A/N: Long in coming, hopefully worth the wait. No OC's, standard
disclaimer. I don't own 'em. Just my own wishful thinking.
Chapter Four
Ginny watched Draco walk away. He was about to round the corner when Ginny heard twin screeches. She half-stood as Draco stopped abruptly, then turned to look at her, a smug smirk on his face. He took two paces backward and gave an elaborate bow to the two girls sidling around the corner. Su and Daisy weren't cringing, quite, but it was a close thing. They were both hugging the wall and watching him cautiously, as though they expected him to suddenly strike at any moment. Ginny had to roll her eyes. As far as she knew, the young man had barely spoken to either of them, but they acted like they were scared to death of him. She glanced at him once more, catching his 'I told you so' look before he strolled around the corner. Ginny frowned and returned to stuffing her things back into her bag.
"Ginny!" Daisy rushed forward, finally noticing Ginny crouching on the ground. She looked anxiously behind her, then dropped to her knees beside Ginny. "Are you all right? Did that wanker touch you?"
"If he did--," Su growled, pulling her wand from her pocket and glaring ferociously back. Ginny grinned. Her friends might be a little bit afraid of him, but they were ready to do battle for her when they thought Draco might have hurt her.
"He didn't touch me," she said quickly, standing and laying a restraining hand on Su's arm. "He just wanted to ask if I was going into Hogsmeade tomorrow."
Daisy and Su both whipped round to stare, wide-eyed, at Ginny.
"That git asked you to go to Hogsmeade with him? You didn't say yes, did you?"
"Ginny! You're kidding? What'd he say?"
"NO!" Ginny said more sharply than she'd meant to. She took a deep breath. "He didn't ask me to go WITH him. He just wanted to know if I was going."
Su looked confused. "Why would he want to know, if he didn't want you to go with him?"
The three girls had begun to move down the hallway toward their class, Daisy glancing nervously behind them occasionally.
"Believe me," Ginny said firmly. "He's NOT interested in me. Probably just wants to make sure he doesn't have to res--." She stopped abruptly. She still hadn't told her friends about Knockturn Alley. She wasn't sure she wanted to, and quickly tried to hide her slip.
"Er, that is, he probably wants to make sure he has someone to pick on," she finished lamely.
Both of her friends looked skeptical, but Ginny continued on doggedly.
"Yeah, that's it. He wants to make sure he doesn't miss an opportunity to insult me again. So I'll have to make sure to stay out of his way. Right?"
She looked hopefully at Su and Daisy, but both girls were frowning and shaking their heads.
"Ginny, what's really going on?" Daisy demanded.
"Yeah, you've been acting really weird ever since last week, and I don't buy that Malfoy picking on you thing. He's been doing that all year and it didn't bother you before."
Colin yelled at them from down the hallway before Ginny could answer.
"Hey, you're gonna be late if you don't move it!" he called, gesturing for them to put some speed on.
As they hurried toward him, Su glanced at Ginny and said quietly, "You've got some explaining to do at lunchtime, girl."
The Common Room was empty since most of the students were at lunch. Su and Daisy had filled Colin in on what they'd seen and the little Ginny had told them, so instead of going to lunch, Colin led the three girls back to Gryffindor.
"Be back in a sec," he told them as he headed up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
Ginny flopped down on a couch with Su and Daisy on either side. She knew what they wanted. They wanted to know exactly what had happened in the library and why it had bothered her so much. Once she explained that, they would want to know how on earth she'd ever become interested in Draco in the first place. Ginny sighed. She didn't HAVE to explain anything to them, but they were her best friends in the world. They had put up with her irrational behavior for more than two months now, and she felt they deserved some sort of explanation. It was just embarrassing, that was all. Embarrassing enough to admit that one of her worst enemies in the world had had to rescue her when she'd gotten herself lost in the filthy back- street slums of Knockturn Alley and its surrounding area. But it was even more humiliating to have to admit that she'd spent the entire school year trying to get the same enemy to notice her. And that she'd had a ridiculous, almost hero-worshipping crush on the arrogant git, too! At least she could assure her friends that she had finally gotten over it. She realized now how stupid it had been to try to make a hero out of Draco Malfoy when he'd probably just been trying to protect his own neck.
As they waited for Colin to come back, the girls looked uneasily at each other. Ginny knew Su and Daisy would be all comfort and sympathy, but secretly they would probably roll their eyes and wonder what had gotten into Ginny. She couldn't blame them. She'd wondered herself, just last week. She was sure Draco had not been acting out of any sense of gallantry, but had wanted to get her out of the way quickly. That was the only explanation for his behavior. Ginny narrowed her eyes. If so, though, what was HE doing in Knockturn Alley? Why had he been meeting with Flint? It was obvious that he'd had a meeting of some sort with the creepy young man. He'd even told him that he'd be right back and to wait for him. Odd that in all this time it had never occurred to Ginny to wonder what that meeting might have been about. What if the two had been up to no good? What if...
"Right then, girls, lunch is served!"
Colin was just sliding a tray heaped with tins of meat, cheese and biscuits onto the table. He even had four bottled soft drinks to go along with the snack, as well as a small box of chocolates.
"Wow! Colin! It's a feast!" Su said enthusiastically.
"Good grief, Colin! Did your mum send you the entire grocery store?"
Colin smiled at Daisy. "Well, you know, she does like to take care of her little boy!" he said slyly. "Sends me care packages about once a month because she doesn't want me sneaking down to the kitchens. Afraid I'll get in trouble."
Ginny understood that there was more to his words than what appeared on the surface. In their fourth year Colin had snuck out of Gryffindor and been set upon by some older boys. Luckily, Fred and George 'happened' to be out and about and had broken up the incident before the other boys could do much more than push Colin around. George and Fred had made the other boys' lives miserable in a hundred small ways the rest of the year, ensuring that they would never set on Colin again. Amazingly, the twins had shown a remarkable amount of discretion for once and not much was said. But Ginny knew, even if no one else did, that the boys had picked on Colin because he didn't like girls.
"She doesn't know you could take care of yourself, now?" Ginny asked curiously, knowing that Colin studied a variety of self-defense disciplines and tried to work out when he could.
"I don't let on," he said with a laugh. "Otherwise, she wouldn't send me anything!"
They laughed and set to, devouring every crumb. Finally, sitting back comfortably in the wingback chair he'd taken, Colin looked at Ginny.
