked up speed as Potter's voice grew closer; across the top of a small rise he could make out a clearing amidst the tall, dark trees.
He crested it, and froze.
Potter was standing in the middle of the clearing, next to Granger, who had her wand raised and pointed at a large, earth colored mound of moving rock. He waved his hands above his head, seeming to signal at the rock.
Weasley bumped into his back, her own brown eyes growing round as saucers at the sight before them. Potter motioned to Granger to lower her wand; she did so slowly, looking at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"Grawp! Its alright…Hagrid's just taken longer than expected, is all. He'll be back soon!"
"HAGGAR!!!" screamed the mound, two pieces of it separating and swinging around, knocking down a few saplings as they went. "I want HAGGAR."
"I TOLD Hagrid not to leave him alone for more than a few days," whimpered Granger, glancing over at Potter. "Now he's upset again and who knows what we can do…"
"HERMY! HERMY! Grawp want Haggar…"
The mound collapsed in front of her and she flew off the ground from where she stood, landing flat on her back a few feet away. Potter scrambled over the broken trees and branches to help her up.
"He's just not used to being left alone is all…we should have come to see him sooner, Hermione."
Granger rubbed her back. "We just can't, Harry! Especially now."
"You're right," Malfoy spat, marching towards them. "Especially since you're a prefect. Which you won't be for much longer."
Weasley reached for him but he'd already started sliding down into the dell, his wand in hand. Granger and Potter both wore surprised looks that were more than satisfying.
"MALFOY!!" Weasley screeched, chasing him down the slide. "You don't know what you're doing!"
"Stay where you are, Malfoy." Potter cried, watching the moving mound of dirt. "You don't want to upset him!"
"Him? That great enchanted piece of dirt? What…has that stupid half-giant gotten bored with flobberworms?"
"Dirt? You don't know…"
To his surprise, the dirt shifted, sliding around in a half-circle…until Draco could just make out a pair of half-lidded, sludge colored eyes peering beneath the muck.
"Mal—FOY…"
Granger's eyes widened. "He knows him!"
Potter's face was pale beneath his dark hair, his lightning bolt shaped scar standing out a ghastly red. "Hagrid must have said something about him…"
"MAL-FOY…"
The dirt mound stood, now facing Draco, and rose to its full height. A pair of bulky arms separated from the hefty body, clenching fists twice Draco's size. Draco's eyes moved slowly up the form, past the heaving, thick chest, to the great slash of a mouth, set in a frown, to the great, muddy eyes, which were glaring at him with a fiery hatred.
A GIANT!
"GINNY! TAKE MALFOY AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Potter cried as Grawp lifted his head and roared. Granger and Potter raised their wands once more, all focus on the giant as his bellows rang through the forest.
"MALFOY BAD TO HAGGAR! GRAWP KILL MALFOY!"
Draco stood frozen to the dirt, agape, as Potter and Granger began hurling spells at the great gray creature. They might as well have been attacking a brick wall, for all the damage it did. Granger shrieked as the giant took a step forward.
A warm hand reached for the nape of his robes, yanking him off his feet; another clasped his hand and pulled him around, dashing madly back up the hill towards the deeper parts of the forest. Ginny Weasley's hair flashed as she raced ahead of him, half-pulling, half dragging him across the bouncing ground.
Draco managed to steady his feet as a great crashing sounded behind him; Granger and Potter's spells continued to fly at the giant, lighting the clearing with gold and garnet flashes.
He could hear the giant in the distance, storming through the trees, trying to chase them. Potter and Granger's voices had already begun to die away.
"Malfoy, you are really the stupidest prat alive!" Weasley panted as she pulled him along, glancing behind her periodically for signs of Grawp. "Walking down to face a giant!"
Draco opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, concentrating on breathing.
Better not to let her know I couldn't recognize a full grown giant on sight!
The bouncing beneath their feet had begun to cease; Weasley's pace slowed a bit, and she released his hand. Grawp's roars could still be heard, but they were fainter. Whether that was because of Potter's aid or the giant's great size hindering his speed, he couldn't say.
They paused to catch their breath beside a large tree, Draco panting heavily. "That great lump of an oaf Hagrid is going to be chucked out of here for sure, this time! I'm going to make CERTAIN that he and that monster are both destroyed!"
"You'll do nothing of the sort, Malfoy!" Weasley panted in return. "Or I'll make sure that Grawp finds you first, make no mistake!"
He raised his head to glare at her, and found her eyes narrowed darkly, a seething anger burning straight through him. He realized something.
She hated him. She really hated him.
That unnerved him, for some reason.
