Legend
Chapter XX: Awareness
by Marie McKinnon
A/N: Because ffnet is being such an almighty pain (no offense meant, of course), this has taken three times as long to put up as it would have. It was ready before I left for camp, but it's very difficult to post a new chapter when the website refuses to show up on your computer. Heck, it's been ready for two months now, but you get to read it anyway.
Draco stalked up to Gryffindor Tower determinedly. The expression on his face was so stern and terrifying that no one, not even the professors, questioned him or the fact that he seemed to be clutching the top of something that was not there. He climbed the stairs, each step echoing on the marble steps. Crowds of students made way for him as though he were Moses parting the Red Sea.
He had nearly reached the portrait of the Fat Lady when Ginny caught up and practically shoved him against the wall. "You are not going to march in there and shout for Harry to come out with Excalibur. That's ludicrous. We'd all be killed or shipped off to Saint Mungo's. After I get Harry, we will leave and find somewhere for you two to duel. Do you understand?"
A slight incline of the head was all the response she got. He was promptly turned invisible, though he watched and listened intently before she disappeared through the Fat Lady. Ginny's voice floated over to him, despite his distance, and he heard her whisper "authority's demise" to the portrait. She wasn't gone long, but in his readiness and determination it seemed forever. An audible sigh of relief escaped him as the spell over him vanished and her companion glared.
"Hey! You didn't say he would be here!" Harry shouted, holding out Excalibur and pointing it at his arch-nemesis.
"Please be reasonable, Harry! Do you think I would stride in and ask you to come somewhere with me privately and bring Excalibur if it didn't have to do with him and this mess we've all gotten ourselves into?"
"I know what I'd think if you didn't ask me to bring Excalibur," he said slyly.
Fear's point was soon at his throat. "You dare," Draco said dangerously, "to even suggest something like that, and I will beat you even worse than I will as soon as we get somewhere where we can fence."
"If you've both stopped acting two years old, we can continue," Ginny said exasperatedly. They followed her in silence, both watching the other stealthily. It didn't take very long to find an empty, spacious classroom, and after she had locked the door, she removed the invisibility spell over their swords.
Harry raised Excalibur, but Draco smirked. "You wouldn't object to my getting a blessing from my lady, would you?" Ginny was already untying her hair ribbon, a long, silky green one, and placing it in her knight-in- shining-armor's hand. She pecked him on the cheek and shoved him forwards to do battle.
"Now we fence," Harry said, voice emotionless. Before he could even think of striking, Fear slashed through his defense to come to rest at the base of his throat.
"You'll have to do better than that," his opponent said disdainfully, face expressionless but laughing all the same. His tone of voice made his boredom clear. Excalibur's edge sliced through the air, aimed at Draco's torso, but was effortlessly parried. Ginny exited to the clash of metal on metal, waiting outside for the victor.
Fear's speed was dizzying as it blocked Harry's reckless thrusts. They came hard and fast, with so much power behind each stroke that he breathed hard, struggling for more air. On the other hand, his opponent was calculating every move to the finest degree, knowing where he needed to block and when. A bead of sweat trickled down Harry's face, making him shake his head. In that second Draco snaked his sword around Excalibur and jerked upwards. The sword flew from the Arthur incarnate's hand, shrieking in the air, and buried itself in the wall.
Its owner watched it quiver for a moment, then spoke gruffly. "I yield," he said. His opponent removed the tip of his weapon from his neck and allowed him to pass. Harry pondered something as he tugged Excalibur from the wall, and turned to look at Draco, who was inspecting every facet of the marvelous blade he now owned. "Do you love her?" He asked finally, sliding his sword back into its makeshift sheath.
All movement stopped dead except for his head, which rose slowly to meet Harry's inquiring gaze. "If I lost her, I'd spend everything I had, the rest of my life, to find her. Does that answer your question?" The answer had been a long time in coming, but it was said so steadily that any listener could tell it was the truth.
"I never did," he admitted softly, ignoring the demand. "She's gorgeous, and that's all I cared about, all I could think about. You deserve to have her. I won't get in your way."
Draco sheathed his blade and walked out, not pausing by the door when he left a quiet "Thank you."
*
Ginny awoke with a smile on her face for the first time since September. It had been the first night since then that her dreams had not been invaded by reminders of her destiny, and the first night that she had slept soundly. She couldn't help smiling or thinking that things were looking up. Until she got to breakfast.
