Chapter Five - Mirrors
Sitting in the Head Boy room, Draco's concentration on his homework was broken by a tapping on his window.
He looked up from the parchments, scattered all over the dark mahogany desk, and saw a black falcon sitting on the window seal.
"Hermes," he whispered and rose to open the window. Hermes was his father's falcon, and Lucius sent his precious pet only on very special occasions.
As he opened the window the falcon gracefully landed on his shoulder, and Draco noticed an envelope with the Malfoy Crest on it was tied to the bird's left leg. He untied the letter and gave Hermes some treats which the bird took and flew away.
Knowing Lucius always made sure only a Malfoy could open his letters, Draco was still winced slightly when he felt a prickle on his finger and watched a drop of his blood fall on the envelope. When the blood touched it, the envelope flashed green and opened.
Draco,
The event for which your mother and I have been waiting for is coming nearer. Soon, you will have the honor to prove your loyalty to Our Lord.
I trust that you are well aware of the importance of the matter, and its consequences concerning the future of the Malfoy Clan.
We shall discuss the details when you return to the Manor for the upcoming Holidays.
It's time for you to make us proud, boy. You know what to do with this letter.
No "How are you?" or "Is everything well?" just as it was customary in the Malfoy household.
And this time, he didn't even feel that little twinge of loneliness because of his father's coldness. This time Draco had more important things to think about.
He finally received the invitation he's been waiting for, for so long. He will make Lucius proud.
"He is to get the Mark on the Christmas break."
"Then we should act quickly, Severus," Dumbledore said grimly. They were sitting in the Headmasters office, and Snape slowly sipped coffee. He found that the Muggle drink could keep him focused and alert even beyond normal hours.
"I prepared a special ring for him. It's a Portkey. If he feels he's in danger all he'll need to do is touch the ring and think about Hogwarts. He'll be transmitted here immediately."
The Headmaster nodded his approval. "Good, Severus. But how will we make him put the ring on?"
Snape looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied, "Let me take care of that."
"Very well," Dumbledore said, watching as Snape left the room. When the door closed behind the tall man, he rose slowly and went to the mirror.
"Tell Draco Malfoy to come to my room immediately!" Snape roared at the first Slytherin student he laid his eyes on. The first year boy nodded and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.
Someone chuckled behind him and Snape slowly turned around, ready to give detention, but relaxed when he saw who it was.
"How are you doing, Professor?" Ginny asked with a smile as she approached him.
"So you decided to act nicely again?" he asked.
Her smile didn't waver but her eyes became a little sad. "I'm sorry, Professor, but you must understand, there are things I don't tell anyone. There are secrets I keep to myself and carry to my grave."
He found that he understood her, and couldn't be angry about it, so he nodded and said, "Don't do this again, young lady."
"I don't give promises I can't keep," Ginny said, with humor.
Before Snape could make another comment Draco appeared in the corridor.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?" he asked, ignoring Ginny.
"Oh, I completely forgot about my Transfiguration homework," Ginny told no one in particular, and with a quick nod at Snape went to the stairs.
Snape smirked at her retreating form. "Do try to keep the good mood, Miss Weasley. I find it suits you best."
He was rewarded with Ginny's sweet laughter.
"I have something important to talk to you about, Draco," Snape told the boy and motioned him into his chamber. Draco nodded and followed him inside, closing the door.
Sitting by the fireplace as the fire in it roared to life, Snape silently regarded the young man sitting in front of him. After a minute of silence he cleared his throat and said in his cold manner, "I heard Lucius is expecting you home for Christmas."
Draco looked at Snape for a moment, his face expressionless, and then he nodded. "Yes."
"Are you planning to accept his invitation?"
Draco looked at the Potions master like he'd grown another head. "Of course I am. Why shouldn't I?"
Something flickered in Snape's eyes but it was gone quickly and Draco paid it no mind.
"I was just checking, Draco. As you know this holiday is going to play an important role in your future," Snape said it in his usual tone, not revealing the disgust he felt about it. He'd had years of practice.
Draco smirked. "Yes, I'm aware of it," he replied calmly, as if the Dark Mark was a symbol of greatness.
'He probably thinks just that,' Snape thought. He knew that Draco wanted, or thought he wanted, to become just like his father.
All that was left for Snape to do about it was hope Draco will get out of his twisted pink bubble before it's too late.
