Chapter six

Platform 9 3/4

From the moment she appeared and saw her suroundings, Ginny knew that this was not going to be in any way easy. The platform looked like it had been hearly burned at one point, at least from what she could tell from the glimpses between smoke from the Express. The train no longer looked the bright and cheery one that brought her every year to school.

"Every thing looks...dull." She commented to Draco as he appeared.

"So what, Weaslette?" He all but snarled. Ginny was begining to get an idea of his moods and realized he was nervous.

She glared at him, as though to say "You're not helping" and walked over to the train. She was getting positivly bad feelings about this. She turned to Draco and said as much.

He scowled, but for once it wasn't directed at her. "I know the feeling sadly enough. I hate to rain on your parade, but this is the only way to get there. Seeing as your boyfriend and your brother aren't here, I can't find any one who knows the way."

"True. And I don't have a boyfriend."

He sneered and gave a mock bow. They climbed onto the train. Not srprisingly they found all the compartments to be open. They stepped into one, leaving the door open in case they needed to get out early.

"So, Weaslette, why aren't you and Potter an item?" he asked as the train started.

She looked at him askane. "Do you care?"

He shrugged. "Not really but it's a long ride."

She gave him a lopsided half smile. "Harry likes Hermione. They've been dating for about a year."

Draco waved a hand dismissively. "I know that. But why didn't you pursue him. You probably could have gotten him you know."

Ginny smiled reminiscently. "I guess I just woke up one day and didn't really have time for all of it."

Draco looked amused. "You have a timeturner and have been doubling on classes since your third year and you don't have time? That's rich."

She wrinklied her nose at him. "I guess he's not my type."

"Well since tall dark and handsome isn't your type, why not try for medium height, blonde and pale?"

For a moment Ginny was shocked, thinking he was asking her out. He grinned devilously. "In your dreams Weasley. I'm talking about Creevey."

Ginny laughed lightly. "Colin? Gods no! He and Luna have been together for nine months now. She'd kill me." She pushed back her hair and leaned forward. "What about you? Is there any one in the Slytherin Sex God's life?"

Draco grimaced. "Are those girls still calling me that?"

Ginny laughed again. "If you are referring to Padma and Parvati the answer is yes. Lavender has taken it up now."

"Honestly, you kiss one girl and they think you're some diety."

"Well considering the girl you kissed had no prior experience and was the bigest tattler in the school, yeah that will get you a bit of a reputation. So spill. I told you my sappy nonexsistent love life. What's on your fronteir?"

"Not too sure really. The girls in my house are bimbos and of the few out there worth my while all of them are too smart to let me seduce them. There would be no fun if I could get every one I wanted just by smiling."

"So, who have you and your mates dubbed the hardest to catch?"

He grinned. "Believe it or not, Blaise Zabini has knighted you as the Hardest Lady."

Draco didn't miss the quiet smile that touched her lips. "Really? Now why would a girl say that?"

He watched her fighting a grin. "Alright. Your turn to spill. What does Blaise know about you? She may be a good kisser but I can't get it out of her. So tell."

Ginny released the grin and told him about the one time she had cornered Blaise in an empty hall the year before.

"YOU KISSED BLAISE ZABINI?" Draco shrieked, both surprised and fighting off laughter. "Why?"

Ginny shrugged. "I'd never kissed a girl before and wanted to know what it was like."

Draco laughed and shook his head. In some dark throughly Malfoy corner of his mind, he realized he was having a good time with a female Weasley while not trying to either seduce her or bug her. That part kept yelling at him to stop. He told it to fuck off.

About an hour or so later they had wound thier way through all the Hogwarts gossip they had and decided to start with favorties.

"What was your favorite day, Weasley?"

She smiled into her lap, looking at her hands. "August tenth, 1995. My brother Bill took me with him to see the Pheonixes when they were cleaning out Gringotts. I guess that's why I chose...Oh never mind."

"No go on." Draco said, as close to intrigued as he would ever get.

"I guess that's why I chose the Pheonix for my shape to change into."

For a moment Draco didn't quite get the signifigance of what she had just said. Then his eyes sort of bugged out.

"Are you saying you're an Animangas?"

