Chapter Four
Ginny sighed and glanced at the Hogwarts Express with a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was strange to know that everything would be different from the moment she climbed aboard. First of all, three crucial people would be missing. Then there was the new headmaster. No one seemed to know who it was yet. And there was always a question of who would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was just not going to be the same, and it saddened Ginny immensely.
"Ginny!" Remus called from across the platform. Ginny made her way over to him, dragging her trunk behind her.
"I'm all set," Ginny said, allowing Remus to levitate her trunk so she wouldn't have to carry it.
"You're missing one thing," Remus said quietly and gestured for her to follow him. They disappeared into a broom closet that Remus sealed quickly.
"The train is leaving any minute," Ginny said anxiously.
"I know. But this is very important. Take this with you," Remus instructed. He bent down and picked up a Siberian husky puppy that he held out to Ginny. She took it from him in confusion.
"A puppy?"
"It's not actually a puppy," Remus reminded her with a sly grin. "You're holding Draco Malfoy."
"Ew!" Ginny exclaimed, holding the puppy at an arm's length away from her. "You can't spring things on me like that."
"You two are going to have to learn how to get past your differences," Remus commented. "Otherwise, this will never work." Ginny rolled her eyes but nodded. Draco the puppy yipped in agreement.
"Good," Remus said lightly. "You'll miss the train, Ginny."
"Thank you for everything," Ginny said, hugging Remus tightly.
"Don't thank me yet," Remus replied wearily. Then he patted the puppy on the head and sent Ginny on her way. She climbed onto the train with the puppy clutched in her arms. She noticed that the train was very empty this year. Not many parents wanted to send their children back to Hogwarts after what had happened last year. Ginny found an empty compartment with ease and immediately dropped the puppy onto one of the seats. Draco waited until Ginny had sealed the compartment with all sorts of charms that Remus had taught her before transforming back into his human form.
"You could have loosened your grip a little bit," Draco grumbled, rubbing his sides. "I think you might have cracked a rib." Ginny rolled her eyes.
"So ungrateful. By the way, could you have chosen anything less masculine for your Animagus?"
"I was kind of pressed for time, Weasley. Besides, I don't think it would be very inconspicuous for you to walk around with a pet dragon."
"That's the animal you would have chosen?" Ginny asked with smirk.
"It's what my name means, freckles."
"Creative," Ginny replied wryly.
"You heard Remus. We need to learn how to get along. Otherwise we'll compromise this entire operation. I'm going to be living with you for ten months. We need some common ground."
"I'm just not there yet, Malfoy. I'm still seeing you torture Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors." Draco's lip curled in disgust at Harry's mention.
"Yes, of course. Heaven forbid I hurt Saint Potter's feelings."
"Stop it," Ginny snapped immediately. "I don't care if you make fun of me, but leave Harry out of it." Draco raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't realize he was your boyfriend."
"He's not," Ginny retorted hotly.
"You rushed to his defense rather quickly."
"So?"
"So it sounds like the damsel in distress has a thing for the hero."
"I am not a damsel in distress. I can take care of myself. I don't need Harry or anybody else looking after me," Ginny insisted firmly.
"You sound like more trouble than you're worth," Draco muttered, stretching out along the length of the seat.
"I'm worth more than you deserve," Ginny replied. Draco chuckled mirthlessly.
"Well played, Weasley. Well played."
The two lapsed into silence for the remainder of the journey. As they got closer to the school, Ginny made Draco turn around while she put on her robes.
"You know, Weasley, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Draco said as she changed.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you shouldn't be worried about hiding your body. I mean, I never noticed through those dreadful robes, but you have curves, Weasley."
"You're disgusting, Malfoy," Ginny replied, although she couldn't help blushing at his words. "Change back into the puppy. We're pulling up to the station." Draco rolled his eyes, but obeyed her command. Ginny frowned as she looked down at the puppy on the floor.
"I really don't like that you're a ridiculously cute puppy," she muttered. Draco barked, and she could have sworn that a smirk dragged across his canine features. "I knew I shouldn't have said that. You can't afford to have a bigger ego." Draco growled at her and she rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Cujo." Hesitantly, she picked Draco up from the floor and grasped her trunk in her other hand. She joined the crowd of students moving towards the thestral-drawn carriages.
"Ginny!" A familiar voice called.
"Luna! Hey!" Ginny replied, catching sight of the blonde girl. "Come sit with me!" Luna clambered into the carriage toting a rickety cage that appeared to be empty.
