Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just Lori.
A/N: I'm SO sorry this took so long to get out! I've been really busy lately, and I had a horrible case of writer's block. I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. So, finally, one Sunday I just sat down and wrote for a few hours. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Ten: Corollaries of Apathy
Hermione had been flying for quite awhile when she'd calmed down and regained her composure. She attempted to check her watch, but she was afraid to let go of the broomstick for even that short while. Hermione had never cared much for flying, being that it was something books could not teach. Her fear of heights was also rather problematic in the subject, so she often let Ron fly the broom while clutching him fearfully. However, Hermione had not the time to dwell upon this as she fled from the castle in fright.
She glanced down around her and realized she'd flown right above a small town. She circled for a moment before deciding on a place to land. She lowered herself until she hit the ground with a soft flump and dusted the back of her robes off. The sky was darkening into a midnight blue, which worried Hermione, for she had no idea where she was. She gripped the broom tightly in her hands and glanced around the nearly empty street. A small, dimly lit bar sat dormant on the corner of the street.
I really hope this isn't a Muggle town, Hermione thought, glancing at the broomstick still clutched in her hand. Hermione entered the already-open door and squinted in the darkness. Candles flickered on every table, some occupied by figures draped in cloaks. Hermione looked around nervously, noting that most of the people were wearing wizarding clothing.
Hermione approached the counter. "Excuse me," she said. The bartender did not look at her. "Excuse me," she said, louder. The bartender gave her a nasty look and gestured for her to speak. "My friends are in trouble. Do you have –"
The bartender cut her off. "No. Look, lady, you don't look old enough to be in here. Why don't you run along?"
"I'm trying to tell you I need help!"
"Tell someone who cares."
Hermione drew a breath, prepared to break out in a tirade of angry speech, but instead ran out of the bar. She stood on the corner, unsure of where she was or what to do. It was dark, she was alone, and she couldn't think of what to do.
Apparate, a tiny voice in her head said.
Hermione shook her head. She didn't pass her test for Apparating yet. She had been studying it, of course, but she hadn't been able to do it because of the spells on Hogwarts. Hermione glanced around nervously, as if someone would arrest her for Apparating. She braced herself, shut her eyes, and concentrated. A few seconds later, she disappeared.
"Ginny, where are you going?" Draco hissed furiously, striding after her. "We can't just go after him and take the antidote."
Ginny ignored him for a moment and wrenched open the doors. She spun around and faced Draco. "Harry's in trouble. I'm not going to do nothing!"
"Will you be reasonable? Unless you have some brilliant plan – or you're hiding some serious magical skill – we really aren't capable of anything."
"You underestimate us, Draco, really." Ginny trotted down the front stairs and grabbed a broom, angrily motioning Ron and Draco to follow her. Ron ran out of the mansion from behind the door. Draco soon followed suit, sighing heavily.
Ron grabbed his own broom and turned to Ginny. "Ride with me," he said sternly. He knew Ginny would ride with Draco had he not said anything. Ginny shot Draco an odd look, and clambered onto Ron's broom without another word.
"Avoid the windows," Draco instructed as they took to the sky. "Where are we headed?"
"Hogwarts," Ginny replied shortly.
"Gin, that's miles away! It'll take forever to get there!" Ron exclaimed. When no one responded, he added glumly, "I suppose I'll just have to suck it up and deal, right?"
Ron figured Draco knew the way to the school, considering Draco was the first to start flying. Ron flew next to him, making sure Ginny was still firmly attached behind him. A few minutes into the ride, Ginny gasped.
"Ron! What about mum? She hasn't got a clue where we are!" she shrieked.
"We'll have to stop. Malfoy, d'you know if Ottery St. Catchpole is on the way?"
Draco nodded. "It is. We'll stop for a little bit, but don't tell her where you're going."
The group landed outside the Burrow. Draco did not enter the house of course, being that he's been enemies with the Weasleys (except, recently, Ginny) and Ron's mother might suffer a heart attack if she saw him. Ginny and Ron disappeared inside the house. Silence followed them, until an ear-shattering, booming voice was emitted from the house.
"Where on earth have you been?" Molly screeched. She, of course, had been waiting for the two of them. "Have you any idea how worried I've been? You didn't come off the train! I thought you'd been kidnapped! I even alerted Dumbledore! Ginny, I'm surprised at you; how could you do that?"
"Mum! Calm down! We had gone to the hospital for a little while to see if Harry was all right!" Ginny exclaimed. Ron looked at her in shock – how did she think of a lie so quickly?
Molly paused a moment. "I suppose…I suppose that's a good reason to have gone, but honestly, you two! Why couldn't you have come home first?" Molly sighed and shook her head. "Go on upstairs. You look tired."
Ron and Ginny glanced at each other and climbed the stairs to Ron's room. When they reached the blazingly bright orange room, Ginny shut the door quietly while Ron peered out the window looking for Draco.
