Chapter 13- Parting Gifts

Later the next day, Ginny and Draco were both released from the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey found that nothing was entirely wrong with Ginny; Draco still had headaches from the brief knockout he received but with no long standing effects. Daveigh came to meet her friend and accompany her back to the Gryffindor Common Room. On their way out, Draco gave Ginny a look and walked away without a word. Ginny stood there confused at his reaction and the events that occurred over the past 18 hours.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you are back on your feet," Daveigh said, walking to the marble staircase.

Ginny didn't reply, instead she thought back to the moment when she and Draco had that connection….it was when she touched the key. She got the weirdest vibe when she touched it, and had the sneaky suspicion that he had felt it too. 'How odd…why didn't he say anything,' Ginny thought. She stopped on the staircase and tried to recall the dream she had before she passed out the night before. Something in this particular dream was important, and she tried to hang on to the threads of her thoughts before she was interrupted.

Daveigh kept walking up the staircase and stopped to turn around. Ginny stood at the landing a floor below. "Hey, I was talking to you!" Daveigh snapped at her friend.

Ginny snapped out of her reverie and looked up, surprised at her friend's reaction. She walked up the stairs searching her friends face, Daveigh wasn't one to react with hostility, and she liked to keep the peace.

"What's going on," Ginny asked, "I'm not moving another inch till you tell me what's up."

Daveigh sat upon the stairs and twiddled her thumbs. She sighed and finally said, "Why is it that you think everything is perfect until the rug is snatched from under you?"

Ginny stared at her confused. She waited for her to continue.

"All right well last night...after I left you, I was having the time of my life. I mean, not only was I dancing…" (Ginny grinned) "But I was dancing with someone who I thought was a genuine person, someone I thought I could really begin to like, or see myself spending time with. And instead, the asshole was using me the whole time…just to add me to his stupid list of conquests."

Ginny began to realize who she was speaking of. It made sense, Slytherins were sneaky fellows only out for themselves, and never careful of who they hurt in the process. Ginny thought of how Draco had left her and brought her attention back to Daveigh.

"And then that cow Pansy Parkinson with Blaise Zabini who of course always has something to say about everything had to butt in and ruin my night. I really thought he liked me, you know Geoff, and of course he had to show his true self behind my back." Daveigh sighed and stopped ranting for a moment. Ginny could see the wheels slowly turning in her friend's brain.

"You know, I'm supposed to meet him in the library later. Do you think I should go?" Daveigh asked. Ginny shrugged her shoulders.

"I am so sick of just sitting back when something happens. You know what! I am going to give him a piece of my mind. I don't care who hears it." With that, Daveigh got up and rushed up the stairs to the library.

Ginny stood amused on the staircase. If she knew Daveigh, Geoff would have his way—the girl didn't have a mean bone in her body. She contemplated going back to her common room, to her brother and his friends cooing over her. Instead she decided to take a walk, perhaps outside by the Quidditch pitch. She then realized she would have to retrieve her jacket, it was upstairs in the common room. Ginny groaned at having to deal with her brother's protectiveness and proceeded up the stairs in a hurry.

'Perhaps he is still asleep and doesn't know I am out of the hospital,' Ginny wished.

She made it up to the portrait of the fat lady, said the password, and entered. All was quiet in the common room. Ginny was relieved, many of the students got back to their rooms late the night before, and since it was Sunday, they probably wouldn't emerge till dinner.

Ginny ran up to her room, tiptoed around her snoring roommates, grabbed her jacket and made her way back down the stairs and towards the portrait hole. She opened it quickly, but heard a loud thump from the other side.

She peered from behind ready to apologize to whoever was behind the door, but saw to her surprise it was….

Daveigh ran hurriedly to the library and upon reaching the door, stopped in her haste.

'What am I doing,' she thought. Daveigh was not one for confrontation, and here she was on her way to her favorite place ready to jump down the throat of a Slytherin eagerly waiting on her.

