Author's Note: Chapter 9 for you! So sorry I took a long time to update. Exams are coming up. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter guys! Really appreciate it and I love hearing from you guys so don't hesitate to drop a review or a constructive comment.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Of Amortentia and Duels

"Merlin, Gin, aren't you going to do anything about it?" Neville asked as they walked to Potions that morning. Ginny had just told him about her ordeal with Malfoy the night before.

"No," she said. "He's guilty and I'm going to use his guilt to my advantage."

Neville grinned and said no more, apparently satisfied with his answer. Before they entered the potions classroom, Seamus came running up to them.

"Where were you, mate?" Neville asked. Ginny thought Seamus looked rather flushed.

"Woke up late, that's all," he said, not looking them in the eye.

Neville shrugged and Ginny raised an eyebrow as they entered the potions classroom. They walked to their usual seats and settled down. Professor Slughorn was already in front of the classroom so after a few minutes of allowing the students to settle down, he began speaking.

"Now, now, students," he began. "Today we are going to brew something more interesting. I know the seventh years have all been shown Amortentia-"

The seventh years groaned. Ginny shared a look with Neville and smiled. A love potion. She thought it was kind of cool.

"-but the sixth years have not," Professor Slughorn said. "This time, I am not only going to show you the potion but you are going to make the potion yourself."

The classroom immediately buzzed with excitement. Even Ginny was a bit excited. She turned to say something to Seamus when she suddenly caught the cold, gray eyes of Draco Malfoy who was sitting next to Blaise Zabini. They made eye contact for a mere 2 seconds or so before Blaise tapped him on the shoulder to tell him something which forced him to turn away. Ginny raised an eyebrow and decided to just dismiss it.

"Instructions are on page 248 of your textbook and guidelines are on the board. You may start immediately."

Ginny opened her textbook and found the correct page. She read the instructions over and over carefully, took the required things and soon, she was up and busy stirring her cauldron. The guidelines on the board read that if brewed correctly, the potion was supposed to turn white and smooth at the 18th clockwise stir. Ginny counted and when she had reached her 18th stir, to her elation, the potion immediately turned white and smooth and it reminded her of fresh milk. She smiled.

She heard Neville grunt and she turned to look at his potion which, to her surprise, was a gooey, gray mixture which looked to Ginny like cement. She gave Neville a symphatetic smile which he returned with a groan. Professor Slughorn came up to them and shook his head at Neville's cauldron and immediately asked him to clean up and write an essay on Amortentia instead. He then looked at Ginny's cauldron and a look of pleasant surprise broke into his chubby face.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, excellent brewing again! 50 points to Gryffindor!' he exclaimed, making the other students look at her; the Gryffindors looked at Ginny with pride and wide grins while the Slytherins gave her dirty looks. 50 points and she wasn't even done with her potion yet. She was starting to really get fond of Professor Slughorn so she smiled and caught the raised eyebrow and scowl on Malfoy's face so she gave him the sweetest smile she could give him without having to throw up. He just turned away from her.

Ginny then proceeded with her potion and after adding essence of rose, her potion bubbled and this time, the instructions told her to stir 18 times anti-clockwise and at the 18th stir, the potion was supposed to turn a pearly sheen colour and after 18 stirs, it turned into just that. Ginny beamed at herself and took note of the smell that was wafting to her nostrils.

She took in the scent of fresh grass which reminded her of the quidditch field and the second smell, the smell of rich chocolate but it was at the last scent that she scrunched her forehead, trying hard to remember where she had smelled that musky, metallic scent that made her senses tingle quite pleasantly. She couldn't place the scent so in the end, she just took it to probably be Harry's scent. She immediately felt disheartened at the thought that she had already forgotten how he had smelled. She frowned at the thought of him and as usual, she began feeling worried and sick again.

Ginny, Neville and Seamus walked to the dungeons for Dark Arts with heavy hearts and a sick feeling in their guts, knowing the terror and evil that awaited them in that cold, dank classroom.

"Why isn't Professor McGonogall doing anything about Hogwarts now when we need her the most," Neville complained.

"If she does, she gets sent out of Hogwarts and there'll be no one from the Order to keep an eye on us," Ginny said.

