Breaking The Stone
Written By: Nox (goddess_nox@hotmail.com)
A/N: Sorry for the EXTREMELY LONG wait for this chapter. And a huge THANK YOU to every reviewer! : )
********************************************************************************
The moment of shock didn't last for long, as much as Harvey would've enjoyed that. Oh well. He didn't have the time anyway, and was rather anxious to use the information he'd just gotten from Ron's big mouth against the two terror-stricken fifth years.
Well, Weasley looked terror-stricken at least. Draco just looked pissed.
"What do you want?," asked the blond, sounding fierce; ready to pounce. One would've thought that having some leverage on the known-and-feared Malfoy would cause the son of Lucius to be a bit more guarded with his words. That one would've, apparently, thought wrong.
Harvey glared and waited for Draco to cave. To show _any_ signs of nervousness at all. He'd heard Ron say the two teens had _kissed_ dammit!
Malfoy didn't flinch.
Harvey reveled in the redhead's fear for a moment longer. He supposed he could push and prod, get even that Slytherin jerk to drop his front and start begging. But...Oh well. He didn't have the time. He'd told Ginny to meet him, and with the bossy way she'd been acting, he wasn't going to be late.
"Can I talk to you, Ron?" It was more a demand than it was a question.
Draco stepped in front of his new (Harvey guessed) boyfriend. "About what?"
The fourth year opened his mouth, ready to shoot back with a hurtful quip. He was cut short.
"He said _Ron_. Not Draco." Weasley seemed to have gotten over, at least temporarily, the fact that he'd just given their Stalker, their _deadly_ Stalker, all of the power in the world. Harvey had everything over them now. They had nothing.
/My temper,/ thought Ron, /I've got to learn to keep my temper in check./ Not that it really mattered anymore. If Harvey decided to cast another spell like the one he had that night during the invisible cloak fiasco...Well, he wouldn't be around to worry about little things like temper.
*******
/Stupid Harvey./
That bastard Williams had just grabbed Ron by the arm and waltzed out of the room. As if he had the _right_ to touch Ron. What made him think he had the right to touch Ron?
To say Draco was upset would've been a vast understatement. He was downright furious. He'd been right. Harvey _was_ the SOB who'd been tormenting them all Winter Break. The Harry Potter Lookalike had knocked them off of their brooms, hit Ron with a dangerous spell, and had even been dating Ginny!
/So why aren't I running to alert Dumbledore?/
Maybe it was because he was afraid of the powerful spells Harvey must be capable of, maybe it was because Harvey now _knew_ about he and Ron kissing and Draco didn't want anyone to know. Or, just maybe, it was because deep down inside that little punk Harvey actually _being_ the Figure In Robes just didn't seem right.
A muffled conversation was going on in the hallway. Soggy sponge still at hand, Draco moved closer to the doorway and listened.
*******
As soon as they stepped out of Snape's classroom, Ron's back was slammed against the wall. He winced before staring up at Harvey bravely. Damn. Was _everybody_ stronger and taller than him now?
"Alright Weasel, I'm tired of this. Let's just settle this once and for all."
/Settle what?/ Sure Ron remembered almost getting killed a few times recently. Sure Draco had theorized that the culprit was Williams. But both teen wizards hadn't gotten around to actually figuring out _why_ Harvey was doing what he was.
"You're a You-Know-Who follower, aren't you?"
Harvey literally growled with frustration.
"Don't play mind games with me, asshole. You know exactly why I'm here, and we've gotta' finish this." He backed off a little, as if thinking. "Midnight. Meet me in the dining hall. And be ready to duel."
Duel? That didn't make much sense. Harvey could easily blast him out of existence right now. This puzzle along with a million others swam around in his head, but the Lookalike wasn't done speaking.
"And Ron," he said threateningly, "don't you dare go crawling to some Professor, or try to back out, unless you want every witch and wizard who doesn't live under a rock to know about your little...secret. Siccing Dumbledore himself on me wouldn't stop _that_ information from getting out." Harvey frowned, glanced at the watch contraption on his wrist, and then walked off, his robes billowing behind him.
Confused, Ron managed to somewhat compose himself. He almost headed for his House before remembering why he'd been in Snape's classroom in the first place. Turning, he entered the odd-smelling, breezy-cold room.
