Chapter 3: LAST ARRANGEMENTS
" Wake up! Wake up! I said, wake up, WEASLEY!"
Ginny stared at the top of the tent. Who woke her up? What time is it?
" W-What?" she asked groggily.
Suddenly, a pair of gray eyes looked at her. She gave a squeak. Malfoy!
" Ssshhh!" He held up a finger to his lips as a gesture. " Let's go."
" Go? Go where, eedjiot?" Ginny asked, irritated as she sat right up. She looked around, hoping that nobody is awake. So far, so good: Hermione, Lavender and Parvati are still asleep. This guy's good!
" Change your clothes. We're going to Hogsmeade to shop for some supplies."
" Why do we have to do that at," she looked her glow- in- the- dark watch, " three in the morning?"
" Because most of the participants will be buying their supplies when morning comes and that would be a hassle. I don't want my expensive clothes to be crushed!" Draco explained, dragging her up.
" Malfoy, stop that! All right, I'll get dressed. Give me five minutes." Ginny said as she stood up.
" Three minutes."
" Five."
" Three minutes. Take it or leave it."
" Fine." Ginny mumbled as she, bending, opened her backpack. Pausing, she looked over at Malfoy who stood over her back.
" Malfoy, you're not going to make it any easier for me." She grabbed a white sleeveless shirt, " In short, go outside, Peeping Tom!"
" I will not have you insult me like that!" Draco said.
" Be quiet," Ginny grabbed a pair of carpenter blue, sand- blasted pedal pants," You'll wake them. Go outside!" With that, Draco left her.
Promptly, three minutes later, Ginny walked out of the tent. Draco surveyed her. She looks good with that shirt, pants, white sneakers and dark blue jacket with a hood.
" Malfoy." Ginny said curtly.
" Weasley." Draco replied in an equally clipped voice.
" You don't look bad yourself with that white shirt, black polo shirt over it and pants. It's the hair that bothers me." Ginny said as they started to walk. Malfoy led the way, naturally.
" What's wrong with the hair?"
" It's not slicked back."
" I didn't have time to put on some gel." Draco replied.
" Where are we going?"
" To a secret passage."
They went to Greenhouse Three and opened the door.
" As I know where the passage is, Weasel, I'm going first." Draco explained.
" Fine." Ginny said as she let Draco in the greenhouse.
" LUMOS!" Ginny said. At once, the tip of her wand gave light, illuminating their surroundings. Draco began tapping the floor with his shoes.
" Are you sure that Hogsmeade is even awake at this hour/" Ginny asked, yawning. Damn those six hours of sleep!
" Hmmm."
" Is that a " hmmm" yes or a " hmmm" no?"
" Yes."
" I see." Ginny said, following Draco around while he tapped, " Have you found what you're looking for?"
" Just about, " Draco gave one last tap. A hollow sound was heard, " here."
" Is it a trapdoor?"
" No. One might think that it's just a floor. You don't even see the handle, do you?" he asked as Ginny surveyed the area.
" Right. So that's why you tapped around?"
" Did it take you long to figure that out?" Draco tapped the floor with his wand a couple of times while saying, " Tiger claws, snake fangs and falcon talons." Then, six floor tiles disappeared, leaving just enough space for them to go through and a staircase. Draco descended and was followed by an apprehensive Ginny.
" LUMOS!" Draco said and his wand gave out the same light.
" Now that you know the password, Weasley, mind that you won't tell a soul about it." Draco said as they made their way.
" Any secret shared with the likes of you, Malfoy, is one I'd rather erase from my memory." Ginny said.
" Let's keep it that way."
" So how did you know about that?" Ginny asked a she looked back. But the empty space had been covered, once again, by the tiles that came out of nowhere. " Hey, the tiles are back!"
" It works that way. The same password is said to open that up so we can go back. Anyway," he said as he turned to the right, " I discovered during a class in Herbology. We were pruning some plants and then, with all that walking around, I accidentally heard a hollow sound. I tapped the area around again and heard the same noise."
" So that's it?"
" Well, I figured that it must be a secret passage. It took me several weeks to figure out the password. Well, I made that discovery around October and figured out the password around March."
