Crimson Gold: Thank You!

Chapter Eight

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped, standing in the doorway, "Are you all right?" She moved forward. "Ginny?"

Ginny blinked, looking wildly around her. She patted at the straps of her nightgown. Her brow furrowed, and she drew her knees up under her chin.

"No-where-he was-threw-over there" she sputtered, "I was-he wasn't-I must have been-was-a dream." She rested her forehead on her knees, shaking.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked gently, sitting on the edge of her bed, "Were you dreaming?" Ginny nodded. "About Draco?" She shook her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head again. Hermione climbed into her own bed, looking vaguely hurt. After a long while, Ginny fell back to sleep.

The next morning over breakfast, Ginny recounted to Harry, Ron, and Hermione what had happened in the Forbidden Forest.

"That's all?" asked Ron, incredulously. "Why couldn't he just have put that in the note?"

Ginny shrugged. "I suppose he didn't want any risk if it was intercepted."

"He handed it to you! How intercepted could it get?"

Harry looked up, exasperated. "Come off it, Ron, Ginny knows what she's doing. It's her decision." He placed his hand over Ginny's reassuringly.

Ginny stiffened. Her eyes darted from Harry's hand to his face. He removed his hand from hers, flushing slightly. While he busied himself with digging in his bag for a quill, Hermione turned to Ginny.

"Were you all right last night? You were as pale as a ghost when I got back from the library."

Now was Ginny's turn to flush. "I was fine, I just"

Harry cut her off. "Hermione, Ginny, look at this!" He thrust a piece of parchment at them, and they read:

Harry:

In your last letter, you asked me to keep you up-to-date about the Order.

Unfortunately, I can't say much by owl post.

I don't know if you've found out or heard yet, but the Death Eaters are disappearing. No one knows why, but Voldemort has been fairly quiet because of it. A lot of people are saying that it's someone close to him doing it.

If you don't mind, ask Ginny to send me an owl. If you need me, you know where to find me.

Remus Lupin

Ginny frowned slightly. "What's that all about, then?"

Ron didn't seem disturbed. "He probably just wants to check you're OK."

About ten minutes later, Ginny threw Pigwidgeon out of the owlery window. He sank for a moment, then recovered and set out over the Forbidden Forest. Ginny watched curiously as a storm of owls erupted from the trees, disturbed by Pig's high-pitched hoots.

Miles away, Lucius Malfoy sat at a table in his manor, his head in his hands. He had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. His brilliant plan was developing faults. He had to convince Voldemort that his loyalty would never waver and never had. But he hadn't an inkling of how to do it.

Ginny nervously approached Professor Snape's desk as the rest of her classmates hurried to the Great Hall for lunch. She had no idea why he had asked her to stay back, but she couldn't imagine it was anything good.

"Your notes, please," Snape hissed when she reached his desk. She dug them out of her bag and handed them over. He leafed through them briefly, and then gave them back.

"Your other notes, then."

Hesitantly, Ginny handed him the notebook Lucius had given her the night before. He thumbed through the pages, and then picked up a piece of parchment from his desk.

"I trust you know who to give this to?" He asked her.

Ginny nodded, and he waved her off to lunch.

TBC