Draco was standing just inside the doorway, a dripping wet sponge in his hand. Ron took this time to look at the platinum-haired wizard. Really look. After a moment he realized he wouldn't have to ask Malfoy about the kisses again. The blonde's eyes had given him his answer.
It hadn't been some sick joke. Not really. But the brief embraces and kisses hadn't meant anything, either. And somehow, for some reason, that made it all worse.
"I'll go with you," said Draco.
Snape's classroom seemed colder than ever.
*******
Draco opened his eyes at approximately 11:45 that night. He was confused and disoriented at first. Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes, yawned, and stretched thoroughly. The fog of sleep then lifted from his mind, and he jumped up, remembering the reason he'd cast the "wake-up" spell.
Harvey. That little jerk Harvey Williams would be meeting he and Ron in the Great Hall at midnight. The three teenage wizards would face-off. Would finally resolve this damned Figure In Robes business.
Ignoring a part of his brain that was screaming "You Can't Win," and another part that was continuously replaying the memory of Ron getting slammed in the chest with a powerful sphere of light, Draco brushed some wrinkles from his clothes, grabbed his wand, and then hurried through the exit.
The Slytherin House was very nearly in the bowels of the castle, meaning that is was quite a long walk up to the Dining Hall. Soon, the simple "smack" of his sneakers hitting stone and the familiar scenery of Hogwarts' corridors and stairways proved to be less than fitful entertainment. Draco turned to that ever-dreadful pastime: Thinking.
/It doesn't make any sense. Why is Harvey doing this?/
The words "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" came to mind. But that simple answer didn't satisfy Draco.
If the You-Know-Who follower (and that's what he'd assumed Harvey was) was so damned powerful, the most logical thing to do would be to kill. Kill right away. Playing games shouldn't have been his style. Not when Voldemort himself had somehow had his evil plans foiled by Harry Potter over the past couple of years.
No, this was dodgy. It just didn't seem like something a "sensible" follower of Voldemort would do. And Draco _knew_ Voldemort followers...
Harvey was taking a big chance. If he wanted Ron out of the picture as a way to get at Potter....Well, Draco supposed lunatics didn't _have_ to make sense. But still...
/Ron./
The blonde had been trying to avoid that particular subject. After all that had happened, he just didn't know what to do. Didn't know what he felt.
"I'll go with you," he'd said to Ron earlier that day, trying to keep emotion from his voice. Anger, fear, attraction...He felt them all. But he'd managed to work his face into a stoic expression, and had tried like hell to harden his eyes. Tried like hell not to think about what had changed over break when it came to his relationship with Weasley.
And so much had changed.
For a moment, while they stood in Snape's classroom, Ron had just stared. A flash of what might've been pain shone in his eyes before quickly disappearing.
/Just my imagination./
Yeah, that was it. Imagination.
Draco stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.
What else would it be? He'd been the one to initiate the cuddling that first night outside of Hagrid's cabin. He'd been the one who'd forced Ron into a Quidditch game. He'd been the one to give "mouth-to-mouth". He'd been the one who-
Well, he'd been the one to do everything. And Ron had seemed utterly disgusted in the corridor Saturday night, a fresh bruise on his chest and still slightly dizzy, at the thought of Draco having kissed him. He'd looked ready to kick some ass.
However, there was that brief instance before Dumbledore had caught and sentenced them. Ron hadn't pushed Draco away. In fact, he'd acted like he'd liked the kiss. Draco brushed a finger across his own mouth, trying to remember exactly the way the redhead's mouth had felt, warm and yielding under his own...
"You idiot, you moron, you complete and utter dork!" Ginny Weasley's yell, booming through the Entrance Hall, snapped Draco back to reality. He flinched. She'd better shut up, or they'd all get caught. And what was she doing here, anyway? Was she yelling at Ron?
Draco almost snarled, his teeth clenching. /We don't have time for this sibling rivalry crap now. This is a dangerous situation!/ He entered the Great Hall.
"I'm _sorry_ Ginny," came the whining answer. Ron's younger sister and Harvey were both standing in front of the table where Dumbledore and the Professors usually dined. Ginny looked angrier than ever. Her small fists were clenched tightly, and she was glaring at Harvey. The Ravenclaw seemed rather afraid. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"Ginny, get away from him. He's not who you think." Draco stepped from the shadows and into the light that emitted from their glowing wands.