She took a few deep breaths before opening the door and walking into the library. All was quiet inside; only a few 5th year Ravenclaws hell bent on studying sat at a couple of tables but otherwise, she had the place to herself. She walked past Madame Pince's desk and started heading towards the back. If she knew Geoff, he would pick the most out of way table in a dark dusty corner. Daveigh approached the back of the library which seemed to get darker, and turned to the right. Sure enough, Geoff was buried under a pile of books and parchment, scratching his head with the tip of his eagle feather quill. Daveigh sauntered over to him, and put her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who," she whispered. Geoff took her hands off, and leaned his head up to look and see who it was. Daveigh wore a stretched smile, and Geoff immediately knew something wasn't quite right.

'I hope I didn't say or do anything wrong,' he thought then finally said, "Well hello," he said suspiciously, "anything wrong." As he said this, Daveigh pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. Geoff's face went from surprised to downright shocked, as Daveigh rang out, "Petrificus Totalus."

Geoff's body became entirely rigid and he fell to the ground with one swoop. Daveigh stuck her wand behind her ear and left the library much happier.

Ginny emerged and looked down at the crumpled form.

"Malfoy, I'm so sorry!" She rushed over to help him up. Draco took the hand she offered and stood up. Ginny looked bemused at him while trying to sustain a grin.

"Gods Weasley, you need to watch yourself, a man can get himself killed around you," he teased. Ginny playfully hit him.

They began to walk towards the staircase together; both were quiet until Ginny spoke.

"Were you coming to see me?" She glanced over at Malfoy whose face remained impassive at her question. No response… "All right, we'll just walk I guess," she murmured under her breath.

The two began to walk down the stairs side by side. The hallways were empty, students were either in their common rooms sleeping off the late night, or outside enjoying the remaining fair weather since winter was fast approaching.

"What do you think?" he finally said after a few moments. He stopped on the stairs and gazed at her.

Ginny stopped agitated at his answer. "Why is it that you always answer a question with a question? That is so frustrating!" She stood looking at him with her hands on her hips, red hair trailing in the breeze from an open window behind her. Draco took in the sight and instead of answering leaned in and kissed her. Ginny's reaction was not what he would've expected. She pulled away quickly and immediately slapped him in the face. She quickly put her hand to her mouth, embarrassed. "Draco …. I'm sorry…."

Steel grey eyes met chocolate brown ones. Ginny took her hand and ran it along his cheek- the cheek she struck which was red from the slap. She stared into his silvery eyes which drew her in deeper and she found herself moving closer to him. Her lips were so close-so close she could feel his breath moving the tiny follicles on her face when they suddenly heard a voice coming towards them.

"Yes headmaster, I found Potter with a Ravenclaw girl just this morning. I think that he should be banned from the Quidditch team indefinitely for his disgusting behavior. Dolores Umbridge had the right idea when she banned him from the team last year. Of course it is not my place…but perhaps I could speak to Professor McGonagall….." Snape said to Dumbledore.

Ginny and Malfoy pulled apart rapidly at the sound of the approaching voices. Thinking quickly, Ginny grabbed Malfoy's hand and ran down the rest of the stairs and down the third floor corridor. She quickly pulled him to a statue of a one-eyed crone, whispered "Dissendium" and pushed Malfoy into the dark passage following close behind. As the statue closed behind them, Ginny waited to hear if anyone was nearby before they could surface.

"I wonder who Potter was snogging…or was he doing something else….wait, I saw him with Loony--" Draco began, squinting and glancing into the dark passage, but Ginny clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Do you want Dumbledore and Snape to hear us?" she whispered to him and continued to listen to any noise from beyond the statue.

She felt a pair of arms behind her draw her into an embrace. She laid her head back resting it on Malfoy's shoulder and he began to kiss down the side of her neck. Ginny moaned as he trailed kisses up and down, and she turned around to face him. They both stood for a lifetime waiting for one of them to make the next move.

"I-I think they're gone now," Ginny finally said after the silence. Draco didn't let go of her hands. Instead he grasped them tighter and puller her towards him.