All eyes flickered to her as she entered, most of them bold and laughing. A wave of giggles washed over the Great Hall, accompanied by pointing fingers and whispers. Knowing that seeming to be embarrassed would only encourage them, she sat down next to Hermione, who immediately pulled in the edges of the newspaper she was reading. She looked at the sixth year oddly, because Hermione had never tried to hide anything from her, but took it in stride. It was going to be a very strange morning.
"Good morning," she said cautiously. "Anything good in the Prophet this morning?"
"No, nothing at all interesting," was Hermione's rushed and strangled reply.
"Then you won't mind that I look at it when you're finished."
Her neighbor reddened. "Well, actually, um, I need it for--for-- a Divination project," she said.
"You don't take Divination. Just give me the bloody paper, would you? I know there's something in it about me." This straight-forward approach worked, because the paper was tossed recklessly onto her plate.
"Editorials." Came the listless direction.
A picture in the bottom corner caught her eye, and noticed that, without a doubt, she was in it. In the very centre of the frame was a pair kissing. It was Ginny and Draco, after she'd given him a hug not so long ago. She nearly laughed when she noticed that Harry was in the background, being held back by Hermione so he wouldn't murder anyone. Her eyes flicked to the title, where it announced in large letters that Romeo and Juliet had come to Hogwarts.
~Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley, rivals at the Ministry of Magic, will not be happy to hear that their hate for each other has not been carried on by their offspring. Draco, Lucius' son, has made it clear that he is very content with Virginia, Arthur's youngest (see picture, left). After a period of turmoil and denied involvement with the Boy Who Lived, Virginia was captured on film by an anonymous student at Hogwarts when her boyfriend was ready to publicize their relationship...~
"How lovely. I'll wear earplugs to breakfast tomorrow." She said calmly, not even bothering to read the rest of the article that probably gave all the false details of her happiness with Draco. Anonymous student-- she looked at the photo, and sure enough, it said "photo courtesy Colin Creevey" along the bottom. She grimaced and decided to pay Colin a visit. "I'll be back in a moment, Hermione, I've got to speak to someone."
Thankfully, there was an empty seat next to Colin. "Why, hello, Colin," she said cheerfully, putting the paper down on the table. His eyes flicked to the paper for a moment, then back to her, wondering if her attitude was genuine. "I saw a photo of yours in the paper, and I wanted to congratulate you. It's a very nice photograph, though the subject matter is not quite what I would have preferred. For example, you could have chosen the Whomping Willow, Professor Dumbledore, or the giant squid. Why that?"
"I--I--I thought you two looked good together, and there was good light, and good color, and--"
"And you wanted to get back at me for Harry, is that right?"
"Well, yes. I can't see why you didn't go out with him, he really liked you, it was obvious."
"Too obvious," she quipped. "Don't meddle, Colin. You'll be sorry."
His eyes got very large and round. "Are you going to hurt me?" Her sweet smile didn't fool him-- he cowered, waiting for the strike, the crack of bones, and the blood.
"I'm not, but I can't control Draco. Be prepared for revenge, Slytherin style."
*
"Give me the paper, Goyle," he intoned, so imperious that his henchmen would probably have gone to get him a Golden Snidget if he'd asked for it. "Nice photo," he added, noticing his presence in the editorials section. He scanned the article, grimacing at the extensive use of insulting adjectives. "Who wrote this? Oh. Rita Skeeter. I'm utterly shocked." The last phrase was loaded with as much sarcasm as he could muster. Not even Crabbe, who never understood whether Draco was joking or not, mistook the meaning of his words.
Pansy, having already seen the article and the picture, glared venomously at Ginny. Her eyes bore holes into the back of the Gryffindor's head, soon to re-emerge on the other side. Thomas, watching carefully, added another name to his list of possible allies.
*
Ginny strode into Professor McGonagall's classroom much before the bell was due to ring, pleased at being early. She rummaged in her bag, looking for her homework, which was neatly rolled up and tied with string. It was right on the top, next to a half-full bottle of ink and several clean rolls of parchment. Allowing herself a smile at her organisation, she placed the materials neatly on the desk top so the Professor could be as pleased that at least one student was ready on time.
Professor McGonagall was far from pleased with Ginny. She looked sternly at the student over the tops of her glasses, which were perched precariously on the bridge of her nose. They remained so under the paranoia - inducing glare their owner was sending.
The target realized momentarily that she was being watched, and so responded. "Yes, Professor?"
"You are wanted in Headmaster Dumbledore's office immediately, Weasley," she said, spectacles wiggling slightly from side to side.
Ginny nodded, put her things away, then halted, remembering that she had no idea where the Headmaster's office was.