"Come on, Gin," Ron whispered as he climbed on the broom Draco had flown up with.
Hour upon hour passed. Ron was aching from flying, and Draco was struggling to stay awake. Ginny held onto Ron's waist tightly so as to not fall off. The sky was now pitch black, sporadically dotted with brightly shining stars. Ginny gazed around her, the sky enveloping her in its comforting embrace. She wished she could be on Draco's broom, tightly holding onto him instead – breathing in his scent and burying her face in his neck.
The stars seemed to twinkle sleepily at her, willing her eyes shut. She wanted to hold onto Draco so badly – the ache to kiss him once again was so powerful. She needed to feel his arms again. Ginny's eyes slipped shut, a small smile playing on her face as her dreams replaced troubled thoughts.
"Ginny! Wake up!" A hand roughly shook her. Ginny's eyes fluttered open and faced Ron's.
"What?" she replied groggily, wiping her hand against her eye.
"You've been asleep. We've just arrived in Hogsmeade," Draco told her. His silvery eyes flashed as he looked at her.
"Why are we in Hogsmeade? I thought we were going straight to Hogwarts." Ginny looked around and realized that they were all in a small and cozy room in the Leaky Cauldron. They had apparently rented one.
Ron pointed to a clock nearby. It was nearly two in the morning. "Malfoy and I were getting too tired. Plus we didn't think it'd be a good idea to bust into the castle at this hour."
Ginny yawned again. "May I go back to sleep now? I'm awfully tired."
Ron nodded. "There's only one bed, but an armchair over there. I suppose one of us will have to sleep there."
The three of them glanced around at each other. Ron would never allow Ginny and Draco to sleep in the same bed, but Ron would feel uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed as Ginny, as they were too old. That left Ron and Draco…but no. Ron would never, ever subject himself to that kind of torment. Ron glared at Draco and saw he was probably thinking the same thing, as he had a look of disgust plastered on his pale face. Ginny seemed to notice this and tutted loudly.
"We'll make a barrier out of pillows, Gin," Ron said stiffly as he walked over to the bed. "Malfoy can sleep in the armchair."
Draco opened his mouth angrily as if to say something, but Ginny shot him a warning glance and shook her head. He immediately closed his mouth and grunted. Draco marched over to a closet with extra linens and gruffly grabbed a pillow and blanket.
Ginny looked at Draco with saddened eyes but crawled into the generously large bed and snuggled down. She felt an odd combination of restlessness and lethargy as she lay in the bed. After a few minutes, she could hear Ron beginning to snore, meaning he was in a deep sleep. Ginny pushed back her covers and crept out of the bed. She tiptoed quietly over to the armchair where Draco sat, apparently asleep. She could hardly see where she was going, but managed to find his face and kiss him lightly on the forehead.
"Draco," she whispered softly, trying to nudge him awake.
His eyes opened slowly. "Ginny, what are you doing awake?" he said, just as quietly.
"I can't sleep." Ginny put her hand on Draco's thigh for balance and slid on top of him, resting her head against his chest. She could hear and feel the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat in his chest. Ginny tapped her hand against his firm chest with his pulse, smiling. Draco lifted a hand and placed it on top of her head, stroking her hair softly. With this Ginny heard and felt his heartbeat quicken.
Draco could not believe something like this was happening to him. A year ago – even a few months ago – he would never believe he'd be sitting in an armchair with Ginny Weasley falling asleep on his lap.
Ron was the first one awake. He rolled over and squinted at the clock, which read only about eleven in the morning. He groaned and buried his head back in the pillow, wanting more sleep.
"Time to get up, Ginny," he mumbled into his pillow. He got no response, so he looked up and notice that an empty space replaced where his sister should be. He propped himself up on his arm and looked towards the armchair where Draco was sleeping. Only he was not alone. Ginny was draped over him, one arm on his chest and the other where he could not see. Ron's mouth dropped open in shock and he scrambled out of bed.
Draco was awakened suddenly by the sudden removal of Ginny from his lap. She let out a small yelp as Ron dragged her off his lap. Ron looked absolutely livid, and glared at Draco as if this was his fault.
"Malfoy…don't touch my sister. And you, Gin, I don't want you near him."
Ginny wrenched her hand free from Ron's. "Ron, don't you dare tell me what to do." Her voice dripped with venom. "I can be with who I want to be with. And I…I want to be with Draco."
Ron frowned, and Draco stood silently. He knew that any word he would have to say would have Ron on him like a lion upon fresh meat, and he didn't want to get into a physical fight at the moment. Though Draco did have a bit of trouble trying to hide a small smile, as Ginny had just admitted she wanted to be with him. Draco turned his face towards the opposite wall to hide his face.
