Thanks go to Emma Barrows, Soul Stealer Immortal, Ally, the Vampire in the Shadows and Stella7. Thank you for your wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter also. Voila... Disclaimer: own nothing (sob)
Chapter 7 – Tangled Web
Ginny tried, in vain, to pacify Persephone.
"She was just so unbelievably cocky," she growled searching through her trunk and throwing various discarded items in random directions, "SUCH a bitch, and she wasn't very nice about you either! I can't believe some people's gall sometimes, and MALFOY standing there SNIGGERING, I could have strangled him too!" Perse snarled, drawing a hairbrush violently through her hair.
Ginny sighed, weathering Persephone's rant resignedly. Tugging Perse's school tie off the doorframe where it had landed she folded it neatly before turning to her friend.
"Perse, it's only Pansy-ultra-Slytherin-bitch, you wonder how she got that name? Well it's from displays such as that." Ginny watched Perse, trying to gauge her reaction before continuing falteringly, "I'm so sorry I left you at breakfast else I would have been there to give you some support when Pansy laid in." She tugged her fingers through her hair, Sunday mornings should not be this stressful.
Persephone waved her apology away, "You couldn't have known," she assured her. "Out of interest, what DID happen at breakfast?" She watched Ginny attentively, waiting for her answer.
Ginny related what had happened with Harry rather embarrassedly. Perse smiled sympathetically, "Yeah, uh, sorry I was asleep. Again," she replied, scratching her head sheepishly.
Persephone watched Ginny astutely as she changed into her jeans and a black t-shirt.
"Y'know you did sound a lot like our-favourite-Slytherin himself though. Maybe there's something he left out with the aura-merging event," she pondered.
Ginny's face drained of colour. "What you mean like he's speaking through me or something?" She looked terrified.
"No, no," Persephone quickly reassured her, "you're still very much, well, you. I just think the link between you could be influencing your actions."
She heaved a sigh of relief, fingering her long hair into a plait. "Would be funny to think of Malfoy getting all touchy-feely like me though wouldn't it," she asked Persephone, her face cracking into a grin.
Persephone giggled in answer, imagining Draco becoming all soft and harmless, quite a funny visual. Like Snape in a dress and a hat - she'd heard about the Bogart incident of Ginny's second year from Neville himself.
Whilst she waved her wand around making quite feeble attempts (in her opinion) to darken around her eyes and de-flaw her complexion (the magical equivalent of what the muggles called 'make-up', horrendously complicated that is, too) she could see Ginny shooting her furtive glances in her peripheral vision. She sighed.
"Out with it Gin."
Ginny didn't immediately answer, preferring to study her fingernails conscientiously.
Internally though, Ginny was having a furious debate with herself. Do I tell her about the fairies, or is that just too weird? Maybe I only imagined them anyway. Whoever heard of the element of emotion besides? And so the thoughts went round and round until eventually she just blurted it out: "I spoke with some fairies."
Persephone froze. She spun slowly around to study Ginny's face, finding no trace of mirth or mockery on her features.
"Ok…" she slowly placed her wand down, "want to explain that comment?"
Ginny gradually told her all that had passed between her and the Faes, and although Persephone found it a little hard to believe that Ginny had talked with fairies, she understood the emotional potential of her friend. After all it was obvious to anyone who really got to know Ginny that there was more to her than just the observable, unfortunately most of Hogwarts have been too shortsighted to take that chance.
After Ginny had finished Perse blew out a breath, "Why couldn't I pick the normal person to be best friends with?" she joked rhetorically. Seeing the pensive look that suddenly planted itself on Ginny's features she quickly amended, "But where would be the adventure then?"
# # #
Draco watched littlest Weasley stroll unconcernedly into the great hall for lunch with her dark-haired friend. He noticed Blaise watch them too, but for a different reason to him. Zabini was heels over elbows for the welsh witch. Draco could see the attraction, but personally thought she was a little too bizarre for his rather more refined tastes.
He watched Ginny say something rather nervously to Potter and him budging up to make room for her on the bench. Draco unconsciously narrowed his eyes dangerously.
