~Ch. 5- The Conjuring~

Ginny smiled secretly, pretending not to have noticed the reactions that she did, turning back to Draco as she cleared her throat. "Well, I'm a bit exhausted. Perhaps we should go get some punch?"

After a moment, her voice lowered, and she smiled more broadly at him. "That was wonderful, Draco. I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

Draco tugged at the lapels of his jacket, straightening it out after the exertions of the dance had left it a bit skewed. He smiled back at her, briefly, as they walked towards the refreshment table. "I'm glad you had fun. Makes me wish I really had made a bet. We would have won it for certain."

Ginny couldn't help but grin. "I'm glad we got a chance to do that, Draco. I thought I'd never have the chance to use the skills I got at Beauxbatons. Who knew that I'd be doing this?"

Grabbing a cup of punch, she took a careful sip of it, glancing about the room while she did.

*

A pair of jet-black eyes, hard as ebony, were watching Draco and Ginny together, glaring at both with malice. Who did they think they were fooling, trying to seem as if they still hated each other? Sure, they occasionally made biting comments or threw glares at one another… but their act was ruined by the smiles Obsidian had caught.

Just one of those smiles was more real than all of their snide remarks combined. Which meant only one thing: hating each other was just a ruse, a facade.

The only question that Obsidian had to figure out was why.

She was interrupted from her brooding by an annoying voice at her elbow. "C'mon, Susan, stop staring at Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley for one second, and dance with me."

Obsidian hid a look of disdain. When she turned to her date, she was smiling. "Of course Justin." And then she allowed him to lead her to the floor, where the other students had returned, inspired by Draco and Ginny's dazzling performance. She danced with her date, but her mind was elsewhere, still pondering the conundrum that was Draco.

Justin didn't know it, but his girlfriend was dead. Susan Bones had been dead for two years. Obsidian now wore her skin, saw with her eyes, talked with her voice.

And Obsidian served the Dark Lord.

*

Ginny Weasley would have never suspected anything to happen that evening. It was the furthest thing from her mind as she stood sipping punch and watching Harry Potter try to pay attention to his date Parvati and her at the same time.

Her present company was not something she didn't mind, either. Despite Draco's initial cruelty to her, he was a charming and even sweet person. And yet, Ginny couldn't even tell anyone about it.

All because he was afraid of the Dark Lord.

Oh, how Ginny would have loved to tell Hermione that Draco wasn't a jerk and that he was really sweet and nice and considerate, and she would have adored to be able to calm Ron down enough so that he didn't explode every time he saw her with Draco. And yet, it all wasn't possible.

All because he was afraid of the Dark Lord.

Draco cast glances at Ginny as he took a drink of iced pumpkin juice. He looked the direction of her eyes, and ended up looking at Potter. The old resentment flared. But he kept it hidden. He wished he knew what she was thinking. Then he realized something. He could just ask.

"So, Ginny." He took another sip, leaning casually against the table. "I think Potter is sufficiently riled. If you asked him to dance, he would definitely accept."

Ginny smiled at Draco's words. It seemed that Harry wasn't the only one jealous. Oh, if only Harry knew that Draco was as jealous as he! Still, her gaze pulled away from The Boy Who Lived, and onto Draco Malfoy again.

"You're right, he probably would." She paused, glancing to Harry and Parvati once more. "And I do owe Harry a dance. I promised him and Ron both one." Now, her eyes were on Draco once more.

"But if you asked me who I'd rather be with right now, I'd tell you that it's you, Draco Malfoy, and not Harry Potter." She smiled again. "Not the famous Harry Potter, but the 'cruel' Draco Malfoy." Her words were low, for his ears only.

Her gaze stayed on him, her eyes searching for his reaction.

Draco stared back at her. He lowered his voice to match hers. "You know me for a week and already you're favoring me over Potter? Potter, whom you wrote a musical message to your first year?" Draco grinned mischievously. He had it memorized. He'd teased her and Potter both innumerable times about it.

