I'm so sorry for the long wait. Now, I don't believe in superstition, luck, or jinxes, but I think I really messed myself up when I told a few of you (some of you who reviewed one or two days after I posted the last chapter) that this chapter would be up in a few days. Right after that, I lost all motivation and steam I had going on this chapter, and even though I tried to write, it all turned out horribly. So, I just decided to take a vacation from the story and clear my head. I didn't want to write when my heart wasn't in it, because you guys deserve much better. But this morning I woke up and I really wanted to write again, so I finished the chapter today. Oh, and ignore the 8's as a page breaker. The normal line in the document edit section wasn't working so I just went with this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co.
Chapter 38: Epiphany
Draco sat in numbed silence, trying to piece together this new information. Reina's last name was Juriac! And she said her brother Oleaney had died. But that's not possible, Draco thought furiously. Oleaney Juriac is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Noticing Reina watching him, Draco sat back in his seat and tried to appear as if the news didn't startle him. To his relief, the tea kettle started to whistle and Reina stood and walked to the stove. Draco bit his lip, wondering why Reina Juriac thought her brother was dead. Something must have happened to them in their past to make her think so, but Draco knew for a fact that Oleaney Juriac was very much alive.
"So," Draco began quietly, "Oleaney Juriac is your brother?"
"Was," Reina corrected Draco. After a few minutes, she returned to the table with two cups of tea. Draco drank his even though he wasn't thirsty. Well, he wasn't thirsty for drink. He was, however, thirsty for knowledge. Something in the back of his mind was whispering that he was on to something, that this was something more than just a misunderstanding. And if it was the last thing Draco ever did, he was going to find it out.
Before he could ask anymore questions, though, Reina gave a short, dry laugh. Draco looked at her cautiously; he had never seen Reina in any other mood than happy, but now she seemed a completely different person. She seemed lost inside, dead.
"It wasn't supposed to happen," she said sadly, shaking her head slowly. "Oleaney should never have died. If he hadn't given me his ring, he wouldn't have. I suppose it's my fault he's gone."
"His ring?" Draco asked, rubbing the top of his chest where his own ring was hidden under his shirt. "What ring?"
Reina looked at Draco, tears shining in her eyes. "His wedding ring," she said. One of the tears escaped but she brushed it aside. After she blinked a few times, the tears were gone. "Felicity charmed it right before they got married. As long as Oleaney was wearing it, he couldn't die; he never knew the magic his ring held though."
Draco watched quietly as Reina's lip trembled, betraying just how much reliving this story was hurting her. He felt only a moment's guilt at having gotten her into it. But then any guilt he felt was driven away by the powerful curiosity he was experiencing.
"When Felicity was on her death bed, mere…minutes before she died, she told him about it. Then a few weeks after her funeral, Oleaney came here to me." Reina paused and sipped her tea. "He told me he was going after our parents, that he thought they could be saved."
Reina's face darkened and she clutched her tea cup fiercely. Her mouth was twisting in frustration and she snorted softly through her nose, shaking her head. "I told him that they were too far gone, but he wouldn't listen. No matter how hard I tried to talk him out of it, he left anyway. But before he did," Reina continued, "he explained the ring to me, told me everything Felicity had told him. He said that he wanted me to have it. The last thing he ever said to me was 'I want to be sure that you're safe.' And then he left…and I never saw him again."
Draco wondered briefly why Reina was telling him all of this. They had only talked a few times before, and it usually had been about Narcissa. Now all of a sudden Draco was hearing a very emotional story in her life, something he doubted Ginny knew even though the two females were close friends. But no matter how odd it seemed, a rich, pureblood Malfoy having a heart-to-heart with a squib, Draco didn't want the conversation to end. He was just about to say something, some sort of sympathy, when Reina continued and he shut his mouth excitedly.
"Months passed and my hope died. I knew he was dead," Reina said dully. "And then I learned that my parents had been killed. After that I tried to move on. It took me a while, but I did it. I never wore the ring, not once." Reina shook her head, staring at the middle of the table. Draco wondered if she even remembered that he was there because she seemed to be deep in thought.
Well, obviously Oleaney never died like she thinks he did, Draco thought. He wasn't sure what his D.A.D.A. teacher had been doing with the Juriac parents. Reina had made it sound like he had been trying to rescue them. But rescue them from what? He must not have succeeded, for Reina said that her parents had died. And she thought Oleaney had too.
