Muggle Year
by Virgi Ca
Chapter 25: Meant Coincidence
A/N: Sorry... late again.
The normal version without any weird signs (if any) and pictures drawn: http://muggleyear.wildimagination.net
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¡¥Where in the hell is he?¡¦ Spencer¡¦s roar echoed through the studio.
¡¥Temper Spencer, temper.¡¦ Lesley said calmly, looking up absently from the catalogue she was glancing at.
¡¥He¡¦ll show up.¡¦ Felicity added, uncrossing her feet. ¡¥You¡¦re going to have a nervous breakdown sooner or later.¡¦
¡¥Practically everyone¡¦s here!¡¦ Spencer roared again, ¡¥where in the hell can he be at seven o¡¦clock in the morning?¡¦ he turned to the Slytherins. ¡¥Where¡¦s Draco?¡¦
Montague, one of the backstage runners shrugged. ¡¥I have no idea.¡¦
Pansy bit her lip, ¡¥maybe I should ¡V ¡¥
¡¥NO!¡¦ Spencer immediately cut in, holding up his hand, ¡¥the last thing I need is someone else running around again.¡¦
Just then the door opened and in came Draco, whose hair was still dripping wet and tie was undone. ¡¥Sorry I was late.¡¦ He said the first thing when he met Spencer¡¦s glare.
¡¥Sorry? You¡¦ve been fifteen minutes late, where have you been for God¡¦s sake!¡¦ Spencer demanded.
Draco rolled his eyes mentally. ¡¥I was just taking a shower and ran over time, that¡¦s all.¡¦ But the fact was he fell asleep in the Prefect¡¦s Bathroom. When he woke up it was already six thirty and the dormitory was deserted. ¡¥Big deal.¡¦ He added, smirking at Spencer¡¦s purple face.
¡¥Just don¡¦t be late next time or we won¡¦t know what Spencer will do next.¡¦ Lesley said cut in calmly, stuffing the catalogue into her bag.
¡¥Sure.¡¦ Draco said, struggling with his tie.
The studio was full of people, all from the musical production, from the actors to the dancers to the stage coordinators. Most of the student helpers were form Hogwarts and some were from Durmstrang. The school had given them a two week holiday to replace the Spring Break so that they could go to London for their costume fitting and also to the Magical Stadium for set up and live rehearsals. The speaking characters would also meet the Weird Sisters and the London Philharmonic Orchestra for their first rehearsals.
At the far end Draco saw the dream team and some other Gryffindors. He knew that Granger was responsible for props coordination and that Potter and Weasley were scenary helpers. With magic everything seemed to be simplier, with a flick of the wand the prop would disappear.
You have to admit this is going to be a huge production, no wonder Fudge didn¡¦t want it screwed up. Draco thought, smirking. Leaning against the wall he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying to surpress a yawn, it was a very pleasant experience, sleeping inside a steaming tub.
¡¥Draco, where have you been last night?¡¦ a shrieking voice demanded.
Rolling his eyes mentally, Draco opened his eyes and his met with Pansy¡¦s dark brown eyes. He looked at her with raisen eyebrows. ¡¥Is it my duty to report to you my whereabouts?¡¦ he asked evenly.
Pansy looked taken back at his coldness. ¡¥Well no, I just wanted to ca ¡V ¡¥
Draco looked at her with his cold gray eyes. ¡¥Don¡¦t think you care about me when you don¡¦t Pansy Parkinson, you know perfectly well why you¡¦re always sticking around me.¡¦
Pansy gasped, then looked away guiltily.
Draco snorted then pushed himself from the wall, turning his back on her. ¡¥Just for your information, I have nothing you want, and I¡¦m sure that you won¡¦t want what I have.¡¦
¡¥Yo Draco! Over here!¡¦ a voice from the other side yelled. Draco looked up and nodded at Hase waving hand. Without a word, he walked away from her, leaving Pansy behind, tears streaming down her cheeks.