"All right, Gin. Give. What is going on with Draco Malfoy, and why, after knocking heads with him for two months, are you backing off and giving up?"
Ginny sat back, too, and bit her lip. Taking a deep breath, she began.
"It all started in Diagon Alley..."
Half an hour later, Su and Daisy were indeed shaking their heads.
"Wow, Ginny, I don't know what to say," Daisy began before Su cut her off.
"For God's sake, Gin, Malfoy? I mean, MALFOY? Girl, you need your head examined!"
Colin was grinning from ear to ear, however. "'Not interested in you as anything other than a friend'? That's really what he said? Well, that's unexpected. I would have expected some of the usual homophobic crap, but I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. Not that his cover is all that bad if you like that Greek-god, blond Adonis type. Which, obviously, our Ginny does."
Ginny flushed and gave him a half-hearted glare.
"So what now?" Colin asked.
"Damned if I know," Ginny snapped. "I'll just make sure to stay out of his way, that's all."
"Good!" Su and Daisy said together. They had taken offense at Draco's description of them and his comment about being sorted into Hufflepuff.
"But why?" Colin asked. "I mean, it sounds to me like he's concerned about you. Maybe he really just wants you to keep safe. And knowing what a selfish git he is, if he wants you safe, its so he can have you for himself, right?"
"Colin! Really!" Ginny gave him an exasperated look. "You're not really helping! Tell him," she said to the other girls. Unfortunately, Su was now looking speculatively at her.
"What?!" Ginny demanded, her chin jutting out.
"You know," Su mused, her voice as speculative as her expression. "He DID protect that annoying little Kneazle in the library. Why would he do that? That's definitely out of character for him."
Ginny sighed. "He LIKES Labelle, and she likes him, too. THAT'S why he protected her."
"If you use that reasoning," Daisy said nervously, "wouldn't that mean that Malfoy likes you, too?"
Su's eyes widened and she turned to stare at Ginny. "Oh-my-God," she whispered. "No way!"
Colin grinned wickedly at Ginny as she shook her head. She held up a hand in denial.
"You're right, Su," she said firmly. "There is no way that he likes me. THAT was pretty obvious, to me at least. Otherwise why would he say such mean things?"
Colin opened his mouth to reply but the sound of voices coming from the portrait hole stopped him.
"What do you mean you're not going to Hogsmeade tomorrow!?"
Ron, Harry and Hermione had just come into the Common Room and Ron was looking at Hermione with a dark scowl.
"That prat can't keep you from going! You're the Head Girl, for God's sake!"
Ginny and her friends watched as the three seventh year students moved their way.
"Ron," Hermione said with exaggerated patience, "I told you. Professor Snape is NOT forcing me to stay. I volunteered to help him with a project. It'll earn extra credit for me, and it will help me do well on the N. E. W. T.s."
Ginny and her friends exchanged a quick look. No one but Hermione would actually volunteer to miss a trip to Hogsmeade. And definitely not to spend the time with their bad-tempered Potions Master. Hermione really was the absolute end.
"But, Hermione, the N.E.W.T.s aren't for another eight months!" Ron said plaintively. "And it's HOGSMEADE! You gotta go with us! Tell her, Harry!"
It seemed to Ginny that Harry was trying to keep a straight face. "Leave me out of this one, Ron. If Hermione wants to stay, nothing I say is going to change her mind."
The three passed Ginny and her friends and wandered over to a table in the corner. More Gryffindors were drifting into the Common Room to relax before afternoon classes, so Colin began to clear away the tins.
The girls stood, but Dean Thomas hurried over.
"Ginny! Got a sec?" he asked, a tentative smile on his dark, good-looking face.
"Uh, sure, Dean," Ginny answered, sitting again.
Su, Colin and Daisy moved away, the girls going up to their room and Colin discarding their rubbish. Dean sat next to Ginny and looked quickly around.
"Er, your Kneazle's not around, is she?"
"Not at the moment," Ginny said with a grin. Labelle had made it clear that she did not like any of the boys in Gryffindor, except Colin. Most of the boys were now very wary of the hissing, spitting menace.
"Good," he said quickly. "I just wanted to ask if you were going into Hogsmeade with anyone tomorrow?"
Ginny's eyebrows shot up. Was Dean asking her out? She couldn't answer for a second. Dean was a very nice boy. He was good looking and pleasant company and Ginny couldn't think of any good reason not to go with him, if he was asking. Another good-looking face came to mind, but she shoved it aside. Draco Malfoy wasn't interested in her, and he'd made it perfectly clear, hadn't he? Before she could answer, though, a streak of patchy orange, black and white fur hurled itself at the small space between the two teens. Ears flattened, Labelle hissed and bared her teeth at Dean. He scooted back immediately.
"Labelle!" Ginny cried, grabbing the kitten, a bit of a struggle since she'd grown several inches in the last few weeks. "Honestly! Its just Dean!"
Labelle continued to glare balefully at the young man. Dean stood quickly, but he hovered near the edge of the couch.
"Just Dean?" he said, assuming an offended look. "Ginny, you wound me!"
Ginny giggled and stroked the Kneazle's head, soothing her. "I'm sorry, Dean. You know what I meant. I don't know what got into her! Anyway, you were saying?"
Dean opened his mouth, but Colin walked up at that moment and interrupted.
"Sorry, Dean, but Ginny already promised to go with me tomorrow," Colin lied shamelessly. "You understand, right?"
Dean looked as though he did not understand at all.
"But I thought you two were just friends," he said stubbornly.
Now Ginny began to say something, but Colin cut her off.
"Yes, but Ginny promised to help me buy some Christmas presents, didn't you, Gin? And who knows whether we'll get a chance to go again before the holidays?"
Ginny could either deny it and make Colin look foolish, or she could agree and take it out of his hide later. Paybacks, she thought darkly as she gave Dean an apologetic smile.
"He's right, Dean. I guess I forgot. Maybe we could meet for a drink at the Three Broomsticks?"
Dean sort of grunted and gave Colin a long look. "Right," he said finally. "See you later."
Su and Daisy came back downstairs and handed Ginny her books for her afternoon classes. "Ready?" Daisy asked brightly.
Giving Colin a dark look, Ginny muttered, "As I'll ever be."
