5PART 2: MALFOY'S
REVENGE
The next day, Harry
was halfway through a dream in which a red-haired girl, whose face he couldn't
see, was leading him through a maze, when he was suddenly shaken awake. When he
opened his eyes, Hermione was standing over him, looking slightly flustered.
"I've brought your
cloak and your map back, Harry," she whispered.
Once Hermione was out
the room, Harry quickly changed into his robes. He took the letter he had
written to Sirius out of his trunk, wrapped his invisibility cloak around him,
and set out for the owlery.
The halls of Hogwarts were chilly
and eerily quiet, and Harry took extra care not to make too much noise with his
feet. He lifted his wand, whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no
good," and tapped the parchment. Green writing snaked their way around the
parchment, and a map of Hogwarts appeared in front of him. A dot labeled 'Harry
Potter' appeared on a third floor corridor heading north towards the owlery.
Harry scanned the map for any of the Professors or Filch wandering around.
Since it was only 7 a.m. it was still curfew, and students weren't allowed out
of their common rooms until 8 o'clock.
Something moved on the map, and Harry squinted his eyes to see who it
was. A tiny dot labeled 'Draco Malfoy' was moving around in the dungeons. Harry
watched, fascinated, wandering what on earth Malfoy could be up to at this
hour. Whatever it was, it could only mean one thing: Malfoy was up to no good.
Harry continued to watch, and as he did so two more dots appeared next to
Malfoy, labeled 'Gregory Goyle' and 'Vincent Crabbe'. The three dots walked
around the dungeons a few times, then slipped out and made their way up towards
the library. Once in the library, the three dots moved towards the Restricted
Section, and from where they were on the map, Harry could tell that the part of
the Restricted Section they were in was where the books devoted to the Dark
Arts were stored. Caught in the act, Malfoy.
Harry had a moment's hesitation, wandering whether he should dash down
to the library and hex Malfoy while he wasn't looking. He was almost at the
owlery, but before he could make a detour to the library, he saw two other dots
moving fast in his direction. It was Fred and George. Harry uttered a cry of
surprise under his cloak. As he did so, Fred and George whipped around the
corner, and Harry hastily moved to the side to avoid Fred and George bumping
into him. As Fred and George walked past him, Harry heard them say in whispers,
"That's a brilliant
idea, Fred!"
"Of course it is.
We'll just have to sneak one to experiment on."
"Oh, and don't
forget, we need to pick up that book on enchantments in the library."
"The library can
wait, George. We'll have to go down there first, before anyone spots us."
"Righto, then."
Harry stared after
them, bewildered. No doubt Fred and George were working on another gag for WWW.
He worried what on earth the two could be possibly trying now, but remembered
that there were more pressing matters at hand. He chuckled softly, and started
making his way down to the library again, but as he looked down at his map, the
three dots that represented Malfoy and his cronies had disappeared.
*
"Malfoy's up to
something, Ron." It was breakfast-time, and Harry had just told Ron what he had
seen that morning. Ron looked across the Hall at the Slytherin table, where
Malfoy was talking in hushed tones to his friends. Malfoy must've sensed them
staring, for the suddenly stopped talking, looked in their direction, and
smirked. Crabbe and Goyle followed his lead, and identical ugly smirks spread
across their faces.
"Morning!"
"Morning, guys."
Hermione and Ginny
joined them, interrupting the boys' staring war. Ginny sat across from Harry,
and he noticed that she was unusually happy. Ginny caught him staring, and
though she slightly blushed, she flashed him a brilliant smile that gave Harry
butterflies in the stomach. He smiled back awkwardly, quickly went back to his
toast, and as he did so, he caught Hermione staring at him with a knowing
smile.
*
"How's your
girlfriend, Potter?"
They were in Potions,
and Harry was greeted with the usual smirk and sarcasm of his archenemy,
Malfoy. Harry ignored him, and made his way to the back desk with Ron. Ron,
however, called loudly out to Malfoy, "How's yours, Malfoy? Millicent
Bullstrode doing OK?" All the Gryffindors guffawed heartily. Malfoy narrowed
his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again, when
he saw Snape walk into the room. Throughout class Malfoy kept looking back at them,
shooting daggers with his eyes.