"I suppose you're real happy about this, huh, Malfoy? You've gotten Harry and probably have gotten laid as well –"
Ginny interrupted by smacking Ron across the arm. "Ron! Stop being such a prat! Why can't you just accept things for the way they are? Draco has changed, can't you see that? He wouldn't be helping us if he didn't!"
"But it's his fault that we're in this mess in the first place! I bet he's going to become a Death Eater. This is probably his…his initiation rite of passage thingy!" he shouted angrily.
Ron's face was turning redder by the second, and Ginny could see he was about to explode. She turned to Draco and motioned him out of the room. Once he was gone, Ginny sat Ron down on the bed and tried to get him to calm down.
"I just don't understand, Ginny! He's taunted our family for years. He's ridiculed Harry and Hermione and everyone we know. What could you possibly see in him?" Ron asked desperately.
Ginny sighed heavily. "He's changed. I'm not saying he'll never taunt anyone again, but he's definitely not like he was. I know you can't see what I see, and I'm not asking you to. All I want is for you to step aside. Let me be happy."
"And let you make a huge mistake."
"If it's a mistake, I have to learn on my own."
Ron could not argue. She was spitting out logic faster than he could think of an argument. "I'll…try to accept it. But Ginny – if he ever says or does anything that is wrong, I'll make sure he pays." Ron looked away. "We need to get to Hogwarts."
* * *
The trio anxiously entered the castle around one in the afternoon. They looked around carefully, spotting no one. It seemed so much emptier than usual. Ron, Draco, and Ginny all collectively decided to climb the stairs, where they figured Dumbledore's office would be. After they rounded a corner where Draco said Dumbledore's office was, they heard a familiar voice float out from the corridor right in front of them.
"— any idea where they could have gone. You're positive they weren't in the Manor?" It was Hermione.
"Yes. We searched everywhere," Dumbledore replied solemnly. The two of them stopped and looked up suddenly seeing Draco, Ron, and Ginny standing ten feet in front of them.
"Ron! Ginny!" Hermione shrieked, running to them and embracing them tightly. "Oh, I've been so worried! I had to tell Dumbledore, because I didn't know if Lucius caught you. What…what is Draco doing here?"
"He's helping," Ron said forcibly. Ginny raised her eyebrows but smiled at Ron's attempt to be civil.
Hermione looked at Draco and Ginny and her view slid down to their conjoined hands. Draco and Ginny only held onto each other's hands more tightly when they noticed she saw.
Dumbledore glided next to Hermione. "I see you've made it back all right. Mr. Malfoy, your father has been arrested. He's being held at the Ministry currently."
Draco didn't look the least bit shaken. In fact, he looked rather pleased. "About time," he mumbled, but no one caught it. "You didn't mention…"
"The antidote? No. We did not. Hermione has informed us of everything that's transpired among you. Naturally, we believed her." Dumbledore smiled at Hermione.
"Professor, we've got to get it back from Voldemort," Draco said firmly.
"Ah…" Professor Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment, before his features suddenly turned grave. "That is simply impossible for you to accomplish on your own. I know you're all quite talented, but I'm afraid I cannot possibly let you do this. I'll have to gather some Aurors…"
"No!" Draco interrupted. "Uh…I mean, Professor, you can't do that. He'll destroy it. He doesn't care. The plan doesn't call for…"
"Plan?" Dumbledore asked, breaking off Draco's speech.
"What, you thought he went to all this trouble just for laughs?" Draco said. Ginny elbowed him in the side. "Sorry...." he muttered.
"Why don't we all go into my office for a moment?" Dumbledore suggested.
The five of them all squished into the spiral staircase and ascended. There were enough chairs for all of them in the office, and they all sat and looked to Draco to start speaking.
"I guess I'm supposed to explain the plan now." Draco swallowed and stood, pacing back and forth. "Voldemort does not want Potter fighting against him. However, after repeated failed attempts to kill him, he's come to realize he'd be better as a follower of himself. So the Death Eaters came together to devise a way to make Potter forget who he was against, but still retain knowledge of who he was. After much testing, they created a potion that would do just that. The only copy of the instructions was in the hands of my father. Those are now destroyed. The antidote is in possession of Voldemort. See, the potion does not work alone. After the person is initially poisoned, the antidote can go two ways – if given by a person loved by Potter before the potion was taken, he will revert back to his original personality. If given by a person loved by Potter after the potion was taken, he will forever be…this way. If the antidote is not taken within a certain amount of time after the poison was consumed – he will die. Voldemort doesn't care that much if Potter dies. He's extremely apathetic."
"How long?" Ginny whispered, horrified.
"Six months," Draco replied.
"That's only until the beginning of February," Hermione said. "We've got to do something, Professor. We can't let him destroy the antidote."
Everyone in the room fell silent. No one knew what to say, not even Dumbledore. The situation seemed hopeless. The silence was shattered by a gruff voice.
"This is my fault," Draco said. "I know what I can do. I…I'm sorry." Draco turned and left the room, letting the door slam heavily behind him.