Chapter Title: Haunted
Rating: PG/PG-13
Summary: With one secret meeting, everything changes.
A/N: Have I told you all how much you guys rock with the feedback? Well dammit, I'm saying it again. You all rock! Thanks so much for all your feedback on this little story of mine. Makes me all giddy.
A/N2: Hi, Yun Fei, the reason I haven't introduced Snape (or any of the professors for that matter) is because I suck at writing them…lol That and I wanted to mainly focus on the students for this. Thanks!

"Watching me wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you loving you
I won't let you pull me down"
-- "Haunted" by Evanescence

----------

Harry raised up the sleeve of his Quidditch robes, glancing at his watch. He looked around the locker room where the rest of the team sat, talking amongst themselves, as they waited patiently for practice to begin.

Ron approached him, sighing. "Leave it to my sister to delay a crucial practice."

Harry simply frowned. Before he could form a thought, Ginny briskly strolled into the locker room, a distracted look on her face. She avoided the eyes of both boys as she made her way over to the bench Ron had been occupying moments earlier.

"Thanks for gracing us with your presence, Ginny," Ron snapped as she took her seat.

"Sorry." She removed a maroon barrette from within her Quidditch robes and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. "Won't happen again, Harry. I promise."

Ron rolled his eyes at his sister before nudging Harry in the ribs, grinning. "Well, captain, looks like it's time for you to take charge."

Harry swallowed hard, nervousness fluttering in the pit of his stomach. "Yeah, looks like it."

"You'll do fine, mate." Ron gave him a nod and then took a seat beside Ginny.

Harry returned the nod, uncertain, as everyone's attention turned to him. "Okay," he said, clearing his throat, "so now that we're all here, we can get practice underway."

---------

Ron and Harry walked out of the locker room, returned to their normal clothes. Much to Harry's surprise, practice had gone rather smoothly, especially considering it had been the first in which he had been in charge. The only exception to the practice had been Ginny, who had done a superb job as chaser but, overall, had just seemed off for most of the night.

"What's wrong with Ginny?" Harry asked as he and Ron made their way back to the castle for dinner.

Ron scoffed. "You're asking me?"

"Well, you are her brother, aren't you?" Harry replied with an amused smirk.

"Which only means I know what annoys the bloody hell out of her," he laughed. "Need to know what's going on in her head? Don't look at me."

"She's just been… odd lately."

"Well, odder than usual anyway," Ron shrugged. "Maybe it's one of those mysterious girl things."

"Maybe," Harry replied quietly.

"Hermione's the expert there. We can ask her."

Harry frowned a bit at the mention of his other best friend.

It had been a week since they had read about the two dead aurors, and ever since, Hermione had dedicated herself to analyzing each copy of the Daily Prophet that came across her fingers. She'd even started to look through back issues to make sure she hadn't missed a key fact or two. Harry couldn't help but feel guilty about all the time she'd been spending reading article after article. But every time he mentioned helping with the research, she'd shrug it off in her usual Hermione way. Ron figured it was best this way since, of the three of them, Hermione was the only one who could keep up research and homework at the same time and still pass her classes. Harry had to agree, but it didn't do much to take away the guilt of knowing she was spending every free moment helping him on his own personal crusade.

As Ron and Harry made their way to the Great Hall for dinner, they ran into Luna who was coming from the opposite direction. She read the Quibbler as she walked towards the doors, and she looked up in time to see them and smiled.

"Hello, Harry. Ronald."

"Hey, Luna," Harry said, returning the smile. Ron simply gave the girl a nod of acknowledgment.

"Have you heard the news?" she asked, grabbing Harry's arm excitedly.

"What news?" he asked, ignoring the sudden flush coming over him at her touch.

"There's been a new Crumple-Horned Snorkack sighting in Sweden," she replied, waving her copy of the Quibbler in her free hand.

Harry heard Ron snort beside him and resisted the urge to elbow his friend sharply in the side. "That's, uh, cool, Luna."

"Isn't it?" she grinned, finally releasing his arm.

With that, she flounced through the doors of the Hall, making her way to the Ravenclaw table. Ron shook his head with another snort as he and Harry started towards the Gryffindor table.

"What a loon," he muttered. "We have missing and dead wizards on our hands, and she's going on about crumpled back whatevers."

"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," Harry corrected with a frown. "And she's not a loon."

"By what standards?"

Harry almost snapped "by mine" but instead he shook his head. "She's not that bad once you get to know her."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

Harry shook his head as he took his seat next to Ginny. "Good practice by the way," he said to her.

She smiled over at him. "Thanks. Chaser's more my area."

Ron sat down beside Hermione, who didn't look up from her paper as he took his seat. "Is that today's issue?" Ron asked.

Hermione finally looked up at her friends with a frown. "Unfortunately."