"I don't like that
look," Harry said grimly to Ron. "The git definitely has something up
his sleeve."
"Let him try," Ron
said through gritted teeth. "And I'll kill him in front of Snape, if I have
to!"
But Harry had something
else in mind. He had to find Ginny.
*
Harry never got the
chance to warn Ginny. Throughout lunch he watched her, waiting for the right
opportunity to say what was on his mind. However, every time he tried to say
something, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Ginny looked like she was in
such a good mood that he just didn't want to burst her bubble. And so he just
smiled at her every time she looked at him, a smile Harry supposed must've
looked cheesy, because Ginny gave him a funny look. Unbeknownst to Harry, a
third person was watching their every move – Hermione.
Herbology was cancelled that
afternoon, since Professor Sprout was still recovering from the magical flu,
and so Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to head to the common room to pass the time
until Transfiguration. Ron challenged Hermione to a game of chess, which left
Harry with nothing else to do but watch them. Harry once again found his mind
wandering to Ginny, and he excused himself from the game to go up to his
dormitory, to figure out how to stop whatever Malfoy had planned for her.
When he was halfway up the stairs, he
stopped, made a U-turn, and made his way to Ginny's dorm instead, without
consciously realizing what he was doing. Once he reached the door marked
'Fourth Years' Harry put his hand on the handle, and turned it. Then he
stopped, and suddenly realized what he had done. What on earth am I doing?
"What on earth are
you doing, Harry?" A shocked voice said behind him. Harry's glasses were
knocked askew as he jumped a mile from the sound of Hermione's voice. He turned
to face her, blushing scarlet.
"Er…nothing," Harry
stammered. He wished he didn't have to blush so much, it was making him look
guilty.
"Ginny's not in
there. She's in class, remember?"
"Yeah, I knew that,"
Harry said sheepishly, his hand still attached to the door handle, fiddling
with it awkwardly.
"What's gotten into
you lately, Harry?" Hermione asked in an amused tone.
"Er…nothing.
Nothing's up with me," he said, avoiding Hermione's eyes. He could still feel
the intense heat from his face, so he quickly changed the subject. "Er…where's
Ron? Why aren't you with him?"
"He's up in your
dorm," Hermione said with raised eyebrows.
"Er…right. I think
I'll go join him, then." Harry started to walk away, but Hermione called him
back.
"Harry," she said
gently. "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
Harry looked briefly
at her. He couldn't even talk about Ginny in front of Ron, especially not
Ron, Harry thought dryly. So how could he even begin to say it to Hermione?
Besides, he had no idea what to say on the matter, since he himself was
confused by it. He shrugged. "No. There's nothing." Then he turned around and walked down the stairs, calling over
his shoulder, "See you in Transfiguration."
*
Harry had completely
forgotten about Ginny for the rest of the day, but after dinner, it was a
different story. When the portrait-hole slid open a short-breathed Seamus
approached him, telling him that he had a visitor.
"I already told him
you were still down at the Hall, but he wouldn't listen," Seamus said. Before
Harry had a chance to ask whom this visitor was, a small brown thing ran down
the stairs and smacked a surprised Harry in the stomach. Harry doubled over
from the impact, his eyes rolling behind his head from the pain.
"Harry Potter! Harry
Potter!" The thing squeaked. It was
Dobby. Despite the pain, Harry managed a small laugh.
"What're you doing
here, Dobby?" Harry asked.
"I is visiting you, Harry
Potter, sir!" The elf said enthusiastically. Harry couldn't help but feel
uneasy. Dobby didn't always have good news every time he visited. He gave Dobby
a questioning look, and Dobby said in response, "I has something to give you,
Harry Potter, sir!"
Harry opened his
mouth to ask what it was, but Ron got in before he did. "What? Socks? I don't
know Dobby. It's not even Christmas yet, and his birthday's already past!" Ron
said, chuckling to himself.
