Afraid of Himself
OK, I know it has taken me FOREVER to get this chapter out, but I was on holidays, so I have some excuse (I hope). Geez, you people are too smart for me! Every one of you guessed the correct house! Well, here the (un- )mystery is revealed anyway. Sorry, but I didn't manage to put in the translations for the Latin house-names. Maybe I can put them in next time. I'll shut up now, so you can *enjoy* the story!
'...FORTUNA!'
Dazed, and trying to keep his head and his cool, Draco Malfoy blinked, wondering what table he was supposed to attend. Obviously the table at which the students were cheering the most - the one that formed the middle curve in the semi-circle of student tables.
Assuming an expression of cool boredom, he strutted towards this table, but he couldn't help glance back at Ginny. What house will she be in? Will she be alright if she's in a different house from me?
Now what had he gone thinking those thoughts for?! Draco was sure they were inspired only by the pitiful picture the Weasley made. On her face, only a set, determined look was visible. But, despite that, she was still weak, and not feeling herself at all. Anyone could see that at a glance.
The girls at the gold and white decorated table he sat down at were giggling among themselves, and flashing what were their impressions of brilliant smiles at him. Not much different from home, Draco mused. He had precariously chosen a spot in between two guys - you never could be safe with girls. They always had something up their sleeve.
The boy on his right matched the description 'tall, dark, and handsome' pretty well. He just nodded at Draco, but the latter knew he was being studied carefully. The one on his left had abnormally straw-coloured hair and a VERY cheerful disposition- as if Draco hadn't suffered enough. He insisted on chattering through the whole of Ginny's sorting, obviously oblivious to the fact that Draco was having a hard time watching carefully, but not looking as though he was.
'You're from Hogwarts, right? Of course, that school is really famous, but I think our school must be better, 'cause we've got the best Quidditch team, and that's all that really counts, right? Actually, you're in luck, we haven't chosen this year's team yet; maybe you'll be on it! Are you any good at Quidditch?'
But without waiting for Draco's reply, which probably wouldn't have been granted him anyway, he went off again at top speed.
'Of course, even if you are, you'd still have a hard time catching up to the people on our team. They've beaten all the schools in the International Quidditch Wizarding School League, and won the Grand Prize two years' running! Or was it three? I can never-'
Here Draco felt it his duty to interrupt, and he did this with the traditional Malfoy sneer:
'Well, has it ever occurred to your thick skull that maybe that is because Hogwarts has never participated in the School League? Our school's got four individual teams, so that kind of makes it impossible to participate, but correct me if I'm wrong, will you?'
If he hoped this would subdue the over-excited boy, he was sadly disappointed.
'You don't participate? What a pity, you've missed out on a lot of fun! Last year...' He continued in this vein for a while, so Draco decided simply to ignore him and concentrate on Ginny, who had just taken shaky steps onto the center diamond.
Again, the diamond lit up - at the middle, the same as it had done with him! -and Ginny swayed slightly, as if losing her balance. Draco's muscles instinctively tightened up, almost ready to dash out there and catch her if need be, and only the memory of his father's latest drill and horrible punishment kept him from doing so.
Which was good, for Ginny stayed on her feet. But her eyes, wide and mesmerizing, found his and her lips mouthed his name.
Again, he had the devastating feeling that she needed him; had needed him before, and that he had not helped her. He felt, all of a sudden, with terrible clarity, her pain, and her suffering, as if it had been inflicted on him instead of her.
But in the next moment, the shout of: 'Congratulations! You've been put into... FORTUNA!' echoed around the brilliant room, and Ginny shook her head in a confused manner, but, looking doubtful, headed off towards the table Draco was sitting at.
********************
How could this be? Ginny was thinking, her head still pounding from her 'faint attacks'. How is it that Draco - well, Malfoy - and I both got sorted into the same house?! We have nothing in common!
And why had she felt so weak and over-powered when the diamond lit up? Draco - Malfoy, she corrected herself in her mind - hadn't shown any signs of having his conscience knocked out when HE was sorted. But then, she remembered wistfully, he was strong. Unlike her...
'Hey, your name's Virginia, isn't it?' A cool and distant voice interrupted Ginny's demoralized thoughts.
With a start, she turned to the girl she had sat down next to. She had long, absolutely straight black hair, and her dark eyes under even darker, heavily arched eyebrows were fixed on Ginny. Her mouth was set firmly. She was not pretty, but she had a mysterious charm about her.
'Well, yes, my name's Virginia, but everybody calls me Ginny.' With the exception of Draco, who calls me Weasley, she added in her head, then scolded herself silently for thinking of Draco AGAIN. 'What's yours?'
'Sarcer. Natasha Sarcer. You didn't mention your last name,' she pointed out, almost accusingly.
Why would she think so importantly of her last name? Frowning slightly, Ginny told her: 'My full name is Virginia Weasley, but I didn't think it mattered.'
Natasha's eyes narrowed. 'Why are you in Fortuna?' she asked darkly. 'You belong in Liberalitas.'
