The Golden Castle
Whew, I'm getting lots of reviews! Makes me very motivated to continue my story, so I'm hoping I'll get more. *sighs wistfully* Don't mind if this chapter is kind of boring, I have exactly ZERO ideas for an interesting plot right now!
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'NOW WHAT?' Ginny screamed in exasperation. Surrounded by darkness in this ever shaking transport was making her feel very discouraged. The fact that her only companion was Draco Malfoy didn't make things better. Even though he had comforted her when she had been on the brink of hysterics, that had probably just been because he didn't want her to go insane on him.
'Damn it!' Draco cursed out loud. 'My wand is in my trunk, and that idiot of a witch sent it to the school already.'
'Same here', Ginny said frantically. 'What are we going to - ah!'
A very violent jerk of the Sedes Aeris had sent her flying across the softly carpeted floor. Her head knocked forcefully against some hard object it encountered. For a second, her conscience was knocked out, and all she was aware of was a mild throbbing at her temple. Then - her sudden journey was over, but instead of having crashed into the hard wall as she had feared, she felt something soft and warm, and clung to it gladly. It wasn't until her fingers touched his silky hair did she realize it was Draco.
Hastily, she tried to pull herself away from him. But her sudden movement caused her to feel faint, and her head dropped down heavily against Draco's shoulder.
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'What the-'
Draco stopped when he felt something warm seeping from Ginny's head. Brushing aside her soft hair, his fingers discovered an open wound on her temple.
'Oh, fantastic. Just what we needed to put a nice finishing touch on our situation.' he muttered to himself, feeling the sticky blood on his hands.
He was actually feeling very vulnerable without his wand and with an injured girl at his hands. After all, he knew nothing about non-magical healing. Under ordinary circumstances, he would just leave the person on the floor and hope nobody accused him of murdering her. Under ordinary circumstances -
He knew that if he helped Ginny, she would look at him in a grateful way again, probably even more than she had before. And, just for once, he wanted to be smiled at with kindness and gratitude, like Ginny smiled at her brothers, Potter, or Granger whenever they had helped her.
But he couldn't help her. His father would find out, he was sure of that. And the consequences would be more demoralizing lectures, more punishments, and more torturing sessions. Draco felt sick at the thought of it.
How could his father know, though? He certainly wasn't going to tell him, and it wasn't something his father would ask him about when he was under influence of the Veritaserum, or Truth potion. And in his present situation, it seemed a lot worse to let Ginny bleed to death than to face some unsure anger of his father's.
So, he quickly yanked off his sweater (A/N: Don't worry, he has a shirt on underneath that, so things don't get nasty) and held it to the bleeding spot on her head. Anxiously, he wiped the blood off her neck, but otherwise, there wasn't much he could do, save for sitting there.
'Harry?' Ginny spoke in a whisper. For some reason, white-hot anger flooded Draco at the thought that she should take him for Potter. After all, HE wasn't there sacrificing his sweater (which was getting very bloody), not to mention getting his reputation in danger, so that she wouldn't lose all her blood.
'No', he replied curtly. 'It's Draco.' He expected her to scream at the thought of being held by him, but there was just silence for a while. Her face was invisible to him in the darkness, but somehow he had the impression that she was smiling.
In disbelief, he reached down to touch her lips, and felt that she WAS smiling. WHY? He asked himself, utterly confused.
Ginny just said to herself in a dreamy voice: 'Draco. Means dragon in Latin, doesn't it?'
What was she doing? Probably losing her mind, he thought. Maybe it was best to keep her humoured while he was waiting for that dumb witch to come back. But in this shaking Sedes Aeris, and in the dark, it was difficult to do.
He started by answering her question. 'Yeah, it does. My dad named me that because he wanted something that sounded imposing, and meant something like that in Latin, too. Pity I never lived up to his expectations of me.' He stopped short. Why was he telling this to a Weasley? She might be badly wounded and in a funny state, but that was still no excuse.
Draco was suddenly aware that his fingers were still on her lips, and that he'd subconsciously been stroking them while he was talking. Hastily, he jerked his hand away, while at the same time feeling a burning desire to leave it there.
A soft groan was heard from Ginny. 'Don't leave me, Draco', she whispered.
Draco swore silently. HOW could she make him feel like he'd just betrayed her? How could four words from her lips be that expressive?
