Ebony shadows stretched out in terrifying angles and her heart pounded hungrily in her chest. The strange banners hanging from the ceiling growled and hissed at her respectfully as she passed and several paintings were whispering around her, their constant painted voices filling the room with an almost threatening mantra, which quickened her pulse further.
She found it hard to breath and her fingers were shaking. It was for this reason that she accidentally dropped her sack in front of the library entrance resulting in a colossi crash that she prayed couldn't be heard outside of the room.
Ginny bent to get her sack when someone grabbed her arm causing her to jump with a start. Immediately she drew her wand due to her paranoia.
"Shhh…. It's me!" a voice said behind her.
"Malfoy?!" She asked. This would probably be the only time that she would be happy to see him. "Thank god!"
"You act like someone's out to get you." He said grabbing her sack.
"For your information some has been out to get me."
"Let me guess, Vol-"
"The Dark Lord!" Ginny insisted with a hiss. "Now, that you know that the worlds one true boogey man is after me why don't we get into the library already?"
"Boogey Man?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Muggle term." She answered and grabbed his hand and dragged him into the library. "Let's get started. Where's your stuff?"
"Over there." He said pointing at where a pile of books and a parchment lay.
"What are you having trouble with?" She said as she marched over and grabbed the chair beside him.
"Charms mostly, some potions and a little transfiguration." He announced pulling the chair up.
"Ok, let's start with potions, Snape isn't half as forgiving then the other two." She said with a grin.
"Sounds good." He said after a pause and sat down.
"Anything specific potion you have trouble with?" Ginny asked as she opened her book.
"Pretty much everything." Draco said with a sigh.
"Well, that's a lot to cover… how about the Bi- cell transformation potion?"
"We were talking about that in class." he nodded, stray locks of blond hair slipping over his eyes.
"Yep. Ok, it's on page…. 357." She said as she flipped through her own book.
"Ok." He said pressing a finger along the spine of the page.
"Now, this particular spell has four highly important parts. Take a guess at what those are?"
"Time, I remember that." He said.
"Good. Try another." She insisted.
"Freshness of the ingredients?" He asked.
"Great! If the Toe wart isn't garden fresh then it won't work."
"Something about… The grade of preparation."
"Very good! It kind of messes with the potency. Write that down."
"Oh, thanks." He said and immediately started to put the words on paper.
"What next?" Ginny said expectantly.
"Heat?" He asked looking up with uncertainty.
"Nope." Ginny said with a firm grin.
"What is it then?" He asked.
"If I just gave you the answers, I'd be meddling now wouldn't I?" She said with an evil smirk.
"Some help you are!" He sniffed.
"Look on page 360 under important in bold red print."
"No human contact?" He asked as he red the page.
"Exactly."
"Um…why?" He asked.
"Good question let's thing on that. Toewart is used for what other than this?"
"A flaw remover." he said automatically.
"Common, more detail." She said shaking her head.
"Ok, a wart remover." he said.
"Bingo! So it would be safe to say that a) it is an acid b) it can be affected by human skin oils. It also can explode." She noted.
He made a face. "I don't even want to ask how you know that."
"Fred and George, the experiment with explosives." She said with a shrug.
The night continued onward in such a manor with both parties trying to forget that they didn't like each other.
"Ok, now do you understand?" Ginny asked.
"I think so." He said with a small grin. "This isn't as hard as I thought."
"Nope. Do questions 1-3 and let me know when you're finished." She said and turned to pull out "When the Clock Strikes Midnight".
She had just gotten to the part where Max, the private investigator was trapped in an underground holding block when she noticed that Malfoy was calling her.
"Ginny? Ginny!" He asked.
"Oh, sorry. It's a really good book! So lemme see." She said and looked over his shoulder at his paper.
"Questions one and two are right but how did you come up with that." She asked.
"It asked for a charm that could be used to extinguish a fire." He said raising a brow.
"Yes, but that is a inferno charm." She said with confusion.
"Feed fire with fire and it can't breath." he said with a shrug.
"Sounds good, but highly impractical. The more commonly used answer is "aqua submergus." She said.
"Ok." He said and knodded.
"Good answer though, you really thought about that." Ginny grinned and then yawned.
"What time is it?" Draco asked.
"Um…" She said looking at her wrist, "Two hairs past a freckle, eastern elbow time?" She said with a sheepish grin. "I must of left my watch in my dorm. Either way, it's really, really late." She said as she started to pack her things up.
Malfoy nodded and started to pack his things up. "You know, if we were to do this every other day, I could keep up." he said.
"Certainly not at these hours!" Ginny said hiding a yawn.
"Of course not at these hours, we'd be falling asleep everywhere." Draco announced.
"How about Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 4 and 5 o'clock?" Ginny asked.
"Can't, I've got practice." He said as he grabbed his book sack.
" Oh yeah, hmmm…let's discuss this when I'm actually coherent." She said softly.
"Tired?" He asked.
"Dead." She said and yawned again.
"I guess it is pretty late. Oh, here." he said handing her, her book bag.
"Oh, thanks. Well, see you tomorrow, I guess." She said and blew out the candles in the library.
"Let's keep this between us and the wall." Draco said.
"Absolutely." She agreed and started out into the hall.
As she was about to head in the opposite direction as Malfoy a question burned inside her. "Draco?"
"Yeah?" He said from behind her.
"Is your father always like that?" She asked.
"Isn't that normal?" He asked confused.
"No. It isn't normal. He really should be reported." She said bitterly.
"Look, don't go making a big deal out of this." He said hurriedly.
"I won't. It's a decision you have to make on your own." She said softly.