Ginny, Su, Colin and Daisy were just leaving the small stationer's shop, arms laden with an odd assortment of bags and boxes. Besides a few hastily chosen Christmas presents (as a boon to Ginny's conscience) Colin and Su had both restocked their potions supplies, Daisy had blown most of her money at Honeydukes, and Ginny was clutching a new paperback romance she'd gotten from the book store. They had spent most of the day just wandering from shop to shop and making small purchases, except for the hour the girls had spent in the small robe shop, looking at the latest fashions and giggling over the display of fancy lingerie. Colin had flatly refused to accompany them and had taken himself over to the sporting goods store to look for gloves for the Quidditch season. He was a chaser this year and had been looking forward to getting some new gear. Wherever they went, though, Ginny had noticed that she was never left on her own.
She wasn't certain whether it was because they'd had a private discussion about her or coincidence, but it was unnerving to find one or the other of her friends always at her side, or under her feet or looking over her shoulder. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she doubted it. She was certain they were standing guard over her and it was annoying. And having Labelle desert her this morning made it all the more annoying.
Ginny had been sure the Kneazle would want to go into Hogsmeade with them. She had accompanied them down to the main entry hall where Argus Filch was checking names off his list. He was taking his time about it, too, the irritating git, Ginny had thought. Mrs. Norris was standing at his side, her sly eyes glaring at each student as though she knew something nasty about him or her. When it was Ginny's turn, though, Mrs. Norris took one look at Labelle and yowled, spinning and running as though the devil were chasing her. Ginny glanced down at her kitten, but Labelle just looked innocently back. Filch, of course, had dropped his list and lit off after his cat immediately, calling back various threats if any of 'you little heathens' left without his approval.
The students had looked at one another, before heading, en masse, out the door. Labelle, however, moved to the side and turned toward the dungeons.
"Labelle!" Ginny had cried. "Aren't you coming with us?"
The Kneazle had rubbed Ginny's ankles, meowed, and turned back to the dungeons. Ginny shrugged, figuring Labelle must have had better things to do.
But Ginny would have loved her company right now, when she was feeling a bit suffocated by the over protectiveness of her friends. It was nice to know they cared, but she thought they were getting a bit carried away. She kept her grumbling to herself, though. She was grateful for their friendship.
"Well, how about the Three Broomsticks?" Su said brightly. "I need a break!"
"Sounds good to me," Colin said. "Looks like it might actually rain after all."
The sky had been gray when they'd left the castle, but dark clouds had been accumulating all day. It was now dark enough that the magical gas lamps had already come on, even though it was barely three in the afternoon.
"Great," Ginny said glumly. "And I didn't even bring my umbrella!"
"'S'all right, Gin," Daisy told her comfortingly. "We can share. Besides, we don't have to stay that long."
As they entered the Three Broomsticks, they found it already crowded. Colin and Su handed their packages over to Ginny and Daisy and made for the loos, while Ginny and Daisy looked for a table. They managed to grab a table that three Ravenclaw boys were vacating, and dumped their purchases on the extra stools to save the seats.
"Damn!" Ginny said suddenly.
"What?" Daisy looked around quickly to see what had made Ginny curse.
"Oh, bloody hell," Ginny snapped, using one of her brother's favorite curses. "I just bought new quills, then went and left them on the counter! Now I have to go back and get them!"
Ginny stood, preparing to leave, but Daisy grabbed her arm.
"Hang on, Ginny. Wait 'til Colin or Su come back. Then one of us will go with you."
Ginny frowned at her friend. "Daisy, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I'm not a child and despite whatever you lot may think, I really can take care of myself. Besides," she said, shrugging back into her cloak, "I'll only be a few minutes. What's gonna happen to me on the main street in broad day?"
Ignoring Daisy's pleading and complaints, Ginny pulled up the hood of her cloak and left the inn. It would take her five, maybe seven minutes, max, to get to the stationer's, and she would stay on the main street. There would be people about, so what could happen, really? Besides, Draco Malfoy had probably just been rattling her cage yesterday. He'd probably just wanted to get a rise out of her, and she wasn't going to let him and his bad jokes influence her. As she walked quickly along the street, she realized that she hadn't even seen him all day. Yeah, she thought, he'd just played a stupid joke on them all. With a snort of disgust, Ginny pushed him from her mind.
The man behind the counter looked up as she entered, and smiled broadly. "Forget sumpin', missy?" he teased genially.
He was holding up a small bag with the store's name emblazoned on it. The tips of four quills could be seen over the lip of the bag. Ginny grinned.
"Thanks! My other quills are so worn out, I can barely write with them!"
She took the bag and thanked him again. How stupid of her to pay for the new quills and then just walk out of the store without them. She had been thinking of Draco and his comments about not being able to afford them, and she'd gotten so steamed, she'd just walked off. Not that the git had been far wrong. She'd used the last of her spending money on them, and they'd have to last until after Christmas. Giving the owner a final wave, Ginny stepped out onto the street. And stopped.
The day had grown even darker, and although it wasn't raining, a heavy fog was rolling in. She remembered a snatch of some old poem; something about the fog creeping in on little cat paws or something like that, but a chill ran down her spine. Ginny didn't like the way the fog was rolling, almost slithering down the street toward her. She wondered if perhaps she shouldn't have waited for Colin after all, but wondering wasn't getting her back to the Three Broomsticks. Straightening her back and tugging her cloak tightly about her, she turned away from the heavy wall of mist and hurried toward the inn.
Five minutes, seven, max, she thought to herself, trying to keep the sudden panic she was feeling at bay. She'd be there in less time than it took to get from one class to another. She was still reassuring herself when a dark figure loomed from the mist that had surrounded her. Ginny tried to stop, but she was already practically on top of the figure. She turned, intending to run, but the figure, a man, by his size, reached out and grabbed her, wrapping one arm around her waist and clamping a hand across her mouth. Then, lifting her from her feet, the man dragged her into a darkened doorway and shoved her into the wall.
Ginny's yelp of pain as her head smacked against the stones was muffled against the large hand. But the worst part was the man's chuckle. It was an evil laugh; definitely not a happy sound, and it caused another chill to snake down Ginny's spine.
"Well, look at what I caught," the man murmured with another laugh. "If it isn't Malfoy's pretty little girlfriend. He should know better than to let you wander around alone. No knowing what sort of people you might meet, especially on a dark day like this!"