But since Oleaney didn't die, why didn't he go back to his sister? All Draco could come up with was that Oleaney might've been too ashamed after he had failed. Draco frowned. Even if he had failed, he should've come back. Draco didn't know much about siblings since he didn't have any, but it sounded as if Reina and Oleaney had been close. Wouldn't she have understood if her brother had failed? Wouldn't she have loved him all the same?
Then Draco remembered something. Reina said her brother had been killed by Death Eaters. Where had she gotten that information from? Draco thought harder, putting together what he knew.
Reina thought Oleaney had been killed by Death Eaters.
Oleaney had been trying to save their parents.
Their parents were dead.
Oleaney was alive.
Oleaney had failed.
So did that mean that the Juriac parents had been Death Eaters? Perhaps they had tried to kill their son and thought they had, so Reina thought Oleaney was dead, therefore giving her reason to believe her brother had been killed by Death Eaters. Or perhaps Oleaney had killed his parents. Maybe he had just gone crazy and decided to kill them instead of save them. Maybe he was so distraught over his wife's death that he hadn't been thinking clearly and had…
Draco almost stopped breathing. That was it! He frowned, his revelation already starting to slip from his mind. He had almost had it. It had briefly surfaced in his mind, only to fade away before he could fully comprehend it. He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking harder.
If Draco's idea that Oleaney's parents had been Death Eaters was true, and if Oleaney had gone after them, then Draco could only imagine what Oleaney had been through. Death Eaters were capable of anything. Perhaps they had tried to kill Oleaney, but they hadn't quite succeeded. Maybe Oleaney was too injured to return to his sister or maybe he had decided not to return to protect her. So for years he had stayed away from his sister, letting her believe that he had been killed.
But that makes no sense, thought Draco. Why would Oleaney suddenly turn up at Hogwarts and teach, then? Maybe he had wanted to be closer to his sister and decided Hogwarts would be the perfect solution.
Draco frowned again. What was different about this year other than Oleaney Juriac teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts? One thing clearly came to Draco's mind, and that was the four students that had disappeared earlier that year. There was a connection, he felt sure there was. It was the first year Juriac taught. It was the first year students disappeared like that. Who was to say that Oleaney hadn't been the one to take them? If he had almost been killed by Death Eaters, maybe he had just gone off the deep end and mentally cracked.
It all made perfect sense in Draco's eyes. He felt a renewed sense of curiosity about what was down in the tunnel he and Ginny had discovered earlier that year. If his suspicions were correct –and Draco believed they were – then Oleaney Juriac was the culprit.
Draco looked up. Reina was still staring at the table, no doubt reliving the night her brother had left and the night he had "died." Downing the last of his tea, Draco stood up. Reina snapped out of her reverie and looked at him.
"I'm very sorry," Draco said, trying not to sound like he was dashing off. "I don't know how it is to lose someone you love, but believe me…I can imagine," Draco said truthfully; many times the fear of losing Ginny to his father or Death Eaters crossed his mind. "You have my deepest sympathies. I'm afraid, though, that I do have to be going. I have plans this afternoon."
"Of course," replied Reina, waving her hand towards the door. "Go ahead…" she didn't seem to mind Draco leaving at all, so Draco wasted no time in leaving the store. Once he was outside in the warm, late-May sun, he started running back towards Hogwarts. He didn't care if he looked ridiculous to passerbyers. He wanted to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible and find Ginny.
He was on a mission.
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Ginny was sitting down by the lake with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ewan, enjoying the warm day. There was a gentle breeze that was playing with her hair, but she didn't bother to brush her hair out of her eyes; as soon as she tucked it behind her ear, it always blew back in her face anyway. Hermione and Ewan were sitting off to the side. Ewan was resting against a tree and Hermione was leaning against him, her head lying on his shoulder. Ewan's arm was wrapped around Hermione shoulder, his fingers messing idly with her hair. In fact, Ginny wasn't even sure he knew he was fingering her hair; Ewan was staring absentmindedly out over the lake.
Harry too was staring at the water. There was a sad, lost look in his eyes. Ginny felt sorry for him. She knew what kind of trials Harry was facing now that school was over. The showdown with Voldemort was coming ever closer, and she knew that something was up; she could almost feel it whenever she was around Harry, Hermione, or her brother. They were keeping her out of something, she knew. Whether it was because they were trying to protect her or because they simply didn't want her interfering, Ginny didn't know. She could only hope that whatever Harry faced, he would prevail.
