"I know you know it, Malfoy." Ginny stomped angrily after the fair-haired Slytherin as he persistantly walked down the empty hallway shaking his head, "You know how to get in. Don't try to tell me you're not in contact with him as well."
"Weasley, I can't just tell an arbitrary witch how to get into the Chamber of Secrets!" his silver eyes flared with annoyance and amusement at being in control of the situation, "It's dark magic passed down through centuries of Malfoys and I can't just go around handing out leaflets."
She exhaled loudly and grabbed him arm so that he stopped walking. he spun around and glared down the half a foot between their eye levels.
"You know Tom trusts me. Why can't you just open the Chamber? It's not like I'm asking you to open it and walk away, you can comedown with me. You could see him..." She could see a flash of eagerness in his eyes.
"You're not going to bribe me with something you don't have."
"But what if it's something I do have?" the corner of her mouth twitched.
"What?" his eyes widened sightly before he realized it and righted this flaw in his etiquette.
"Well I've got a sickle, an abandoned puppy and some old fashionsed TLC."
His expression faltered, "You think that you're being funny, Weasley? I don't want to hear your ridiculous jokes, and I don't want to hear your useless begging."
"So you'll open the Chamber for me?" her lips sported a falsely expectant smile.
"How in the name of the Dark Lord did you get that?"
"I can dream." she said, about to wave the white flag.
"Not tonight you can't," he said in a low voice, her icy eyes widened with curiosity as to what he meant, "Meet me at the entrance way to the Chamber at midnight."
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Ginny wrapped her cloak around her tightly, it was freezing in this castle. She was walking as quietly as she could. What she would give to have Harry's invisibility cloak now. They'd used it together so many nights before now and yet she was here alone and cold. Tom was worth it.
She didn't dare light her wand for fear of Mrs. Norris or Filch seeing it, so she crept through the dark of Hogwarts towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, hoping that Myrtle was out spying on some unsuspecting person through a faucet and not actually in her bathroom.
When she reached it she walked in and gently shut the door behind her. She turned and searched the shadows for the last boy she would have expected to be meeting while her eyes struggled to adjust. She saw a glint of silver from the corner and saw him leaning up against the wall casually like he'd really rather be anywhere else. When he saw her he walked forward and stood infront of her silently.
"Well..." she said after a moment.
"Well." he responded.
"Malfoy, are you going to make up stand here all night or are you going to open the chamber?"
"I'll open it." he said. He didn't move. She sent him a questioning look that was embellished with vexation.
"If you ask nicely." he added with his trademark smirk.
"Open the chamber." she said with a note of firm resistance and he knew she would not break anytime soon so he turned to the sink with the tiny snake etched into the copper faucet. He bent down below the sink and Ginny watched as he rearranged a couple loose tiles closest to the sink. He stood back and she watched the sink move out of the way revealing the opening to the chamber.
He stood aside and threw his arm out wide, "Ladies first." he said and she marched past him and slid down the long pipe into the chamber, Draco not long behind her.
When they slid out of the bottom they landed on the damp floor and stood up hastily. They only had to walk a short distnce before they heard his voice coming from the end of the chamber.
"Ah, my cherished servants, you have come at last"