"What's in the cage?" Ginny asked, almost afraid of the response.
"It's a octotuft! Daddy bought it for me," Luna said happily. "Isn't it precious? I named it Nimkey." Ginny tried to stifle a giggle when Draco glanced up at her, his eyes clearly reading confusion.
"He's darling," Ginny lied.
"Is that a new puppy? Where did it come from?"
"Oh, Mum thought I'd need someone to protect me with no more brothers around."
"A puppy like that isn't going to do much protecting," Luna pointed out. Draco began growling again and Ginny squeezed him in warning.
"He has a bad reputation," Ginny replied, not lying at all. Draco snorted, and Ginny assumed that it would have been a laugh if he was in human form.
"So how are you and Harry doing?" Luna asked knowingly. Ginny noted that Draco's ears perked up.
"We're not together. You know that, Luna."
"Well obviously. But have you kissed him again?" Luna pressed. Ginny felt her face growing hot. Knowing that Draco was in her lap listening to every word made her insides squirm uncomfortably.
"No. He disappeared after Bill and Fleur's wedding and I haven't heard from him since," Ginny replied, trying to sound unaffected by it all. Truthfully, she was broken inside. She had been waiting for Harry to write for weeks now, but no letters had come. She understood that Harry probably didn't have very many opportunities to write her love letters, but she thought she would have heard from him at least once. To let her know that he was okay and he still loved her.
"He's all right, Ginny. You know that, don't you?" Luna reminded her gently.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sure he's fine. He probably just doesn't have much time to write while he's saving the world," Ginny replied with a forced laugh. She thought she saw the puppy in her arms roll its eyes.
The girls continued chatting until the carriages reached the school. Ginny waited until Luna was busy feeding Nimkey before whispering in Draco's ear.
"I can bring you into the Great Hall, but you're going to have to hide in my book bag." She held open her bag and Draco jumped inside. "God, you're heavy," she muttered as she lifted the bag over her shoulder. Draco growled at her.
Ginny felt the change in Hogwarts as soon as she stepped inside. It was a colder feeling. A less welcoming and homey atmosphere in general. The walls seemed to echo more, emphasizing the unfeeling stone walls and floors.
"My, things have changed," Luna whispered from beside her.
"For the worse, it seems," Ginny added sadly. The two girls followed the throngs of students into the Great Hall and separated to sit at their respective tables. When Ginny arrived at the Gryffindor table, she took her place next to Colin Creevy.
"Hey, Ginny! How was your summer?" Colin asked. She could tell he was trying to act as normal as possible, considering that the era they were living in was anything but.
"Pretty eventful. Yours?"
"Same. Everyone all right by you?"
"George lost an ear. But otherwise, the family is all right."
"Mine's all right too," Colin replied, obviously relieved that Ginny didn't have any deaths to report. Ginny glanced down at the staff table and saw that the chair usually occupied by Dumbledore was now vacant.
"Who do you think will replace him?" Romilda Vane asked from across the table.
"McGonagall is my guess," Colin responded.
"I doubt it," Ginny said quietly. "Not with You-Know-Who running the ministry." Romilda and Colin stared at her with wide eyes.
"Do you think they'll put a Death Eater in charge? Turn us all into slaves?" Colin asked in a voice just above a whisper. Ginny shrugged.
"I don't know. I just know it's not going to be good." As Ginny finished this statement, the door nearest to the faculty table slammed open and a dark figure emerged. The hall quieted immediately and watched the man approach the faculty table.
"Oh no," Ginny, Colin and Romilda whispered in unison.
"Not him," Colin whimpered. "Anyone but him."
"There goes the House Cup," Romilda sighed heavily. Ginny couldn't think of anything else but the burning hatred she felt for the man who had deprived George of his ear. Despite her seething and death wishes in his direction, Severus Snape took his place before the headmaster's seat and held up his hands in address.
"Welcome back, Hogwarts students. As you all know, Hogwarts has lost its longtime headmaster and is in need of new direction. I am honored to fulfill this post." The Slytherins erupted into cheers. Ginny just kept glowering at him. Draco watched Ginny's anger building, and he tried to come up with a plan of action incase she tried to rush the table and kill Snape.
"I can't believe we have to answer to him," Romilda whispered. "This year is going to be hell."
"It's worse than what I had imagined," Colin admitted fearfully. Colin was a student that Snape had always picked on for being incompetent in Potions class. Ginny had always felt bad for him. She felt even worse for Neville Longbottom, who looked extremely pale and was sitting a few seats away.
