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He walked quietly out of the trees and up the darkened walkway. The pain in his arm had lessened slightly, which was fairly curious as the Dark Lord liked to make even his most loyal suffer as long as he could. But rather than dwell on that, he approached the door and rapped on its dilapidated wood. A dark robed figured opened the door without a care that the thing could fall off its hinges at any moment.
"Snape," the masked figure snarled in greeting. "He is waiting for you in the Red Room…" Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was just like Voldemort to play at airs when stuck in this abysmal excuse for headquarters. Before Lucius Malfoy had gotten himself thrown into Azkaban, the trappings of his former privilege had provided the Death Eaters with suitable ego. But now… it was all just false bravado. It was ridiculous, really.
The door to the specified room was open and Severus sneered at the appearance as he stood in the doorway. It was neither red, nor did it pass for a room. His potions closet had more space. Severus entered without announcing his presence into the seemingly empty area.
"Ah, Severus… you've arrived," a voice said from the corner. It wasn't Lord Voldemort.
Lucius smirked at the look on the potions professor's face.
"By that look, I would think you were expecting the Dark Lord?" he asked. Severus frowned.
"I don't know what I was expecting," he said. "But certainly not you…" The smirk slipped off of Lucius' face.
"You forget your place, Professor," he said. Severus bowed, his hair falling into his face as he did so.
"Forgive me," he gritted out against his will. There was nothing in the world he wanted from Lucius Malfoy. And his forgiveness was amongst that nothing. "Why has Lord Voldemort asked for me?" The smirk returned.
"It wasn't the Dark Lord who asked for you," the silver-haired man said. Severus' eyes narrowed.
"My Mark…" he said. Lucius held up his own. It, too, radiated the tell-tale glow.
"The Dark Lord is not the only one who can recite an invocation," he said. "I've been able to call other Death Eaters for a while now… it was the calling of a single that I have recently discovered…" Severus stood up straight and hid his surprise behind his usual demeanor. So, Lucius had been dabbling. And behind Voldemort's back… interesting…
"So, you've skirted the Dark Lord's ways and requested my presence. Why?" Severus asked. Lucius smirked again as the door to the Red Room opened.
"No reason other than to be an integral part of a family discussion," he said. Severus whirled around to see the arrival. Two Death Eaters pushed a confused and angry looking Draco roughly into the room. Severus turned back to look at the elder Malfoy. The gray eyes were cold and there was only barely restrained violence on his patrician features as he looked at his son. The pain in his arm flared up once more to remind Severus that this would probably not end well…
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Hogwarts…
Harry and Ron watched as the two girls walked quickly ahead of them.
"What are they up to?" Ron leaned over and asked the other boy. Harry shook his head.
"I've no idea," he said, watching the girls race up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.
"They didn't even say good-bye," Ron pouted.
"It's not like we're never going to see them again," Harry noted as they, too, ascended the stairs.
"Yeah, but…" Ron started, then realized why he was upset. Hermione hadn't said good-bye. Harry snickered as Ron pursed his lips.
"You should just tell her, Ron," he advised. Ron scoffed.
"I don't want to talk about Hermione right now, Harry. Let's go toss the quaffle around a bit," he said, making an about-face and heading back down the stairs. Harry let out a sigh as he followed his determined friend down the hallway.
Just as they rounded the corner, a hurrying Professor Snape barreled towards them.
"Out of my way, Potter," Snape growled and pushed past the two boys. Ron looked at Harry.
"He didn't look pleased at all," the redhead said. Harry shrugged.
"When does he ever look pleased?" he asked.
"When there's a room full of Gryffindors in detention, or when he's taken gads of House points," Ron answered. Harry grinned.
"That about covers it," he said. Then he looked thoughtfully down the hallway that their professor had disappeared. "Do you think something's wrong?"
"Something's always wrong… Voldemort is still out there waiting around, for one," he said. Harry murmured in agreement, but his eye caught another form making their way down the Slytherin hallway. The platinum hair identified the person as Draco Malfoy.