It was silent for a moment. Ginny looked surprised to see Malfoy, Harvey looked confused, and Draco took the opportunity to realize he was actually attempting to aid yet another member of the Weasley family.
How in the world had this happened? How had he gone from being the snide, sneering, drawling young villain to being the guy who had a crush on Harry Potters sidekick? And not even Potters more feminine sidekick! /Have I become a good guy?/
Is that what he was? No, it couldn't be. His father was still Lucius. He was still a Malfoy. He would still have to get the Dark Mark. No way had he shifted into Superhero mode. Had he?
"You," growled Ginny, quite suddenly breaking the quiet. "What are _you_ doing here?" She rounded on Harvey. "What is _he_ doing here?"
Harvey opened and closed his mouth a few times, imitating a fish, before finally managing a reply. "I g-guess Ron brought him as his second." He shot a look at the blonde. "He was there when I asked Ron to come."
"Asked Ron to come! Asked! Slammed him against the wall and threatened, more like! And what _did_ you blackmail him about, anyway?" Harvey gawked before stammering a few unintelligible words. Ginny pursed her lips and eyed Draco, who was completely lost as to what was going on.
"Well, where is he?" snapped Ginny.
"Who?" Draco hadn't the slightest idea of who she could be referring to. His brain was too busy trying to make sense of what he'd just heard. Ginny _knew_ Harvey had forced Ron into a Duel? She knew about Harvey and wasn't running the other way very quickly?
"Ron! Isn't he with you?" She looked furious, and Draco was reminded of Hermione back in third year. Would Ginny resort to slapping in order to get her questions answered?
"Well?" The wand light reflected in her eyes gave her a menacing look, and Draco decided he'd rather not find out if she was similar to Granger while angry.
"He's coming."
"From Gryffindor Tower?"
"Yes. We were going to meet here." He paused. "What are you doing here Ginny?"
She threw out her arm to point at Harvey. "Can you believe it? He asked me to be his second in a Duel against my own brother!"
At this, Harvey seemed to compose himself. Or, at least, he stood up straighter and tried to look less intimidated. Brushing nervously at his robes, he spoke. "Now listen, Gin. The only reason I challenged Ron to a Duel is because you've been complaining about him so much. Ron The Jerk this and Ron The Jerk that, you know? I thought you'd like the idea of a Duel. Cast a few funny charms on him to get even. I just did it to make you feel better."
"Really?" ventured Ginny, who's eyes had turned from raging mad to completely forgiving in the midst of her boyfriend's speech.
"Don't listen to him!" Draco's yell startled them. The platinum-haired wizard ground his teeth while trying to discern just why a powerful dark wizard like Harvey would need a second for a Duel, or a girlfriend that told him off. The doubt he'd felt earlier came back gnawing hard.
"Ginny, Harvey's the one who nailed Ron with the spell that night. He also knocked Ron and I off our brooms on that day we saw you in the library! Remember? He's our Stalker! He's been trying to kill us!"
"WHAT?!" Ginny and Harvey chorused, their eyes bulging and mouths hanging open.
"That's right! That's why you challenged Ron. Right Harvey? You're a Voldemort follower?"
Another round of gasps.
"I...What are you talking about Malfoy? Trying to kill...? You-Know-Who follower?" He shook his head in disbelief.
"Someone's been trying to kill you?" Ginny's eyes were flashing again, but this time with fear. "And you think it's Harvey?"
"_Know_ it's Harvey! He confirmed it with this Duel!" Draco was grasping his wand quite tightly now.
Ginny's voice took on a calm, reasonable tone as she spoke to the two shaken boys. "Guys, this can't be." She turned. "Draco, I was _with_ Harvey that day at the library. He couldn't have followed you to knock you off your brooms because he was making out...er...He was playing Wizard's Chess with me." She coughed. "And about that night. I left Harvey at the stairs, but now that I think about it I also saw this weird person. All dressed in black and the person ran right by me after nearly knocking me down. Didn't say a word. Not long after that Ron got nailed. That could've been who was trying to kill you! I didn't think to mention it 'till now. Thought it was another student. This is so horrible. Haven't you told someone yet? Dumbledore?"
