wow it's been forever...
Don't yell at me!!!
lol
jk owns it all
"Wait a second. You're telling me that Malfoy was in the Hospital Wing this whole summer?" Nora whispered to Ginny during Transfiguration a month after the start of term feast.
Ginny nodded, brow furrowed as she tried to concentrate on the conversation and turning her candle into a firefly at the same time.
"Yeah, ever since his surgery that is." Her flame spluttered and went out. Sighing, Ginny lit the candle again.
Nora had completely disregarded her candle and was looking at Ginny. "But why?"
Ginny bit her lip and grimaced as her candle now blinked on and off. Should I tell her the whole story?
It had been a month since the two girls officially met and started hanging out: Each tentatively testing the other for friendship before divulging into secret sharing. Ginny liked Nora well enough, even though she could be a bit much at times. Still, she was all Ginny had in her year. After all, Neville was a grade above her and Luna was in Ravenclaw so it made sense.
She opened her mouth. "Because he-"
"Weasley! Moreno! What are you two jabbering on about, hmm? Something you would like to share with the rest of the class?"
Nora wasn't the type of person who blushed, so Ginny did; enough for the both of them. "Sorry, Professor," Nora said, throwing a look at Ginny and transfiguring her candle poorly.
"Perhaps you two should study some more rather than talk, then maybe you would be able to transfigure better?" McGonagall looked at Nora's candle which had sprouted wings and was trying to fly and light things on fire.
"Right, thank you Professor, we'll keep that in mind." Nora sighed. To Ginny she whispered, as soon as McGonagall walked away; "I don't even like fireflies."
Ginny giggled. "Too bad."
Nora rolled her eyes and turned her concentration back to her winged candle. "Tell me the rest of the story later?" She asked Ginny out of the corner of her mouth.
"Um, sure," Ginny didn't look at her friend.
"So," Nora began after dinner. Ginny's heart sank. "Tell me what happened."
"You know," Ginny stated, flopping into an armchair in the common room and glaring at Nora. "You can be really annoying sometimes."
"I know," Nora smiled unapologetically. "So tell me."
Ginny nodded. "Fine, but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone. And don't just say 'okay I won't', really mean it."
"Okay I won't," Nora grinned devilishly.
Ginny narrowed her eyes.
"Alright, I mean it. Swear on Merlin's trousers I won't tell a soul."
Ginny looked at her, judging.
Finally, the red-head relented and told Nora the story of her wisdom teeth surgery and her flight to Hogwarts. Ginny was surprised at the sense of relief she found by telling someone other than a teacher and was glad that she had told Nora.
"Wow," Nora breathed after Ginny was finished. The brunette's eyes were round. "What a conspiracy! I never thought St. Mungo's…wow."
Ginny laughed, and lugged her schoolbag towards her. "So eloquent today, Moreno. Shall you expand for the benefit of the class?"
"Shove it," Nora growled, trying to cover a laugh. "So does this mean that we're going to win or something?"
Ginny's head jerked. "It doesn't mean anything. If you want it to mean something, it means that the good side has been reduced to a bunch of kid killers and that we're no better than…them."
"Or it means that we're winning," Nora said firmly.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Why don't we just do our homework, okay?"
Nora groaned as she opened her Potions book. "Fine, but you're not getting off that easy."
Ginny unrolled some parchment. "What do you mean?"
"You know…" Nora twisted her quill in her hands. "Get me in to see him."
"Why on earth would you want to do that?" Ginny had almost dropped the parchment out of shock.
Nora shrugged, but a fire burned deep behind her eyes. "It would be fun, that's all."
"There is nothing fun about another person's misery," snapped Ginny, slamming open her book.
Nora sat back, the fire dissipating and a calming smile taking its place. "Right, sorry I asked. Of course you're right. Now who's ready for Potions?!"
Ginny watched her new friend as the girl began to read and the sense of relief that the red-head had felt in telling her story before was slowly being replaced by a sense of dread.
At breakfast the next morning, all the students were met with an announcement from Snape. The imposing black robed figure stood up and called for silence at the beginning of the meal.
"Oh Merlin, what now?" Ginny heard Nora groan into her ear. She ignored it.
"As you all know, there have been some holes in the staff so far this year." Snape leered out over the crowd as the collective students began muttering amongst themselves, guessing at who the replacements were to be.
"Professors Alecto and Amycus Carrow will be filling the positions of Muggle Studies and Defense against the Dark Arts, respectively. They are setting up their offices as we speak and I hope that you will give them all the respect of any teacher at this school."
A deafening silence followed these words and was only broken by the sound of a door opening as a fourth year Ravenclaw stood up and left. A couple other students followed, but the rest stayed in rapt silence.
"That is all," Snape spat out before sitting back down.
"Holy. Shit." Nora said as Ginny picked at her toast. "Those two are Death Eaters. Known Death Eaters. What the hell are they doing here?"
"It isn't Dumbledore's Hogwarts anymore," Ginny said in a deadpan voice. "Don't you see? Since the Ministry is completely at their command, the Death Eaters can do whatever they want. Including setting up shop at this school. And of course with Snape as headmaster, there's no telling what kind of trouble they will be able to get away with."
Neville scooted over to them. "Is it just me or has this year taken a nosedive for the worst?"
Nora patted him on the arm. "You're not alone with that thought." Neville groaned miserably. "We're all in for one shitty year."
"All except the Slytherins," Neville pointed out. "I'm sure they'll all be fine."