"Don't keep the Headmaster waiting," McGonagall ordered, pushing her glasses farther up on her nose.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I don't know where it is," she replied, making faces in her mind. "I've not gotten into trouble before, you see."
Watching her spectacles slip down to the tip of her nose, the professor heaved a great sigh of exasperation. "Follow me," she snapped, then swept out of the room.
*
She seated herself in the only empty chair, staring at the snoozing portraits on the walls and the silver magical instruments gleaming on the Headmaster's desk. Draco looked as insolent as ever, obviously wishing to be somewhere else. Dumbledore took no notice of their attitudes, but stood and bowed deeply to all three of them in turn.
"I suppose you know what I am going to be speaking to you about," he said.
Draco rolled his eyes. "That Rita Skeeter article, obviously. It has nothing to do with Potter, though, he doesn't really need-"
"Oh, it has everything to do with Harry," the Headmaster interrupted. "Or should I say King Arthur?"
They all paled, but didn't look at each other. Ginny and her boyfriend kept looking resolutely forwards, trying to seem bemused and puzzled.
Harry took no such pretenses. "How do you know?" He asked, voice hoarse with shock.
"The Lady of the Lake is not discreet," he chuckled. "Nor were you when you summoned her. I wish to discuss with you a proposition involving my allowance of time for you to develop your powers. All three of you spend time every afternoon practising together, testing each other's abilities, with no questions asked. In return, I'd like to run some tests and have a report on my desk every week about your progress."
Ginny's eyes blazed. "I am not a guinea pig, Headmaster, and I don't wish to be treated like one. I suppose you'd be documenting the information, then sending out a report to the Daily Prophet about the new freaks you'd found to study?"
"Not at all," Dumbledore responded. "This must be kept in the utmost confidence. If Voldemort knew that you three were alive, and that the old myth were true, there wouldn't be much left for us to do. He'd try to bring you over to his side, torture you if you didn't, and kill you later when he realized you wouldn't help him. Would you agree to my proposition if I allowed you to write your own weekly progress reports?"
They nodded in unison, very much relieved that their Headmaster was now aware of their predicament.
Disclaimer: Not mine, JK's. That just about explains it. Next chapter: we find out what Draco is dreaming about and what relevance that has to any of this. The following chapters will be rated PG16 because I can't control the dirty little thoughts in Draco's mind.
A/N: Because ffnet is being such an almighty pain (no offense meant, of course), this has taken three times as long to put up as it would have. It was ready before I left for camp, but it's very difficult to post a new chapter when the website refuses to show up on your computer. Heck, it's been ready for two months now, but you get to read it anyway.
Draco stalked up to Gryffindor Tower determinedly. The expression on his face was so stern and terrifying that no one, not even the professors, questioned him or the fact that he seemed to be clutching the top of something that was not there. He climbed the stairs, each step echoing on the marble steps. Crowds of students made way for him as though he were Moses parting the Red Sea.
He had nearly reached the portrait of the Fat Lady when Ginny caught up and practically shoved him against the wall. "You are not going to march in there and shout for Harry to come out with Excalibur. That's ludicrous. We'd all be killed or shipped off to Saint Mungo's. After I get Harry, we will leave and find somewhere for you two to duel. Do you understand?"
A slight incline of the head was all the response she got. He was promptly turned invisible, though he watched and listened intently before she disappeared through the Fat Lady. Ginny's voice floated over to him, despite his distance, and he heard her whisper "authority's demise" to the portrait. She wasn't gone long, but in his readiness and determination it seemed forever. An audible sigh of relief escaped him as the spell over him vanished and her companion glared.
"Hey! You didn't say he would be here!" Harry shouted, holding out Excalibur and pointing it at his arch-nemesis.
"Please be reasonable, Harry! Do you think I would stride in and ask you to come somewhere with me privately and bring Excalibur if it didn't have to do with him and this mess we've all gotten ourselves into?"
"I know what I'd think if you didn't ask me to bring Excalibur," he said slyly.
Fear's point was soon at his throat. "You dare," Draco said dangerously, "to even suggest something like that, and I will beat you even worse than I will as soon as we get somewhere where we can fence."
"If you've both stopped acting two years old, we can continue," Ginny said exasperatedly. They followed her in silence, both watching the other stealthily. It didn't take very long to find an empty, spacious classroom, and after she had locked the door, she removed the invisibility spell over their swords.
Harry raised Excalibur, but Draco smirked. "You wouldn't object to my getting a blessing from my lady, would you?" Ginny was already untying her hair ribbon, a long, silky green one, and placing it in her knight-in- shining-armor's hand. She pecked him on the cheek and shoved him forwards to do battle.