Ignoring her question, Draco pressed on. "You could just be saying that! How do I know your not under the Imperius Curse?" This situation was going from bad to worse. How could he be sure Harvey wasn't controlling Ginny somehow? Who could he trust?
"Imperius Curse? I've just been telling Harvey off, Malfoy! Besides, if Harvey was really a You-Know-Who follower, why would he have brought me into it? Why would he need a second? Wouldn't he have just finished you guys off? And why would I have come to stop this crazy Duel?" She had some good points, and it just served to make everything more complicated.
"Holy shit, I don't know!" Both younger teens flinched at his outburst. The blonde was breathing hard. "Where's Ron, anyway?"
Harvey glanced at his watch. "He should've been here ten minutes ago." All three of them tensed at this. They had not heard the big clock that was somewhere in the castle strike the hour, like usual. Were they really being so loud? Someone would surely catch them.
"Probably still sleeping, the lazy git." Ginny said this before squaring her shoulders in a determined manner and casting a look at the huge, decorated trees that dominated the Hall. "Let's go wake him up and get this sorted out. Then we can go to Dumbledore, unless you two have come up with a good reason not to, as you obviously haven't told him yet. Come on."
Draco looked utterly surprised. "You're taking me to Gryffindor Tower?"
Ginny shrugged. "Well, not like you don't know where it is by now. Right?" She was right. And her attitude was becoming more like Granger's by the second.
"Okay, let's go."
*******
Yes, Draco had had a general idea of where the Gryffindor's dwelling might be, but actually watching Ginny speak to the Fat Lady portrait and mutter a password (both he and Harvey plugged their ears, of course) before disappearing inside was a whole other ball game.
Now he knew where his rival, Harry Potter, lived. He knew now and he had no desire to do anything about it. How terribly ironic was that? Because he was sure that if he wanted to, he'd be able to wrestle the password out of someone like Neville. He'd be able to play some good pranks, pass it on to his father, maybe it'd go to the Dark Lord himself... But, for some reason, he couldn't see himself doing something like that anymore. He wouldn't do something like that. And that was freaky. Because that meant changing sides, and family rivalry, and-
"He's not in his bed!" Ginny came rushing out of the portrait hole, eyes round with fear. "He's gone! And we couldn't have missed him going down to the Hall."
"Gone?" Draco's stomach rolled. Ron couldn't be gone. Because gone meant he wasn't there. Gone meant Voldemort's follower had probably gotten to him. "Ginny, who else stayed for break in your House? They had to have known the password. Maybe a teacher...?"
The scarlet-haired fourth year hadn't heard the question. She hugged the shocked Harvey and held back tears. "Maybe," she began, then sniffed. "Maybe he's just gone to the kitchens. He told me once he knows how to-"
Draco shook his head. "No, he wouldn't have gone if he thought he had an appointment with a dark wizard who was trying to kill him. He would've hauled ass to the Duel."
"Well, maybe he was afraid. And-"
"But I blackmailed him, remember? And he wouldn't have run because.... Well, he would've gone to the Duel." Harvey was biting at his lip, eyes darting around anxiously.
Draco was almost thankful Ginny was too riled to have the sense to again ask her boyfriend what he'd blackmailed Ron with. Almost. Because he was sure as hell riled, too. "Any clues? A sort of ransom note left for Harry, maybe?" He knew he was grasping at straws. But he had to grasp at something. When Ginny shook her head in the negative, he shot a searching look at the Fat Lady, who was listening intently to their conversation. "Let me go in, Ginny. Let me check his room."
The girl pulled away from her hug with Harvey. "Draco, I can't."
Harvey Williams, the Harry Potter Lookalike with the messy hair and wrinkly robes had guilt and anxiousness and a million other raw emotions practically written across his face. "You better, Ginny. Unless you like the idea of your big brother being captured by some dark wizard, or being used as Harry bait, you better."
"Well, do you all want to know what I think you ought to do?" A new voice split the air. The trio couldn't help but jump. Panicked, they all turned.
"I think you ought to tell Dumbledore."
Professor Snape was standing there, looking pale and sallow as ever.