" That long. I never thought you were that smart, Malfoy." If Draco internalized that comment, it didn't show.
Instead he said, " We're almost there."
Suddenly, he heard someone groan. Turning around, " Weasley, where are you?"
He hurried over to where the sound came from. Then, he saw Ginny lying on the ground.
" What happened to you?" He couldn't hide a sneer.
" That's just like you, Malfoy! The first question you'd ask is that. Try asking me if I'm all right, you inconsiderate git!" said Ginny as she got up, " I ought to whack you on the head with a wok!" She made a move to strike him in the head when he caught her hand.
" All right, then. Are you all right?" he asked.
" You're just doing that to spite me," she said, " Now, please let go of my arm!" " Don't use that tone with me, girl. You know what I'm capable of, Weasley; never doubt what my hands can do. They've gone through rigorous training of the dark and sinister kind." Draco threatened. Then, he let go of Ginny's arm.
" I can't have you looking worse than you already do, Virginia. Goodness, " he said, rolling his eyes and letting out an infuriated sigh as he whipped out his wand, "Stand still!"
" What are you doing, Malfoy?" she asked, taking a couple of backwards, " Stop pointing that wand at me, you creep!"
" Why, Virginia, are you scared? I'm taking matters into my own hands since you don't know what's good for you."
" Scared of you? No way! I can take matters into my own hands. I run a business, for crying out loud! You were just forcing yourself to do what I am very capable of , and that is to look after myself!" Ginny yelled at him.
" I'm just going to clean you up. You have mud all over you! And I should be laughing at you right now!" Draco retorted.
" Then, laugh your heart out until you ache and I couldn't care less! I can clean myself, you know," Ginny said as she took her wand out," Zuellig Dissapearo!" Rays of green lights gyrated around her. They vanished as quickly as they came and Ginny became spotless once again.
" Let's carry on, shall we?" Draco asked, gritting his teeth while managing to keep his voice cool, and out of the verge of giving an outcry.
Then, they made their way once more.
" Here we are." he said.
" Where exactly are we?" Ginny asked, leaning against what seemed to be a wall made out of red bricks with a sleeping tiger painted on it.
Instead of answering her, Draco muttered, " Boomslang skin!" The wall began to shake. At that moment, Ginny jumped beside Draco for fear that she might pitch forward to nowhere. The bricks slowly began to deteriorate and form the outlines of Draco and Ginny.
Ginny stared at her outline in astonishment. It was perfectly fashioned. If she isn't mistaken, her outline is sort of leaning against. Malfoy's?
" You can let go of me now." Draco coolly said.
Gasping in surprise, she did.
" I never--" Ginny began but Malfoy stopped her with a snicker.
" Let's just go, okay?" asked Malfoy as he continued to have the audacity to deride her.
" Whatever." That was all Virginia could manage to mumble. She is indeed seething underneath but she kept that to herself. She can't bear to have him scoff at her like that anymore. Suddenly, Malfoy opened a door.
" It's an invisible door," he explained as Ginny emerged right behind him, " We're at the storage room of " Robes, Etcetera."
Ginny sighed. Malfoy shut the door and turned to face her with a raised eyebrow, " You sighed? The race has not begun, Weasley." " Let's get this over with, shall we?"
" No, not without a few ground rules. First, I don't want to hear you complain. Second, you need to fix that outlook of yours. The one where you sigh and think you can't carry on, that is, because I noticed that around you lately. You need to endure because what may lay ahead is harder and more complex than you think. If you're not after the money, Weasley, as I am not, then go for the experience. Third, don't fabricate excuses for your actions. If it's consequence you get, then a consequence you shall have to deal with." Draco said.
" Wow," Ginny said," Where'd you get that? So what are you now? A philosopher?"
" Learned all that the hard way," Draco simply said.
Not letting out more than he knows now, are we?, Ginny thought.
" I have a few ground rules to lay," she said, " First, don't try to let my esteem down by hurting, threatening me and all. Second, if you can't be sincere, fake it. At least, I can live with that. Third, I don't want you comparing me with what I don't have that the other girls have because that makes me sick. As much as I hate to admit it, we're in this together so let's just try to be decent towards each other if we can't be as mutual as Harry and Hermione."