And she had called him by his first name, he remembered, a glow of warmth alighting in him. But in the next second, he was furious at himself for feeling it. First thing, he chided himself angrily, she is not in her right mind at the moment. Anything she tells me is probably just feverish rambling. And second, I do NOT want her to call me by my first name! Why would I want a worthless, pathetic little Weasley girl calling me by my first name?
No matter how much he tried to tell himself this, his heart still beat faster when she spoke again.
'Draco, you're-' she trailed off into silence.
Eagerly, he bent over her, ignoring all feelings of dignity. 'Yes?' he asked her.
But before she could tell him, the lights went on, and a dozen witches and wizards suddenly apparated all around them. Draco scrambled to his feet, gently putting Ginny down on the floor. He turned to the nearest person, a man in black robes with silver linings.
'What's going on?' he demanded.
The wizard looked at him in horror. 'What happened to you?' he asked, gazing at Draco. When the latter looked down at himself, he could see that his hands were stained with blood.
'She fell down and hurt her head and I had to help her', he explained briefly, gesturing towards Ginny, who was still lying on the floor. 'Now what's going on?'
As if answering his question, the Sedes Aeris stopped shaking and floated on, perfectly smoothly. One of the witches, wearing sparkling golden robes, hurried over to Ginny, and, upon inspecting the wound, pulled a vial out of her robe and poured the potion in it down Ginny's throat. Soon Ginny, looking confused, sat up, and the witch whispered a spell at her temple, where soon just a scar was left.
'Well, whatever Dark wizard that was, he's gone now', one of the wizards stated, putting away his wand.
'That was a Dark wizard?' Draco asked unbelievingly. Why would a Dark wizard try to attack a transport when HE, son of Lucius Malfoy, was in it?
'Had to be', the man answered him grimly. âE~Nobody else would have the guts and the skill to attack one of these.'
Draco made a mental note to write to his father as soon as he could, and find out exactly what was going on.
Ginny looked pale and shaken, but could get to her feet with little help from the witch in the golden robes. 'Are we in danger?' she asked steadily.
The witch smiled at her in a reassuring way. 'No', she told her confidently. 'We have almost reached the Arx Aurea, and nothing can touch you there.'
Draco looked at her with raised eyebrows. He wasn't at all sure that she was speaking the truth, the way he knew his father.
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Ginny was feeling a lot better, but still drowsy and unsure on her feet. The presence of the witches and wizards was very reassuring, and Draco's was somehow, too, even though he was looking distant and withdrawn into himself right now.
Though she could not remember everything that had happened since she had bumped her head, she had seen the bloodstained sweater on the floor, the one that Draco had been wearing. No matter how strange it seemed, Draco Malfoy had tried his best to stop the blood flow. But then, she reminded herself rather subdued, he probably just didn't want blood all over him.
She couldn't recall much else, and it hurt her head to try, so instead she concentrated on watching the twelve people walking about the Sedes Aeris, cleaning up the blood on the floor, and putting the disrupted things back in their places.
Suddenly the transport came to a smooth halt, and one of the witches pointed her wand at the wall.
'Porta monstra!' she said, and an opening was revealed in the wall. Ginny stepped forward eagerly and looked about for the Golden Castle she had been dying to see ever since she heard about it. She wasn't disappointed.
The castle was set on a hill, which rose softly out of mystic pine woods. True to its name, it shimmered golden in an entrancing light, which seemed to encircle the structure with its beauty. High turrets reached up to the sky, and a white banner, with a golden rose and two intertwined A's emblazoned onto it, was attached to one of them. Beyond the castle Ginny could see gardens of flowers and trees, decorated with marble and ivory statues. In front of it, there was a shimmering pool, out of which a beautiful fountain rose. A soft pink fluid gushed out of it.
Still gaping in absolute delight at the new school, Ginny hardly noticed that Draco had also come to the opening until he spoke.
'Don't they have a Quidditch field in this damn place?' he asked resentfully. 'Look, they even have gardens, in this day and age, but no Quidditch field.'
Even though she felt somehow bound to being nice to him after what he had done for her, Ginny turned to him rather sharply.
'You must be blind. See that clearing there?' She pointed to a valley that was a short distance away from the hill. Sure enough, three sparkling hoops on either side marked a spectacular Quidditch field, complete with elaborate stands.