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¡¥Hey Draco, what did you exactly do to Pansy?¡¦ Montague asked curiously as Draco seated himself across from him on the Hogwarts Express. The red train was going to take them to King¡¦s Cross where they would head to the downtown West End . Montague, Doleres were the backstage runners while Pucey was one of the two assistant costume directors. Faith had replaced Pansy¡¦s original position as Therisa Goddard. If it weren¡¦t for Hase and Bruce¡¦s OWLs, they would have signed up for the programme as well.
Actually it was kind of unfair, because of the musical, all examinations were cancelled except for the O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts. But a lot of fifth years signed up, despite their public examination coming up in mid-June.
¡¥None of your business.¡¦ Draco scowled, perching one arm on the window sil.
Doleres raised her eyebrows. ¡¥I saw her crying when she rushed into the train washroom, there¡¦s got to be something going on between you two.¡¦
¡¥There¡¦s nothing.¡¦ Draco insisted. At the mention of Pansy, his blood started to boil again. He had had a mere suspicion long ago but didn¡¦t have the mood to do some investigation, but he had recently found out a little secret of Pansy by accident. Pansy was from a very huge and rich family, the Parkinsons. They were no where worse than the Malfoys or Montagues, whom too were huge Wizarding families. The Parkinsons had recently gone into a serious financial crises with a huge debt on their hands.
Draco had found a letter lying on the table in the Slytherin common room a few days before, and not to his surprise, the letter was from Pansy¡¦s mother, telling her to quickly seduce Draco and so as to get money from the Malfoys and find a way to bound him to the Parkinsons. Totally unknown from the fact that Draco had already left the Malfoys, Pansy was more than willing to finish this task, thinking she had the ability to do so. Using their power in the ministry, the Parkinsons forced Cornelius Fudge to let Pansy take up the female lead without a formal audition.
What made him even angrier was the information from Snape. His Father was actually the one who secretly caused the financial crises of the Parkinsons. He knew perfectly well that his Father wanted to use this chance to get him back to the Malfoys.
In his god damn dreams. Draco thought furiously. And that bitch, I¡¦m so glad my mother gave me a good brain and not just looks.
¡¥You know you¡¦ve made quite a reputation these days, ever since that Dark Mark two months ago.¡¦ Faith commented, earning a death glare from Draco. She raised her arms in surrender. ¡¥Hey, that was just a friendly comment, no offence!¡¦
¡¥You know you¡¦re a public figure Draco, the media¡¦s practically have their eyes on you.¡¦ Pucey said unapprovingly.
Doleres nodded. ¡¥Yeah, take a look at this.¡¦ She rummaged through her bag and found a piece of parchment, the Witch Weekly.
Draco took it and scanned the content, anger rising.
Reaons for the change of Ginny Weasley! Let Witch Weekly explain it for you!
It has been a complete mystery of why Ginny Weasley was rejected as the female lead of the Fly High Musical, Gladys Winifred. Just half a year ago, Ginny Weasley had performed to us her superb dancing skills and acting technique. There is a rumor that Weasley had had a foot injury, but to now this rumor has not yet been confirmed and thus, lead to a lot of public assumption.
There has been a very reliable rumor, that is, Ginny Weasley was deliberately changed because of Pansy Parkinson. The rumor indicated that Ginny Weasley, wanting to save her role as Gladys Winifred, somehow attempted to curse or hex Pansy, but unfortunately, it backfired and injured herself. ¡¥She isn¡¦t really that good you know.¡¦ Said one of Weasley¡¦s dormmates who prefers to stay anoynomous, ¡¥she¡¦s just so cold and blocks herself away from others, that¡¦s what I think and most people think so too. I really don¡¦t know where she learnt all those dancing skills, reckon she just wanted to show off.¡¦ ¡K¡K
Rita Skeeter
Draco crushed the article in disgust and tossed it back to Dolores, who looked at her innocent copy of the Witch Weekly sadly.