He laughed shakily. "I'd like to see you. You and your friends are so good, you couldn't kill a snake if it bit you. I'd like to see you hand me over to that half-wit of a creature."
She stood to her full height, marched over to him, and seized him by his neck, pushing him back in the direction of the clearing. Draco struggled with her, twisting around, but her grip was tight, and surprisingly, strong.
"I'm a Chaser, remember Malfoy? We tend to be a little stronger than the Seekers are."
The twist of his robes prevented him from glaring at her again, but he sneered anyway. "Fine. I'll won't say anything."
Of course, he had no intention of doing so, but better to have Weasley unaware of that.
She released him, one eyebrow raised as though she didn't trust him, but she straightened her robes and marched forward, away from the direction they'd been running.
He followed her unwillingly, shrugging to put his own robes into place. That stupid mudblood loving twit! I'll make sure she pays for this.
They walked together in silence for a while, Weasley leading, Draco following behind so he wouldn't have to look at her face. They came alongside the crest of a soft cliff face, and suddenly, her pace began to quicken.
"I know this place," she said, half to herself, "we're almost out."
"Good."
Above them, the sun was setting. Night would settle on the Forbidden Forest soon.
"When we get out of here, Malfoy, we're going to talk about what exactly the terms of what you owe should be."
"What I owe? I beg your pardon?"
"You didn't think I'd believed you, did you? You'll keep about as silent as a warbling whipper. But you owe me."
"For what?"
"For saving your life, you idiot!"
"Saving my…you did nothing of the sort!"
She whirled to face him. "If you don't agree to something here and now, I swear, Draco Malfoy, your life is going to be plagued with every horrid jinx imaginable, and if you think the Bat Bogey Hex is bad, you just wait and see what I can cook up! Fred and George were my brothers, you know, and they invented a lot more than spells to torture people!"
He gaped at her. "You…you little…"
A great crashing shook the forest, interrupting them.
"GRAWP KILL MALFOY!!!"
"Oh my…" Ginny gasped. "He can't have…Harry and Hermione…"
"Failed. Now MOVE!" Draco cried, shoving her aside. The ground tremored beneath them, and Grawp hurtled through the thick trees, his massive form blocking out the remaining sunlight. Ginny screamed as the dirt she was standing on shifted; as Draco moved past, she clutched at his robes, managing to wrap one arm around his. Instinctively he clasped her arm, preventing her from taking him with her over the cliff side, and tried to pull her to her feet, but the giant was rushing towards them, every footstep he took an aftershock to the forest floor.
Draco whirled around, attempting to keep his balance as she pulled at him, but the earth was too unsteady. Ginny was finally upright, her arms still wrapped in his, staring over his shoulder at the immense shadow of Grawp's form as it closed in on them. He felt her brace herself, trying to keep them steady, but it did no good.
He stumbled forward toward the cliff's edge, trying to release her, but she wouldn't let go; she was leaning against his weight with all her might, trying to keep him up. Something her slender body couldn't do for long.
She slipped backwards with a muffled scream, the soft dirt beneath her feet giving way under their combined weight. Draco managed to whip around and pull her into him as they tumbled down the side of the cliff, a tangle of robes, arms, and silver and red-gold hair. The last thing he saw was Grawp's face as he roared down at their disappearing forms, sliding into the darkness beneath a tangle of thorns.
"Hermione. Hermione!"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as his friend stirred, opening her eyes slightly and wincing. Grawp had knocked Harry into Hermione as he tromped after Malfoy, slamming them both into a large tree. Harry was uncertain as to how much time had passed since then, only that it was now nearly dark…long past when they should have returned to the castle.
"Harry? What happ—" She bolted upright. "GRAWP!"
"He's okay for now…I think." Harry motioned to the great mound that was Grawp's body, now silent and still. "He's sleeping."
"What!?" Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, fine then! That's just dandy. He goes tromping about the forest, knocking us around as though we're playthings, and now he's sleeping like a little baby. This is the last time I go about babysitting him for Hagrid! No more! And now Malfoy knows! I might lose my prefect's badge!" She looked close to tears.
The nervous knot in Harry's stomach tightened. "I know."
The last time Malfoy had discovered one of Hagrid's secrets, it had cost them a detention IN the Forbidden Forest. But having a giant hidden away in the forest was a much worse offense than being caught out of dormitories after hours. Hagrid was sure to be chucked out as both Professor and Keeper of the Keys, and Hermione was very likely to lose her position as prefect. Not to mention the hours and hours of detention for McGonagall they'd have to serve—if they didn't get chucked out of Hogwarts as well.
