UNDER MY SPELL
I just loved writing the last chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a few days, but I've been working on this other piece called GO AWAY. (Please read it!) Anyway, I hope this chapter meets with your approval, and even if I doesn't, I don't care. Just kidding…And here's a by-your-leave, none of its mine! Bow down to JK Rowling!
CHAPTER NINE: THEY ELOPED?!
Harry brought Ginny home that evening, and she asked him in. "Hermione?" she called, but no one answered. "That's odd; I thought she said she was having Ron for dinner."
Harry shrugged. Then he saw the piece of parchment on the kitchen table. "Looks like she left a note, Gin."
Ginny picked up the note and read. Then her mouth spread in a wide grin. "Oh, Harry! Look at this! They eloped!"
"They eloped?"
"They eloped!" Ginny smiled, but then a light came into her eyes. "I knew I wasn't crazy," she muttered, shaking her head.
"What?"
"The other night, when we had dinner with Draco, Hermione mentioned that I caught the bouquet before she did at Fred and George's wedding. That sparked my memory. At the time, it seemed like we caught it at the same moment, and it was too hard to tell. But some little piece of me always knew she got it first."
"Oh. Well, it hardly matters, does it?" Harry stopped. "Do we have to break the news to your parents and Hermione's?"
Ginny's grin fell. "The note does say to 'everyone', but I doubt they told anyone. Heck, the candles are still warm. Looks like we missed them by about twenty minutes or so. Should we owl them?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe we should wait until tomorrow, give them a chance to tell everyone themselves." He ran a hand through his hair, and added, "This isn't like them, though. Hermione's not the impulsive sort, and Ron's slow as molasses. Heck, it took him until fifth year to figure out he liked Hermione."
Ginny nodded. "But he got it, didn't he? My mum has a saying about Ron. 'Can't rush him into anything, not even a chess move.' I guess this proves her wrong."
The Burrow, the next morning…
Molly Weasley put on the coffee and went upstairs to wake her husband for work. "Arthur? Time to get up!" She yelled from the hall. Then she walked up a flight of stairs and knocked sharply on Ron's door. He hadn't come downstairs for breakfast and that was unusual because he was usually up by this time.
"Ron? Are you awake yet?"
No answer. Odd, she thought. She cracked open the door to see the bed made and completely empty. She shook her head. He must have stayed with Harry at Hogwarts. Yes, that must be it.
She refused to think anymore about why her son hadn't come home last night. It was just something she didn't want to know about.
Arthur entered the kitchen and noted the owl perched on the windowsill. "We've post, Molly," he said yawning. "Isn't Ron up yet?"
She ignored her husband completely, so he took the mail from the bird and tore the seal. His eyes widened as he read, and his mouth broke into a wide grin.
Molly turned away from the frying bacon to see her husband grinning like an idiot over the post. "Well, who's it from?" she asked tersely.
"Ron," he answered.
"Well, I should hope so. He didn't come home last night, there was no note, no 'Bye the way mum, I'll be out for the night.' What has he got to say?"
"Molly, he isn't a child anymore. He can come and go as he pleases."
She sighed. "What does he say?" she repeated.
"He says that he and Hermione eloped last night."
"They eloped?" she shouted.
"They eloped." Arthur continued to grin. "He says he's sorry if it upsets us, but he's never been so happy. They were married last night on a beach, and he says they'll be spending some time on the island before coming home."
"Well, I…This is so exciting!" Molly said. Then her eyes started to mist. "That boy," she muttered. "We didn't get to go to his wedding. Oh, Arthur, I wish we could have been there."
"Me too, but this is what they wanted. Think how messy another big Weasley wedding could get. They probably just wanted to bypass the insanity."
***
A few days later found Draco wandering around Hogsmeade, trying to 'casually bump into' Harry Potter. He felt he was getting closer to becoming a trusted friend, but more contact, on a spontaneous basis, wouldn't hurt.