This surprised Ginny even more. How could Natasha demand of HER why she had been sorted into this house? It didn't make any sense. But before she could think of an answer, another voice intervened.
'Oh, drop it, Natasha. Don't you remember how everybody said I should be in Liberalitas instead, untill what happened last year?'
The girl who had said this grinned at Ginny, showing dimples in her rather round cheeks. She had twinkling blue eyes, and blond curls. She must have been around Ginny's age, but looked younger and more innocent.
Natasha glared at the intruder of their conversation. Finally she said curtly: 'Nobody asked you, Rachel. If Sole comes by, tell her I wasn't hungry.' With these words, she swung up from her chair and crossed the shining golden floor of the Great Hall to a door Ginny hadn't noticed before. She kept her head down, and her eyes lowered, but the faint pink flush on her cheeks showed the resentment she was probably feeling.
'Who is Sole?' Ginny asked the other girl, Rachel, feeling she had to say something to start up the conversation again after Natasha's abrupt exit.
Rachel smiled at Ginny again. 'Short for Professor Sole, our headmistress.' Then, seeing that Ginny's eyes were straying to the teachers' table, she explained: 'She was the one who welcomed you and your friend - what's his name again?'
Ginny felt her heart beat quicken at the mention of Draco, especially the mention of him as her friend. This brightened her eyes and made her speak more sharply than she had intended.
'He's NOT my friend,' she said testily. 'His name is Draco Malfoy, and we were in the opposing houses at our other school.'
The baby-blue eyes opened wide. 'Then why did he catch you when you went all dizzy when you came in?' Rachel asked in astonishment.
A tiny bubble of happiness rose in Ginny at the words - they seemed to signify something; something important. But she cruelly crushed it with a memory of Draco's dry words.
'He didn't catch me, I FELL on him,' she explained. 'I was still feeling faint because of what happened in the Sedes Aeris.'
She could see sparks of excitement lighting up in Rachel's eyes, but before the latter could speak, golden and silver plates, cutlery, goblets, and lighted candles in gold holders appeared on the table. Ginny saw that both she and Rachel - and also Natasha, if she had still been there - had gold plates, while the boys were given silver ones. The sensation reminded her uncannily of Hogwarts, and, for the first time since the accident in the transport, she felt relaxed, and even hungry, remembering her mother's very own recipe for fruit salad, that tasted better on a warm day than anything else.
So it was to her utter amazement that a huge glass (or was it diamond?) bowl could suddenly be seen on the table. Looking around curiously, Ginny noticed that similar bowls were appearing on all the other tables. And inside them she could see - fruit salad!
As she was staring at the dish, remembrance washed over her. Excluding the fact that it was served in a fancy bowl, the salad looked exactly like her mother's. All the fruit pieces were mixed into one colourful brightness. Vanilla yoghurt topped it off.
Rachel smiled more at the bowl than at Ginny, and heaped her plate full of the contents. Ginny's head swam as she watched her incredulously.
For on the golden plate, what had looked like fruit salad to Ginny, now appeared to be an Italian dish - boconccini cheese, tomatoes and basil in neat slices.
Gingerly, she also lifted the great, elaborate spoon in the glass bowl, and scooped some of what still looked exactly like fruit salad to her onto her plate. It didn't suddenly change into something else, as she had feared.
'You like fruit salad? Me too,' Rachel told her, already demolishing great quantities of the food on her plate. 'But it still can't beat THIS.' She gestured at her plate.
Now totally confused, Ginny noted that the boy sitting next to the empty seat which had been taken by Natasha Sarcer, was eating a sort of pasta salad.
Hoping to sound matter-of-fact, she questioned Rachel: 'What's with the food?'
Swallowing an enormous mouthful, her new-found friend explained thickly: 'It's bewitched to look, taste, and smell like the meal you imagined. So, it's something different to every person, of course.'
Was life ever complicated here! Shaking her head, Ginny dug into her salad, which indeed tasted as delicious as her mother's.
After everyone had finished dessert (which followed the same principle the meal did), Rachel turned to Ginny eagerly.
'Wanna come upstairs to the girl's common room? Then you can tell us all about your awesome accident coming here!'
Just the thought of retelling that experience made her head throb again, but she agreed amiably, as she did not want to offend Rachel, who had been so nice to her.
They left the Great Hall with a lot of other students, and Ginny caught herself looking out for Draco, but she didn't see him anywhere. Past the door, she found she was in a huge, steely silver room, which was filled with golden couches and armchairs, lying about in any position. She stopped short, unsure what to do, but saw that many students were already filing past her and walking about among the furniture, apparently looking for something.
Just as she was about to ask Rachel what they were going to do here, her eye fell on two girls, a little older than her, choosing a huge armchair and settling down in it. As soon as they had, the golden chair disappeared from view.
