Author's Note: Thank you for all your reviews!!! They're really encouraging…and a great boost to my ego. ^_^ I'm flattered that you guys actually like my story. Chapter 5 is personally my favorite and one of my better chapters, but admittedly my opinion is a little biased since I wrote it. Hehe. Well I hope you guys like it too!
† Marigold
Chapter 5: DenialGinny snarled in frustration and threw the book she had been reading on the floor, making a satisfying thud.
Draco looked up in amusement, guessing the cause for Ginny's angry outburst.
"I hate this," Ginny cried. "I am so sick of…all of this…vagueness…this no-answer! They all say the same thing, that such a spell exists but not once do any of these books tell us what spell!"
Mentally, Draco calculated in his head. It was over a week now and still the two of them had found nothing in their research about a tracing spell to link a victim to the killer.
"Don't you think it's odd," Draco said slowly, "how several of these books mention that such a spell exists yet none of the writers say anything about how to perform such a spell?"
Ginny raked a hand through her hair. "It's weird," she agreed. "But I can't imagine why. Was it so common a spell that these authors expected all wizards and witches to instinctively know the spell or something?"
Draco shrugged carelessly. "You know, I'm starting wonder why I am doing all of this? It's not any of my business. And I'm a prisoner, not an auror; this is your job, not mine."
Ginny looked up in surprise, which swiftly changed to a look of annoyance. "And," Draco continued. "All this reading and thinking and analyzing is making my brain hurt. If I read another passage about the Avada Kadvra curse, I'm going to explode."
"Your brain hurts?" Ginny demanded. "I'm the one reading this stuff day and night, twenty four hours, seven days a week. And you forget, I make you a hot meal every night as payment for your work. Unless of course you want to go back to the stale bread the Ministry brings you each day."
Draco's eyes widened in alarm at the threat. "I'm only saying that we need to take a break. Give our minds a rest, do something different. And then when we get back to the books, our minds will be sharp for any details."
"And what do you propose?" Ginny asked skeptically.
But Draco didn't get a chance to respond. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Ginny jumped up excitedly. "I'll bet it's Harry or Hermione." She ran down the stairs to answer the door.
And for some inexplicable reason to Draco, he sincerely hoped it was not Harry who Ginny was so happy to see.
As hoped, it was Hermione, carrying a bag. "Ginny," the older girl smiled, giving Ginny a warm embrace. Then bending down to whisper conspiratorially in her ear, Hermione giggled, "I've got something to tell you!"
With a look of interest, Ginny eagerly led her friend to the living room. "What's in the bag?" Ginny asked curiously.
"My dress robe, for the Halloween Party," Hermione grinned, pulling out the shimmery fabric out from her bag.
Shocked, Ginny clapped her hand over her mouth. "I totally forgot," Ginny exclaimed. "The Halloween Party!"
Hermione frowned admonishingly. "Forget? How could you, it's only the biggest event all year."
"I've been so busy with all the research about the tracing spell and keeping an eye on my ward, I never noticed anything else," Ginny sighed. She held up the dress robe and gasped. "Ooh, this is so pretty." The material was a shiny, glittery ice blue, sleek and clingy.
"Isn't it?" Hermione grinned proudly. "Fortunately I got hold of the dress right before Matilda Verint did. We saw it at exactly the same time, but I was closer and got it first. Matilda was so mad."
Ginny laughed. Matilda was a obnoxious witch who had previously worked with Ginny as an auror before demanding a new partner, claiming Ginny was too stupid and disorganized; which was a complete lie since Ginny was clearly the cleverest auror in the department and neat as a pin.
"Wait," Ginny frowned. "If you've already bought your dress robe, does that mean someone asked you to the dance?"
Hermione giggled nervously, "Well actually, yes."
"Tell me who asked you!" Ginny exclaimed, tugging on Hermione's sleeve.
To Ginny's surprise and amusement, Hermione blushed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger nervously. "You're going to laugh."
"I am not," Ginny said indignantly. Then she frowned, "Oh no… it's not…or is it?" Ginny wrinkled her nose. "That's too awful a thought."
"Who?" Hermione demanded.
Ginny scrutinized Hermione. "Is it…tell me it's not Seamus!"
"Finnigan?" Hermione burst out laughing. "Phoenixes, no!"
"Then who?" Ginny cried.
"It's," Hermione hesitated, her face scarlet, then burst out, "It's Ron."
For a moment Ginny was speechless. "Ron," she repeated in disbelief. "Ron Weasley, my brother!"
Hermione nodded. "I… I like him, and we've known each other forever. And it's just a dance for goodness sake, we're not going out or something."
"Yet," Ginny muttered, but there was a twinkle in her eye. "I can just imagine the two of you together. It's so cute." She grinned. "Did Ron stutter when he asked you?"
Hermione chuckled. "Oh yes. He did nothing but stutter in the beginning, and then he asked me so fast I wasn't sure I heard him."
"Sounds like him alright," Ginny smiled. "I'll bet he practiced with Goyle a couple of times before he worked up the nerve to ask you."
"Don't be mean," Hermione protested. "He was really sweet about it and gave me a chocolate frog with a rose attached to the mouth when he asked me to go with him to the dance."
"Ooh, a chocolate frog," Ginny mocked. "How romantic." She laughed. "I'm going to have to teach him to ask a girl properly out."
"I think it's cute," Hermione protested. "So…Ronnish." She sighed, a smile on her face.
Ginny glared at her through narrowed eyes. "You like him," she accused. "You've liked my brother for ages!"
"I—" but the denial died on Hermione's lips when she met Ginny's knowing look. "He's my friend," Hermione protested lamely. "Of course I like him."
"Uh huh," Ginny grinned slyly. "I'm starting to think that you said 'Yes!' before Ron even finished asking you!"
Hermione's red face was all the answer Ginny needed.
"Well, who are you going with?" Hermione asked, hoping to change the topic.
Ginny shrugged, "I don't know, it's only two weeks away. I don't know if I'm going."
"Not going?" Hermione looked horrified. "Ginny, have you gone insane?"
"Well, I don't have anyone to go with, nothing to wear, and no one to make sure Draco Malfoy doesn't try something."
Hermione bit her lip, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "Why don't you go with Malfoy?" she teased. "That will provide a date and you can keep an eye on him at the same time."
Hermione half-expected Ginny to attack her for the suggestion, or at least recoil at the repulsive idea, but to her surprise, Ginny nodded in consideration. "That's possible, I suppose."
"What!" Hermione stared at Ginny. "Do you realize that you just agreed to bring Malfoy as your date to the Halloween party?" Hermione said worriedly. "Are you sick?"
"I'm fine," Ginny replied, miffed. "You were the one who suggested the idea of bringing Malfoy."
"I was kidding!" Hermione exclaimed. "That you would even consider the idea, much less agree, was the last thing I expected. Ginny, you forget he's a criminal, a Death Eater, this is Draco."
"Draco Malfoy to you," a cold voice came from above. Ginny and Hermione whirled around to see Draco descending down the stairs. "I couldn't help but hear and notice I was the reason for such a heated discussion, and I'm flattered. But I hope you both realize there's no need to fight, there's enough of me to go around." Draco smirked and raised his eyebrow suggestively.
"After I'm done tearing you to pieces," Ginny added with a growl. "I don't know what you think you're doing, Draco, but you can march right back to your room and stay there."
"Now, now, that's no way to invite me to this Halloween dance of yours," Draco replied, an aggravating grin on his face. "If you want me to go, you'll have to ask me nicely."
Ginny flushed pink, with rage or embarrassment, Hermione couldn't tell. The next instant, Draco was slumped to the floor; Hermione hadn't even noticed that Ginny had taken out her wand.
"Wow," the older girl said, impressed. "What spell was that?"
Ginny shrugged modestly. "Just a sleeping spell; Draco is currently dreaming about eating raw eggs and frozen toast." She grinned maliciously.
"Well, speaking about Draco," Hermione looked at Ginny cautiously. "You aren't still thinking about taking him to the Halloween Party?"
"Actually, I've decided that I'm going to," Ginny replied, a wicked twinkle in her eye. "It'll be my revenge back at the Ministry for putting me with Draco in the first place."
Hermione frowned, "Ginny you can't be serious. What will Ron and Harry say?"
Ginny chuckled. "First of all, you and Ron will be so absorbed in each other I doubt you'll even notice me there. And Harry will find it a hilarious joke."
"But what if Draco tries something," Hermione worried.
"I think I'm quite capable of handling him," Ginny laughed, a smile spreading across her face. "Quite capable, rest assured."
_.-^-._.-^-._.-^-._.-^-._.-^
When Draco opened eyes, he found Ginny's face hovering right over his own. "AHHHH!"
"Ah, you're awake," Ginny said.
Draco rubbed his forehead tiredly, "You have no idea! I had the scariest dream about—"
"Raw eggs?" Ginny inquired innocently.
Draco looked up in surprise. "Yeah." He shuddered. "It was horrible."
Ginny chuckled unkindly. "Aww, poor Draco," she mocked. "Next time you'll know better than to embarrass me in front of Hermione."
Draco glared at her, "You gave me that dream?"
"Of course, rather ingenious of me if I do say so myself," Ginny said sweetly. "And now that you're rested, we ought to get back to our research."