¡¥Do remember not to destroy things that are not yours Draco, I spent a sickle on that.¡¦ Dolores complained, soothing it out and rolling it before stuffing it back into her bag, grumbling about not having a chance to glance through the make up section.
The other Slytherins looked at Draco in silent shock, curiously looking at each other back and fourth. If it was the old Draco Malfoy, he would have made some irritating insults about the redhead, and even help Rita Skeeter get the news. All the Slytherins knew that it was Draco who gave information to that woman during the Tri Wizard Tournament. From Draco¡¦s role in the musical, he must have known something about the change, actually the whole school knew that it had to do with the Dark Mark, but they were forbidden to say a word to the press, let alone Rita Skeeter.
Pushing the window open, Draco let the strong spring breeze whip through his soft blonde hair. He was disgusted by Rita Skeeter¡¦s article about Virginia and didn¡¦t even want to continue with the stupid piece of junk. I can¡¦t believe I actually helped that old bitch two years ago. He thought, even more disgusted with himself. And that name¡K Ginny. I just don¡¦t understand how she can stand people calling her that idiotic name! He also had a really good guess on who that anonymous was. Reckon it¡¦s that Adela, Its not the first time I¡¦ve seen her insulting Virginia .
Pucey couldn¡¦t stand it anymore, he was feeling something fishy between Draco and Virginia, and it was just too obvious, especially to those who had known Draco for so long. ¡¥What is the matter with you Malfoy?¡¦ he demanded, crossing his legs and arms, looking at Draco evenly.
¡¥What what¡¦s wrong?¡¦ Draco growled impatiently, dragging his eyes from the magnificent scenary outside. Despite its facinating, he just didn¡¦t have the mood to appreciate it.
¡¥You¡¦re not acting like yourself.¡¦ Faith said for Pucey, giving her boyfriend a small smile. They had known for as long has they lived and the bond between them were even better than identical twins.
¡¥I¡¦m acting perfectly like myself.¡¦ Draco muttered, racking his long fingers through his smooth hair. It even felt strange to himself.
¡¥Oh Merlin, don¡¦t tell me you fell for the Weasley girl.¡¦ Montague smirked, cocking his head.
Draco¡¦s head snapped up and he glared at Montague, if looks could kill, he would have been dead already.
Montague was never really scared by Draco¡¦s looks. He just shrugged and rested his arm on the pane of the seat. ¡¥Admit it man, you¡¦ve got something for her. She¡¦s not that bad you know, if she weren¡¦t a Weasley I¡¦d even encourage you.¡¦ He paused and gave him a sly smile. ¡¥Hell of a figure, she could seduce anyone with those curves of hers. And those lips¡K¡¦
Dolores raised his eyebrows at him in suspicion. ¡¥How¡¦d you know?¡¦
¡¥Remember that big antic she did after the audition? Man I almost got ticked off afterwards when I stopped her in the hallway, I even had a mere thought of wanting to kiss her and ¡V ¡¥
A sudden commotion rang through their carriage, a few screams and things dropping rang through the cart. Draco had suddenly sprung up and hauled Montague by the collar, slamming him against the sliding door. ¡¥Say that again.¡¦ He seethed, his gray eyes reduced to slits. Dolores closed her eyes, not wanting to witness a bloody scene while Faith looked at Draco with wide eyes, unconsciously leaning herself against Pucey.
Montague just smirked, staring straight at Draco. ¡¥I told you pal, you fell for her.¡¦ He said simply.
Draco¡¦s eyes widened sightly. Even though he was glaring at Montague, his eyes seemed far away. Jealously had suddenly rushed through his head, yes he was jealous of Montague. Just the thought of Virginia ¡¦s soft red lips touching someone else¡¦s besides his made his blood boil.
After what seemed like forever, he grabbed his collar with both hands and shoved him towards Dolores, who protested out loud as Montague was thrown directly on her, trapping her under him. ¡¥Get out of my way.¡¦ He growled, throwing open the wooden door. Not waiting for a reponse from the others, he stepped out and slide the door shut again loudly. He turned and saw Adrian Bradley standing there, looking at him with his icy blue eyes. The sight of him just made his blood go past the boiling point.