"No, sir!" Dobby said
to Ron. "Something much, much better!" Dobby was obsessed with socks, and Harry
wondered what on earth could possibly be better than socks that it would cause
Dobby so much excitement. Dobby leaned closer to him, and said in a timid
whisper, "Dobby cannot be giving it to you here, sir! Maybe…maybe if we goes up
to your room, sir?"
"Alright," Harry
shrugged, and led Dobby up the staircase to his dorm.
"So, Dobby, spill
it!" Harry said, once he closed the door behind them. Dobby looked at him
blankly, and said, "Dobby…Dobby did not spill anything, sir!" Harry laughed.
"No, I mean, tell me
what's got you all worked up!"
Dobby smiled
nervously, and took out a crumpled piece of parchment out of the pocket of his
shorts. "Dobby found this with Master Malfoy's dirty robes in the laundry,
sir."
Harry took the
parchment from Dobby, unfolded it, and began to read. Harry fell back on his
bed from shock, and his heart leapt in his throat.
"Is…is this a joke,
Dobby?" He asked shakily, his voice croaky and high-pitched.
"No, sir!" Dobby said
anxiously, his eyes bulging so much that they were threatening to pop out of
his head. Harry slumped back in his pillow, his mind reeling with thoughts. He
felt strangely unreal, like this was a dream or something. He just looked at
Dobby and mouthed wordlessly. Dobby approached him caustiously.
"Is Harry Potter
alright, sir?"
"Yeah…Malfoy?"
"Yes, sir. Dobby saw
Master Malfoy sneaking around Hogwarts at nights, sir. And I says to myself,
'he up to something', and today I finds the parchment, sir, and I knew I had caught
Master Malfoy," Dobby finished triumphantly. Harry smiled weakly.
"Yeah, I knew he was
up to something. Well done, Dobby!" Dobby's chest swelled with pride.
"Dobby has to go now,
Harry Potter, sir! He is wanted in the staff room!" With a loud crack, he
disappeared. Harry sat in his bed
quietly, turning the parchment over in his hand. For a split second he had felt
those butterflies in his stomach as he read the letter, only to feel his
insides turn into a knot as a surge of anger towards Malfoy overtook him. What
if Ginny had written him the letter? Harry shook the impossibility of the
thought out of his head, and marched out of the dormitory.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny were waiting
for him expectantly in the common room. Ginny was wringing her hands again, and
Hermione kept glancing around nervously. Harry approached them with caution.
How on earth was he going to tell Ron and Ginny about this? He knew Ron would
probably do something harsh to protect his sister, but Ginny – Harry had no
idea how she'd react. A wave of anxiety washed over Harry, as all three of them
looked at him as he came closer. Ginny was eyeing him intensely, and he managed
to give her a weak, but nervous smile. Ron, however, instantly jumped from the
couch and rushed to him.
"What…?"
Harry handed him the
letter with shaking hands, and managed to say "Malfoy!" with an equally shaky
voice. At the mere mention of the name, both Hermione and Ginny flinched, and
Hermione herself came forward with a worried look on her face.
"What did Malfoy do?"
she asked.
Next to Harry, Ron
uttered a cry of shock and disbelief, his face going purple. He was mouthing
words that Harry could easily guess were obscenities, and Harry quickly
explained what the matter was before Ron had the chance to verbalize his anger.
"Dobby found this
letter next to Malfoy's dirty robes in the laundry. It looks like the git was
trying to frame Ginny…" he said, turning to Hermione. Harry quickly glanced at
Ginny, who had now gone deathly pale, and Harry's heart began to beat very
fast. How was he going to tell Ginny? Ginny leapt from the couch, her eyes
darting nervously from the letter in Ron's hands, to Harry. Harry snatched the
letter from Ron and turned to Ginny.
"He…he…" Harry said,
his throat tight. He held the letter out to Ginny for her to see herself. Harry
swallowed hard. "He wrote a love letter addressed to me, and signed it with
your name." He could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks. Ginny didn't take the
letter out of Harry's hand. She had fainted.