Written By: Nox (goddess_nox@hotmail.com)
A/N: Sorry for the EXTREMELY LONG wait for this chapter. And a huge THANK YOU to every reviewer! : )
********************************************************************************
The moment of shock didn't last for long, as much as Harvey would've enjoyed that. Oh well. He didn't have the time anyway, and was rather anxious to use the information he'd just gotten from Ron's big mouth against the two terror-stricken fifth years.
Well, Weasley looked terror-stricken at least. Draco just looked pissed.
"What do you want?," asked the blond, sounding fierce; ready to pounce. One would've thought that having some leverage on the known-and-feared Malfoy would cause the son of Lucius to be a bit more guarded with his words. That one would've, apparently, thought wrong.
Harvey glared and waited for Draco to cave. To show _any_ signs of nervousness at all. He'd heard Ron say the two teens had _kissed_ dammit!
Malfoy didn't flinch.
Harvey reveled in the redhead's fear for a moment longer. He supposed he could push and prod, get even that Slytherin jerk to drop his front and start begging. But...Oh well. He didn't have the time. He'd told Ginny to meet him, and with the bossy way she'd been acting, he wasn't going to be late.
"Can I talk to you, Ron?" It was more a demand than it was a question.
Draco stepped in front of his new (Harvey guessed) boyfriend. "About what?"
The fourth year opened his mouth, ready to shoot back with a hurtful quip. He was cut short.
"He said _Ron_. Not Draco." Weasley seemed to have gotten over, at least temporarily, the fact that he'd just given their Stalker, their _deadly_ Stalker, all of the power in the world. Harvey had everything over them now. They had nothing.
/My temper,/ thought Ron, /I've got to learn to keep my temper in check./ Not that it really mattered anymore. If Harvey decided to cast another spell like the one he had that night during the invisible cloak fiasco...Well, he wouldn't be around to worry about little things like temper.
*******
/Stupid Harvey./
That bastard Williams had just grabbed Ron by the arm and waltzed out of the room. As if he had the _right_ to touch Ron. What made him think he had the right to touch Ron?
To say Draco was upset would've been a vast understatement. He was downright furious. He'd been right. Harvey _was_ the SOB who'd been tormenting them all Winter Break. The Harry Potter Lookalike had knocked them off of their brooms, hit Ron with a dangerous spell, and had even been dating Ginny!
/So why aren't I running to alert Dumbledore?/
Maybe it was because he was afraid of the powerful spells Harvey must be capable of, maybe it was because Harvey now _knew_ about he and Ron kissing and Draco didn't want anyone to know. Or, just maybe, it was because deep down inside that little punk Harvey actually _being_ the Figure In Robes just didn't seem right.
A muffled conversation was going on in the hallway. Soggy sponge still at hand, Draco moved closer to the doorway and listened.
*******
As soon as they stepped out of Snape's classroom, Ron's back was slammed against the wall. He winced before staring up at Harvey bravely. Damn. Was _everybody_ stronger and taller than him now?
"Alright Weasel, I'm tired of this. Let's just settle this once and for all."
/Settle what?/ Sure Ron remembered almost getting killed a few times recently. Sure Draco had theorized that the culprit was Williams. But both teen wizards hadn't gotten around to actually figuring out _why_ Harvey was doing what he was.
"You're a You-Know-Who follower, aren't you?"
Harvey literally growled with frustration.
"Don't play mind games with me, asshole. You know exactly why I'm here, and we've gotta' finish this." He backed off a little, as if thinking. "Midnight. Meet me in the dining hall. And be ready to duel."
Duel? That didn't make much sense. Harvey could easily blast him out of existence right now. This puzzle along with a million others swam around in his head, but the Lookalike wasn't done speaking.
"And Ron," he said threateningly, "don't you dare go crawling to some Professor, or try to back out, unless you want every witch and wizard who doesn't live under a rock to know about your little...secret. Siccing Dumbledore himself on me wouldn't stop _that_ information from getting out." Harvey frowned, glanced at the watch contraption on his wrist, and then walked off, his robes billowing behind him.
Confused, Ron managed to somewhat compose himself. He almost headed for his House before remembering why he'd been in Snape's classroom in the first place. Turning, he entered the odd-smelling, breezy-cold room.