'Come on, Virginia - or is Ginny alright?' Rachel was pulling her towards an enormous couch, on which a couple of students were already sitting. It was then that Ginny noticed little signs on the backs of the furniture, labelled with things like '5th Year Girls' Bathroom', 'Staffroom', or even 'Qudditch Field'.
The lable on the back of the couch they were approaching read '3rd Year Girls' Common Room'. Rachel dropped onto it and Ginny followed her example.
After another couple of girls had joined them, the couch was full, and suddenly she found herself whizzing into nothingness.
******************************
Draco Malfoy was annoyed. He found the food idiotic (though it probably had something to do with the fact that he had made a fool out of himself in order to discover its specialty), and that stupid guy next to him had been yapping on all through lunch, making it even more disagreeable. Plus, there seemed to be nobody here who would respect Lucius Malfoy's son. WHY had his father sent him here?
Actually, the fact that irritated him most, though he would never have admitted it, not even to himself, was that he had the consistant urge to look out for the Weasley girl. And he still hadn't figured out how it was possible that they had both been sorted into the same house - two enemies!
Now, following the mass of students all in white or black robes into the room full of golden couches and chairs, he felt more annoyed than ever. That little Ginny was nowhere in sight! Probably she had already blundered into some kind of chair and been sent off to the Headmistress' Bedroom, or something equally stupid. Or maybe she had fainted in the middle of the room, and this mob was stumbling over her!
He was yanked out of his brooding thoughts by a very unwelcome voice.
'Mr Malfoy!' Professor Kelsey was positively beaming at him. He groaned inwardly and wondered when this day's tortures would finally end.
'I heard the young girl - Miss Weasley - was injured, but you seem to be alright. Now, where is your charming little friend?'
This, to Draco, was adding insult to injury. 'First thing,' he instructed her in the silky voice he assumed when absolutely furious, 'Ginny Weasley is most definitely not my friend. Second thing,' he went on, seeing the surprised look that came over the professor's dumb face, 'I have no notion where she could be.'
'Oh, I wouldn't worry about her if I were you. Wherever she is, she's sure to run into a teacher sooner or later, who will give her the neccessary information. Now, I have your robes for you-'. Here she produced a neatly folded pile of black fabric, which she handed Draco. 'And you had best go to the 4th Year Boys' Dormitory, where you will find your trunk next to the bed provided for you.' She smiled sweetly at him.
'And how, may I ask, am I to find the 4th Year Boys' Dormitory?' Draco asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. He was hoping she would unveil the mystery of the golden furniture.
After a full explanation from Professor Kelsey, Draco was about to hasten off, when she suddenly pulled a piece of parchment out of her robes.
'Don't forget your timetable!' she cried cheerfully, waving it in his face in a most irritating way. Mumbling a thank you, Draco grabbed it from her, and quickly found a chair going to his destination. As he settled himself down in it, he sighed deeply. This was going to be a nightmare.
**********************************
Ginny gazed around the common room in total delight. Elegant crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the floor was tiled in pearly white and gold. Long mirrors, richly enhanced with gold frames hung from the marble walls. And silk cushions of every colour were strewn across the floor. A group of girls were already perched on some of them.
In one corner, Ginny could see Natasha Sarcer sitting on a black velvet pillow, frowning over a huge book. If it hadn't been for her grim expression, she would have looked very much like Hermione.
Rachel immediately made introductions all round, and as Ginny sat down on a pile of cushions (which were surprisingly soft and cool), she would have felt absolutely free and contented, were it not for the nagging thought in the back of her mind which was Draco.
The girls, all in pretty white robes lined with silver ribbon, began talking about their favourite Qudditch players, but suddenly one of the girls - Ginny remembered her name was Amy Verdan - fixed her eyes on Ginny and demanded: 'You've got to tell us all about the Dark attack on the Sedes Aeris. It must have been so exciting!'
Ginny shrugged her shoulders disdainfully, trying not to show what a frightened state the 'exciting' experience had left her in. She told them in brief, unenthusiastic words what had happened on her journey to the new school.
'Oh, wow,' breathed a girl who had been introduced to her as Vanessa. 'Didn't you bleed all over the floor?'
'No, not really,' Ginny answered without thinking. 'Draco used his sweater to - I mean, the wound didn't really bleed much. Besides, those witches and wizards from here soon arrived and stopped it.' She pulled back a lock of hair to show them the faint scar on her temple. Inside, she was praying that the girls hadn't payed any attention to what she had started to say. That would lead to questions about Draco, and she didn't think she could answer those and keep an emotionless face. He would be able to do it with no problem, she thought bitterly. Draco Malfoy was an expert at never showing any emotions. Not that he had any but loathing about her anyway.
For a minute, everybody just exclaimed over her healed wound, and it seemed nobody was thinking about her first answer.
But then Amy, a sly look on her face, suddenly asked: 'Draco? What did he do with his sweater?'
Feeling all eyes on her, Ginny answered steadily, although she couldn't prevent a crimson flush from staining her cream complexion. 'I don't really know. I was unconcious, remember? I just saw that his sweater had blood on it. He probably wiped some of the blood off the floor.' She had, of course, neglected to tell them that she had landed right in his arms.