He started to sing it softly. "'His eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad'…" His grin broadened. It wasn't a malicious grin, as it once had been when he'd sung that song. It was grin that clearly said he was trying to make her blush. "Remember?"

Ginny gave a little squeal as Draco began to sing. "Draco Malfoy, OOH! I'll..." She trailed off, her face bright red as she tried to think of something to threaten him with. And she drew a blank. Ah, but then she had an idea.

"Well if you're going to be like that, Draco Malfoy, then I will go dance with Harry. After all, at least he appreciates my company!"

Draco just chuckled at her. "I appreciate you, Ginny," He gave her a wink. "I appreciate anyone who dares to compare their crush's eye color to an amphibious creature."

He put his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up lightly. He gave her a very considering look. "Personally, though, I would choose emeralds for yours. Especially when you're angry."

Ginny found herself blushing in spite of her attempts to regain self-control as she stared up at Draco. She felt her heart beginning to race, and she struggled to speak, struggling to say anything, anything to distract her from the moment, to make him look away.

She almost felt like she had when she'd first seen Harry... only this was ten times worse. "Maybe... maybe we should take a step back... you know, so no one suspects anything." Yet, despite the fact she was saying those words, she was silently hoping that Draco would rebel against them and not listen to her.

*

Obsidian had been watching when Draco had smiled at Ginny and started to sing to her.

Obsidian had been watching when Draco had touched Ginny, turning her face towards his.

Obsidian had been watching as the color came into Ginny's cheeks, flushing them becomingly.

Obsidian didn't have to ask why anymore. It was clear now. Draco was attracted to the Weasley girl. Which meant he was only a half-step away from betrayal of the Malfoy family. Betrayal of his father, Lucius, right-hand of Voldemort.

Which meant that he was only a half-step from betraying the Dark Lord himself.

She couldn't allow that to happen.

She reached into a secret pocket in the skirt of her dress, removing a small and smoothly polished wooden box, that had a look of great age to it. She fingered it lovingly for a moment, as she slipped off to a shadowed corner. The Dark Lord himself had given her this precious gift for just such an occasion.

She held it carefully in the palm of her hand, and slid the lid of the container open just a fraction of an inch. As a thick black smoke began to emerge from within it, she set it near the refreshment table, and slipped away. Wouldn't do to be caught at the scene of the crime.

From a suitably distant corner, she turned and watched with glee as the smoke billowed forth, resolving itself into a massive shadowy creature with the wings of a bat a glowing yellow eyes. Eyes that fixed on Ginny Weasley.

*

Draco had just opened his mouth to answer Ginny when he caught movement in the shadows out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head sharply, just in time to watch a demon-wraith stretch out it's impossibly long, black arms to snatch Ginny away.

Ginny didn't know what was coming, nor did she expect it. She didn't even know it was there until she saw Draco's gaze turning towards the creature. She would have turned to face it, save for the fact that a pair of dark arms was suddenly grabbing a hold on her.

Suddenly the world felt like it was all in slow motion. She felt a scream escape her lips and her feet lift from the ground simultaneously. Hot breath surged against the back of her neck, clawed fingers holding her closely to its body.

She was a shield. It was trying to get up into the air and it was trying to use her as a human shield in the process. Her eyes scanned the ground quickly, looking for someone, anyone who might help her.

Specifically, she wanted to know where Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were, as well as the teachers. She didn't know why this creature wanted her, but it did.

And she was also realizing she had a fear of heights.

And Draco was suddenly realizing that he had a fear of losing Ginny.

Everything in himself that might have stopped him: doubt, fear of his father, what people would think- all of it was instantly forgotten the moment the demon-wraith took off with Ginny in its evil clutches.

He reacted half with instinct, half with reckless anger, taking hold of the massive creature's long tail as it swept by him. Immediately he was jerked off his feet, and he held tighter to the scaly appendage, trying not to choke on the creature's noxious scent- a mixture of burning hair and wood smoke.