"Now we fence," Harry said, voice emotionless. Before he could even think of striking, Fear slashed through his defense to come to rest at the base of his throat.
"You'll have to do better than that," his opponent said disdainfully, face expressionless but laughing all the same. His tone of voice made his boredom clear. Excalibur's edge sliced through the air, aimed at Draco's torso, but was effortlessly parried. Ginny exited to the clash of metal on metal, waiting outside for the victor.
Fear's speed was dizzying as it blocked Harry's reckless thrusts. They came hard and fast, with so much power behind each stroke that he breathed hard, struggling for more air. On the other hand, his opponent was calculating every move to the finest degree, knowing where he needed to block and when. A bead of sweat trickled down Harry's face, making him shake his head. In that second Draco snaked his sword around Excalibur and jerked upwards. The sword flew from the Arthur incarnate's hand, shrieking in the air, and buried itself in the wall.
Its owner watched it quiver for a moment, then spoke gruffly. "I yield," he said. His opponent removed the tip of his weapon from his neck and allowed him to pass. Harry pondered something as he tugged Excalibur from the wall, and turned to look at Draco, who was inspecting every facet of the marvelous blade he now owned. "Do you love her?" He asked finally, sliding his sword back into its makeshift sheath.
All movement stopped dead except for his head, which rose slowly to meet Harry's inquiring gaze. "If I lost her, I'd spend everything I had, the rest of my life, to find her. Does that answer your question?" The answer had been a long time in coming, but it was said so steadily that any listener could tell it was the truth.
"I never did," he admitted softly, ignoring the demand. "She's gorgeous, and that's all I cared about, all I could think about. You deserve to have her. I won't get in your way."
Draco sheathed his blade and walked out, not pausing by the door when he left a quiet "Thank you."
*
Ginny awoke with a smile on her face for the first time since September. It had been the first night since then that her dreams had not been invaded by reminders of her destiny, and the first night that she had slept soundly. She couldn't help smiling or thinking that things were looking up. Until she got to breakfast.
All eyes flickered to her as she entered, most of them bold and laughing. A wave of giggles washed over the Great Hall, accompanied by pointing fingers and whispers. Knowing that seeming to be embarrassed would only encourage them, she sat down next to Hermione, who immediately pulled in the edges of the newspaper she was reading. She looked at the sixth year oddly, because Hermione had never tried to hide anything from her, but took it in stride. It was going to be a very strange morning.
"Good morning," she said cautiously. "Anything good in the Prophet this morning?"
"No, nothing at all interesting," was Hermione's rushed and strangled reply.
"Then you won't mind that I look at it when you're finished."
Her neighbor reddened. "Well, actually, um, I need it for--for-- a Divination project," she said.
"You don't take Divination. Just give me the bloody paper, would you? I know there's something in it about me." This straight-forward approach worked, because the paper was tossed recklessly onto her plate.
"Editorials." Came the listless direction.
A picture in the bottom corner caught her eye, and noticed that, without a doubt, she was in it. In the very centre of the frame was a pair kissing. It was Ginny and Draco, after she'd given him a hug not so long ago. She nearly laughed when she noticed that Harry was in the background, being held back by Hermione so he wouldn't murder anyone. Her eyes flicked to the title, where it announced in large letters that Romeo and Juliet had come to Hogwarts.
~Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley, rivals at the Ministry of Magic, will not be happy to hear that their hate for each other has not been carried on by their offspring. Draco, Lucius' son, has made it clear that he is very content with Virginia, Arthur's youngest (see picture, left). After a period of turmoil and denied involvement with the Boy Who Lived, Virginia was captured on film by an anonymous student at Hogwarts when her boyfriend was ready to publicize their relationship...~
"How lovely. I'll wear earplugs to breakfast tomorrow." She said calmly, not even bothering to read the rest of the article that probably gave all the false details of her happiness with Draco. Anonymous student-- she looked at the photo, and sure enough, it said "photo courtesy Colin Creevey" along the bottom. She grimaced and decided to pay Colin a visit. "I'll be back in a moment, Hermione, I've got to speak to someone."
Thankfully, there was an empty seat next to Colin. "Why, hello, Colin," she said cheerfully, putting the paper down on the table. His eyes flicked to the paper for a moment, then back to her, wondering if her attitude was genuine. "I saw a photo of yours in the paper, and I wanted to congratulate you. It's a very nice photograph, though the subject matter is not quite what I would have preferred. For example, you could have chosen the Whomping Willow, Professor Dumbledore, or the giant squid. Why that?"