"Ginny!" Ron and
Hermione cried, rushing forward to cushion Ginny's fall. Harry, shocked, stood
there, unable to move, his hand still outstretched, holding the letter.
A gasp echoed around the common
room as people looked around and saw Ginny lying in a heap on the floor. Colin,
Tanya and Cissy rushed forward to see what had happened, and the other people
in the room followed suit. Fred and George pushed through the crowd and let off
some sparks from their wands.
"Make way! Everyone, sod
off!" "Alright, back off now! This is not a show!" They shouted to the crowd.
Seeing the twins approach, Harry quickly stuffed the parchment in his robes and
knelt over Ginny. He felt sick in his stomach as he looked at her, lying limp
as a rag-doll on the floor. This is my fault, he thought bitterly. If
I had stopped Malfoy… If I had warned her…
Fred and George knelt beside Harry, feeling Ginny's forehead and
checking her pulse. George muttered "Wingardium Leviosa!" and Ginny rose
a few inches off the floor. Hermione and Fred followed suit, both uttering the
Levitation Charm, sending Ginny floating higher above their heads. The three of
them made their way up the girls' dorms, with Ginny's body floating before
them. Ron and Harry were left standing in the common room, too shocked to move.
Several moments later, George ran down the stairs from the girls' dorms,
looking flustered.
"Er…shouldn't we get
Ginny to Madam Pomfrey or something?" Harry asked him.
"No need. Hermione
said she'd be able to bring Ginny around."
"Is it serious?" Ron
asked in a whisper. He looked like he was going to faint himself.
Fred appeared behind
George. "She'll be alright. Just had a nasty shock," he said. He turned to
George and gave him a meaningful look. George stared back at him. It looked
like they were communicating telepathically.
"Er…right," George
said, and then turned to Harry and Ron. "Sorry, but we need to get going."
"Yeah," said Fred.
"Business calls!" And the two disappeared out of the portrait-hole.
Harry and Ron looked
at each other, bewildered.
"What's with those
two?" asked Ron. Harry shrugged his shoulders in reply, turning his head to the
direction of the girls' dorms. Ron followed his gaze, and ran towards the
stairs.
"Where're you going?"
Harry called out after him.
"I'm gonna see if
Ginny's alright," Ron said over his shoulder. "Coming?"
Harry wondered
whether he should follow Ron, but he felt too guilty to move.
"No, you go ahead.
I'll just go up to our dorm." Harry stayed where he was, however.
Finally, after what
seemed like ages, Harry dragged his feet up the stairs to his dorm.
*
Harry sat in his bed
minutes later, slightly numb from what had just transpired in the common room.
If he were honest with himself, he would readily admit that it wasn't so much
Malfoy's nerve to seek revenge that angered him (that can be expected of
Malfoy), but it was his hurting Ginny. Why does he feel so disturbed knowing
that Ginny had been upset enough to faint? Could it be because she was a
Weasley, and therefore, family to him? But somehow, Harry thought, I don't see
Ginny as merely a sister. What is she, then, if she wasn't the sister that he
never had? A friend? But for some strange reason, Harry felt that Ginny was
more than just a friend. Harry felt a little sick at the thought of Ginny being
neither more than a sister nor a friend to him. She's Ron's little sister,
for goodness sake. How can I possibly think of her in a romantic way?
Harry tried to picture Cho's face in his mind, trying to shake the image of
Ginny popping up before his eyes. You're in love with Cho, not Ginny, he
kept telling himself. Cho Chang. Got that Potter? Cho Chang. But no
matter how hard he tried, it was Ginny whom his mind kept wandering to.
"Harry?" And now he
was hearing her voice as well, so close to him. Am I going mad? Harry
shook himself out of his reverie and looked around, but there was nobody in his
dorm with him. Then he heard the door creak. He peered out from behind his bed
hangings, and saw Ginny's anxious face.
"Ginny?" Harry asked,
the surprise evident in his voice. Ginny still looked slightly pale, but there
was a look of determination in her eyes.