"Did you see Ginny? What did she say about Malfoy?"
Harry shook his head. "I haven't been back to the castle yet. I carried you out of the forest behind Grawp. It wasn't hard to find him, of course." He motioned to the pathway the giant had carved for himself in his mad rush after Malfoy.
"Hagrid's going to lose his position for certain, this time," Hermione sniffed.
Harry's knot tightened even more, and he tried not to think of the disappointment his friend might have to face. "Let's get back to the castle before we're too much missed. Ron's been having to cover for us far longer than he should. I'm sure we'll know what Malfoy's said the moment we get back to the castle."
"What about him?" Hermione motioned to Grawp's sleeping form as he helped her to her feet.
"We'll stop by Hagrid's cabin on the way back. He should have returned by now."
With a last, somewhat remorseful look at the peacefully sleeping giant, Harry limped out of the forest.
To Harry's surprise, however, nobody mentioned anything about a giant, Hagrid, or a rule-breaking trip into the Forbidden Forest. In fact, common room discussion focused on the same things it always did.
Ron came up to greet them almost as soon as they entered the portrait hole, eyeing their bruises with confusion.
"He give you a hard time?" he whispered, low enough to avoid attracting attention.
"You have no idea," Hermione whispered back. "Is anyone in your dormitory?"
Ron's eyebrows raised in surprise, but shook his head no.
A few minutes later, they were in Harry and Ron's empty room, Hermione seated cross legged on the bed, massaging her sore shoulder; Harry rubbing a bit of alcohol on one of the cuts on his arm.
"You should probably go and see Madam Pomfrey about those."
"I wish we could…but…oh, it was awful, Ron! He was tramping about, just barreling after Malfoy and Ginny! We were certain the whole of Hogwarts could have heard him."
"Beyond that, he knocked us both out…so we couldn't see where he'd gone to or what he'd done," Harry said. "But I checked things out, and I don't think he chased them out of the forest."
"And Ginny?"
Harry stopped rubbing and looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"Where's Ginny?"
Hermione's eyes were wide. "You mean she didn't come back?"
"NO!" Ron jumped up from the bed. "I figured she'd gone out after you, knowing that you might need a lookout. She'd mentioned something about going after Hagrid if you hadn't returned by dinnertime. I supposed she was there!"
Hermione stared at him with a horrified look, then turned to Harry.
Harry glanced between the both of them. "Now…don't lets panic. I'm sure there's an explanation. I told you I checked around Grawp, and I didn't see anything that could show that he had caught up to them."
"Don't get upset?! My sister is out in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, being chased by a giant—with a Malfoy! What's not to get upset about?!"
"We have to go tell someone. McGonagall perhaps…or Dumbledore."
"No!" Ron cried. "She'll get in trouble…we'll all get in trouble! Hagrid will be chucked out, you and I will probably lose our Prefects' badges…I'd never heard the end of it from Mum…or Percy. And Malfoy will have the last laugh!"
"What do you want to do? Leave Ginny out in the Forest at night, hoping she'll be safe?"
"Of course not! Harry and I will go out and get her."
"You're mad! You can't go out into the Forbidden Forest at night by yourselves, even if you are sixth years! You could get killed—or caught!"
"Please, Hermione! We've faced—what…a great bloody spider, a great bloody snake, a great bloody dragon, werewolves, Death Eaters, Dementors, even Voldemort…we can handle the Forbidden Forest."
"You ran away from the spider, the werewolf was your friend, and Harry faced the snake, dragon, Death Eaters, Dementors and Voldemort—four times!"
"We can handle it, Hermione!"
"What if you can't handle it? And what's worse, you want to get Harry involved! What if you both get into danger, hurt, or…or…?
"It'll be all right, Hermione," Harry said. "We can take my Dad's Invisibility cloak out."
"An Invisibility Cloak isn't going to protect you if something attacks you."
"No…but we can take care of ourselves. Like you said, we've handled all those things before, we've had Defenses against the Dark Arts training…and above all Ron's right, Hermione. We can't get Ginny or Hagrid into trouble."
She pursed her lips, but after a moment, nodded.
"You stay here and keep watch…pretend you're studying, or something."
"Not much of a stretch," Ron replied, but it lacked his usual snap.
"If we're not back by morning, tell McGonagall…or Dumbledore."
"And what about Malfoy? The Slytherins are bound to notice he's missing…what if they go questioning Professor Snape?"
"Does Malfoy have anyone who would miss him?" snarled Ron, digging through Harry's trunk for the cloak.
"Despite what you may think, Ron, Malfoy is rather popular in his own house. Pansy Parkinson, for certain, will be worried about him." Hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste as she mentioned Pansy's name.
