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Chapter 11 – Promises to Keep
October the thirty-first started similar to any other day, but there was a gradually more obvious feel of excitement running through the backbone of the school community. This was a pleasant change from the overhang of gloom that had coveted the school since the beginning of term.
First-years lined the corridors, chattering excitedly. Ginny carefully navigated her way through them, trailing Persephone behind her. Perse was talking animatedly about some Ravenclaw bloke – James someone… - who she had met in her accelerated Divination class.
Ginny was only half listening, her mind instead on the blonde-haired Slytherin who had become a reluctant but increasingly solid part of her life. Since the quidditch pitch incident she had had little contact with him, possibly because her brother was hounding her steps along with Hermione and Harry, although they were less noticeable about it.
"Have you listened to a word I said?" Perse' voice cut through her thoughts like a knife. Ginny eyed her guiltily.
"Yes… I got the bit where he's really good at crystal meditation?"
Perse stared dangerously. "Why did you say that like a question?" she all but growled.
"I'm sorry," Ginny sighed, "got things on my mind."
"A certain Slytherin?" inquired Persephone.
"You could say that," deliberated Ginny, watching the shifting mass of students from her and Perse' cubbyhole in the wall.
There was a moment's pause, as the two got lost in their own thoughts of that night in the Forbidden Forest. Perse watched Ginny's profile interestedly.
"Harry's been watching you," she finally said.
"I know," snorted Ginny, "along with Ron and Hermione – they want to make sure that I don't go near Malfoy. In fact I'm surprised they haven't shipped in the rest of my brothers to watch my every waking moment!"
Persephone let her friend's anger wash over her. "No, I mean he watches you all the time. Even Ron doesn't do that. It's like when he's in the same room as you he can't keep his eyes off you."
Ginny let this wash over her for a bit, before laughter bubbled up. "I know what you're implying," she said, grinning, "but Harry Potter does not 'watch' me anymore than someone like Malfoy would. The moon goes round the earth and that's the natural order of things." Ginny smiled with absolutely no self-pity in her eyes, before turning and meandering through the throngs to their transfiguration class.
"You expect too little, and miss too much," muttered Persephone before following her. Darkened eyes followed her movements from a nearby doorway.
# # #
Harry stared into space, ignoring the occasional looking and pointing he received from the first-years, sometimes even the second years.
He, Ron and Hermione were tailing not only Ginny, but now the D.A.D.A professor as well. Hermione was convinced that there was something up with her as she apparently pulled nasty faces when Harry and Ron weren't watching. To his left, Ron was once again trying to persuade Hermione that professor Morgian was harmless and maybe it was only her imagination, needless to say he was failing miserably and really irritating the head girl at the same time.
He let his thoughts wander to Ginny – their other followee. Harry had found that when he was near her his eyes were drawn to her. He liked to watch the way she interacted with her friends, and the total modesty that she just emanated. Even when it looked as though she was bottling everything up, there was this vibrancy that shone through, dancing in her eyes and reflecting off her hair.
Harry knew that Persephone had seen him watching Ginny, even when it was obvious she wasn't going anywhere. Just to make sure, he reminded himself, I only watch to make sure she's safe. But he couldn't shake the feeling that Persephone, with her vivid eyes, saw much more than the obvious.
He tuned in to Ron and Hermione's conversation, which seemed to have taken an interesting twist.
"Ronald, I do not care what Lavender would look like!" replied Hermione, testily.
"Well, I just had to sit whilst you quoted every good part of Terry Boot and his talents at Arithmancy," Ron barked, gesturing heatedly.
"At least he has some brains! With Lavender you can practically see in one ear and out the other!" the brown-haired Gryffindor exclaimed.
"Got a bit off topic here?" Harry inquired mildly.
"Shut up!" both Ron and Hermione snarled collectively. Hermione had pink blotches dancing on her cheeks and Ron's ears had gone scarlet.
Not for the first time that week Harry decided he was happy that his two best friends so definitely liked each other, but he wished they could do it a little less painfully, for his sake.
# # #
As the time of the feast drew nearer, the younger years became more and more overexcited. In the Gryffindor common room alone there were Dungbombs, Flooding Frisbees and Crazy Cards – a more complicated equivalent of 'exploding snap' where the cards did any number of things from dancing and singing to crossword puzzles (a Weasley Wizard Wheezes best seller).
By the time it was ready to go, the common room had puddles, was singed in places and two packs of Crazy Cards had gone feral and were waging war against each other in the corner.
Hermione sighed long-sufferingly before cleaning the entire room with a wave of her wand.
The three seventh years walked companionably behind Persephone and Ginny down to the feast. Ginny's hair flickered in the passing torches as the darkness gathered. Harry thought that if he could save a moment of Ginny forever, it would be this one where she looked so happy, carefree and animated. The pessimistic thought that every day could be their last popped into his head because after all who knew what the future would bring, especially in troubled times such as their own. He shook these thoughts away anxiously.