He, along with the rest of the rather dim-witted male population, had noticed the diminutive Weasley recently; in fact sometimes it was difficult not too. Whereas in previous years she rather blended into Hogwarts like a ghost, this year she had been brought out of herself by her friend, better late than never I suppose. Albeit gradually, it was still becoming evident to any hot-blooded male that Ginny Weasley was no longer a scared little waif. He had seen the majority of boys in the sixth and seventh years give her a look-over at least once, and she seemed entirely oblivious to it all. Come the ball, she'll be beating them off with a stick. Or maybe I could beat them off with a stick for her… Startled at his abrupt change of thought; he quickly wolfed his lunch and headed rapidly out of the hall.
Once out in the corridor, he turned to find Blaise pacing next to him.
"You need to forget about her," Draco told him. "It's never going to happen."
"Yeah, and you need to keep your eyes off Ginny Weasley, but that's not exactly going to happen either, is it?"
Like lightning, Draco had Zabini pinned roughly to the wall. "Never," he growled through clenched teeth, "insinuate anything like that again." With that he stalked off, his robe billowing menacingly behind him.
Blaise looked after him, a smirk evident on his face. Ah, the first girl to get a rise out of Draco, and how poignant that it's the one girl who would barely give him the time of day. Hmm, maybe I'm rubbing off on him.
# # #
"Oh, hell! I left my potions homework in the common room," Ginny exclaimed slightly panicked.
"Go back and find it! Quickly though, you might just make it on time," encouraged Perse.
"Ok, see you shortly!" Ginny yelled over her shoulder whilst sprinting off in the opposite direction.
"Do try to look where you're going though," Persephone murmured after her departing form.
Perse walked briskly along the corridors. Her heart felt unusually light considering she was going to double potions, it was Monday morning, eurgh, and had been haunted the night before by very nasty dreams from when her parents had been murdered. To make her morning a hundred times worse the P.U.S.B (Pansy-ultra-Slytherin-bitch) herself appeared out of a classroom to Persephone's left.
"Ah, hello little girl," Pansy drawled. "Fancy meeting you on this rather deserted, out of the way, hallway. Wouldn't it be strange that if someone was calling for help no one would hear them?"
"Fascinatingly so," replied Perse shortly. I will NOT lose my temper; she will NOT get to me.
"Stay away from Zabini," hissed the Slytherin threateningly.
"Like I'd want to go near him in the first place!" Perse exclaimed scornfully.
"You're all the same, you Griffs. So painfully proud, you'd rather lose your life than your pride," the older girl scoffed mockingly. "Now I want you and Zabini to stay apart, else it will ruin everything."
"Everything?" inquired Persephone curiously.
"Plans that took years of preparation," Pansy replied haughtily, "not that you'd care. So I need to deter Blaise from you." She took out her wand and began to play with it between her fingers. "What would you prefer? Boils or discolouration?"
Perse felt the blood drain from her face. Pansy was a year above her, and she hadn't been taught the Protego defensivecharm properly yet as she'd only been at Hogwarts a short while.
"Boils it is," said Pansy impatiently. Aiming her wand directly at Persephone's head, she cried "Bubbloila!"
Just behind Perse she heard an answering voice call "Defenamore!"
When nothing happened Persephone opened her eyes slowly, not realising that she'd screwed them up tight when Pansy had shouted her hex.
She seemed to be enclosed in an emerald bubble, the outside world was still quite clear, but slightly blurred, like looking at it through water. She turned to find Blaise Zabini towering over her.
"Finite Incantatem," he said calmly, the bubble vanishing immediately. "What the hell are you trying to do Pansy? You know hexing students would cost Slytherin valuable points and you a detention, can't spend just one day not making someone's life a misery?" he spat vehemently.
Pansy scowled at him. Abruptly she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and stalked away up the corridor.
Blaise watched her go, a dark look in his eyes. He turned to ask Persephone if she was okay, but she too had vanished. You'd think saving the girls looks would at least earn me some points, he thought frustratedly, But apparently not.
# # #
Harry and Ron arrived back at the common room, panting. Hermione and Ginny were sitting on the same settee, Hermione reading and Ginny lost in her own thoughts. The older girl eyed them over her book, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"We just spied," deep breath, "on the Slytherin's," another deep breath, "quidditch practise!" explained Ron, somewhat stiltingly.