"New information," Harry concluded, reading her expression.

Hermione nodded. "Another death."

Ron blinked at her as Ginny choked on her drink.

"An auror?" Harry asked.

"Yes and no," she sighed. "One of the missing wizards? He was training to be an auror. They found him… dead."

"Murdered dead?" Ginny asked cautiously.

Hermione nodded as Harry sighed in frustration. "It has to be Voldemort. It makes too much sense for it not to be him."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

Harry leaned forward in his seat, frowning. "Three murders and all three have been aurors. Don't you see? He's killing off the people who have the best chance of defeating his Death Eaters."

"I think it's time we go speak with Dumbledore," Hermione replied. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but reading his thoughts, she cut him off before he could begin. "And I know, Harry, that you feel that Dumbledore may already know about all of this, but what if he doesn't? Do we really want to take that chance?"

"You're right," Harry said after a moment of thought. "We'll go see him first thing in the morning."

The others nodded, and the usual silence fell between them as they each began to eat their dinner.

----------

Ginny walked down the corridor and found Malfoy already there, waiting for her. She frowned and crossed her arms as she approached him.

"Why'd you owl me?" she asked.

"Drop the attitude, Weasley," he replied, stepping up to her. "I have information for you."

"Information?"

"Those deaths you were bugging me about."

"What about them?"

Malfoy hesitated. "They were killed by Death Eaters. Just like the one in today's Prophet."

Ginny blinked. "And you're sure?"

He rolled his eyes in response. "First you doubt me when I say I don't know anything and now you doubt me when I do know something."

"I just… you're positive?"

"Very."

Ginny studied him for a moment, uncertain. "How'd you find out about it?"

Malfoy crossed his arms. "You said it yourself, Weasley, I come from a family of Death Eaters." He shrugged. "Look, believe me or don't believe me. Either way I frankly don't care."

Ginny frowned. "Then why are you even telling me?"

"Cause I'm sure you'd want to tell your precious Potter." He added quickly, "And I think it goes without saying that you didn't hear any of this from me."

She raised a curious eyebrow. "And why didn't I?"

"Because I'm not supposed to know this." He shrugged. "Besides, you think Potter will actually trust any information coming from me?"

"Not like you've given him much reason to trust you," she frowned.

Malfoy smirked. "You trust me."

"I don't trust you," she replied with a shake of her head. "I tolerate you. There's a difference."

"Whatever you say," he chuckled under his breath.

Ginny frowned a bit, shifting on her feet. "Look, thanks for the information."

Malfoy simply shrugged.

"Night," she said with a nod.

"Night, Weasley."

Ginny turned on her heels, starting out of the corridor. She stopped only when she heard Malfoy say something from over her shoulder. As she turned to ask him what he had just said, she inhaled sharply and quickly reached for her wand inside her robes.

But Malfoy, who already had his wand out and at the ready, was too fast for her.

"Petrificus totalus!"

Ginny felt her body go cold and stiff, and she fell to the hard floor instantly. Even with her body immobile, she tried to will herself to move, to use her wand, to scream. Malfoy stepped up to her, placing his wand securely back inside his robes before kneeling down near her.

"Sorry, Ginny," he grinned. "Nothing personal. Just following orders."

In her head, Ginny could hear herself screaming curses in his direction, but her lips refused to work.

Malfoy studied her for a moment before finally getting to his feet. He slipped his arms under her rigid ones and slowly began to drag her down the corridor, trying to make as little noise as possible as he did so.

Inside, Ginny screamed for her brother, for Harry, for anyone to help her.

----------

Lucius Malfoy waited outside in the black of the night, near the whomping willow. He glanced at his watch before adjusting his dark robes. In the distance, he could see his son approaching, and it seemed that for once, the boy had done as told and done the job properly.

Malfoy finally made it to his father, Ginny in tow and still under the petrifying spell. With an exaggerated sigh, he carefully placed Ginny on the ground at his father's feet.

"Do I finally get to know the plan now?" Malfoy asked.

Lucius glanced down at the girl with a disapproving sneer. He turned his gaze back to his son as he spoke. "That plan has nothing to do with you, Draco. If the Dark Lord wanted you to know, you would."

"I think I should know," the younger Malfoy replied defiantly.

"I think you should watch your tone," Lucius snapped. "In the next coming days, things will happen. Things of great importance. You will know nothing, is that understood?"

Malfoy narrowed his eyes before responding. "Yes, father."

Lucius nodded. "Go back to your tower and forget this meeting occurred."

"Fine."

Throwing his father a hateful glare, Malfoy started back towards the castle. He turned to look over his shoulder only once to see Lucius use a levitating spell on Ginny and disappear into the darkness of the night.

-----------

(I realize this is an evil evil place to end a chapter, but I hope to have the next one up in a few days. Promise.)