" That sounds suffiecient enough."
" It will keep us from biting each other's head off. Also, let's try calling each other by our first names." Ginny said, staring at the ground.
" That would be trivial though. We also need to focus." Draco piped.
" Right." Ginny said.
" Right now, what we need to focus on is getting out of this storage room without making much noise. We can't be seen but we can be heard. You can Apparate, can't you?"
" Yes. I just got my permit on that."
" Let's Apparate and turn up outside this shop." Draco suggested. Together, they disappeared.
BOP! BOP!
Seconds later, they turned up in front of the shop.
" Did you figure out how we're going to shop? I bet the owner's asleep." Ginny said.
" I'm one step ahead of you." Draco rummaged around his pocket and took out what seems to be a watch with a little withered hand attached to the tiny dial (the one that adjust the hands of the watch) at the side.
" What? Turn back time?" Ginny burst out.
" How did you know about the Malfoy Eon Reversal? It's not out in the market yet," he began, " This isn't illegal; this is just a prototype I have voluntarily tested for them."
" I was just guessing."
" Really?"
" Don't start with it, um, Draco. It's almost four in the morning."
" Plenty of time to kill," he said, looking at his watch before muttering, " Go back fifteen minutes before this shop's closing time."
Suddenly, the watch let out a silver ray of light. One by one, the letters of the word MALFOY shot out towards the window of the shop before it evaporated.
" Advertising is the key to a successful business, Ginny." Draco said as they walked towards the shop.
" I'll keep that in mind." Draco was about to reach for the door when Ginny stopped him saying, " How do you know we've gone fifteen minutes before the shop closes?"
" Elementary, my dear Ginny," He pointed at the shop sign, which says: " Come in. We're open."
" Does that answer you question?" asked Draco as he opened the door. Stepping aside, he gestured to Ginny, " Ladies first."
" So you do have manners." Ginny said as she stepped inside to the shop's cool atmosphere.
" I do have manners. They're polished to the very end. I heard that you like gentlemen." Draco said as he stepped in after her and closed the door.
" Don't start pretending to be one."
" Uh-hmmm, I refuse to play charades."
" Draco, how am I to pay for all that I'll be purchasing? I left my wallet in the tent because I was in a hurry."
" It's just like a Weasley to be caught up amongst the world's fast- paced stream of change. I'm going to pay for all that you'll be buying."
" But I'll owe you a lot."
" Then, you'll have to pay me a lot," he said, " Don't worry; I won't demand for interest."
Looking around, Ginny said, " Don't they have Muggle clothes around here like what we're wearing?"
" Over at the left side. It has a wooden plaque that says so."
Ginny was about to check out the price tag of the red sleeveless shirt she selected when she heard a misty voice similar to that of Professor Trelawney's say, " Good afternoon! How can I be of service?"
Ginny jumped.
" Didn't mean to startle you, my dear girl."
" Who's there?" Ginny asked, not letting go of the shirt.
" Oh, hello, Mrs. Tussaud," Draco suddenly drawled from over the Muggle Clothes for Men department, " My friend and I are just selecting some clothes to wear for a, ah, casual party we're both attending."
" Is that so?" A woman in a violet organza dress now materialized beside Ginny, giving her another fright.
" We're staying at Hogwarts." Ginny said. She must be Trelawney's twin or something.
" Mrs. Tussaud, have you any designer clothes?" Draco asked.
" Well, yes, Mr. Malfoy. They're in the next aisle."
In the end, Ginny selected a pair of pants, two pairs of shorts, three sleeveless shirts, four other shirts and a windbreaker. Malfoy, on the other hand, decided that he wouldn't be needing expensive designer clothes; he'll just have to tough it out. He had chosen a polo shirt, seven shirts, a windbreaker, two pairs of socks and a pair of men's shorts.
" You do shop a lot." Ginny told him.
" Yes," he said, " And then, some."
Turning up to the cash register, he asked, " How much?"
Mrs. Tussaud replied, " Two hundred and fifty galleons, fifty sickles and thirty- five knuts."
