The Deadly Assignments

"As final year students in my class, you ought to know that I have very high expectations of all of you." McGonagall's voice resonated in the Transfiguration classroom.

"That's needless to say," Michael Corner nudged Ginny. Ginny tried her best to ignore Michael. After going out with him in their fifth year, she was glad that their relationship was over. He was beyond superficial and frankly, in Harry's exact words, quite an ass.

"The assignment which I will assign to you seems simple, but it will not be easy to obtain a good grade from me. I want something more out of you and the assignment," McGonagall said, with emphasis on the word "more". She paused as her serious gaze scoured the classroom and rested on each student. No one moved a muscle.

"In this final year project, I would need each and every one of you to write a fifty-page essay," – muffled groans echoed around the classroom – "on the subject of turning an inanimate object into an animate one."

"What?"

"Is she serious?"

"This is going to be a blast!"

"What is she saying?"

Everyone started whispering and murmuring responses to McGonagall's task. It seemed too simple to achieve. They had been doing that since they were first year students. What was her underlying intention?

Ginny ignored the buzz around her. "Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, Weasley?"

"Do you mean any inanimate object?"

"Yes, Weasley, any inanimate object," McGonagall's gaze lingered on Ginny for a while. "Any more questions, class?"

Some shook their heads. Some murmured 'no'. Others had no response whatsoever. No one could guess what McGonagall was trying to achieve by giving them such a simple task.

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"Class dismissed," Snape said in a deadpan voice.

"He's definitely trying to kill us," Seamus Finnigan shook his head in despair.

Harry shrugged but he knew it was true – Snape was trying to destroy their shot of graduating. The task he gave was not remotely achievable. A fifty-page essay on the creation of a new potion.

How does one just simply create a new potion?

Harry sighed audibly and Blaise snorted. "What, Potter? Finally something you can't do, eh?"

Blatantly ignored him, Harry packed his books into his satchel and began to file out of the classroom with the rest of the students.

"Potter."

Even with his back turned against Snape, he could feel Snape's hatred boring into him, as if it would pulverise Harry into nothingness.

Harry took a deep breath, turned around and walked toward Snape.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Do you foresee yourself facing any difficulties regarding the assignment?" The right corner of Snape's lips curled up in a smirk.

Harry had no idea how he should answer Snape's rhetorical question so he just replied in the way he always did when Snape asked him a question in class.

"I'm not sure, Sir."

"You're not sure?" Snape's voice was dangerously low.

Harry ignored his question, undoubtedly another rhetorical one. What an ass.

Snape raised his voice such that some of the students which were on their way out of the classroom turned to look at the both of them. "You do know, Potter, that I have extremely high expectations of you. After all, you are the chosen one."

Seriously, after all that the school has been through, he's still doing this?

Harry found that hard to believe.

"Yes, Sir," he merely answered.

"Get out of my classroom, Potter," Snape scowled menacingly.

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The day came to an end and Harry, Ron and Ginny gathered together at the Quidditch stands, watching the sunset.

"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed loudly, startling Ginny.

"What is it, Ron?" Ginny looked at her brother with concern in her warm honey-brown eyes.

"Kingsley's gone mad! He's asking us to befriend a Muggle so that we can observe their habits and lifestyle and write a fifty-page essay on that! How is that even possible? I don't know any Muggles!"

"How are you going to befriend and observe a Muggle for three months when we're at Hogwarts?" Harry asked in curiosity.

"Each of us needs to befriend a Muggle and cast a Confundus spell on their families and friends to trick them into thinking that their children have gone off camping! It's madness, I tell you." Ron grumbled with his brows furrowed in pure frustration.

Ginny patted her brother lightly on the back and Harry tried feeling sorry for Ron. He really tried but he couldn't. He couldn't because he was worried about his own assignment, which at this point sounded a million times worse than Ron's. He'd gladly switch assignments with him.

"How was your day, Harry?" Ginny asked, while Ron's head remained buried in his hands.

Better, now that you're here.

"It was horrible. Snape wants us to create a new potion."

"A new potion?" Ron looked up. "Is that even possible?"

"Apparently not but he wants that anyway."

The colour slowly returned to Ron's face and Harry could tell that he was suddenly glad that his assignment involved making friends with a Muggle.

"Oh dear, Harry, what do you think you'll do?"

"What else," Harry replied in a bitter tone, "pray that I graduate alive, I suppose."

As Ginny's mouth parted to reply Harry, they heard muffled noises at the other end of the stands.

"What is it that you want?" someone hissed.

"You know what I want, Draco."

Draco?

All three of them arched their backs forward and tried to listen to the hushed conversation.

"Draco, please. You have to understand."

The voice was saccharine and seductive, and the accent was...

…very French.

"What do you think Draco is pissed about with Victoria Westwood?" Ron whispered while Ginny nudged Ron in the ribs in an effort to make him stop talking.

"Shut up. You don't have any idea what I want," came Draco's reply. It sounded angry yet at the same time, desolate. Harry wondered what was going on and whether what he had seen in the Great Hall was not a figment of his imagination – that Draco Malfoy was really worried about something.

"Draco, I –"

"Enough!" Draco hissed. Then there was silence.

The three of them sat there, unmoving, for what seemed like a long time.

When they were sure that the two of them had left, Ginny whispered "what do you think is going on between those two?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ron rolled his eyes. "Draco is refusing her advances!"