"I--I--I thought you two looked good together, and there was good light, and good color, and--"
"And you wanted to get back at me for Harry, is that right?"
"Well, yes. I can't see why you didn't go out with him, he really liked you, it was obvious."
"Too obvious," she quipped. "Don't meddle, Colin. You'll be sorry."
His eyes got very large and round. "Are you going to hurt me?" Her sweet smile didn't fool him-- he cowered, waiting for the strike, the crack of bones, and the blood.
"I'm not, but I can't control Draco. Be prepared for revenge, Slytherin style."
*
"Give me the paper, Goyle," he intoned, so imperious that his henchmen would probably have gone to get him a Golden Snidget if he'd asked for it. "Nice photo," he added, noticing his presence in the editorials section. He scanned the article, grimacing at the extensive use of insulting adjectives. "Who wrote this? Oh. Rita Skeeter. I'm utterly shocked." The last phrase was loaded with as much sarcasm as he could muster. Not even Crabbe, who never understood whether Draco was joking or not, mistook the meaning of his words.
Pansy, having already seen the article and the picture, glared venomously at Ginny. Her eyes bore holes into the back of the Gryffindor's head, soon to re-emerge on the other side. Thomas, watching carefully, added another name to his list of possible allies.
*
Ginny strode into Professor McGonagall's classroom much before the bell was due to ring, pleased at being early. She rummaged in her bag, looking for her homework, which was neatly rolled up and tied with string. It was right on the top, next to a half-full bottle of ink and several clean rolls of parchment. Allowing herself a smile at her organisation, she placed the materials neatly on the desk top so the Professor could be as pleased that at least one student was ready on time.
Professor McGonagall was far from pleased with Ginny. She looked sternly at the student over the tops of her glasses, which were perched precariously on the bridge of her nose. They remained so under the paranoia - inducing glare their owner was sending.
The target realized momentarily that she was being watched, and so responded. "Yes, Professor?"
"You are wanted in Headmaster Dumbledore's office immediately, Weasley," she said, spectacles wiggling slightly from side to side.
Ginny nodded, put her things away, then halted, remembering that she had no idea where the Headmaster's office was.
"Don't keep the Headmaster waiting," McGonagall ordered, pushing her glasses farther up on her nose.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I don't know where it is," she replied, making faces in her mind. "I've not gotten into trouble before, you see."
Watching her spectacles slip down to the tip of her nose, the professor heaved a great sigh of exasperation. "Follow me," she snapped, then swept out of the room.
*
She seated herself in the only empty chair, staring at the snoozing portraits on the walls and the silver magical instruments gleaming on the Headmaster's desk. Draco looked as insolent as ever, obviously wishing to be somewhere else. Dumbledore took no notice of their attitudes, but stood and bowed deeply to all three of them in turn.
"I suppose you know what I am going to be speaking to you about," he said.
Draco rolled his eyes. "That Rita Skeeter article, obviously. It has nothing to do with Potter, though, he doesn't really need-"
"Oh, it has everything to do with Harry," the Headmaster interrupted. "Or should I say King Arthur?"
They all paled, but didn't look at each other. Ginny and her boyfriend kept looking resolutely forwards, trying to seem bemused and puzzled.
Harry took no such pretenses. "How do you know?" He asked, voice hoarse with shock.
"The Lady of the Lake is not discreet," he chuckled. "Nor were you when you summoned her. I wish to discuss with you a proposition involving my allowance of time for you to develop your powers. All three of you spend time every afternoon practising together, testing each other's abilities, with no questions asked. In return, I'd like to run some tests and have a report on my desk every week about your progress."
Ginny's eyes blazed. "I am not a guinea pig, Headmaster, and I don't wish to be treated like one. I suppose you'd be documenting the information, then sending out a report to the Daily Prophet about the new freaks you'd found to study?"
"Not at all," Dumbledore responded. "This must be kept in the utmost confidence. If Voldemort knew that you three were alive, and that the old myth were true, there wouldn't be much left for us to do. He'd try to bring you over to his side, torture you if you didn't, and kill you later when he realized you wouldn't help him. Would you agree to my proposition if I allowed you to write your own weekly progress reports?"
They nodded in unison, very much relieved that their Headmaster was now aware of their predicament.
Disclaimer: Not mine, JK's. That just about explains it. Next chapter: we find out what Draco is dreaming about and what relevance that has to any of this. The following chapters will be rated PG16 because I can't control the dirty little thoughts in Draco's mind.