Draco looked mildly interested. 'It's a good size', he acknowledged. 'Bet they aren't nearly as good as we are, though.'
'With WE, did you mean Hogwarts in general, the Slytherin team, or yourself?' Ginny questioned him, frowning.
He shrugged. 'Mostly the Slytherin team', he replied casually. 'Though I admit that some of them are real losers.'
Ginny shook her head. 'And are you forgetting that Gryffindor has won against Slytherin ever since Harry joined the team?'
Suddenly, Draco seemed to lock himself up again. 'I call it luck', he snarled at her, then followed the twelve witches and wizards out of the Sedes Aeris.
Too late, Ginny realized that she had hurt his pride. She hurried after him, but was distracted when they came onto a path whose glassy- looking stones seemed to glow with an intense green light. The witch with the golden robes hung back so she could walk with Ginny.
'Are you sure you're alright? The dizziness might come back', the witch told her anxiously.
Ginny nodded, preoccupied with her own thoughts. 'What is this path made of?' she inquired curiously.
The witch laughed. 'It was an experiment, really', she confided. 'It was supposed to be a glass path that wouldn't break, no matter how much pressure was applied. But', she continued ruefully, 'I suppose the students got bored, and they tried out all kinds of different spells on it, and the result was - well, this.' She gestured at the walkway.
'The girls dubbed it 'Via Formae', and the name stuck.' The witch laughed.
Ginny was mystified. 'What does Via Formae mean?' she asked.
Surprised, the witch turned to her. 'You don't know that much Latin yet? These are pretty basic words.'
'I don't know any Latin, except maybe a few words, and Arx Aurea', Ginny said, glancing up at the teacher anxiously. Was she supposed to?
'Oh, dear. You'll have quite a bit of catching up to do then. Our students have been studying it since their first year, when they were thirteen.'
Ginny quailed at the prospect. 'Can't I get a tutor?' she asked fearfully.
The witch smiled. 'Actually, I could tutor you, if I get enough free time. I am the Latin professor at this school. Oh, how about the young man?' She waved at Draco's back.
Ginny looked resentful. 'He'll do fine', she told the Professor with a sigh. 'His father has been teaching him Latin since he was a little kid, I think.'
'Well, maybe he can help you with your homework when I'm not around', the professor suggested.
Reflecting on this, Ginny was not at all sure if she wanted to be bossed about by a Malfoy while doing her Latin homework, and she was even less sure if Draco would consent to help her.
'Maybe, I guess', she said vaguely.
Just then, they reached the fountain spouting the watery light pink liquid.
'What is THAT?' Draco asked disgustedly.
'It's just for effect, though sometimes a few students put spells on it, so whoever drinks it does so at their own risk. It tastes just like water.' the witch explained. Then she shooed them through the decorated gate, which was covered in sweet-smelling flowers.
When they came inside, Ginny felt as if she had suddenly entered a greenhouse, for beautiful and exotic plants of every colour grew along the walls and were kept in pots at the sides of the hall. Their heavy perfume made her feel light-headed.
At the end of the hallway, there was a thin curtain of water which flowed steadily in a vertical line. Before she could even marvel properly at its beauty, the witch had gently pushed her through it.
Although Ginny felt the brief, refreshing touch of the water, she did not feel any wetness. The water was probably bewitched not to leave a visible mark, but for some reason she felt much more exhilarated than before.
This was soon forgotten, though, when she properly took in her new surroundings. It felt as though she had just entered a treasure cove. The walls were bedecked with jewels and pearls; diamond chandeliers hung from the richly decorated ceiling. Everywhere, the light from the high, elegant windows reflected off rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and many other beautiful stones she had never seen.
'Holy -' Draco gazed around, obviously impressed.
But Ginny was more interested in the students which were seated at tables all around the gigantic room. The teachers obviously sat on a raised platform at the end of the room, while the other tables formed a semi- circle around a spectacular flat diamond in the center, which seemed to outshine everything else.
As Ginny stared at the diamond as if hypnotized, she felt a sudden wave of fiery heat streaming through her body, and her feet didn't seem to be able to hold her anymore. She couldn't see anything clearly anymore, everything went blurry before her eyes, and without any further warning, she collapsed.