"We better stay in here just to be sure," he said huskily, and drew her into a kiss. Ginny immediately let herself melt into him. His lips felt like warm honey that slid down your throat, and she opened her mouth for him. He voraciously devoured her mouth like a man who hasn't eaten in days. Draco trailed kisses down her neck, moving to her collar bone. In the darkness, Ginny couldn't see his eyes, but she knew the color of them----they would be dark like molten steel. She let him take her jacket off when he leaned in to do so, and she rubbed her hands across his broad shoulders. Ginny knew that he wanted her; she could feel his beating heart on her chest as he kept kissing her. This was the thing of her fantasies, being with him there. Now she could let them come to life, hopefully without interruption. The only people that knew of this passageway were her brothers, who were already out of Hogwarts, and Harry, who hadn't used it since his third year.

Draco moaned into her lips each time they moved over hers, he had never felt so hot, not in temperature, but in pure lust; he had been having dreams of her since they had their first encounter on the 6th floor. In his dreams he always felt like it was really happening, he would wake up in the morning in a cold sweat with morning wood, his body feeling like he was up all night making love with her. This time he would act out everything from his dreams.

He stopped all of a sudden. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but he knew he had to. Who knew Malfoy's had chivalry?

"Ginny…." Draco said, her name rolling off his tongue. Ginny tensed up at him. She pulled away slightly, looking into his face. He couldn't see her face but knew she was disappointed. It was as if she knew what he was about to say.

"I can't do this here, not here. I never imagined taking you on a dirt floor, in the dark," he said. Ginny leaned over and picked up her jacket. She was about to leave out from behind the statue. He stopped her with his next sentence.

"All of those other times, they were in a big bed, and that's where I want you," he said. She turned around sharply… 'Is it possible we were having the same dreams,' she thought.

Ginny walked towards him, "Draco, there's so much I want to say…so much I think we both need to talk about."

Draco nodded his head. "Where were you headed when you hit me with the portrait," he asked.

"Outside for a walk by the Quidditch pitch," she replied. He silently nodded and to her surprise, he took her hand and led her from behind the statue.

The hallway was deserted; Snape and Dumbledore were long gone. Draco walked with Ginny, still holding her hand and descended the marble stairs, and out through the front doors.

The couple walked in silence in the cool late afternoon air. Ginny knew that winter was coming upon them, but now she would enjoy the brisk fall weather as long as she could.

She looked over at Draco as he walked beside her, his face showing no sign of how he felt; she just continued to enjoy the feeling of his hand in hers. The electric feeling was still there each time they touched each other, and neither knew what or how to respond to it. Finally they stopped at the edge of a steep hill which led down to the pitch. Ginny sat first followed by Draco.

"Could you tell me about the key," Ginny blurted out.

Draco looked down at his chest where the small key lay. He took it off and held it in his hands. Ginny gazed at it. It was a small silver key, looking more like a charm than something it could open.

He began…. "It was given to me by my mother when I was very young. She told me a story of a woman that had a key quite like this, it held magical powers. It could fit into any lock; it could also transport the holder to any room that contained a door that was impossible to open….."

At this, Ginny's eyes grew wide but decided not to interrupt Draco.

"….after using the magical key for so long, the woman began to use it more and more. It became an obsession, the key had a hold on her. She found herself getting into places no person could get into. Gringott vaults, stores in Diagon Alley, even the Ministry of Magic after hours….she began to take things from these places, valuable items, and she stored her keepsakes from her adventures in a small room she created. She kept the key hidden somewhere, no one knew where. Anyway, when my mother gave this key to me, she said that one day I would find a treasure worth keeping under lock and key. I never asked her what she meant, but I took it as a joke. I've been wearing it ever since. I'm not sure how much its worth, but I'm sure it's worth a bundle if my family owns it." He gazed over at Ginny who turned sheet white. "Are you ok, are you cold? Do you need to go inside."

Ginny didn't answer. Draco didn't know what to do, she didn't respond to his calls, and he began to get worried. Her reaction reminded him of the first encounter they had on the 6th floor, and he remembered that perhaps soon she would come out of the trance she seemed to be in.

