Misconception
Disclaimer: Harry Potter? I own nothing of the sort!
Author's Note: Sorry for the long update. Here it is: chapter four. There's not a lot of action in this one, just information that may or may not be vital to future chapters (depends on my mood) Haha. I promise there will be more Draco/Ginny action in the next chapter. Oh yeah, and I didn't proofread this chapter that well, so beware of grammatical mistakes,etc.
Chapter 4: The Interrogation
It was just an hour after the meeting of the Unknown. Draco was quickly making his way to the headmaster's office. The castle was seemingly empty because everyone, with the exception of first and second years, was enjoying their trip at Hogsmeade. His foot steps echoed, as he walked down the empty corridor. Finally, he arrived at the statue of the gargoyle, which stood tall and proud at the entranceway.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," muttered Draco.
The gargoyle sprang to life and revealed a stairway, which started spiraling upwards. Quickly, Draco stepped on the steps and waited until the stairs reached the top. When it came to a stop, Draco went inside Dumbledore's office. To his surprise, he found it empty. He looked around the office in great bewilderment. The many portraits of past headmasters were sleeping soundly and did not notice Draco in the office. Dumbledore's strange looking instruments and things remained untouched and motionless.
Fawkes, the phoenix, was perched next to Dumbledore's desk. He was watching Draco intently. Deciding the only option was to wait for the headmaster, Draco plopped down on the seat in front of Dumbledore's desk. He sighed as he looked around the office once more. Fawkes made a soft coo, as Draco heard the door of the office opening. He did not turn his head, for he knew it was Dumbledore.
"Hello, young Malfoy, I see you've decided not to go to Hogsmeade," came Dumbledore's voice from behind.
Draco smirked and turned his head. The headmaster was slowly walking towards him, with the same twinkle in his eyes. Dumbledore finally sat down at his desk and put his hands together.
"Is Hogsmeade losing its touch?" asked Dumbledore.
Draco shrugged and said, "I went for an hour and stayed mostly by the Shrieking Shack."
There was a pause, and Dumbledore looked at Draco. He caught something and smiled. "I know there is more to this, young Malfoy." he said.
"That," said Draco, "is correct."
Dumbledore nodded and told him to go on. No one would be able to hear anything, for the office of Dumbledore was completely sound proof from the outside. With a wave of a wand, Dumbledore locked the office door, so no one could barge in during the middle of the conversation.
"Blaise Zabini informed me that an Unknown wished to see me today at three, next to the Shrieking Shack. The Unknown didn't really say much. He said that the Dark Lord is getting suspicious of spies within the Death Eaters, and he's planning on administering Veritaserum to anyone who acts like a spy. The prisoners that they've captured have fought the truth potion, and they remain completely loyal to you. As a result to that, they've decided to torture families…" explained Draco in an almost careless tone.
Dumbledore remained expressionless, but the twinkle in his eye was gone. He looked relatively calm and did not think of it as much.
"Was there anything else?" he asked.
"No," said Draco, rolling his eyes at the thought of it. "The Unknown left because Ginny Weasley decided to show up."
Dumbledore frowned and said, "Did Miss Weasley see anything?"
Draco shook his head. He hesitated a moment and asked, "Has anything—er—dramatic happened to the Weasley family recently?"
Dumbledore sighed and said, "Charlie Weasley was severely injured in the most recent battle, and he's fighting to recover."
A battle had occurred near the Ministry of Magic in France. It was sudden, and the army did not expect Voldemort's army of Death Eaters to attack with so many. Many people were killed and many more were injured. The Death Eaters had taken over the Ministry of France when the battle was over.
The headmaster was quiet for a moment. He looked like he was in deep thought, and Draco did not interrupt the silence. Finally, Dumbledore bid him leave and told him to rest. Draco obliged and left the office.
The next day, Dumbledore left Hogwarts to attend business for the Order.
Draco was leaning against a tree next to the lake. The sun was just about to set, and the sky turned a shade of red and orange. The lake looked more like the sea, from where Draco was standing; it was endless. The sun slowly sank, showering millions of sparkles onto the lake. The peace was ruined by a slight burn igniting from the Dark Mark. Draco winced a little. It stopped. The Dark Lord was probably feeling a bit moody. Draco rolled his eyes at the thought.
