Chapter Thirteen: Back to Hogwarts
"Uuuh…" Ginny took a deep breath walking into the Great Hall. She was back. Back to the second home, to her friends and…well, potions. She missed her potion sessions with Malfoy as paradoxical as it may sound. She headed to the Gryffindor table still thinking about how she missed him during the holidays. His sly remarks about how she is so dumb, and why Snape even chose her for such a job, which needed exact knowledge and God's patience, because Ginny had none of it. She had a Weasley temper, what could she do? She began to toss things around and yell when she couldn't find something in the thousands of books in the laboratory or her potion would run away and land on her. But still she worked hard; she wanted to be as skillful in Potions as Malfoy. She wants to be like Malfoy? What a crazy idea! Ah, screw it! She wanted to become a real potion's partner, to be treated like an equal.
By the end of the first term she was pretty good at it. She even managed to pick some of Draco's mistakes in his report for Snape. To this Draco said that he had been tired while writing it, that's why he made them. Ginny knew better, of course, but didn't object him. To object a Malfoy was a very dangerous business, especially if you are alone with him and no one will hear your screams for help. She was sure about it, but didn't know that it was a wrong opinion.
Ginny now reached the Gryffindor table and greeted all her friends. Della saved her a seat to her right just beside the Dream Team.
"So how was your Christmas, Ginny?" asked Della, putting some potatoes and salad on her plate.
"You know how it is with the Weasleys; crazy and stuffed. No room for everybody, tons of food cooked by mum and sweaters for presents. You know, like every time," she placated a fake smile, but sadness was still heard in her voice.
Della somehow didn't notice it. "My Christmas was greeeeeeeat! My parents gave me a new set of robes for a present and also an evening gown, it is soooo beautiful and stylish and…and…but I woooon't show you it till the Ball!" Della said in a sing-song voice.
Ginny didn't pay much attention to Della's babbling, because Della always got clothes for presents. Ginny was jealous and she admitted it. Clothes were her weak point. All her life she wanted a wardrobe of new decent clothes, but in the Weasley family, it was a dream which never would find a door for the truth's home.
But she brightened up hearing about the Ball. "There is going to be a Ball? When was it announced, I've heard nothing of it."
"Well, it hasn't been announced yet, I just have my connections," Della answered mysteriously.
"You sent spies to the Ministry of Magic to find out about the Hogwart's Ball at the end of the year, didn't you?" Ginny asked matter-of-factly.
"How did you find out!"
"I have my connections," Ginny said on her ear, playing a secret agent. Then they both laughed at their antics.
Now let's move further on down the Gryffindor table and be the fly on the wall of the Great Hall beside the Dream Team.
"What do you think about an empty Slytherin table?" asked Hermione all business-like.
Of course, everyone had acknowledged absolutely empty Slytherin table, but nobody dared to talk about it knowing where the topic may lead.
"I don't even want to talk about it," said Ron, putting quite a large piece of roast beef into his mouth. "They are gone for good; it is time to celebrate that all the slimy slytherins are out of here. If they hadn't, I would have kicked their asses out of here by myself!" Another piece of meat went to the depths of Ron's stomach as if representing the slytherins.
"But why are they ALL gone? Shouldn't there be everyone except sixth and seventh years or does You-Know-Who now recruit eleven-year-olds?"
"It is odd that you didn't get it, Hermione," said Harry, taking roast from his plate. "Death Eaters don't want their children to be hurt."
"Why? They bought hearts for themselves for Christmas?"
"They need to save the bloodline, their absence is not a simple illness," he looked thoughtfully for a few moments at his plate then back to Ron and Hermione. "There is going to be an attack at Hogwarts," he whispered.
"Why whisper it, Harry?" Hermione said pretty loudly for others to hear. "Everyone knows that Hogwarts will be attacked sooner or later."
The Hall went deathly silent and all heads turned to Hermione.
"What are you looking at!" shouted Ron, standing up. "Mind your own business!"
Heads turned back and began to whisper, shooting glances at the Gryffindor table and at the three certain students in particular.
"You shouldn't have said that out loud, Hermione," said Harry.
"Why not? They must know the truth and prepare."
"Well, yes, but it's not your place to say it. When Dumbledore decides that it's an appropriate time, he'll do it himself."
"Speaking of Dumbledore, heard anything from him lately?" Hermione asked Harry, eating a toast and looking trough some thick volume, Harry and Ron were even afraid to ask about its content.