Ginny shuddered, clutching her bag to her chest. Marcus Flint! What was he doing here in Hogsmeade? One of his hands was still clamped across her mouth, but the fingers of his other hand were tracing a line down her neck to her collar. Disgust rose in her throat and Ginny was afraid she might actually vomit if he touched her again. His eyes were leering at her and Ginny tried to look away as his thick lips twisted into a sneering smile.
"I just realized who you are, pretty thing. You're Percy Weasley's little sister, aren't you?" He grinned suddenly. "Why, you were just a flat- chested little girl when I was at school. And now." Ginny squirmed and tried to scream as his hand moved to the fastening of her cloak. "Why, you're all grown up, aren't you? I'll have to take a look..."
Panicked, Ginny dropped the bag and brought her hands up to rake at his face with her nails. He drew back, long, bloody furrows trailing down his face.
"You bitch," he hissed, reaching for her as she pushed past him.
One foot landed squarely on her bag of quills and for a sickening, heart- stopping second, Ginny was sure she was going to lose her balance. She stumbled, but righted herself and bolted off. Flint's hands caught in her cloak, bringing her up short. Ginny choked and struggled desperately with the catch of the cloak, freeing it not a second too soon. One of his hands was trying to grab at her hair, but she pulled away, leaving a few strands tangled about his fingers. She'd done it, she thought wildly. She was going to make it! And then she heard him yell out, "Stupefy!" just before her world went black.
"-nervate!" Ginny could barely make out the word. The world came swimming painfully back and Ginny was aware of being cold. Freezing. She was shivering; her head hurt and her muscles were sore. And she was sitting on the cold ground! What the hell had happened? And then she remembered Marcus Flint.
With a sob, Ginny struggled against the hands holding her, trying to kick and scratch. She was shaken roughly by the shoulders.
"God damn it, Weasley! Knock it off!"
She'd never been happier to hear Draco Malfoy's voice in her life! She stopped struggling and opened her eyes. And wished she hadn't. He looked furious!
"Don't you ever listen!?" he demanded, glaring at her. "It wasn't that hard! Stay with your bloody friends! Don't go 'round by yourself! Are you stupid or just stubborn!?"
"Get off, Malfoy!" Ginny hissed suddenly, pushing at his chest. She wanted to cry and it didn't make things any better to know that Draco was right. He'd warned her, but she'd stupidly gone out alone.
He didn't release her, though. "Come on, Weasley," he said in a slightly calmer voice. "You'll catch your death out here without your cloak."
He stood and roughly pulled her up. Ginny swayed slightly, her head pounding. She wondered if she'd struck her head when Flint had stupefied her. Flint! Ginny unconsciously moved toward Draco and looked around, frightened. She barely noticed when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. Marcus Flint lay only a few feet away, sprawled facedown on the ground while the mist swirled over and around him. She shivered. Draco brought his hand up and pressed her head to his chest, before he turned her away from the sight.
"I ought to strangle you," he said harshly. "Your friends ought to keep you on a leash to keep you out of trouble!"
Despite the angry words, he continued to hold her until she stopped shivering. Finally, though, he pulled her away from him. His expression was unreadable as he looked at her.
"Stay right here," he told her. "I'm getting your cloak and taking you back to the inn."
Ginny wanted to protest that she could handle it herself, but she swallowed the words. She'd already acted stupid enough. With a small nod, Ginny leaned against the wall and watched as Draco retrieved her cloak from the dark doorway Flint had dragged her into. She could see why Flint had dared something so bold. Ginny wasn't even ten feet away and she could barely see Draco's dark form through the shifting fog. He bent over Flint and hauled to man to the doorway, shoving his into the small space. Ginny thought he was placing another spell on him, but she couldn't be sure. Then Draco stomped back to her.
"Here," he said icily, shoving the cloak into her arms. "Put this on and we'll go."
If Ginny had cherished any hopes that Draco might feel something for her besides contempt, the hopes were instantly quashed. He still sounded furious. She pulled the now-damp cloak onto her arms and fastened it quickly.
"I'm ready," she began, but he'd already grabbed her arm, much like he had in Knockturn Alley, and was dragging her down the street toward the Three Broomsticks.
The inn was all warmth and light after the chill and gloom outside. And that had been nothing to the chill of Ginny's companion. He didn't say a word as he marched her to the inn. Once they were inside the entryway, though, he turned to her and glared.
"Stay right here," he ordered. "I'm getting your brother. Maybe he can control you, since it's obvious your friends can't!"
Ginny started to protest, but he was already gone, stomping through the crowd directly toward the small table Ron was sharing with Harry and Dean Thomas. She glanced around quickly, and saw Colin rise, looking toward her, concerned. Colin stopped suddenly, his eyes moving to Draco. Ginny looked, too, and saw the Slytherin motioning imperiously at Colin to stay put. Ginny's indignation grew as she watched Colin sit again. Who the hell did Draco think he was to order her and her friends around? She wasn't indignant enough to move from where he'd told her to stay, though. Instead, she slumped against the wall and watched him talking, quietly and angrily, from the look of it, to her brother.
Ginny could see Ron's face turning red even from across the room. He stood suddenly, and looked from Draco to her. They both made small, angry gestures in her direction. Oh, lord, Ginny thought. It was definitely going to hit the fan now. Ron finally gave Draco a last glare and started walking toward her. Marching, no, stomping was more like it. Ginny imagined she could actually feel the floor shake as both young men stamped up to her.
"What the bloody hell is going on, Ginny?" Ron demanded as soon as he was within hissing distance. "Bloody Malfoy tells me you're being stalked by that sodding bastard Marcus Flint. He tells me he warned you to stay with your friends. And he says the fucking bastard actually attacked you? What," he repeated, hands on hips, "the bloody hell is going on?"
"Oh, wonderful, Weasley." The smooth, sneering voice cut right through Ginny's angry response. "I'm sure that after what she's been through, your brand of caring concern is exactly what your sister doesn't need. If I'd known you'd turn Inquisitor, I'd have taken her back to Hogwarts myself!"
Ron had the grace to look sheepish. He glared at Draco, but turned back to Ginny. "Sorry, sis. But when Malfoy came up and said he found you out on the street, stupefied, with Flint standing over you, I just, you know, kind of lost it."
Draco smirked. "Yeah, right. Think you can handle it now, Weasley?"
Without waiting for an answer, the Slytherin brushed past both of them and left.