"Ginny?" A second
voice spoke, and Ginny whipped around to face an angry-looking Ron. As soon as
he saw his sister, Ron's expression softened, and he gave Ginny an awkward hug,
ignoring her protests. Ron turned to Harry to say something, but Ginny
interrupted him.
"I need to talk to
you, Harry," she said, holding Harry's gaze and for once, not blushing. Harry
was taken aback. What on earth could this be about? But it seemed important to
her, and so he didn't ask any questions. He ignored Ron's protestations and
stared curiously at Ginny, who stared boldly back.
"Harry, do you mind
if we talk outside for a moment?" Ginny asked seriously.
"Sure," Harry said.
"Bring the letter
with you."
"Er…OK." Harry
grabbed the parchment off his desk and followed Ginny out the door, shrugging
his shoulders at the questioning glance that Ron gave him as he passed.
*
The common room was pretty
empty except for a few people still milling around. Harry followed Ginny to a
deserted corner and sat down opposite her. The fire crackling in the fireplace
was the only source of light, and it illuminated Ginny's face at an angle that
brought out the richness of her red hair. Her brown eyes were bright and shiny,
contrasting nicely with her pale skin. Harry admired her beauty, but mentally
reprimanded himself at once for doing so. Ginny spoke to him in a business-like
manner. "Before I say anything, Harry, you'll have to give me the letter. If I
can have it please?"
Harry obeyed without
question and handed her the letter. Ginny swiftly took it, reached into her
robes for her wand, muttered "Incendio!" and the parchment burst into
flames. Harry watched it burn, flabbergasted, until there was nothing left of
it. Ginny looked extremely relieved. "There! Now that's over and done with!"
she said. She looked over at Harry, and from the corner of his eye, Harry saw
her hands shaking.
"Harry, about the
letter…" she trailed off. Harry felt the guilt wash over him again, and he had
a sudden urge to comfort her – for what it was worth.
"Harry, the letter
was – "
But before she could
finish what she was about to say, Harry put his hand protectively over hers,
and said what he had wanted to say all day.
"Ginny, I'm sorry."
Ginny looked both surprised and confused.
"Sorry?" she asked.
"It was my fault.
Malfoy went after you because you stuck up for me." Harry explained. "I'm sorry
he hurt you."
Ginny looked touched,
but pained at the same time.
"Oh Harry, Malfoy
didn't – "
" – When Dobby gave
me the letter," Harry said, interrupting her for the second time, "I thought it
was all a joke, but he looked serious." For some reason, it was important for
Harry to explain this. "Then I thought of Malfoy and what happened last night
in the Great Hall. It made me so mad to think that he could do something like
that…" Harry's voice broke. I'm sorry I didn't warn you before, he
thought.
Ginny looked
bewildered. "Well…I…I'm OK now, Harry," she stammered.
Harry gripped Ginny's
hand tightly, and the same strange feeling came over him again. Before he could
stop himself, be blurted, "Ginny,
there's something you need to know." He immediately bit his tongue. What on earth
had possessed him to say that?
"What is it?" Ginny
asked curiously. She was biting her lip nervously, and Harry was momentarily
transfixed by it. He shook himself out of it.
"It's…it's…" he said.
What am I gonna say? He thought frantically. I am * not* in love with Ginny.
"It's about Ron," he
finished quickly. Ron?? Oh, good one, Potter. Why don't you tell her that
Ron'll kill you if you dated his sister?
"Ron?" Ginny asked
incredulously.
To Harry's immense
relief, Ron came marching up to them, interrupting the uncomfortable tension
that had built up between them.
"Sorry to interrupt
your little chat, but Ginny, I need to talk to Harry!" Ron said
agitatedly.
"Ron!" Ginny said
angrily.
"What is it?" Harry
asked, turning to face Ron. Harry was privately relieved that Ron's habitual
bad timing came at a welcome time; otherwise he would've blurted the
unthinkable to Ginny. But Harry was startled to see the large bruise on Ron's
face. Why hadn't he seen that before?
"I found Malfoy
sneaking out of the Slytherin common room and confronted him about the letter,
and you know what the git did? He denied it!"