'Well, he seems to be really courteous. Or is he only like that to you?' Amy asked innocently.
Ginny felt as if she was standing on the edge of a cliff. One false move, and everything would be over.
'What do you mean? Draco's not courteous, least of all to me,' she said suspiciously.
Amy exchanged significant glances with some other girls. 'Then why did he rush to catch you when you fainted as you came into Great Hall?'
'He didn't!' protested Ginny hotly. 'I fell on him, he said so himself...'
But she was cut off by Amy immediatly. 'I'm telling you, Ginny, he saw you start to sway, ran forward, and caught you before anyone else knew something had happened. Believe me,' she added persistently, as Ginny was still shaking her head, 'I SAW.'
At this, Racel began laughing. 'You'd better watch out, Ginny. Amy is our famous match-maker. She'll have you two paired up before Christmas!'
Amy grinned, making a mock bow. 'I will definitely consider it,' she promised.
'No, you've got it all wrong; we're really enemies...' Ginny tried to defend herself, but she was drowned out by the loud cheering of the girls.
Maybe if she had tried harder, she would have been able to persuade them to stop. But a warm little voice in her head spoke temptingly and convincingly of the time Draco had comforted her, of the fated bloody sweater, of the fact that he HAD really caught her when she had fainted, and - that they had both been put into Fortuna. And the voice was so strong she ignored all other instincts and let the girls chatter on without interrupting them.
***************************************
Looking around himself with mild interest, Draco got out of the chair, still holding his new robes and timetable.
The beds were pretty neat, actually, suspended in mid-air close to the domed ceiling. Huge, long windows of the thinnest crystal let in the warm afternoon sun. A gold and black carpet covered the floor, and the walls were a brilliant golden that sparkled in the sunlight.
There was no one in the room except him. The rest of the guys were probably still in the common room. Draco glanced at the beds, and recognized his elegant silver trunk under one of them, which was obviously meant for him.
After he had dumped his robes - black with silver linings - in his trunk, along with his timetable, he sauntered over to the window and gazed out, hoping to be able to see the Quidditch field. He was feeling as if he had just stepped into a world of Muggles, and the familiar sight of a Quidditch field might lift his spirits.
Instead of that, he saw a THING in the sky, which was always soaring up, and then plummeting down again like a stone, but moving steadily towards the castle.
'What in the world-' he stopped short as he noticed it was an owl - an eagle owl, at that, but either badly wounded or dead drunk.
With a sinking feeling of premonition in the pit of his stomach, Draco opened the window. After a second, the owl had reached it in a last, pathetic burst of speed. He instinctively reached out his hand, and the animal collapsed in it, drawing in breath with a horrible, rasping sound.
'Hey, Scipio, what happened to you?' Draco spoke softly to his eagle owl, which he had named after a great Roman war lord. His pet was covered in dried and crusted-up blood, and his coat had been savagely torn.
That was when he noticed the dirt-streaked envelope the owl carried, with the Malfoy seal still barely visible on it. Cursing inside, Draco carried his owl over to his trunk, sat down beside it on the soft carpet, and broke the seal of the letter.
He unfolded it and read the curved, black handwriting at a glance.
Ubi transportum petimus, puellam neca. Pater tuus.
When he had translated the Latin text, Draco's hands began to shake. The emotion that he had always concealed now showed plainly on his face. He was afraid. Scared to death. He was not afraid of his father's curses or punishments, not even of Voldemort, whom everybody feared, not of anything in the world but one thing.
Himself.
I have to stop here, as nothing even remotely exciting has happened throughout the entire chapter, until now. Sooo.... this means a big cliffie! Next chapter will come out a.s.a.p., which will hopefully be within the next ten years. *j/k* I really hope there will be these nice little things called reviews...
Oh, and Natasha's last name, Sarcer, comes from the Latin carcer, which means prison. The Headmistress' last name, Sole, comes from the Latin sol, which means sun. Have I explained everything? If not, please email me, and I'll be sure to inform you if I missed something here. OK? S.J.
Loads of thanks to:
Amy- here's another cliffhanger for you; hope you don't mind!
diana- now you found out! Are you satisfied with the choice of house they're in?
Lady Malfoy- yup, I did leave you hanging! sorry about that. Romance will come in as soon as I can make it.
Shawnna- I know the feeling, and yes, it was mean of me to stop there!
Sue- you're right! Congrats!
Mage of Fire- thanks so much!
Milkyweed- the D/G stuff was pretty non-existant, but glad you liked it!
elen- I agree. This one's even weirder, so beware!
Jen- Well, mainly so you'd come back to find out, of course. *j/k*
In Your Face- nice name! Well... find out! Your first question hit it right on the beat!
scifisarah- thanks, once again!
and last, but definitely not least, beta-reader.... *drumroll* cuty-cat! Sorry I took forever to finish this one!