The Great Hall was quite a big room, and the creature was heading for the enchanted ceiling, but it was still some distance away. With skill born from desperation, Draco began climbing the demon-wraith's tail, using it like a rope to get to the creature's back. Of course, once the creature felt his weight, it started thrashing its tail around wildly, making Draco hang on for dear life to avoid being thrown to the ground that now seemed so very far away. This wasn't like riding a broomstick.

But luckily, Draco wasn't alone in trying to save Ginny. A number of teachers had jerked out their wands, but were wary of using stupefying charms for fear of hitting the two of them on accident.

Hermione had grabbed hold of Ron's arm. "What do we do, what do we do?" It usually took her a few moments to get a grip on herself in tight situations.

Ron was gaping upward in shock. "Is that Malfoy on the back of that thing?"

Harry was standing next to him. "The bastard's probably controlling it!"

Ginny felt her chest growing tighter. From fear, from anxiety, from the choking smell of the demon-wraith that held her. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down as the floor drew further and further away.

She had to think of something. Whatever this creature wanted, it had come for her. What could she possibly have that could have attracted it? Ginny couldn't think. Nothing was coming, no possible escape was in sight for her.

Struggling against the creature, she tried to find something in the hall that she could grab onto. Maybe if she could just get the creature close enough to the wall, she could manage to grab onto something as it passed by.

That is, if she could even get her arms into a position where she could grab something.

Draco slowly began inching his way towards the creature's back again, in the lull moments when it wasn't thrashing him around like a rag doll. A demon-wraith didn't have a lot to hold on to. No spines, no horns. That made things difficult.

Well, more difficult.

Somehow, though, he managed to achieve his goal, crawling forward and straddling the creature's broad back, gripping it tightly enough with his legs that he could have a free hand to reach into his robes and pull out his wand. He just hoped the people underneath them were prepared.

The creature had almost reached the ceiling. It didn't show any signs of slowing down. He didn't have a lot of time.

Pointing his wand directly at the creature's head, Draco gathered his breath and bellowed with all his strength, "Finite incantatem!"

In a puff of smoke and yellow light, the conjured demon-wraith vanished. And Draco and Ginny were suddenly left a hundred feet up in the air, with nothing to hold on to or hold them up.

They plummeted like stones.

She was afraid this would happen. Ginny's eyes squeezed shut as she reached out for something, anything to hold onto. And as she dropped she found Draco Malfoy's arm. Clinging to it suddenly, she couldn't help but think of how painful it was going to be when they hit the ground.

Ginny wasn't sure how far there was left to fall, her eyes were so tightly shut, but she had a bad feeling the ground was close. Too close. Yet, she thought she heard someone chant a spell somewhere nearby.

And suddenly, it was if a giant net had secured them. They slowed to a halt, bouncing slightly against the forces of gravity, causing Ginny to practically fall on top of Draco as they were now lowered to the ground.

Opening her eyes slowly, she saw that it was some sort of net. Someone had cast a spell that made a tiny, spider's thread thin net that caught them with the strength that should have broke the net, yet somehow, it was durable.

And that person, his wand slowly lowering, was Harry Potter.

For the second time that night, Draco and Ginny were the center of attention for the entire room. Normally, Draco would have enjoyed having a pretty girl fall almost on top of him, but his head was still spinning from the shock of the long drop. He'd seen his life flash before his eyes. It hadn't been a pretty sight.

In the shocked silence of the room, cold words rang out. "Get off of her, Malfoy," Potter snapped, his eyes flashing in mounting anger behind his glasses. It was a look Draco remembered, a look Harry'd given him when he'd gone too far with his insults.

Did I miss something here? Draco thought dazedly. I banished the demon-wraith, didn't I? He didn't know what to do. When all else fails, go deadpan. He made his voice bored, and vaguely annoyed. He didn't have to fake the annoyance. For once in his life, he'd done something good. So why was he being treated like a public enemy? "Get off of her? She's the one on top of me."