"But they saw us," added Harry, recovering faster than Ron.
"And so we ran," Ron agreed, clutching his heaving chest with a freckled hand.
Hermione gave them a reproving glare; "You know you shouldn't-" she started.
"Spy on the other teams, yes Hermione, we KNOW that's cheating, you have told us before," Ron finished for her, rolling his eyes. Ginny smiled at the exchange between them, Hermione had to be the only girl who could go head to head with Ron and not be the slightest bit intimidated, ether by his hair or his height.
"As the oldest in the school. You should be setting an EXAMPLE," Hermione admonished.
Harry smiled innocently, "We didn't see much, just Malfoy trying to get his team to understand the quidditch basics," he shared a grin with Ron, "he wasn't doing too well."
"At least they're having quidditch practises," remarked Ginny offhandedly.
Ron puffed himself up impressively, "I'll have you know I organised the quidditch tryouts for this Saturday – all on my own."
"That's great brother dearest," Ginny smirked, "are you going to learn how to tie your shoelaces next week?"
There was silence as the Golden Triplet looked at her. Bitchy bitchy…
Then Harry burst into laughter and the tension immediately dissolved. Ron joined him.
"And the week after," replied Harry, smile still intact, "we're advancing onto how to dress ourselves properly."
Ginny shared their laughter, but it still slightly bothered her that she occasionally just came out with stuff that had a very Malfoy-esque ring to it.
# # #
"You shouldn't be scared of her," repeated Ginny, "she's just a bully who gets kicks out of other people fear." Persephone nodded mutely watching the fire flicker in the empty common room. "But you have to admit that Zabini isn't too bad, I mean he did protect you and everything," pressed Ginny.
"Yes," Perse agreed slowly. "But what was he doing there in the first place? And why does Pansy want me to stay away from him?" Not that I want to go near him anyway, she mentally added.
"No idea," the redhead shrugged. "The Slytherins are always scheming, it could be any number of things."
"True," agreed Perse. "Speaking of Slytherins, have you spoken to his highness yet? 'Cause you know you really need to, else you might go so far as to become the Super Bitch of Gryffindor. And we wouldn't want to rob Lysine of that now would we?" Lysine was a second year, and had a reputation for being unnecessarily mean to not only her peers, but the years above and below as well. Merlin knows how she got into Gryffindor in the first place.
Ginny smiled in agreement. "I really don't think that'll happen though Perse. I mean you can't see Malfoy getting all sweet and cuddly anytime soon can you? So I don't think I will end up like Pansy" Well I hope not anyway.
Persephone laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think you could ever be like Pansy," she answered truthfully, "but I think you should still talk to him. You might be able to do a blocking spell where you can't do that funny link thing that happens." She paused, grinning cheekily, "And to be honest I really don't want my best friend to be channelling Draco Malfoy any time soon thanks."
This earned her a gentle hit from Ginny.
The strange look once again appeared in Persephone's liquid blue eyes, putting Ginny on edge as she felt the magic in the room grow and multiply. The fire flickered higher casting dancing shadows on the walls. She watched Perse nervously, wondering what would happen.
"Danger walks Hogwarts halls, stolen in on a shadow." Persephone looked at her, and Ginny saw the dilation of her pupils once again, making her eyes appear almost black with magic and mystery, her black hair circled her head like a dark halo. "Be careful of what it is you dream," she articulated huskily, "because the Inverse stalks your dreams, and now reality."
Persephone blinked in confusion, her eyes instantly turning to their normal sparkling blue.
"What did I just say?" she asked embarrassedly, her cheeks taking on a pink hint.
"I think you just made a prediction," whispered Ginny in an awe-filled voice. She quickly related to Perse what exactly it was she had said. "And I think we have some research on our hands."
"It will have to wait until the morning," replied Perse, stretching and yawning on the maroon armchair. "I don't think I can keep my eyes open a moment longer."
After they had left the common room, two dark shadows detached from the wall and noiselessly followed them up the cold and winding stair.