A/n: no, I'm afraid no cookies for you lady-nimoe, but you were soooooo close!
Big thanks to Lady-Nimoe, Spiritsha Master and mell8 for you reviews :)
Spiritsha Master - I have just gone through the ENTIRE fan fiction and changed the spelling of 'gryffindor' (be PROUD)
Enjoy!
Chapter 10 – Playing with Fire
Blaise Zabini stood, feet evenly spaced, between the trees, his eyes blazing. The self-centred kid who barely gave a blast-ended skrewt about anyone other than himself had come through in spades.
The way between Blaise and themselves was cleared, so Ginny and Draco hurried quickly across to him. The banshees recovered very rapidly, rising to their feet, as though propelled by invisible wings.
"What now?" Draco asked. His face had reverted to its normal stone-like formation.
"Well," replied Blaise, sending another rally of hexes in the vague direction of the banshees. "I only really thought as far as my valiant rescue and you two worshipping the ground I stood on."
"Bullshit," retorted Draco. Zabini wouldn't have come in half-cocked; he's a Slytherin not a Gryffindor.
Blaise ignored him. "Although you two looked quite content on your own…" The innuendo was difficult to miss.
Ginny coloured slightly although it wasn't noticeable in the darkness, she still didn't quite know what to think about that particular episode.
Suddenly, hundreds of tiny little fairy light descended from the trees, sparkling delicately in the trees branches. Ginny gasped in awe at the prettiness, fairies of every different build and type danced and played. They zipped around the heads of the banshees, causing the blackened hags to retreat away from the students and the colourful fairies.
"If you value your life I suggest you run," squeaked the black-haired fairy Ginny recognised as Patience.
"Yes, and next time listen to us," admonished the fair-headed Mirabella. "Now go!"
"Would be quicker if you summoned a broom," added Patience quickly.
With that the three students turned on their heels and scarpered. So it turns out that fairies maybe do exist…
"Accio broom!" both Draco and Blaise shouted in unison. A few moments two brooms whistled through the wood towards them, Ginny ducked, narrowly missing Draco's Firestorm II. Both boys jumped on their brooms and Ginny found herself hoisted in front of Draco, and they soared through the tree coverage into the open air.
Draco watched the air whip Ginny's face, making her vibrant hair flow and dance behind her. How could anyone not notice her? Although he himself barely knew of her existence until he had saved her life.
Behind them the wails followed, haunting the night sky. Draco cast a fleeting look at Blaise. He would want to know everything before the night was over, Draco wasn't sure he was ready to tell yet though, he himself had so many blanks to fill in.
At Hogwart's gates Blaise and Draco split. Ginny somehow had managed to fall asleep, quite an achievement at fifty feet, so Draco drifted up to the Gryffindor tower. Somehow, the window had been left open, almost as if in anticipation of their arrival. Draco suspected something to do with that Persephone girl.
The Slytherin gently placed Ginny on her bed, she was covered in marks and scratches, but she would have to tidy herself up in the morning – his healing spells had a tendency to do more worse than good. He studied the sleeping girl tenderly, he didn't understand her, and he was sure these 'soft' feelings had to be from the link, but at that point in time he didn't care, he just knew she needed protecting. She's going to be the downfall of me, he reflected, but only if I let her.
Draco exited the room via the window again. Two aqua orbs watched him go.
# # #
When Ginny awoke the next morning she was gratified to find that she was still alive and kicking. However the thousands of tiny cuts and bruises over her body made moving (and even breathing) quite painful. Abruptly, Persephone was next to her.
"I got you out of lessons for today," she explained. "And me too," she added as an afterthought. "You need your rest, your brother would throw a fit if he could see you now."
"What did you tell him by the way?" inquired Ginny.
"That you had really contagious flu," Perse replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The black-haired Gryffindor always managed to give off the impression that she knew more than she let on. "So how was Draco last night?" Ginny's suspicions were correct.
"He was…" Ginny remembered to the night before, the dream, the banshees and the fairies. The she remembered Draco's resolve in the face of the death spirits. "Terrifying as usual," she finished.
"And the kiss?"
"How do you know all this?" Ginny exclaimed in surprise.
"I saw it," replied Persephone simply.
"You mean you were there?" queried Ginny curiously. She didn't have any recollection of seeing Perse the night before at all.
"No… I just saw what happened. It was very visualistic, and can I point out that you and Draco make a pretty cute pair."
"We're NOT a pair!" Ginny retorted hotly, trying to sit up indignantly but found it too painful.
"That's not what the kiss looked like to me…" holding her hands up placatingly, a smug smile present on her features.
"First off, HE kissed ME. I had no voluntary part in it!"
"Yes," agreed Persephone gravely, "And did you see that flying squadron of flobberworms?"
Ginny frowned in annoyance. "What do you mean you 'saw' it anyway? I think there's some things about you that you need to explain…"
Persephone nodded in understanding, "I know."
She got off Ginny's bed, and paced to the window staring at the view across the Hogwarts ground. It was unseasonably warm for October, almost as though the darkness had been held off for a day. She turned to find Ginny watching her enquiringly.
"My mother was a Nixen," she started calmly, a slight welsh lilt suddenly taking residence as she talked about her past. At Ginny's blank look she explained. "Water sprites, they live in rivers all around the world. The are dangerous to humans as they lure sailors and swimmers and cause storms." She paused, fiddling with the drapes around the bed. "My mother was different to all the others though, she saved my father from drowning in the River Llwedeig and she fell in love with him."