As they sat down in the great hall, Hermione had a smug little smile plastered on her face; she knew what was about to happen, as did the prefects. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, did not.
Professor Dumbledore stood calmly at the front, rapidly commanding silence from the student body and the teachers save Professor Morgian who continued to talk at Snape.
"Welcome to another Halloween Feast, in some cases, your last." His eyes roved across Hermione, Ron and Harry and over the rest of the Hogwarts seventh years. "Before the feast starts you will all be given a piece of parchment with the details of the Christmas Ball on them." The hall exploded with chatter and whisperings, Dumbledore waited until they had quietened down. "You will also get a piece of parchment with 'Clue 1' emblazoned on the front. Do NOT show this to anyone else, this must be done individually. At the end of the feast you will receive a third, and final, piece of parchment that will say 'Clue 2' on it. This is the beginning of guessing who your date will be." Once again the hall erupted in whispering, giggling and, in some cases, apprehension.
"So why did we have to stay out of the hall from two?" Ron asked, appearing to be wondering out loud although his gaze was fixed firmly on Hermione. She tilted her head towards the doors of the hall, gesturing for them to watch.
Quite suddenly, they slammed open causing instant silence throughout the four tables. Fifteen or so witches on broomsticks with traditional pointed hats soared through and into the highest reaches of the impressive hall.
They moved in harmony with one another, showing formations and balances using each other's broomsticks. The muggle borns in the hall recognised it as an interesting equivalent to the muggle sport 'synchronised swimming' but it was fun for the entire hall (except the Slytherins who pretended to be heinously bored) to watch the aerobatics performed so high up with seemingly little fear.
"We had them practising in here since two o'clock," Hermione said, in answer to Ron's earlier question. "Good thing too – the first time they tried it two of them caught on fire from the floating candles."
# # #
Ginny studied her first clue in mystification.
'Hear the sound like missing, and confuse the sneak,'
Oh, yes, that just clears everything up for me. Maybe the second clue will be clearer.
She stole a glance at Persephone who didn't appear to be doing any better than she was, Perse' brow was crinkled in concentration as she read and re-read the same line. The feast was very quiet whilst everyone tried to make sense of his or her clues.
Once their plates were cleared, everyone's second clue materialised where they were sitting. Ginny eagerly snatched hers up; restless to see whether this clue furthered her search.
She unfolded the piece of brown parchment carefully, the crinkles feeling ancient against her fingers.
'From the ashes on the first month and the second week.'
I guess this won't be easy then…
# # #
Draco sat in his private prefect room quite calmly, staring his clues into the table. No matter how many times he read them, he couldn't make the slightest bit of sense.
This is so stupid; his brain growled at him, there are like a thousand more important things than a moronic ball.
He sent a cursory glance at the letter lying unfurled on his desk. His father had sent him a letter demanding his presence at the next deatheater meeting. Draco sighed before going to sit on his balcony overlooking the castle; this was his favourite thinking place.
At the end of his fifth year he had vowed to himself that, whatever else he did in his life, he would never follow the spectral path his father had. This was after he had come to terms with his parent's disposition towards him. He fought ice with ice. Although there would always be a the rudimentary bond between him and his mother and father of parents to son, no longer did he strive to impress them or, indeed, tell them anything about his life at all.
He knew it would be difficult and dangerous to extricate himself from the darkness that he had grown up around, but he had a will to live that would not be smothered by the Dark Lord and his minions. Draco was entirely determined to simply live his own life, and, as soon as possible, move away from England and the fear and danger that lingered from the blackened souls of past evils. There was no chance of being 'good' he scoffed to himself, I'm not up for chasing a light I'll never catch, that's just plain stupid that is.
Draco supposed that the indifference shown towards him all his life by his parents had hardened his soul and frozen his heart. Until now that had not mattered to him, it got him through the days of fear and disgust shown by the other Hogwarts pupils. Now though, he could feel the tangible emotion that rolled off of one Miss. Ginevra Weasley, he could sense it resounding in his bones and ricocheting off his heart.
There had to be a way of closing the link between them, or at least lessening it a little, because if things continued the way they had he would feel his resolve thawing.
He had noticed Potter and co. keeping a very close eye on the littlest Weasley, and even from the Slytherin table it was obvious that it was annoying her no end. He wondered briefly whether she'd ever break and finally give the three of them a piece of her mind, but he knew from experience that her walls where high, thick and strong and for someone with that much emotion she sure bottled it up well.
Unconsciously reflecting Harry's thoughts of earlier, Draco speculated how Ginny managed to ooze the impression that what was on the surface was nothing in comparison to what was underneath.
Abruptly the sane part of him cut that train of thought off, and returned to wondering what to do about his father. He would probably have to tell Dumbledore. Draco resented letting people into his life, but in this case it was necessary if he wanted to make it out alive. That was the main motivation really, to look after himself and not to add to the swelling ranks of the Dark side.
On the other side of the castle Ginny sunk into a dream-filled sleep. Shadows danced around her bed, Halloween had given them form and purpose.