Draco noticed that Snape's eyes became unfocused so he cleared his throat. Snape snapped out of his thoughts and forced a smirk. "Just remembering the day I received my Mark," he said and then took a deep breath.
"I have something for you, Draco."
Draco looked at Snape with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Snape reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin silver ring. He laid it on his palm, and showed it to Draco.
"I'm sorry, professor, but I prefer girls," Draco told him with a smirk.
"It's a protection ring, Draco," Snape explained calmly, and watched as Draco's smirk was replaced with a frown.
"And why would I need it?" Draco asked, suspicious.
"Before you get the mark, our Lord will put a Cruciatus Curse on you to see how strong you are. Only those who bear the curse in silence get the Mark. This ring is for you to use if you feel the pain is too much. The ring will take the pain away. We want you to get the mark, don't we?" Snape asked and Draco nodded in agreement.
"That is the main purpose of this ring, but there is another one. It is also a Portkey to Hogwarts. If something goes wrong, all you need to do is touch the ring and think about Hogwarts and you will be here in a matter of seconds," Snape explained and waited for Draco to comment.
Draco thought about it for a moment and then looked at his Head of house.
"Is it really necessary?"
Snape saw that question coming so he remained expressionless.
"It is not a must, but I believe it will be helpful."
After a moment's hesitation Draco took the ring. He took a silver chain out from under his shirt and put the ring on it, returning the chain back under his shirt.
"Is it all?" he asked and stood up as Snape nodded.
"You will be a great help for the cause," the professor told the boy.
Draco nodded with satisfaction, and after he left the Potions master sat there for a long time, staring into the fireplace. There were times, such as that moment, when he was alone with his thoughts, when Severus Snape was too tired to keep himself from remembering his youth.
And with it, of course, arose an image of a beautiful girl, with fair skin and green eyes, a bright smile on her face.
He closed his eyes tightly, and it was a while before he could force his body to stop shaking with the force of his grief.
Time passed, as it would, and soon it was the day before Christmas.
The children of Hogwarts were packing things they would need over the vacation, and making plans to meet with their friends in Diagon Alley or in Hogsmead.
However, some of the children did none of the above. One of them was Ginny Weasley.
The Headmaster himself had insisted on that, and the Weasleys, while upset that their youngest was going to be absent from the Christmas feast for the first time, trusted Dumbledore's decision and agreed. Of course, Molly made sure to promise Ginny that her presents would reach her in time.
Ginny hid her emotions well, and did her best to look disappointed when her parents told her the news. Secretly, she was relieved. There were many things to do in the castle. She could visit Hagrid, or practice Quidditch, using a warming spell of course, or she could go to the library and re-read some of the Herbology materials she was having problems with.
For once, she had no urge for loud Christmas carols; sitting around the too-small table with her siblings suddenly held no promise of fun and laughter.
A voice in her mind whispered to her that she was slowly sinking into the murky waters of depression, but she pushed that voice aside, just as she always did.
That evening, when Ginny entered the Great Hall for dinner, she was caught by surprise. Instead of the four long tables of the Four Houses, only one table stood at the center of the hall. Students from all the houses sat together, it was a strange sight, indeed. Ginny guessed there must be no more than twenty people there.
Snowflakes fell from the magical ceiling and four Christmas trees stood high and proud around the hall, each decorated in different house colors and symbols. The table was covered with a white map, with red ribbons at its sides, and [Find a picture of Christmas feast and describe it.].
Colin and Miranda went home for the holiday, and Ginny didn't remember ever speaking to the five Gryffindors who sat at the table, so she sighed, and headed to the end of the table. She'd finish eating quickly and go to the dormitories. She found an interesting book in the library earlier, or maybe it would be more correct to say it found her, since it had dropped onto her head out of nowhere, and she wanted to read it. It was named "Goddesses through the Ages".
"Oi, Red!"
She stopped as the familiar voice reached her ears, and turned in the direction she thought it had come from. Blaise Zabini was sitting at the other end of the table, and he was waving at her with clearly overdone enthusiasm, which made her laugh. She changed direction and went to join him.
Ginny was surprised to see that Malfoy was there as well, sitting across from his friend.
"Zabini, so good to see you," she said, and ruffled his hair before sitting down beside him.
