CHAPTER 4 – In Search of the Potion
The wing of the house where Lucius conducted his affairs ran parallel to Draco's. He crossed a long hall and looked down into the stone courtyard below the catwalk that connected the two. He saw his mother near the fountain, a large serpent with red ruby eyes spewing water into an enormous stone basin. She was addressing Blinka. Hoping to not be seen, he walked swiftly out of view and entered the corridor to his father’s row of rooms.
The library lay at the end of the hall. It was not unusual for Draco to be found in here. Learning the various dark arts spells to prepare for his future life was something he’d done since early childhood, yet he’d never used it for the purpose that had come to him moments before. He grasped the knob and quietly opened the door.
The room was dusty and quite chilly. It hadn’t been used since before his father was sent to Azkaban. A vast painting of Salazar Slytherin hung above the mantel, his gaze falling to the young man that had just entered the room. Draco found himself hoping that Slytherin couldn’t see his guilt. Giving a short nod to the portrait, he crossed over to the far wall that held the ladder, where he began to climb. Row after row of books passed him until he finally reached the top. This was the second floor of the library. Stepping off of the ladder he walked along each section. He knew them by heart.
“Ah,” he said aloud. “I knew you were in here.” He removed a tarnished silver plated book from the shelf and carefully turned each page to ensure that nothing would be disturbed. The parchment pages within held the handwriting most had never seen. Lord Voldemort had authored this text. Draco read each section of the book… “Occlumency, Legilimens, Advanced Apparition, Killing Curses…Dream Travel.”
He’d found it. Long before the Dark Lord had burned the serpent mark into his servants, he used dream travel to enter their dreams at night to communicate with them.
Draco sat down at a small desk he often used for studying when he was home. The potion was rather complex, but not impossible to create. He might need Blinka’s assistance in the matter. Opening a drawer, he removed a separate piece of parchment, ink and quill. He copied down every ingredient and instruction, reading over each line three times to make no mistakes. Pocketing the recipe, he placed the book back in its home and descended the ladder to the first floor of the library. He avoided Slytherin’s gaze as he left the room and once again entered the corridor back to the catwalk.
Peaking out into the courtyard below, he saw that it was now deserted. Draco decided to look this over somewhere out of the house. After retrieving his Nimbus 2001 from his room, he made his way to the foyer of the manor. His mother met him just as he was going out the front door.
“Draco darling, where are you off to?”
“Just going for a ride on my broom.” Draco tried very hard to be as casual as possible. “I need some fresh air. I can think above the trees.”
“Be careful not to venture too far from the manor. I don’t want you to be seen.” His mother had offered this same short lecture to him before every flight as long as he could remember.
“I’ll stay close. I haven’t been on my broom since the last Quidditch match. I need some practice.”
He closed the door behind him and stepped a few feet away from the entrance. Kicking off from the ground he soared into the air, the lawn of the manor becoming smaller by the second. Once he got as high as he dared go, he planed out and flew as fast as he could.
Why can’t I ever catch that snitch? It’s not as though I’m slow. That Potter! Draco cursed under his breath. He didn’t want to be plagued with thoughts of his nemesis right now. He let his mind wander. The air whipped through his hair and his mind was, once again, lost in a wave of past pleasure…
“What did you say?” Her red hair flew outward as she spun around to face him.
He repeated himself… “Come flying with me. No one will know and we can be completely alone.” He sounded so sure of himself. As if this was the idea of the century.
“What about Quidditch?” He knew she was afraid of losing her spot on the team should they be discovered.
“What about it, we won’t get caught. And I promise we don’t have to be gone long.” The idea of even a few moments alone with her made the risk worth it.
He watched her struggle with a decision. “Alright,” she said. A smile lit up her face. “I’ll run and get my broom and meet you near the forest, right behind Hagrid’s hut.”
Draco nodded and watched her jog off toward the castle doors.
Minutes passed and Ginny appeared at their meeting place, broom in hand. They examined the lawn and saw no one. Now was their chance.
The sky was miles long, an endless highway of tranquility. Draco had always sought solace here. It was the second place he felt completely comforted - the first being within Ginny’s arms.
They flew fast at first. Then, slowing their speed and beginning a descent, they released their hands from their brooms. Holding their arms wide, they watched the sinking sun on the horizon. It was calling them into its dying rays. If only they could go there.
Draco heard Ginny calling his name and he looked over to her. He’d never seen her smiling this much before. She was enjoying every minute of it. But the thought of having to return to the school caused that familiar ache in his chest. Draco wondered why it couldn’t always be like this. Silent thoughts plagued his mind as he realized how very much he cared about her.
Ginny blew him a kiss. He watched her red hair flowing behind her like silk, her legs clutching the broom as she leaned into the wind and flew past him, daring him to catch up to her. He raced in behind her and they exchanged places several times before finally flying parallel above the rapidly changing landscape.
Draco looked downward. He knew they’d gone far enough. Ginny took note of his expression and gave a reluctant nod. In unison they turned their brooms and headed toward the school. She flew up next to him and reached out her hand. He grasped it and held tight. He would never let her go…
Draco snapped out of his memory and began a descent. He touched down at the bottom of a grassy hillside, a few feet from a quiet brook. Taking the parchment from his pocket, he settled himself under some trees near the brook.
It was time to inspect this potion to see how difficult it would be to find the ingredients. It meant surviving the next five weeks if he did.
He began to read aloud:
“Powdered root of asphodel. Hum…isn’t that dangerous?” Draco read on. “Eye of rabbit, boomslang skin, dandelion stems, boemime nectar. Well, those should all be fairly easy to get. “Essence of barmillow?” Draco questioned that one. He had no idea what essence of barmillow was. He would have to talk to Blinka about that one and he silently hoped he could get it, whatever it was. His eyes wandered further down the list, each ingredient giving him a little more hope until…. His face dropped with disappointment, “I need an item of Ginny’s.”
