Draco finished supervising his trunk unpacking in his dormitory and made his way down the stairs. He hadn’t forgotten his promise to himself that he would speak to McGonagall about his new task. He only hoped that she would listen to him and know what to do.
In the common room, the chatter and bustle of students greeting each other and settling back in was overwhelming. Blaise waved at Draco from his seat in front of the fire, his other arm around a short, curvy blonde. Draco waved back, but didn’t stop walking. If he hesitated at all, he knew he would lose his nerve.
Which was part of the reason he hadn’t waited to seek out his teacher. He was already nervous about going to her with this information after all the animosity between them due to his name and his family‘s connection with Voldemort. He knew if he waited at all, he would begin to think of reasons why he shouldn’t do it and convince himself he would be all right on his own. Which would more than likely end up in disaster.
Several minutes later, Draco was knocking on the door to Professor McGonagall’s office. He heard the muffled sound of chairs scooting around and voices that seemed to be hurrying to finish a conversation. Finally he heard, “Come in!” ring out from behind the door in McGonagall’s distinctive, stern voice.
Draco squared his shoulders and pushed open the door. He stepped into the room, hoping he looked confident and in control.
“Draco?”
He glanced up at the sound of his name to see none other than Ginny Weasley standing there. She smiled shakily at him.
Were those tears in her eyes? Had she been crying? What had happened? Was she hurt?
“Ginny?” Draco said worriedly, taking a step toward her. His arms actually tingled with the desire to reach out and hold her. He didn’t really know why, but the thought of something happening to make the spirited girl cry made him want to comfort her.
She raised her hand, palm outward. “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “It’s just Luna…” She broke off and turned quickly away, covering her face with her hands.
Draco reached out toward her, but didn’t touch her. He looked up uncertainly at Professor McGonagall, who had been watching them silently.
She stood up then, and moved around the desk. Leading Ginny to a chair against the wall, she softly told Draco of Luna Lovegood‘s arrest on the train at King’s Cross. Draco remembered her as an odd Ravenclaw girl a year below him. One of Ginny’s friends. He couldn’t think of anything to say, though he desperately wanted to say something.
“Mr. Malfoy,” McGonagall said after a minute of silence, handing Ginny a handkerchief. “If you will come with me to the Transfiguration classroom, you may tell me why you have come to see me today.”
“Actually, professor,” Draco replied. “I think Miss Weasley would also be interested in what I have to say. She’s been somewhat involved in this matter for a while.”
“I see,” she said with a disapproving expression.
Ginny sat a little straighter in her chair, her curiosity obviously piqued, and raised her eyebrows at him. She was still sniffling a bit, but had calmed her crying.
“My father sent me a letter a couple of months ago,” Draco explained, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. “He wrote that the… You-Know-Who… wanted to give me another task. Gin- Miss Weasley happened across me… er, after I’d read the letter and, er… I couldn’t keep the information to myself.”
Ginny’s lips twitched in amusement. She hid her face behind the handkerchief under pretense of wiping away her tears. Obviously she was remembering the actual events leading up to the discovery of his letter.
Professor McGonagall leaned her forearms across her desk. “Why are you choosing to tell me about this now?” she wondered. Her face was perfectly blank; there was nothing whatsoever in her eyes.
Draco understood that she was trying to be polite and not say what she really meant, which was “Why didn’t you come to me right away?” He smirked and answered her unasked question. “Because I did not have any of the particulars until I went home for the Christmas holidays.
“My father decided it was too dangerous to include the information in something as easily intercepted as a letter. I felt that it would be better to know what I was being asked to do before I spoke to you in order to keep our meetings to a minimum; and therefore avoid suspicion.”
McGonagall nodded and a smile finally broke through. “Well said. And so, I must ask, what are the details of this task?”
Draco pulled a packet out of his pocket and enlarged it to its original size. “These are a set of detection spells that my father taught my over the last two weeks. I used the Geminio charm to duplicate them so they wouldn’t be missed.” He handed the papers to McGonagall, who looked a bit surprised as she took them.
“I am supposed to use these spells to determine what charms are being used to safeguard the school,” he continued. “I am to then relay the information to my father, who will, in turn, give it to… him.”
Ginny sat back in her chair, a stunned expression on her face. “Why does he want to know about the protections around the school?” she asked, even though the dread in her eyes indicated that she already knew the answer.
“I can only assume that he means to attack Hogwarts at some point. My father didn’t actually say, but it was easy to guess.”
McGonagall stacked the papers neatly in a drawer at the bottom of her desk, then proceeded to lock the drawer with a complicated spell. “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for your help,” she said. “I shall speak with our… trustworthy professors and we will decide on the best course of action. In the meantime…:
“Oh! Professor!” Draco interrupted, earning himself a stern look. “I nearly forgot!”