"It's Malfoy," Harry said. Ron's head snapped around to look where Harry's attention was held. His blue eyes narrowed as he watched the Slytherin make his way silently after his Head of House.
"Hang on… why would Malfoy be slinking his way after Snape like that?" Ron asked.
"Maybe we should check it out?" Harry suggested. Ron looked to battle with himself. He'd love to catch the blond Slytherin up to no good, but chances were Malfoy'd talk himself right out of it.
"Let the snakes do themselves in. Besides, I'm for avoiding trouble tonight. Whenever we go adventuring, we always end up in trouble," Ron said. Harry smiled at his friend.
"And you don't consider an evening trip to the pitch 'adventuring'?" he asked. Ron snorted.
"With our record? Hardly," he said, steering his friend to the front doors. Harry shot another look over his shoulder wondering what, exactly, had the two figureheads of Slytherin House sneaking around. As they made their way to the door, they ran into a familiar Slytherin. Warrington? The boy sneered at the two and shoved them both aside easily.
"Watch yourself, Potter," he growled. He then turned his sneer to Ron. "Shouldn't you be wallowing around in the dirt, Weasel, seeing as that's how poor you are?" Ron glared.
"Malfoy's got better insults that you do, Warrington," he shot back. The other boy's face tightened in anger.
"Chums now, are you?" Warrington asked. Ron looked horrified.
"Absolutely not. I'd rather be mates with a temperamental skrewt," he said. Warrington looked curiously at Harry and then back at Ron.
"I'd heard you'd saved each others skins. In the Forbidden Forest? It was quite the surprise to all of Slytherin that Malfoy helped you two out," he said. "We'd have thought he'd have left you there to rot. It would have been the wise thing to do…" Ron's face went red.
"It wasn't me Malfoy helped, you daft tosser. I wouldn't have bloody well let him. It was Harry and my sister that had been in the forest and it wasn't as if they had any other choice," he said, not for any reason other than to contradict the Slytherin. Warrington smirked as if something had been confirmed and caused Harry narrowed his eyes in wonder at it. He took Ron's arm.
"Let's go Ron. You said you didn't want to get into trouble tonight," he said. Ron shrugged out of Harry's grip.
"All you Slytherins should be locked up in Azkaban for the good of wizard-kind," he growled before storming out the doors.
"Yes," Warrington drawled within earshot of Harry. "Well, all you Gryffindors should be dead…" Harry resisted the urge to turn and shout insults back at the boy and walked out the doors. He almost ran into Michael Corner as he made his way down the stairs. The two boys nodded stiffly to each other before Harry ran off to find an angry Ron Weasley.
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Head Girl's Room…
"What the bloody hell are you thinking?" Hermione asked once the girls were in the comfort of the Head Girl's private room. Ginny whirled to look at the girl in shock. Hermione never swore.
"It would seem as if my brother is rubbing off on you," the redhead said. Hermione fought the blush back and glared at her friend.
"Your brother has nothing to do with this conversation…" she said, then thought for a second. "Well, actually, he does… but your brother and what 'rubs off on me' are not relevant." Ginny couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up.
"Are you saying…" she started, but Hermione pointed a finger at her.
"Don't you dare finish that thought," she warned. Then she reached out and gripped Ginny's robes, propelling her to sit on the bed. "Now… to get back on track… What did I walk in on earlier?" The redhead shrugged.
"What did it look like you walked in on?" she asked, trying to avoid putting in to words what was really going on. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You and I both know what it looked like. What is going on, Ginny?" she asked. Ginny stood and paced in front of the older girl.
"I'm not entirely sure, 'Mione," she said, stopping to look at her. Suddenly, Hermione gasped at a sudden insight…
"It was you!" she commented. Ginny looked confused.
"What are you talking about?" she asked. Hermione gave her a knowing smile.
"The last time I was on rounds…" she started. Ginny groaned quietly as she caught on to where her friend was going. "I knew Malfoy looked a bit more flushed than usual. And I figured he'd have to have a girl up there with him. I just never would have guessed it was you…" The bushy-haired girl appraised the redhead.