Shooting Jewel
OK, I know it has taken me FOREVER to get this chapter out, but I was on holidays, so I have some excuse (I hope). Geez, you people are too smart for me! Every one of you guessed the correct house! Well, here the (un- )mystery is revealed anyway. Sorry, but I didn't manage to put in the translations for the Latin house-names. Maybe I can put them in next time. I'll shut up now, so you can *enjoy* the story!
'...FORTUNA!'
Dazed, and trying to keep his head and his cool, Draco Malfoy blinked, wondering what table he was supposed to attend. Obviously the table at which the students were cheering the most - the one that formed the middle curve in the semi-circle of student tables.
Assuming an expression of cool boredom, he strutted towards this table, but he couldn't help glance back at Ginny. What house will she be in? Will she be alright if she's in a different house from me?
Now what had he gone thinking those thoughts for?! Draco was sure they were inspired only by the pitiful picture the Weasley made. On her face, only a set, determined look was visible. But, despite that, she was still weak, and not feeling herself at all. Anyone could see that at a glance.
The girls at the gold and white decorated table he sat down at were giggling among themselves, and flashing what were their impressions of brilliant smiles at him. Not much different from home, Draco mused. He had precariously chosen a spot in between two guys - you never could be safe with girls. They always had something up their sleeve.
The boy on his right matched the description 'tall, dark, and handsome' pretty well. He just nodded at Draco, but the latter knew he was being studied carefully. The one on his left had abnormally straw-coloured hair and a VERY cheerful disposition- as if Draco hadn't suffered enough. He insisted on chattering through the whole of Ginny's sorting, obviously oblivious to the fact that Draco was having a hard time watching carefully, but not looking as though he was.
'You're from Hogwarts, right? Of course, that school is really famous, but I think our school must be better, 'cause we've got the best Quidditch team, and that's all that really counts, right? Actually, you're in luck, we haven't chosen this year's team yet; maybe you'll be on it! Are you any good at Quidditch?'
But without waiting for Draco's reply, which probably wouldn't have been granted him anyway, he went off again at top speed.
'Of course, even if you are, you'd still have a hard time catching up to the people on our team. They've beaten all the schools in the International Quidditch Wizarding School League, and won the Grand Prize two years' running! Or was it three? I can never-'
Here Draco felt it his duty to interrupt, and he did this with the traditional Malfoy sneer:
'Well, has it ever occurred to your thick skull that maybe that is because Hogwarts has never participated in the School League? Our school's got four individual teams, so that kind of makes it impossible to participate, but correct me if I'm wrong, will you?'
If he hoped this would subdue the over-excited boy, he was sadly disappointed.
'You don't participate? What a pity, you've missed out on a lot of fun! Last year...' He continued in this vein for a while, so Draco decided simply to ignore him and concentrate on Ginny, who had just taken shaky steps onto the center diamond.
Again, the diamond lit up - at the middle, the same as it had done with him! -and Ginny swayed slightly, as if losing her balance. Draco's muscles instinctively tightened up, almost ready to dash out there and catch her if need be, and only the memory of his father's latest drill and horrible punishment kept him from doing so.
Which was good, for Ginny stayed on her feet. But her eyes, wide and mesmerizing, found his and her lips mouthed his name.
Again, he had the devastating feeling that she needed him; had needed him before, and that he had not helped her. He felt, all of a sudden, with terrible clarity, her pain, and her suffering, as if it had been inflicted on him instead of her.
But in the next moment, the shout of: 'Congratulations! You've been put into... FORTUNA!' echoed around the brilliant room, and Ginny shook her head in a confused manner, but, looking doubtful, headed off towards the table Draco was sitting at.
********************
How could this be? Ginny was thinking, her head still pounding from her 'faint attacks'. How is it that Draco - well, Malfoy - and I both got sorted into the same house?! We have nothing in common!
And why had she felt so weak and over-powered when the diamond lit up? Draco - Malfoy, she corrected herself in her mind - hadn't shown any signs of having his conscience knocked out when HE was sorted. But then, she remembered wistfully, he was strong. Unlike her...
'Hey, your name's Virginia, isn't it?' A cool and distant voice interrupted Ginny's demoralized thoughts.
With a start, she turned to the girl she had sat down next to. She had long, absolutely straight black hair, and her dark eyes under even darker, heavily arched eyebrows were fixed on Ginny. Her mouth was set firmly. She was not pretty, but she had a mysterious charm about her.
'Well, yes, my name's Virginia, but everybody calls me Ginny.' With the exception of Draco, who calls me Weasley, she added in her head, then scolded herself silently for thinking of Draco AGAIN. 'What's yours?'
'Sarcer. Natasha Sarcer. You didn't mention your last name,' she pointed out, almost accusingly.
Why would she think so importantly of her last name? Frowning slightly, Ginny told her: 'My full name is Virginia Weasley, but I didn't think it mattered.'
Natasha's eyes narrowed. 'Why are you in Fortuna?' she asked darkly. 'You belong in Liberalitas.'
