CHAPTER 19-
Dinner was rather a silent meal. They had all decided to sit together at the long table at the centre of The Great Hall. Godric and Helga seemed to be deep in thought. Slytherin, apparently of a taciturn disposition, did nothing but cast darkling glances at Draco under his hooded eyes. Fred & George were busy whispering and discussing something together.
'Probably planning how to finish their potion.' Thought Harry.
He hadn't been too happy with the thought of making Draco a guinea pig for the twins' potion. A year, or even a month before, he would have been overjoyed at the prospect of playing a prank on Malfoy, but now he didn't seem so sure. The brief encounter he had had with Draco made him feel that something had changed. He glanced at Draco, trying to figure out what it was that had altered.
Draco, meanwhile was toying with his food, trying to avoid Slytherin's piercing gaze and figure out what he was going to do tomorrow when he was summoned. Maybe he could pretend to accept their proposition and then say that Harry was protected by powerful magic, which he was powerless to overcome. Would Voldemort and Slytherin buy it?
"You have hardly eaten anything child. Aren't you hungry?"
Draco looked up from his plate to see Rowena addressing him.
"Umm..I'm tired. I just want to get to bed." He stood up from his half-finished plate.
"Of course." Said Helga. "All of you must be tired. Time travelling is not an easy thing. If everybody has finished, I think it's better if all of you go to bed right now."
All of them stood up.
"Thank you for allowing us to stay here and study in Hogwarts until the time-turner spell is discovered." Said Hermione.
Draco rolled his eyes. The others nodded and said their 'Thank yous' too.
Godric smiled. "Now, off to bed. Good night!"
With a chorus of 'Good night's they were gone.
~*~*~*~*~
Draco spent a restless night, tossing and turning on his bed. What was he going to do when he was summoned? Defy them again? Voldemort couldn't hurt him, he knew. Voldemort could use only one spell and he had already used it in trying to control him with the imperius curse. But Slytherin could use any number of curses and Draco knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use them if Draco flouted him.
He was running over all kinds of schemes in his mind when he felt a sudden sharp pain in his abdomen. He clutched his stomach and groaned. He felt dizzy. He rolled to the floor and wondered if he was going to vomit. He struggled to get up and stretched his hand towards the bell-rope, but before he could pull it and summon a house-elf, he felt the room tilt and soon he was falling.
"AAHH!"
He had landed on the hard floor and had bumped his head in the bargain. He rubbed his head and looked around. Damp walls, green with moss, a fireplace with no wood, a huge green armchair with a silver serpent…. He was in the Slytherin common room.
~*~*~*~*~
Ginny woke up with a start. She had heard a sound as if someone had fallen. She wondered if Hermione had fallen from her bed. But no, Hermione was sleeping soundly by her side. Just as she was thinking that it was a dream, she heard a cry. She looked around. She could make out somebody hunched up on the floor. Somebody with pale blond hair.
"Draco?"
No reply. She got down from the bed and slowly went towards him. Just as she reached him, he looked up. Ginny gasped. His eyes, which were usually a translucent gray, were bloodshot. She figured that he had not got much sleep.
"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.
He didn't even look at her. His eyes went around the room. He made a move as if to get up, but fell back again with a groan. Ginny immediately went to his side.
"Are you all right?" she asked. This time he looked at her.
"Crabbe." He whispered.
Crabbe? He thought she was Crabbe? Either his brain was seriously damaged (which, she considered it had been, from birth) or he was insulting her.
"Don't tell me you got transported back in time too?" he continued. "Or did my father send you here to drum some sense into my head? A poor sort of envoy he has selected."
Ginny didn't know what to make of Draco's drivel. A million questions were running through her head but she knew it was no use talking to Draco. He was obviously under some spell or his brain had become unhinged by his fall. Whatever it was, her first priority was to take him to The Great Four.
She caught him by the hand and tried to get him to stand up.
He thrust her hand away.
"Trying to take me by violence, eh? You may be physically stronger than me, Crabbe, but you have less brains than a flobberworm." Saying so, he proceeded to take out a wand from his robes.
Ginny let go of his hand immediately. Clearly the situation demanded more help. She turned towards the bed. "Hermione! Wake up! Emergency!"
"Huh? What?" asked Hermione, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Draco sitting on the floor. "What is HE doing here?"
"Goyle, you here too?" said Draco looking at Hermione. "My father decided that violence would do the trick better than persuasion, did he? You know what? Instead of trying to persuade me to kill Harry, you two could do the thing yourselves. I'm sure you would have no qualms about it and both of you are much stronger than I could ever be."
Hermione looked at Ginny blankly. "What is he talking about? Somebody's trying to kill Harry?"
Ginny gave her a meaningful look. "I think his brain has been deranged. He thinks both of us are Crabbe and Goyle."
Seeing Hermione's even more baffled expression, she said hurriedly, "I'll explain later. First we've got to take him to The Great Four."
Hermione didn't ask any more questions. She wrapped a cloak around her shoulders and went towards Draco.
"Don't come any nearer." Said Draco, pointing his wand.
Hermione stopped. "Come on, Malfoy. We aren't going to hurt you. We'll just-"
The door banged open.
"What is going on in here?"