Ginny sat up. She was in front of the mirror in her dormitory. Ginny pressed her ear against the door. It seemed that the intruder had given up and left yet again. She got up and wandered slowly over to Daveigh's bed and sat down. Ginny recalled that there was an item of importance she needed, but couldn't keep her finger on it. Ginny looked down at the key around her neck, she vaguely recalled what she used it for, but knew this wasn't it. Ginny stood up and began pacing around the room looking for anything out of place. As she finished her 360 degree turn, she glanced on Daveigh's dressing table. Ginny saw a book titled, "The Secret Key," by Olivia Locke, and picked it up.

It was a small book, probably one-hundred pages long or so, and Ginny looked around it for some indication that this is what she needed. On the back cover near the bottom, she saw an symbol of the key and Ginny knew she found the next clue in her quest. She sat down upon her friend's bed and opened the book. She ruffled through it but saw no words, not one single word or sentence. It was blank.

"Great," she said out loud to herself, "Dead end again."

This was extremely frustrating. In every dream she's had so far, she's come to a dead end. And each time, she used the key to get herself out. Ginny reached for the key. She quickly took it off, and held the book in her left hand and the key in her right. Thinking hurriedly, Ginny decided to try something. She turned the book over, the side which had the emblem on it, and placed the key over it. Nothing happened. Sighing, Ginny threw the book and key down on the bed.

"What is the point of giving me an empty book, and a key which doesn't seem to open it," Ginny said out loud. She couldn't figure out why the book was sitting in this room, why the passageway led back to her room, behind the mirror she looked in everyday.

All of a sudden it dawned on her. Sometimes, the answer was looking you right in the face.

Ginny snapped quickly out of her trance which startled Draco. He was lying next to her on the cool grass.

"We've got to get back to the castle," she said hurriedly. Draco sat up and gave her a weird look.

"Look, why don't you save the drama and tell me what the bloody hell is going on," he said annoyed, "why did you ask about my key."

"I can't answer you right now," Ginny exclaimed standing up and dusting off her jumper. She began to run back to the castle, Draco following close behind.

"Weasel, erm, Ginny wait up," Draco called. He grabbed her hand, and stopped her. Ginny tried to pull him off her so that she could continue on her way, but he wasn't letting go.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I going to have to put a sticking charm on your feet?" He pulled out his wand with his free hand and pointed it at her.

"You wouldn't dare," she said, eerily gazing at his wand.

"Never say dare to a Slytherin," Draco chastised. He circled around her dangling his wand in his hand. "Now that I have your attention, I want to know why you keep slipping into trances. Why were you on the 6th floor on two separate occasions? Why are you always in my dreams?" He stopped suddenly when he said this.

"I'm in your dreams," she said stunned.

"Don't change the subject Gryff, remember whose holding the wand."

"Listen Draco, if you could just let me go back to my room, I can explain after I look for something."

"No you'll tell me in five seconds or I am going to abide by my promise, Slytherin's never back down when challenged."

Ginny looked at him amused….. 'He really wouldn't do it, would he?'

Annoyed, Draco began to count. "One…."

'I'd like to see him try,' she thought…..

"Two…." He smirked at her.

Ginny crossed her arms and glared at him, 'If he knows what's good for him he'd stop.'

"Three…." He pointed down at the ground near her feet.

"Still counting are you?" she said, "well if your just going to stand there and play your little games, I have a book to locate." She turned around and started to march up the hill to the castle.

Suddenly she felt the hairs on the back of her neck start to rise, she pulled out her wand and turned around quickly just as Draco was about to yell his incantation.

"Protego!" she yelled. She saw the rays of his spell bounce off of her shield, and it hit him not quite where either of them expected.

The spell had caused Draco to fall to the ground, and just as he tried to rise, he found he couldn't. He kept pulling and pulling his bottom off the ground, and suddenly he heard a rip. Draco glared at Ginny who looked as if she were about to laugh loudly.