Opening his wallet, he asked Ginny," Paper or plastic?"
" Um.I-I.don't know. D- Depends, I-I- g-guess." Ginny stuttered, flabbergasted. Taking out a gold Gringotts Millenia Express Credit card and handing it to Mrs. Tussaud, he said " Charge it to my account."
Minutes later, they had bought all they needed such as: soap, shampoo, canteen for water, visors, good running shoes, biscuits, alcohol, band- aids, insect repellant, flashlight with extra batteries, a small first- aid kit and lotion (sunscreen for Malfoy). And all in all, Ginny owed him up to a five hundred galleons, or more.
" Well, Weasley, um, Virginia, we did it." Draco said as they made their way back with their purchases. By now, they're back to their original time.
" Do you think this will fit in our backpacks?" Ginny asked, walking ahead of Malfoy. (He did let her.)
" It will. Roll up your clothes like dough instead of stacking them flat on top of each other."
" Thanks for the tip, bucko."
" Anytime, wart- head."
Pausing, she asked, " Malfoy, ah, Draco, aren't you going to, I don't know, beautify this passage? It's not that dirty or grimy."
" Like a pavilion or an underground garden with a wooden bridge?"
" I'm not quite sure. If I do, I might develop it secretly, and only the two of us knows about this." A glint reflected in his gray eyes that made him look teasing and boyish.
" Don't get into any zany thoughts, Malf- Draco Malf- oy."
" That's what I'll probably do with my half of the money, Gin Weasley. Get a move on!" Walking a few steps before halting again, she asked, " You made me wonder why you wanted to join this race, Malfoy. You earn more than a million galleons in a month or so."
Taking the hint, he replied, " My father never wanted me to join any extracurricular activities in the past even though I excel in any endeavour I choose as he wasn't good in any during his time. Then, an unexpected opportunity came for me to prove what I am good at, and probably boast about it afterwards."
Typical Malfoy, she thought.
" I read your thought, Weasley."
Emerging from the Greenhouse door, the two breathed a sigh of relief as early rays of dawn bathed them.
" Yeah," Draco began, " I usually take deep breaths every time I end a quest which involves sneaking."
" I know what that feels like now," Glaring at Draco, she went on, " Never EVER make me do that again! One harrowing encounter with You- Know- Who was bad enough."
" I promise," Draco held up his hand as a gesture, " Really."
" Mark your words, Malfoy."
" How exactly am I going to do that? I haven't a quill with me."
" Oh, haha. Don't get philosophical with me." Now he's going to ask me how tall a piece of string is.
" Like, how tall is a piece of string?"
Rolling her eyes, Ginny said, " Never mind. I'm going have a nice worthy bath inside the school so I won't stink before the race. So there!
Looking at Ginny while she walked to her tent, Draco couldn't help but think that she hasn't changed much at all. She's still the same silent, often laconic, girl. Fiery, go- getter, merry, pretty red- head who grew about four inches (still half a foot shorter than him), known to be the sister of that git Ron. Hold on!
Why am I thinking about her? He shook his head as if to erase all the past thoughts that found their way into his subconscious.
That's when he saw his partner exiting her tent with a million things on her arms. Partner? He thought as he headed for his own tent to try to get some sleep.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: How do you find it? Is the plot good? Once again, I don't own the rights to Harry Potter and Amazing Race so please don't file a lawsuit against me. The idea is 100% original. I despise plagiarism. Also, this chapter goes out to my best LEE cousin who is in Manila right now, and she's Mary Jane Go. I miss her right now. Long distance! E-mail me, if you desire, at lmla-blue@yahoo.com Anyway, among the nine countries that they'll be going to, I am going to sort of reveal as to what country I live in, in a vivid way. You'll notice that I'll be mentioning schools, for one, which I formerly go to and all that. So watch for it! I definitely love the team of Derek and Drew although they didn't win. Which, among the twins, that Flo fell in love with? Tell me, okay? Also, I made up different and twisted rules along the course of the race. Read my other stories too. Do you watch C.S.I.? I do! Love that! Thanks to Mary for telling me to watch it. Have a nice- WICKED day!