He continued to watch the sunset. His thoughts were on the war and how glad he would be when it came to an end. He would no longer be a Death Eater, and he would not longer have to endure the burn that came every once in a while from the Dark Mark….
"Oy, Malfoy!"
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. He looked behind him and saw Blaise walking down the hill towards him. When Blaise was beside him, Draco nodded an acknowledgement.
"I didn't see you at all yesterday," said Blaise, lighting up a cigarette in his mouth casually. "How did it go?"
"The Dark Lord suspects spies now." replied Draco monotonously. "And he wants to torture more families."
Blaise grinned, as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. Draco looked back at the lake, with no expression on his face. He just wanted to be left alone. A silence settled between them. Blaise was looking out at the lake too, occasionally inhaling from his cigarette. He flicked the ash off the tip of his cigarette and reached into his pocket.
"You know, I'm surprised that the Muggles haven't noticed anything yet." began Blaise conversationally.
"That's because they never notice anything," snapped Draco, irritated at the fact that Blaise was still standing there.
"When do you think the Dark Lord will start the kidnappings of the, ah, selected few here?" said Blaise.
Draco paused for a moment and turned his head to face Blaise. "I honestly don't think it will ever happen, not while they're in Hogwarts."
"Why?" asked Blaise, raising an eyebrow.
Draco rolled his eyes irritably. Moron. "Because," said Draco, impatiently, "Dumbledore is the only wizard he's been afraid of. The Dark Lord won't admit it, but I think it's pretty obvious that he's scared shitless of the old man."
Blaise stopped smoking and stared at Draco. Draco shrugged and looked at the lake again. There was a stretch of silence that lasted for what seemed like forever. However, Blaise finally gave a small chuckle and pulled out a cigarette from the pack. From the corner of his eyes, Draco could see Blaise vaguely examining the cigarette and then handing it to Draco. He narrowed his eyes but saw nothing suspicious of the cigarette. However, the truth potion was transparent. He did not trust Blaise, especially not after what he just said about the Dark Lord.
"I quit." said Draco, curtly.
He looked at Blaise straight in the face, and he could have sworn he saw a mere second of disappointment in his eyes.
"I just saw you smoking yesterday."
"Yeah, well," said Draco. "I decided I wanted to keep my lungs."
"Are you sure?" inquired Blaise, in an almost persuading manner. "You used to smoke packs during the summer."
"I can't sleep as it is." snapped Draco.
"I see."
Blaise pocketed the pack of cigarettes and threw his own on the ground. He stepped on it and said, "So who do you think is winning?"
"We are, of course." said Draco, automatically. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Blaise change his expression. Draco spoke too soon. Quickly, he added, in a drawling tone, "The Order stands no chance against us. They're fighting for a lost cause already."
Blaise was satisfied with the answer. "The last battle definitely gained more power to the Death Eaters. I was there, you know. Bloody battle, that was."
"Kill anyone?" asked Draco, pretending to be interested.
"Not sure, really." said Blaise, frowning as if trying to remember. "I did injure this one wizard pretty badly…" He smirked.
Draco nodded. The sun was nearly halfway down the lake..
"Have you ever killed anyone?" asked Blaise like it was a question to be asked in small talk.
"No," said Draco curtly.
"Why not?"
"I was never ordered to do the killings. I've only tortured the prisoners…" said Draco, trailing off. He hated talking about the torturing. The screams were the most horrific sounds to hear, and the sight was unbearable at times. However, these feelings were all inside of Draco. None of these feelings were ever shown on the outside. He was cold and tortured with no mercy.
"Do you ever feel bad?" drawled Blaise. Draco could see that Blaise was anticipating an answer.
"No." he replied, coldly.
He was sure that Blaise was interrogating him under someone's orders. That or he was suspicious of Draco. What Blaise said next confirmed his suspicions of interrogation—
"Why were you in Dumbledore's office yesterday?" asked Blaise.
"Why must you know everything that goes on in my life?" retaliated Draco. "I'm sorry, but last time I checked, I was straight and single."