In return, he put his arm around her shoulders and held her still as he planted a wet kiss on her cheek. "My dearest girl, did you really think I'd abandon you in this place all by yourself?"
"Eww," she muttered, wiping her cheek with the sleeve of her robe. She glared at Malfoy when he snickered.
"I thought you'd be gone by now, Malfoy," she said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Draco here will be going home tomorrow morning," Blaise informed her before Draco had the chance to open his mouth.
"Thank you, Zabini. I'm sure there's no way I could form such a difficult sentence by myself," Draco told the other boy, glaring at him half-heartedly. Just then the food appeared and they busied themselves with eating.
"What do you plan on doing here, Blaise?" Draco asked when he finished eating.
Blaise swallowed the sweet potatoes and licked his lips before replying. "Well, I think I'll practice some Quidditch –"
"In this weather?" the blond asked, lifting an eyebrow. Fresh snow had covered Hogwarts grounds that morning. "You'll freeze to death."
Ginny intervened. "That's what warming spells are for, Malfoy," she told him, and then turned to Blaise. "I thought of doing the same, maybe we could practice together."
Blaise grinned at her. "Sure thing, but be warned, I play to win."
"So cozy," Draco drawled, finishing his pumpkin juice.
"Jealous, Draco?"
"Jealous, Malfoy?"
Ginny and Blaise looked at each other and laughed. Both had spoken at the same time.
Draco was not amused. He threw his napkin on the plate and rose from the table.
"Why you lower yourself to the mudblood lover's level is beyond my understanding, Zabini."
Shooting an amused look at Ginny, the dark haired boy stood up as well.
"You're no fun, Draco."
Done with her food as well, Ginny joined the two boys and together they headed out of the Great Hall.
A sneeze caught Blaise by surprise and as he threw his head back automatically with the force of it, he saw something that made him stop walking.
Draco and Ginny didn't notice he was lagging behind, and Blaise waited for the right moment before clearing his throat loudly.
"Err, guys…" he began, smoothing his face into a carefully blank mask, as the two stopped and turned to look at him.
"What is it, Blaise?" asked Ginny.
He wasn't able to keep a straight face anymore, and his lips broadened into a feline smile.
"Look up."
Slowly, Ginny and Draco raised their eyes. Directly above them, floating in the air was mistletoe.
The horrified looks on their faces was priceless, Blaise thought, and wished he had Creevey and his camera thing were close by.
"But it's not Christmas yet," Ginny said weakly.
"Come on, Zabini, we're wasting time here," said Draco.
Blaise tsked. "It may not be Christmas yet, but once those darlings get into the air, the rules apply."
He leaned against the wall, looking like he had all the time in the world, and inspected his manicured nails.
"Now that I think about it, I'm reminded of last year, when Susan Bones and Theo Nott were in a predicament similar to yours."
"It's just silly mistletoe," Ginny snapped, but she didn't move, and neither did Draco.
"Well, if you want to turn green and walk around all day with horns on your heads…"
"What?" the two said together.
Blaise nodded, enjoying himself. "That's what happened to Bones and Nott last year when they chose to ignore the mistletoe."
When his two friends still did nothing but stare at him, he sighed dramatically.
"Well? It's just a kiss, do it and be over with it."
It was Ginny who decided first. She turned to face Malfoy. "Well, go on then," she told him and closed her eyes.
Draco stepped closer to the girl. Long lashes fluttered once, and then lay still on pale, freckled skin. His eyes moved over her, noting how her chest rose and fell slowly, how straight she stood. Then he noticed something else. Her hands were fisted at her sides.
Knowing she wasn't taking it as easily as she wanted him to think made it simpler.
Leaning in, he put his mouth on hers.
It was supposed to be a short kiss, over in a second. That's what Draco told himself, even as his hand went to her neck, to pull her closer, and is it tangled in her soft mane.
Ginny wanted to know what spell he used, for his mouth to taste so good to make her open her own and deepen the kiss, to forget she was kissing Draco Malfoy.
Blaise clearing his throat again broke the 'spell' and they jumped apart, not looking at each other. Draco was too shaken to trust himself to manage his usual smirk and lash out at her.
"Well, that was fun," said Blaise as he went to join them. The moment they reached the main stairwell, Ginny mumbled, "There's something I must do."
She didn't run, but she was close to it.