" Wake up! Wake up! I said, wake up, WEASLEY!"
Ginny stared at the top of the tent. Who woke her up? What time is it?
" W-What?" she asked groggily.
Suddenly, a pair of gray eyes looked at her. She gave a squeak. Malfoy!
" Ssshhh!" He held up a finger to his lips as a gesture. " Let's go."
" Go? Go where, eedjiot?" Ginny asked, irritated as she sat right up. She looked around, hoping that nobody is awake. So far, so good: Hermione, Lavender and Parvati are still asleep. This guy's good!
" Change your clothes. We're going to Hogsmeade to shop for some supplies."
" Why do we have to do that at," she looked her glow- in- the- dark watch, " three in the morning?"
" Because most of the participants will be buying their supplies when morning comes and that would be a hassle. I don't want my expensive clothes to be crushed!" Draco explained, dragging her up.
" Malfoy, stop that! All right, I'll get dressed. Give me five minutes." Ginny said as she stood up.
" Three minutes."
" Five."
" Three minutes. Take it or leave it."
" Fine." Ginny mumbled as she, bending, opened her backpack. Pausing, she looked over at Malfoy who stood over her back.
" Malfoy, you're not going to make it any easier for me." She grabbed a white sleeveless shirt, " In short, go outside, Peeping Tom!"
" I will not have you insult me like that!" Draco said.
" Be quiet," Ginny grabbed a pair of carpenter blue, sand- blasted pedal pants," You'll wake them. Go outside!" With that, Draco left her.
Promptly, three minutes later, Ginny walked out of the tent. Draco surveyed her. She looks good with that shirt, pants, white sneakers and dark blue jacket with a hood.
" Malfoy." Ginny said curtly.
" Weasley." Draco replied in an equally clipped voice.
" You don't look bad yourself with that white shirt, black polo shirt over it and pants. It's the hair that bothers me." Ginny said as they started to walk. Malfoy led the way, naturally.
" What's wrong with the hair?"
" It's not slicked back."
" I didn't have time to put on some gel." Draco replied.
" Where are we going?"
" To a secret passage."
They went to Greenhouse Three and opened the door.
" As I know where the passage is, Weasel, I'm going first." Draco explained.
" Fine." Ginny said as she let Draco in the greenhouse.
" LUMOS!" Ginny said. At once, the tip of her wand gave light, illuminating their surroundings. Draco began tapping the floor with his shoes.
" Are you sure that Hogsmeade is even awake at this hour/" Ginny asked, yawning. Damn those six hours of sleep!
" Hmmm."
" Is that a " hmmm" yes or a " hmmm" no?"
" Yes."
" I see." Ginny said, following Draco around while he tapped, " Have you found what you're looking for?"
" Just about, " Draco gave one last tap. A hollow sound was heard, " here."
" Is it a trapdoor?"
" No. One might think that it's just a floor. You don't even see the handle, do you?" he asked as Ginny surveyed the area.
" Right. So that's why you tapped around?"
" Did it take you long to figure that out?" Draco tapped the floor with his wand a couple of times while saying, " Tiger claws, snake fangs and falcon talons." Then, six floor tiles disappeared, leaving just enough space for them to go through and a staircase. Draco descended and was followed by an apprehensive Ginny.
" LUMOS!" Draco said and his wand gave out the same light.
" Now that you know the password, Weasley, mind that you won't tell a soul about it." Draco said as they made their way.
" Any secret shared with the likes of you, Malfoy, is one I'd rather erase from my memory." Ginny said.
" Let's keep it that way."
" So how did you know about that?" Ginny asked a she looked back. But the empty space had been covered, once again, by the tiles that came out of nowhere. " Hey, the tiles are back!"
" It works that way. The same password is said to open that up so we can go back. Anyway," he said as he turned to the right, " I discovered during a class in Herbology. We were pruning some plants and then, with all that walking around, I accidentally heard a hollow sound. I tapped the area around again and heard the same noise."
" So that's it?"
" Well, I figured that it must be a secret passage. It took me several weeks to figure out the password. Well, I made that discovery around October and figured out the password around March."