"So your part Nixen?" breathed Ginny in an awe-filled voice.
"Yes," concurred Persephone. "I am therefore also part Seer. The Nixen water sprites are all Seers, their medium being water. But being part human, I see things in both water and air."
"Explains a lot," marvelled Ginny. "Guess we're all special in our own ways huh?"
Persephone nodded. "Does Zabini know about everything now do you think?"
Ginny had totally forgotten about him, she shrugged. "I don't know, he does have a right to know as I guess I do kind of owe them both my life now. In fact I owe Draco my life twice over."
"Quite a strong calling card that," observed Perse thoughtfully. I wonder what will come of it.
# # #
Harry rested his head wearily in his arms. Double D.A.D.A was not what it was cracked up to be.
He glanced to his right to see Ron looking equally as bored, staring into space.
"I hope it's that good to drool about Mr Weasley," demanded professor Morgian, jolting Harry unceremoniously from his thoughts.
The class tittered among themselves and Ron quickly went a fetching glowing red. He quickly wiped his chin self-consciously.
"Now, Mr Weasley and Mr Potter, maybe you'd like to demonstrate what I just explained," asked the teacher with mock politeness.
Harry felt himself redden slightly. What had they been discussing? Something about Possession, he couldn't remember what though. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Hermione's reproving looks, she probably felt they got exactly what they deserved for not listening. Well it wasn't like the rest of the class were on the edge of their seats either was it.
"Come to the front," ordered the young teacher her eyes flashing dangerously, brooking no argument, "So everyone can see you."
Harry and Ron slunk to the front of the class as inconspicuously as was possible.
"The detector charm you need to find out whether someone is possessed or not is rather complicated. First you need to light your wand." She waited patiently whilst Ron and Harry absorbed this information.
In unison they both voiced 'Lumos' in the direction of their wands.
"Now, as you can see, both wands light with a white glow. If a person is possessed this goes red and if they are not it goes blue. The charm you need to say is 'Rebbivus'"
"Rebbivus," chanted the class in unanimity.
"For some reason it helps if you concentrate on the persons hair colour. No-one quite knows why," added professor Morgian. "Ok Harry, you go first."
Harry eyed the tip of his wand dubiously before pointing it at Ron. Concentrating hard on the autograph Weasley red he pronounced "Rebbivus!" His wand point immediately glowed a bright aquamarine blue, causing Lavender and Pavati to oooh appreciatively. There was a smattering of applause and it was Ron's turn.
Ron held his wand steady, pointing it at Harry, "Rebbivus!" his wand tip, instead of going blue or red paused a moment on white before gradually turned a deep bottle green. The Gryffindors stared at it, before looking at the professor questioningly. Only Hermione caught the smirk that had been there previously.
The D.A.D.A professor feigned confusion, "No idea what that means," she said slowly. " But then Harry Potter is always a special case isn't he? I'm sure it nothing to worry about," she reassured them. "Ok, class dismissed."
The Gryffindors filed out slowly muttering amongst themselves, everyone save Ron and Hermione gave Harry a wide berth, just in case.
# # #
Gryffindor had their first team practise that evening and they all arrived on the pitch promptly, fuelled by anticipation.
Harry had the briefcase of balls clutched in firmly in his hand. He opened it slowly; the first ball that escaped was the snitch darting away around the quidditch pitch. The second ball was the quaffle that he threw to Lydia who caught it deftly rising into the air on her broom. Persephone and Ginny silently followed suit. Next, and finally, the bludgers zoomed out of the box whirring away to great heights. The team took off in its separate parts, each practising with their appropriate balls.
Ginny found flying with Lydia and Perse was almost refreshing, pretty soon they had some impressive tactics that served to effectively confuse Ron as they scored goal after goal. This either meant that they were really good chasers or Ron was not-so-good at goal keeping. Ginny prayed for the former to be true.
As the darkness began to draw in, Harry caught the snitch for the last time and they began to descend to earth.
"Look!" exclaimed Ron. The team followed his pointed arm to the edge of the stands, just in time to see a white-blonde head disappear down the middle of the seats.
Ginny knew immediately who it was.
"Malfoy," hissed Ron enragedly.
Ginny thought now would probably not be a good time to point out that they had technically gone and spied on the Slytherin practice first.
Ron hit the ground running, Harry following suit, the rest of the team, Dean and Seamus included, trailed at a slower pace. Dean and Seamus had tried to get Perse and hers attention for the entire practice and they seemed to think that now would be a good time. As they left the changing rooms however the yelling between her brother and Malfoy distracted them all.
"There wasn't much to see anyway!" snorted Draco, coolly.
"That's not the point! Just stay away from me, and mine," Ron snarled bringing his nose very close to the Slytherin's, Harry clinging to the back of his robes.
"No can do Weasley," smirked Draco, he sought Ginny standing next to Perse and gave her an exaggerated saucy wink, before turning and strolling unconcernedly away.
Ron stood shocked for a few seconds before realising exactly what it was Malfoy had done, then it took not only Harry but Seamus and Dean to hold him back from going to pound Draco's head in.
Ginny rolled her eyes, and desperately tried to mark the wink down along with the kiss as just 'weird behaviour'.