Chapter Eight: Severus and Sybil's Secret Sanctuary.
Ginny Weasley and her best friend Penny Riven crept along the road into Hogsmeade, silently shadowing Snape and Professor Trelawney, who were walking arm in arm into town. Snape's large bag fascinated the girls and they hurried after them. Once inside Hogsmeade, Snape and Sybil walked on past the Three Broomsticks and into the back-streets.
"Where are they going?" asked Penny, getting bored of this chase and wishing they had gone into the Three Broomsticks instead.
"Oh look, they're going into that house over there. Looks quite big." said Ginny. They saw Snape and Sybil being let in by a man wearing smart black muggle clothes. Penny reached the ground floor window first and stared through inside.
The gaudy curtains behind the glass were open slightly and the girls could see Snape and Sybil greeting the same man. After a while, Snape and Sybil disappeared.
"I wonder what they are up to?" asked Ginny.
The host in the room, dressed head to foot in a black suit and wearing a smart bow tie began moving what little furniture there was from the centre of the room and set up a strange looking muggle machine.
And then Snape and Sybil re-entered the room. Penny and Ginny almost fell over backwards in surprise, for Snape too was wearing a smart black muggle suit and as for Sybil, well she looked amazing, if a little loud, in her brightly coloured dress which sparkled. The pair noticed that the room had darkened and a single glowing rotating sphere had appeared in the centre of the ceiling.
The girls were stunned and both jumped when the muggle machine started to play a scratchy waltz. The host seemed to be talking briefly to the pair and stiffly, they began to dance.
"This is fantastic!" gasped Penny. "I wish everyone could see this!" The pair giggled as Snape and Sybil began their dancing lesson. Ginny could not believe it. Snape dancing! Ever since she started Hogworts, she had despised Snape, even fearing him on occasion. Now she felt an enormous relief. Snape was Dancing and it looked like her was in love with Professor Trelawney!
Penny was pointing to the host and laughing whenever Snape or Sybil got it wrong and the music was stopped and the host gave them a quick word of advice. "This is great!" sighed Penny. But she noticed that Ginny was a bit quiet. "Are you okay Ginny?"
"Oh yeah. I just wish someone would ask me to the winter dance." Ginny smiled.
"Aw come on. Don't go all soppy on me girl! Hey, let's get down to the pub!" beamed Penny. Feeling a warm glow of happiness spread throughout her, Ginny agreed and could not wait to tell Annabelle and Kat about their discovery. And of course Ginny had pooled her money and wanted to buy lots of stuff and get something for Hermione and Neville, who had been so supportive lately.
As the pair started back into Hogsmeade, a voice called out from the darkness.
"Hello again girls." Draco Malfoy stepped from the shadows, alone for a change. He was grinning evilly. Ginny and Penny warily glanced to each other, then looked at him.
"What's up Draco?" trembled Penny, smiling at Draco. Ginny felt annoyed at this, for she was ready to kill the little brat.
"Oh you know, nothing much. Just thought I'd see how my little adversaries are doing." he replied. And then Draco turned to the shadows and shouted "Now!" Goyle and Crabbe loomed out of the shadows and grabbed the girls. Goyle pinned Penny and Ginny was trapped in Crabbe's grasp.
"Come on girls. Time for revenge." drawled Malfoy. Penny and Ginny were dragged into a small copse of trees which was just outside of Hogsmeade itself.
"What are you going to do to us?" asked Penny.
"It's what I'm going to do to him when I get free he should be thinking about!" snarled Ginny.
Draco Malfoy laughed. "Oh don't worry. Just returning the compliment you girls paid me earlier." he laughed. "Ok boys, hold them against the trees."
Goyle wrapped Penny's shaking armed behind her and around an old birch tree. Draco smiled and muttered "intanglius" and small stubby branches curled out of the trunk and around Penny's arms and waist, fixing her to the tree.
"Please no!" sobbed Penny. "Draco, I..." but Penny began to cry too much to speak further. Ginny was bound to her birch next to Penny. Silently, she fumed and vowed a great revenge on that brat.
After Malfoy and his cronies were satisfied that the girls were secure, Malfoy turned to his prisoners. "Well, enjoy the night girls! The spell wears off at dawn, by which time you will be in so much trouble for being out late. And of course there is no evidence that I did a thing! Enjoy you last night at Hogworts girls!" he cackled, and he beckoned for Goyle and Crabbe to follow and the terrible three left. At the edge of the copse of trees, he turned to the girls. "And don't try calling for help, as I've cast a barrier around these trees to stop the sound escaping!" And to prove the point, he stepped backwards and mouthed "You see?"