Perhaps everyone else might not have been so grateful to Draco, but Ginny was astonished. Draco Malfoy had climbed all the way up the demon-wraith to save her. To save a Weasley.

If she ever doubted Draco's sincerity and honesty about how he really was, it was all banished from her mind with his selfless act. She moved, struggling to get to her feet. But before she moved too far, she pressed her lips lightly to his ear, murmuring into it before she got to her feet.

"Thank you."

As she got to her feet, Ginny hadn't realized how dizzy the fall had made her. She stumbled backwards a few steps, only to be caught by Harry.

Draco sat up, just watching Ginny in Harry's arms with an unreadable expression. The shock finally faded, people snapped back into motion. Several teachers came forward. McGonagall's face was absolutely livid as she stared down at Draco.

"You will explain yourself," she snapped, and her tone was as biting as a cobra's.

Draco stopped himself from flinching. He got up carefully, bruised in a few places but otherwise undamaged. He stared to dust off his black trousers, calmly, as if nothing was wrong. "Explain what, Professor?"

"How a demon-wraith conjuring came to be in this school!" She hissed.

Draco froze, realization dawning. He summoned as much cold detachment as he could muster. He was beginning to have a few ideas. His father's spies had probably observed his differences. The demon-wraith had just been a warning, a warning to him. His heart clenched painfully. It was Ginny, she made him smile too much. He couldn't seem to stop himself when she was around.

"I did not conjure it, if that's what you're implying." Draco answered coolly.

"Then what were you doing climbing around on it's back, Malfoy?" Ron burst in, absolutely enraged at the attack on his sister, fully believing Draco was to blame.

Draco's eyes flickered to Ginny. She knew why. That's all that mattered.

He looked around the room, meeting people's glares, not backing down. Then he opened his mouth, and lied. "It made me spill my drink. I wanted revenge."

Draco almost cringed as he felt the force of everyone's glares turn to looks of disgust towards him. Instead of one pair of eyes glaring daggers at him, he had hundreds.

As she watched Draco, Ginny couldn't help but smile slightly. He had tried to save her. He had been so noble, so brave, and yet, everyone at Hogwarts thought he was a rude and arrogant snot.

But she knew the truth, at least. She was glad of it, too. Ginny wasn't going to let people jump on the whole conjuring as Draco's fault. She wanted to get to the bottom of the attack, and having Draco blamed wasn't going to do her any good.

"Draco didn't do anything. I was standing right next to him. If he had conjured it, I would have seen him do something suspicious." She would have removed herself from Harry's hold by now, but the fall's dizzy spell had not worn off of her yet. She just hoped Draco wouldn't get the wrong idea why she wasn't moving.

Professor McGonagall looked to Ginny, and her tight expression relaxed somewhat. "In light of Miss Weasley's defense, it would seem you're off the hook, Mr Malfoy." But she shot him a hard look. "For the moment."

She turned to the rest of the crowd, waving her arms for attention. "We might as well continue with the dance, Hogwarts turns a thousand years old only once, after all." At her words, the band struck up again, and gradually the students dispersed, with the chaperones now keeping an even more vigilant watch.

Ronald Weasley stepped close to Draco. "McGonagall may have let you off the hook, Malfoy. But I haven't. Stay away from my sister."

Draco quirked an eyebrow at him. "Thanks for the tip, Weasley," Draco murmured without inflection. "I'll keep that in mind." Glancing over to Ginny, he brushed past Ron, heading for the door.

Ginny found herself frowning as her date headed for the exit, due to Ron's threat. Glancing to her brother, she smiled weakly. "Just have fun with Hermione. I'm gonna go to the infirmary and have Madam Pomfrey check me out, just in case. I was awfully dizzy from that fall..."

Her excuse made, she hurried out the door, following Draco. Once the door was safely shut behind her, she moved after him. "Hey, Draco! I'm sorry they got so mad at you in there." She smiled more strongly. "But you did save my life, which was a very selfless thing for you to do." She paused. "So, to show my appreciation..."

