AN – I own nothing!

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Chapter 53

Ginny's eyes widened as she stepped into the grand dining hall. She was led there by one of the many servants in the castle. The room may have not been as big as the Great Hall in Hogwarts, but it sure was much grander in terms of interior design and style. As she approached the table in which everyone was seated around, and eating, she saw King Richard stand and gesture for her to approach him.

"You are Ginerva Weasley I presume?" he asked with a smile.

"Y-yes sir," Ginny replied with nervousness. Never had she met a man so high, noble, and powerful.

"Pleasure to finally meet you," King Richard said as he shook her hand firmly. "I have heard so much about you. Please have a seat, and you are welcome here anytime."

"Thank you sir." Ginny looked around the table and found her father who smiled at her. There was a vacant seat next to him in which he saved for her. To her surprise, Draco, who smiled at her, was seated next to it as well. With butterflies in her stomach, she headed towards her seat.

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Draco stood up from his chair, and pulled Ginny's seat back in a very much gentleman's manner. As Ginny sat herself down on the chair, Draco pushed it slightly forward.

"Thank you Draco," Ginny said softly with a very slight blush on her cheeks.

After Draco sat himself back down on his chair, he spoke. "I am sorry for being such an arse and ferret to you. I really did not mean to offend you but it was all for a cover up."

"Apology accepted Draco. And it's perfectly understandable," Ginny said blushing a little more. Draco really did have such a suave character along with his dashing good looks. Now he was actually speaking to her and not being a pain, or someone she hated. Merlin help her, she was liking him all the more.

Draco gave her a nod and continued to eat his food. He couldn't help but notice how Ginny had grown into a beautiful woman. She no longer was that silent little red head and she was nothing like her siblings. She was strong willed and intelligent. He couldn't deny it form himself if he wanted to. He was attracted to her.

Directly across Ginny, Harry sat in between Remus and Sirius and ate as he watched her. She was acting a little odd when she was talking to Draco. Usually, she was talkative, but with him, he was shy. Her blush too was hard to miss.

"What?" Remus asked when he felt Harry nudge him.

"Ginny was blushing all over Draco. I think she likes him."

Remus grinned and then spoke to Ginny. "Ginny, after this, the boys and I are going to play a little quidditch outside. Want to join us for a little two on two?"

"It'll be fun. Draco and I use the King's brooms. He has one wicked broom collection! The best I've ever seen, and the biggest!"

Ginny's eyes glimmered. Just like any quidditch player, her weakens was brooms. If she had enough money, she too would have a broom collection of her own.

"It'll help you polish up on your chaser skills Ginerva," Draco told her. "What do you say we give a little arse kicking to Harry and Remus?" he smirked.

Ginny turned her head to Draco and blushed yet again. There were more butterflies fluttering around her stomach. She and Draco playing quidditch together? On the same team even? Merlin, if this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. "Sure Draco," she said softly. "Harry though is a sore loser."

"Like I don't know that," Draco chuckled.

Harry didn't counter back at Ginny's comment. He grinned at Remus as he nodded in agreement. "Told you so," he told him.

"Planning to play match maker?" Remus whispered.

"Maybe," Harry answered. "Might need some help from Hermione."

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"Do you think it was wise not to inform them about the symbol of the cobra head?" Albus asked the King, leaning towards him slightly. He spoke softly so that the others wouldn't hear him.

"For now, yes," King Richard replied in the same quiet tone. "We can later divulge the information when we find out who the bearer of the mark is."

"And if we don't find out who the person is?" Albus asked with worry.

"That Albus, is not an option," King Richard replied. Yes, he did want to find the person who carried the mark of the cobra head right away, but it's not like he could just ask anyone straight out. More questions would be asked and more rumors would fly. There were already more than enough out there. He hoped that whoever the bearer was, would make an error on his part and accidentally be exposed.

Albus sat back in his seat. He hoped and prayed that Harry would have more dreams of whoever the anonymous spy was. Then later, he would probably be discovered. However, not all of his dreams that connected him with Voldemort were complete. Most of the time, they were just hints and pieces of a puzzle bigger puzzle, or a riddle. Whoever it was, he also hoped that he or she wasn't too close to either Harry or Hermione, for the sake of their safety—for the sake of the kingdom and winning the war.

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"So the entire time, Brandon was Severus?" Arthur asked Sirius.

"With a glamour charm," Sirius answered.

Arthur shook his head. "I should have known, with those black eyes alone. I thought that they looked somewhat familiar." When Arthur met Brandon, he couldn't help but notice how black his eyes were, and why they looked so familiar. Severus's eyes were the blackest and the deepest that he's ever seen, exactly the same as Brandon's. He smiled at himself when he tried to picture Severus himself with Hermione—hugging her, holding her, kissing her. It wasn't hard with how he saw Severus in the ballroom. He was different. A man with emotion… A man in love.

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