Chapter Eleven
"You're pathetic."
"I am not!"
"Colin, if you weren't pathetic you would have asked her out by now." Ginny and Colin were sitting on the Hogwarts Express waiting for Luna to come back from the Loo, and Ginny had decided they needed to have a serious discussion.
"That's not true! I just, wanted to give her time to get over her accident." His face was turning a rather interesting shade of pink.
"Oh for God's sake, she was hit by a beauty charm! It's not like she fell off the astronomy tower and has a horrible deformity. Just bloody ask her out, I'm going to go find Draco; I'll see you in a bit." Ginny walked out of the compartment before Colin could protest and he was left sitting with an unhappy look painted on his face.
His head snapped up when he heard the door open again and saw Luna sit across from him. He could barely keep his eyes off her, or his thoughts.
"Hello again." Luna smiled at him dreamily.
"Hey Luna." He replied, feeling miserable.
The silence was a little awkward, but only because Colin felt it should be, there was no way to tell how Luna felt about it. It stretched, first for one minute, then two, until a full five agonizing minutes had passed.
"Are you okay Colin?" Luna's lilting voice was concerned.
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." Colin loosened his tie a little.
"If you're sure." She pushed a piece of hair behind her ears.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Had his voice just squeaked? 'Okay, you can do this Colin, you can. It isn't that hard, just say you like her, just say it. Oh for God's sake DO something Colin!' His thoughts were frantic, he was sure sweat was dripping down his face, he was so nervous.
Colin got up and walked to the window, it was a sunny day for once, and the landscape flashing by had a golden tint. He took a few deep breaths; this wasn't a big deal, not at all. He turned around.
Before he even had a chance to say anything Luna had stood up and was standing right in front of him. Her sudden proximity stole his breath away, and he felt his throat tighten in response to feeling her on his face. She had fixed her large, stormy eyes on his blue ones, hers were worried.
Something inside Colin clicked. "Luna, I would like to tell you something." The formal sound of his words inwardly made him flinch.
"Hmm, that's odd; I was going to say much the same thing. Perhaps there's a Demiguise in here, new research has said that they have mind control powers as well as the ability to become invisible. Anyway, you go first."
Colin felt himself grinning as he listened to her familiar rambling, it was so irresistibly Luna-ish.
"Umm, well, I didn't know if you knew but I thought maybe I'd just let you know that I, uh, really…Well I really l-like you." He was close to hyperventilating and fighting desperately to appear calm and confident and not like he was about to pass out.
Luna's smile broadened. "There's most definitely a Demiguise in here, I wanted to tell you the same."
"Really?" Outside, if Colin had bothered to look, the landscape was slowing and the train station was coming into view signaling that he had about a minute and a half to get his trunk and get off the train.
"Really." Luna leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I have to go though, my trunk somehow has disappeared. I'll see you in two weeks Colin, but please write." She smiled at him again and turned to go out the door. "Oh, and I did know you liked me, Ginny left your journal on her bed and it happened to be open."
Colin's jaw had dropped in horror to which Luna simply laughed and left.
As the train pulled into Platform 9 and ¾ Ginny found herself desperately trying to convince Draco to say goodbye to her on the train and not the platform. She had caught a glimpse of Hermione's hair through the window.
"Really Draco, I'm sorry but I'm still not ready for my family to know."
"Ginny, we've been going out for over two months; don't you think we should tell them?" Draco looked hurt and Ginny wondered if he actually was. She was still pretending to be crazy about him so he had no idea she knew what he was planning.
He also didn't know that she had slipped the letter out of his pocket five minutes ago.
"Not yet, please?" She pleaded.
Draco sighed but nodded. "Alright then. These two weeks are going to be torture without Gin, I'll write you every day."
Ginny smiled and reached up to kiss him lightly. "Same here. It won't be so bad, and a little time away will just make seeing you again all that much better."
He smiled with genuine happiness it seemed, Ginny hadn't seen him smirking at anyone in a long time, unless he was teasing her.
"Till we meet again then." He kissed her again and let her leave, watching her red hair swing back and forth as she walked away.
Blaise predictably stepped in at just that moment. "You really are in love with her aren't you?"