"I think you have some explaining to do, Ginny," Ron said, an odd look on his face.
Chapter Four
Ginny watched Draco walk away. He was about to round the corner when Ginny heard twin screeches. She half-stood as Draco stopped abruptly, then turned to look at her, a smug smirk on his face. He took two paces backward and gave an elaborate bow to the two girls sidling around the corner. Su and Daisy weren't cringing, quite, but it was a close thing. They were both hugging the wall and watching him cautiously, as though they expected him to suddenly strike at any moment. Ginny had to roll her eyes. As far as she knew, the young man had barely spoken to either of them, but they acted like they were scared to death of him. She glanced at him once more, catching his 'I told you so' look before he strolled around the corner. Ginny frowned and returned to stuffing her things back into her bag.
"Ginny!" Daisy rushed forward, finally noticing Ginny crouching on the ground. She looked anxiously behind her, then dropped to her knees beside Ginny. "Are you all right? Did that wanker touch you?"
"If he did--," Su growled, pulling her wand from her pocket and glaring ferociously back. Ginny grinned. Her friends might be a little bit afraid of him, but they were ready to do battle for her when they thought Draco might have hurt her.
"He didn't touch me," she said quickly, standing and laying a restraining hand on Su's arm. "He just wanted to ask if I was going into Hogsmeade tomorrow."
Daisy and Su both whipped round to stare, wide-eyed, at Ginny.
"That git asked you to go to Hogsmeade with him? You didn't say yes, did you?"
"Ginny! You're kidding? What'd he say?"
"NO!" Ginny said more sharply than she'd meant to. She took a deep breath. "He didn't ask me to go WITH him. He just wanted to know if I was going."
Su looked confused. "Why would he want to know, if he didn't want you to go with him?"
The three girls had begun to move down the hallway toward their class, Daisy glancing nervously behind them occasionally.
"Believe me," Ginny said firmly. "He's NOT interested in me. Probably just wants to make sure he doesn't have to res--." She stopped abruptly. She still hadn't told her friends about Knockturn Alley. She wasn't sure she wanted to, and quickly tried to hide her slip.
"Er, that is, he probably wants to make sure he has someone to pick on," she finished lamely.
Both of her friends looked skeptical, but Ginny continued on doggedly.
"Yeah, that's it. He wants to make sure he doesn't miss an opportunity to insult me again. So I'll have to make sure to stay out of his way. Right?"
She looked hopefully at Su and Daisy, but both girls were frowning and shaking their heads.
"Ginny, what's really going on?" Daisy demanded.
"Yeah, you've been acting really weird ever since last week, and I don't buy that Malfoy picking on you thing. He's been doing that all year and it didn't bother you before."
Colin yelled at them from down the hallway before Ginny could answer.
"Hey, you're gonna be late if you don't move it!" he called, gesturing for them to put some speed on.
As they hurried toward him, Su glanced at Ginny and said quietly, "You've got some explaining to do at lunchtime, girl."
The Common Room was empty since most of the students were at lunch. Su and Daisy had filled Colin in on what they'd seen and the little Ginny had told them, so instead of going to lunch, Colin led the three girls back to Gryffindor.
"Be back in a sec," he told them as he headed up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.
Ginny flopped down on a couch with Su and Daisy on either side. She knew what they wanted. They wanted to know exactly what had happened in the library and why it had bothered her so much. Once she explained that, they would want to know how on earth she'd ever become interested in Draco in the first place. Ginny sighed. She didn't HAVE to explain anything to them, but they were her best friends in the world. They had put up with her irrational behavior for more than two months now, and she felt they deserved some sort of explanation. It was just embarrassing, that was all. Embarrassing enough to admit that one of her worst enemies in the world had had to rescue her when she'd gotten herself lost in the filthy back- street slums of Knockturn Alley and its surrounding area. But it was even more humiliating to have to admit that she'd spent the entire school year trying to get the same enemy to notice her. And that she'd had a ridiculous, almost hero-worshipping crush on the arrogant git, too! At least she could assure her friends that she had finally gotten over it. She realized now how stupid it had been to try to make a hero out of Draco Malfoy when he'd probably just been trying to protect his own neck.
As they waited for Colin to come back, the girls looked uneasily at each other. Ginny knew Su and Daisy would be all comfort and sympathy, but secretly they would probably roll their eyes and wonder what had gotten into Ginny. She couldn't blame them. She'd wondered herself, just last week. She was sure Draco had not been acting out of any sense of gallantry, but had wanted to get her out of the way quickly. That was the only explanation for his behavior. Ginny narrowed her eyes. If so, though, what was HE doing in Knockturn Alley? Why had he been meeting with Flint? It was obvious that he'd had a meeting of some sort with the creepy young man. He'd even told him that he'd be right back and to wait for him. Odd that in all this time it had never occurred to Ginny to wonder what that meeting might have been about. What if the two had been up to no good? What if...
"Right then, girls, lunch is served!"
Colin was just sliding a tray heaped with tins of meat, cheese and biscuits onto the table. He even had four bottled soft drinks to go along with the snack, as well as a small box of chocolates.
"Wow! Colin! It's a feast!" Su said enthusiastically.
"Good grief, Colin! Did your mum send you the entire grocery store?"
Colin smiled at Daisy. "Well, you know, she does like to take care of her little boy!" he said slyly. "Sends me care packages about once a month because she doesn't want me sneaking down to the kitchens. Afraid I'll get in trouble."
Ginny understood that there was more to his words than what appeared on the surface. In their fourth year Colin had snuck out of Gryffindor and been set upon by some older boys. Luckily, Fred and George 'happened' to be out and about and had broken up the incident before the other boys could do much more than push Colin around. George and Fred had made the other boys' lives miserable in a hundred small ways the rest of the year, ensuring that they would never set on Colin again. Amazingly, the twins had shown a remarkable amount of discretion for once and not much was said. But Ginny knew, even if no one else did, that the boys had picked on Colin because he didn't like girls.
"She doesn't know you could take care of yourself, now?" Ginny asked curiously, knowing that Colin studied a variety of self-defense disciplines and tried to work out when he could.
"I don't let on," he said with a laugh. "Otherwise, she wouldn't send me anything!"
They laughed and set to, devouring every crumb. Finally, sitting back comfortably in the wingback chair he'd taken, Colin looked at Ginny.