"We just need to stick together, all right? We can't let him take away our Gryffindor pride," Ginny reminded all of them with more confidence than she felt.
"Ginny's right," Neville agreed suddenly. "We're Gryffindors. He can't take that from us. We need to stick together." Everyone sitting close enough to hear them was nodding in agreement. Ginny felt a surge of determination. She knew that Snape was going to give them hell. But she was not going to let him break her spirit. For George. She was going to give him hell right back.
-
With so few students attending Hogwarts, the dormitories had been modified. Each student now had their own room; however, they shared a common living space and a bathroom with other students of the same sex. The Gryffindor tower still had a large common room for everyone to use, and the Fat Lady still guarded the portrait hole.
Ginny hurried into her assigned room and shut the door. She locked it and muttered the appropriate charms before giving Draco the okay to transform. He leapt out of her school bag and morphed into his human form immediately.
"God, it was unbearably hot in there," he muttered, unbuttoning his shirt. "You certainly took your sweet time saying hello to everyone down there."
"I didn't want to seem suspicious," Ginny replied defensively.
"I can't believe the one year I'm not a student here, Snape is the headmaster. I could have gotten away with so much this year."
"I can't believe they replaced Dumbledore with that cretin," Ginny fumed. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"What's your problem?"
"My problem? My problem is that Severus Snape murdered Dumbledore and took a chunk out of my brother's head! I loathe that man with every fiber of my existence. If I wouldn't be killed on the spot, I would murder him right now," Ginny continued in her rage. Draco just blinked in amusement.
"I see the Weasley temper hasn't escaped you."
"Oh, shove it," Ginny muttered, throwing open her trunk so she could begin to unpack.
"Well, anyway, we have more important matters to discuss. Like where I'm going to sleep." Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"This is my room. I'm sleeping on the bed. You're sleeping on the floor. Glad we had this little chat."
"You want me to spend ten months sleeping on the floor?" Draco asked indignantly. Ginny sighed.
"I realize it's not Voldemort's Palace, but it's the best I can do for you."
"Voldemort doesn't have a palace. He's a coward who hides behind rocks and trees. I have no respect for him," Draco spat. Ginny was silent for a moment as she guided her clothes into the closet with her wand.
"All right, look. There's an extra couch in the common room. I'll bring it in here before anyone notices and you can sleep on that. Better?"
"You're warming up to me, Weasley," Draco said with a knowing grin.
"Don't bet on it," Ginny replied curtly. "Now transform back into a puppy while I go get the couch." Draco did as she said and hopped up onto the bed. Surprised by its comfort, he circled around in a spot at the foot of the bed and curled up. Ginny returned a few moments later, levitating a couch through the door.
"There is no inconspicuous way to levitate a couch," she muttered, shutting the door. "And get off my bed before you shed all over it." She glared when Draco didn't move. She marched over to him with the intent of picking him up and relocating him herself, but when she got closer, she saw that his eyes were closed. He was sound asleep. Ginny sighed and glanced around the room impatiently. What was she supposed to do about this? She couldn't disturb him when he looked so peaceful. When he was a dog, he was so unlike Draco Malfoy, and she found it hard to dislike the husky puppy. Against her better judgment, Ginny let him sleep. She changed into her pajamas and slipped carefully under the covers without disturbing Draco. She turned off the light and sighed at the quiet that fell over the room.
"Good night, Malfoy," she said softly.
There was no response.
-
The next morning, Ginny woke up and began to stretch. Her foot contacted something at the foot of the bed and she sat up in confusion. Still sleeping at the end of her bed was Draco Malfoy. Not the puppy Draco Malfoy. But the actual Draco Malfoy. Now this I can handle, Ginny thought to herself. She nudged him firmly in the ribs with her foot, jarring him from sleep. His eyes flew open and he sat up promptly, glancing around the room as though he didn't quite know where he was.
"What did you do that for?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Why are you a person?" Ginny countered. Draco stared at her.
"Excuse me?"
"When you fell asleep last night, you were a puppy. Why are you a human now?" Draco ran a hand through his blonde hair and yawned.
"I don't know, Weasley. Being an Animagus requires active concentration. I guess I just stopped concentrating when I fell asleep."
"Try not to let that happen again. Someone could have walked in," Ginny said nervously. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Come on. You put nearly fifteen charms on this damn room. If someone could get through that, then they deserve to see it."