Ginny was too upset to notice where she was going and so she noticed that she was on the wrong stairs a moment too late, as it already began moving.
"No, Stop!" Ginny said angrily, but to no avail.
'What else can go wrong?' she asked herself. The stairs finally stopped and she ended up on some story she'd never been at before.
There was a long, dark hallway in front of her, which looked kind of eerie, and she couldn't return to the main floor until the stairs returned, and so, shrugging, she went to check what was at the other end of it. The place was dark but at the end of the hallway was a door with light coming from behind it.
'Great. The light at the end of the tunnel is probably the train coming to crash you,' she thought bitterly, but went on anyway. Maybe she'd find something to take her mind off of that kiss.
"Mustn't think about it," she told herself firmly.
Hesitating only slightly once she reached the door, she opened it, wincing as it creaked, and stepped inside the room.
The room was a large one, three of its walls painted in a lovely pastel peach color and little golden stars moved on it, blinking in and out of view. The high ceiling was painted dark purple, with the solar system painted on it. The stars moved in sync, circling one another. There were no windows; the light seemed to emanate from the walls.
The wall facing the door was decorated differently than the other three. In a center of it hung a long mirror, beginning at the ceiling and reaching the floor. It had a thick frame around it, made of some kind of dark silvery metal, and when Ginny stepped closer to it, she saw writing in an ancient looking language engraved in it.
Stepping back from the mirror, she observed the work of art which was decorated around it.
On the right, in a lovely rose garden, brightly lit by the sun which shone high above it, a lovely woman sat on a white wooden bench.
She was wearing a Grecian-looking long white dress. Thin golden threads were interwoven through the fabric. The woman's rich, brown hair fell in gentle waves down her pale shoulders. Her face reminded Ginny of a beautiful china doll she had seen once, when Hermione had taken her on a short trip in Muggle London.
The woman's dark blue eyes stared at something in the distance, a look of deep concentration on her face.
On the left was another woman, different from the first in everything but their gender.
Hair the color of the darkest night, it reached to the small of her back and was straight as an arrow. She was standing in the middle of a clearing formed as a circle. Around her, tall trees stood, and their branches seemed to almost reach out to her, like long wooden arms.
She wore a black floor length skirt, and a corset which was tied in the front by a blood red ribbon. In the cleavage between her breasts, was a heart shaped locket, with a stone which looked like a garnet.
It was night in the painting, but a beam of moonlight stole between the trees and illuminated her lithe figure. Head thrown back, arms outstretched to her sides, and palms up, calling upon the elements, she was laughing and the look on her face was one of ecstasy.
Thin bolts of pure white energy circled around her wrists, and went up her bare arms. In the earth in front of her was staked a lethal looking sword, its hilt burning in blue fire which arose from the earth.
Ginny's eyes were drawn to the woman's. Golden eyes looked back at her, so bright and full of magic, she had to blink and look away from the powerful gaze.
So strange the scene would affect her like this, Ginny thought. It was only a painting.
Both women, ethereal in appearance, and the scenes around them, were unmoving. It was obviously a Muggle painting, done with something, Ginny remembered, that was called 'oil colors'.
Reaching out her hand, she traced the hilt's edge, and she gasped in surprise, stepping back, when she felt a sharp sting on her finger. Looking down at her hand, she watched as a tiny drop of blood welled up. Ginny brought the finger to her lips and sucked the blood away gently.
She frowned, stepping closer to the painting again. It was ridiculous. The painting had no rough edges, what could have nicked her?
'Strange,' she thought and turned to leave the room. She was just reaching out to touch the painting once more, when something strange happened.
"Ginevra," a female voice whispered.
In seconds, Ginny had her wand raised. She turned around in a slow circle; there was no one in the room but her.
"Who's there?"
"Look in the mirror," the voice told her.
Not lowering her wand, Ginny went to the mirror, but much to her amazement, it wasn't her reflection that she saw in it. Looking at her from inside the mirror was the golden-eyed woman.
"Who are you?" Ginny asked.
The woman smiled. "You don't trust me," she said calmly.
Ginevra nodded. "You've got that right."
The woman's smile grew wider. "Just like I saw!" she whispered knowingly.
Ginny looked at the woman, blankly. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, irritated.
The woman laughed, annoying Ginny even more.