This surprised Ginny even more. How could Natasha demand of HER why she had been sorted into this house? It didn't make any sense. But before she could think of an answer, another voice intervened.
'Oh, drop it, Natasha. Don't you remember how everybody said I should be in Liberalitas instead, untill what happened last year?'
The girl who had said this grinned at Ginny, showing dimples in her rather round cheeks. She had twinkling blue eyes, and blond curls. She must have been around Ginny's age, but looked younger and more innocent.
Natasha glared at the intruder of their conversation. Finally she said curtly: 'Nobody asked you, Rachel. If Sole comes by, tell her I wasn't hungry.' With these words, she swung up from her chair and crossed the shining golden floor of the Great Hall to a door Ginny hadn't noticed before. She kept her head down, and her eyes lowered, but the faint pink flush on her cheeks showed the resentment she was probably feeling.
'Who is Sole?' Ginny asked the other girl, Rachel, feeling she had to say something to start up the conversation again after Natasha's abrupt exit.
Rachel smiled at Ginny again. 'Short for Professor Sole, our headmistress.' Then, seeing that Ginny's eyes were straying to the teachers' table, she explained: 'She was the one who welcomed you and your friend - what's his name again?'
Ginny felt her heart beat quicken at the mention of Draco, especially the mention of him as her friend. This brightened her eyes and made her speak more sharply than she had intended.
'He's NOT my friend,' she said testily. 'His name is Draco Malfoy, and we were in the opposing houses at our other school.'
The baby-blue eyes opened wide. 'Then why did he catch you when you went all dizzy when you came in?' Rachel asked in astonishment.
A tiny bubble of happiness rose in Ginny at the words - they seemed to signify something; something important. But she cruelly crushed it with a memory of Draco's dry words.
'He didn't catch me, I FELL on him,' she explained. 'I was still feeling faint because of what happened in the Sedes Aeris.'
She could see sparks of excitement lighting up in Rachel's eyes, but before the latter could speak, golden and silver plates, cutlery, goblets, and lighted candles in gold holders appeared on the table. Ginny saw that both she and Rachel - and also Natasha, if she had still been there - had gold plates, while the boys were given silver ones. The sensation reminded her uncannily of Hogwarts, and, for the first time since the accident in the transport, she felt relaxed, and even hungry, remembering her mother's very own recipe for fruit salad, that tasted better on a warm day than anything else.
So it was to her utter amazement that a huge glass (or was it diamond?) bowl could suddenly be seen on the table. Looking around curiously, Ginny noticed that similar bowls were appearing on all the other tables. And inside them she could see - fruit salad!
As she was staring at the dish, remembrance washed over her. Excluding the fact that it was served in a fancy bowl, the salad looked exactly like her mother's. All the fruit pieces were mixed into one colourful brightness. Vanilla yoghurt topped it off.
Rachel smiled more at the bowl than at Ginny, and heaped her plate full of the contents. Ginny's head swam as she watched her incredulously.
For on the golden plate, what had looked like fruit salad to Ginny, now appeared to be an Italian dish - boconccini cheese, tomatoes and basil in neat slices.
Gingerly, she also lifted the great, elaborate spoon in the glass bowl, and scooped some of what still looked exactly like fruit salad to her onto her plate. It didn't suddenly change into something else, as she had feared.
'You like fruit salad? Me too,' Rachel told her, already demolishing great quantities of the food on her plate. 'But it still can't beat THIS.' She gestured at her plate.
Now totally confused, Ginny noted that the boy sitting next to the empty seat which had been taken by Natasha Sarcer, was eating a sort of pasta salad.
Hoping to sound matter-of-fact, she questioned Rachel: 'What's with the food?'
Swallowing an enormous mouthful, her new-found friend explained thickly: 'It's bewitched to look, taste, and smell like the meal you imagined. So, it's something different to every person, of course.'
Was life ever complicated here! Shaking her head, Ginny dug into her salad, which indeed tasted as delicious as her mother's.
After everyone had finished dessert (which followed the same principle the meal did), Rachel turned to Ginny eagerly.
'Wanna come upstairs to the girl's common room? Then you can tell us all about your awesome accident coming here!'
Just the thought of retelling that experience made her head throb again, but she agreed amiably, as she did not want to offend Rachel, who had been so nice to her.
They left the Great Hall with a lot of other students, and Ginny caught herself looking out for Draco, but she didn't see him anywhere. Past the door, she found she was in a huge, steely silver room, which was filled with golden couches and armchairs, lying about in any position. She stopped short, unsure what to do, but saw that many students were already filing past her and walking about among the furniture, apparently looking for something.
Just as she was about to ask Rachel what they were going to do here, her eye fell on two girls, a little older than her, choosing a huge armchair and settling down in it. As soon as they had, the golden chair disappeared from view.
