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One Tree Hill – 03 – The moon is up and over
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See the sun go down in your eyes…
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Ginny Weasley was confused. She scratched her head with the end of her wand, one hand still stirring her brewing potion. Her desk was completely cleaned, and she was glad for it, tired of mysterious sticky spots and crusted-on ingredients. But there were three words printed near the edge that kept bugging her: Under your chair. Puzzled she glanced around the room, particularly noting where Professor Snape stood. Dropping her wand on the floor, she leaned over inconspicuously to pick up. Having ducked under her table, she reached blindly under chair. She gasped as her fingers brushed over a piece of parchment.
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Draco Malfoy sat back in the warm chair by the fireplace. The black leather creaked underneath him as he crossed his legs and pulled his hands up behind his head. He closed his eyes. Tonight was going to be a long night. He grew tired and ill just thinking about it.
The familiar rumbling of the Common Room door shook him from his trance, and he stood to greet Potter.
"Malfoy?" The dark-haired boy whispered, peering about the darkened room.
"Yes, I'm here, Potter. Are they ready for us?" Draco approached him, keeping his own voice low.
"I think so," he whispered, his hand reaching to flatten the hair down over his scar.
Draco heaved a sigh and he started for the door, with Potter at his side. They kept their pace brisk, both of them breathing hard by the time they reached the Headmaster's office. Inside were gathered a few Professors, along with Black, Lupin and a few others. Draco nodded to Professor Snape. Then he and Harry sat down.
"Good evening, Harry, Draco. Now, shall we begin?" The Headmaster looked around the room with his piercing blue eyes, and almost everyone bowed their heads in consent.
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Ginny smiled to herself as she confidently ticked off the answers to their "surprise" quiz in potions class. Most of her fellow students groaned and struggled through the questions. As her classmates had grumbled as they put away their books, when a particularly foul-mooded Professor handed out the papers, Ginny had simply dipped her quill in the inkwell, totally prepared for what was to come. And how could that possibly be?
Because she'd been up the evening before, studying the list she'd found under her chair. The parchment had been a brief note, and a forewarning of a surprise quiz to come. She wasn't sure whether to take the note seriously, but noticing the sour look on the Potions Master's face, she decided it wouldn't hurt to review a few things, especially the things that her secret friend had included in the note.
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He didn't want to, but for some reason, his hand wandered under his chair and retrieved a small folded piece of parchment that he knew would be there. He was almost positive he knew what it would say. He unfolded it, disregarding the curious glance his professor shot in his direction.
Thanks for the heads-up. I probably should have expected something that horrid from the prof – he's been a little off lately, don't you think? Looking like he needs a holiday, that's for sure. You enjoy this class? I mean, aside from our lovely Potions Master?
He smirked. A holiday. He looked up at Professor Snape, who now looked like he wanted nothing more than to bang his head, repeatedly, on the wall behind him. Draco had to admit, despite the hour being too early, that he really enjoyed his class. Potions were like a fine art to Professor Snape. And to Draco, too.
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She easily found the note under her chair, when the Professor had turned his attention to the chalkboard, writing the ingredients for today's potion. Ginny smiled as she unfolded the piece of paper.
Of course I enjoy this class, who doesn't enjoy Potions? Especially first thing in the morning?
Ginny paused to think who had Potions first thing in the morning. Wasn't it Ron? He was always complaining – she would ask him later.
As for our Potions Master needing a holiday, you can't be more right. And I'd love to join him, if it meant getting away from the tedium of school. How about you? Keeping up? Now that Christmas and New Years have passed, we've got ages to get by until Easter rolls along. Stop reading this and pay attention to the lesson, you naughty girl.
Ginny grinned, as she dipped her quill in ink, ready to reply on the back of the small bit of paper.
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Draco slid into his seat, over ten minutes late, surprised that he'd even bothered to show up at all. He hadn't had any sleep last night – and he was running late with breakfast and getting ready. He looked miserably up at the Professor.
"Mr. Malfoy – you look horrid. Get yourself out of my classroom, and if you can manage, to the hospital wing. Now." The Professor, looking nearly worse off than Draco turned back to Longbottom and his poorly brewed potion.
Draco heaved a sigh, and began to stand. He leaned over to pick up his bag, when something tickled a corner of his memory. Smoothly, and almost unconsciously, he reached out a hand and grabbed a parchment stuck under his chair.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and trudged out of the room. Once in the hallway, he considered where he should head – his dorm room, which would surely be empty, or to the hospital wing.
The pinch in his arm and the stinging ache in his head forced him to start his long way to the school nurse.
He opened the note in his hand:
School…when will it be over? I've still over a year to go, this being my sixth year. I can't bear to think about NEWTS, especially after having to take those dreadful OWLs. And you? What year are you? Easter still seems ages away, but it's a light at the end of our long tunnel, remember. I, for one, consider every weekend a holiday. You just have to take the time for yourself, or you'll go insane, you know?
Approaching the wing, he tucked the paper inside his pocket. Oh, he knew. He knew.