And with that, Ginny Weasley leaned in and pecked Draco Malfoy lightly on the lips.

Draco stared down at Ginny, for once unable to hide his surprise. She'd kissed him.

A soft smile touched his mouth. "If that's what happens every time I do a heroic act, I might just get in the business."

But his mind went back to the attack on Ginny, the conjuring. His smile faded.

Ginny blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed now that she had actually gone through with it. He hadn't reacted how she'd thought, but what she had envisioned was far worse than what had actually happened.

And he almost openly admitted that he liked it, at least. She smiled. "Save my life again, and I promise I'll give you another." She paused to stare into his eyes. "So are you okay, Draco?"

Perhaps she had told Ron that she was leaving to make sure that she was alright... But really, it was more like to be sure that Draco was alright.

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched up at her words, "Am I okay…" He repeated slowly, moving towards the wall and leaning against it with an expression of weariness.

"Ginny," he started slowly, massaging the back of his neck. "I think someone here knows. Knows about me." He looked up towards her, and his eyes were silvered by his troubled thoughts, his growing sense of foreboding. "Demon-wraith conjuring are very dark magic, as I'm sure you realize. That one could have killed you in an instant."

He sighed. "But it didn't. Which is a good thing, of course, but… it means this was just a warning. To me. A warning that I haven't been paying enough attention to my actions, if someone has seen through them enough to know you matter to me… that hurting you would hurt me too."

Ginny frowned, shaking her head. She started to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "That's not good… But we can't go back on all that now, Draco. We have to protect ourselves, somehow." But she honestly began to believe that Draco would cut things off.

"We can't go back after everything... Can we? Not after everything..." There was a silent plea in her voice as she stared at him.

Draco stared at Ginny for a long, very quiet moment. The sounds and music of the dance in the Great hall seemed very far away, as if more than just doors blocked them off from this small section of the corridor.

He put his hands in the pockets of his slacks, because he had a very strong and sudden urge to go to her, touch her face, kiss her again.

An urge he couldn't give in to.

Finally he spoke again, and his voice was very soft and low. "My father wouldn't hesitate to torture and kill you if he thought it would make me more obedient to him." Draco closed his eyes. "I don't say these things to frighten you, Ginny. I say it because it's the truth. And because you need to know why you have to stay away from me, now."

He opened his eyes. Tried to smile at her. Couldn't.

Ginny stared at him, hurt and pain in her eyes as she tried to get a grip on the reality of the situation. "I can't believe that you're doing this to me, Draco." She silently cursed herself for being stupid.

He had probably already been playing games. It was all a joke, a joke to make her hurt. He had only pretended. He hadn't changed. But still, inside, she wanted to believe that he had, and yet, it all hurt to much.

He couldn't be saying those words. "No, Draco..."

Draco watched her face as she looked at him, reading her emotions as they flitted through her expression. She was hurt, and angry.

Well, he was hurt and angry, too. But not at her. At his life, at everything in his situation that was forcing him to push her away for her own protection.

And, if he was being honest with himself, for his own protection as well. Now that he knew that Voldemort had a spy, maybe even more than one, this close, within the very school… he couldn't afford to be smiling anymore. Couldn't afford Ginny's friendship. The cost would be too great.

He pushed away from the wall, hands still in his pockets. He took a few steps towards her, looked down into her eyes. "Bye, Ginny." He murmured. "Thank you for the dance."

And as he gave her his thanks, he knew it was for more than just the dance. He wanted to thank her for everything- for the train, for her promise, for trusting him.

But he didn't. He walked away.

Ginny stared after him as he left, willing her legs to somehow move and follow him. But she couldn't move from her spot. She struggled to find something, anything to say to him.

But no words came.

Only tears.

Slumping back against the wall facing the doorway to the hall, Ginny hunched up, sobbing quietly. How had such a perfect night gone so wrong? How could Draco have just abandoned her, after everything she did. After she went out on a limb for him! He just left.

And so she cried.