"I'm not the only one wondering why you're always there."
Draco stiffened slightly and said, "He wanted to see me about some Head Boy duties…"
"How come the Mudblood wasn't there with you? She's Head Girl, is she not?" asked Blaise.
Draco quickly came up with a clever come back, "Use your head, Zabini. Obviously, I've been doing something wrong, which is why he called me in."
"What were you doing wrong?"
"What's the point, Zabini?" snapped Draco, furiously. "What do you want to know?"
Blaise acted innocent. "What? I'm just asking--"
"You're asking a bit too much," interrupted Draco.
The sun was barely visible. However, the shades of orange and red still lingered in the sky. The stars, one by one, came to life in the dusk. Draco glared at Blaise, as the sun slowly disappeared behind the lake.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" asked Blaise, staring at him incredulously.
Draco scoffed and said, "Don't act stupid. You've decided to interrogate me single-handedly; or did someone order you?"
Blaise did not answer right away. However, his expression changed smugly, and he said in a calm tone, "I want the truth."
"And I've told you the truth."
"Have you?" said Blaise.
"I don't know; why don't you give me some Veritaserum, and we'll find out." said Draco coolly, matching Blaise's tone.
Blaise opened and closed his mouth. He smiled and reached into his pocket. The same cigarette was pulled out from his pocket, and he handed it to Draco. Draco narrowed his eyes at it and made no attempt to take it away from Blaise.
"I'm not going to take it, Zabini," sneered Draco, "Why would I willingly put myself under Veritaserum?"
"Is it filled with Veritaserum?" retorted Blaise.
"I have every reason to believe it is."
A stretch of silence came over them again. Blaise cleared his throat and said quietly, "If you are telling the truth, you would have no problem taking the cigarette with Veritaserum. You aren't going to take the cigarette because you're hiding something."
"Okay, you keep believing that." said Draco. "I, on the other hand, have better things to worry about."
Blaise did not reply. Draco continued, "And why would I betray the Dark Lord? My own father is one of the head Death Eaters. Honestly, Zabini, use your fucking head."
Blaise opened his mouth to retort, but a high pitched voice interrupted him. It was Pansy. She was waving excitedly to Blaise and Draco, and Crabbe and Goyle were trailing behind. Draco rolled his eyes and groaned inwardly at the thought of dealing with more idiots. They gathered around and began making small talk as usual. Pansy wrapped her arm around Blaise's.
"Dinner is about to be served," said Crabbe, slowly.
"What are you two doing out here?" asked Pansy, ignoring Crabbe's comment and resting her head on Blaise's shoulder.
Blaise glared at Draco for a second. However, he changed his expression and said, "We're having a nice chat about Quidditch and the weather."
"Here come Weasley and Loony…" said Goyle, laughing stupidly.
Pansy turned her head and smiled slyly. Ginny Weasly and Luna Lovegood were chatting and walking towards the lake, oblivious of the crowd of Slytherins already there.
"This will be fun…" purred Pansy in a rather evil way.
"Hey Weasley! Nice secondhand robe you got there! Is being tattered the new style for Muggles?" called Pansy tauntingly.
Draco rolled his eyes and began, "Pansy, please grow-- "
However, before Draco could even finish reprimanding, Pansy and the others started walking toward them. Draco slowly followed, a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth. If they were going to be hexed, Draco wanted to witness it. He still remembered the Bat Bogey Hex the stupid Weasley had put on in him in fifth year…
Ginny glared at them, but she made no effort to retort back. Instead, she started walking faster, away from them. Luna was following her, in an almost dreamlike state.
"Don't walk away when I'm talking to you, Weasley," said Pansy, trailing along.
"Is your brother dead yet?" drawled Blaise, smirking.
Ginny stopped dead in her tracks; so did the Slytherins and Luna. Draco was taken aback by Blaise's comment about the Weasley. Ginny slowly turned around; her whole body was trembling with anger. Luna, seeing this, immediately grabbed her arm and shook her head warningly. Ginny jerked her arm away from her and did not heed her warning.
"What did you say?" she said in a low and dangerous voice.