"Shut up. I'm going to take a shower. Can I trust you not to get into any trouble while I'm gone?" Ginny asked patronizingly. Draco gave her a withering look.
"I'm not a five year old."
"Could have fooled me."
"Oh, that's original."
"Change into the puppy. Maybe you should stay that way forever. I like you better when you can't speak." Draco glared at her, but transformed as she had requested. She left the room to shower, leaving Draco alone. As soon as she was gone, he transformed back into himself and locked the door. He couldn't stand being a dog. He didn't know if he'd be able to put up with this for ten months. If he couldn't pull off a major inside job by the end of the year, he would have to give up and leave the country.
Draco wandered around the room, examining Ginny's books and knick knacks. He glanced at the picture frames that she had set up on her desktop. The first one held a photograph of the entire Weasley clan. Draco snorted derisively at their general appearance. The next frame was a picture of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in their scarlet robes. Draco couldn't help noticing that Ginny looked incredibly adorable in her uniform with her bright red hair pulled away from her face into a ponytail. The third and final frame held a picture of Ginny and Harry, obviously taken at a party celebrating a Quidditch victory. They still looked a little beat up and dirty, but they were smiling brightly, and Harry was swinging Ginny around in his arms. Draco couldn't resist rolling his eyes at the display. Potter is such a prat. How could he ever get a girl like Ginny Weasley? He wondered, touching her face through the glass frame.
He wouldn't say that he liked Ginny Weasley. He wouldn't say that he would ever consider dating Ginny Weasley. What he would say was that she was incredibly attractive and had a contagious smile. Still, he recognized that there were boundaries between them. Just because he had had a change of heart about his situation didn't mean that he was going to start being nice to her. Although, he couldn't deny that he owed her something for risking her neck on his account. Someday, he'd remember to thank her for that. On a day when she wasn't quite so hostile.
"Malfoy!" Ginny hissed when she re-entered the room. "What on earth are you doing? You're not supposed to be human right now!"
"I locked the door."
"But I got in, didn't I? You must not have locked it very well. What if someone else had tried to come in? What if-" Ginny trailed off. Her facial expression changed to one of suspicion. "What were you doing at my desk?"
"Nothing," Draco replied casually.
"I'm supposed to believe that?"
"You're going to have to. No one else would know the truth."
"Stay out of my things, Malfoy," Ginny whispered angrily. Draco noticed for the first time what Ginny was wearing. Or not wearing. Her hand was gripping a white towel that was wrapped around her slim, moistened body. Her hair was wet and curly, falling down a little past her shoulders in an unruly fashion. He kicked himself mentally for thinking so, but she did look sexy.
"What are you staring at?" Ginny snapped impatiently. Draco blinked and looked down at the floor.
"Nothing."
"Well turn around so I can get dressed," Ginny said, poking through her closet. Draco reluctantly rotated to face the wall. He was having difficulty being in such close proximity to a naked woman without being able to look.
"Did you unpack your things yet?" She asked conversationally.
"No, I didn't know where you put them."
"Remus shrunk everything. It's at the bottom of my trunk." Draco poked around until he came across a tiny box that fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. He set it on the floor and tapped it with his wand, muttering the appropriate incantation. The box swelled to its full size immediately, and Draco nodded in satisfaction.
"Right. Now, Remus wanted me to let you know how I'm going to be getting around to all my secret missions and whatnot," Draco began. Ginny, now fully clothed in dark muggle jeans and a pink t-shirt, took a seat the on bed and crossed her legs Indian style.
"All right," she said, motioning for him to continue.
"The instructions for the mission are going to come to you in code, through normal owl post. Remus taught me how to break the code, so all you have to do is give the letters to me. This is my portable portkey," Draco said, pulling a silver chain from a small box. "When I transform into my Animagus, it becomes my collar. That way, I'll always have it on me. Remus will program my destination, and I'll simply be taken there. When I come back, the portkey will bring me back to the Hogwarts grounds. That way, if I'm followed, you won't be in any danger. But with that said, you need to be ready to come and get me, since I very well can't open doors as a puppy."
"How will I know when to expect you?"
"All of my missions are based on time limits. I'll have a certain amount of time to retrieve a certain piece of information. If I can't do it, then I have to get out and get out fast. If I can, then I'll be back on time."
"What if something happens to you?" Ginny asked quietly. Draco sighed.
