The Ferret Weasel Experience: Chapter eight
A quick recap:
Draco, who had been watching the whole exchange with a smirk on his face finally added in his two cents. "Well, that was sweet."
"Shut up you," Ginny said and pushed him over playfully then ran away giggling much like Thalia had.
"I'll catch you, Ginny!" Draco called and set off after her.
"No, you won't!"
"Watch me!" Draco returned as he caught up to her and grabbed her by the waist. He lowered her to the ground before sitting on her.
"What are you going to do now?" Draco sat with his legs on either side of Ginny's torso, throwing a taunting glance down at her. She was effectively pinned to the ground.
"Hope you'll be nice and get your bony arse off me?" Ginny fluttered her eyelashes. The sweet schtick always worked on her eldest brothers. It wouldn't hurt to try it out in this situation, she mused.
"Nope. Not unless you ask me in an even nicer way."
"Can you pretty please with pumpkins on top, get your not bony arse off me?"
"Well... I guess so." Draco said and stood up off her. Ginny mockingly took in a big gasping breath as if the blonde was extremely heavy. Muttering sarcastically his amusement, Draco then proceeded to help her up before going to sit on the couch, lounging back comfortably.
"When will we start on those scrolls?" Ginny asked. She was getting tired of waiting. If it weren't for Dumbledore wishing that they work as a team, she'd have already gotten started.
"Now I guess? If you're not busy, that is. I think that they are in the order that we have to look at them."
The pair went and opened the first scroll. Dumbledore gave them the impression that it was written in another language that few understood but to them it appeared in plain English.
"Do you think we should recopy these? So that Dumbledore can read it? I'm guessing that he'd like to be aware of our progress."
"I think that we should recopy it then read what it says. Perhaps we can discover this Chamber thing for ourselves before we let him in on the secret. No shame in keeping all the glory for ourselves."
"Draco! That's crazy. He always knows everything that happens. There is no way he won't know what we are doing. It seems no matter what happens at Hogwarts, Dumbledore always has an inkling."
"Oh, but there is."
"How?"
"I read it in Hogwarts: A History when I was about six, maybe seven, that this room is warded. Which means that the Headmaster doesn't know what's going on if we don't want him to. And, in this particular case, we don't."
Sensing that he was going to insist, Ginny agreed. There was no sense battling him on this. Secretly, she liked the idea of discovering it all before sharing it with Dumbledore.
"Ok, let's get on with this," Ginny said and the pair began to work.
After an hour, Ginny has re-copied the first scroll and Draco the second one. When they read the first scroll they came across a simple, yet riddled, set of directions.
To find the first clue to the Chamber Within
You must follow these steps, inscribed herein.
Find a portrait of the founders four,
Who still watch over, yet are no more.
They will not be in human form,
So watch out, you have been warned.
Next find the key in the dark dungeons deep,
Ever protected by a dragon that is fast asleep.
After those steps, you'll find some more,
After you open the portrait, which conceals a trapdoor.
"I wonder if we should do that. Should we tell Dumbledore?" asked Ginny, biting her lip and looking at Draco. She did want to discover things for herself, but she didn't like being deceitful.
"I thought we discussed this. We'll follow the instructions and see where it leads us."
"Oh, all right. But it's getting late. I want to go to sleep. Good night. We'll look at scroll two tomorrow? I don't think I could do any more work right now."
"All right," agreed Draco. "Good night, Ginny."
"Night," she said and walked up the stairs.
Although Draco had agreed to wait, he didn't. He was a Malfoy and an impatient one at that. So he looked at the second scroll. This one was even more confusing than the last.
From the tops of the towers to the ends of the grounds,
There are still many mysteries that shall abound.
This shall be puzzling until the founders are found,
From their perch on the floor titled the ground.
Draco instantly felt guilty for looking. Which was decidedly uncharacteristic for him. He decided then and there that Ginny would never know what happened. Draco, feeling tired, walked up the stairs and flopped on his bed, falling asleep instantly. He didn't even bother to remove his shoes.