"Hopefully they'll think he's just up to something nasty. He's done it before. But we do have to hurry. The sooner we find them, the sooner we can deal with Malfoy and Slytherin."
"What'll we do if we're missed?" questioned Ron, sliding the cloak halfway around him. He was so tall, he had to bend down in order for the shimmering folds to cover his body.
"Don't worry about that," said Hermione, rising. In a few moments, she had stuffed pillows into their bedclothes, and whispered a spell that echoed Ron's loud snores and Harry's quiet breathing perfectly.
Harry looked at her in amazement. "How do you know what we sound like when we're asleep?"
"I do not sound like that!" Ron hissed.
Hermione blushed a bright shade of red. "I…I'm certain I've heard you when you've fallen asleep in the common room."
Harry said nothing but eyed her suspiciously. She blushed more deeply. "You had better go now, before it gets too late!"
They nodded, covering themselves completely with the cloak—which, if either of them grew any taller, they wouldn't be able to do much longer—and headed down through the slowly clearing common room. Waiting at the portrait hole for a Gryffindor to enter or exit, they made their way out of Hogwarts, into the night.
Draco raised a hand to his pounding head; his vision blurry as he tried to survey the scene around him. The last thing he remembered was falling away from a hideous face, and hearing a loud crack as his head collided with some hard, unseen object.
His body wouldn't move; he felt as though a weight had been laid upon him, and for a moment, he panicked.
As his vision cleared he could just make out a splash of red covering his entire chest—was he bleeding?
Then, he remembered.
That giant…Potter…and Weasley…
Ginny Weasley was lying halfway across him, her soft hair spread over his stomach. He sat up, wincing at the pains that burned across his body, and touched her face.
She was still warm, meaning she wasn't dead—in fact, she was breathing softly, despite a large gash across her forehead, near her eye. Draco felt his own head tenderly; his hand met with a sticky substance near his neck, already caking in his hair. He must have hit a rock or some other sharp object, but the blood was nearly dry, meaning it hadn't cut him too deeply, though it had given him a throbbing headache.
He slid out from under Weasley and stood carefully, his head spinning. He tried to survey the scene, but in the gathering darkness all he could make out was the tangle of shrubbery around them. He felt about for his wand, and sighed thankfully at finding it completely intact.
"Lumos," he murmured.
The air around him lit up from the glowing spark at the end of his wand tip, and he could make out the high, rounded sides of the small vale they'd fallen into. Luckily, there was a path leading out of it, but it headed away from where they'd fallen—and the direction Weasley had been sure would lead them out of the Forest.
He lowered the wand to her face and she stirred as the brightness neared her, opening her eyes slowly. "Where…where are we?"
"In the Forbidden Forest, remember? Where your bloody so-called 'friends' put us."
"Malfoy?" she squinted, then moaned as she pushed herself into sitting position. "What are you…" Her eyes widened as she remembered. "Grawp?"
"If you mean that hideous giant, he's not anywhere. At least, not that I've heard."
She glanced around the vale, taking in the dark corners eerily lit by the light from his wand. "How far did we fall?"
"Too far to hike back up, if that is what you're thinking," Malfoy raised his wand to the level path that led out of the valley. "The only way we can get out is through there."
Weasley pushed herself to her feet, tottering unsteadily, and touched a finger to her cut, wincing. Despite himself, Draco reached out a hand to help her, but she shoved it away.
Really hated him…
"This is all your fault, Malfoy. If you hadn't been so determined to get Harry and Hermione into trouble, we'd never be in this mess! Isn't it enough that they've got to risk their lives to save you and all the people like you from Voldemort? Now we might get detention…or worse!"
Draco started; he'd never heard another witch speak so openly about the Dark Lord. "They have not done anything to "save" me. I don't need saving! And if anyone has a reason to hate them, its me, considering they put my father in Azkaban!"
"It was nothing he didn't deserve."
Draco's pale face twisted with rage. "If Potter and all his friends—including your family—end up dead, then they'll have gotten exactly what they deserve!"
The side of his face exploded as she slapped him forcefully, knocking him off balance and to his knees.
"You'll get yours, Malfoy!" she shrieked, tears of anger coursing down her face. "One of these days, you'll join your father in Azkaban—or get killed—and no one will care one bloody bit!"
He hadn't even seen her pull out her wand, but it was shaking unsteadily in her hand as she tried to control herself; he remained, stunned, on his knees, his head still spinning, holding his cheek where she'd slapped it. "I hope you die in these woods! Grawp had it right! Kill Malfoy!"