Ginny sat up straight. "That can't be right. She's gorgeous," she murmured.

"Tell me about it," Ron replied with a dreamy look in his eyes.

Harry laughed. Ginny gave Harry a meaningful look. "What do you think, Harry?"

"She's pretty, all right, but I really don't think what that was about."

Ginny seemed somewhat pleased with his reply and shook her brother out of his dreamy stupor. "Come on guys, let's go."

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It was the weekend and Ginny was thinking about her assignment at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. She was deep in thought when a bunch of girls from Hogwarts walked in, all excited and flushed.

"You can't be serious! Jonah has already asked you? It's only the start of the year!" exclaimed one of the girls.

Ginny recognised a girl from the group – Georgina Hunt from Ravenclaw. They must be talking about Jonah Thomas, Ginny thought wryly. Jonah Thomas was the Keeper of Ravenclaw; besides being talented in Quidditch, his sandy blonde hair, green eyes and lopsided smile made it easy for him to be one of the most gorgeous guys Hogwarts had ever seen.

Georgina was a pretty brunette who proved to many that beauty can indeed exist alongside brains, but she was also downright arrogant. She was pretty and she knew that fact very well.

Georgina looked around and saw Ginny. She gave a smile which looked more like a smirk and spoke aloud, no doubt for Ginny's benefit. "Oh yes! He was so sweet about it, too!"

"How did he ask?"

"Oh, you know, he left clues for me to follow and at the end of it all, there were fireworks. That sort of thing." Georgina tried to sound bored and dismissive but it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she was showing off.

"Oh my! That is so romantic!"

Georgina smiled sweetly at her friend / follower. "Don't worry, I'm sure Gerald will ask you to the prom."

"You think?" the blonde-haired girl clasped her hands together excitedly.

"Of course!" Georgina patted her friend patronisingly on the back. "I've already rejected him twice, so he should come around pretty soon," she said, giving her a saccharine smile.

The blonde's face fell.

Ginny rolled her eyes. It's just the prom! Not a marriage proposal!

She couldn't possibly think under these circumstances, so she got up and walked down the streets of Hogsmeade, trying to get some inspiration on her Transfiguration assignment.

She stopped and looked to her left. This must be a new shop, she thought; she did not see it during her last trip out. The shop looked exquisite and for a moment, Ginny stood entranced outside the windows.

She was not fascinated by the clothes – rather, she was spellbound by the mannequin wearing the clothes. There was something to her… It – something to it, Ginny mentally corrected herself. The mannequin's eyes were liquid honey and her hair was of a rich brown hue. It looked like a pool of dark chocolate cascading down her back. She was exquisitely beautiful but the real reason why Ginny was staring at her for so long was because there was a look in her eyes that was unexplainable. Ginny knew how mad it would sound, but it looked as though the mannequin was staring back at Ginny, as if she knew what Ginny was thinking. The smile the mannequin had on, unlike most mannequins around, was almost shy. The mannequin standing in the bay window looked… real.

Ginny shook herself out of the self-induced stupor and made her way back to the castle. As she left, she tossed her head back a little and caught another glimpse of the mannequin. Gosh, it was like staring at the famous portrait of Mona Lisa. The mannequin seemed as though she was still looking at Ginny.

How wonderful it would be if she really was real, Ginny thought to herself and stopped in her tracks.

That's it! That was the project she needed. She walked back to the shop and took out her wand. She muttered the Transfiguration spell under her breath and pointed the tip of the wand at the mannequin.

Nothing happened.

Ginny waited for another minute and tried again.

Still nothing.

She had no idea why it didn't work She shook her wand slightly. Maybe it was broken. Maybe the spell didn't work.

Heaving a deep sigh of disappointment, she made her way back to Hogwarts.

If only she had turned back once more.

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Draco stumbled out of The Three Broomsticks into the dark alleys of Hogsmeade. It was late and he was the last customer to leave the pub. Madam Rosmerta practically chased him out of the pub so that she could end the business for the day.

Too much of Butterbeers and Fire Whiskeys made him sway from side to side; he could almost hear the alcohol sloshing in his stomach.

He stood in the middle of the alley while trying to find his bearing and balance. Before he moved to the left to proceed back to the castle, he saw something at the corner of his eye. Drunkenness aside, he whipped out his 10" wand and stood on guard.

He waited for a few silent moments and his gaze fleeted from left to right, then left again. There was no movement. He relaxed his guarded stance and placed the wand in the back pocket of his jeans.

He shook his head and tried, but failed, to clear some booze from his system. As he walked on, he caught his reflection in a shop window under the dim street lights. "Lumos," he muttered and he stared at himself. His staring was not out of narcissism – he was looking and wondering where all the weight went. His reflection looked back at him with gaunt cheeks and a hollow look in the eyes.

Draco was self-admittedly never a cheerful child, but his other half was now telling him that his family issues definitely had an effect on him, and not in a good way.

He sighed and continued his walk back to the castle. A drop of water fell from the sky and landed on his nose. He crinkled his nose and wiped it off. The droplet's siblings started falling and Draco cursed under his breath as he stood under a cascading waterfall of rain.

Ah, what the heck, he thought. It was after his curfew but he couldn't be bothered anymore.

It happened out of nowhere.

Something fell into his arms.

- End of Chapter 2: The Deadly Assignments -

A/N: Please submit your reviews to let me know what you think of how the story's coming along so far! Thanks for reading!