'Come on, Virginia - or is Ginny alright?' Rachel was pulling her towards an enormous couch, on which a couple of students were already sitting. It was then that Ginny noticed little signs on the backs of the furniture, labelled with things like '5th Year Girls' Bathroom', 'Staffroom', or even 'Qudditch Field'.
The lable on the back of the couch they were approaching read '3rd Year Girls' Common Room'. Rachel dropped onto it and Ginny followed her example.
After another couple of girls had joined them, the couch was full, and suddenly she found herself whizzing into nothingness.
******************************
Draco Malfoy was annoyed. He found the food idiotic (though it probably had something to do with the fact that he had made a fool out of himself in order to discover its specialty), and that stupid guy next to him had been yapping on all through lunch, making it even more disagreeable. Plus, there seemed to be nobody here who would respect Lucius Malfoy's son. WHY had his father sent him here?
Actually, the fact that irritated him most, though he would never have admitted it, not even to himself, was that he had the consistant urge to look out for the Weasley girl. And he still hadn't figured out how it was possible that they had both been sorted into the same house - two enemies!
Now, following the mass of students all in white or black robes into the room full of golden couches and chairs, he felt more annoyed than ever. That little Ginny was nowhere in sight! Probably she had already blundered into some kind of chair and been sent off to the Headmistress' Bedroom, or something equally stupid. Or maybe she had fainted in the middle of the room, and this mob was stumbling over her!
He was yanked out of his brooding thoughts by a very unwelcome voice.
'Mr Malfoy!' Professor Kelsey was positively beaming at him. He groaned inwardly and wondered when this day's tortures would finally end.
'I heard the young girl - Miss Weasley - was injured, but you seem to be alright. Now, where is your charming little friend?'
This, to Draco, was adding insult to injury. 'First thing,' he instructed her in the silky voice he assumed when absolutely furious, 'Ginny Weasley is most definitely not my friend. Second thing,' he went on, seeing the surprised look that came over the professor's dumb face, 'I have no notion where she could be.'
'Oh, I wouldn't worry about her if I were you. Wherever she is, she's sure to run into a teacher sooner or later, who will give her the neccessary information. Now, I have your robes for you-'. Here she produced a neatly folded pile of black fabric, which she handed Draco. 'And you had best go to the 4th Year Boys' Dormitory, where you will find your trunk next to the bed provided for you.' She smiled sweetly at him.
'And how, may I ask, am I to find the 4th Year Boys' Dormitory?' Draco asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. He was hoping she would unveil the mystery of the golden furniture.
After a full explanation from Professor Kelsey, Draco was about to hasten off, when she suddenly pulled a piece of parchment out of her robes.
'Don't forget your timetable!' she cried cheerfully, waving it in his face in a most irritating way. Mumbling a thank you, Draco grabbed it from her, and quickly found a chair going to his destination. As he settled himself down in it, he sighed deeply. This was going to be a nightmare.
**********************************
Ginny gazed around the common room in total delight. Elegant crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the floor was tiled in pearly white and gold. Long mirrors, richly enhanced with gold frames hung from the marble walls. And silk cushions of every colour were strewn across the floor. A group of girls were already perched on some of them.
In one corner, Ginny could see Natasha Sarcer sitting on a black velvet pillow, frowning over a huge book. If it hadn't been for her grim expression, she would have looked very much like Hermione.
Rachel immediately made introductions all round, and as Ginny sat down on a pile of cushions (which were surprisingly soft and cool), she would have felt absolutely free and contented, were it not for the nagging thought in the back of her mind which was Draco.
The girls, all in pretty white robes lined with silver ribbon, began talking about their favourite Qudditch players, but suddenly one of the girls - Ginny remembered her name was Amy Verdan - fixed her eyes on Ginny and demanded: 'You've got to tell us all about the Dark attack on the Sedes Aeris. It must have been so exciting!'
Ginny shrugged her shoulders disdainfully, trying not to show what a frightened state the 'exciting' experience had left her in. She told them in brief, unenthusiastic words what had happened on her journey to the new school.
'Oh, wow,' breathed a girl who had been introduced to her as Vanessa. 'Didn't you bleed all over the floor?'
'No, not really,' Ginny answered without thinking. 'Draco used his sweater to - I mean, the wound didn't really bleed much. Besides, those witches and wizards from here soon arrived and stopped it.' She pulled back a lock of hair to show them the faint scar on her temple. Inside, she was praying that the girls hadn't payed any attention to what she had started to say. That would lead to questions about Draco, and she didn't think she could answer those and keep an emotionless face. He would be able to do it with no problem, she thought bitterly. Draco Malfoy was an expert at never showing any emotions. Not that he had any but loathing about her anyway.
For a minute, everybody just exclaimed over her healed wound, and it seemed nobody was thinking about her first answer.
But then Amy, a sly look on her face, suddenly asked: 'Draco? What did he do with his sweater?'
Feeling all eyes on her, Ginny answered steadily, although she couldn't prevent a crimson flush from staining her cream complexion. 'I don't really know. I was unconcious, remember? I just saw that his sweater had blood on it. He probably wiped some of the blood off the floor.' She had, of course, neglected to tell them that she had landed right in his arms.