Without another look, her shoulders still shaking, she marched past him, down the pathway and into the Forbidden Forest.
Draco slowly rose to his feet, his face contorted in anger. Who was she, to think that by destroying his family, she and all her friends were in the right?
Kill Malfoy?
"WEASLEY!" He gathered himself and began to chase after her. "WEASLEY!"
"I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO SAY TO YOU, MALFOY!" she screamed back at him, turning only slightly so that her hair flew out around her. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"WEASLEY!"
She broke into a trot ahead of him, trying, he assumed, to put space between them.
He gritted his teeth and dashed after her. He was going to make her see things more clearly! But she was quick. She had been a seeker, and even Draco, with his Seeker build and training, would have a difficult time catching her. He raised his wand.
"Demorari!" His spell flew across the clearing, covering her in a shower of silver and green sparks. Weasley pitched forward, her feet frozen to the ground. Draco crossed his arms.
"Now we can talk. About respect…and Bat hexes."
Weasley turned, eyebrows narrowed, then swiveled as best she could. If she'd been angry before, she was angrier now. "Impedimenta!"
Not expecting her to react, the spell hit him full force, knocking him completely backwards. He lifted himself up onto one arm, wincing, as she freed herself from the Halt Spell. She turned to face him, a snide smile spreading across her tear-streaked face. "What was that, you git?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Draco struck out again. "Averte Statum!"
The spell smashed into her, whipping her feet out from underneath her and slamming her onto her back with a very satisfying crash. For a moment she lay still, and Draco thought he might have hurt her, but as he straggled to his feet, Ginny, startled but not stunned, had already raised her wand.
"Immobilus!"
He flew to the side, just dodging the blast of silver and gold sparks flying at him.
"Expelliarmus!"
Ginny rolled over, his spell just missing her red hair. She leapt to her feet with grace, and raced for the shelter of a large tree trunk.
"Impedimenta!"
"Petrificas!"
"Supplico Adegi!"
"Silencio!"
The clearing was now a shower of silver, green, and gold sparks. Draco had rolled behind one of the tree's large roots, trying to catch his breath. Her last spell had just missed him. Who would have known Weasley would be so skilled?"
As if in response, her voice rose over the forest floor. "Accio Chiroptera!"
The spell burst out through the thick trees with a golden gleam as bright as sunlight. There was silence for a moment; then, the squeak and flutter of hundreds of wings filled the air, and Draco felt a familiar sense of dread spread through him.
Bats! She summoned bats!
The bats were already flying into the clearing, towards the still glowing tip of Ginny's wand. He would have to be quick, or they would be directed towards him, and he would never be able to get away. Panic-stricken, there was only one spell he could think of that might work.
"Finite Incantatem!"
The bats, who were blocking out the slender beams of moonlight spearing through the trees, began to disperse, the flutter of wild wings and tiny, furry bodies gone within seconds. He stood up to glance at the air above him, now silent, but even before he'd fully emerged, he knew he'd made a critical mistake.
"EXPELLIARMUS!!" His wand blew out of his hand and he was shoved backwards, into the tree. Ginny pointed her wand at his, a good few yards away from him. "Accio Wand."
His precious wand, unmarred by even six years of fierce use, flew into her hand.
"Ron's right. You really are a cowardly prat. I saved you from Grawp, I tried to prevent you falling off the cliff, and what do I get? Chased. Attacked in the back."
"You insulted my family. You ran away from me. And you returned the favor."
"Because I would expect you to do what…talk rationally about your problems? Or hex first, ask questions later?"
She twirled his wand in her fingertips. "I have half a mind to leave you right here, to see how you like being snuck up on. Or left for dead…"
"You wouldn't dare!" he said, seething. "You're just like that idiot brother of yours. You don't have it in you."
"Ahh…but I would. See, you're wrong about me, Malfoy. My family might be muggle-lovers, but we're not all of us kind. I'm not particularly like my mother. In fact, I guess you could say I'm a bit like my brother—my brother Percy. Show no mercy."
She pointed her wand straight at him. "Petrificus Totalus!
A soft silver cloud shot from the wandtip, engulfing him in a spell which immobilized him, until he couldn't feel anything. He stared at her in horror as she moved towards him, coming so close her face was only inches from his.
"Let's see how you like lying about in the Forbidden Forest, waiting for someone to find you, at the mercy of every beast imaginable—manticores—werewolves—gytrash—and other pleasant things. Will you scream? Or go out bravely? If you can't live with honor, maybe you can at least die that way." With that, she turned on her heel, still twirling his wand about her fingers.