"How long?" she asked when it became apparent that Ginny wasn't going to say anything in response. Ginny sighed.
"A few weeks, really. Maybe even a month… I really haven't thought about it," she admitted. Hermione let out a sigh of her own.
"I suspected something like this would happen for a while now," she told Ginny. The other girl looked at her in shock.
"You suspected? Malfoy and I barely spoke before this year," she said. Hermione smiled as she made Ginny sit down again.
"You don't need to speak to say things. He's watched you for years. I just never realized it or gave it a thought until you two started your little war of words this year," she said. Ginny sucked in a breath.
"Does Ron… does he suspect? Does Harry?" she asked. Hermione watched the other girl closely. She couldn't tell if Ginny was more concerned for her brother, Harry, Draco or herself.
"Your brother is as dense as they come," Hermione muttered in a way that bespoke of more than just the present situation. Ginny crossed her arms with a snort.
"I'll say… seven bloody years and he still hasn't figured things out," she said. Hermione looked at the other girl.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. Ginny just smiled and shrugged. She knew the bushy-haired girl was in love with her brother. And she knew Ron was in love with her. Ginny was sure she'd gotten through to him before… but obviously not enough to warrant a change in anything. Ron and Hermione were both dense when it came to being aware of the other's feelings.
"I didn't mean anything by it," she said. Hermione shook her head.
"Anyway, we're not talking about me and Ron. We're talking about you and Malfoy…" she said with a frown. Ginny's mouth went dry. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. Was there a 'her and Malfoy'? They'd never talked about it. In fact, it was the one thing they went out of their way to avoid talking about.
"What about me and Malfoy?" she asked. Ginny stood and began to pace again.
"What's it like to kiss him?" Hermione asked, taking an entirely different track.
"Well…" Ginny started, but then it hit her what the other girl asked. She spun to look at Hermione with wide eyes. "What!" Hermione just lifted her nose in her dignified manner, but there was an amused sparkle in her eye.
"Well, I've always been somewhat curious as to how someone so disagreeable would go about such a thing," she admitted. Ginny laughed.
"Right," she said. Hermione curled her legs under her on the bed and settled in for girl talk.
"So?" she prodded. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"And what if I asked you about kissing Viktor Krum?" she asked. Hermione had the grace to blush slightly.
"I see your point…" she said. She shifted uncomfortably, then let out a sigh. "Kissing Viktor was nice. Very nice, in fact. He is a very sweet boy, despite his Quidditch image. But, it wasn't all that I thought it would be…"
He hadn't been Ron… Ginny thought with a smothered grin. Hermione let the fond smile on her face slip away as she looked pointedly at the redhead.
"Now, I shared… your turn," she said. Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"Fine…" She sat down with an unlady-like huff. "I kissed Michael and Dean back in fourth and fifth year. Neither one of them could have prepared me for what kissing Draco Malfoy feels like… I imagine even kissing Harry wouldn't compare." It came as no shock to Hermione that Ginny would say such a thing. She'd known that Ginny had gotten over the hero-worship crush on Harry a while back. Hermione studied the look on her friend's face with slight concern.
"Oh dear…" she muttered. "Are you in love with him?" Ginny snapped to attention.
"What? Why would you ask such a thing?" she asked. Hermione sat back and continued to study Ginny.
"I think he may be in love with you," she said. Ginny's mouth dropped open.
"How would you know?" she asked. Hermione smiled gently.
"As I said, he's watched you for years. And the scene in the infirmary seemed to point in that direction," she said. Ginny thought that over for a second. Then, she shook her head.
"No, it was nothing. Draco Malfoy is not in love with me and I am not in love with him," she said. Then she gave a satisfied nod and sat down next to the other girl. Hermione looked at her curiously.