Ignoring him, he stepped past him, wanting to go outside for some fresh air.
¡¥She¡¦s mine Draco Malfoy.¡¦
The words made Draco freeze in his tracks. He turned slightly, meeting with Adrian ¡¦s blue eyes once again. They were so blue, so cold and so piercing¡K they seemed to have the ability to look through everyone¡¦s mind, everyone¡¦s soul and conqour just exactly everything¡K including Virginia.
Draco narrowed his gray eyes in response, choosing to stay silent.
Adrian gave him a curt smile and turned his back to him. ¡¥Just thought I¡¦d warn you Malfoy, don¡¦t get in my way, or you¡¦ll regret.¡¦
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¡¥The scar should fade in a few days time, remember to put this cream on two times a day, once before breakfast and once before bed, do you understand?¡¦
The first year Gryffindor sitting on the infirmary bed before Virginia nodded eagerly and raised her bandaged arm slightly, jumping off the bed with a thud as she landed onto the white marble floor. ¡¥Thanks Ginny! You¡¦re the best medic! Better than Madame Promfey!¡¦ she turned and gave Virginia cute smile.
Virginia gave out a laugh and tossled her dark blonde hair. ¡¥You shouldn¡¦t say that Maggie, you know Madam Promfey just does what she needs to do!¡¦
Maggie pursed her lips. Madam Promfey had a reputation of being one of the most impatient and easily annoyed people of Hogwarts, no wonder people didn¡¦t go to the infirmary until the very last minute, which usually earned another set of scolds and yells from the medic.
¡¥I¡¦m not that scary am I Miss Brown?¡¦ Madam Promfey emerged from the store room, looking at the little girl sternly.
Maggie bit her lip and hid behind Virginia ¡¦s back.
Virginia rolled her eyes at the Medic. ¡¥Please Madam Promfey, don¡¦t scare people for fun!¡¦
Madam Promfey¡¦s lips curved into a slight grin and she put down the golden tray that she was holding. ¡¥You know me too well Ginny!¡¦
¡¥Go back to the Gryffindor tower Maggie, and remember ¡V ¡¥ Virginia started.
¡¥Put on the cream twice a day, once before breakfast and once before dinner.¡¦ Maggie recited, rolling her eyes at Virginia . ¡¥I know!¡¦
Virginia smiled then shooed the little girl out of the infirmary, closing the door behind her.
¡¥The children just love you Ginny, I just think I¡¦m starting to get lazy.¡¦ Madam Promfey joked.
Virginia smiled and headed towards the counter, picking up on of her medical books. ¡¥You just do what¡¦s good for them, although everyone thinks you¡¦re quite mean.¡¦ Virginia paused, ¡¥but you¡¦re a great medic, and a great teacher!¡¦
Madam Promfey shook her head and sat down, looking at Virginia meaningfully. Not used to Madam Promfey looking at her like that, she touched her face, wanting to know if something was wrong with her appearance. ¡¥What is it Madam Promfey?¡¦
¡¥Are you sure your okay Ginny? For the past two months, all you did was work and study.¡¦ Madam Promfey eyed her student. ¡¥You haven¡¦t been at meals on time, you haven¡¦t been back to the tower during resting hours and you haven¡¦t socialized with anyone. You didn¡¦t react normally to what happened two months ago. This isn¡¦t healthy Ginny, trust me. You don¡¦t communicate with people, you shut yourself to the whole world, isn¡¦t there something wrong?¡¦
Virginia had never thought that Madam Promfey would give a speech like that. To be honest, Virginia had not really talked to anyone for the past two months, except for maybe her brothers and her Professors. While everyone was happily discussing their plans, making friends and snogging secretly, she hid in the infirmary or the far corner of the library, doing essays, homework, anything that would keep her mind off the dreadful incident.