Ginny looked over at her brother and saw him picking at the grass. He looked sad as well. Ginny could only imagine what leaving Hogwarts forever was like. She was glad that she'd be coming back next year, but at the same time, she was not looking forward to it. Life at Hogwarts without Ron, Harry, or Hermione would be strange. They had always been there for her, but now they wouldn't. She'd be alone. Even Draco wouldn't be there.
And that, more than the loss of her brother or his friends, hit her harder than ever. She was afraid that after Hogwarts, Draco would move on, find some other girl that would be there for him in person. The best Ginny would be able to do would be to send him letters. And even if Draco did wish to keep their relationship alive after Hogwarts, which is what deep down Ginny believed he wanted, his future was so uncertain. Ginny was fairly confident that he would never become a Death Eater, but that meant that he was in even more danger than ever. The thought of losing him brought tears to her eyes. She had come to enjoy being with him more than she had dreamed was possible. Losing him would be like losing a part of herself. Sniffing, Ginny hastily brushed her tears away, not wanting anybody to see her cry.
And then, almost as if her thoughts had materialized, she saw Draco in the distance running up the path from Hogsmede towards the castle. She straightened and frowned, wondering why Draco was running as if there was some monster chasing after him, jaws snapping at his heels; she actually checked, just to make sure. But no, there was no three-headed dog, no rampaging hippogriff, nothing.
Her curiosity getting the better of her, Ginny carefully stood and backed away from her friends. None of them seemed to notice her retreating, and after she had backed away a good distance, she turned around and ran towards the castle. Draco had already disappeared inside and she hoped that he would've stopped running by now so that she wouldn't have to search the whole castle for him.
Ginny stopped to catch her breath once she stepped inside the entrance hall. There were a few students milling about, looking excited now that classes were over for the year, but she didn't see Draco anywhere. She was just about to start up the stairs and head for the library, thinking he might have gone up there, when she saw a familiar blond head rush towards her from the dungeons.
She saw Draco halt halfway across the entrance hall; their eyes met. He half turned and jerked his head back down into the dungeons, indicating for Ginny to follow him. She nodded and took off after him, adrenaline starting to pump through her.
After they had turned a few corners and were alone, Draco turned around and waited for Ginny to catch up to him. When she did, she was able to notice just how out of breath he was; she also noticed a familiar stone clutched in his hand.
Before Ginny could ask any questions, Draco grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the corridor. "Where are we going?" Ginny asked, keeping up with Draco's long strides.
He glanced nervously over his shoulder. "Not here," he said quietly. Ginny noticed that they were going further and further into the castle along a very familiar route, one she had not taken for months now. They were heading back towards the tunnel.
"Are we finally going back down?" Ginny asked excitedly. Draco didn't say anything. Soon they reached the door to the entrance to the tunnel and without a moment's hesitation, Draco stepped through, pulling Ginny with him.
Both teenagers lit their wands and stood facing each other. "What's going on, Draco?" Ginny asked.
"I found something out," Draco whispered.
"What?" Ginny asked breathlessly.
"I think I know who was taking the students."
"Who?" Ginny asked, her frustration at having to ask all these questions surfacing.
Draco took a deep breath. "Oleaney Juriac," he said.
"What?" Ginny laughed. "Oleaney Juriac? Come off it, Draco, he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." When she noticed Draco's scowl, she stopped laughing, though an amused smile remained on her face. "He's supposed to fight evil, not start it."
"Well," Draco said, "you probably won't think so after I tell you what I just found out. I was in Hogsmede talking with my mother. And when I was leaving, Reina pulled me into the kitchen for a cup of tea. We got to talking, and she let slip that she had a brother."
"I know that," Ginny said. "He died years ago, she said."
"But that's the thing," Draco said excitedly. "He didn't."
Ginny's mouth opened, but she didn't say anything. Then, "What do you mean he didn't? Reina said he did."
Draco sighed. "Ginny, I know that your brother, Granger, and the hero just love playing detectives," he said sarcastically, "but now it's our turn. Did you ever wonder what Reina's last name was?"