"He asked if your brother was dead yet." supplied Crabbe stupidly.
Before another breath was even uttered, the Weasley quickly pulled out her wand and pointed it at Blaise.
Draco smirked at the picture of Blaise with a bunch of bats on his face. However, he doubted the Weasley was going to perform that hex. She looked dangerous and ready to kill. He could see tears sparkling in her eyes, along with the hatred she felt for all Death Eaters. Blaise smirked but did not move.
"Go ahead and hex him, Weasley," encouraged Draco, hoping to see Blaise physically injured.
"And I'll hex you afterwards, Malfoy." retorted the redhead fiercely.
"We'll see who ends up in the hospital wing..." sneered Draco.
Quickly, Blaise pulled out his wand and pointed it at Ginny. Luna had her wand out, too.
"If you dare make one move, Zabini, I will curse you with one of the foulest hexes!" said Luna angrily. Draco was surprised. Upon first impression, he thought Luna was rather--well, how could he say it?--"out of it." She was always absorbed in some other dream world. This was the first time that Luna acted like she was living in reality.
Ginny did not back down much to Draco's surprise. She held the same composure; her grip on the wand was firm and steady. Draco had no notion of getting his wand out; he found it rather pointless. If he was caught with his wand out, his position as Head Boy would certainly be taken away. As much as Draco told himself that the Head Boy position was not a big deal, he did not want his badge to be taken away over something this trivial.
"Let it go, Weasley." said Draco.
"Shut up, Malfoy." hissed Ginny, her eyes glaring at him with the same hatred she held for Zabini.
Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle backed away and started to watch with great interest from a distance.
"You know, I could have killed your brother…" said Blaise in a low tone that was barely audible. However, all of them heard it, including Draco. Again, he was very taken aback by this. Draco stared in disbelief. He knew Blaise was in the battle; he had just informed him. However, he had no idea that he was the one that injured Charlie Weasley to his state.
"You did it?" burst out Draco before he could control himself.
However, before Blaise had time to answer, Ginny had tackled him to the floor. Without giving much thought, Draco dived in and pulled Ginny away from Blaise, before he had a chance to hurt her.
"You bastard!" she screamed with a strangled sob. She tried to wrench herself away from Draco's grasp, but it proved useless. Draco had a firm grip around her waist. If she attacked Blaise, he would attack right back.
"We're done here."said Draco, firmly. "This has gone too far…I can't let this happen—as---as Head Boy." He finished lamely.
"Since when have you complied with the rules?" snarled Blaise furiously, as he got up from the ground. He pointed at Ginny accusingly. "That bloody Weasley just attacked me!"
"Just leave, Zabini," said Draco, still not letting go of Ginny, who was sobbing quietly and weakly clinging on to Draco's arm to stand up. Luna was standing behind him, in a speechless state of shock. She was looking wide-eyed at Draco in a sort of odd way that made him feel rather uncomfortable.
Pansy was eyeing Ginny with jealousy and said, "And what are you going to do with the Weasley?"
"That," snapped Draco, "is none of your business. All of you--leave before I report this to Snape."
"He wouldn't care." argued Blaise. "You can't do anything about it, Malfoy."
"Watch me." said Draco threateningly.
Blaise paused and said incredulously, "Why are you even defending a Weasley and this lunatic?"
"I'm not defending them."said Draco defiantly. Draco added, smirking, "I just didn't want to see you get beat up by a girl."
Luna giggled quietly at this, but Ginny was still in Draco's grasp, making sniffing sounds. Her face was tear stained, and she looked slightly dazed. Blaise glared at Draco and beckoned Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle to follow him. Draco watched them walk up the hill and into the castle doors of Hogwarts. Draco let out a quiet sigh of relief that was inaudible.
It was out of impulse when I pulled the Weasley away from Blaise. I was shocked at the fact that Blaise was the one that made the other Weasley a wreck. The young Weasley looked like she was on the verge of breakdown at the mention of her brother's name. I didn't want to pull her away; but if she was hurt, Dumbledore would have held me responsible. Working for the Order has made me soft—I can't believe I just helped a Weasley and her stupid little friend, who's obviously insane—why the hell is she still staring at me?