" That long. I never thought you were that smart, Malfoy." If Draco internalized that comment, it didn't show.
Instead he said, " We're almost there."
Suddenly, he heard someone groan. Turning around, " Weasley, where are you?"
He hurried over to where the sound came from. Then, he saw Ginny lying on the ground.
" What happened to you?" He couldn't hide a sneer.
" That's just like you, Malfoy! The first question you'd ask is that. Try asking me if I'm all right, you inconsiderate git!" said Ginny as she got up, " I ought to whack you on the head with a wok!" She made a move to strike him in the head when he caught her hand.
" All right, then. Are you all right?" he asked.
" You're just doing that to spite me," she said, " Now, please let go of my arm!" " Don't use that tone with me, girl. You know what I'm capable of, Weasley; never doubt what my hands can do. They've gone through rigorous training of the dark and sinister kind." Draco threatened. Then, he let go of Ginny's arm.
" I can't have you looking worse than you already do, Virginia. Goodness, " he said, rolling his eyes and letting out an infuriated sigh as he whipped out his wand, "Stand still!"
" What are you doing, Malfoy?" she asked, taking a couple of backwards, " Stop pointing that wand at me, you creep!"
" Why, Virginia, are you scared? I'm taking matters into my own hands since you don't know what's good for you."
" Scared of you? No way! I can take matters into my own hands. I run a business, for crying out loud! You were just forcing yourself to do what I am very capable of , and that is to look after myself!" Ginny yelled at him.
" I'm just going to clean you up. You have mud all over you! And I should be laughing at you right now!" Draco retorted.
" Then, laugh your heart out until you ache and I couldn't care less! I can clean myself, you know," Ginny said as she took her wand out," Zuellig Dissapearo!" Rays of green lights gyrated around her. They vanished as quickly as they came and Ginny became spotless once again.
" Let's carry on, shall we?" Draco asked, gritting his teeth while managing to keep his voice cool, and out of the verge of giving an outcry.
Then, they made their way once more.
" Here we are." he said.
" Where exactly are we?" Ginny asked, leaning against what seemed to be a wall made out of red bricks with a sleeping tiger painted on it.
Instead of answering her, Draco muttered, " Boomslang skin!" The wall began to shake. At that moment, Ginny jumped beside Draco for fear that she might pitch forward to nowhere. The bricks slowly began to deteriorate and form the outlines of Draco and Ginny.
Ginny stared at her outline in astonishment. It was perfectly fashioned. If she isn't mistaken, her outline is sort of leaning against. Malfoy's?
" You can let go of me now." Draco coolly said.
Gasping in surprise, she did.
" I never--" Ginny began but Malfoy stopped her with a snicker.
" Let's just go, okay?" asked Malfoy as he continued to have the audacity to deride her.
" Whatever." That was all Virginia could manage to mumble. She is indeed seething underneath but she kept that to herself. She can't bear to have him scoff at her like that anymore. Suddenly, Malfoy opened a door.
" It's an invisible door," he explained as Ginny emerged right behind him, " We're at the storage room of " Robes, Etcetera."
Ginny sighed. Malfoy shut the door and turned to face her with a raised eyebrow, " You sighed? The race has not begun, Weasley." " Let's get this over with, shall we?"
" No, not without a few ground rules. First, I don't want to hear you complain. Second, you need to fix that outlook of yours. The one where you sigh and think you can't carry on, that is, because I noticed that around you lately. You need to endure because what may lay ahead is harder and more complex than you think. If you're not after the money, Weasley, as I am not, then go for the experience. Third, don't fabricate excuses for your actions. If it's consequence you get, then a consequence you shall have to deal with." Draco said.
" Wow," Ginny said," Where'd you get that? So what are you now? A philosopher?"
" Learned all that the hard way," Draco simply said.
Not letting out more than he knows now, are we?, Ginny thought.
" I have a few ground rules to lay," she said, " First, don't try to let my esteem down by hurting, threatening me and all. Second, if you can't be sincere, fake it. At least, I can live with that. Third, I don't want you comparing me with what I don't have that the other girls have because that makes me sick. As much as I hate to admit it, we're in this together so let's just try to be decent towards each other if we can't be as mutual as Harry and Hermione."