"Hush, Ginevra, I'll answer as many questions as I can. I am Morgana La Fey, and I have been watching you since you took your first breath."
Pleased by Ginny's silence she went on. "You are a very special child, Ginevra, and the role you are going to play in the Final Battle is an important one."
That gained Ginny's attention and she lifted an eyebrow. "And whatever makes you think I will help you?"
Morgana chuckled. "A little spitfire, aren't you? Like I said, I've been watching you since you were little, and I know you'd do everything to make Riddle pay," she said and watched Ginny's eyes flicker. They were so like hers own.
"So you saw what he had done to me, and did nothing to stop him!" the young girl spat angrily.
"That had to be done, Ginevra, you must understand this. There are certain things that are decided by the Fates, things that even the Gods have no control over. What's important is that with my help you can get what you want."
Ginny's eyes became golden now. "Oh, I get it. You were using me for your special cause and now you want me to take it all like a good little girl! I don't think so!" she said and turned to leave the room.
The door closed with a loud bang before she could take a single step towards it.
"Ginevra, you will not leave until I'm done, do you understand!" Morgana said coldly. As much as she enjoyed the girl's feistiness, and as much as it made her remember what she, herself, has been like when she was young, she still had no patience for childish drama. She had much more important things to deal with.
Ginny turned around to face the Goddess again. "Yes," she answered curtly.
"If you don't help us the consequences would be dire. People you care about will get hurt or even die. I'm sure you don't want that.
"Your destiny was pre-determined before you were born and it can't be changed. You'll have to accept that or deal with the consequences of refusal," Morgana explained and waited for Ginny to think everything out.
Ginny felt a huge weight on her. Would they really put another burden on her so easily, even after what she's been through? Surely the Gods knew that she was still having nightmares about the Chamber.
After a moment she looked at Morgana. "If I agree, will Tom Riddle die?"
Morgana's expression didn't change. "If you accept, you will be trained by the best and with the help of the powers you have and Harry Potter, you will be able to get rid of Riddle," she said and left out the part about trust, it had to come naturally.
"I agree then," Ginny answered with a cold smile, anything to end Riddle.
Morgana smiled too. "Good decision, child."
"I'm not a child, Goddess. I ceased being a child long ago," Ginny said simply and Morgana nodded grimly.
"Yes, Ginevra, you are right," she said and then added, "It won't be easy, far from it."
Ginny laughed humorously. "If it was, what fun would it be?"
Morgana chuckled. This was definitely The One.
"Albus Dumbledore will tell you about the training. I see his beloved Potions master is doing a good job," she said with a smile that lit her face.
Ginny nodded. "He is."
"Close your eyes now and reach out your hand, Ginevra, I have something for you," Morgana said and Ginny obeyed.
A moment later she felt something cold on her palm and opened her eyes. A thin silver chain lay on her palm, and a heart-shaped locket on it.
She looked at Morgana with a frown; the Goddess was wearing an identical one, just like in the painting.
The Goddess smiled warmly. "This locket is a communication link between us, so you must have it on you always. With the help of this chain we will be able to contact each other even in your dreams," she explained and Ginny nodded and put the chain around her neck.
"This is all for now, Ginevra. Use what I gave you wisely and do not let the anger control you."
"I won't."
The mirror twirled a little and Morgana disappeared, the mirror reflecting Ginny like it should.
Ginny shook her head tiredly. "What else do you plan to drop on me?" she asked no one in particular and then turned around. The door was once again opened and the room looked just like it did before Morgana appeared, like nothing happened.
Not expecting an answer Ginny left the room, all traces of feeling gone, and her mask in place.
When the door closed behind her, in the now empty room, Morgana's soft voice whispered, "I wish I could tell you Ginevra, but I cannot."
Rowena was waiting for her sister in the Hall Of Glory, and greeted her with a loving smile. Morgana didn't return it. She sat gracefully on the sofa and closed her eyes.
"This young woman is going to either bring peace or a lot of trouble," she murmured but her voice was soft, admiring maybe, and not angry.
Rowena noticed it and laughed. "She's just like you, my dearest; a little spitfire who doesn't rest until she gets what she wants."
Again Morgana didn't laugh. "Yes, she's just like me. I can only hope she'll succeed where I failed," she said sadly. Rowena knew that Morgana hated pity, so she said nothing. She simply hugged her older sister and gave her strength.