"Well, then… it shouldn't be too much trouble to end all this nonsense then. It wouldn't do for Ron to find out about this. It'll be a disaster. You know how he gets… Why continue on with something so… pointless?" she asked. The last word Hermione muttered seemed to echo through Ginny's head. Was it pointless? Was there something real between them?
After that thought, she mentally shook herself. No. She didn't like one bit of Draco Malfoy's arrogant, snide, rude, insensitive… witty, intelligent, confident, good-looking person. She couldn't like any of that. If she did it would be total disaster, just as Hermione had said.
Then why did her heart ache at the thought of not seeing him again?
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Outside the Great Hall...
From the shadowed hallway, Draco had seen his Head of House leave the Great Hall in as near to panic as the stoic professor would allow. It wasn't unusual for the professor to stalk out of the Great Hall. In fact, it would be unusual if he didn't stalk out of the room. But the man's face had been more pale than usual and Draco could swear he saw sweat at Snape's temples. He had looked to be in pain. There was only one thing that Draco could think of that would cause Professor Snape pain so quickly…
The dungeons were quiet since all the students were finishing dinner. And knowing that Snape had other things to worry about, Draco knew he could follow without being seen or heard. Concern for others beside himself was a fairly foreign concept to him, but it seemed over the past few weeks he was becoming accustomed to the feeling. He didn't like it, but it was there all the same.
He followed the professor to his office door and watched as Snape popped the top off of a pain potion and swallowed the vile tasting liquid. Then, the dark-haired man went to the floo and picked up the floo powder he usually kept in the pot next to it. He muttered a location that Draco had never heard of before and was gone in a flash of green. With the muggle saying of what curiosity did to the cat running through his head, Draco picked up a handful of floo powder as well. It wasn't often that his Head of House was quite so secretive. That in itself urged Draco to follow.
When the green flames died away, he found himself standing in a ramshackle cabin that looked to be engulfed in a bevy of trees. Where he was, he couldn't begin to guess but a sound had him striding for the only door in the place. He opened the door slightly to see Snape's robes flowing behind him as he made his way down a barely visible pathway. Draco frowned. Where the bloody hell were they? There was only one way to find out… Draco stepped out into the unfamiliar territory and quickly made his way down the path that Professor Snape had traveled. Not entirely sure as to where this was leading, Draco took out his wand and prepared for whatever could take him by surprise. The area was surprisingly silent for a forest. Nothing stirred, not even the wind. The Forbidden Forest had more going on that this spit of trees. It made Draco even more wary.
It would make sense that Snape was going to meet Death Eaters. Draco had been aware of his professor's involvement within the ranks since he'd been in diapers. It was why Lucius had allowed Draco to go to Hogwarts in the first place. Draco was also aware that Snape was involved in dealings with Dumbledore's side. That was one of the main reasons Draco was questioning his own future with the Death Eaters. There was no one in this world that he trusted more than Severus Snape. And if the man was brave and cunning enough to switch loyalties, then so Draco would be as well. He was meant to become a powerful wizard… and he was meant to do so without allegiance…
A sudden noise ahead caused Draco to crouch down behind a tree. Peeking out he caught glimpse of a mansion in a clearing. Or what would have been a mansion if it hadn't gone to pot. There wasn't much of a clearing for the building to stand it as the trees and brush had been allowed free reign over the years of disarray. The mansion, which had once been decked in slendor, now looked nothing more than an organized pile of cracked masonry and rotted wood. There was a dangerous rap on what Draco assumed to be the front door that threatened to bring the whole structure down
"Snape… you've arrived," a mask muffled voice said. Draco didn't hear the rest of the conversation but inched closer as the door closed behind his professor and the dark robed Death Eater.
He was usually so careful… seven years of sneaking around the school grounds, with or without a companion, had seen to that. Of all the times for his guard to be down, being in this unfamiliar place as not a good one.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here…" a voice said on a chuckle. There was a chorus of more laughs.
"We've caught ourselves a Malfoy," another said as Draco was tugged ruthlessly to his feet.
"My father will hear about this," he tried to scold. There was another round of chuckles.