"All right, Gin. Give. What is going on with Draco Malfoy, and why, after knocking heads with him for two months, are you backing off and giving up?"
Ginny sat back, too, and bit her lip. Taking a deep breath, she began.
"It all started in Diagon Alley..."
Half an hour later, Su and Daisy were indeed shaking their heads.
"Wow, Ginny, I don't know what to say," Daisy began before Su cut her off.
"For God's sake, Gin, Malfoy? I mean, MALFOY? Girl, you need your head examined!"
Colin was grinning from ear to ear, however. "'Not interested in you as anything other than a friend'? That's really what he said? Well, that's unexpected. I would have expected some of the usual homophobic crap, but I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. Not that his cover is all that bad if you like that Greek-god, blond Adonis type. Which, obviously, our Ginny does."
Ginny flushed and gave him a half-hearted glare.
"So what now?" Colin asked.
"Damned if I know," Ginny snapped. "I'll just make sure to stay out of his way, that's all."
"Good!" Su and Daisy said together. They had taken offense at Draco's description of them and his comment about being sorted into Hufflepuff.
"But why?" Colin asked. "I mean, it sounds to me like he's concerned about you. Maybe he really just wants you to keep safe. And knowing what a selfish git he is, if he wants you safe, its so he can have you for himself, right?"
"Colin! Really!" Ginny gave him an exasperated look. "You're not really helping! Tell him," she said to the other girls. Unfortunately, Su was now looking speculatively at her.
"What?!" Ginny demanded, her chin jutting out.
"You know," Su mused, her voice as speculative as her expression. "He DID protect that annoying little Kneazle in the library. Why would he do that? That's definitely out of character for him."
Ginny sighed. "He LIKES Labelle, and she likes him, too. THAT'S why he protected her."
"If you use that reasoning," Daisy said nervously, "wouldn't that mean that Malfoy likes you, too?"
Su's eyes widened and she turned to stare at Ginny. "Oh-my-God," she whispered. "No way!"
Colin grinned wickedly at Ginny as she shook her head. She held up a hand in denial.
"You're right, Su," she said firmly. "There is no way that he likes me. THAT was pretty obvious, to me at least. Otherwise why would he say such mean things?"
Colin opened his mouth to reply but the sound of voices coming from the portrait hole stopped him.
"What do you mean you're not going to Hogsmeade tomorrow!?"
Ron, Harry and Hermione had just come into the Common Room and Ron was looking at Hermione with a dark scowl.
"That prat can't keep you from going! You're the Head Girl, for God's sake!"
Ginny and her friends watched as the three seventh year students moved their way.
"Ron," Hermione said with exaggerated patience, "I told you. Professor Snape is NOT forcing me to stay. I volunteered to help him with a project. It'll earn extra credit for me, and it will help me do well on the N. E. W. T.s."
Ginny and her friends exchanged a quick look. No one but Hermione would actually volunteer to miss a trip to Hogsmeade. And definitely not to spend the time with their bad-tempered Potions Master. Hermione really was the absolute end.
"But, Hermione, the N.E.W.T.s aren't for another eight months!" Ron said plaintively. "And it's HOGSMEADE! You gotta go with us! Tell her, Harry!"
It seemed to Ginny that Harry was trying to keep a straight face. "Leave me out of this one, Ron. If Hermione wants to stay, nothing I say is going to change her mind."
The three passed Ginny and her friends and wandered over to a table in the corner. More Gryffindors were drifting into the Common Room to relax before afternoon classes, so Colin began to clear away the tins.
The girls stood, but Dean Thomas hurried over.
"Ginny! Got a sec?" he asked, a tentative smile on his dark, good-looking face.
"Uh, sure, Dean," Ginny answered, sitting again.
Su, Colin and Daisy moved away, the girls going up to their room and Colin discarding their rubbish. Dean sat next to Ginny and looked quickly around.
"Er, your Kneazle's not around, is she?"
"Not at the moment," Ginny said with a grin. Labelle had made it clear that she did not like any of the boys in Gryffindor, except Colin. Most of the boys were now very wary of the hissing, spitting menace.
"Good," he said quickly. "I just wanted to ask if you were going into Hogsmeade with anyone tomorrow?"
Ginny's eyebrows shot up. Was Dean asking her out? She couldn't answer for a second. Dean was a very nice boy. He was good looking and pleasant company and Ginny couldn't think of any good reason not to go with him, if he was asking. Another good-looking face came to mind, but she shoved it aside. Draco Malfoy wasn't interested in her, and he'd made it perfectly clear, hadn't he? Before she could answer, though, a streak of patchy orange, black and white fur hurled itself at the small space between the two teens. Ears flattened, Labelle hissed and bared her teeth at Dean. He scooted back immediately.
"Labelle!" Ginny cried, grabbing the kitten, a bit of a struggle since she'd grown several inches in the last few weeks. "Honestly! Its just Dean!"
Labelle continued to glare balefully at the young man. Dean stood quickly, but he hovered near the edge of the couch.
"Just Dean?" he said, assuming an offended look. "Ginny, you wound me!"
Ginny giggled and stroked the Kneazle's head, soothing her. "I'm sorry, Dean. You know what I meant. I don't know what got into her! Anyway, you were saying?"
Dean opened his mouth, but Colin walked up at that moment and interrupted.
"Sorry, Dean, but Ginny already promised to go with me tomorrow," Colin lied shamelessly. "You understand, right?"
Dean looked as though he did not understand at all.
"But I thought you two were just friends," he said stubbornly.
Now Ginny began to say something, but Colin cut her off.
"Yes, but Ginny promised to help me buy some Christmas presents, didn't you, Gin? And who knows whether we'll get a chance to go again before the holidays?"
Ginny could either deny it and make Colin look foolish, or she could agree and take it out of his hide later. Paybacks, she thought darkly as she gave Dean an apologetic smile.
"He's right, Dean. I guess I forgot. Maybe we could meet for a drink at the Three Broomsticks?"
Dean sort of grunted and gave Colin a long look. "Right," he said finally. "See you later."
Su and Daisy came back downstairs and handed Ginny her books for her afternoon classes. "Ready?" Daisy asked brightly.
Giving Colin a dark look, Ginny muttered, "As I'll ever be."