" That sounds suffiecient enough."
" It will keep us from biting each other's head off. Also, let's try calling each other by our first names." Ginny said, staring at the ground.
" That would be trivial though. We also need to focus." Draco piped.
" Right." Ginny said.
" Right now, what we need to focus on is getting out of this storage room without making much noise. We can't be seen but we can be heard. You can Apparate, can't you?"
" Yes. I just got my permit on that."
" Let's Apparate and turn up outside this shop." Draco suggested. Together, they disappeared.
BOP! BOP!
Seconds later, they turned up in front of the shop.
" Did you figure out how we're going to shop? I bet the owner's asleep." Ginny said.
" I'm one step ahead of you." Draco rummaged around his pocket and took out what seems to be a watch with a little withered hand attached to the tiny dial (the one that adjust the hands of the watch) at the side.
" What? Turn back time?" Ginny burst out.
" How did you know about the Malfoy Eon Reversal? It's not out in the market yet," he began, " This isn't illegal; this is just a prototype I have voluntarily tested for them."
" I was just guessing."
" Really?"
" Don't start with it, um, Draco. It's almost four in the morning."
" Plenty of time to kill," he said, looking at his watch before muttering, " Go back fifteen minutes before this shop's closing time."
Suddenly, the watch let out a silver ray of light. One by one, the letters of the word MALFOY shot out towards the window of the shop before it evaporated.
" Advertising is the key to a successful business, Ginny." Draco said as they walked towards the shop.
" I'll keep that in mind." Draco was about to reach for the door when Ginny stopped him saying, " How do you know we've gone fifteen minutes before the shop closes?"
" Elementary, my dear Ginny," He pointed at the shop sign, which says: " Come in. We're open."
" Does that answer you question?" asked Draco as he opened the door. Stepping aside, he gestured to Ginny, " Ladies first."
" So you do have manners." Ginny said as she stepped inside to the shop's cool atmosphere.
" I do have manners. They're polished to the very end. I heard that you like gentlemen." Draco said as he stepped in after her and closed the door.
" Don't start pretending to be one."
" Uh-hmmm, I refuse to play charades."
" Draco, how am I to pay for all that I'll be purchasing? I left my wallet in the tent because I was in a hurry."
" It's just like a Weasley to be caught up amongst the world's fast- paced stream of change. I'm going to pay for all that you'll be buying."
" But I'll owe you a lot."
" Then, you'll have to pay me a lot," he said, " Don't worry; I won't demand for interest."
Looking around, Ginny said, " Don't they have Muggle clothes around here like what we're wearing?"
" Over at the left side. It has a wooden plaque that says so."
Ginny was about to check out the price tag of the red sleeveless shirt she selected when she heard a misty voice similar to that of Professor Trelawney's say, " Good afternoon! How can I be of service?"
Ginny jumped.
" Didn't mean to startle you, my dear girl."
" Who's there?" Ginny asked, not letting go of the shirt.
" Oh, hello, Mrs. Tussaud," Draco suddenly drawled from over the Muggle Clothes for Men department, " My friend and I are just selecting some clothes to wear for a, ah, casual party we're both attending."
" Is that so?" A woman in a violet organza dress now materialized beside Ginny, giving her another fright.
" We're staying at Hogwarts." Ginny said. She must be Trelawney's twin or something.
" Mrs. Tussaud, have you any designer clothes?" Draco asked.
" Well, yes, Mr. Malfoy. They're in the next aisle."
In the end, Ginny selected a pair of pants, two pairs of shorts, three sleeveless shirts, four other shirts and a windbreaker. Malfoy, on the other hand, decided that he wouldn't be needing expensive designer clothes; he'll just have to tough it out. He had chosen a polo shirt, seven shirts, a windbreaker, two pairs of socks and a pair of men's shorts.
" You do shop a lot." Ginny told him.
" Yes," he said, " And then, some."
Turning up to the cash register, he asked, " How much?"
Mrs. Tussaud replied, " Two hundred and fifty galleons, fifty sickles and thirty- five knuts."