"What do you think the Order's doing right now?" Neville asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Probably training or doing something to help Harry. I just wish I was out there with them, helping out, you know."

"Yeah, we're not exactly any safer here as we are out there," Neville said.

"My mother thinks so too but she knows she can trust Professor McGonogall and she knows that we aren't going to get killed here. They're trying not to spill too much magic blood."

Seamus looked kind of distracted and didn't join in on their conversation.

"Let's go inside before Carrow arrives. Wouldn't want to get crucio'ed again, would we?"

Ginny shrugged again. She knew things were only just starting to get worse.

And she was not wrong. For a few moments later, Professor Amycus strutted in, behind him yet another group of younger students looking pale and afraid. She wondered with anger what he planned to make them do this time. She glanced at the Slytherins, who were smirking and wolf-whistling with amusement but saw Draco sitting back on his chair with his arms crossed and his expression stoic and Blaise doing just the same. Professor Amycus' voice caught her attention.

"These students," he gestured at the line of students in the front of the classroom, "have gone against my rules knowingly."

He turned to one of them, a boy who appeared to be in 4th year Ravenclaw, and to everyone's surprise, backhanded him so hard that blood splurted out of the boy's mouth and he fell to the ground.

Ginny gasped and felt anger grip at her. She glanced down the line of students and saw that there were about 15 to 20 of them; most of them were Gryffindors, and only a few were from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw but there were none from Slytherin. She knew that was no coincidence.

"And you," he then turned to a Gryffindor whom Ginny knew was Marco Firth, Megan Firth's brother. She took a quick glance at Megan who was seated with two other girls with their arms around her shaking and pale form.

"You would do well not to mention the Undesirable No.1's name ever!" yelled Professor Amycus and Ginny swore she could see a vein throbbing in his temple. So that was it? Marco had mentioned Harry's name and he was being punished for it? He backhanded Marco hard not only once, but twice and caused Megan to give a loud yelp. She appeared to be on the verge of breaking into tears.

"Stop! Please stop!" she pleaded.

Professor Amycus slowly turned to her, eyes wide with anger and jaw clenched tightly. He glared at Megan, who glared back intently.

"You dare interrupt me!" he shouted to her face. "And you dare look me in the eye, glaring? Stand up and join your brother in front!"

Megan did what she was told, her demeanor strong but shaking.

Professor Amycus then adressed the whole classroom.

"Does anyone else wish to join her?" he asked, challenging them.

Silence.

And then, the screeching of a chair against the stone floor was heard and they all turned to the sound to see Neville and Seamus standing up. Everyone seemed surprise and the Slytherins were sniggering and shouting "Fool!" or "Idiots" at them.

Then, Ginny stood up and then Parvati stood up and soon, most of the Gryffindors were standing up and joining the students at the front of the classroom. The Slytherins were laughing and jeering at them and so was Professor Amycus, whose toothy grin was almost up to his ears.

"Ever the noble ones, you Gryffindors," he sneered. "Your nobility makes you look like idiots."

The slytherins cheered and jeered even louder. All except a few, namely Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

Draco was just sitting there, in the front row, his arms crossed and expression still stoic. He was looking at the now, huge group of students in front of the classroom, particularly at the red-head standing in between Neville and Seamus. Blaise looked mildly annoyed and interested at the same time.

"This is just perfect, don't you think?" Professor Amycus asked the Slytherins, who cheered in response. "No better time to practice the Cruciatus Curse than right now, don't you think?"

The Slytherins cheered even louder.

"Very well," he said. "Now, I choose Draco Malfoy to do the honor of casting the first Cruciatus Curse."

Everyone turned to stare at him while the Slytherins clapped and shouted their support and elation. Blaise looked at him and tilted his head as if to tell him that he had no choice. Draco exhaled exasperatedly and gripped his wand and stood up.

He scanned the group of students in front of him, deciding carefully which one to choose when Professor Amycus interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh no, Mr. Malfoy," he said, grinning. "I shall choose your victim for you."

Draco suddenly felt extremely annoyed but decided that it would probably spare him from having to make a decision but when Professor Amycus announced who he was going to curse, he felt like a 10 gallon stone was dropped onto his shoulders.