She was running away from it, she knew. She wanted to escape, wanted to run away from the heart breaking fact.
¡¥Ginny?¡¦
¡¥Huh?¡¦ Virginia looked up, Madam Promfey¡¦s voice breaking her thoughts. She looked at Madam Promfey¡¦s expectant face, biting her lips. She sighed and turned around, bitting her lips. ¡¥You¡¦re too sensitive Madam Promfey. Nothing really went wrong, just a few misunderstandings. The ministry just didn¡¦t want this misunderstanding to go out.¡¦ She turned and gave her a smile. ¡¥Did you read those ridiculous articles from Rita Skeeter on the Witch Weekly?¡¦
Madam Promfey exhaled loudly and took Ginny¡¦s hand, looking into her eyes sincerely. ¡¥If anything goes wrong, I¡¦m here for you, you know that.¡¦
Virginia looked at the medic and managed a smile, then turned and pointed at the old sorting hat, changing the subject. ¡¥You¡¦ve been working on that thing for months already, is it still alive?¡¦
At the mention of the sorting hat, Madam Promfey shook her head, her eyebrows twisting in confusion. ¡¥Really, that sorting hat can be such a nerve. I had to put a silencing charm on it just to make it shut up. Basically, it has been hexed with some charm and is still not recovered yet, but I suppose it¡¦ll be like it¡¦s old talkative self again by September.¡¦
¡¥And for a thought, I wondered if it was dead already.¡¦ Virginia laughed.
Madam Promfey laughed too. ¡¥Oh it won¡¦t die that easily, it¡¦s been here as long as I could remember. So, how¡¦s your Dark Mark research going on?¡¦ Virginia blinked and looked at Madam Promfey in surprise. ¡¥The whole staff knows. That¡¦s what the Headmaster said to cover up the Dark Mark incident.¡¦ Madam Promfey explained.
Virginia exhaled loudly. ¡¥Well, there are a few assumptions that I¡¦ve made, but I still have to work on the concoction and find some more ingredients that could neutralize the strong acidity of the formula.¡¦ Virginia snorted in disgust. ¡¥I tell you, Professor Snape is the worst teacher you can get, if you can call him a teacher.¡¦
Madam Promfey laughed out loud. ¡¥You just don¡¦t know him well enough, you¡¦ll see.¡¦
Virginia rolled her eyes. ¡¥We¡¦ll see.¡¦
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¡¥I can¡¦t believe it, this is just so ridiculous sometimes.¡¦ Lesley grumbled, pushing the glass doors open.
¡¥Hogwarts won¡¦t be that bad, we could just bewitch it.¡¦ Yvette reasoned.
¡¥But still¡K it¡¦s so unreasonable.¡¦ Felicity muttered.
¡¥Lesley!¡¦ an cheerful voice called.
Lesley smiled and rushed forward, giving Agatha a big hug. All the other students stood there, admiring the huge store. They were there to do the fitting of some few specific costumes that were made by the store, namely the tango dress made for Pansy. Most of them were the speaking roles, including a few costume coordinators and Felicity. Most of the others were still at the Magical Stadium, rehearsing. Originally they were going to have a pre performance for the ministry and their sponsers of some important scenes, but the ministry had suddenly said they need to change the date and now they had to give the performance at Hogwarts.
¡¥So, let me see the lovely female lead..¡¦ Agatha said pleasantly. Pansy stepped out proudly, her hands behind her back while Gabrielle scowled at her back. Agatha looked at her and nodded. ¡¥Very good.¡¦
Felicity let out a sigh of relief while Lesley exhaled loudly, sinking into a chair. Agatha had once said that if the lead didn¡¦t please her eyes, then she wouldn¡¦t give the costume. Agatha started to shoo the students to dressing rooms and handed out a variety of clothes. Felicity started fussing around with Pansy while Lesley monitored the rest, including Draco¡¦s costume, which was, ironically, just a pair of worn black slacks and a slightly torn tank top.