'Well, he seems to be really courteous. Or is he only like that to you?' Amy asked innocently.
Ginny felt as if she was standing on the edge of a cliff. One false move, and everything would be over.
'What do you mean? Draco's not courteous, least of all to me,' she said suspiciously.
Amy exchanged significant glances with some other girls. 'Then why did he rush to catch you when you fainted as you came into Great Hall?'
'He didn't!' protested Ginny hotly. 'I fell on him, he said so himself...'
But she was cut off by Amy immediatly. 'I'm telling you, Ginny, he saw you start to sway, ran forward, and caught you before anyone else knew something had happened. Believe me,' she added persistently, as Ginny was still shaking her head, 'I SAW.'
At this, Racel began laughing. 'You'd better watch out, Ginny. Amy is our famous match-maker. She'll have you two paired up before Christmas!'
Amy grinned, making a mock bow. 'I will definitely consider it,' she promised.
'No, you've got it all wrong; we're really enemies...' Ginny tried to defend herself, but she was drowned out by the loud cheering of the girls.
Maybe if she had tried harder, she would have been able to persuade them to stop. But a warm little voice in her head spoke temptingly and convincingly of the time Draco had comforted her, of the fated bloody sweater, of the fact that he HAD really caught her when she had fainted, and - that they had both been put into Fortuna. And the voice was so strong she ignored all other instincts and let the girls chatter on without interrupting them.
***************************************
Looking around himself with mild interest, Draco got out of the chair, still holding his new robes and timetable.
The beds were pretty neat, actually, suspended in mid-air close to the domed ceiling. Huge, long windows of the thinnest crystal let in the warm afternoon sun. A gold and black carpet covered the floor, and the walls were a brilliant golden that sparkled in the sunlight.
There was no one in the room except him. The rest of the guys were probably still in the common room. Draco glanced at the beds, and recognized his elegant silver trunk under one of them, which was obviously meant for him.
After he had dumped his robes - black with silver linings - in his trunk, along with his timetable, he sauntered over to the window and gazed out, hoping to be able to see the Quidditch field. He was feeling as if he had just stepped into a world of Muggles, and the familiar sight of a Quidditch field might lift his spirits.
Instead of that, he saw a THING in the sky, which was always soaring up, and then plummeting down again like a stone, but moving steadily towards the castle.
'What in the world-' he stopped short as he noticed it was an owl - an eagle owl, at that, but either badly wounded or dead drunk.
With a sinking feeling of premonition in the pit of his stomach, Draco opened the window. After a second, the owl had reached it in a last, pathetic burst of speed. He instinctively reached out his hand, and the animal collapsed in it, drawing in breath with a horrible, rasping sound.
'Hey, Scipio, what happened to you?' Draco spoke softly to his eagle owl, which he had named after a great Roman war lord. His pet was covered in dried and crusted-up blood, and his coat had been savagely torn.
That was when he noticed the dirt-streaked envelope the owl carried, with the Malfoy seal still barely visible on it. Cursing inside, Draco carried his owl over to his trunk, sat down beside it on the soft carpet, and broke the seal of the letter.
He unfolded it and read the curved, black handwriting at a glance.
Ubi transportum petimus, puellam neca. Pater tuus.
When he had translated the Latin text, Draco's hands began to shake. The emotion that he had always concealed now showed plainly on his face. He was afraid. Scared to death. He was not afraid of his father's curses or punishments, not even of Voldemort, whom everybody feared, not of anything in the world but one thing.
Himself.
I have to stop here, as nothing even remotely exciting has happened throughout the entire chapter, until now. Sooo.... this means a big cliffie! Next chapter will come out a.s.a.p., which will hopefully be within the next ten years. *j/k* I really hope there will be these nice little things called reviews...
Oh, and Natasha's last name, Sarcer, comes from the Latin carcer, which means prison. The Headmistress' last name, Sole, comes from the Latin sol, which means sun. Have I explained everything? If not, please email me, and I'll be sure to inform you if I missed something here. OK? S.J.
Loads of thanks to:
Amy- here's another cliffhanger for you; hope you don't mind!
diana- now you found out! Are you satisfied with the choice of house they're in?
Lady Malfoy- yup, I did leave you hanging! sorry about that. Romance will come in as soon as I can make it.
Shawnna- I know the feeling, and yes, it was mean of me to stop there!
Sue- you're right! Congrats!
Mage of Fire- thanks so much!
Milkyweed- the D/G stuff was pretty non-existant, but glad you liked it!
elen- I agree. This one's even weirder, so beware!
Jen- Well, mainly so you'd come back to find out, of course. *j/k*
In Your Face- nice name! Well... find out! Your first question hit it right on the beat!
scifisarah- thanks, once again!
and last, but definitely not least, beta-reader.... *drumroll* cuty-cat! Sorry I took forever to finish this one!
Shooting Jewel