Draco was standing just inside the doorway, a dripping wet sponge in his hand. Ron took this time to look at the platinum-haired wizard. Really look. After a moment he realized he wouldn't have to ask Malfoy about the kisses again. The blonde's eyes had given him his answer.
It hadn't been some sick joke. Not really. But the brief embraces and kisses hadn't meant anything, either. And somehow, for some reason, that made it all worse.
"I'll go with you," said Draco.
Snape's classroom seemed colder than ever.
*******
Draco opened his eyes at approximately 11:45 that night. He was confused and disoriented at first. Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes, yawned, and stretched thoroughly. The fog of sleep then lifted from his mind, and he jumped up, remembering the reason he'd cast the "wake-up" spell.
Harvey. That little jerk Harvey Williams would be meeting he and Ron in the Great Hall at midnight. The three teenage wizards would face-off. Would finally resolve this damned Figure In Robes business.
Ignoring a part of his brain that was screaming "You Can't Win," and another part that was continuously replaying the memory of Ron getting slammed in the chest with a powerful sphere of light, Draco brushed some wrinkles from his clothes, grabbed his wand, and then hurried through the exit.
The Slytherin House was very nearly in the bowels of the castle, meaning that is was quite a long walk up to the Dining Hall. Soon, the simple "smack" of his sneakers hitting stone and the familiar scenery of Hogwarts' corridors and stairways proved to be less than fitful entertainment. Draco turned to that ever-dreadful pastime: Thinking.
/It doesn't make any sense. Why is Harvey doing this?/
The words "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" came to mind. But that simple answer didn't satisfy Draco.
If the You-Know-Who follower (and that's what he'd assumed Harvey was) was so damned powerful, the most logical thing to do would be to kill. Kill right away. Playing games shouldn't have been his style. Not when Voldemort himself had somehow had his evil plans foiled by Harry Potter over the past couple of years.
No, this was dodgy. It just didn't seem like something a "sensible" follower of Voldemort would do. And Draco _knew_ Voldemort followers...
Harvey was taking a big chance. If he wanted Ron out of the picture as a way to get at Potter....Well, Draco supposed lunatics didn't _have_ to make sense. But still...
/Ron./
The blonde had been trying to avoid that particular subject. After all that had happened, he just didn't know what to do. Didn't know what he felt.
"I'll go with you," he'd said to Ron earlier that day, trying to keep emotion from his voice. Anger, fear, attraction...He felt them all. But he'd managed to work his face into a stoic expression, and had tried like hell to harden his eyes. Tried like hell not to think about what had changed over break when it came to his relationship with Weasley.
And so much had changed.
For a moment, while they stood in Snape's classroom, Ron had just stared. A flash of what might've been pain shone in his eyes before quickly disappearing.
/Just my imagination./
Yeah, that was it. Imagination.
Draco stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.
What else would it be? He'd been the one to initiate the cuddling that first night outside of Hagrid's cabin. He'd been the one who'd forced Ron into a Quidditch game. He'd been the one to give "mouth-to-mouth". He'd been the one who-
Well, he'd been the one to do everything. And Ron had seemed utterly disgusted in the corridor Saturday night, a fresh bruise on his chest and still slightly dizzy, at the thought of Draco having kissed him. He'd looked ready to kick some ass.
However, there was that brief instance before Dumbledore had caught and sentenced them. Ron hadn't pushed Draco away. In fact, he'd acted like he'd liked the kiss. Draco brushed a finger across his own mouth, trying to remember exactly the way the redhead's mouth had felt, warm and yielding under his own...
"You idiot, you moron, you complete and utter dork!" Ginny Weasley's yell, booming through the Entrance Hall, snapped Draco back to reality. He flinched. She'd better shut up, or they'd all get caught. And what was she doing here, anyway? Was she yelling at Ron?
Draco almost snarled, his teeth clenching. /We don't have time for this sibling rivalry crap now. This is a dangerous situation!/ He entered the Great Hall.
"I'm _sorry_ Ginny," came the whining answer. Ron's younger sister and Harvey were both standing in front of the table where Dumbledore and the Professors usually dined. Ginny looked angrier than ever. Her small fists were clenched tightly, and she was glaring at Harvey. The Ravenclaw seemed rather afraid. "Are you breaking up with me?"