Ginny felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped over her head. She felt like slapping herself! How come she had known Reina since Christmas and had never thought to ask her last name? "No-o-o," Ginny said nervously.
"Well I asked today," Draco said. "Her last name is Juriac."
"But – but," began Ginny, her mind putting two and two together. "Then that would mean that her brother is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"Exactly," Draco said. "And that means that he never died. Look, I asked a few questions, and Reina told me that right after his wife died, her brother Oleaney took off after his parents trying to save them."
"From what?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know," Draco said, shrugging his shoulders. "I didn't ask and she didn't say. But anyways, she says Death Eaters killed him and I have reason to believe that their parents were Death Eaters. Obviously Oleaney didn't save them as he said he would, because Reina says that shortly after her brother went after them, her parents died. She says she never saw Oleaney again and she knew that he died." Draco paused for breath before continuing. "I think that somehow they tried to kill Oleaney, but he didn't die. I don't know what he did all those years but he came to Hogwarts last year to teach. Since he's come, students have disappeared. I bet you anything that he was the one taking them."
Ginny stared at Draco. His accusations were very bold, but they did have some merit. And if they were true...Ginny shook her head. "Alright," she said slowly. "I suppose it's possible. But why would we go down there now? After all these weeks and months of not going, why now?
"Because," Draco said incredulously, "now we know for sure who it is, and it gives us all the more reason to solve this mystery. We can't let Juriac come back and teach next year. He could take even more students."
"So why don't we just go and tell Dumbledore everything?" Ginny asked.
"No." Draco shook his head. "We have to do this ourselves."
He sounded so excited. Ginny couldn't help but feel some of the excitement herself. She had once been so curious about it all; that curiosity started to resurface, now stronger than ever.
"Okay," she agreed. "Let's go."
Draco grinned at her and grabbed her hand, starting through the tunnel. "Oh," he said, stopping momentarily. "I almost forgot. See, Oleaney was married, but his wife died right before Oleaney went missing. The night before he left, he went to Reina's and gave her his wedding ring."
"Why are you telling me this?" Ginny asked.
"Where did you get that ring you gave me back at Christmas?" Draco countered.
Ginny swallowed, now realizing what Draco was coming on to. "It was in the box with the dress I got for the Masquerade Ball."
Draco frowned at her. Obviously this wasn't the answer he had wanted. But Ginny continued before Draco could get too discouraged. "But I got that dress from Reina. She gave it to me."
Draco's eyes lit up again. "I bet that this ring," he pulled the chain out from under his shirt so that the ring was hanging in front of him, "is Oleaney's wedding ring."
Ginny stared at the ring dangling in front of Draco's chest. A warm, satisfied feeling came over her; she hadn't known that Draco had actually kept that ring, let alone worn it. She had all but forgotten about it herself. She was touched that Draco had cared enough to wear it around his neck. She wondered just how soon after she had given it to him that he had decided to wear it…
"Ginny," Draco said. Ginny looked back up, blushing, and saw Draco grinning down at her. "Care to tell me what you find so interesting?" he asked slyly.
"No," she said, giving her head a little shake. Draco kept grinning but he didn't say anything. He tucked the ring back under his shirt and started down the tunnel.
When they finally stepped into the cavern, both Ginny and Draco's hearts were thumping with excitement. In Ginny's opinion, it had been far too long since she had been down here. The lake still glittered calmly in the center of the cavern, and on the other side, there was the overhang over which another tunnel traveled.
Both teenagers carefully walked around the side of the lake, taking care not to slip in the loose gravel, and stood at the bottom of the overhang. Ginny looked up nervously; she knew what lay over the top. Draco too was watching anxiously, his wand raised. He turned to Ginny.
"I'll go over first, and when I say so, you come after, okay?" Draco asked, looking at Ginny. Though Ginny would've rather gone with Draco, his tone invited no arguments, so she nodded her head and swallowed. "Keep your wand shining light over the top," Draco said. "Nox." His wand lost its light.
After taking a deep breath, Draco hastily pulled himself up the rock wall and stood on the edge, his wand pointed threateningly before him. Ginny stood on her toes and pointed her lit wand over the edge, hoping she was providing enough light. Suddenly she remembered the spell Draco had used in the cavern before and cast it; a soft glow ensued throughout the room and Ginny looked back up at Draco.
