They walked into the Headmaster's office to find a sobbing Ginny. When she caught sight of Draco, she quickly back away. "Stay away! I told you, sir, he did something to me."
"I did something to you?" cried Draco. "You did something to me. You probably used Imperius on me."
"Let's calm down. All of us," Dumbledore said. "Sit, sit. You too, Severus."
As everyone settled into various seats -- with Ginny as far away as she could get from the Syltherins -- Dumbledore continued, "Now, I hardly think a fifth year student is going to be using Imperius on anyone. It is not exactly part of the standard curriculum, now is it, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Not unless you've managed to hire another Deatheater."
Dumbledore ignored Draco's comment and turned to Crabbe and Goyle. "You boys were there when this first started, correct?"
Goyle nodded. "I think so. He was acting weird."
"No, he wasn't," said Crabbe. "Well, no, he was, but more like unexpected weird than crazy weird."
"Until he left. Than it was crazy weird."
"I see." Dumbledore turned to Ginny. "If you would tell us about your experience, Miss Weasley?"
"Well, it's all a little fuzzy. I remember that everything seemed normal. At least, it did when Malfoy was there. When Professor Snape took him away, it stopped. When I think about it now, none of it makes sense. Like, what's a bellybutton charm? We've never done anything involving bellybuttons in Charms class."
"Bellybutton charms? I can't say I've ever heard of such a thing. Sounds rather... exotic, doesn't it?"
Draco rolled his eyes at the Headmaster's comment. "That's very fascinating and all, but could we get back to my problems?"
"Hmmm? Ah, yes, of course, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Tell me,
Severus, exactly how did you extract Mr. Malfoy from his predicament?"
"A particularly strong mental clarity potion. It's designed to remove any outside influence. However, it is not something that can be used very often. The ingredients are toxic in large concentrations."
Draco paled. "Are you saying that you tried to poison me?"
Snape snorted. "Hardly. As tempting as that thought might be. One dose is merely sufficient to give you, at worst, an upset stomach. But it ought not to be used more than once a month."
"But what if it happens again?"
"Well, that will depend on the nature of the influence. The particular potion I used has to be strong because it is designed to work against a wide range of things. Other potions, curses, mental influences. If we knew the exact nature of the influence, I could formulate a potion to counter it. One that was safer to use on a regular basis."
"So how do we find out what caused it? Because I don't want that to happen again."
Ginny glared. "It was no picnic from this side either."
"Oh, please, I'm probably the best you've ever had."
"I'd rather kiss Fang!"
"Hey, the mutt's a step up from your family. You could do much worse."
"Why you--"
"That's enough. Both of you." Dumbledore motioned for Ginny to put away her wand. "There will be no further exchange of insults -- or hexes, Miss Weasley. In fact, I think it's safe for you to go. As long as you avoid Mr. Malfoy, you should be fine."
As Ginny moved towards the door, he continued. "Oh, and Miss Weasley? It might be best if you didn't mention this incident to anyone. I would hate it if someone were to judge you by an incident that you had no control over."
Ginny frowned. "Yes, sir."
After she had left, Dumbledore turned back to Draco. "Do you wish your friends to stay, Mr. Malfoy?"
It took Draco a moment to realize that he was asking about Crabbe and Goyle. "Friends" was not the word he would have chosen. "Cohorts" perhaps. "Henchmen" was a good term. But... hadn't he called them his friends earlier? He thought he remembered... Yes, he had. Under the influence of the same thing that had gotten him to kiss a Weasley. Yet another way this incident had tried to destroy his dignity. Still... "They can stay."
Otherwise, they'd probably blab everything to the whole school. Like things weren't bad enough as they were.
"Very well," Dumbledore said. "We have some choices to make, Mr. Malfoy. At this point, we have very little information about what happened to you. It could be that this will prove to be a one time occurrence. However, we have no guarantee of such a thing. Therefore, I am of the opinion that we have two basic choices on how to handle this. The first is to place you in isolation until we are able to determine the cause of this incident. If we follow this route, we should be able to work faster. However, as I have no idea how long such a matter would take, such a setup would have to be considered indefinite. It could even mean that you would be forced to repeat your sixth year, should the situation last that long."
"I'm not repeating my sixth year."
"Very well. The other option would be for you to return to class. All of the teachers will be instructed to watch for any unusual behavior on your part. If any is noted, you will be immediately placed in isolation until I believe the danger has passed. Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape will seek a solution to your problem as their time allows. Does that seem fair to you?"
"No," said Draco. "Fair would be if this had never happened to me in the first place."
"Very well. Does this seem reasonable, then?"
"It's better than nothing, I suppose."
"Very good. Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, thank you for your assistance in this matter. Mr. Malfoy, I would ask that Professor Snape take you to the Infirmary and then to your House. I suggest you not leave again today. "
"Yes, sir."
Author's note: Thanks for all the excellent feedback you guys have given me so far. I'm really glad to hear that people are enjoying this.