"Well, thanks again." He said and she heard the sounds of his footsteps running away.
'He's scared.' she thought. 'And I don't blame him one bit.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 4...man I'm on a roll.
She found it hard to breath and her fingers were shaking. It was for this reason that she accidentally dropped her sack in front of the library entrance resulting in a colossi crash that she prayed couldn't be heard outside of the room.
Ginny bent to get her sack when someone grabbed her arm causing her to jump with a start. Immediately she drew her wand due to her paranoia.
"Shhh…. It's me!" a voice said behind her.
"Malfoy?!" She asked. This would probably be the only time that she would be happy to see him. "Thank god!"
"You act like someone's out to get you." He said grabbing her sack.
"For your information some has been out to get me."
"Let me guess, Vol-"
"The Dark Lord!" Ginny insisted with a hiss. "Now, that you know that the worlds one true boogey man is after me why don't we get into the library already?"
"Boogey Man?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Muggle term." She answered and grabbed his hand and dragged him into the library. "Let's get started. Where's your stuff?"
"Over there." He said pointing at where a pile of books and a parchment lay.
"What are you having trouble with?" She said as she marched over and grabbed the chair beside him.
"Charms mostly, some potions and a little transfiguration." He announced pulling the chair up.
"Ok, let's start with potions, Snape isn't half as forgiving then the other two." She said with a grin.
"Sounds good." He said after a pause and sat down.
"Anything specific potion you have trouble with?" Ginny asked as she opened her book.
"Pretty much everything." Draco said with a sigh.
"Well, that's a lot to cover… how about the Bi- cell transformation potion?"
"We were talking about that in class." he nodded, stray locks of blond hair slipping over his eyes.
"Yep. Ok, it's on page…. 357." She said as she flipped through her own book.
"Ok." He said pressing a finger along the spine of the page.
"Now, this particular spell has four highly important parts. Take a guess at what those are?"
"Time, I remember that." He said.
"Good. Try another." She insisted.
"Freshness of the ingredients?" He asked.
"Great! If the Toe wart isn't garden fresh then it won't work."
"Something about… The grade of preparation."
"Very good! It kind of messes with the potency. Write that down."
"Oh, thanks." He said and immediately started to put the words on paper.
"What next?" Ginny said expectantly.
"Heat?" He asked looking up with uncertainty.
"Nope." Ginny said with a firm grin.
"What is it then?" He asked.
"If I just gave you the answers, I'd be meddling now wouldn't I?" She said with an evil smirk.
"Some help you are!" He sniffed.
"Look on page 360 under important in bold red print."
"No human contact?" He asked as he red the page.
"Exactly."
"Um…why?" He asked.
"Good question let's thing on that. Toewart is used for what other than this?"
"A flaw remover." he said automatically.
"Common, more detail." She said shaking her head.
"Ok, a wart remover." he said.
"Bingo! So it would be safe to say that a) it is an acid b) it can be affected by human skin oils. It also can explode." She noted.
He made a face. "I don't even want to ask how you know that."
"Fred and George, the experiment with explosives." She said with a shrug.
The night continued onward in such a manor with both parties trying to forget that they didn't like each other.
"Ok, now do you understand?" Ginny asked.
"I think so." He said with a small grin. "This isn't as hard as I thought."
"Nope. Do questions 1-3 and let me know when you're finished." She said and turned to pull out "When the Clock Strikes Midnight".
She had just gotten to the part where Max, the private investigator was trapped in an underground holding block when she noticed that Malfoy was calling her.
"Ginny? Ginny!" He asked.
"Oh, sorry. It's a really good book! So lemme see." She said and looked over his shoulder at his paper.
"Questions one and two are right but how did you come up with that." She asked.
"It asked for a charm that could be used to extinguish a fire." He said raising a brow.
"Yes, but that is a inferno charm." She said with confusion.
"Feed fire with fire and it can't breath." he said with a shrug.
"Sounds good, but highly impractical. The more commonly used answer is "aqua submergus." She said.
"Ok." He said and knodded.
"Good answer though, you really thought about that." Ginny grinned and then yawned.
"What time is it?" Draco asked.
"Um…" She said looking at her wrist, "Two hairs past a freckle, eastern elbow time?" She said with a sheepish grin. "I must of left my watch in my dorm. Either way, it's really, really late." She said as she started to pack her things up.
Malfoy nodded and started to pack his things up. "You know, if we were to do this every other day, I could keep up." he said.
"Certainly not at these hours!" Ginny said hiding a yawn.
"Of course not at these hours, we'd be falling asleep everywhere." Draco announced.
"How about Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 4 and 5 o'clock?" Ginny asked.
"Can't, I've got practice." He said as he grabbed his book sack.
" Oh yeah, hmmm…let's discuss this when I'm actually coherent." She said softly.
"Tired?" He asked.
"Dead." She said and yawned again.
"I guess it is pretty late. Oh, here." he said handing her, her book bag.
"Oh, thanks. Well, see you tomorrow, I guess." She said and blew out the candles in the library.
"Let's keep this between us and the wall." Draco said.
"Absolutely." She agreed and started out into the hall.
As she was about to head in the opposite direction as Malfoy a question burned inside her. "Draco?"
"Yeah?" He said from behind her.
"Is your father always like that?" She asked.
"Isn't that normal?" He asked confused.
"No. It isn't normal. He really should be reported." She said bitterly.
"Look, don't go making a big deal out of this." He said hurriedly.
"I won't. It's a decision you have to make on your own." She said softly.
"Well, thanks again." He said and she heard the sounds of his footsteps running away.
'He's scared.' she thought. 'And I don't blame him one bit.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 4...man I'm on a roll.