To her relief, Draco's wand was lowered and he turned to look down at her. "It's not there," he said. Ginny couldn't tell if he sounded worried or relieved, but she herself was glad that they didn't have to deal with that monster. It just made everything all the easier.
"Well help me up, then," Ginny said, holding her hand up. Pocketing his wand and glancing over his shoulder once more, Draco leaned down and grabbed Ginny. He pulled her up with a heave and Ginny was soon standing next to Draco, peering down the tunnel expectantly.
"Come on," Draco said, pulling out his wand again. Leaving the light of the cavern behind them, he lit his wand and started into the black tunnel, Ginny walking on his left. Draco glanced over his shoulder as they walked even further in.
Ginny was so excited about what they were doing that she failed to notice the nervous look on Draco's face. All she was concerned about was that she was finally going to figure out this mystery, that her curiosity would finally be put to bed. At least, she hoped that this mission would prove victorious. And if she had anything to say about it, it would be.
They kept creeping further and further into the tunnel. Their wands were the only source of light. When the tunnel started to slope upwards, Ginny was nearly thrown off balance. Then the tunnel started leveling out again, and a small dot of light was visible further on. As Ginny and Draco walked closer, the light became brighter and brighter until their wands were no longer needed for light.
Looking ahead, Ginny saw that the tunnel continued on for a few more yards before it turned sharply to the left. That part of the tunnel was also brightly lit, though Ginny saw no light source. Before they continued, Draco leading the way cautiously, Ginny glanced to her left and saw manacles imbedded in the rock wall. She remembered how the last time she had gotten this far down the tunnel, she had been unconscious; Draco had rescued her that time. A small smile came to her lips as that memory replayed in her head.
"Keep quiet and stick close to me," Draco whispered, his wand pointing in front of him, prepared for anything. Ginny nodded and crept alongside Draco.
When they got to the turn in the tunnel, Draco slowed down and put his hand out to block Ginny from coming any closer. Then, in one swift motion, he sprang around the corner with his wand pointed directly ahead of him. Ginny half-expected the cave creature to come barreling around the corner and knock into Draco, but to her relief, Draco lowered his wand and beckoned Ginny to follow.
Once Ginny turned the corner, she nearly stopped dead in her tracks, her eyebrows shooting upwards; Draco too had yet to move. Whatever she had expected to find down in the tunnel, it had not been this. The stone floor in front of her continued on for another five feet or so, and then the dirt petered out into a cement ground. Resting upon the cement was what appeared to be the basement of a house.
Draco walked forward slowly, looking about in wonder. Ginny followed him curiously, stepping onto the cement. She saw on one wall a large fireplace, but there was no fire. Next to the fireplace was a flight of wooden stairs that rose steeply; the door at the top was shut, but Ginny could see a crack of light coming from underneath.
Across from that was a wall that was completely empty save for another two sets of manacles that were hanging limply. On the wall opposite the tunnel was a table and chair. There were a few books and a plate holding a half-eaten sandwich on the table and a cloak was resting on the back of the chair.
Turning around slowly, still taking in everything in the room, Ginny shook her head. She glanced warily at the manacles before continuing on and looked up the stairs; Draco came to stand beside her. He looked up and then glanced at Ginny.
"Shall we?" he asked. Ginny nodded, suppressing a smile. Draco started slowly up the steps, Ginny right behind him. She glanced over her shoulder once at the tunnel just to make sure nothing was coming after them. But all was still and silent, so she turned her attention back to her front, where Draco was standing at the top of the steps. He pressed his ear against the door. Ginny held her breath, trying to hear if there was anything on the other side.
After a minute of nothing but silence, Draco cautiously opened the door and poked his head out. Ginny peered over his shoulder and saw that they were in a kitchen. Draco stepped forward and Ginny anxiously clambered after him, shutting the basement door after them and shuddering at the feeling that something evil was about to pop up from behind her and attack.
She watched Draco walk through another doorway and as soon as there was room, Ginny did the same, looking over her shoulder to see another doorway that led into another room. Though she was curious about what lay that way, she decided to stick with Draco. She followed him into what appeared to be the den, seeing another fireplace with a couch seated in front of it.
"Where are we?" Ginny whispered to Draco, wondering what a house was doing in a tunnel under the school.