"I'm sure he's already heard. How do you think we knew to expect you?" one of the men said. Two robed men gripped his arms painfully as he struggled to get free of them. There was a chuckle as he was dragged into the foyer before another Death Eater.
"Master Malfoy… what an unexpected surprise. I believe I know of one person who would be pleased to see you here so quickly," the man said. Draco sneered.
"Only one, Montague?" he drawled to the man while trying to free himself from his captors.
Draco cursed himself for being so stupid. His father had been hunting him. To leave Hogwarts grounds without a thought had been careless. He knew that Snape was responding to a call from the Death Eaters. But his curiosity and concern for the older man had gotten the best of him. And now, here he was, standing before his father. The very man who had killed in order to locate his only son. But why resort to such tactics? Surely his father, right hand to the Dark Lord, would have better things at his disposal than this simple subterfuge. Rather than try to answer his own questions, he just frowned at the man who had given him life.
"Welcome, Draco…" his father said pleasantly. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd go on avoiding me forever." Draco sneered.
"I wasn't so much avoiding as I was hoping someone would kill you in the meantime," he said. Lucius just smiled.
"Not willing to do it yourself, Draco?" he asked. Draco shrugged.
"I'm not a complete fool, Father. I'm not nearly skilled enough to go up against you and not end up dead. If I do face you, there will be only one of us that dies. It won't be me," he said. Lucius' face was expressionless.
"Lofty of you, son," he said, fingering the wand at his hip. Snape saw this as well.
"Why is it you took the trouble of calling me here, Lucius," he said with a bored tone in his voice. The elder Malfoy turned his attention to the dark-haired man.
"You've fulfilled your purpose, Severus," Lucius said. The potions professor looked between the two Malfoys. It was then that he realized that the mentor-student, father-son relationship he'd cultivated since Draco first stepped onto Hogwarts grounds had been as detrimental as it had been deciding. For seven years the elder Malfoy had alienated his own son in order to develop the young man's weaknesses. It most certainly could not be said that Lucius Malfoy did not plan for the future.
Draco also looked between the two men in front of him and came to the same conclusion that his Head of House had.
"I am here, Father. It would be stupid of you to harm Severus. You know the Dark Lord desires his skills," he said. Lucius frowed.
"It is not your place to tell me what I should do, Draco," he said. Draco clasped his hands behind his back and held his chin arrogantly in the air.
"We have discussed my place before. It would be pointless to bring it up again. I have not changed my mind." Lucius only smiled as he approached his son. As he closed in, he retrieved his wand from its place at his hip. The harmless looking piece of wood dangled precariously between Lucius' hands.
"That is precisely why things are as they are," he said. Then, he turned and looked at Severus, raising his arm.
His father's expensive wand was now pointed at Professor Snape and caused Draco to swallow hard. It wouldn't be the first time his own arrogant posturing got someone else in trouble. Draco's eyes darted between his father and the man he had come to look to as a father.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. Lucius sneered.
"I know this man is a traitor. I know it is he that has been filling your head with nothing but rubbish about Dumbledore and Potter and their do-gooders," the elder Malfoy said. His wand stayed trained on the other man. "You say you don't wish to be a Death Eater, Draco. But I know you. You are selfish, just as a Malfoy should be. There are things you would do to keep all the things you... love…" Fury came swiftly to Draco as the implication translated. The things he cared for, admired, respected… he could count them all on one hand. And his father was threatening to destroy them all if Draco did not fall into step. His own wand rose and pointed at the older man.
"What will your threats get you, Father, but more hatred from me?" he asked. Lucius smirked.
"Hatred? You've become soft, son, thinking I care of such things. You think I want anything from you besides what you were brought into existence to do?" he asked. There was a pain somewhere in Draco's chest. It was one thing to inherently know such a truth, but it was another thing entirely to have it spelled out.
"I was mistaken, then, in thinking there was a father located somewhere within you," Draco said, his voice breaking only once. Expelliarmus. His father had him disarmed with a word.
