Chapter 16: - Looking for Ginny
Draco made it through the barrier just in time to board the train before it pulled away from the station. His lips still tingled with Ginny’s soft kiss. After telling Crabbe and Goyle he’d see them later, he made his way to the front car where all of the prefects sat. He was running a bit late and was certain that the prefects’ meeting had already started. Draco had to admit that he was glad that Ernie Macmillan had made Head Boy, rather than himself. After the summer he’d had, he didn’t feel quite up for the responsibility this year. His mother had been disappointed when the owl arrived in late August, but Draco assured her that he was rather relieved.
When he stepped into the car Ernie gave him a sour look. He’d been in the middle of a speech and Draco’s tardiness had obviously gotten under Ernie’s skin. Draco just sneered and took his seat next to Pansy. Ernie started his speech over for Draco’s benefit and finished up a good ten minutes later with “and with that…I feel we will make this our best year at Hogwarts.”
Draco hadn’t heard a word he’d said. He was too busy scanning the car for Ginny’s red head as he casually ran a finger over his lips. He didn’t see one trace of her. Could she be in the girls’ lavatory? He turned around to look behind him and his gaze met Ron’s. Ron returned a very questioning stare and Draco was confused. Did her brother not know where she’d gone to, either?
The prefects began to disband and join their other classmates further back on the train. Ron looked uncomfortable. Draco could tell he wanted to speak to him, but Granger kept bending his ear until they finally left the car together. At that moment, Pansy turned toward Draco. “So, shall we head toward the back, then?”
He did his best to smile. “Yeah, sure.” They were the only two students left in the car at the time. “Hey…er – you go on ahead. I need to use the loo.” Pansy didn’t seem to find this unusual and, with a slight wave over her shoulder, walked on ahead of Draco.
He was so confused. Where in the world could Ginny have gone? Was she so flustered about kissing him in public that she went to the back of the train to sit with Potter and Longbottom? He was certain that nobody had seen them, anyway.
He didn’t have to wonder long for Ron’s lanky body came into view as he made his way back to the prefects’ car. Draco did his best to keep from narrowing his eyes at him.
“Oy, Mal…Draco.” Ron seemed to be struggling with how to be nice to him.
Draco nodded his head slightly. He knew these would be the first civil words he and Ron ever spoke. “Yeah?”
Ron looked behind him before speaking. “Where’s my sister?”
Draco’s confusion immediately turned to concern. “Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Ron furrowed his brow and seemed to be thinking something over. “Did you see her board the train?”
Draco shook his head. “No. No, I spoke to her just on the other side of the barrier before we left.” Draco had been very close to telling Ron about their kiss, but caught himself just in time. “I stayed behind to wait for Crabbe and Goyle and she went on ahead. I told her I’d see her on the train.”
Ron looked angry. “Well, she’s not on the train.”
Draco was worried and didn’t respond to Ron’s comment. Instead, he stepped quickly around him and made his way to the back of the car. He heard Ron calling him from behind. “Where are you going?”
When he reached the door he turned to look at Ron. “I’m going to look for her. She’s got to be on the train somewhere - I saw her go through the barrier.”
Ron’s reply was drowned out by the sound of the train as Draco opened the door and crossed over into the next car. He walked along the corridor, looking in each compartment as he went. He flattened his stomach to let the witch with the trolley go by and continued to look. Every compartment was devoid of Ginny’s red head. He reached the last car, took notice of the occupants and slid the door open.
Harry, Hermione, Luna and Neville all had astounded expressions at Draco’s sudden entrance. It was Hermione that spoke first, her voice full of sarcasm. “Can we help you with something, Malfoy?”
Draco was too concerned about Ginny to throw her a snide comment. He looked from both Harry to Hermione. “Where’s Ginny?”
Hermione blinked and her head snapped back in surprise. He’d seldom seen a shocked Granger, but this was one fact she wasn’t going to get out of a book.
Harry took over answering for Hermione as he stood to face Draco. “Why do you care where she is, Malfoy?”
Draco glanced quickly at Hermione just in time to see her eyes go wide as if it was all starting to make sense to her. He didn’t want to give them a direct answer. “Look, I saw her cross through the barrier ahead of me at the station. Did you see her get on the train? She wasn’t in the prefects’ car.”
Hermione found her voice. “I know she wasn’t in the prefects’ car. Ron and I were discussing that the entire time. We didn’t know if she was feeling bad or what, but I checked the girls’ lavatory and she wasn’t in there.”