"Not much, you know. Well, actually nothing. I decided to go to his office and ask for help, I mean some advice for the final battle or something."
"Good choice. If I were you, I would've asked Dumbledore for help in the beginning of the year already."
"Of course you would!" said Ron and Harry in unison.
"Let's change the topic, or I'll soon be pinned to the floor by all those stares," said Hermione, closing her book and looking directly at Ron. "And I have a good one in mind. How is your girlfriend, Ron?" (A/N: If you remember, I mentioned that Ron has a girlfriend in some earlier chapter)
Ron choked on his food, but then composed himself and looked back at Hermione. "I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know. She is your girlfriend."
"Not anymore. We broke up before holidays."
"Why?" even Harry was interested now.
"She fell in love with me."
"What?" Harry and Hermione asked together.
"And here are people, who are to save the world and they are deaf. I said that she had fallen in love with me. Surprised?"
"Why did you break up then?"
"I didn't," he simply stated and returned to his plate.
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, but didn't push the issue. Following his example they continued their dinner.
There was one thing that they didn't know: Ron's girlfriend was a complete fake. There was a mystery why Ron didn't have a girlfriend, because if he liked to have one, that wouldn't be a problem. He was very tall, 6"5', handsome, muscular and an outgoing young man, who had plenty of jokes up his sleeves. A perfect boyfriend. His grades weren't very high, but girls would date Ron, not his grades.
The mystery wasn't that mysterious at all, but still nobody could place it. I will generously solve it for you, I am writing about him, right?
The problem was that his heart was occupied. For four years. Occupied with a pretty, sweet-tempered bushy haired girl, who every day sat opposite him at meals. Or I better say, he sat opposite her, because he chose that position to admire her or steal some of her glances to look into her deep brown eyes during meals or in the common room. The girl that will date his grades, but not him. Have you already guessed? He fell for his best friend, Miss Hermione Granger. He liked her for four years. And she didn't think about him more then a friend. The worst for Ron was his understanding that if Hermione chose between him and Harry for a romantic relationship, she would choose Harry. Ron could even feel that Hermione liked Harry more than in friendly way. It drove him mad.
He tried to forget her, dating some other girls, not dating in the exact meaning of the action, but still spent more time with the feminine population of Hogwarts. Practically, girls asked him out themselves, because he was really shy and uncertain about all girlfriend stuff.
He was a mystery and girls love mysteries. He was still the member of the Dream Team, a hero, a Keeper for the Gryffindor Team. Some girls wanted to know about his adventures, some even dated him for the information about Harry, but nobody dated him for him. Practically, these dates were one-shots because girls got the information and then flew off.
Harry and Hermione didn't notice all this because Hermione was always busy with her studying for N.E.W.T.s and Head Girl duties and Harry was preoccupied with fighting the Dark Lord and Quiddich stuff, but they still were an inseparable Dream Team all together.
Then Ron decided to make the last attempt to make Hermione notice him. In a classic way – to make her jealous by telling how happy he was with his girlfriend. If that didn't help, nothing would. Well, it didn't as you've already understood. No reaction from Hermione.
That's why he decided to like her from afar, without disturbing their friendship, and trying not to show his true feelings to anyone.
The dinner, dedicated to the first day of the second term, continued, but all things were ending, so by nine o'clock all the students had walked to their respective dormitories. Ginny began to go upstairs to the Gryffindor common room, but suddenly decided against it. She hid behind a column and waited for the hall to be empty. When nobody was in sight, she snuck to the dungeons.
She wanted to go to the lab and just sit there, drink a cup of tea and prepare equipment for tomorrow's session. During the holidays Snape owled her and in his letter he said that she was to visit the lab more frequently and a little surprise was waiting for her there. She was intrigued, of course, surprise from Snape? Very odd, and there would definitely not be a simple surprise because Snape's surprises were far from pleasant, for example: two feet essay instead of one and a half or a pop quiz without any warning.
'How will it be now without Malfoy? If I work alone on all these assignments, I'll go crazy that's for sure! We couldn't manage to do them together and now I must do them all alone. Yes, it won't be the same. And this family curse thing, what is the research for?'