"I should kill you as I was ordered to," Lucius hissed as he approached his son. Draco stared at him.
"Then why don't you?" he challenged.
"Because it would please me to have you among the Death Eater ranks, just as it would please the Dark Lord. It would please us to no end to see you join of your own free will," he said. Then, he smirked. "And you will. Do not doubt it…" Draco's eyes went to Severus.
"You have threatened the one person that I actually care about. Still, I do not join," he said. Severus was taking advantage of the elder Malfoy's focus on his only son.
"The Dark Lord will enjoy torturing Severus. He's been so looking forward to it," he said. "I will personally enjoy torturing everything and everyone…" His threat was cut short as he suddenly crumbled to the ground, unconscious. Draco looked up at Severus, who now had a hold of Draco's discarded wand.
"Let's be off," the dark haired man said.
"But we have to give him over to the Aurors," Draco said, looking down at the unmoving form. Severus took his arm.
"There's no time, Draco. The Dark Lord is coming. He has touched my mind… and if we do not leave, he will touch yours as well. And he will know how to strike at you," the professor said. The urge to see his father pay was strong for Draco, but his urge to keep all that he cared for safe was stronger. He let Severus apparate them out of the holding without a fight.
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Hogwarts...
Ginny walked slowly down the hallway as she thought over the conversation she'd had with Hermione. This thing with Draco was taking on a life of its own and Ginny wasn't sure what she should do about it. Was Hermione right? Should she just… finish it? It wasn't if they were dating. And if they were, it wasn't as if it would go anywhere. His father had tried to kill her… and her brother would kill him. Not exactly the formula for happily ever after. Or even semi-happily ever after… Nowhere near it, really.
Ginny let out a quiet laugh at the realization that the only person she seemed to be thinking about for the past few weeks was the one person in the entire wizard and muggle world alike she should not be entertaining thoughts about.
She wasn't sure where she was heading, but since hallway curfews hadn't been imposed yet she just walked. If anything was going to get a grip on renegade emotions, a walk alone should help it along.
So lost in thought she was that Ginny never noticed a presence behind her as she made her way to the less traveled parts of the castle. The presence continued to follow her, unnoticed, and decided to take advantage as she turned the corner into a poorly lit hallway.
A hand clasped over her mouth as a startled shriek erupted and an arm roughly made its way around her waist. Ginny tried to bite down on the hand that kept her silent, but the owner was smart enough to move it away when she did. She quickly found herself pushed up against the wall, her cheek pressed harshly into the rough stone.
"A good little Gryffindor… don't you know it isn't safe to go wandering off alone?" a voice hissed in her ear. Ginny heard the clatter of wood as her wand was removed and tossed away. Her hand came up to claw at the face next to hers, but the arm around her waist was removed and her wrist was caught. A heavy male body pressed against her back, effectively holding her in place. Panic was working its way into Ginny's usually practical mind.
"Now…" her attacker said. "We'll get the celebration we were denied, little Weasel…" Ginny's eyes went wide as she remembered the quidditch confrontation. Warrington…
"Let me go you gigantic tosser!" she yelled, muffled slightly by the wall. Warrington leaned down again.
"Ah, ah, ah… little Gryffindors are best when they're silent… except for occasional shrieks now and again," he said. Ginny winced as she felt his hands fumbling purposely under her robes. She squeezed her eyes closed and suppressed a disgusted shudder when clammy hands finally found the skin of her stomach. She squirmed under the touch and tried to move away. Warrington decided to switch tactics and turned her around, pushing her roughly back against the wall. Her head hit the stone hard and she let out a small cry, causing Warrington to grin. His lips descended onto hers and she bit him… hard.
Rather than be angered by the pain, he just pulled back and laughed as he tasted the blood on his lip.
"So this is how it's going to be, is it?" he asked. Ginny just glared at him in disgust.
"How else did you expect it, you wanker?" she asked. This time, Warrington glared back.with barely restrained violence. A hand reached up and slapped her, then his forearm came up to rest against her neck.