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Draco saw her falter before anyone else did, and was at her side before even he was aware of what he was doing. So when she collapsed, he caught her deftly and held onto her, trying to straighten her up again. But her head lolled onto his shoulder, and he was powerless to do anything.
'Draco -' she whispered softly, yet with an undeniable accusation in her voice. 'You left me.'
And while Draco stared at her blankly, the witch who had nursed her before came hurrying up to them, and gave her some more of the potion from the vial to drink. In a second, Ginny's eyes snapped back open, and she gazed around, puzzled.
'What happened to me?' she asked.
Draco was still staring at her. He couldn't get the words she had spoken to him out of his head. Finally, he jerked out of it.
'You fainted', he told her abruptly. 'Onto me', he added.
'Oh'. Ginny looked embarrassed. 'Sorry about that.' But in her eyes he could see the gratitude again, though her confusion shadowed it.
'Well, since you're OK again, come here. You have to be put into a house, don't you?' The witch led them quickly over to the center diamond.
Draco looked around at the five tables encircling the giant diamond in the middle of the floor. Was there an equivalent to Slytherin house at this school? It didn't look like it.
'Alright, everybody. These are the transfer students from Hogwarts. They will be sorted into their houses now, and I want each and every one of you, and particularly their fellow house mates, to welcome them.' A witch had stood up from her seat at the head of the teachers' table, and was making a speech.
'Now, there are five houses: Liberalitas, the top left side of the diamond, Forma, the top right side, Disciplina, the bottom right side, Fortitudo, the bottom left side, and Fortuna, the middle of the diamond. You will be chosen according to what section of the diamond lights up when you stand on it.' She waved at Draco and Ginny: 'Let's start with Draco Malfoy!'
Draco shot Ginny a glance. She just smiled at him encouragingly, even though he could see that she was nervous. He, of course, was not nervous. He was a Malfoy, and he would show everybody here that he was no disgrace to his name.
With a bored, uninterested mask on his face, he sauntered to the diamond and stepped onto its shiny flat surface. He felt a sudden heat shooting up through his feet, and looked down eagerly at the clear stone to see what part of it would light up.
Suddenly a section of the diamond began to glow in a vibrant magenta. His mind reeling, he didn't know what house that meant he was in until the witch who was standing at the table called out loudly: 'Congratulations! You're in -'
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I believe this marks the ending of my chapter; after all, I want to hear in what house you think Draco is put into. Just guess, you only have five choices. Hmm, this chapter is pretty weird. If you think so too, tell me in a review, cuz then I know if it's past the limit of weirdness or if it can still be tolerated! See you then!
Shooting Jewel
P.S.: Just so that you know, Via Formae means Path of Beauty. Not really original, but then, what can you expect from me?
P.P.S.: And I'll tell you what the Latin house names mean in the next chapter, k?
Thanks to:
My beta-reader *cuty_cat*
My very kind reviewers:
Malfoy Princess - thanks so much, it's nice of you to recommend me as an author *touched*
A13TAT - What you mean, sucky stories? I read the one and absolutely loved it!
Angel of Shadows - well, I posted more, but it kind of sucks
Milkyweed - thanks! *smiles happily*
elen - yup, Draco having feelings is very cool
Jen - glad you do; I hope you'll review again!
Dazma - You study Latin too? Yahoo, I'm not the only one!
Crystal Lily - Well, the lights went out because of the Dark magic attack, as you find out in this chapter
scifisarah - thanks for reviewing twice, I love loyal reviewers!
seekerpeeker - I agree, Draco is to be pitied. But never mind, not for long!
D.S. Moony - don't flatter me! J/k, I love compliments.
Ms. Raye Sinic - Oh, I love getting reviews from you, they're so motivating!
fallen phenoix - hope you get to read these chapters soon. Yeah, Draco is pretty observant when it comes to Ginny.
diana - did you imagine the school like this? Probably not, only someone crazy like me could come up with a school like this!
Draco-lover - thanks, I'm glad you appreciate it!
Mione G - *nice name* hope this met your expectations!
cuty_cat - Number 1: thanks for reviewing, number 2: thanks for editing this chapter so all my dumb mistakes are out of it!
Shooting Jewel (no, I'm NOT a reviewer, this is my signature!)