Draco looked at him. "The Dark Lord comes first." A frown settled over his features. "But yeah, I think I do."
"I warned you." Blaise smirked. "I loved your little bit about wanting to tell her family, very convincing."
"I know, it was a brilliant little idea that went off perfectly. After the holidays I'm going to have to get serious though. If this is going to work I have to bring her around to our way of thinking."
"I'm always watching, waiting to step in if I have to you know."
"I'm aware of that. The Dark Lord does think of everything, when this succeeds though, he'll never doubt me again."
"Ginny!" As soon as Ginny had located her family Hermione had rushed forward and enveloped her in tight hug.
"Hermione, it's so good to see you." She replied hugging her back even tighter. "I really missed you these past few months."
"We missed you too." Ron got her next and then she awkwardly gave Harry a quick hug and rushed to her mother's side.
"Shall we go then?" Ginny wanted to get off the Platform before anyone noticed the Trio and said something about the events of the past few months. For the biggest subject of gossip lately had been the scandalous relationship between the youngest Weasly and Slytherin's own prince, and everyone had an opinion on how the Golden Trio was taking it. Apparently Hogwarts' students had all assumed that they knew.
"Sure, the Ministry cars are waiting just outside in the parking lot."
When they had reached the Burrow Ginny felt a great load fall off her shoulders as she walked in the door and smelled the familiar scents of home. She breathed deeply and pointed herself in the direction of the stairs to put her trunk away.
"I've got it." Harry whipped out his wand and levitated it up the stairs, soon disappearing form view. She felt stricken, and suddenly her load returned and gained a few pounds, she was going to have to lie everyone now, not just the Trio but Draco too, and she hated to do it.
She caught Hermione looking at her and quickly wiped her expression of emotion, she had become rather good at that from watching Draco.
When Harry returned, Ginny forced herself to look at him properly. His hair was messy as usual and he still wore glasses and his scar still peeked out at her endearingly. She wanted to look away, to not notice how his shoulders were slumped and how weary his eyes seemed, as if he was too tired to stand. Never the less he caught her eye and smiled in a way that made her want to break down and cry right there, that smile was obviously his first since he had left her under the Beech tree those few months ago.
Mrs. Weasly bustled them all into the kitchen and insisted that they have a cup of tea and some biscuits after traveling all day. When they had sat and were happily sipping tea and in Ron's case wolfing down biscuits, Mrs. Weasly beamed at them.
"I'm so glad to have all of you back home and safe again, I've been worried sick ever since you left and not a moment has gone by when I wasn't thinking of you lot. I even added Harry and Hermione onto the clock."
Ron just grinned, Harry and Hermione however looked stunned and then had an enthusiastic conversation with Molly about how happy they were to be considered part of the family and so on. Ginny nearly screamed; so it was back to this then. Her mum was going to be completely absorbed in those three and Ginny would be an after thought. Of course.
A few minutes later Molly spoke again. "Did you know that Ginny's taking all seventh year classes now? She'll even be taking the N.E.W.T.S. at the end of term! Arthur and I are exceedingly proud of her."
Ginny almost fell out of her chair.
"You didn't tell us! Ginny this is great; you could have at least hinted that you were on the same level as us." Hermione was grinning.
"Yeah Gin, you should have said something." Ron tugged on a piece of her hair.
"I well, I guess I sort of forgot." Ginny replied lamely.
"Forgot? I don't how you could have forgotten something as important as that." Ron took another sip of tea.
"There's just been so much going on, I suppose I didn't think it was important." She resolutely stared into her tea, not wanting to look at any of them.
"So how is Hogwarts Ginny? There weren't too many students when we visited; I was surprised by some who were there though." Harry said.
"What do you mean Harry? I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary." Hermione asked.
"So you didn't see Malfoy then." He said grimly.
"Malfoy's there? Who in their right mind would let him come back?!" Ron looked furious. "Ginny's been in classes with that murderer all year?"
Ginny was panicking, she had so hoped that this wouldn't come up. Her mind was racing; if they knew he was there surely Harry was going to be suspicious that she hadn't mentioned it. Sure enough that question came next.
"Why didn't you say anything Ginny?" Mrs. Weasly looked worried.