There was an uncomfortable silence before Draco turned on his heel and left their compartment. Harry’s hand clamped down on his shoulder before he’d made it too far. “Answer my question, Malfoy. Why are you looking for Ginny?”
Draco jerked his shoulder out from under Harry’s grasp and his face took on a deeply disgusted look. “Don’t touch me, Potter. It’s none of your business why I’m looking for her.” He straightened his robes. “I noticed that she was missing. Weasley obviously doesn’t know where she is so I went looking for her. I am a prefect, after all.”
Harry’s face softened a bit, but he still looked confused and concerned. Draco left him standing in the corridor as he made his way back to the front of the car. Ron came face to face with him again. “Well?” he said to Draco.
“I don’t know where she is. I’ve looked in every compartment. Granger said she checked the girls’ lavatory and she wasn’t in there, either.”
Ron interrupted him. “You asked Hermione?”
Draco’s anger was rising. “Why in bloody hell wouldn’t I ask? She’s one of her best friends, isn’t she? I asked all your lot.” He was referring to Ron’s friends. Draco hadn’t changed that much and wasn’t about to refer to them by name.
Ron didn’t seem to notice the slight insult Draco had just thrown at him. He spoke again. “You reckon she got back off the train to look for you and got stuck on the other side of the barrier?”
Draco had to admit that it seemed logical. He nodded his head slowly at Ron. “Maybe you’re right.” He felt saddened by this. He’d wanted to sit with her on his last trip to Hogwarts.
“I’m sending my owl back to King’s Cross. If she’s there, he’ll find her. “
He watched Ron walk off toward the back of the train while he made his way in the opposite direction – back to the prefects’ car. He was still worried. Something just didn’t seem right. Ginny knew how close it was getting to 11:00 when they met at the station. Why would she have risked being left behind when Draco told her he’d be right there? It just didn’t make any sense.
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Hours later the train slowly pulled into the station at Hogsmeade. Students were talking and laughing as they set their luggage down in rows on the sidewalk. Hagrid was standing tall above the heads of the first years as he led them down to the boats. Draco saw him stop briefly to talk to Potter and noticed that his face fell. He assumed Potter had just told him about Ginny’s disappearance. It annoyed him greatly to see Hagrid shoot a glance in his direction. Typical. They thought he had something to do with it.
Draco had cornered Ron in the train corridor just before their arrival and Ron had no news of her disappearance. Ron’s owl, Pig, had come back with the same note and it was obvious that Ginny hadn’t been there to retrieve it.
He had no idea what course of action to take next, but as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he needed Ron’s help. Ron was the only student at Hogwarts that knew their secret. Draco just couldn’t break the news to the others if Ginny wasn’t here with him. He needed to maintain the secrecy until she was by his side.
Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle met him near the coaches. Pansy shook her head. “I don’t get you, Draco. You were on your way to the loo and then we don’t see you the entire trip? Where’ve you been?”
He’d completely forgotten about dodging the others. He thought quickly. “I, er…fell asleep in the prefects’ car.” He wanted to slap himself. He knew how to lie better than that.
Crabbe laughed. “Nice way to start seventh year, Draco.”
Draco was suddenly so annoyed by his two friends that he wanted to board one of the other coaches. However, he curbed the desire and climbed up through the door behind Goyle.
The ride seemed longer than normal as he listened to the others talk about their holiday. The only one that didn’t seem to be getting on his nerves was Blaise. Funny thing, really because Blaise had never been a follower. He’d always somewhat done his own thing; a trait that had irritated Draco. Yet now he could understand why. Pansy, on the other hand, kept shooting him glances the entire time. She knew him too well. Draco feared that she wasn’t going to let him alone until he did some explaining.
The coaches rolled to a stop and they filed out onto the cobblestone drive. Draco took one look at his friends and found himself saying. “I…prefect stuff…” and left as quickly as he could. Pansy caught up with him. She was obviously not going to let up.
“Draco, what’s up with you today? You’re acting awfully strange. Has something happened with your father?”
He took a deep breath. He honestly wanted to tell her. Pansy and Draco had grown up friends. Her family had spent time at the Manor and they had played together as small children. They’d even dated to some extent before Ginny and Blaise came into the picture. But until he had some idea of what was going on, he decided to keep things to himself. His answer was false, but it was the best he could come up with.
“No, Father’s safe. I’m doing okay, just didn’t sleep much last night. Sorry to ditch you guys on the train - I just felt like I needed the rest. I’ll be okay tomorrow.”
She smiled and seemed satisfied. “Okay. Well…let’s go get ready to sort the newest runts and take our seats.”