¡¥Perfect.¡¦ Lesley said, clapping her hands. She turned to Agatha. ¡¥Don¡¦t you think so Agatha?¡¦
Agatha laughed, ¡¥looks like a bloody street rat, I like the feeling.¡¦
Felicity laughed too, while Draco just rolled his eyes. He didn¡¦t mind wearing worn clothes, but the huge clipped ring earring on his left ear was quiet irritating. He had a feeling that he looked like a god damn pirate.
¡¥So how¡¦s Ginny doing, I hope she¡¦s all fine.¡¦ Agatha said, but to her surprise, the whole store fell into an uncomfortable silence.
¡¥Uh, she¡¦s fine.¡¦ Lesley replied awkwardly, shooting a glance at Yvette, then at Draco, who had his eyes closed and arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
¡¥I was a bit surprised when I didn¡¦t see Ginny come, you know how well she had inherited you Lesley.¡¦ Agatha laughed. ¡¥The girl is just too quiet sometimes, I hope she did well with that outfit you bought her in September.¡¦
Lesley smiled and nodded her head, ¡¥she loves it.¡¦
¡¥What outfit?¡¦ Yvette asked curiously.
Agatha pointed to the green and silver leotard on the wall. Everyone turned, even Draco, to look at the green leotard hung on the wall for display. Draco raised his eyebrows, he recognized that leotard. It was what Virginia wore the very first time they crashed into each other outside the studio half a year ago.
¡¥It¡¦s gorgeous!¡¦ Felicity exclaimed.
Draco pushed himself from the wall and slipped into the dressing room, changing at lightening speed back into his school uniform and robes.
¡¥Where are you going Draco?¡¦ Pansy asked softly, steeping towards him, but stepped back as Draco shot a glare at her.
¡¥I guess my fitting is over since I¡¦m only wearing that, so I¡¦m going out for a walk.¡¦ Draco said curtly, looking at Lesley for approval.
Lesley nodded, ¡¥just be back at the hotel at five, and uh, don¡¦t wear those robes, you¡¦ll start to scare people.¡¦
Draco rolled his eyes and shrugged off his black robes, throwing them to Pucey, who catched it, grumbling about something being a slave. Without another word, he stepped out into the busy street again, raising his hand to block out the sun.
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¡¥DAMN IT!¡¦ a high pitched voice shouted, ringing through the whole Hogwarts castle. Madame Promfey, who was had just entered the infirmary rushed into the working room and found Virginia sitting there, buried in ash and powder, two melted cauldrons on the table.
¡¥What happened Ginny?¡¦ Madam Promfey exclaimed, fanning away some of the irritating ashes with her hand.
Virginia coughed. ¡¥Nothing, just blew up my cauldron and some parchments.¡¦
Madam Promfey blinked. ¡¥You¡¦ve never made a mistake like¡K oh my god¡K¡¦
¡¥What?¡¦ Virginia asked, brushing the ash out of her head.
¡¥Ginny, your hair is black!¡¦ Madam Promfey cried.
Virginia paused for a moment in shock, then rushed out of the working and room and threw herself onto the sink, staring at herself in the mirror above it. Indeed her hair was pitch black without a trace of red.
Dear gods¡K
¡¥What happened?¡¦ Madam Promfey asked, still recovering from her shock.
Virginia growled under her breath, racking her pale fingers through her tangling black hair. ¡¥My brothers are going to kill me. I think its George and Fred, they put something in my cauldron and it burst, reckon they put some potion into my concoction that had been brewing for two weeks!¡¦
¡¥Calm down!¡¦ Madam Promfey exclaimed, shaking her head. ¡¥Those two will never learn, some day they might just kill someone with those pranks of there¡¦s.¡¦
¡¥I can bet a million sickles on that.¡¦ Virginia muttered, bitting her bottom lip. Sighing she turned on the faucent and splashed herself with water, trying to get out the cinder on her face.
¡¥I think you better go back and take a shower.¡¦ Madam Promfey suggested.
