True love?
Harry and Jasmine walked
up the garden path to Jasmine's house. Her mother, Kate, saw the pair of them
from the window and came to greet them warmly.
Harry was introduced to
Kate, a slim and pretty woman with a big and burly husband called Barry. Harry
tried to apologise about the bike, but they would not listen and insisted Harry
sit down to rest his leg.
They talked about the
bike, how thankful they were Harry was fine, how Jasmine had gone on about
Harry ["Mum!" whined Jasmine, embarrassed] and then how much they still missed
their Daniel.
Seeing this from
outside, in their front garden, something evil grinned to itself. What this
dragon saw was relayed back to Ginny, many miles away.
It had been a long and
terrifying journey on Ron's broomstick, but Ginny had to come to see Harry.
Something large and leathery had knocked her from the sky and now she was in a
deep black bracken forest with a damaged broomstick in the fading daylight.
Ginny had been in here for almost an hour and was beginning to feel incredibly
lonely and lost until she happened across a large floating crystal ball. As
Ginny approached it, she saw Harry sitting in a strangers house, eating at a
table with a strange couple and their daughter.
Ginny felt betrayed and
angry at Harry for this treachery.
Why had she come all
this way to see Harry?
What was there in
Harry's message that had disturbed her enough to warrant risking her neck
riding on Ron's broomstick?
Draco had helped her out
of the carriage and into Hogwarts. Everyone else had gone home for the summer
holidays but these two had been on a special assignment with Albus Dumbledore
to deliver a keynote speech to the Ministry of Magic about the virtues of the
school and the future of wizardry. All funded by the Ministry of Misinformation
and a great publicity event for the school. However, they had run into
terrorists and Ginny had been injured.*
It had been a long and
weird start to the summer.
Draco had surprised her
with his hidden gallantry and bravery in the face of adversity. Draco and Ginny
had grown together and were found holding hands when Ron and his parents came
up to collect them. Ron had been disgusted, but Ginny did not care. Thinking back,
Ginny realised that the split between them had occurred there, or thereabouts.
At first it was the
teasing when they got back home. Then Ron had pinned Ginny down and told her not
to be so stupid. Then she had slapped him. For once, Ginny had gotten in the
first hit and it stunned Ron: Ginny was growing up without him to look after
her anymore.
Then she stole Ron's
broom. Draco had sent his owl with a message that they should meet.
In the warm, sticky
sunshine, deep in the shade of the large oak at the rear of his father's
mansion, Draco had kissed Ginny. Promises were made and lies were told.
Ginny immediately fitted
in and wanted to stay there forever. Draco had held her so softly and every
morning, he seemed to be getting more romantic and wonderful. He had started
buying her gifts and surprisingly had a beautiful singing voice, with which he
serenaded her. His father was away in London dealing with the Ministry and only
servants shared the mansion. Ginny felt the thrill of expensive living, being
waited upon, taken by carriage to expensive shops and little places to eat.
They were inextricable
for a full week. Then his father returned. Together they had faced many terrible
things in the burning Ministry building, but by far the bravest thing Ginny saw
Draco do was stand up to his father.
"What on earth's she
doing here?" he roared as he found them under that oak tree in each others
arms.
Draco immediately stood
up to challenge his father. "She's here at my request father."
"You stupid boy! We
can't have a Ministry girl here!"
"No father… listen…"
"Don't dare tell me what
to do boy!" he bellowed. Draco collapsed into the tree from the force of the
blow he received fully in his face. Ginny tried to stand but Draco whispered
for her to stay out of this. Draco stood unsteadily to his feet and faced his
father.
"Well boy? Will you get
rid of her?" his father asked quietly. All the time, he never even looked at
Ginny.
"No."
Ginny feared that his
father would strike Draco down there and then. Instead, he whispered "Really?"
and fixed Draco with an evil grin.
"Father. I – I love
her."
It was then that Draco's
father looked at Ginny. He laughed and roared until Ginny leapt up to defend
herself from this humiliation.
"Tell me child," said
Lucian to Ginny, "do you love my son?"
Ginny fixed him with a
stare and proudly said "Of course! I'm here because of your son. I love him
dearly. I would do anything for him." Ginny's mouth seemed to be pouring out a
lot of praise for Draco, which she did not mind, but somehow felt she could not
fully control.
Lucian muttered
something and slapped Ginny squarely across the face. Pain was replaced by
nausea.
He heard Draco scream
"No!" and then Draco collapsed to his knees.
Ginny realised that the
last few days had been shrouded in the fog of a love spell. Everything she had
done with Draco had been caused by his wizardry. She realised that she had not
seen her family for a week and suddenly missed them terribly. Everything she
wanted to do with her summer had suddenly been taken from her by Draco's
selfishness.
"You've been tricked
girl. Used by my son for nothing more than the whore that you really are. Now
leave, immediately." His father smiled.
Draco shook his head.
"Ginny, please, let me explain!"
She did not listen but
decided to flee from the place immediately. The broom was indoors and she leapt
on it. She had no idea where she was or whether to return home or not. Then
suddenly, crashing through her emotions came a resounding urge to find Harry
again. This feeling was so strong and powerful that Ginny immediately picked a
direction and flew upwards and onwards.
Ginny flew for hours
until darkness fell and her hopes failed with the light. She was utterly lost
and alone. Below her was a village and it was here she was able to find
directions home and a bed for the night. As she slept in the small strange
room, she was awoken by Hedwig, tapping furiously on her window.
Ginny had been following
Hedwig since yesterday and now she was here, in this awful and strange place.
Ginny noticed how
transfixed on Jasmine Harry had become. She was sure Jasmine had tricked Harry with
a love spell as well and resolved to find him.
Looking around at the
blackness of the brambles, she wondered how on earth she would do this.
"I'm coming Harry. Just
– just be strong until I get there, okay?" she croaked as fear bettered her and
Ginny collapsed to her knees crying.
Hedwig watched Ginny
thoughtfully from a nearby branch and then took flight.
TO BE CONTINUED…
* see 'The War' for
details…