"I think we're in Hogsmede," Draco replied, his voice equally soft. "That tunnel climbed back up and leveled out, so it would make sense." There were no windows for Ginny to see if they were in the village, but she agreed with Draco. The question was…why was there a tunnel that connected this house to the school? Ginny figured that this must be where Juriac took the students, and it would be convenient, for he could take them straight from the school.
Draco started down another hallway that broke off from the den. Ginny followed a bit more slowly this time, still looking around for any sort of clue. She wondered where Juriac was, if this was indeed his house. But then she remembered that this was the last day of exams and even though all of them were done for the day, Juriac was probably in some teachers meeting or sorting files or something. As long as he wasn't here, it was fine with her.
She saw that Draco had gotten far ahead of her in the hallway and he turned a corner into another room, but this time, Ginny didn't follow. Cautiously she opened the doors in the hallway to see what was inside. The first one was a linen closet containing blankets, towels, and other toiletries. The next door was merely stuffed with boxes. However, when Ginny opened the door after that, she saw another flight of stairs that led steeply upwards.
Ginny hesitated; she should probably tell Draco where she was going, but at the moment, Ginny was too interested in what lay at the top of the stairs. So without further deliberation, she started up. The stairs under her creaked eerily half-way up, and Ginny paused, wondering if anybody was at the top. She pushed those fears aside, though she peered around the doorway at the top of the stairs carefully before she stepped inside the room.
It was clearly the attic of the house; the ceiling sloped down near the walls of the room and a tiny rectangular window sat near the ceiling on one wall. Under the window was a cot with yellowing, moth-eaten sheets. Ginny wrinkled her nose in disgust and slowly stepped further into the room, her wand ready although she saw no traces of life. Opposite the cot was a desk that had some books and twisted pieces of metal on it. Some of the books were entitled Healer Ardell's Guide to Human Duplication, Fantastic Feats You Never Knew You Could Do, and Magical Plants of the Orient.
Ginny picked up the latter, a thin red book with gold trim and gold-rimmed pages. She flipped open the book and saw a page containing a picture of what appeared to be a bush of some kind devouring a human body. Swallowing, Ginny put the book back down and turned to what was taking up the majority of the room – several large metal tables containing books, cauldrons, phials, potions, dishes of potion ingredients (most of which Ginny had seen only in Professor Snape's private store), and more of the weird metal pieces that had been on the desk.
Glancing at the door to make sure nobody was coming up, Ginny walked over to one of the tables in the middle of the floor. This table held mostly books and empty cauldrons and phials. Ginny's eyes scanned over the contents, but she didn't see anything immediately attention-grabbing, so she moved on to the next table, which held cauldrons full to the brim with different potions. Ginny covered her nose as she peered into a cauldron containing a putrid red substance that made Ginny's lunch contemplate regurgitation.
She quickly moved on to another cauldron. This one smelled much better; in fact, Ginny found herself staring dazedly into the smooth purple liquid as the sweet odor caused her mind to wander to happy times when she was a child, before she had gone to Hogwarts, when she and her brothers would play and laugh together. Slowly, subconsciously, Ginny lowered her head towards the cauldron, wanting to be as close as possible to the wonderful sensation is offered. Another memory of when she and her mother had made cookies came to her – Ginny could have been no more than four or five in this memory, but it was one that she treasured. Her mother had let Ginny lick the spoon that was thick with cookie dough, and Ginny had absolutely loved it.
Quick as lightning, an image Draco holding her hand, smiling at her in a way that sent pleasant shivers down her arms, popped into her mind and Ginny was jerked back to reality. She gasped as she realized that her face was inches away from the purple substance, which had started to bubble menacingly.
Ginny backed away hurriedly, knocking into the table behind her and upsetting a bowl of what looked like flobberworm mucus. Her eyes darted anxiously to the purple potion, which was once again dangerously calm before she walked on to another table. She shuddered to think what would have happened if she had been seduced enough to touch that potion.
As she was walking much more carefully through the isles of tables, Ginny spotted at the end of the row a black box the size of her head. Ginny started over to the box but before she got there, her foot caught on something and she went crashing towards the ground. Her arms flailed in hopes of grabbing something to slow her fall and she knocked over a small cauldron, causing a cloudy silver liquid to fall all over her.
Sprawled on her side, her arms aching from the impact of her fall, Ginny slowly sat up. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry when she saw the silver potion covering parts of her arms, legs, chest, face and hair. She desperately tried to rub it off, not knowing what kind of potion it was. But before she made much progress, the potion disappeared; Ginny had an uneasy feeling that it her body had absorbed it.
Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, fully prepared to keel over dead in any moment, but nothing happened. She tentatively opened one eye, and, seeing that she was still in one piece, shakily rose to her feet. She looked down to see what had caused her to trip and saw a pair of shoes with the socks sticking out of them; they were much too small to belong to Professor Juriac. Ginny looked at the cauldron she had knocked over and saw that the potion was dripping onto the floor, but after being on the floor for only a few seconds, the potion disappeared. Again Ginny nervously gazed down at her body, wondering what the potion would do, but a shout from downstairs banished away all other thoughts.
"Ginny!" shouted Draco's voice. "Ginny, where are you?"
"Up here!" Ginny cried out. She grabbed her wand as she heard someone pounding up the steps. She let out a shaky sigh when she saw that it was Draco; however, he looked very upset.
"Ginny, we have to get out of here. Juriac is back. He saw me," he said, grabbing Ginny's hand and starting to pull her towards the door. But what they heard next caused both teens to halt.
"Ginny!" cried a very familiar voice from at the bottom of the steps. Ginny and Draco stepped back from the doorway as none other than Draco Malfoy walked through, staring straight at Ginny.
Ginny's eyes widened as she saw what looked and sounded exactly like Draco standing before her. Her head darted to the side, where Draco was also holding her hand, staring at the other Draco.
Ginny ripped her hand out of Draco's and backed away quickly, her wand pointing at the Draco that was standing in the doorway.
"Ginny," said the Draco that had been holding her hand, looking pleadingly at her, "Ginny, it's me, Draco." He looked so innocent and truthful, but Ginny didn't know what was going on.
"No, Ginny," called the Draco that was still standing by the door, "don't listen to him. He's trying to trick you." This Draco took a step into the room. "It's me, Ginny. It's Draco."
The other Draco shook his head violently, looking at Draco angrily. "I don't know who or what this guy is, but he's not me!"
It was so strange; they both looked, sounded, and moved exactly alike. But something was seriously wrong. Ginny couldn't decide which Draco she needed to watch more; her wand kept going back and forth between them. All the while, she was stealthily backing up, trying to put as much distance as possible in between herself and the Draco clones. What was this? She was sure that at least one of them was the real Draco, but who was the other? Oleaney Juriac? Ginny recalled a certain spell that said teacher had taught her class at the beginning of the year. What is it again? Ginny thought impatiently. It was just on her exam; she should remember it.
"That's the imposter," said the Draco in the door, pointing to the other boy. "He's Juriac!"
Ginny's eyes darted towards the Draco who had come to her first. He was shaking his head again, looking back at the other Draco. "No," he said. "He's wrong." He took a step towards Ginny, whose wand was pointed straight at him again. "He's Juriac!" he insisted, pointing at the Draco in the door.
"How can I be sure?" Ginny asked, though she knew now how she could tell. She remembered that in one of her first classes with Professor Juriac, he had taught the class the Privivero charm. If there were two objects that looked exactly alike and one object was not supposed to be what it appeared to be, the Privivero charm would reveal the imposter; she remembered the disastrous results their experimentation with that spell had had for her fellow Gryffindor, Ned. Considering the circumstances, Ginny thought this was the perfect time to use the spell again.
"Ginny, you can trust me!" pleaded the Draco nearest her, but she ignored him.
Raising her wand towards the two boys, Ginny shouted, "Privivero!" Her eyes involuntarily closed from the effects of the spell, and in her mind's eye she saw a shimmering white light against which stood the two Dracos in the position they were really standing in. The Draco that was standing near the doorway flashed before turning into an image of none other than her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Oleaney Juriac.
Then in about the time span of two seconds, several things happened. First, the image of Juriac faded and Ginny's eyes opened.
Second, the real Draco stepped forward and shouted in warning, "Ginny!"
Thirdly, pain erupted in Ginny's skull and she fell unconscious to the floor.
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A/N: So, what's going on? What happened to Ginny? I'm sure those are only a few of the questions you're just dying to know the answers to. But you'll have to wait for the next chapter. Just a warning…the next chapter will probably be lengthy, so it might take me a while to get out. But who knows, maybe it'll end up being a short chapter. Review please!
Lauren