Virginia paused, then closed the tap. ¡¥Your right, haven¡¦t really had a decent bath in ages.¡¦
¡¥Now go on! I¡¦ll get some house elves to clean up this filthy place.¡¦ Madam Promfey shooed good naturally.
Virginia laughed and rushed out of the infirmary.
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Am I the only guy left on this whole planet? Draco wondered.
He had a reason for that notion since practically all the girls on the street were either peeking, looking, gazing, staring or simply gawking at him. He had a sudden feeling of being some artifact in a museum, a dark artifact, to make that more graphical. He couldn¡¦t and wouldn¡¦t deny the fact that was hansome, even sexy, as girls described him.
But to be honest, he didn¡¦t want to be so outstanding. He could never hide from the eyes that always followed him, he felt no privacy at all. Thinking back, he had been so stupid, bickering with Potter just to get some attention he had, but now he just felt it irritating.
I guess Virginia would feel the same too, since her hair is so sharp. Draco thought again, wandering down the busy muggle street with his hands in his trouser pockets, oblivious of the surroundings. He had always wondered how it would feel like to be recognized instantly, much like the Weasleys which were too famous with their flaming hair and overloaded freckles. But then again, Virginia was never really noticeable except for the fact that she was a Weasley. Over the years she seemed to be hiding, avoiding attention, which to Draco, was quite a wise decision, compared to her brother Ron and his friends.
Draco stopped and exhaled loudly, he had been thinking about the redhead for the past few days, past few nights. He had been thinking over and over again, wondering what it would be like if he was in her shoes. He just couldn¡¦t imagine how hurt she had been, and over the past two months she had disguised herself quite well, like covering herself with a shell. To be honest, the musical seemed to be missing something without her, he knew Lesley and Spencer felt that too, not to mention Lawrence, who was the one who at first insisted the use of Virginia from the very beginning for his script.
A sudden wisp of wind blew through the narrow alley and some bells rang because of it, breaking Draco¡¦s deep thoughts. Looking up, he found himself standing beside a book shop. It had no name and seemed very dark inside. The glass were quite misty, probably from the lack of cleaning and a single hanging fan was spinning slowly above, creating shadows on the dark and dusty book cases.
¡¥Weird, what books could this creepy bookshop sell.¡¦ Draco muttered. Losing under his curiosity, he pushed open the heavy oak door and coughed at the dust flying from the floor, giving a slight shiver at the charming bells as the door closed behind him. He was surprised that not a single soul was inside.
It was very dark and hot inside, the fan proved to have no use in improving the temperature. The shop seemed larger than Draco thought from the look outside. In fact, it was huge with mountains of books, all dusty and worn. It was like entering an ancient library.
Who would open a bookshop like this, it looks more like a library. Draco thought, browsing over some books on a nearby oak book case. Practically all of them were leather bond and were very very old. Some even had moulds and burnt edges. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked to the very back of the bookshop where there was a particularly small book shelf that had satin covering half of it.
Draco immediately caught sight of one with a black metal cover. Narrowing his eyes slightly he reached for it and pulled it out with his long fingers, wincing at its weight. On the cover it was carved:
¡¥The Dark Lethal Curses¡¦.
¡¥Weird, why would there be a wizardry book in a muggle booksh ¡V ¡¥ he widened his eyes when the book shelf turned by itself at lightening speed and pushed him forward with huge force.
¡¥Damn it!¡¦ he cursed under his breath as he felt himself falling into a pile of ash and cinder.
¡¥Young Master Malfoy¡K what a pleasant surprise.¡¦ A croaked voice drawled.
Draco looked up with his stormy gray eyes and almost gasped in surprise, staring into a pair of dull black eyes.
¡¥Mr. Borgin.¡¦
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¡¥Ginny? Is that you?¡¦ a voice asked in bewilderment.