Leaving a petrified Draco agape in the middle of the clearing.
Harry had tried to make his way towards the great burst of light that had filled the forest just a few moments ago, but he had no idea where it had come from, or who had cast it.
For now, he and Ron had split up (an agreement they'd decided they'd not fill Hermione in on) and had been searching the forest independently for quite a while. Harry had been certain that the light had come from either Malfoy or Ginny, but he was a bit puzzled to what purpose it served, unless they were being attacked by something…
Hagrid tromped over towards him, lantern in hand and Fang by his side. "Hiya, Harry. Any sign o' them?"
Harry shook his head. "I've not heard a word, Hagrid. I'm a bit worried."
"I'm so sorry 'bout this," Hagrid sniffed, bowing his shaggy head. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't asked you an' 'ermione to keep watch o'er Grawpy…"
"Look, Hagrid…there was nothing you could have done. Malfoy's Malfoy. He decided to follow us, and Ginny decided to follow him."
"I know…but if I hadn't mouthed off to Grawpy about the terrible things Malfoy's done ta you and everyone…guess I'll be keepin' my mouth shut about such things from now on…"
"Um, listen, Hagrid—about that…there isn't anyone…else…Grawp knows about, is there?"
"Well…er…mighta mentioned somethin' 'bout Professor Snape a time or two…and V-Volder…You-Know-Who, 'course, but if Grawpy has a run in with 'im I'm not like ter stop him!"
Harry sighed. "Unless he gets himself killed. You need to take more care with him, Hagrid. You're lucky Malfoy didn't know the Killing Curse, or Grawp might very well be dead right now."
Hagrid grew somber. "O' course, you're right, Harry. I don' want nothin' ta happen to Grawpy. Or you. Or even Malfoy, fer that matter."
A tramping through the bushes interrupted them; a few moments later Ron emerged, pulling off the invisibility cloak—which Harry, after rather a long discussion about acromantulas, had finally convinced him to take.
"Have you seen anything?"
"Not a sign."
Ron's face was beginning to show signs of worry. "Where could they be?"
"Right behind you."
Harry, Ron and Hagrid whirled about in surprise as Ginny made her way out of the Forbidden Forest, wand tip aglow.
"Nox."
"Ginny! Where have you been? Are you alright? We've been looking for ages!" Ron rushed over and hugged her, a gesture which made both of them, after a moment, blush red to the roots of their hair.
"Where's Malfoy?" Harry asked, peering behind them.
Ginny smiled as Ron released her. "He's coming."
Within a few moments, a rather battered-looking Draco Malfoy emerged from the gloom, dark circles lining his eyes, a weary look across his face. His usually perfect silver hair was mussed, stained with dirt, leaves, and a red, caked film that looked like blood.
"Oy, Malfoy, ter you alrigh'?"
Malfoy glared at them hatefully, then at Ginny, who raised her wand at him. With a slightly beleaguered look he nodded.
"Let's get you both ter Madam Pomfrey…that cut needs to be looked after…and so does your head, Malfoy."
"I'm fine" he spat, pushing past the group roughly. I don't need the Hospital Wing."
He started back towards the castle, but Ginny yelled out after him.
"Don't forget our promise, Malfoy."
He stopped, shoulders jerking in consternation, but after a moment, nodded and continued on.
Both Ron and Harry turned to her in amazement. "What did you get him to promise?"
Ginny smiled, but shook her head. "Its not important. Let's just say that he won't be spreading information about Grawp, you, or Hermione any time soon. Now let's get back—people will be missing us, and my head is pounding!"
Harry glanced over at Ron in puzzlement, but his friend just shrugged, handed his sister his arm, and started back towards the castle.
They managed to get back into Hogwarts without a fuss. A few hours later, Hermione was walking back from the Hospital Wing with Ginny, who had a cold compress held to her forehead.
"At least you've only got to deal with the bruising."
Ginny nodded. Madam Pomfrey (after much questioning and a few critical looks) had healed her cut instantly and told her to hold the compress to her head to help ease the pain. But she'd been satisfied there wasn't any greater damage. She'd even spared some time to help heal Hermione's wounds, albeit sour-faced at Hermione's secrecy regarding how she got them.
"I wonder if Malfoy will go. He really struck his head when we fell."
Hermione eyed her suspiciously. "Why would you care what happens to him? According to you, he deserved what he got."
Ginny frowned. "I know it's the truth, but perhaps…there was something in his mannerisms that puzzled me. I don't quite understand it."
"Like what?"
"Well, for one, when we fell down the edge of that precipice? Malfoy turned."
"So?"