"Ginny, get away from him. He's not who you think." Draco stepped from the shadows and into the light that emitted from their glowing wands.
It was silent for a moment. Ginny looked surprised to see Malfoy, Harvey looked confused, and Draco took the opportunity to realize he was actually attempting to aid yet another member of the Weasley family.
How in the world had this happened? How had he gone from being the snide, sneering, drawling young villain to being the guy who had a crush on Harry Potters sidekick? And not even Potters more feminine sidekick! /Have I become a good guy?/
Is that what he was? No, it couldn't be. His father was still Lucius. He was still a Malfoy. He would still have to get the Dark Mark. No way had he shifted into Superhero mode. Had he?
"You," growled Ginny, quite suddenly breaking the quiet. "What are _you_ doing here?" She rounded on Harvey. "What is _he_ doing here?"
Harvey opened and closed his mouth a few times, imitating a fish, before finally managing a reply. "I g-guess Ron brought him as his second." He shot a look at the blonde. "He was there when I asked Ron to come."
"Asked Ron to come! Asked! Slammed him against the wall and threatened, more like! And what _did_ you blackmail him about, anyway?" Harvey gawked before stammering a few unintelligible words. Ginny pursed her lips and eyed Draco, who was completely lost as to what was going on.
"Well, where is he?" snapped Ginny.
"Who?" Draco hadn't the slightest idea of who she could be referring to. His brain was too busy trying to make sense of what he'd just heard. Ginny _knew_ Harvey had forced Ron into a Duel? She knew about Harvey and wasn't running the other way very quickly?
"Ron! Isn't he with you?" She looked furious, and Draco was reminded of Hermione back in third year. Would Ginny resort to slapping in order to get her questions answered?
"Well?" The wand light reflected in her eyes gave her a menacing look, and Draco decided he'd rather not find out if she was similar to Granger while angry.
"He's coming."
"From Gryffindor Tower?"
"Yes. We were going to meet here." He paused. "What are you doing here Ginny?"
She threw out her arm to point at Harvey. "Can you believe it? He asked me to be his second in a Duel against my own brother!"
At this, Harvey seemed to compose himself. Or, at least, he stood up straighter and tried to look less intimidated. Brushing nervously at his robes, he spoke. "Now listen, Gin. The only reason I challenged Ron to a Duel is because you've been complaining about him so much. Ron The Jerk this and Ron The Jerk that, you know? I thought you'd like the idea of a Duel. Cast a few funny charms on him to get even. I just did it to make you feel better."
"Really?" ventured Ginny, who's eyes had turned from raging mad to completely forgiving in the midst of her boyfriend's speech.
"Don't listen to him!" Draco's yell startled them. The platinum-haired wizard ground his teeth while trying to discern just why a powerful dark wizard like Harvey would need a second for a Duel, or a girlfriend that told him off. The doubt he'd felt earlier came back gnawing hard.
"Ginny, Harvey's the one who nailed Ron with the spell that night. He also knocked Ron and I off our brooms on that day we saw you in the library! Remember? He's our Stalker! He's been trying to kill us!"
"WHAT?!" Ginny and Harvey chorused, their eyes bulging and mouths hanging open.
"That's right! That's why you challenged Ron. Right Harvey? You're a Voldemort follower?"
Another round of gasps.
"I...What are you talking about Malfoy? Trying to kill...? You-Know-Who follower?" He shook his head in disbelief.
"Someone's been trying to kill you?" Ginny's eyes were flashing again, but this time with fear. "And you think it's Harvey?"
"_Know_ it's Harvey! He confirmed it with this Duel!" Draco was grasping his wand quite tightly now.
Ginny's voice took on a calm, reasonable tone as she spoke to the two shaken boys. "Guys, this can't be." She turned. "Draco, I was _with_ Harvey that day at the library. He couldn't have followed you to knock you off your brooms because he was making out...er...He was playing Wizard's Chess with me." She coughed. "And about that night. I left Harvey at the stairs, but now that I think about it I also saw this weird person. All dressed in black and the person ran right by me after nearly knocking me down. Didn't say a word. Not long after that Ron got nailed. That could've been who was trying to kill you! I didn't think to mention it 'till now. Thought it was another student. This is so horrible. Haven't you told someone yet? Dumbledore?"