Virginia rolled her eyes, letting the door of her dormitory room hanging open. She turned and gave the two second years the surprise of their lives. ¡¥Yes, it is me, satisfied?¡¦
The two second years gasped at Virginia ¡¦s magnificently long pitch black hair. ¡¥What have you done to yourself? You¡¦re not ashamed of your family¡¦s hair color are you?¡¦ one of them exclaimed without a second thought.
Virginia glared at the girl with brunette pigtails and clutched her fists. ¡¥Fortunately no Bernice, I was a victim of my own two twin brothers.¡¦ And with that, she slammed the door right in the two girls¡¦ astonished faces. She charged straight to her wardrobe and threw the doors, ripping out some clothes and a fluffy green towel.
¡¥Why do I have such troublesome brothers?¡¦ Virginia muttered, storming into the bathroom and slamming the door shut again. ¡¥What in the world have I done wrong to deserve this?¡¦ She cried, glancing at herself in the mirror, ¡¥Why ¡V ¡¥
She paused, getting a better look of herself. Is this me? She thought metally, taking a closer look, almost sticking her nose onto the mirror. At first she only saw that her hair had turned black, she never noticed that it had turned into elegant waves and curled at the ends. What in the world did those two prats do?
She almost jumped out of her skin when the mirror suddenly shouted. ¡¥What in the world did you do to yourself Ginny Weasley!¡¦
¡¥Nothing of your concern!¡¦ Virginia snapped impatiently, successfully shutting it up.
Feeling that she needed a break, Virginia decided to treat herself with a bath instead of the cold showers she had every morning. Stripping herself from her filthy working robes, she stepped into the steaming hot water she just filled the tube with. Sighing in pure pleasure, she sank herself into the water until only her nose and eyes were above the surface.
When was the last time I actually let myself relax? Virginia wondered, reaching for a towel on the counter. Not in at least a year, or is it two?
It seemed that she had been running away from something, somewhere, without even knowing its existence. She had started to realize this this year, probably for the fact that a lot of things had changed from their usual routine.
¡¥How great would it be if I were in the Prefects¡¦ Bathroom.¡¦ Virginia muttered. She remember the disappointed look her Mother gave her at the summer before fifth year when she didn¡¦t get any letter saying that had been made prefect. She was actually quite disappointed ever since Percy was the last one in the family to be prefect, not even Ron was selected and all ¡¥hopes¡¦ were on her.
She gasped when she suddenly lost balance and sank into the tub with a thud. Surfacing again, she spit out some water and wiped the water out of her eyes. Taking in deep breaths she ran her fingers through her newly blackened hair and down her neck¡K
That was when she felt something. She looked down and saw the blood red opal. Looking at it strangely she lifted it up and examined it carefully. It never really occurred to her the existence of this thing, and it seemed weird because she never really aware that something was around her neck, let alone glowing, like now.
¡¥What is this?¡¦ Virginia wondered out loud. She had a vague memory of asking the same question about three months ago. After a few moments of looking at it, she gave up. Throwing her hands up, having no intention to take it off. Guess it won¡¦t do any harm, I¡¦ve been wearing it for almost a year already. She thought has she emerged from the steaming water. Reaching for a towel, she carefully, wiped off the excess water on her pale skin and wrapped her huge mass of hair up, hastily pulling on her school robes.
Something glowing caught Virginia ¡¦s sight when she stepped out of the steamy bathroom. The soft glow was from her trunk at the far end of the room beside her four-post bed. Rubbing her head she walked towards it and opened the trunk, and to her surprise, the glowing stopped abruptly.
What is this? Virginia thought, throwing the towel onto her neatly made bed and started to take her clothes out, searching for the glowing object. She blinked when her hand touched some leather. She reached down her hand and took out what seemed like a very heavy book.
It was a book, a very huge and heavy leather bound book.
And on the cover, in silver italics, it read¡K¡K
¡¥The Dark Medical Skills¡¦.
End of Chapter 25
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A/N: Be kind and review! Email me at virginialo@wildimagination.net if you got any questions! You can also leave any messages on my site's message board: http://pub92.ezboard.com/bwildimaginationworks