She already reached the laboratory and entered, automatically put her working robe on just in case and went to the mini-living room. She sat down on one of the couches, but at once jumped two inches above the coach shrieking because she was surprised to the Gryffindor and back. Oh that Snape's surprises. On the couch opposite from her was sleeping Draco Malfoy, but now he wasn't exactly sleeping, but moving and waking up. And who wouldn't? Ginny's shriek echoed from the walls and returned right into his ears, threatening to break his eardrums.
"What the Hell?" he asked sleepily, still not opening his eyes.
'Merlin! It is him. What is he doing here? And what's with his hair? Its color is pure silver with absolutely no blond in it. As if he turned…Oh Merlin's beard…he went grey!'
"Oh? Weasley? I didn't hope to see you so early. I mean, you were to come tomorrow, weren't you?" Now he was sitting on the couch, not fully awaken, but trying to be by shaking his head.
"You were hoping to see me?" asked Ginny, still not fully believing that it was Draco Malfoy in front of her.
"No, I wasn't. I meant that you were to come sooner or later, but I hoped that it will be later than sooner."
"Well, ok, enough with this secular chat! The question of the day is, what you are doing here, Malfoy!"
"Don't call me Malfoy."
"And what should I call you, hah?" she was really frustrated with all these surprises and unanswered questions.
"Hmmm, let see…Call me Marko. Yes, that's it. Marko, after my middle name, Markonius."
"And why should I call you by your middle name and not the first?"
"Do you want to?"
"That's NOT the point."
"Because Draco Malfoy doesn't exist from now on"
"What! How can you not exist if you're sitting right in front of me?"
"Where?"
"Well, here, at Hogwarts, where else?" she stated matter-of-factly.
"And this, Weasley, is a top secret information."
"And why is that? A Malfoy's privilege?"
"Too many questions, don't you think?"
"And no answers so far. We are partners; we must know everything about each other, especially about such surprising appearances."
"And why is it so surprising to you? We always met only here."
"You weren't supposed to be here!" she said with angry notes in her tone. "Are you playing some stupid game, Marko?" she put an emphasis on the name.
"And why shouldn't I?" he was satisfied with the twist in their conversation, because now he was asking questions and she had to answer them.
"Because the slytherins are gone and all sixth and seventh years were to become -," she stopped suddenly.
"Well, say it," Draco crossed hands over his chest and was looking at her intently.
"Become Death Eaters," she said in a soft voice, looking at her hands with intertwined fingers, which lay on her knees.
"All right, you get it. Now you're a smart girl and can answer your own question. So what am I doing here?"
"Well, since I am a smart girl, I'll judge it like a compliment." Draco slightly nodded in acknowledgement. "Let's discuss the possibilities. You are supposed to be a Death Eater," he flinched slightly. Ginny noticed it, "But Dumbledore won't let any Death Eaters be in Hogwarts, and you're saying that your existence here is top secret, then you're secretly kept here. But on the other hand, Dumbledore allows it because he knows everything, and you can't sneak around and spy for Voldemort." Draco was surprised by her saying the name, but said nothing. "I can come only to one conclusion, but it is a very strange one, but I can't find another: you are not a Death Eater and you are in hiding here from Voldemort and his followers."
"Bravo," Draco began clapping, "Bravo, Weasley. Perfect deductive work and with a right answer too. Bravo."
"It is? Yey!" She was jumping up and down with joy like a small child, receiving her praise.
"Happy that I am not a Death Eater and won't kill you, when you turn your back to me?" he asked confused by all her happiness.
"Oh, no," she calmed down a bit, and was able to speak rationally. "I am just glad that I answered correctly."
Disappointment flashed through Draco's face. "So what now?"
"I don't know, I was going to drink some tea."
"Good idea." Tea appeared on the small table between the couches.
They sipped tea for a while, finding nothing to talk about. Well, it wasn't quite right, because one tiny question that needed a very long answer tap-danced on Ginny's tongue, but instead she said smiling, "I like all this top secret thing."
"Huh?" he looked at her from above his mug.
"I mean, if you are calling yourself Marko, why can't I pick some other name?"
"Fair question. I'll call you Anne. Do you mind?"
"Firstly you say that you will do it, and then ask me if I mind. How Mal - , Markoisch of you. But I don't mind."
They sat for a while and drank tea in silence.
"You should go, it's late," Draco said looking at his chain watch.
"Oh yeah, good night then, see you tomorrow."
Ginny left the lab and quickly ran through the empty dungeons to the Gryffindor Tower.
'What could've happened to him that his hair went grey? I'll find out, even if I need to torture him, but I'll find out.'