"Yes," Ginny said, abandoning her toast. "All except the Slytherins."
A certain blonde Slytherin was amusing himself by bouncing an enchanted Snitch, made to act like rubber, off of a wall in the Hospital Wing.
Draco was trying to see how many times he could bounce it before Madame Pomfrey was annoyed enough by the sound to tell him to stop.
He had reached the twentieth bounce before her door banged open and she came storming out.
"For Merlin's sake, Mr. Malfoy! Will you kindly stop making that racket? I am trying to work in here." Madame Pomfrey adjusted her healer cap in frustration.
Draco grinned and picked up his wand. Writing out his sentence in purple letters he told the wed-witch that if she would let him get some exercise, if she let him go outside…
"Absolutely not," Madame Pomfrey cut his writing off. "Do you not understand the consequence of such actions? And stop writing with your wand. You should be practicing speaking, not relying on floating letters."
Draco sighed dramatically and picked up his wand again. BUT I CAN'T TALK AS FAST AS I CAN WRITE.
Madame Pomfrey flapped a hand through his words, dissolving the letters in the air. "Then I suggest that you get someone to help you practice using words again. Real words, Mr. Malfoy, not these things you produce from your wand."
Draco looked at the witch's retreating back incredulously.
I DON'T HAVE ANYONE WHO HAS THE TIME. He wrote. Or anyone who would want to help me.
Madame Pomfrey ignored his excuse. "Find someone, Mr. Malfoy, for I am reaching my limit. I know you know the words; you just aren't trying hard enough. Get your friend to help you, Ms Weasley, the one who helped you here. I'm sure she would make time."
Draco snorted.
"Don't get lazy, Mr. Malfoy. I know you can do this," Madame Pomfrey said encouragingly at her door. Then she snapped; "And don't bounce that Snitch anymore! You're giving me a headache!" And with that, the woman slammed the door on Draco.
The blonde wizard sighed and bounced the Snitch one last time for good measure.
Weasley, huh? He thought. I doubt she would help me. I mean saving my life is one thing, she's a Gryffindor, she did that on principal, she practically had to, it's in her nature. But helping me speak?
Draco let out a laugh. That would never happen. I don't care how charitable she is. She's a Weasley and I'm Malfoy.
An image of the two of them sitting side by side on his hospital bed pops into his mind; her face is in pleasant surprise as he recites his rehearsed sentence to her. The Draco in his mind smiles as she does, and the light hits her hair just right…just like it did in St. Mungo's…
What am I doing? Draco shook his head and the pretty image of Ginny disappeared from his mind's eye. Yeah, she's pretty but she's not that pretty.
Draco grinned as he thought of the look on the girl's face if she had heard him say that out loud.
I actually wouldn't mind talking to her, Draco surprised himself by thinking. I mean she's still a blood traitor but at least she's intelligent. A singularity in that family if you ask me…
Draco smirked.
His smile evaporated when he heard the sound of the Hospital Wing's door opening and he saw who stood on the threshold.
It was Blaise Zabini.
Draco exhaled and pulled out his wand. OH GOOD IT'S YOU. I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE.
"Who?" said Blaise with a sly smile. "Pansy? Oh no, she's much too busy pining after you to do any real snooping around. She still thinks you're at home, she has no idea. Theo and I have kept our mouths shut. Just like we said, if I may remind you."
Draco rolled his eyes and wiped his previous words away. SO, WHAT'S NEW?
"Nothing," Blaise replied, hauling a bag around and plopping it on Draco's unoccupied bed. "This, however, is your school work that you need to catch up on. Mostly last year's work that you missed because of the…cabinet business, but there's some of this year's work as well…"
Draco let Blaise prattle on for a bit before writing a question in the air in front of his friend.
IS IT TRUE THAT THE CARROWS ARE AT HOGWARTS?
Blaise sighed. "Yeah, they're the Muggle Studies and Defense teachers. Bloody creepy though, those two. Even I don't like them."
Draco raised his eyebrows. MUGGLE STUDIES?
"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Blaise waved his arms spookily and tried to look conspiratorial. "Influencing the minds of the youth, blah, blah."
Draco grimaced.
"I know, mate, I know. But here's your homework which I suggest you get started on right away if you want to catch up in this century. I have to go, see you later." Blaise left Draco in silence.
The blonde looked down at the massive pile of books and parchments stacked in a mound on his bed and groaned.
This is going to take forever to get through.
Sifting through the piles of assignments Draco felt an overwhelming surge of stress crash over him.
Merlin, I'm never going to get these done. I'll never catch up.
He stomped over to Madame Pomfrey's door and banged on it. The school healer came to the door and looked down at Draco annoyed.
"What is it, Mr. Malfoy?" She saw him move his wand and cut him off. "Ah! And use your words."
Draco glared at the woman for a moment then gestured sharply behind him to the pile of school work he had stacked on his bed.
"E-e-sh-cused w-wuh-work?"
"Excused from this work?" Madame Pomfrey guessed correctly. "No, why would you think that? Oh because you're injured." She said in reply to his gesture towards his throat. "No, you will do your work just like any other Hogwarts student."
"H-h-ow?" was all he managed.
"How what, Mr. Malfoy? How are you going to get through all of that?"
Draco nodded.
"I don't know, I guess you'll have to find a tutor." And with that, Madame Pomfrey slammed the door in his face.
Draco was stunned. I don't need a tutor, I'm not retarded.
He looked around to the pile and sighed.
Okay, maybe I do…