"Ginny Weasley," he announced, his voice smug and dripping with venom.

Neville and Seamus looked at Ginny with wide eyes but she just shrugged and stepped down and faced Draco and looked him in the eye. He could see no fear in her clear, brown eyes; only sheer anger and determination.

His mind was racing. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't hurt her so soon after he had just sent her to the dementors. He may appear cold and aloof to other people but he was still human. He still had feelings. He waited, hoping Professor Amycus would change his instructions. The stars must have been on Draco's side, for Professor Amycus did just that.

"Now, now, hold your horses, Draco," he said. "I know you must feel more than ready to hex this silly Weasley into oblivion."

Draco raised an eyebrow. Ready was the exact thing he was not.

"But I have a better idea," Professor Amycus said. He then grinned widely. "You duel."

Once again, the Slytherins broke into cheers while the group of students in the front of the classroom looked at each other in surprise and broke into curious murmurs and gasps..

Ginny stood there, baffled. Duel? Right now? Right here? Was he crazy? What if he killed her right then and there? A shiver ran down through her spine. This was bloody crazy. Insane.

Little did she know, the same thoughts were running through Draco's mind. He knew Ginny wouldn't mind getting hurt and shedding a little more blood but he thought it would be better to avoid it all the same but there was really no choice. He couldn't go against Professor Amycus' rules. That would just raise suspicion. Like he said, he just couldn't deal with that. He thought that the best thing to do was to go through with it. He knew Ginny would be thinking the same.

Before she knew it, the tables and chairs were already pushed to the walls, providing a wide, clear space for them to duel. Draco immediately walked to the center of the classroom. Ginny stood rooted on the spot.

He looked at her, eyebrows raised and a smirk adorning his sharp features, challenging her, daring her. Fury immediately replaced her anxiety as she took her place in front of Malfoy and faced him, jaw set and eyes flashing with fury.

They bowed to each other, wands gripped tightly in their hands, and then turned around to take ten steps away from each other. Ginny counted her steps carefully and when she stepped at ten, she turned around abruptly and for a a fraction of a second, their eyes met and she surprised Draco by yelling "Expelliarmus!" but Draco, who realized this not a second too soon, quickly blocked the spell and yelled "Stupefy!".

Ginny jumped to the side and avoided the spell and wasted no time muttering another spell. Draco, who was distracted by Ginny's fall, did not notice this and soon, bat-bogeys were flying around him and attacking him. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in the classroom erupted into laughter and began cheering loudly for Ginny. The Slytherins, on the other hand, began jeering at Ginny.

She wasted no time in using the distraction as she muttered "Expelliarmus!" and Draco's wand shot out of his hand. Draco flung his arms around him angrily, trying to swat the nasty creatures out of his way.

Bloody hell! he thought. If there was one hex that Ginny was an expert at, it was the Bat-bogey hex. He tried muttering "Accio wand!" and his wand flew back to him but before he could do anything, Ginny had shouted "Stupefy" and he became rigid and stiff as a board as he fell to the ground.

Damn it, he thought as he fought to break the magical bonds gripping him. The whole classroom sounded like a crowd from a quidditch arena during a quidditch final: defeaning and very much fired up. He stood up, now free from his bonds as he quickly raised his wand up to Ginny, who was already in a duelling stance, her wand raised as well and her eyes portrayed amusement. It was her turn to challenge him now.

He was beginning to get really furious now, what with the added taunts and jeers of the other houses but he knew better than to let them get to him. Ginny stood there in front of him, both their wands raised and pointed at each other.

Suddenly, the classroom seemed to spin and a bright coloured light erupted from somewhere behind him. A hush was spread across the crowd as he watched the horrifying scene unfold in front of him.

Ginny was kneeling on the cold, stone floor. Her blazing red hair hiding her face like a curtain as her back rose and fell heavily as she breathed. She was clutching her stomach tightly and she raised her hand and to her horror saw bright red liquid smeared on her hand. Her breaths were short and ragged now and she turned her head to look at Draco, her eyes pleading and piercing at the same time as if to ask him 'What have you done?' and then, without warning, she collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Draco had never felt more confused in his life.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling.