Title: Another Sunny Day
Author: Ichikoo
Rating: PG13
A/N: SOOOOORRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! To all the readers who have been waiting for this chapter—I'm super sorry! It's been almost a year since I updated, aside from the fact that my creative juices were in trickle mode, school had also been very hectic! Being a freshman isn't easy!!! ^-^;; but since a) I have nothing to do this summer and b) I know you've all given up on my updating this story, I'm going to give you what is due and update! So thank you to all those who've reviewed complaints of my updating skills. ^-^ I hope you like this chapter!
Yooooodele-hi-hoooo!
Chapter 5 "The Morning After"
Ginny awoke to the sound of her alarm. Still wanting to sleep, she turned off the alarm button and rolled over to the other side of the bed, causing her to fall. She quickly covered her face, expecting to hit the ground. To her amazement, she didn't.
Okay…this is unusual…what happened? Did Fred slip something into my bag that I accidentally ate?
She suddenly remembered what happened last night.
A lot of blue light…
Then, an image of Draco swam into her mind.
A rosy pink tinge on his somewhat tanned face, beads of sweat falling from his hair, and his eyes—they were stormy grey with—concern?
"He saved me." She said out loud, to no one in particular. She smiled, feeling happy at his deed. But then, the smile vanished as panic began to overtake her. How was she going to go to class? She was levitating half a feet above the ground, for goodness sake! People would surely notice! And as all women are prone to do in the Weasley clan…
"DRACO!!!" she screamed.
As if by magic, Draco rushed inside her room. "What? What happened? Who died?" he said, in a panicked voice.
"No one!" She said, hands on her hips, while lying down, a few feet above the floor.
"Is that so? Well little girl, call me when there's an emergency. My time's too important to waste, you know." He said, turning and walking out the door.
"DRACO MALFOY!!!" She screeched. "Come back here this instant!!!"
He popped his head inside her room, and said: "What? I can't babysit you today—unlike you, some people actually have things to do."
"I need help!"
"I'm not a serving boy."
"I'm not joking!"
"Who's laughing?"
"MALFOY! I'm serious!"
"So am I! What's up?"
She gave him her fiercest glare, and said, "Apparently, I am."
"Ahh…so what's wrong with you? Cat got your gravity?"
"Can cats actually grab gravity? The last time I heard, gravity was unseen, only felt." She replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Okay…sheesh, someone sure woke up the wrong side of the bed today."
"Of course! Considering the fact that this someone didn't sleep on the bed, due to that spell you did on me last night."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He said, voice full of sincerity, and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
"Fine, apology accepted. Now what are we going to do about this?"
"Well, it's a fine excuse to not go to classes today…"
"Are you mad?! What do you expect me to say?! 'Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore sir, but I can't go to class because I'm levitating nearly a foot off the ground because someone happened to cast a spell on me last night because I fell from my broom???'" she said, in a near shout.
"Not a bad idea…" he said, leaning on the doorframe and crossing his arms over his chest.
"What do you MEAN by NOT a BAD IDEA?!?" she said, shouting in earnest, "I'm supposed to tell him, that I'm floating, because I happened to be breaking school rules by being out past curfew? He'll have my head for this! And besides, it will be the second time that I will be sent to his office, on the second day of school! Considering also the fact that I've just been accelerated and that I'm a PREFECT!" she stopped, red-faced and panting.
"Okay, okay! Calm down, and let's think of a plan…" he said, walking over to her and pulling her off the floor to a sitting position.
"Why should I calm down? HOW can I calm down? I'm, the one who's floating, not you!"
"Because, getting angry won't solve things!"
"This better be a good one."
"Trust me. Malfoy plans are fool proof." He said, giving her a Cheshire smile.
~ @ ~
_%_
Ginny sat in the infirmary minutes later, boils all over her face, arms, and legs. Draco watched her sitting there, much like a tame lamb, with that sorrowful expression on her face as she scratched her boils.
"Miss Weasley!" Madame Pomfrey said, in a horror-stricken voice, "What happened to you?"
Ginny just looked at her with sorrowful, tired eyes.
"Ah, Madame Pomfrey, I'm afraid that Ginny had contacted a rare Muggle disease." He said, appearing from behind a curtain.
"A rare Muggle disease?" she replied doubtfully, inspecting Ginny, "But these are just boils!"
"No, Madame Pomfrey. You are aware, that I take Advanced Muggle Studies with Miss Weasley here, we are currently studying Muggle Diseases, and this one is extremely rare, and should be treated with extreme caution."
"Really?" She said, eyebrows raised.
"Yes, ma'am!" He said, putting on his best I-know-what-I'm-talking-about-so-don't-ask-but-I-respect-your-decision-anyway voice.
"How so?"
"It is an infectious disease, coming from the rare Bulbous Mosquito—they breed in stagnant water, which either has been used for cleaning vats with chemicals or in washing radioactive materials. One bite from this mosquito can cause skin diseases, or irritations. According to a Muggle doctor in Kenya, the only way to combat this disease is complete bed rest, letting the body's immune system to annihilate the virus in her body."
"Is that true, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny nodded.
"Well, I have no other reason to doubt you. In that case, Miss Weasley, I'm giving you one week's confinement in your dorm—no stepping out of there for even a minute. You are excused from all your classes for this week—I will inform all your teachers immediately. And Mister Malfoy—"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"You are to be her aide while she is in confinement. You will assist her in all her needs, and you shall also be excused from your classes. Your homework shall be brought to your dorms via owl. Even you, Mister Malfoy, cannot step outside of your dorms. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Ginny?"
She nodded.
"You may leave now."
Draco helped Ginny get up from her chair. She was walking in a wobbly manner, so as to show the nurse that she was weakening.
Once they were out of the infirmary, Draco smiled.
My plan was foolproof!
His plan was to create an 'ailment' for Ginny. He was quite experienced with using Muggle cosmetics—heaven knows how much he had watched while his cousins applied them and asked for his approval—and he used a bit of it to create so called 'boils' on Ginny's arms, face, neck and lower legs. Ginny powdered herself to make herself look pale, and had used eyeliner to create 'eyebags'. He knew that for all the mediwitch Pomfrey was, she wasn't an expert on Muggle diseases.
"So, did I or didn't I tell you that my plan was foolproof?"
"Yes, yes, you did. Now stop gloating about it. We only have a week's time to find out the counter-spell for this!"
"'Twas good that you have your brother's hand-me-downs..we'd never be able to disguise your floating if you didn't!"
"Okay, okay, I get your point. Now will you please hurry up and get us to our dorms now? Someone might see."
"Okay, okay….grouch."
~ @~
_%_
Professor Dumbledore,
Kindly pardon Mister Malfoy and Miss Weasley for not attending their classes this week. I have confined them to their dorms for a week, due to a disease that she had contacted (due to a Bulbous mosquito). If you could kindly inform all the other teachers, I would be greatly thankful.
Poppy Pomfrey
The Professor finished reading the letter and chuckled to himself.
Bulbous Mosquito? That's new…poor Poppy…hoodwinked by two 7th years…
"Now I wonder…should I interfere, or not?" he said, stroking his beard. "What do you guys think?"
A man with puffy hair and small eyes shook his head. "You should interfere! Heaven knows what might have happened!"
"For goodness sakes, Gillyfringe! You're so paranoid of everything! Ever since that anteater bit off a chunk of your privates!" said a woman with iron gray hair.
"Oh yes, I remember that time! I was the Astronomy teacher then! He had quite a fit!" said a man, in his early fifties.
"You keep quite there, Ternerind Fluke! I happen to know that you had quite a nice tally-ho with that 7th year, Mirinda Blight!" rebuked Gillyfringe.
"Why you…" said Fluke, ears turning red.
"Gentlemen, cool off.." said Dumbledore, clearly amused.
"Cool off? How can you expect me to cool off when this sodding git of a headmaster insults me?" said Fluke.
"Insult? 'Tis true!" said Gillyfringe.
"Now, now..the past is the past…" said Dumbledore, truning to face Fawkes. "What do you think, Fawkes?"
"I think you should just let them be. Younglings are younglings, after all. And they can take care of themselves." Fawkes telepathically said to the Professor.
"Maybe you're right, Fawkes. Maybe you're right."
~ @~
_%_
Ginny nibbled on her lower lip, scanning one of the thick textbooks on Spells that they found at the library or their dorm.
Let's see…spells for turning a prince into a frog…a disembowelment spell…a beauty spell…how to transfigure a human ito a ferret…how to lose a guy in ten days…hey, wasn't that made into a movie? How to regain the guy you lost in ten days…how to make a giant diaper appear…how to make it disappear and appear on top of someone's head…
"Draco, none of these are making any sense!" she complained.
"They aren't supposed to. That's how spells work! Find one for drop down to the ground or something!" he said, shifting to a large volume of spells.
"Okay…" she said, and resumed her search.
Spells to make flowers bloom…spells to make other spells useless…spells for stomachache…wait!
"Draco! Come here! I found something!"
"What?!" he said, walking over to her.
"Here, page nine hundred eighty-five, volume seventeen of the Chronicles of Spells."
"Hmm…spell for making other spells useless.."
Ginny watched him as he read the spell and it's effects.
He's so serious…he looks totally different from last night…
Last night, Draco had been her knight in shining armor, but today, he seemed so…so much like her classmate…his eyes, which were filled with concern, were now just filled with, well, nothing. Like a well which had no bottom. The only difference was that his eyes were gray, not black.
"Ginny? Ginny? Are you awake?" he said, snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"Huh—what? Yes, I am…so, are you ready to try that spell?"
"Sure. Now it says here that I have to be at least five paces away from you." He moved backwards.
"Are you ready, Gin?"
"Ready." She said, her hands tightly clutching her robes.
"Power of earth and flame and wind
To end a spell I will begin
Release this person from all its bonds
Make useless all its clutching fronds!"
He pointed his wand at her and a stream of white light shot out and hit Ginny. He heard her scream, and saw her slump down to half a foot off the floor.
"Ginny?"
She didn't move, and he began to panic. He rushed over to her and knelt down, feeling her pulse. There was her heartbeat, weak and fluttery, but it was still there. He let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't bear it if he had killed a person.
I will not become like my father!
He heard a soft moan as Ginny stirred. He automatically helped her up into a sitting position. He noticed that she was shaking. Beads of sweat formed on her face, and she was breathing heavily.
"Gin, are you alright?"
"Wow…that knocked the socks off me…"
"But you're alright, right?"
"Yeah…I am…"
"Gin…"
"Yes?"
"Bad news."
"What?"
"You're still floating."
"Oh gods…"
~
@~
_%_
They spent the whole day and the whole afternoon looking through textbooks, after the incident.
"Aww…mother of all pumpkins! We must've looked through the whole library already!" Ginny said, plopping down half a feet above the floor.
"Yeah…why don't we stop? The others would've just finished classes by now…" He said, stretching his arms.
"Whew! 5 more days to go!" she said, shutting the Big Book of Spells.
Draco shut his own book, noticing Ginny's exposed legs.
Man…she has great legs…
They were creamy and looked satin-smooth to touch. Unfortunately, they weren't long. Draco had a fetish for long-legged women.
But still…she has got great legs…
"What are you staring at?"
His head snapped up, and he smiled at her. "Has anybody ever told you that you've got great legs?"
She blushed. "You're kidding me. I'm so short—I'm only five foot five!"
"Tall enough for me…I'm only six foot three, you know."
"Really?"
"Yep…wanna measure?"
"With what?"
"How about…your hands?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You are such a pervert, Draco."
"Thanks. You too."
"Dray-co! I heard that! You were flirting with this lay-dee here! I thought that you were faithful ohn-lee to me!" Justin said, in a flirty voice.
"Sometimes, I'm beginning to wonder if he's really gay." Said Hannah, sitting on the couch. "Whew! Today was really rough! Snape gave us SIX rolls of parchment for homework!"
"Hey," said Justin, sitting beside Hannah, "What are you guys doing on the floor with all those books?"
"Research." Said Ginny.
"Yeah. Research." He said.
"Really, eh? Research only? What do I hear about little Ginny here being down with something?" said Justin.
"Nothing."
"C'mon, mate! You know you can trust me with anything!"
"Fine. I made her float, and I can't reverse the spell."
"Really? But she's not floating." Said Hannah.
"Stand up, Gin."
Ginny stood up.
"Whoa…that's half a foot off the floor! What's that from, lover's spat?" said Justin.
"No…just unavoidable circumstances." Ginny replied sitting back down.
"Ah…tried any spells yet?" asked Hannah.
"Yes. Last one sent her reeling with pain."
"Ouch…" said Justin, wincing.
"Exactly."
"Want us to help?" asked Hannah.
"If you could spread the word around that she's sick, and that I've been infected, and that we're in confinement in our dorms, I'd be eternally grateful."
"Sure. Easy as pie." Said Hannah.
"So…how many days?" asked Justin.
"Just until Sunday. Monday, we have to go back to school."
"Lots of homework." Said Hannah.
"Yeah…Justin, can I ask you a favor?" said Ginny.
"Sure!" Justin replied.
"Can you copy down our homework for us?" asked Ginny.
"No problemo! That's easily handled! All I have to do is ask Mother General!
"Who's Mother General?" she asked.
"Mother General, or MG for short, is also known as 'Mione Granger."
"Ahh…mummy hen…"
Justin nodded approvingly at Hannah. "She
got it!"
"Gin—one question." He asked.
"Spill, Draco."
"Why do you want Justin here to copy our homework, when it's going to be mailed to us?"
"Hm…I don't know. I have this feeling that the teachers are the ones who are going to write our homework…heaven knows I can't understand Snape's writing…"
"Ah…good point." Said Justin.
Hannah nodded. "Save your eyesight."
"Speaking of eyesight, I'm sleepy. Gotta go and get forty winks! G'night guys!" Justin said, standing up and going to his room.
"Me to…we have classes tommorow…good luck with the spell you guys!" said, Hannah, going to her room.
They were silent for a while, just leaning on the couch.
"So…wanna stay up all night?" asked Ginny.
"Sure. Nothing else better to do." He replied.
~
@~
_%_
Albus Dumbledore suddenly woke up, heavily breathing. He dreamt that ravens, all with eerie purple eyes, were attacking him, and that he was running from them. Then he heard a child's whimpering, so he stopped and looked around, but found no one. Then the next thing he knew, he was falling off a cliff.
He calmed himself down and listened. Wait—was that a child whimpering? He stepped out off his bed and went to the room where Draco's sister slept.
"Cassandra?" he called out, opening the door.
He found her in hunched up in the middle of the bed.
"Cassandra? Are you awake?" he said, as he drew nearer to the bed.
"D-daddy? Don't hurt me anymore…" she murmured in her sleep.
He sat down on the bed and gently shook her awake.
She blinked her sleepy eyes at him. "Alby?"
"Yes, yes, child. I'm here.."
"Alby? I dreamed that Daddy tried to hurt me…I'm afraid…"
"Hush now child…you're safe here…"
~
@~
_%_
A/N: I finished this chapter in a DAY! Talk about fast!
Special Thanks to:
~All those who never tired of reviewing! This chapter is for you guys!
~ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @~
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