Ginny Weasley and her best friend Penny Riven crept along the road into Hogsmeade, silently shadowing Snape and Professor Trelawney, who were walking arm in arm into town. Snape's large bag fascinated the girls and they hurried after them. Once inside Hogsmeade, Snape and Sybil walked on past the Three Broomsticks and into the back-streets.
"Where are they going?" asked Penny, getting bored of this chase and wishing they had gone into the Three Broomsticks instead.
"Oh look, they're going into that house over there. Looks quite big." said Ginny. They saw Snape and Sybil being let in by a man wearing smart black muggle clothes. Penny reached the ground floor window first and stared through inside.
The gaudy curtains behind the glass were open slightly and the girls could see Snape and Sybil greeting the same man. After a while, Snape and Sybil disappeared.
"I wonder what they are up to?" asked Ginny.
The host in the room, dressed head to foot in a black suit and wearing a smart bow tie began moving what little furniture there was from the centre of the room and set up a strange looking muggle machine.
And then Snape and Sybil re-entered the room. Penny and Ginny almost fell over backwards in surprise, for Snape too was wearing a smart black muggle suit and as for Sybil, well she looked amazing, if a little loud, in her brightly coloured dress which sparkled. The pair noticed that the room had darkened and a single glowing rotating sphere had appeared in the centre of the ceiling.
The girls were stunned and both jumped when the muggle machine started to play a scratchy waltz. The host seemed to be talking briefly to the pair and stiffly, they began to dance.
"This is fantastic!" gasped Penny. "I wish everyone could see this!" The pair giggled as Snape and Sybil began their dancing lesson. Ginny could not believe it. Snape dancing! Ever since she started Hogworts, she had despised Snape, even fearing him on occasion. Now she felt an enormous relief. Snape was Dancing and it looked like her was in love with Professor Trelawney!
Penny was pointing to the host and laughing whenever Snape or Sybil got it wrong and the music was stopped and the host gave them a quick word of advice. "This is great!" sighed Penny. But she noticed that Ginny was a bit quiet. "Are you okay Ginny?"
"Oh yeah. I just wish someone would ask me to the winter dance." Ginny smiled.
"Aw come on. Don't go all soppy on me girl! Hey, let's get down to the pub!" beamed Penny. Feeling a warm glow of happiness spread throughout her, Ginny agreed and could not wait to tell Annabelle and Kat about their discovery. And of course Ginny had pooled her money and wanted to buy lots of stuff and get something for Hermione and Neville, who had been so supportive lately.
As the pair started back into Hogsmeade, a voice called out from the darkness.
"Hello again girls." Draco Malfoy stepped from the shadows, alone for a change. He was grinning evilly. Ginny and Penny warily glanced to each other, then looked at him.
"What's up Draco?" trembled Penny, smiling at Draco. Ginny felt annoyed at this, for she was ready to kill the little brat.
"Oh you know, nothing much. Just thought I'd see how my little adversaries are doing." he replied. And then Draco turned to the shadows and shouted "Now!" Goyle and Crabbe loomed out of the shadows and grabbed the girls. Goyle pinned Penny and Ginny was trapped in Crabbe's grasp.
"Come on girls. Time for revenge." drawled Malfoy. Penny and Ginny were dragged into a small copse of trees which was just outside of Hogsmeade itself.
"What are you going to do to us?" asked Penny.
"It's what I'm going to do to him when I get free he should be thinking about!" snarled Ginny.
Draco Malfoy laughed. "Oh don't worry. Just returning the compliment you girls paid me earlier." he laughed. "Ok boys, hold them against the trees."
Goyle wrapped Penny's shaking armed behind her and around an old birch tree. Draco smiled and muttered "intanglius" and small stubby branches curled out of the trunk and around Penny's arms and waist, fixing her to the tree.
"Please no!" sobbed Penny. "Draco, I..." but Penny began to cry too much to speak further. Ginny was bound to her birch next to Penny. Silently, she fumed and vowed a great revenge on that brat.
After Malfoy and his cronies were satisfied that the girls were secure, Malfoy turned to his prisoners. "Well, enjoy the night girls! The spell wears off at dawn, by which time you will be in so much trouble for being out late. And of course there is no evidence that I did a thing! Enjoy you last night at Hogworts girls!" he cackled, and he beckoned for Goyle and Crabbe to follow and the terrible three left. At the edge of the copse of trees, he turned to the girls. "And don't try calling for help, as I've cast a barrier around these trees to stop the sound escaping!" And to prove the point, he stepped backwards and mouthed "You see?"