Whew, I'm getting lots of reviews! Makes me very motivated to continue my story, so I'm hoping I'll get more. *sighs wistfully* Don't mind if this chapter is kind of boring, I have exactly ZERO ideas for an interesting plot right now!
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'NOW WHAT?' Ginny screamed in exasperation. Surrounded by darkness in this ever shaking transport was making her feel very discouraged. The fact that her only companion was Draco Malfoy didn't make things better. Even though he had comforted her when she had been on the brink of hysterics, that had probably just been because he didn't want her to go insane on him.
'Damn it!' Draco cursed out loud. 'My wand is in my trunk, and that idiot of a witch sent it to the school already.'
'Same here', Ginny said frantically. 'What are we going to - ah!'
A very violent jerk of the Sedes Aeris had sent her flying across the softly carpeted floor. Her head knocked forcefully against some hard object it encountered. For a second, her conscience was knocked out, and all she was aware of was a mild throbbing at her temple. Then - her sudden journey was over, but instead of having crashed into the hard wall as she had feared, she felt something soft and warm, and clung to it gladly. It wasn't until her fingers touched his silky hair did she realize it was Draco.
Hastily, she tried to pull herself away from him. But her sudden movement caused her to feel faint, and her head dropped down heavily against Draco's shoulder.
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'What the-'
Draco stopped when he felt something warm seeping from Ginny's head. Brushing aside her soft hair, his fingers discovered an open wound on her temple.
'Oh, fantastic. Just what we needed to put a nice finishing touch on our situation.' he muttered to himself, feeling the sticky blood on his hands.
He was actually feeling very vulnerable without his wand and with an injured girl at his hands. After all, he knew nothing about non-magical healing. Under ordinary circumstances, he would just leave the person on the floor and hope nobody accused him of murdering her. Under ordinary circumstances -
He knew that if he helped Ginny, she would look at him in a grateful way again, probably even more than she had before. And, just for once, he wanted to be smiled at with kindness and gratitude, like Ginny smiled at her brothers, Potter, or Granger whenever they had helped her.
But he couldn't help her. His father would find out, he was sure of that. And the consequences would be more demoralizing lectures, more punishments, and more torturing sessions. Draco felt sick at the thought of it.
How could his father know, though? He certainly wasn't going to tell him, and it wasn't something his father would ask him about when he was under influence of the Veritaserum, or Truth potion. And in his present situation, it seemed a lot worse to let Ginny bleed to death than to face some unsure anger of his father's.
So, he quickly yanked off his sweater (A/N: Don't worry, he has a shirt on underneath that, so things don't get nasty) and held it to the bleeding spot on her head. Anxiously, he wiped the blood off her neck, but otherwise, there wasn't much he could do, save for sitting there.
'Harry?' Ginny spoke in a whisper. For some reason, white-hot anger flooded Draco at the thought that she should take him for Potter. After all, HE wasn't there sacrificing his sweater (which was getting very bloody), not to mention getting his reputation in danger, so that she wouldn't lose all her blood.
'No', he replied curtly. 'It's Draco.' He expected her to scream at the thought of being held by him, but there was just silence for a while. Her face was invisible to him in the darkness, but somehow he had the impression that she was smiling.
In disbelief, he reached down to touch her lips, and felt that she WAS smiling. WHY? He asked himself, utterly confused.
Ginny just said to herself in a dreamy voice: 'Draco. Means dragon in Latin, doesn't it?'
What was she doing? Probably losing her mind, he thought. Maybe it was best to keep her humoured while he was waiting for that dumb witch to come back. But in this shaking Sedes Aeris, and in the dark, it was difficult to do.
He started by answering her question. 'Yeah, it does. My dad named me that because he wanted something that sounded imposing, and meant something like that in Latin, too. Pity I never lived up to his expectations of me.' He stopped short. Why was he telling this to a Weasley? She might be badly wounded and in a funny state, but that was still no excuse.
Draco was suddenly aware that his fingers were still on her lips, and that he'd subconsciously been stroking them while he was talking. Hastily, he jerked his hand away, while at the same time feeling a burning desire to leave it there.
A soft groan was heard from Ginny. 'Don't leave me, Draco', she whispered.
Draco swore silently. HOW could she make him feel like he'd just betrayed her? How could four words from her lips be that expressive?