She smiled and mimed shooting a pistol at him. "Bingo. I can't fully transform yet, but I'm getting there."

He shook his head. "Can I see?"

She shrugged and got up. She spread her arms and a moment later she was three feet high with crimson wings that spread six feet and distinctly avian features. Then she was back to human.

"As I said I still have some kinks but I can fly."

"Did you learn on your own?"

She shook her head. "I started my fourth year and only got a few ruffled feathers to show for it before McGonagall and Snape found out and insisted I get proper training if I was to continue."

"So what have you been taking since you got your third year?"

"Here," she reached into her back pocket and handed him a folded peice of paper. He opened it and read:

3rd Year 4th Year 5th Year 6th Year

Potions Ad Potions High Potions Deadly Potions

Anchient Runes WM Prep Wandless Magic Wandless Magic

Muggle Studies Magic Instruments Fencing Fencing

Ad Tran. High Tran. Self Tran. Self Tran.

M.M.S. Ad M.M.S. High M.M.S. Self Protection

Ad D.A.D.A. High D.A.D.A. High D.A.D.A. P.D.A.D.A.

Ad C. of M.C. Ad C.of M.C. High C.of M.C. P.C.of M.C.

Ad Div. High Div. High Crystals High Crystals

Herbology High Herbology High Herbology High Herbology

Ad Charms High Charms High Charms Creative Potions

He looked at her with his mouth slightly open. "You juggle all this? I don't even know what half these classes are."

She got up and went to sit by him. "Like what?"

He pointed. "What is Wandless Magic?"

She gave him a "You've got to be kidding." look. He gave her a "Humor me or I'll do something we might both regret" look and she sighed.

"This." She looked at the scarlet feather she had dropped during her trasnformation. The feather slowly floated up and drifted over to him, tickling him. He tried to fend it off and despite the effort it was costing her, she laughed. the feather turned into a crimson scarf which diappeared in a shower of sparkles as it settled around his neck.

"Any more question?" she asked as he touched a remaining sparkle that turned back into a tiny feather.

"What's M.M.S.?" he asked.

"Magical Medical Studies. Snape had to pull quite a few strings to get me in that. It's not even supposed to be taught, but since there were no set rules the Ministry finally allowed it."

"Why aren't you taking that or charms or Divination any more and how did you get into Advanced Divination your first year?"

"I tested out of all of those classes. I had to take loads of aptitude tests before my third year to get into all the classes I took. I even took the OWLs end of second year. Only one other than Hermione to get all Outstandings."

"That's surprising." Draco commented dryly.

"Not really, Mione helped me study."

"I was being sarcastic. And I have another question."

"Last one, then it's my turn."

He raised his eyebrows, his demeanor saying, "We'll see."

"What possesed you to take fencing?"

Ginny shrugged. "Just one of those things I always wanted to try. I liked it so I kept it up. What's your favorite day?"

The question threw him momentarily off balance. "December eighth nineteen ninetyeight."

"What's so special?"

Draco found he couldn't meet her eyes. "The day My mother said she loved me."

Ginny was a creature of impulse. She reached out and gave Draco a quick hug. He looked at her like she was mad.

"What was that for?"

She shrugged. "You needed it."

For a moment Draco just stared at her, reveling in her audacity. Then he asked,

"What is your worst day?"

She looked at him in shock. then it was her turn to look away and out the window. "May third, nineteen ninety nine."

Draco hastily searched his memory. It had been stormy that night and every one had been sent to thier rooms because some girl had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets and...Oh.

Ginny still looked out the window and he realized she was lost in her memories. "It rained that night. I remember getting paint. Suddenly I was staring at my own death message. A part of me started screaming and fighting but I had given him too much to really win. I lay there, almost dead. And he saved me. I don't think he meant to. Oh Harry meant to, but it was Riddle that did the real saving that night. He didn't realize I could hear everything they said. He called himself my friend and then betrayed my secrets to Harry. I don't think he felt it when I started to take back my soul, my secrets, my dreams. he had tainted them. As I lay there listening to them fight, I took back everything I gave him. And some that I hadn't. No one ever realized how brillant he was. I took it all. As Harry killed the body, I attacked his soul. I took everything that could be used for good and took it into me. I became who he could have been."