~*~*~*~*~
Dinner was rather a silent meal. They had all decided to sit together at the long table at the centre of The Great Hall. Godric and Helga seemed to be deep in thought. Slytherin, apparently of a taciturn disposition, did nothing but cast darkling glances at Draco under his hooded eyes. Fred & George were busy whispering and discussing something together.
'Probably planning how to finish their potion.' Thought Harry.
He hadn't been too happy with the thought of making Draco a guinea pig for the twins' potion. A year, or even a month before, he would have been overjoyed at the prospect of playing a prank on Malfoy, but now he didn't seem so sure. The brief encounter he had had with Draco made him feel that something had changed. He glanced at Draco, trying to figure out what it was that had altered.
Draco, meanwhile was toying with his food, trying to avoid Slytherin's piercing gaze and figure out what he was going to do tomorrow when he was summoned. Maybe he could pretend to accept their proposition and then say that Harry was protected by powerful magic, which he was powerless to overcome. Would Voldemort and Slytherin buy it?
"You have hardly eaten anything child. Aren't you hungry?"
Draco looked up from his plate to see Rowena addressing him.
"Umm..I'm tired. I just want to get to bed." He stood up from his half-finished plate.
"Of course." Said Helga. "All of you must be tired. Time travelling is not an easy thing. If everybody has finished, I think it's better if all of you go to bed right now."
All of them stood up.
"Thank you for allowing us to stay here and study in Hogwarts until the time-turner spell is discovered." Said Hermione.
Draco rolled his eyes. The others nodded and said their 'Thank yous' too.
Godric smiled. "Now, off to bed. Good night!"
With a chorus of 'Good night's they were gone.
~*~*~*~*~
Draco spent a restless night, tossing and turning on his bed. What was he going to do when he was summoned? Defy them again? Voldemort couldn't hurt him, he knew. Voldemort could use only one spell and he had already used it in trying to control him with the imperius curse. But Slytherin could use any number of curses and Draco knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use them if Draco flouted him.
He was running over all kinds of schemes in his mind when he felt a sudden sharp pain in his abdomen. He clutched his stomach and groaned. He felt dizzy. He rolled to the floor and wondered if he was going to vomit. He struggled to get up and stretched his hand towards the bell-rope, but before he could pull it and summon a house-elf, he felt the room tilt and soon he was falling.
"AAHH!"
He had landed on the hard floor and had bumped his head in the bargain. He rubbed his head and looked around. Damp walls, green with moss, a fireplace with no wood, a huge green armchair with a silver serpent…. He was in the Slytherin common room.
~*~*~*~*~
Ginny woke up with a start. She had heard a sound as if someone had fallen. She wondered if Hermione had fallen from her bed. But no, Hermione was sleeping soundly by her side. Just as she was thinking that it was a dream, she heard a cry. She looked around. She could make out somebody hunched up on the floor. Somebody with pale blond hair.
"Draco?"
No reply. She got down from the bed and slowly went towards him. Just as she reached him, he looked up. Ginny gasped. His eyes, which were usually a translucent gray, were bloodshot. She figured that he had not got much sleep.
"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.
He didn't even look at her. His eyes went around the room. He made a move as if to get up, but fell back again with a groan. Ginny immediately went to his side.
"Are you all right?" she asked. This time he looked at her.
"Crabbe." He whispered.
Crabbe? He thought she was Crabbe? Either his brain was seriously damaged (which, she considered it had been, from birth) or he was insulting her.
"Don't tell me you got transported back in time too?" he continued. "Or did my father send you here to drum some sense into my head? A poor sort of envoy he has selected."
Ginny didn't know what to make of Draco's drivel. A million questions were running through her head but she knew it was no use talking to Draco. He was obviously under some spell or his brain had become unhinged by his fall. Whatever it was, her first priority was to take him to The Great Four.
She caught him by the hand and tried to get him to stand up.
He thrust her hand away.
"Trying to take me by violence, eh? You may be physically stronger than me, Crabbe, but you have less brains than a flobberworm." Saying so, he proceeded to take out a wand from his robes.
Ginny let go of his hand immediately. Clearly the situation demanded more help. She turned towards the bed. "Hermione! Wake up! Emergency!"
"Huh? What?" asked Hermione, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Draco sitting on the floor. "What is HE doing here?"
"Goyle, you here too?" said Draco looking at Hermione. "My father decided that violence would do the trick better than persuasion, did he? You know what? Instead of trying to persuade me to kill Harry, you two could do the thing yourselves. I'm sure you would have no qualms about it and both of you are much stronger than I could ever be."
Hermione looked at Ginny blankly. "What is he talking about? Somebody's trying to kill Harry?"
Ginny gave her a meaningful look. "I think his brain has been deranged. He thinks both of us are Crabbe and Goyle."
Seeing Hermione's even more baffled expression, she said hurriedly, "I'll explain later. First we've got to take him to The Great Four."
Hermione didn't ask any more questions. She wrapped a cloak around her shoulders and went towards Draco.
"Don't come any nearer." Said Draco, pointing his wand.
Hermione stopped. "Come on, Malfoy. We aren't going to hurt you. We'll just-"
The door banged open.
"What is going on in here?"
~*~*~*~*~