Draco groaned. "I think we should take a break, honestly. It'll be good for our brains."
Ginny feigned to think for a moment, "I suppose you're right," she nodded. "A break is exactly what we need." Draco looked at her hopefully. "Which is why I've decided that we should go to the Halloween Dance of the Ministry of Magic."
Draco stared in open-mouthed amazement. "Me?" he demanded. "Go to a dance with you? Are you insane? I'm a prisoner."
"Which is exactly why I'm bringing you," Ginny retorted, feeling secretly annoyed that Draco was so reluctant to go to a dance with her, though she couldn't understand why she felt so annoyed. "So that I can keep an eye on you."
"But," Draco hesitated. "What am I going to wear?"
Ginny burst out laughing. "Ever the vain peacock," she teased. "I suppose we could go to Diagon Alley sometime. I need dress robes myself."
Draco frowned in puzzlement. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if I do something? Or runaway?"
Ginny's eyes twinkled wickedly. "I'd like to see you try," she grinned wickedly, an expression Draco found decidedly disconcerting.
^-._.-^-._.-^-._.-^-._.-^-._
Lucius Malfoy stood in the center of a forest clearing, the pale moonlight shining ominously over him. Around him clustered a gathering of darkly clad wizards.
"My friends," Lucius's lips stretched over his teeth in what was suppose to be a smile. "Voldemort is dead, killed quite thoroughly by Harry Potter. And with him, should have died all your hopes of ever being great again. But Dark Magic is not dead anymore; I have called upon it once again, and it recognizes me as the most powerful Dark Lord ever seen. And as your new Master, I require a Mark on each one of you, as you way of swearing allegiance to me." Out of Lucius's wand slithered the snake, looking venomous with its snapping jaws. Lucius looked around at his fellow Death Eaters, expecting expressions of awe and submission. However, to his anger, Lucius only met looks of contempt and scorn.
Out from the crowd stepped MacNair, his mouth twisted into an ironic smile. "What kind of joke are you playing at, Malfoy?" MacNair demanded in his gravelly voice. "New Dark Lord? More powerful than Salazar Slytherin? I hope you didn't expect us to suddenly fall down and worship you like little sheep who don't know any better than to 'baa.'" He laughed scornfully. Around him, other wizards were nodding in agreement, with the same contemptuous look.
Lucius felt himself trembling with fury. "Fools!" He spat. "Dare you challenge me!!!" Channeling his power he thrust it into MacNair with incredible force. In less than a blink of an eye, MacNair was dead. All around, the Death Eaters could feel the radiating magical power that had killed their fellow wizard. It was as if a veil had been taken from Malfoy, and suddenly an aura of evilness and fear could be sensed, clinging around Lucius. All the other Death Eaters fell back a step, their expression suddenly full of fear and bewilderment.
Another wizard stepped forward, but this time it was Crabbe (Sr.), and he was on his knees. "My Lord," he said thickly. "Master."
As if on cue, every single wizard dropped down, and the forest could be filled with the mumblings of "Master."
Lucius Malfoy nodded satisfyingly, a cruel smile curling his lips. And now to make myself known to the world, Lucius thought.
In the spiritual world, a replica of MacNair's spirit was being made and absorbed into Lucius Malfoy's wand. It was just one more of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of spirits to become a part of that 14 inch long willow, containing one strand of unicorn hair.
~*_*~*.*~*_*~*.*~*_*~*.*~
Draco couldn't sleep. It's too cold, he tried to tell himself. I'm too cold to sleep. But Draco knew that wasn't the real reason why he couldn't fall asleep. Images of Ginny kept appearing in his mind; the way she smiled, the way she tilted her head while reading, the way she furrowed her brows when she frowned at him.
"She's a Weasley," Draco reminded himself harshly. "Stop thinking about her! I don't even like her!"
But although Draco tried desperately to forget Ginny, to just fall asleep, he couldn't. With a smile, he recalled how Ginny's hair felt brushing against his hand, her sharp wit and vitriolic words. But Draco knew he was in big trouble when a surge of jealousy came over him as he remembered Ginny's bright smile and warm kiss every time Harry came by.
"That's it," Draco ordered himself, burrowing his head under the pillow in hopes to drive out all thoughts of the red-headed girl. The last thought Draco had before falling asleep was of Ginny's sympathetic brown eyes several days ago when he had shared with her his horrifying experience of performing the Killing Curse.
Had Ginny came by during the night, she'd have seen a gentle smile gracing Draco's features, never guessing who that smile was for.
AN: Admittedly the ending was fluffy…it was suppose to be. The next chapter starts out kinda fluffy too. Reviews? Suggestions? ^_^