"I didn't think it was important, so I just never thought to tell you." She mumbled.
"It seems there's a lot you don't think is important." Harry was looking at her with a puzzled expression. Ginny became very angry all of a sudden, why did they think they had the right to interrogate her? She stood up and slammed her chair back.
"Look, you don't tell me every thing, you never have! So why should I have to give you a complete and detailed summary of my life? Well I don't have to and I don't think you need to know every little thing that I know or do. Just back off okay!" She glared at each of them and then stomped up the stairs.
Everyone at the table was stunned into silence for a moment. Then the quiet was broken.
"What's gotten into her?" Ron asked incredulously.
"I have no idea." Harry replied. They both looked at Hermione.
"I do." She got up and followed Ginny to her room. Hermione hesitated outside Ginny's door, but then she knocked.
"Go away," came the muffled response.
"No, open this door this instant Ginerva Weasly, we need to talk." Hermione waited for a few moments before opening the door herself and walking in. The angry red head was stretched across her bed staring at the ceiling. She didn't even glance at Hermione as she walked in.
"What do you want?"
"Well, mostly an explanation, but I think you aren't going to give me one, so I'll do the talking." Hermione said, Ginny merely snorted.
"I've been thinking Gin, and I know you're mad at us, more importantly you're furious with Harry and you have been since that day in Diagon Alley. You haven't let that though, you haven't said a word. So I think you're doing something else with your anger. I don't know what you're playing at, but you kept a few secrets about who's in school and what classes you're taking. That isn't a big deal, but I think you're keeping something bigger from us, something that could mean life or death eventually." Hermione's eyes were flashing as she accused Ginny.
"You think so?" Ginny's voice was contemptuous.
"Yeah, I do."
"Well you're wrong Miss Granger, for once, you are wrong." She stood and faced Hermione head on. "Even if you were right, I wouldn't break down and tell you just because you guessed that I was keeping a secret. I'm stronger than you think."
"I'm not questioning your strength."
"Then what are you questioning?"
"Your loyalty." Hermione said coldly.
Ginny just stared at her for a moment. How close she had come to the truth, how amazingly near she was to figuring out that Ginny was betraying everyone. She was so close, but she didn't want to believe it. Ginny decided to use that against her.
"Just because I'm angry doesn't mean I would be disloyal to you guys. I'm sorry you don't trust me Hermione, but I've always known that since you don't think you can trust me, I can't trust you."
Hermione could only stand there; she didn't know what to say. "You can leave now." Ginny pointed to the door. She turned, glanced back at Ginny's cold eyes, and left.
A few minutes later Ginny remembered that she had Draco's letter in her pocket. She glanced at the door, and then sat on her window seat to catch some light. She pulled out the letter, and looked at the broken seal. It was black, and the wax had been stamped with a skull and snake. Slowly, she opened it.
Draco,
I would like to offer you my condolences for the loss of your father in that horrible accident a few weeks ago. What were the chances that his particular cell in Azakaban would be hit by a bolt of lightning in such a short storm? Truly, it was terribly unfortunate. However, as we both know, accidents happen.
This fact, after much thought, has let me come to the decision to let you right your mistake last year in failing to kill Dumbledore. That too was an unfortunate accident. So I'm granting you a second chance.
As I'm sure you've become aware, the final battle between Potter and I is coming close. I will not allow that sniveling half-blood traitor to defeat me. Do not doubt that I could beat him without any help, for what is he compared to my greatness and power? I do believe in insurance though, and it is well known that his friends are more insurance than we have previously believed.
So here is where you come in. Potter has one vital weakness, and you are going to help me exploit it. He is quite in love with Miss Ginny Weasly, it is up to you to turn her against him and bring her to our side. It will be quite easy to use her to distract Potter at the crucial moment; it will provide the perfect opportunity to bring him down with the least amount of effort possible.
She must not know what you are doing at first, you must appear friendly, remorseful even of your previous ways. You will befriend her, and if necessary make her fall in love with you if that's what it takes to convince her that she wants Potter dead. Do what you have to, and remember that secrecy is of the utmost importance.
I will not tolerate another failure.
Your Master, Lord Voldemort
A/N I think I'll leave you here for now, review!