He nodded and tried to return the smile, desperately hoping that Ginny would be at the sorting…
Draco made it through the barrier just in time to board the train before it pulled away from the station. His lips still tingled with Ginny’s soft kiss. After telling Crabbe and Goyle he’d see them later, he made his way to the front car where all of the prefects sat. He was running a bit late and was certain that the prefects’ meeting had already started. Draco had to admit that he was glad that Ernie Macmillan had made Head Boy, rather than himself. After the summer he’d had, he didn’t feel quite up for the responsibility this year. His mother had been disappointed when the owl arrived in late August, but Draco assured her that he was rather relieved.
When he stepped into the car Ernie gave him a sour look. He’d been in the middle of a speech and Draco’s tardiness had obviously gotten under Ernie’s skin. Draco just sneered and took his seat next to Pansy. Ernie started his speech over for Draco’s benefit and finished up a good ten minutes later with “and with that…I feel we will make this our best year at Hogwarts.”
Draco hadn’t heard a word he’d said. He was too busy scanning the car for Ginny’s red head as he casually ran a finger over his lips. He didn’t see one trace of her. Could she be in the girls’ lavatory? He turned around to look behind him and his gaze met Ron’s. Ron returned a very questioning stare and Draco was confused. Did her brother not know where she’d gone to, either?
The prefects began to disband and join their other classmates further back on the train. Ron looked uncomfortable. Draco could tell he wanted to speak to him, but Granger kept bending his ear until they finally left the car together. At that moment, Pansy turned toward Draco. “So, shall we head toward the back, then?”
He did his best to smile. “Yeah, sure.” They were the only two students left in the car at the time. “Hey…er – you go on ahead. I need to use the loo.” Pansy didn’t seem to find this unusual and, with a slight wave over her shoulder, walked on ahead of Draco.
He was so confused. Where in the world could Ginny have gone? Was she so flustered about kissing him in public that she went to the back of the train to sit with Potter and Longbottom? He was certain that nobody had seen them, anyway.
He didn’t have to wonder long for Ron’s lanky body came into view as he made his way back to the prefects’ car. Draco did his best to keep from narrowing his eyes at him.
“Oy, Mal…Draco.” Ron seemed to be struggling with how to be nice to him.
Draco nodded his head slightly. He knew these would be the first civil words he and Ron ever spoke. “Yeah?”
Ron looked behind him before speaking. “Where’s my sister?”
Draco’s confusion immediately turned to concern. “Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Ron furrowed his brow and seemed to be thinking something over. “Did you see her board the train?”
Draco shook his head. “No. No, I spoke to her just on the other side of the barrier before we left.” Draco had been very close to telling Ron about their kiss, but caught himself just in time. “I stayed behind to wait for Crabbe and Goyle and she went on ahead. I told her I’d see her on the train.”
Ron looked angry. “Well, she’s not on the train.”
Draco was worried and didn’t respond to Ron’s comment. Instead, he stepped quickly around him and made his way to the back of the car. He heard Ron calling him from behind. “Where are you going?”
When he reached the door he turned to look at Ron. “I’m going to look for her. She’s got to be on the train somewhere - I saw her go through the barrier.”
Ron’s reply was drowned out by the sound of the train as Draco opened the door and crossed over into the next car. He walked along the corridor, looking in each compartment as he went. He flattened his stomach to let the witch with the trolley go by and continued to look. Every compartment was devoid of Ginny’s red head. He reached the last car, took notice of the occupants and slid the door open.
Harry, Hermione, Luna and Neville all had astounded expressions at Draco’s sudden entrance. It was Hermione that spoke first, her voice full of sarcasm. “Can we help you with something, Malfoy?”
Draco was too concerned about Ginny to throw her a snide comment. He looked from both Harry to Hermione. “Where’s Ginny?”
Hermione blinked and her head snapped back in surprise. He’d seldom seen a shocked Granger, but this was one fact she wasn’t going to get out of a book.
Harry took over answering for Hermione as he stood to face Draco. “Why do you care where she is, Malfoy?”
Draco glanced quickly at Hermione just in time to see her eyes go wide as if it was all starting to make sense to her. He didn’t want to give them a direct answer. “Look, I saw her cross through the barrier ahead of me at the station. Did you see her get on the train? She wasn’t in the prefects’ car.”
Hermione found her voice. “I know she wasn’t in the prefects’ car. Ron and I were discussing that the entire time. We didn’t know if she was feeling bad or what, but I checked the girls’ lavatory and she wasn’t in there.”
There was an uncomfortable silence before Draco turned on his heel and left their compartment. Harry’s hand clamped down on his shoulder before he’d made it too far. “Answer my question, Malfoy. Why are you looking for Ginny?”