"I am protected by the Order, but if I don't come back within an hour of when I said I would be back…contact Remus and let him know." Ginny nodded solemnly. Rain had started to tap against the glass of the windows in a rhythmic pattern, and the beat consumed the silence that had fallen over the young witch and wizard.
"How long will you be gone for?"
"Depends. A few hours to a few weeks. Each time will be different." Ginny glanced at the clock and her eyes widened.
"Oh, god. I'm going to be late to AP Charms."
"AP Charms?" Draco asked in surprise.
"Shocking, I know," Ginny said wryly, getting her books together. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?"
"I don't know. Read your diary," Draco teased with a smirk. Ginny frowned.
"I don't keep one. If you want to know why, ask your father." It took a few moments for her words to make sense to Draco, but by the time they did, she had gone.
--
Ginny stormed into her room and slammed the door. Draco the puppy, who had been curled up and sleeping at the foot of her bed, leapt to his feet and barked in surprise. Ginny threw her books onto her desk and began pacing.
"Who the hell does he think he is? You'd think that after all he's done to me, he could stand to be just a little considerate!" She ranted angrily, throwing her arms in the air in wildly frustrated gestures. Draco transformed and stared at her in confusion.
"Who? What's going on?"
"Snape! That insufferable bastard, Severus Snape!" Ginny shrieked. Draco rolled his eyes and got to his feet.
"Well, he's kind of in cahoots with Voldemort. Did you expect this to be a picnic?" Ginny fixed Draco with a withering look.
"No, I didn't expect it to be a picnic, but he's failing me on purpose! I know for a fact that the caliber of this paper is at least a B, but that horrible man failed me!" Ginny screeched, throwing her scrolls of parchment across the room. "He wants me out of this school, so he's going to flunk me."
"It's just one class, Weasley," Draco reasoned. "You need to fail everything to flunk out." Ginny scowled and sat down at her desk.
"Well, it's not like AP Charms is helping my record at all." she muttered bitterly. Draco walked over to her desk and picked up her Charms text book.
"I'm not so bad at Charms myself. I could help you if you want."
"You're going to tutor me in Charms?" Ginny repeated in disbelief. Draco looked back at her as though he couldn't understand her surprise.
"Why not? I've got nothing better to do until Remus sends me on a mission. It's been almost three weeks. I'm dying of boredom."
"I could get you a chew toy," Ginny offered with a smirk. Draco made a face.
"Har har. You slay me, Weasley. Now, do you want my help or not?"
Ginny didn't want to say yes. She needed to say yes. She had a test the following day, and if she did not get at least a B, her Hogwarts career was in jeopardy. And she was prepared to do anything to make sure that she stayed at Hogwarts, if not just to spite Severus Snape.
Draco worked with Ginny for hours, drilling the Charms deep into her cerebrum. He let her practice her execution of the Charms on him, as long as he was confident that she couldn't cause him any permanent damage. It was just beginning to get dark when Draco closed her textbook and sighed.
"You're ready," he declared. "And I'm exhausted."
"My brain hurts," Ginny moaned, flopping down face first onto her bed. Draco crossed the room and stared out of the window. He touched the glass longingly, wondering when he had last been outside.
"Let's go for a walk," Draco decided suddenly. Ginny lifted her head.
"Excuse me?"
"I have the worst case of cabin fever. I want to go outside."
"Malfoy, I'm tired. My head hurts-"
"You'll feel better once we start walking. Now, come on." Draco didn't wait for her response and he transformed into the puppy. Ginny sighed and finally gave in. She put on her cloak and unlocked the door. Draco was scurrying out towards the portrait hole before Ginny had even made it to the stairs.
"Where are you headed, Ginny?" Romilda asked. She was seated on the couch in their common space that they shared with eight other girls.
"Walking my dog," Ginny replied casually. "I'll be back in a little while." She caught up with Draco at the portrait hole, where he was barking impatiently.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She whispered irritably. "You're drawing attention to yourself." Draco growled, but his tail started to wag when they left the Gryffindor tower. He grew even more excited when they got outside. He immediately bolted off through the grass as though something was chasing him. Ginny couldn't help smiling slightly at his enthusiasm. She felt bad for him. She really did. His life was hard right now. He had a difficult summer, and now he was stuck living with someone he disliked, waiting for Remus to delegate a mission that may or may not be the death of him. She admired his courage, though she would never admit it to his face.