He pulled out one last sheet of parchment. “This is everything you need to know in order to spy on Malfoy Manor. I placed the charm myself before leaving. My father is under the impression that I am unable to perform it.”
“Brilliant!” Ginny breathed. Her eyes were bright from her tears and her cheeks were flushed from excitement. She gave him a look that seemed to say, ‘Well done!’
Draco felt himself beginning to flush in embarrassment and pleasure and turned away from her approving gaze. He noticed that, thankfully, Professor McGonagall was reading the spell and had not noticed this exchange.
She looked up finally, and said, “This is like no spell I’ve ever seen. Do you know where it’s from?”
“You-Know-Who invented it. Supposedly it is virtually undetectable. We’ll soon see, I wager. If my father sends me a letter complaining about someone spying on our home, we’ll know for sure.”
Ginny chuckled. The sound made him smile. He turned to look at her again and was somewhat taken aback at just how attractive she looked.
Her dark auburn hair was slightly tussled and floated around her face in little wisps. Her brown eyes, ringed with red from crying, were dancing. A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips.
Draco felt something in his chest clench tightly as he looked at her. He found himself unable to breathe properly. He knew he was staring, but he didn’t want to look away. Why did he feel like this? Why would he suddenly be noticing that the freckles across her nose were cute rather than ridiculous? She was still the same annoying Weasley girl, wasn’t she?
Various images flitted across his memory. A smile. A sneaking glance over a shoulder in the halls between classes. Soft words spoken through a drunken haze. Something was different. She’d been kind to him. No one had ever been kind to him before.
The proud, Malfoy part of Draco tried to convince him that it was just pity; and a Malfoy does not need pity. But as he thought about it, Draco realized that the blushes that accompanied her smiles and the gentle hands that had carried him into the Room of Requirement were not simply signs of pity. Could she possibly feel something for him?
“Meet me in the kitchens?” he suddenly asked, surprising himself.
Why did I just ask her that? Surely I don’t have feelings as well. I don’t like her. Right?
And yet, he held his breath, waiting anxiously for her answer; hoping she’d say yes, wanting to talk to her more… wanting her to like him.
She smiled. “Alright.”
In the common room, the chatter and bustle of students greeting each other and settling back in was overwhelming. Blaise waved at Draco from his seat in front of the fire, his other arm around a short, curvy blonde. Draco waved back, but didn’t stop walking. If he hesitated at all, he knew he would lose his nerve.
Which was part of the reason he hadn’t waited to seek out his teacher. He was already nervous about going to her with this information after all the animosity between them due to his name and his family‘s connection with Voldemort. He knew if he waited at all, he would begin to think of reasons why he shouldn’t do it and convince himself he would be all right on his own. Which would more than likely end up in disaster.
Several minutes later, Draco was knocking on the door to Professor McGonagall’s office. He heard the muffled sound of chairs scooting around and voices that seemed to be hurrying to finish a conversation. Finally he heard, “Come in!” ring out from behind the door in McGonagall’s distinctive, stern voice.
Draco squared his shoulders and pushed open the door. He stepped into the room, hoping he looked confident and in control.
“Draco?”
He glanced up at the sound of his name to see none other than Ginny Weasley standing there. She smiled shakily at him.
Were those tears in her eyes? Had she been crying? What had happened? Was she hurt?
“Ginny?” Draco said worriedly, taking a step toward her. His arms actually tingled with the desire to reach out and hold her. He didn’t really know why, but the thought of something happening to make the spirited girl cry made him want to comfort her.
She raised her hand, palm outward. “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “It’s just Luna…” She broke off and turned quickly away, covering her face with her hands.
Draco reached out toward her, but didn’t touch her. He looked up uncertainly at Professor McGonagall, who had been watching them silently.
She stood up then, and moved around the desk. Leading Ginny to a chair against the wall, she softly told Draco of Luna Lovegood‘s arrest on the train at King’s Cross. Draco remembered her as an odd Ravenclaw girl a year below him. One of Ginny’s friends. He couldn’t think of anything to say, though he desperately wanted to say something.
“Mr. Malfoy,” McGonagall said after a minute of silence, handing Ginny a handkerchief. “If you will come with me to the Transfiguration classroom, you may tell me why you have come to see me today.”
“Actually, professor,” Draco replied. “I think Miss Weasley would also be interested in what I have to say. She’s been somewhat involved in this matter for a while.”
“I see,” she said with a disapproving expression.
Ginny sat a little straighter in her chair, her curiosity obviously piqued, and raised her eyebrows at him. She was still sniffling a bit, but had calmed her crying.