Ginny, Su, Colin and Daisy were just leaving the small stationer's shop, arms laden with an odd assortment of bags and boxes. Besides a few hastily chosen Christmas presents (as a boon to Ginny's conscience) Colin and Su had both restocked their potions supplies, Daisy had blown most of her money at Honeydukes, and Ginny was clutching a new paperback romance she'd gotten from the book store. They had spent most of the day just wandering from shop to shop and making small purchases, except for the hour the girls had spent in the small robe shop, looking at the latest fashions and giggling over the display of fancy lingerie. Colin had flatly refused to accompany them and had taken himself over to the sporting goods store to look for gloves for the Quidditch season. He was a chaser this year and had been looking forward to getting some new gear. Wherever they went, though, Ginny had noticed that she was never left on her own.
She wasn't certain whether it was because they'd had a private discussion about her or coincidence, but it was unnerving to find one or the other of her friends always at her side, or under her feet or looking over her shoulder. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she doubted it. She was certain they were standing guard over her and it was annoying. And having Labelle desert her this morning made it all the more annoying.
Ginny had been sure the Kneazle would want to go into Hogsmeade with them. She had accompanied them down to the main entry hall where Argus Filch was checking names off his list. He was taking his time about it, too, the irritating git, Ginny had thought. Mrs. Norris was standing at his side, her sly eyes glaring at each student as though she knew something nasty about him or her. When it was Ginny's turn, though, Mrs. Norris took one look at Labelle and yowled, spinning and running as though the devil were chasing her. Ginny glanced down at her kitten, but Labelle just looked innocently back. Filch, of course, had dropped his list and lit off after his cat immediately, calling back various threats if any of 'you little heathens' left without his approval.
The students had looked at one another, before heading, en masse, out the door. Labelle, however, moved to the side and turned toward the dungeons.
"Labelle!" Ginny had cried. "Aren't you coming with us?"
The Kneazle had rubbed Ginny's ankles, meowed, and turned back to the dungeons. Ginny shrugged, figuring Labelle must have had better things to do.
But Ginny would have loved her company right now, when she was feeling a bit suffocated by the over protectiveness of her friends. It was nice to know they cared, but she thought they were getting a bit carried away. She kept her grumbling to herself, though. She was grateful for their friendship.
"Well, how about the Three Broomsticks?" Su said brightly. "I need a break!"
"Sounds good to me," Colin said. "Looks like it might actually rain after all."
The sky had been gray when they'd left the castle, but dark clouds had been accumulating all day. It was now dark enough that the magical gas lamps had already come on, even though it was barely three in the afternoon.
"Great," Ginny said glumly. "And I didn't even bring my umbrella!"
"'S'all right, Gin," Daisy told her comfortingly. "We can share. Besides, we don't have to stay that long."
As they entered the Three Broomsticks, they found it already crowded. Colin and Su handed their packages over to Ginny and Daisy and made for the loos, while Ginny and Daisy looked for a table. They managed to grab a table that three Ravenclaw boys were vacating, and dumped their purchases on the extra stools to save the seats.
"Damn!" Ginny said suddenly.
"What?" Daisy looked around quickly to see what had made Ginny curse.
"Oh, bloody hell," Ginny snapped, using one of her brother's favorite curses. "I just bought new quills, then went and left them on the counter! Now I have to go back and get them!"
Ginny stood, preparing to leave, but Daisy grabbed her arm.
"Hang on, Ginny. Wait 'til Colin or Su come back. Then one of us will go with you."
Ginny frowned at her friend. "Daisy, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I'm not a child and despite whatever you lot may think, I really can take care of myself. Besides," she said, shrugging back into her cloak, "I'll only be a few minutes. What's gonna happen to me on the main street in broad day?"
Ignoring Daisy's pleading and complaints, Ginny pulled up the hood of her cloak and left the inn. It would take her five, maybe seven minutes, max, to get to the stationer's, and she would stay on the main street. There would be people about, so what could happen, really? Besides, Draco Malfoy had probably just been rattling her cage yesterday. He'd probably just wanted to get a rise out of her, and she wasn't going to let him and his bad jokes influence her. As she walked quickly along the street, she realized that she hadn't even seen him all day. Yeah, she thought, he'd just played a stupid joke on them all. With a snort of disgust, Ginny pushed him from her mind.
The man behind the counter looked up as she entered, and smiled broadly. "Forget sumpin', missy?" he teased genially.
He was holding up a small bag with the store's name emblazoned on it. The tips of four quills could be seen over the lip of the bag. Ginny grinned.
"Thanks! My other quills are so worn out, I can barely write with them!"
She took the bag and thanked him again. How stupid of her to pay for the new quills and then just walk out of the store without them. She had been thinking of Draco and his comments about not being able to afford them, and she'd gotten so steamed, she'd just walked off. Not that the git had been far wrong. She'd used the last of her spending money on them, and they'd have to last until after Christmas. Giving the owner a final wave, Ginny stepped out onto the street. And stopped.
The day had grown even darker, and although it wasn't raining, a heavy fog was rolling in. She remembered a snatch of some old poem; something about the fog creeping in on little cat paws or something like that, but a chill ran down her spine. Ginny didn't like the way the fog was rolling, almost slithering down the street toward her. She wondered if perhaps she shouldn't have waited for Colin after all, but wondering wasn't getting her back to the Three Broomsticks. Straightening her back and tugging her cloak tightly about her, she turned away from the heavy wall of mist and hurried toward the inn.
Five minutes, seven, max, she thought to herself, trying to keep the sudden panic she was feeling at bay. She'd be there in less time than it took to get from one class to another. She was still reassuring herself when a dark figure loomed from the mist that had surrounded her. Ginny tried to stop, but she was already practically on top of the figure. She turned, intending to run, but the figure, a man, by his size, reached out and grabbed her, wrapping one arm around her waist and clamping a hand across her mouth. Then, lifting her from her feet, the man dragged her into a darkened doorway and shoved her into the wall.
Ginny's yelp of pain as her head smacked against the stones was muffled against the large hand. But the worst part was the man's chuckle. It was an evil laugh; definitely not a happy sound, and it caused another chill to snake down Ginny's spine.
"Well, look at what I caught," the man murmured with another laugh. "If it isn't Malfoy's pretty little girlfriend. He should know better than to let you wander around alone. No knowing what sort of people you might meet, especially on a dark day like this!"