Draco jerked his shoulder out from under Harry’s grasp and his face took on a deeply disgusted look. “Don’t touch me, Potter. It’s none of your business why I’m looking for her.” He straightened his robes. “I noticed that she was missing. Weasley obviously doesn’t know where she is so I went looking for her. I am a prefect, after all.”
Harry’s face softened a bit, but he still looked confused and concerned. Draco left him standing in the corridor as he made his way back to the front of the car. Ron came face to face with him again. “Well?” he said to Draco.
“I don’t know where she is. I’ve looked in every compartment. Granger said she checked the girls’ lavatory and she wasn’t in there, either.”
Ron interrupted him. “You asked Hermione?”
Draco’s anger was rising. “Why in bloody hell wouldn’t I ask? She’s one of her best friends, isn’t she? I asked all your lot.” He was referring to Ron’s friends. Draco hadn’t changed that much and wasn’t about to refer to them by name.
Ron didn’t seem to notice the slight insult Draco had just thrown at him. He spoke again. “You reckon she got back off the train to look for you and got stuck on the other side of the barrier?”
Draco had to admit that it seemed logical. He nodded his head slowly at Ron. “Maybe you’re right.” He felt saddened by this. He’d wanted to sit with her on his last trip to Hogwarts.
“I’m sending my owl back to King’s Cross. If she’s there, he’ll find her. “
He watched Ron walk off toward the back of the train while he made his way in the opposite direction – back to the prefects’ car. He was still worried. Something just didn’t seem right. Ginny knew how close it was getting to 11:00 when they met at the station. Why would she have risked being left behind when Draco told her he’d be right there? It just didn’t make any sense.
Hours later the train slowly pulled into the station at Hogsmeade. Students were talking and laughing as they set their luggage down in rows on the sidewalk. Hagrid was standing tall above the heads of the first years as he led them down to the boats. Draco saw him stop briefly to talk to Potter and noticed that his face fell. He assumed Potter had just told him about Ginny’s disappearance. It annoyed him greatly to see Hagrid shoot a glance in his direction. Typical. They thought he had something to do with it.
Draco had cornered Ron in the train corridor just before their arrival and Ron had no news of her disappearance. Ron’s owl, Pig, had come back with the same note and it was obvious that Ginny hadn’t been there to retrieve it.
He had no idea what course of action to take next, but as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he needed Ron’s help. Ron was the only student at Hogwarts that knew their secret. Draco just couldn’t break the news to the others if Ginny wasn’t here with him. He needed to maintain the secrecy until she was by his side.
Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle met him near the coaches. Pansy shook her head. “I don’t get you, Draco. You were on your way to the loo and then we don’t see you the entire trip? Where’ve you been?”
He’d completely forgotten about dodging the others. He thought quickly. “I, er…fell asleep in the prefects’ car.” He wanted to slap himself. He knew how to lie better than that.
Crabbe laughed. “Nice way to start seventh year, Draco.”
Draco was suddenly so annoyed by his two friends that he wanted to board one of the other coaches. However, he curbed the desire and climbed up through the door behind Goyle.
The ride seemed longer than normal as he listened to the others talk about their holiday. The only one that didn’t seem to be getting on his nerves was Blaise. Funny thing, really because Blaise had never been a follower. He’d always somewhat done his own thing; a trait that had irritated Draco. Yet now he could understand why. Pansy, on the other hand, kept shooting him glances the entire time. She knew him too well. Draco feared that she wasn’t going to let him alone until he did some explaining.
The coaches rolled to a stop and they filed out onto the cobblestone drive. Draco took one look at his friends and found himself saying. “I…prefect stuff…” and left as quickly as he could. Pansy caught up with him. She was obviously not going to let up.
“Draco, what’s up with you today? You’re acting awfully strange. Has something happened with your father?”
He took a deep breath. He honestly wanted to tell her. Pansy and Draco had grown up friends. Her family had spent time at the Manor and they had played together as small children. They’d even dated to some extent before Ginny and Blaise came into the picture. But until he had some idea of what was going on, he decided to keep things to himself. His answer was false, but it was the best he could come up with.
“No, Father’s safe. I’m doing okay, just didn’t sleep much last night. Sorry to ditch you guys on the train - I just felt like I needed the rest. I’ll be okay tomorrow.”
She smiled and seemed satisfied. “Okay. Well…let’s go get ready to sort the newest runts and take our seats.”
He nodded and tried to return the smile, desperately hoping that Ginny would be at the sorting…
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