Ginny walked around the perimeter of the Black Lake to a secluded spot where no one really visited. She had discovered it in her third year and found that she kept coming back to it for its serenity. She found a comfortable patch of grass and sat down, watching the sun dip behind the horizon. Draco finally trotted up to her and collapsed in the grass, panting hard.
"Did you get that out of your system?" Ginny asked with a small smile. Draco barked and rolled onto his back. Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Are you asking me to scratch your belly?" She asked indignantly. Draco didn't make a sound. He just stared up at her with his icy blue-gray eyes. Ginny found herself incapable of resisting the adorable puppy. Forcing herself to forget that the dog was actually Draco Malfoy, she reached out and scratched the furry belly.
"Don't think I'll be doing this all the time," Ginny mumbled. Draco stretched out and yawned with contentment. She grinned and patted his stomach. "You know, if you're careful, you could probably transform into yourself. No one really comes back here." Draco didn't need to be told twice. In the blink of an eye, his slender blonde figure replaced that of the Siberian puppy.
"I love the outdoors," Draco said, looking around. A spark of vivacity returned to his eyes. Ginny had never seen them sparkle this much when he was stuck inside.
"Hogwarts is a beautiful place," Ginny agreed. "By the way, don't think I like you or anything. I just rubbed your stomach. It didn't mean anything." Draco burst out laughing. A true, genuine laugh. Ginny had never heard anything like that coming from Draco Malfoy. She decided that she liked it.
"I won't read too much into it, Weasley. Don't worry."
"All right," Ginny said quietly. "But if you want to get technical, you basically asked me to rub your tummy, so what's that about?"
"How about if neither of us read too much into it?"
"Fine," Ginny agreed. The two of them lapsed into silence and watched as the first stars began twinkling in the dark blue sky overhead. Suddenly, Ginny's eyes fixed on a small, dark object coming towards them. She squinted to get a better look.
"What is that?" She whispered aloud. Draco followed her gaze and frowned.
"I have no idea." He transformed immediately back into a puppy and assumed some kind of attack position. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. You're a puppy. What are you gonna do?" She teased him. He growled resentfully at her, but did not take his eyes off of the approaching object. Finally, she figured out what it was.
"It's an owl," she said quietly. "Malfoy, stop pretending to be ferocious. It's just an owl." Draco resumed his human form.
"I wasn't pretending to be anything," he spat huffily. The owl reached them and landed on the ground. It held out its leg to Ginny, and she took the letter it was offering. Then it flew away, obviously instructed not to wait for a response. Ginny glanced at Draco. They both knew what it was. Ginny didn't have to say anything. Draco was a puppy again and they were both heading back towards the castle.
Ginny secured her room ten-fold before allowing Draco to become himself again. They both sat down on her bed with the envelope between them.
"I think you should let me open it," Draco said quietly. "It might be a trap."
"Don't be silly. We both know it's from Remus."
"Still, I don't think you should be taking any chances like that."
"Stop acting like I'm a child," Ginny snapped, snatching the envelope and tearing it open before he could say another word. Draco cursed under his breath and added,
"Stupid girl."
"Stupid boy," Ginny countered, handing him the letter. "It's from Remus. Decode it." She watched as Draco brought the letter over to her desk and performed several difficult spells. The letters rearranged themselves on the page to become a new message, which Draco read silently to himself.
"What does it say?" Ginny asked after a moment. Draco sighed and incinerated the letter with his wand.
"I'm leaving."
"What? When?"
"Now. Tonight."
"So soon? He could have given us more warning!"
"But he didn't," Draco replied calmly. "I have to be ready to go in five minutes. You have to be ready to pick me up in twenty-four hours. Can you remember that? 8:30 tomorrow night."
"Yes, I'll remember," Ginny muttered rolling her eyes.
"Remember what I told you to do if I don't come back."
Ginny looked into Draco's eyes, trying not to let him see how the idea of him not coming back affected her. She'd look into why it affected her once he was gone.
"You'll come back," she said firmly. Draco smiled half-heartedly.
"I wish I had your confidence."
"You'll be fine," she insisted.
"So will you," Draco replied. Then he added, "On your Charms test, I mean."
"Oh, yeah. I hope so."
"With me as your tutor, how could you go wrong?" Draco asked with a smirk. Ginny was about to respond when he clutched the medallion hanging around his neck. "Good luck, Weasley." Then he was whisked away into thin air, leaving Ginny alone in her room for the first time in three weeks. She sat down on her bed and sighed.
"Good luck, Malfoy…"