"Seeing the position you're in, you stupid Gryffindor, I'd think you'd curb your bloody tongue," he said. Her air supply was limited as the arm against her throat pushed harder against her windpipe. She had to get free… but he'd caught her completely off guard. Her arms and legs were pinned by his body and she was trapped with no way to fight back. She closed her eyes and willed herself to pass out. It would be her only protection against whatever Warrington had planned for her…
Suddenly, though, she was free. Ginny's eyes snapped open and she gasped in the air that had come so inadequately as she collapsed to her knees. Belated tears escaped out of the corner of her eyes as she looked up to see Warrington held against the wall, a wand digging dangerously into his cheek.
"There is nothing you can say that could keep me from killing you right now," Draco's voice hissed. Ginny looked up at him, startled. She scrambled to her feet and rested her hand on his arm. That very arm was so rigid that it almost shook. The restrained violence in him did not shock her when he finally looked at her.
"Don't, Draco… don't do anything to get in trouble," she said quietly, concern for him helping to keep the shock and fear at bay. With another look at the other Slytherin, Draco lowered his wand and pushed Ginny behind him. Warrington sneered.
"Yes, protect your Gryffindor whore, Malfoy…" he said. Draco's jaw clenched and his hand rose so quickly to deliver the blow that Ginny barely registered it. There was a loud 'smack' that echoed in the empty hall. Ginny took a surprised step back as Warrington's beefy form fell to the ground, blood oozing from his nose. Draco stepped back with her, but his cool gaze stayed locked on the boy on the ground.
"Would you like to try another?" he asked icily. Warrington looked up at him.
"You've made a big mistake, Malfoy," he said, using the corner of his robes to wipe the blood away from his lips. Draco sneered.
"I doubt that," he said. Warrington's gaze flicked back to Ginny, but Draco stepped in front of her, not allowing the other boy to inflict any more on her. "I think you will find it is you who made the mistake. It would be best if you picked yourself up and went back to the common room. Snape and Dumbledore will be hearing of this…" Warrington stood as he was bid.
"You'd sell out a fellow Slytherin for a bloody Gryffindor…" he said. Draco didn't need to look back to know that Ginny was still trembling. She stood close enough to him that he could feel it.
"Without hesitation, Warrington," Draco said, his hand reaching back and running gently over Ginny's own hand. He heard her small exhalation, almost as if he'd proven something to her, and her cool fingers ran over his in return.
"I advise you to watch your back then, Malfoy… you've just made enemies of your housemates," he said. Draco looked nonplussed at the other boy's declaration.
"I somehow doubt that, not that it matters. They were never allies to begin with," was all he said. Warrington brushed by Draco with a smirk, and he reached out to brush a hand over Ginny's shoulder. She all but collapsed against Draco to avoid the touch. Draco's hand shot out and gripped the offending appendage in a bruising hold.
"Leave, Warrington, before I break more than just your nose," he hissed before letting the other boy's arm go and turning to support Ginny properly. When Draco looked over his shoulder, Warrington was gone. His attention was now solely on the redhead.
Ginny's knees buckled again and Draco tightened his arms around her. Her arms went around his waist and pressed herself tightly against him, hoping to ward off the fear with his strength.
"I'm beginning to think you're an awful lot of trouble, Weasley," Draco said, bringing a hand up to run over the back of her hair. There was a muffled, watery laugh as her face was pressed into the rough wool of his cloak. With a deep breath, she finally looked up at him. There were tear tracks on her face, but she was no longer crying. He reached up to wipe the wetness from her cheek.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Her chin lifted in the defiant way that he had come to admire.
"I will be," she said, echoing her words to the Headmaster. Draco smiled.
"Dumbledore was right… you are every inch the Gryffindor," he said without the usual mocking tone. He almost sounded proud. It caused her to smile and lean into him once more.
"Let's get out of here," he said into her hair. She nodded as he took her hand and led her out of the hallway in towards the Slytherin dungeons.
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