And she had called him by his first name, he remembered, a glow of warmth alighting in him. But in the next second, he was furious at himself for feeling it. First thing, he chided himself angrily, she is not in her right mind at the moment. Anything she tells me is probably just feverish rambling. And second, I do NOT want her to call me by my first name! Why would I want a worthless, pathetic little Weasley girl calling me by my first name?
No matter how much he tried to tell himself this, his heart still beat faster when she spoke again.
'Draco, you're-' she trailed off into silence.
Eagerly, he bent over her, ignoring all feelings of dignity. 'Yes?' he asked her.
But before she could tell him, the lights went on, and a dozen witches and wizards suddenly apparated all around them. Draco scrambled to his feet, gently putting Ginny down on the floor. He turned to the nearest person, a man in black robes with silver linings.
'What's going on?' he demanded.
The wizard looked at him in horror. 'What happened to you?' he asked, gazing at Draco. When the latter looked down at himself, he could see that his hands were stained with blood.
'She fell down and hurt her head and I had to help her', he explained briefly, gesturing towards Ginny, who was still lying on the floor. 'Now what's going on?'
As if answering his question, the Sedes Aeris stopped shaking and floated on, perfectly smoothly. One of the witches, wearing sparkling golden robes, hurried over to Ginny, and, upon inspecting the wound, pulled a vial out of her robe and poured the potion in it down Ginny's throat. Soon Ginny, looking confused, sat up, and the witch whispered a spell at her temple, where soon just a scar was left.
'Well, whatever Dark wizard that was, he's gone now', one of the wizards stated, putting away his wand.
'That was a Dark wizard?' Draco asked unbelievingly. Why would a Dark wizard try to attack a transport when HE, son of Lucius Malfoy, was in it?
'Had to be', the man answered him grimly. âE~Nobody else would have the guts and the skill to attack one of these.'
Draco made a mental note to write to his father as soon as he could, and find out exactly what was going on.
Ginny looked pale and shaken, but could get to her feet with little help from the witch in the golden robes. 'Are we in danger?' she asked steadily.
The witch smiled at her in a reassuring way. 'No', she told her confidently. 'We have almost reached the Arx Aurea, and nothing can touch you there.'
Draco looked at her with raised eyebrows. He wasn't at all sure that she was speaking the truth, the way he knew his father.
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Ginny was feeling a lot better, but still drowsy and unsure on her feet. The presence of the witches and wizards was very reassuring, and Draco's was somehow, too, even though he was looking distant and withdrawn into himself right now.
Though she could not remember everything that had happened since she had bumped her head, she had seen the bloodstained sweater on the floor, the one that Draco had been wearing. No matter how strange it seemed, Draco Malfoy had tried his best to stop the blood flow. But then, she reminded herself rather subdued, he probably just didn't want blood all over him.
She couldn't recall much else, and it hurt her head to try, so instead she concentrated on watching the twelve people walking about the Sedes Aeris, cleaning up the blood on the floor, and putting the disrupted things back in their places.
Suddenly the transport came to a smooth halt, and one of the witches pointed her wand at the wall.
'Porta monstra!' she said, and an opening was revealed in the wall. Ginny stepped forward eagerly and looked about for the Golden Castle she had been dying to see ever since she heard about it. She wasn't disappointed.
The castle was set on a hill, which rose softly out of mystic pine woods. True to its name, it shimmered golden in an entrancing light, which seemed to encircle the structure with its beauty. High turrets reached up to the sky, and a white banner, with a golden rose and two intertwined A's emblazoned onto it, was attached to one of them. Beyond the castle Ginny could see gardens of flowers and trees, decorated with marble and ivory statues. In front of it, there was a shimmering pool, out of which a beautiful fountain rose. A soft pink fluid gushed out of it.
Still gaping in absolute delight at the new school, Ginny hardly noticed that Draco had also come to the opening until he spoke.
'Don't they have a Quidditch field in this damn place?' he asked resentfully. 'Look, they even have gardens, in this day and age, but no Quidditch field.'
Even though she felt somehow bound to being nice to him after what he had done for her, Ginny turned to him rather sharply.
'You must be blind. See that clearing there?' She pointed to a valley that was a short distance away from the hill. Sure enough, three sparkling hoops on either side marked a spectacular Quidditch field, complete with elaborate stands.