After Ginny awoke to the sounds of Celestina Warbeck on her Wizarding Wireless Network Alarm, she hurriedly got up and dressed for the day. She then looked at the time and headed down the stairs. There was time enough for Ginny to go for a quick breakfast and then head to their first and only class of the day. Sixth years from Gryffindor and Slytherin. This would be awkward for Ginny. Very awkward considering she'd shared a dorm room with some of them for five years.
Seeing that Draco was not up yet she hollered up towards his room. When he didn't answer she whispered a jinx that would make a bucket of cold water spill on his head. Growing up with Fred and George had its perks it would seem. Within a second all you could hear was Draco's scream of "WEASLEY!" and Ginny's giggle. Now that Draco was awake Ginny headed down to breakfast with a smug grin on her face and a bounce in her step.
"Good grief... that woman will be the death of me. The nerve of pouring water on me. Bloody woman. I wonder if she knows I read the second scroll... I hope not. Perhaps that's what the water was for," Draco mumbled and grumbled. He thought that was the case until he looked at the clock, which read 'Late for breakfast'
"Shit, I'm late," he said, dressed quickly and impeccably before running down to the Great Hall.
When Draco arrived Ginny was sitting calmly as ever eating her breakfast.
"How nice of you to join us Draco."
"Ha ha ha. That thing was the water was cruel! Where'd you learn that? It's positively Slytherin-like."
"Not my fault it seemed like a good way to wake you up, Sleeping Beauty. And living with Fred and George Weasley has some perks. "
"Who's Sleeping Beauty?"
"You don't know?" asked Ginny in a shocked voice.
"No. Should I know?"
"Yes! You should."
"Then enlighten me."
"Well, she is a Muggle storybook character. When she was born some fairies gave her gifts. Three or four of them gave her nice gifts, but an evil fairy gave her a gift that she was going to poke her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Since one fairy hadn't given her a gift yet, she made it so she just falls asleep for a long time. At least, until her prince charming comes and gives her true loves first kiss. She pokes her finger on a spinning wheel. Everyone in her kingdom then falls asleep for a hundred years when prince charming goes and kisses her from her deep sleep. Everyone then wakes up. They all live happily ever after."
"Well, at least someone does."
"Does what?"
"Lives "happily ever after."
"Well only in Fairy Tales, as Muggles call them."
Draco quickly looked at the clock in the Great Hall. It was telling them it was time to head to class. Teachers included.
After the sixth years filed into class, Ginny was fixed with a look of utmost loathing. All her former friends were giving her the evil eye. They thought it was her fault that she was smart and got put a year ahead. In part, she supposed it was. But it was also some of Tom Riddles fault. You can't have an evil genius live in your head and not learn something. Evil or not, Riddle definitely had brains.
Draco must have sensed Ginny's discomfort as he took charge.
"Hello, class. I am Professor Malfoy and that over there is Professor Weasley."
"You aren't a professor. You're just students that Dumbledore has doing the job because he couldn't find anyone else to take the jinxed position," said a rather rude Slytherin by the name of Alexander Flint, brother of Marcus Flint. Who was no less disgusting looking than the latter mentioned brother.
"Thirty points from Slytherin Mr. Flint. Now just shut it and listen." Ginny said, trying her best to affix a teacher-like glare to her face.
"And I suppose a little poor Muggle-loving Weasley like yourself is going to stop me?" Marcus taunted. He seemed to be quite amused at the current situation.
"No. She won't, but I will Mr. Flint," Draco said. "And if I hear one more word out of any of you, you will have fifty points removed along with a week detention with Filch. Do I make myself clear?"
"Of course, Malfoy. We wouldn't want anyone to hurt your new little plaything," said Alexander Flint.
"That is enough Mr. Flint," Ginny said. "Fifty points from Slytherin." At that, all the Slytherins had groaned. They had lost eighty points within the first few minutes of class. That had to be a record.
"Oh and Mr. Flint, report to your detention at nine. I'll tell Filch to expect you. Also, it's Professor Malfoy to you," Draco added, trying, and failing not to look too smug.