Ignoring her question, Draco pressed on. "You could just be saying that! How do I know your not under the Imperius Curse?" This situation was going from bad to worse. How could he be sure Harvey wasn't controlling Ginny somehow? Who could he trust?
"Imperius Curse? I've just been telling Harvey off, Malfoy! Besides, if Harvey was really a You-Know-Who follower, why would he have brought me into it? Why would he need a second? Wouldn't he have just finished you guys off? And why would I have come to stop this crazy Duel?" She had some good points, and it just served to make everything more complicated.
"Holy shit, I don't know!" Both younger teens flinched at his outburst. The blonde was breathing hard. "Where's Ron, anyway?"
Harvey glanced at his watch. "He should've been here ten minutes ago." All three of them tensed at this. They had not heard the big clock that was somewhere in the castle strike the hour, like usual. Were they really being so loud? Someone would surely catch them.
"Probably still sleeping, the lazy git." Ginny said this before squaring her shoulders in a determined manner and casting a look at the huge, decorated trees that dominated the Hall. "Let's go wake him up and get this sorted out. Then we can go to Dumbledore, unless you two have come up with a good reason not to, as you obviously haven't told him yet. Come on."
Draco looked utterly surprised. "You're taking me to Gryffindor Tower?"
Ginny shrugged. "Well, not like you don't know where it is by now. Right?" She was right. And her attitude was becoming more like Granger's by the second.
"Okay, let's go."
*******
Yes, Draco had had a general idea of where the Gryffindor's dwelling might be, but actually watching Ginny speak to the Fat Lady portrait and mutter a password (both he and Harvey plugged their ears, of course) before disappearing inside was a whole other ball game.
Now he knew where his rival, Harry Potter, lived. He knew now and he had no desire to do anything about it. How terribly ironic was that? Because he was sure that if he wanted to, he'd be able to wrestle the password out of someone like Neville. He'd be able to play some good pranks, pass it on to his father, maybe it'd go to the Dark Lord himself... But, for some reason, he couldn't see himself doing something like that anymore. He wouldn't do something like that. And that was freaky. Because that meant changing sides, and family rivalry, and-
"He's not in his bed!" Ginny came rushing out of the portrait hole, eyes round with fear. "He's gone! And we couldn't have missed him going down to the Hall."
"Gone?" Draco's stomach rolled. Ron couldn't be gone. Because gone meant he wasn't there. Gone meant Voldemort's follower had probably gotten to him. "Ginny, who else stayed for break in your House? They had to have known the password. Maybe a teacher...?"
The scarlet-haired fourth year hadn't heard the question. She hugged the shocked Harvey and held back tears. "Maybe," she began, then sniffed. "Maybe he's just gone to the kitchens. He told me once he knows how to-"
Draco shook his head. "No, he wouldn't have gone if he thought he had an appointment with a dark wizard who was trying to kill him. He would've hauled ass to the Duel."
"Well, maybe he was afraid. And-"
"But I blackmailed him, remember? And he wouldn't have run because.... Well, he would've gone to the Duel." Harvey was biting at his lip, eyes darting around anxiously.
Draco was almost thankful Ginny was too riled to have the sense to again ask her boyfriend what he'd blackmailed Ron with. Almost. Because he was sure as hell riled, too. "Any clues? A sort of ransom note left for Harry, maybe?" He knew he was grasping at straws. But he had to grasp at something. When Ginny shook her head in the negative, he shot a searching look at the Fat Lady, who was listening intently to their conversation. "Let me go in, Ginny. Let me check his room."
The girl pulled away from her hug with Harvey. "Draco, I can't."
Harvey Williams, the Harry Potter Lookalike with the messy hair and wrinkly robes had guilt and anxiousness and a million other raw emotions practically written across his face. "You better, Ginny. Unless you like the idea of your big brother being captured by some dark wizard, or being used as Harry bait, you better."
"Well, do you all want to know what I think you ought to do?" A new voice split the air. The trio couldn't help but jump. Panicked, they all turned.
"I think you ought to tell Dumbledore."
Professor Snape was standing there, looking pale and sallow as ever.