Draco looked mildly interested. 'It's a good size', he acknowledged. 'Bet they aren't nearly as good as we are, though.'
'With WE, did you mean Hogwarts in general, the Slytherin team, or yourself?' Ginny questioned him, frowning.
He shrugged. 'Mostly the Slytherin team', he replied casually. 'Though I admit that some of them are real losers.'
Ginny shook her head. 'And are you forgetting that Gryffindor has won against Slytherin ever since Harry joined the team?'
Suddenly, Draco seemed to lock himself up again. 'I call it luck', he snarled at her, then followed the twelve witches and wizards out of the Sedes Aeris.
Too late, Ginny realized that she had hurt his pride. She hurried after him, but was distracted when they came onto a path whose glassy- looking stones seemed to glow with an intense green light. The witch with the golden robes hung back so she could walk with Ginny.
'Are you sure you're alright? The dizziness might come back', the witch told her anxiously.
Ginny nodded, preoccupied with her own thoughts. 'What is this path made of?' she inquired curiously.
The witch laughed. 'It was an experiment, really', she confided. 'It was supposed to be a glass path that wouldn't break, no matter how much pressure was applied. But', she continued ruefully, 'I suppose the students got bored, and they tried out all kinds of different spells on it, and the result was - well, this.' She gestured at the walkway.
'The girls dubbed it 'Via Formae', and the name stuck.' The witch laughed.
Ginny was mystified. 'What does Via Formae mean?' she asked.
Surprised, the witch turned to her. 'You don't know that much Latin yet? These are pretty basic words.'
'I don't know any Latin, except maybe a few words, and Arx Aurea', Ginny said, glancing up at the teacher anxiously. Was she supposed to?
'Oh, dear. You'll have quite a bit of catching up to do then. Our students have been studying it since their first year, when they were thirteen.'
Ginny quailed at the prospect. 'Can't I get a tutor?' she asked fearfully.
The witch smiled. 'Actually, I could tutor you, if I get enough free time. I am the Latin professor at this school. Oh, how about the young man?' She waved at Draco's back.
Ginny looked resentful. 'He'll do fine', she told the Professor with a sigh. 'His father has been teaching him Latin since he was a little kid, I think.'
'Well, maybe he can help you with your homework when I'm not around', the professor suggested.
Reflecting on this, Ginny was not at all sure if she wanted to be bossed about by a Malfoy while doing her Latin homework, and she was even less sure if Draco would consent to help her.
'Maybe, I guess', she said vaguely.
Just then, they reached the fountain spouting the watery light pink liquid.
'What is THAT?' Draco asked disgustedly.
'It's just for effect, though sometimes a few students put spells on it, so whoever drinks it does so at their own risk. It tastes just like water.' the witch explained. Then she shooed them through the decorated gate, which was covered in sweet-smelling flowers.
When they came inside, Ginny felt as if she had suddenly entered a greenhouse, for beautiful and exotic plants of every colour grew along the walls and were kept in pots at the sides of the hall. Their heavy perfume made her feel light-headed.
At the end of the hallway, there was a thin curtain of water which flowed steadily in a vertical line. Before she could even marvel properly at its beauty, the witch had gently pushed her through it.
Although Ginny felt the brief, refreshing touch of the water, she did not feel any wetness. The water was probably bewitched not to leave a visible mark, but for some reason she felt much more exhilarated than before.
This was soon forgotten, though, when she properly took in her new surroundings. It felt as though she had just entered a treasure cove. The walls were bedecked with jewels and pearls; diamond chandeliers hung from the richly decorated ceiling. Everywhere, the light from the high, elegant windows reflected off rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and many other beautiful stones she had never seen.
'Holy -' Draco gazed around, obviously impressed.
But Ginny was more interested in the students which were seated at tables all around the gigantic room. The teachers obviously sat on a raised platform at the end of the room, while the other tables formed a semi- circle around a spectacular flat diamond in the center, which seemed to outshine everything else.
As Ginny stared at the diamond as if hypnotized, she felt a sudden wave of fiery heat streaming through her body, and her feet didn't seem to be able to hold her anymore. She couldn't see anything clearly anymore, everything went blurry before her eyes, and without any further warning, she collapsed.