He found his target outside the Three Broomsticks, blessedly alone. It was Friday, and a Hogsmeade weekend for students. He'd know Harry would be chaperoning.
Draco hustled forward, trying to look friendly and surprised to see him there.
"Harry! What a pleasant surprise," he said in greeting.
Harry turned to see Malfoy. It surprised and perplexed him how much Draco had changed since school. And the funny thing was, Harry was beginning to count him as a friend. He'd been around a lot of late, and Harry had come to accept it. His presence wasn't a source of torture anymore. But it had been a few days since he'd seen him.
"Draco. What brings you here, on a Friday afternoon no less?"
"A friend asked me to pick up a package from the post office," he lied easily. "And you, no doubt, are here with students."
Harry nodded. "Would you like to join me for a drink? It's getting awfully cold out here."
Just what I'd planned on, Draco thought. "Sounds good."
They entered the pub with a tinkle of bells and took a seat at a nearby table. After they'd ordered, the conversation began. Draco wanted to bleed out any information he could.
"How is Ginny?" he asked politely.
"Very well. She's bustling around with wedding plans, asking my opinion on this and that." He chuckled.
"I'm sure it will all be worth it. I haven't heard anything from Ron and Hermione. They're well, I trust?"
Harry's small smile grew into an amused grin. "The news hasn't reached you?"
"No," Draco replied neutrally.
"They eloped three days ago."
"They eloped?" Draco was stunned.
"Yep, they eloped. Got married on some tropical island, and taking a honeymoon there. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley told us they'd gotten a letter from them, and I checked with Hermione's parents to see that they'd gotten a letter as well. Came as quite a shock to everyone."
"I can imagine. Well, when they return, I'll be sure to offer my congratulations."
"They owled me that they'd be coming back on Thursday. I've arranged for a few friends to come to the house for a little welcome home party. Would you like to come? Seven o'clock, at Hermione and Ginny's."
"That would be great. Have you and Ginny given any thought to where you'll be taking your honeymoon?" He wanted to turn the conversation back to Harry. He'd promised his boss he'd get his next report in tonight.
Harry's cheeks colored ever so slightly. "She's suggested a few places, and they all sound quite nice. I really don't mind where. I think she's partial to Italy however. That sounds like fun to me."
"Yes, it is very lovely."
"Have you been?"
"Once or twice," Draco replied flippantly. "Where are you planning on living after the wedding?"
"Well, my first intention was to have Ginny move in to my rooms at Hogwarts, but I think she'd prefer a house. She liked to garden and decorate, and that wouldn't be something she could do in those rooms. I don't think Hermione and Ron gave a thought to where they'd live, so I suppose they'll expect to get the house and have Ginny move back to the Burrow until the wedding. But I've a mind to build a house, however Ginny wants, right here in Hogsmeade. I think she'd like that."
"Fine, that's fine. What a lovely gesture." Draco smiled. I'd like a cottage to share with someone I love. He cringed. Get over it, Draco. No one would ever want you.
Later that night…
Draco had long since stopped knocking on his employer's door. He was there often enough to know his boss's hours by heart.
"Draco, right on time."
"As always," he replied coolly.
"Tell me what you've got. I think there's a bonus in this for you."
As Draco relayed the information he'd gathered, he felt a surge of emotion—was it guilt?—in his chest. He felt like he was betraying a friend. He'd finally gained a little happiness, and he was doing it all for money. He was selling out the only people who had welcomed him, however reluctantly, into their lives. What is wrong with me? Nobody gives a rat's ass what happens to you. But somehow he felt that wasn't true.
"This is it, Draco. I want you to set a trap, lure Potter here. It's time I got my revenge."
Oh God, what have I done?
Okay, its short, but it reveals startling clues. Who IS this mystery person? Will Draco go through with it? Find out next time…(And meanwhile, be sure to check out Go Away, like I mentioned before) Much love, peace out!