"Let's hope you're not as good of a wizard as you say you are, or else you might be on your grassy knoll forever. Now if you'll excuse me, I am a girl on a mission." Ginny ran towards the castle doors giggling while Draco remained rooted to the spot.

"If I ever get out of this Weasley…." Draco started.

She was already gone.

"Bloody hell," Draco yelled and attempted to stand. Another tearing noise sounded, and he angrily muttered a string of curses.

Ginny flew up the marble staircases passing several students on their way to dinner. She didn't bother apologizing when she knocked into a fifth year boy carrying a stack of spell books. Reaching the portrait hole she said the password and rushed into the Common Room.

"Oh Ginny, there you are," Ron exclaimed, "I heard---"

"Not now Ron," Ginny interrupted and continued up the dormitory stairs much to the surprise of Hermione coming down the stairs, whom she shoved against the wall in her urgency.

"Ginny?" Hermione called as Ginny reached her dormitory.

"Now where is it," she said. She began ruffling through her trunk, throwing clothes, books, and other keepsakes on the floor. Nothing. Next she turned over her mattress. Nothing. Huffily, she marched over to the mirror, and looked into it.

"If I were a book….where would I be?" She espied the room behind her through the mirror and looked in the corner……Daveigh's night table!

Ginny excitedly went over to it, and to her relief found a small book. Ginny sat down upon her friend's bed, picked the book up and immediately turned it over. The symbol was there. Ginny's heart began to beat faster and she started flipping through the book. To her disappointment, it was empty again, and she almost threw down the book when she saw scribbled writing near the front of the book. Ginny turned the book to the front, and read a short poem:

"To the one who finds this book,

Your journey's just begun.

You'll need to know where to look,

Nor will it be easy or fun.

For I contain what you find,

The treasures just beyond.

The key that's in your mind,

Will be within this bond.

With true loves help you'll see,

Your final destiny."

Daveigh walked into the room just as Ginny finished reading the last line.

"What hurricane ravaged this room," Daveigh wondered. She then saw Ginny in the corner holding her book.

Ginny turned around and gave her friend an odd look. "Where did you find this book," Ginny inquired.

Daveigh walked over to her bed and took the book out of Ginny's hand.

"The library, why?" She began to turn the pages of the book till she came to the poem.

"Wait, this wasn't here before," Daveigh said. She sat down on the bed and began to read. When she finished, she looked at Ginny in confusion. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't do anything," Ginny said, "just that, well it's a long story. I will sum it up by telling you that I knew the book was on your table. How did you find it?"

"Well yesterday before the ball I looked once again in the restricted section. No such luck. On my way out Madame Pince called me over to show me a book she found. It was blank. The only thing it contained was the title, "The Secret Key", and the author's name on the spine. She told me if I could somehow charm the book to reveal the words, I could read it first. I haven't had the chance to do so since the ball and everything. How did you do that, make the words appear?"

"I don't know. I opened it, and I came upon this poem. Except it's the only thing in this entire book. Daveigh, I saw this book in the last dream I had. I was outside with Draco and--"

"Wait a minute," Daveigh interrupted, "you were with Malfoy…outside? Alone?"

Ginny blushed furiously. Ignoring her friend she continued, "He's still outside, he's in kind of a sticky situation. Anyway, take a look at this." She turned the book over and showed the symbol to Daveigh.

"It's a key, and from what Draco just told me, I think this is the next piece of the puzzle."

"I don't know about you, but I like to eat when I'm listening to a story," Daveigh said, "why don't you tell me what Drakey-poo said and I'll tell you about cursing Geoff over dinner. We can bring the holy grail with us." She picked up the book and made her way to the door.

Ginny stared at her friend in disbelief. "This I have got to hear," Ginny said and the pair walked out of their room.

A/N: All right, I won't take as much time with the next chapter; I have finally gotten over my writer's block though I am still working out the end of the story. Draco will soon find out what his role is in this little situation in the next couple of chapters, and let's just say he won't like it one bit. Oh, and please review. I so love to read what you have to say!