He threw open the doors, ready to shout for Madame Pomfrey – but instead he found himself face-to-face with a tiny red-haired girl.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO Oh Merlin. What was he doing here? But before she could voice her thoughts, he sneered at her. "Weasley? What are you doing here? Where's Pomfrey? Go call her, I have a bloody headache." He shoved past her and plopped himself down on a bed, shoes and all. Ginny turned to glare at him. How dare he?"Malfoy, she's not here. She's gone to London for some important supplies she needed. I'm watching the Wing for her. Now what do you need?"
Ginny tried to keep her tone benevolent, but it was rather challenging knowing who she was talking to. Draco Malfoy. She maintained eye contact, without cowering away or rolling her eyes, while he considered her.Finally, he closed his eyes, laying his blond head back on the soft pillow. He muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Why'd she go and leave you in charge?" Then opening one eye, he peered at her with a smirk, "She's not paying you, is she, Weasley? Is that why you're here?"
Hardly feeling any need to explain herself to Draco Malfoy, Ginny managed to just raise an eyebrow at him. "I'm in her advanced Healing class. Do you want help or not?" She crossed her arms across her chest.
"Forget it, I knew I should have just gone back to my room."
He pulled himself to his feet with a bit of trouble. Ginny could tell what he needed most was uninterrupted rest. Maybe a potion to help calm him. Keeping her voice gentle, she urged him back to the bed.
"Alright, Draco, back in the bed. You need some rest. I'll get you some robes and a sleeping draught." He sneered at her and made to stand again. She pushed him back down, her hand pressing firmly on his shoulder.
"I said, back in bed. Stay here."
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Draco rubbed his face, sitting at the Slytherin table at breakfast. Oh Merlin, it was too damn early. His head throbbed. It'd been a few nights since he'd had any good rest. The last sleep he had was in the Hospital Wing, where he refused to back to, whether or not Madame Pomfrey was back.
He threw a look over at the Gryffindor table, seeking out a mass of red curls. He swallowed and looked down to his food.
Draco had seen many things in his short life. Many frightening, dangerous things. Yet nothing scared him as much as the feeling he got when he looked at that tiny girl. His head spun thinking back to the tender way she treated him in the Hospital Wing. She was able to change her surly tone to a calming gentle one in the blink of an eye.
A mystery, that one. He ate slowly, wanting to be with his classmates when he walked to Potions class today. He didn't feel like being alone. He glanced back at Weasley, who was blowing to cool her porridge. He was too scared to be left alone.
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Ginny jogged quickly to the Hospital Wing. During breakfast, she received a school owl asking her to see Madame Pomfrey before class. She opened the door and called out to the nurse.
"Yes, Ginny, I'm over here."
She found Madame Pomfrey arranging things in a cupboard in the back of the room. She smiled over her shoulder at Ginny.
"Thanks for coming, Ginny. There was a pile of things over by that bed" – she gestured to the bed that Draco had slept in – "and I hoped you'd know who had used that bed last?"
Ginny licked her lips and nodded. She walked over to the pile, picking up a silver pocketwatch and a few scraps of paper.
"It was Draco Malfoy, I think."
"Would you be a dear and take him his things? Also take this sleeping draught, and ask him to use it tonight after his meeting. He'll know what I'm talking about."
Ginny swallowed, almost too afraid to answer Madame Pomfrey. She nodded and adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she started out in the hall.
She looked down at the silver watch, noticing the fine details and the delicately engraved initials – DM. She shuffled around the few scrap papers, accidentally dropping one on the floor. She knelt to pick it up.
Ginny froze. She immediately recognized that scrap of paper. And the two distinct handwritings. The green and black ink. Oh Merlin.
How did he get this? She asked herself, as she picked up the parchment, rereading the lines. Knowing him, he probably stole this from his classmate, who sits at my desk. That jerk.
"Weasley, what are you doing with that?"
She gasped as she looked up. Draco was standing only a few feet away, an angry expression on his face.
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That was his watch. What was she doing with that? Where had she gotten it? He stepped forward to snatch it from her hand. As he did so, she dropped a small bunch of scrap papers she was also holding. He groaned at her clumsiness. Being a gentleman, he bent to pick them up. But being a Malfoy, he snuck a peak at one of them.
Slytherin Quidditch Practice Times – this week…
He frowned. That was his handwriting – and his team's practice schedule. What was going on? He looked at another piece.
Defense Against the Dark Arts – chapter 24 and 25 for homework…
Also his. He looked at the Weasley. What was she doing? She looked upset, and he hated to admit it but that fierce look in her eyes tore into him. Her fingers were poised as if still holding the watch and papers. Her mouth was partly open, as if stuck mid-word.
"Weasley, these are my things, where'd you find these?"
Her only response was the widening of her eyes. She clamped her mouth shut and blinked several times. The angry look in her eyes slowly softened until she only looked puzzled.
"Er…I…well, they were in the Hospital Wing – where you must have left them," she paused, licking her lips. "Er…Draco, where did you get that?"
Draco looked down at the final scrap of paper.
Thanks for the heads-up…
Oh Merlin. The green and black ink. He looked back at her shocked face and was able to put two and two together. It easily made four.
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.: Disclaimer :.
This story is based on the characters Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley, who are both owned by J.K. Rowling (as well as all other HP characters and terminology). The title, and chapter titles, are/will be borrowed from One Tree Hill, by U2. Please check out that song!
.: Author's Notes :.
There was little editing in this chapter, but go on and read it.
Until next time –
Eclipsed Planet
