CHAPTER 22-




Ginny gave a small gasp, which was nevertheless audible to Slytherin who was standing next to where she was, near the door. "And what are you doing here?"

Ginny stared at him with wide frightened eyes. "I was just.."

"Thank you for all that you've done, child." Interposed Helga, kindly. "Now why don't you go to your room and get some sleep? We'll take care of Mr.Malfoy."

Before leaving Ginny heard Slytherin ask in a harsh voice, "Why, what's the matter with Malfoy?"

Regretfully, as she told Hermione later, she couldn't hear anything else of what was being said. She walked back to Hermione's room, her brows wrinkled in thought. She could make no sense of what was going on. Professor Gryffindor had said that both the imperius curse and the cruciatus curse had been cast on Draco when he was asleep.

Ginny gave an involuntary shiver. 'What agony Draco must have undergone' she thought. No wonder he had been speaking nonsense when she found him on the floor in her room. She knew that both the Imperius curse and the cruciatus curse were Unforgivable curses and the person who cast it, was liable for life-imprisonment at Azkaban. Moreover it had been cast on a sleeping person who couldn't defend himself, which made it worse. She wondered who could have done that sinful deed. Her first thought naturally jumped to Voldemort. Was he here? Was he the one who had caused all of them to be transported to the past and then transported himself too? Before she could delve more deeply into it, she had reached their room. She knocked and entered.

Hermione was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Where have you been?" she asked looking at Ginny.

"I have some information about Draco." Said Ginny jumping onto the bed.

~*~*~*~*~

Harry, Fred and George were staring wide-eyed at Hermione as she narrated the events of last night.

After Ginny had tolf Hermione everything that she had heard, they had lain awake for a while talking. Eventually they had fallen asleep. So tired were they after the night's escapades, that they didn't wake until a house-elf drew the curtains apart, causing the sunlight to fall directly on their faces. They had got up and dressed hurriedly. They were just about to proceed to the boys' rooms when Harry, Fred and George had walked in. So now they were sitting on the bed relating last night's exploits.

"I can't believe that the girls were in the very hub of things while we were in the land of dreams." complained Fred.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Leave it to the twins not to concentrate on the essential point of the story. Evidently Hermione thought likewise too, for she said, "Fred, we are not talking about who got to be in the lime-light and who didn't, we are instead discussing about Draco and what is wrong with him."

What Hermione said must have struck home for pained looks came on the twins' faces. "Did you hear Professor Gryffindor say that an illusory potion was given to Dra- Malfoy?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. Do you know anything about illusory potions?"

Fred and George stared guiltily at each other while Harry was looking angry. "You did try it on Draco, didn't you?" he asked accusingly.

Fred and George nodded miserably.

"What!" exclaimed Hermione. "You gave Draco the illusory potion? I know he was our enemy back at school, but now we are all sailing on the same boat. How could you do something mean like that?"

"We didn't mean any harm. It was just a jo-"

"What DOES the potion do exactly?" asked Ginny. She was quite cross too but she knew it was no use flaring up. Being practical would yield best results.

"The drinker of the potion will be transported to a different place in the same castle but he will be under the illusion that he has been transported to a different time. He won't be able to recognize the people he sees."

Hermione and Ginny stared at each other. "That explains it." Said Hermione.

"Explains what?" asked George bewildered.

"That explains why Draco was suddenly transported to our room and why he persisted in calling us Crabbe and Goyle."

It speaks volumes for the depth of remorse that the twins felt, for they didn't burst into laughter or make witty comments on Hermione and Ginny being mistaken for Crabbe and Goyle. Their lips twitched however, but they managed to keep straight faces.

"How did you manage to make the potion?" asked Hermione intrigued, despite herself.

"It was just something we found in one of Snape's books while we were serving detention. The ingredients weren't hard to collect and we thought it would make a good trick. But honestly we didn't mean to-"

A house-elf entered, interrupting the twins. "Would Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, Master-"

"Yes, yes we'll come for breakfast." Said Fred hastily.

The house-elf bowed, no traces of chagrin visible on its face at being interrupted so unceremoniously.

"What a gabster!" Said Fred following the house-elf out of the room.

A/N- I can't believe none of you knew who Malra is. She is the medium who makes the prediction in the 4th chapter about four students coming from the future. Does that refresh your memory?