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Draco saw her falter before anyone else did, and was at her side before even he was aware of what he was doing. So when she collapsed, he caught her deftly and held onto her, trying to straighten her up again. But her head lolled onto his shoulder, and he was powerless to do anything.
'Draco -' she whispered softly, yet with an undeniable accusation in her voice. 'You left me.'
And while Draco stared at her blankly, the witch who had nursed her before came hurrying up to them, and gave her some more of the potion from the vial to drink. In a second, Ginny's eyes snapped back open, and she gazed around, puzzled.
'What happened to me?' she asked.
Draco was still staring at her. He couldn't get the words she had spoken to him out of his head. Finally, he jerked out of it.
'You fainted', he told her abruptly. 'Onto me', he added.
'Oh'. Ginny looked embarrassed. 'Sorry about that.' But in her eyes he could see the gratitude again, though her confusion shadowed it.
'Well, since you're OK again, come here. You have to be put into a house, don't you?' The witch led them quickly over to the center diamond.
Draco looked around at the five tables encircling the giant diamond in the middle of the floor. Was there an equivalent to Slytherin house at this school? It didn't look like it.
'Alright, everybody. These are the transfer students from Hogwarts. They will be sorted into their houses now, and I want each and every one of you, and particularly their fellow house mates, to welcome them.' A witch had stood up from her seat at the head of the teachers' table, and was making a speech.
'Now, there are five houses: Liberalitas, the top left side of the diamond, Forma, the top right side, Disciplina, the bottom right side, Fortitudo, the bottom left side, and Fortuna, the middle of the diamond. You will be chosen according to what section of the diamond lights up when you stand on it.' She waved at Draco and Ginny: 'Let's start with Draco Malfoy!'
Draco shot Ginny a glance. She just smiled at him encouragingly, even though he could see that she was nervous. He, of course, was not nervous. He was a Malfoy, and he would show everybody here that he was no disgrace to his name.
With a bored, uninterested mask on his face, he sauntered to the diamond and stepped onto its shiny flat surface. He felt a sudden heat shooting up through his feet, and looked down eagerly at the clear stone to see what part of it would light up.
Suddenly a section of the diamond began to glow in a vibrant magenta. His mind reeling, he didn't know what house that meant he was in until the witch who was standing at the table called out loudly: 'Congratulations! You're in -'
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I believe this marks the ending of my chapter; after all, I want to hear in what house you think Draco is put into. Just guess, you only have five choices. Hmm, this chapter is pretty weird. If you think so too, tell me in a review, cuz then I know if it's past the limit of weirdness or if it can still be tolerated! See you then!
Shooting Jewel
P.S.: Just so that you know, Via Formae means Path of Beauty. Not really original, but then, what can you expect from me?
P.P.S.: And I'll tell you what the Latin house names mean in the next chapter, k?
Thanks to:
My beta-reader *cuty_cat*
My very kind reviewers:
Malfoy Princess - thanks so much, it's nice of you to recommend me as an author *touched*
A13TAT - What you mean, sucky stories? I read the one and absolutely loved it!
Angel of Shadows - well, I posted more, but it kind of sucks
Milkyweed - thanks! *smiles happily*
elen - yup, Draco having feelings is very cool
Jen - glad you do; I hope you'll review again!
Dazma - You study Latin too? Yahoo, I'm not the only one!
Crystal Lily - Well, the lights went out because of the Dark magic attack, as you find out in this chapter
scifisarah - thanks for reviewing twice, I love loyal reviewers!
seekerpeeker - I agree, Draco is to be pitied. But never mind, not for long!
D.S. Moony - don't flatter me! J/k, I love compliments.
Ms. Raye Sinic - Oh, I love getting reviews from you, they're so motivating!
fallen phenoix - hope you get to read these chapters soon. Yeah, Draco is pretty observant when it comes to Ginny.
diana - did you imagine the school like this? Probably not, only someone crazy like me could come up with a school like this!
Draco-lover - thanks, I'm glad you appreciate it!
Mione G - *nice name* hope this met your expectations!
cuty_cat - Number 1: thanks for reviewing, number 2: thanks for editing this chapter so all my dumb mistakes are out of it!
Shooting Jewel (no, I'm NOT a reviewer, this is my signature!)