“My father sent me a letter a couple of months ago,” Draco explained, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. “He wrote that the… You-Know-Who… wanted to give me another task. Gin- Miss Weasley happened across me… er, after I’d read the letter and, er… I couldn’t keep the information to myself.”
Ginny’s lips twitched in amusement. She hid her face behind the handkerchief under pretense of wiping away her tears. Obviously she was remembering the actual events leading up to the discovery of his letter.
Professor McGonagall leaned her forearms across her desk. “Why are you choosing to tell me about this now?” she wondered. Her face was perfectly blank; there was nothing whatsoever in her eyes.
Draco understood that she was trying to be polite and not say what she really meant, which was “Why didn’t you come to me right away?” He smirked and answered her unasked question. “Because I did not have any of the particulars until I went home for the Christmas holidays.
“My father decided it was too dangerous to include the information in something as easily intercepted as a letter. I felt that it would be better to know what I was being asked to do before I spoke to you in order to keep our meetings to a minimum; and therefore avoid suspicion.”
McGonagall nodded and a smile finally broke through. “Well said. And so, I must ask, what are the details of this task?”
Draco pulled a packet out of his pocket and enlarged it to its original size. “These are a set of detection spells that my father taught my over the last two weeks. I used the Geminio charm to duplicate them so they wouldn’t be missed.” He handed the papers to McGonagall, who looked a bit surprised as she took them.
“I am supposed to use these spells to determine what charms are being used to safeguard the school,” he continued. “I am to then relay the information to my father, who will, in turn, give it to… him.”
Ginny sat back in her chair, a stunned expression on her face. “Why does he want to know about the protections around the school?” she asked, even though the dread in her eyes indicated that she already knew the answer.
“I can only assume that he means to attack Hogwarts at some point. My father didn’t actually say, but it was easy to guess.”
McGonagall stacked the papers neatly in a drawer at the bottom of her desk, then proceeded to lock the drawer with a complicated spell. “Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for your help,” she said. “I shall speak with our… trustworthy professors and we will decide on the best course of action. In the meantime…:
“Oh! Professor!” Draco interrupted, earning himself a stern look. “I nearly forgot!”
He pulled out one last sheet of parchment. “This is everything you need to know in order to spy on Malfoy Manor. I placed the charm myself before leaving. My father is under the impression that I am unable to perform it.”
“Brilliant!” Ginny breathed. Her eyes were bright from her tears and her cheeks were flushed from excitement. She gave him a look that seemed to say, ‘Well done!’
Draco felt himself beginning to flush in embarrassment and pleasure and turned away from her approving gaze. He noticed that, thankfully, Professor McGonagall was reading the spell and had not noticed this exchange.
She looked up finally, and said, “This is like no spell I’ve ever seen. Do you know where it’s from?”
“You-Know-Who invented it. Supposedly it is virtually undetectable. We’ll soon see, I wager. If my father sends me a letter complaining about someone spying on our home, we’ll know for sure.”
Ginny chuckled. The sound made him smile. He turned to look at her again and was somewhat taken aback at just how attractive she looked.
Her dark auburn hair was slightly tussled and floated around her face in little wisps. Her brown eyes, ringed with red from crying, were dancing. A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips.
Draco felt something in his chest clench tightly as he looked at her. He found himself unable to breathe properly. He knew he was staring, but he didn’t want to look away. Why did he feel like this? Why would he suddenly be noticing that the freckles across her nose were cute rather than ridiculous? She was still the same annoying Weasley girl, wasn’t she?
Various images flitted across his memory. A smile. A sneaking glance over a shoulder in the halls between classes. Soft words spoken through a drunken haze. Something was different. She’d been kind to him. No one had ever been kind to him before.
The proud, Malfoy part of Draco tried to convince him that it was just pity; and a Malfoy does not need pity. But as he thought about it, Draco realized that the blushes that accompanied her smiles and the gentle hands that had carried him into the Room of Requirement were not simply signs of pity. Could she possibly feel something for him?
“Meet me in the kitchens?” he suddenly asked, surprising himself.
Why did I just ask her that? Surely I don’t have feelings as well. I don’t like her. Right?
And yet, he held his breath, waiting anxiously for her answer; hoping she’d say yes, wanting to talk to her more… wanting her to like him.
She smiled. “Alright.”
Author notes: There! Are you anxious? Are you going to come back? Let me know! For just a minute of your time, you can leave a review and brighten my day! *ends stupid commercial immitation and looks sheepish* Please? I'd like to thank malfoys_princess, pipedreams, 4everdandg, butterfly2008, Rosalie, laylaelaine, and psyche for your reviews. Loves!
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