"WHAT?" Harry and
Ginny cried together. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Blood pounded
in his ears. How dare Malfoy hurt Ginny and deny it blatantly like that! Ron
dragged him up the staircase, leaving a furious Ginny glaring after them, alone
in the common room.
*
"I think Malfoy's up
to something else, Harry!" Ron said once they were back in their dorm.
"What? Besides the
letter, you mean?"
"Yep," Ron said grimly.
"Why else would he be sneaking out of the Slytherin common room for?"
Harry thought this
over, and then he suddenly remembered something. "No wonder why his name showed
up on the Marauder's Map this morning!" he exclaimed. "I bet he was going to finish
whatever it was he started!"
"That's it!" Ron said
angrily, smacking his fist into his hand. "I'm gonna get him, that bastard."
"I'm with you," Harry
said without hesitation.
*
He was
running through the maze, blindly following the twists and turns of the thick,
dark hedges. Up ahead of him, he could hear Cedric's footsteps echoing into the
night.
"Harry…Harry…"
Cedric called out to him.
"Cedric?"
Harry yelled, but nobody replied. Harry's heart started beating frantically.
He'd dreamed this same dream a hundred times before, and he knew that Cedric
was in trouble. He started running faster, blind panic overtaking him.
Abruptly, he came into a clearing, and ahead of him stood the Triwizard
Cup, its handles gleaming in the moonlight. Beyond the Triwizard Cup stood
Cedric. Cedric looked pale and frightened.
"NO!!"
Harry screamed, as Cedric started running towards the Cup. Harry ran to stop
him, and just as Cedric's hand closed around the handle, so did Harry's. Harry
felt the jerk behind his navel that told him they were heading towards danger.
He screamed, but no sound came out of his mouth.
The Cup was whirling them away to
Cedric's destruction, and Harry felt powerless to stop it.
Suddenly, Harry felt the ground materialize under him, and
he stumbled forward. He saw Wormtail approaching them, carrying a baby in his
arms. The baby said, "Kill the spare!" in its cold, high-pitched voice.
Wormtail raised his wand and screeched "Avada Kedavra!" into the still
night. Harry watched Cedric's body crumple to the ground in horror. Except the
lifeless body that hit the grass with a soft thud wasn't Cedric. It was Ginny.
*
Harry sat up in his
bed feeling as though he had run a marathon. His breath came in great
shuddering gasps, and sweat trickled profusely down his face.
"You OK, Harry?" Ron
drew the hangings from his bed and looked at Harry through sleepy eyes. Harry
didn't answer him.
"You should tell
someone about your dreams, Harry," Ron said quietly.
Harry got up,
ignoring him. He got some robes out of his trunk and went to walk out the door.
"I'm gonna have a
shower," he said to Ron, as the door closed behind him.
*
Harry and Ron made their
way to Potions, their first class of the day, keeping a tight grip on their
wands. They had planned the night before to face off with Malfoy, regarding his
callous act towards Ginny. When they reached the dungeons, however, an
unexpected occurrence threw their plans into the wind.
As soon as Harry opened the door of
their classroom, a strange sight met his eyes. All the Slytherins, who were
already seated at their desks, were laughing heartily at something at the front
of the classroom. Harry heard Ron make a surprised gasp behind him, and when
Harry looked at the blackboard, he found out why.
The blackboard had been enchanted, and the words Harry Potter loves Ginny Weasley was flashing across it in gaudy colors. It looked like one of those ugly neon signs
that are often found hanging above a cheap brothel. From the ceiling dropped
heart-shaped bubbles that changed colors in sync with the words on the board.
Harry's jaw dropped. He vaguely considered running away to find Voldemort, to
ask for another hit of the Cruciatus Curse. Nothing could have prepared Harry
for the intense humiliation that racked his whole body at that instant.
When the Slytherins saw Harry's expression, they laughed even louder.
Malfoy, looking smug and wearing a nastier sneer than usual, jerked his head
towards Harry and said with glee, "Well, hello there, Loverboy!"
To be continued in
Chapter 3: The Art of War.