Ginny shuddered, clutching her bag to her chest. Marcus Flint! What was he doing here in Hogsmeade? One of his hands was still clamped across her mouth, but the fingers of his other hand were tracing a line down her neck to her collar. Disgust rose in her throat and Ginny was afraid she might actually vomit if he touched her again. His eyes were leering at her and Ginny tried to look away as his thick lips twisted into a sneering smile.
"I just realized who you are, pretty thing. You're Percy Weasley's little sister, aren't you?" He grinned suddenly. "Why, you were just a flat- chested little girl when I was at school. And now." Ginny squirmed and tried to scream as his hand moved to the fastening of her cloak. "Why, you're all grown up, aren't you? I'll have to take a look..."
Panicked, Ginny dropped the bag and brought her hands up to rake at his face with her nails. He drew back, long, bloody furrows trailing down his face.
"You bitch," he hissed, reaching for her as she pushed past him.
One foot landed squarely on her bag of quills and for a sickening, heart- stopping second, Ginny was sure she was going to lose her balance. She stumbled, but righted herself and bolted off. Flint's hands caught in her cloak, bringing her up short. Ginny choked and struggled desperately with the catch of the cloak, freeing it not a second too soon. One of his hands was trying to grab at her hair, but she pulled away, leaving a few strands tangled about his fingers. She'd done it, she thought wildly. She was going to make it! And then she heard him yell out, "Stupefy!" just before her world went black.
"-nervate!" Ginny could barely make out the word. The world came swimming painfully back and Ginny was aware of being cold. Freezing. She was shivering; her head hurt and her muscles were sore. And she was sitting on the cold ground! What the hell had happened? And then she remembered Marcus Flint.
With a sob, Ginny struggled against the hands holding her, trying to kick and scratch. She was shaken roughly by the shoulders.
"God damn it, Weasley! Knock it off!"
She'd never been happier to hear Draco Malfoy's voice in her life! She stopped struggling and opened her eyes. And wished she hadn't. He looked furious!
"Don't you ever listen!?" he demanded, glaring at her. "It wasn't that hard! Stay with your bloody friends! Don't go 'round by yourself! Are you stupid or just stubborn!?"
"Get off, Malfoy!" Ginny hissed suddenly, pushing at his chest. She wanted to cry and it didn't make things any better to know that Draco was right. He'd warned her, but she'd stupidly gone out alone.
He didn't release her, though. "Come on, Weasley," he said in a slightly calmer voice. "You'll catch your death out here without your cloak."
He stood and roughly pulled her up. Ginny swayed slightly, her head pounding. She wondered if she'd struck her head when Flint had stupefied her. Flint! Ginny unconsciously moved toward Draco and looked around, frightened. She barely noticed when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. Marcus Flint lay only a few feet away, sprawled facedown on the ground while the mist swirled over and around him. She shivered. Draco brought his hand up and pressed her head to his chest, before he turned her away from the sight.
"I ought to strangle you," he said harshly. "Your friends ought to keep you on a leash to keep you out of trouble!"
Despite the angry words, he continued to hold her until she stopped shivering. Finally, though, he pulled her away from him. His expression was unreadable as he looked at her.
"Stay right here," he told her. "I'm getting your cloak and taking you back to the inn."
Ginny wanted to protest that she could handle it herself, but she swallowed the words. She'd already acted stupid enough. With a small nod, Ginny leaned against the wall and watched as Draco retrieved her cloak from the dark doorway Flint had dragged her into. She could see why Flint had dared something so bold. Ginny wasn't even ten feet away and she could barely see Draco's dark form through the shifting fog. He bent over Flint and hauled to man to the doorway, shoving his into the small space. Ginny thought he was placing another spell on him, but she couldn't be sure. Then Draco stomped back to her.
"Here," he said icily, shoving the cloak into her arms. "Put this on and we'll go."
If Ginny had cherished any hopes that Draco might feel something for her besides contempt, the hopes were instantly quashed. He still sounded furious. She pulled the now-damp cloak onto her arms and fastened it quickly.
"I'm ready," she began, but he'd already grabbed her arm, much like he had in Knockturn Alley, and was dragging her down the street toward the Three Broomsticks.
The inn was all warmth and light after the chill and gloom outside. And that had been nothing to the chill of Ginny's companion. He didn't say a word as he marched her to the inn. Once they were inside the entryway, though, he turned to her and glared.
"Stay right here," he ordered. "I'm getting your brother. Maybe he can control you, since it's obvious your friends can't!"
Ginny started to protest, but he was already gone, stomping through the crowd directly toward the small table Ron was sharing with Harry and Dean Thomas. She glanced around quickly, and saw Colin rise, looking toward her, concerned. Colin stopped suddenly, his eyes moving to Draco. Ginny looked, too, and saw the Slytherin motioning imperiously at Colin to stay put. Ginny's indignation grew as she watched Colin sit again. Who the hell did Draco think he was to order her and her friends around? She wasn't indignant enough to move from where he'd told her to stay, though. Instead, she slumped against the wall and watched him talking, quietly and angrily, from the look of it, to her brother.
Ginny could see Ron's face turning red even from across the room. He stood suddenly, and looked from Draco to her. They both made small, angry gestures in her direction. Oh, lord, Ginny thought. It was definitely going to hit the fan now. Ron finally gave Draco a last glare and started walking toward her. Marching, no, stomping was more like it. Ginny imagined she could actually feel the floor shake as both young men stamped up to her.
"What the bloody hell is going on, Ginny?" Ron demanded as soon as he was within hissing distance. "Bloody Malfoy tells me you're being stalked by that sodding bastard Marcus Flint. He tells me he warned you to stay with your friends. And he says the fucking bastard actually attacked you? What," he repeated, hands on hips, "the bloody hell is going on?"
"Oh, wonderful, Weasley." The smooth, sneering voice cut right through Ginny's angry response. "I'm sure that after what she's been through, your brand of caring concern is exactly what your sister doesn't need. If I'd known you'd turn Inquisitor, I'd have taken her back to Hogwarts myself!"
Ron had the grace to look sheepish. He glared at Draco, but turned back to Ginny. "Sorry, sis. But when Malfoy came up and said he found you out on the street, stupefied, with Flint standing over you, I just, you know, kind of lost it."
Draco smirked. "Yeah, right. Think you can handle it now, Weasley?"
Without waiting for an answer, the Slytherin brushed past both of them and left.
"I think you have some explaining to do, Ginny," Ron said, an odd look on his face.