"I mean he turned as though he wanted to be the one to take the first blow. He pulled me into him…like he was protecting me."
"Malfoy?" Hermione laughed. "You were imagining things. He probably did that thinking he'd suffer less damage if there was someone soft to land on."
"Maybe…but…"
"Draco Malfoy has never attempted to protect anyone in his life. Not even other Slytherins. Why would he start with a Weasley of all people?"
"I don't know!"
Hermione stopped in the hall, eyebrows raised at Ginny's rather sharp tone. "What are you thinking, Ginny?"
Ginny blushed. "N-nothing. It's just…when he attacked me with the spells and such…he could have used a much more damaging one that a Halt spell. Why didn't he use a Stunning Spell? Or any one of a number of hexes? Or the Imperius or Cruciatus curses? I'm certain he knows those. But all he did was a Halt spell. I just…don't understand."
"He probably wasn't thinking. Or maybe he was waiting to torture you after you talked. Or maybe he didn't want to be responsible for injuring you further, knowing what might happen to him. After all, if he didn't come out with you, he'd have to explain it."
"So? No one knew that I'd gone out with him."
"Except Harry and I."
"Okay then…so why not just say I'd been attacked by a thestral or gytrash or something? He wouldn't have to claim responsibility, and any number of people would believe him. Why not at least knock me out? Or leave me for dead when I was unconscious? It doesn't make sense."
"It makes perfect sense. Malfoy was protecting his own interest, is all. That doesn't mean he has to get rid of you. He's not Voldemort."
"Still…"
Hermione placed her hands on Ginny's shoulders. "I believe in trying to save a person as much as the next girl. But I think you're looking too hard in this case. Draco Malfoy has never been, nor will he ever be, the kind of boy who believes in decency. Or compassion. Don't try to look for the good in him, because you'll never find it."
Ginny raised a hand to her throbbing head. "I know you're right. I just…I don't know…for some reason I was hoping…"
"I've thought about that from time to time too, so don't feel bad. Thinking that perhaps people aren't as evil as they appear. But after last year…with some people, particularly the Slytherins, I think I've finally given up trying."
"Its…it makes me sad, is all."
"Because you're a good person, Ginny. You've got a kind heart."
"Thank you, Hermione," Ginny smiled faintly. "Listen…do you think you could…you know…keep this between us? Don't tell any of the others, okay?"
"Are you joking?" Hermione laughed. "Your brother would kill you. Then he'd kill Malfoy. Don't worry about it…and try to forget what happened tonight. You're going to have to find some way of dealing with your brother and keeping an eye on Draco all at the same time."
The thought heightened the pounding in Ginny's head. "Ugh. Let's just get back to Gryffindor."
Hermione smiled and followed her, but thought pensively the entire way.
"You just HAVE to go, Draco! You have to! That could really be serious!" whined Pansy, touching a damp cloth to the back of his head.
Draco winced in pain, but shook his head.
"Draco…"
"LAY OFF! I'm fine!" he snatched the cloth out of her hand and tossed it to the floor, rising from one of the lush settees that lined the Slytherin common room.
Pansy looked hurt, but at the moment, he didn't care. She was irritating him. Everyone who was staring at him was irritating him.
Zachary Tolbert shifted from his sitting position, crossing an arm casually over the side of the couch. "So, then, what exactly happened again?"
Draco fidgeted, one hand opening and closing in a compulsive clutch. "I told you…I was trying to find out what Potter and Granger were up to. When I followed them into the forest, I was attacked by…by something and I don't remember what happened next."
"Professor Snape should know about it, then," said Blaise Zabini. "You know how keen he is to catch Potter in any kind of trouble."
"It might have been Potter himself who attacked you."
"Right," snorted Vincent Crabbe. "Potter, the peace-loving saint? You've got to be joking."
"I wouldn't call him peace loving!" yelled Anthony Dolohov. "He laid it out on my Dad!"
"And mine."
And MINE," Theodore Nott looked up from his book. "He's got it in for all the Slytherins."
"If you parents had been a little more up on guard," snapped Millicent Bulstrode, "he wouldn't have gotten to any of them. Besides that, they were done in by Aurors, not Potter. I wouldn't give him that much credit."
"It wasn't Potter…it wasn't anyone! I don't know who it was!" Draco stood and pushed aside Pansy, who'd been attempting to treat his wounds again with a new handkerchief. "Its over and done…I wasn't able to catch Potter OR Granger doing anything and it won't do any good to tell Snape…you know how he'll want evidence that even Dumbledore can believe."
"Which you don't have," said Millicent.
"Right! So lay off!"