Opening his wallet, he asked Ginny," Paper or plastic?"
" Um.I-I.don't know. D- Depends, I-I- g-guess." Ginny stuttered, flabbergasted. Taking out a gold Gringotts Millenia Express Credit card and handing it to Mrs. Tussaud, he said " Charge it to my account."
Minutes later, they had bought all they needed such as: soap, shampoo, canteen for water, visors, good running shoes, biscuits, alcohol, band- aids, insect repellant, flashlight with extra batteries, a small first- aid kit and lotion (sunscreen for Malfoy). And all in all, Ginny owed him up to a five hundred galleons, or more.
" Well, Weasley, um, Virginia, we did it." Draco said as they made their way back with their purchases. By now, they're back to their original time.
" Do you think this will fit in our backpacks?" Ginny asked, walking ahead of Malfoy. (He did let her.)
" It will. Roll up your clothes like dough instead of stacking them flat on top of each other."
" Thanks for the tip, bucko."
" Anytime, wart- head."
Pausing, she asked, " Malfoy, ah, Draco, aren't you going to, I don't know, beautify this passage? It's not that dirty or grimy."
" Like a pavilion or an underground garden with a wooden bridge?"
" I'm not quite sure. If I do, I might develop it secretly, and only the two of us knows about this." A glint reflected in his gray eyes that made him look teasing and boyish.
" Don't get into any zany thoughts, Malf- Draco Malf- oy."
" That's what I'll probably do with my half of the money, Gin Weasley. Get a move on!" Walking a few steps before halting again, she asked, " You made me wonder why you wanted to join this race, Malfoy. You earn more than a million galleons in a month or so."
Taking the hint, he replied, " My father never wanted me to join any extracurricular activities in the past even though I excel in any endeavour I choose as he wasn't good in any during his time. Then, an unexpected opportunity came for me to prove what I am good at, and probably boast about it afterwards."
Typical Malfoy, she thought.
" I read your thought, Weasley."
Emerging from the Greenhouse door, the two breathed a sigh of relief as early rays of dawn bathed them.
" Yeah," Draco began, " I usually take deep breaths every time I end a quest which involves sneaking."
" I know what that feels like now," Glaring at Draco, she went on, " Never EVER make me do that again! One harrowing encounter with You- Know- Who was bad enough."
" I promise," Draco held up his hand as a gesture, " Really."
" Mark your words, Malfoy."
" How exactly am I going to do that? I haven't a quill with me."
" Oh, haha. Don't get philosophical with me." Now he's going to ask me how tall a piece of string is.
" Like, how tall is a piece of string?"
Rolling her eyes, Ginny said, " Never mind. I'm going have a nice worthy bath inside the school so I won't stink before the race. So there!
Looking at Ginny while she walked to her tent, Draco couldn't help but think that she hasn't changed much at all. She's still the same silent, often laconic, girl. Fiery, go- getter, merry, pretty red- head who grew about four inches (still half a foot shorter than him), known to be the sister of that git Ron. Hold on!
Why am I thinking about her? He shook his head as if to erase all the past thoughts that found their way into his subconscious.
That's when he saw his partner exiting her tent with a million things on her arms. Partner? He thought as he headed for his own tent to try to get some sleep.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: How do you find it? Is the plot good? Once again, I don't own the rights to Harry Potter and Amazing Race so please don't file a lawsuit against me. The idea is 100% original. I despise plagiarism. Also, this chapter goes out to my best LEE cousin who is in Manila right now, and she's Mary Jane Go. I miss her right now. Long distance! E-mail me, if you desire, at lmla-blue@yahoo.com Anyway, among the nine countries that they'll be going to, I am going to sort of reveal as to what country I live in, in a vivid way. You'll notice that I'll be mentioning schools, for one, which I formerly go to and all that. So watch for it! I definitely love the team of Derek and Drew although they didn't win. Which, among the twins, that Flo fell in love with? Tell me, okay? Also, I made up different and twisted rules along the course of the race. Read my other stories too. Do you watch C.S.I.? I do! Love that! Thanks to Mary for telling me to watch it. Have a nice- WICKED day!