"We're only trying to come up with something. It seems a shame you having gotten hurt to come up empty handed."
"Well that's the way it is, isn't it? That's ALWAYS the way it is! Bloody Potter and his bloody, no good friends, always winning, never getting hurt! It's the way its always bloody been and the way its always bloody going to be!"
He kicked his foot out, smashing over a candelabra that had been set on the table. The other Slytherins lifted their carefully drying parchments out of the way of the skittering sparks and flying candles.
Pansy dropped her third handkerchief.
"Bloody Hell," muttered Nott, wiping up an upturned ink jar. "What's wrong with you? You've been foiled by Potter and his friends before, this is nothing different. Why are you getting so upset?"
Draco glared at him, turned from the group and marched up the stairs to his dormitory. A well placed enchantment saw to it he wouldn't be disturbed.
He sat on the edge of the bed, the back of his head still throbbing. He'd been irritated ever since he left the forest, and for good reason.
He really thought she'd leave him there. Her footsteps had died away, and the wand tip, which she'd lit, folded into the darkness. For a few moments, he'd heard the howls of the wolves, and sounds of things he'd imagined only in his nightmares. The shadows had crawled along the dimly lit forest floor like ghouls, and he could have sworn he heard the sounds of a low-pitched moan heading towards him. Just a few minutes alone, and he'd actually been reduced to a sniffling, teary-eyed child before fear had made him scream piteously.
Only then, had she returned—laughing.
Laughing!
He buried his head in his hands, her face still flashing before him. "Nothing…absolutely NOTHING about Grawp, Harry or Hermione that would get them in trouble. Or I'll tell the whole school—the whole world—about how the great Draco Malfoy screams like a little girl."
And she'd released him.
What irritated him the most, however, wasn't the humiliation. Or the promise. Or the looks on Potter's or Weasley's face as they'd watched him at his lowest, agreeing to obey her without protest.
It was that he couldn't get her face out of his head.
Her soft brown eyes, sparkling mischievously, as she'd bent down to him. The turn of her lips, a sweet, yet malicious, smile. And her hair…a waterfall of red, flowing down over her shoulders, just tickling the edge of his face…
He flung himself on the bed, oblivious to the pain it caused the gash on the back of his head. Ginny Weasley! He was admiring Ginny WEASLEY!
He was disgusted with himself. That he could admire someone like her—one of Potter's friends—a Weasley—sister to that knit Ron. Friend to that mudblood Granger—it made no sense!
It couldn't be her personality…Granger had defied him many times, and he'd never felt anything for her!
If anyone in Slytherin found out they'd been together…
It had been this, and not her threat, that had kept him silent about that big oaf's hidden giant. The idea that the Slytherins would have to question how he got out of the forest, what had happened between him and Weasley…he was certain she'd tell them everything.
How he'd tried to protect her when they'd fallen…
He shook his head—that had been an instinct to protect himself—he knew it would be safer with two people, to shelter the blow each of them would receive at the bottom. He'd wanted to live…and he needed her as a cushion to do it.
Except I twisted around…
"Bloody HELL!"
He leapt up, the table to his right toppling over. He grabbed the nearest object, a Bathmorda's Eye, and threw it at the picture of Slytherin that decorated every Slytherin dorm room. The eye shattered on impact, and the portrait ripped, an ugly tear gashed down the side of the ever noble face.
"Draco?" the knob turned on the door, and Goyle's voice filtered through. "Are you alright?"
Draco flopped back down on the bed, pulling out his wand (which she'd given him back after considerable taunting, and only at the edge of the forest) and dispelled the enchantment.
Crabbe and Goyle pushed in. "Are you going to be alright?"
He turned to his side, ignoring them. He had to think of a way to get Weasley out of his thoughts.
In the front of the room, Crabbe poked at the fire with his wand, the sparks sending out a slightly greenish tint to the flames.
His eyes closed for a moment, absorbing the heat and taking in the quiet crackle of the fire.
And he realized what he could do.
He couldn't get Potter and Granger in trouble…Weasley wouldn't allow that…but he could find a way to get rid of Hagrid once and for all. And get Weasley out of his head—and back to hating him—for good. He smiled slyly, and turned to Crabbe and Goyle.
"I think I need to visit the hospital wing. Come on, help me up."
**Draco can be rather dastardly, can't he? Well, you're not supposed to love him—but how about Ginny? She's not quite as sweet as she first appears—well, she is the sister of Fred, George and Percy too! So what's Draco going to do to thwart Ginny's well laid plans? And redeem him nasty side? Find out in the next part!
***Thanks to Joya for helping me lay the groundwork for this D/G series!