The only thing he had of hers was her prefects’ badge. He knew she wouldn’t like it if anything became of the badge. He thought about this a moment before reaching a decision. He was desperate for something of hers – and likely they’d just give her a new one. Draco had no choice. He knew if he could make the dream travel successful, she would forgive him for using her badge.
He returned the parchment to the pocket of his robes and began to scavenger around the countryside for the start of his ingredients. It was going to take him most of the day to come up with everything on the list.
He didn’t have a moment to lose.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Ginny and Ron finished their lunch and sipped the last few dregs of their butterbeer. The easy part was over and it was time to conquer the house.
Ginny caught Ron glance at an old broom near the gate. She read his mind. “We could go for a ride.” Her smile was hopeful.
“We don’t have time. Besides, Mum and Dad told us to stay close. Can you imagine what she’d do to us if they came home and we were out flying?”
Ginny scowled. Sometimes Ron could be such a sissy. But she had to applaud her brother’s efforts as they were the only siblings left at home. With their father away Ron was the man of the house and doing well at it. This was why his next comment threw her for a loop.
“Alright…fifteen minutes. Then we get back to the house and clean until we collapse.”
She wasn’t sure which of them retrieved their broom the fastest. Ron produced the old Quaffle from the broom shed and decided that a quick game of tossing it around would be ideal. The Quaffle had certainly seen better days. It was peeling. And the color was no longer a deep red, but a very dirty brown. Yet, it still served its purpose.
“We won’t fly too far from the house, goodness knows what would happen if we were seen.”
Ginny’s voice took on a comical note. “Listen to you mister steal-the-car-to-get-to-school. You’d think I was raised by Muggles!”
Ron’s ears turned slightly pink. “Sorry. Habit, I guess. Mum’s always on my arse about it.”
They soared above the garden and out toward the edge of the Weasley grounds. Just barely above the tree line they began to throw the Quaffle, zooming in and out of the highest branches. Ron, not needing to fear an audience, proved to be quite good competition.
Their game went on for several minutes and they paused, mid-air on their brooms, deeply out of breath. Ron laughed. “Gosh that did feel good, maybe we’ll have to play a real game once Harry gets here. We can get Fred and George to Apparate home for a bit.”
“I do miss Quidditch,” said Ginny. “The one drawback of summer.”
They headed back toward the house. Ron zooming in and out of figure eights while Ginny took her time. She let the wind whip her hair and watched the scenery beneath her…
“So when did you start playing Quidditch?” She was addressing Draco during another one of their secret chats.
“When I was about six,” he said. “Father bought me a PeeWee Lightening Flyer for my birthday. I practiced flying for several months and then he took me out to the Quidditch Pitch, back of the manor. I knew right away I wanted to be a Seeker.”
Ginny smiled brightly at him. She couldn’t help but feel slightly sorry for Draco, though. He was a brilliant Seeker, but somehow he still always fell short of the bar where Harry was concerned. He had yet to catch a Snitch against Gryffindor.
“My brothers would seldom let me play. I’d have to sneak into the broom shed and take turns on their brooms when they weren’t around. Obviously not the best way to practice, but I guess it proved to be enough to get me on the team.”
He returned her smile. “Oy! I’ve seen you play. I think you’re an excellent Chaser. I’d have never believed that you didn’t grow up practicing every day.”
“I thought I’d like being a Seeker, but after that fair bit of play during my fourth year when Umbridge banned everyone I decided Harry was better meant for the position.” She cringed. She hadn’t meant to mention his name. It was just that…well their conversation seemed so casual and she really hadn’t thought about how it might affect him.
Still, his reaction could’ve been worse. Draco scowled, “Of course. Saint Potter and his amazing Quidditch talents!”
“Draco, you know I didn’t mean it in that way. I was just referring to myself as not being cut out for Seeker.”
A few minutes passed with him holding her hand. He took his other hand and brushed his fingers softly through her hair. It looked as though all had been forgotten, until…
“Ginny?” He stopped. She looked at him questioningly.
“Yes?” she asked carefully.
“What…what made you so interested in him? I know at some point you fancied him. You know that…that valentine and all.”
He didn’t even want to say Harry’s name. Draco had hated Harry before, but knowing that Ginny used to have feelings for him made it all the worse. Never mind the fact that she hadn’t been in love with Harry. Feelings were feelings in Draco’s eyes and she knew that it bothered him immensely.
“I was young. Still a little girl, even. I don’t see why you’re questioning me about it, now.”
“But what was it? There had to be some reason.”
“Well…” she paused. She didn’t really remember why she’d thought Harry such a catch before. As she’d said, she was young. It wasn’t as though she saw herself spending the rest of her life with him. After all, she was barely a teenager at the time, if that. “I suppose it was, just knowing how amazing he was to the Wizarding World. He was my brother’s friend. My mum’s considered him part of the family from day one. It just seemed to fit. But you know I don’t have those feelings toward him now. He’s just a friend.”
“I know.” He shook his head too quickly to be completely convinced.
They were sitting under a tree near the edge of the forest. Everyone was at dinner. She knew they should return to the Great Hall, but she wanted to get a few things straight first.
Draco stood and brushed his robes off a bit. He stepped a few feet away and reached up into the tree, retrieving a small flower. He pulled her up to him and placed it gently behind her ear.
This was her chance. It was now or never and he was going to understand just how much he meant to her. Ginny jumped and threw her legs around Draco’s waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she planted her lips hard against his. This was no innocent kiss anymore. The shy girlishness was gone. She ran her fingers through the back of his hair and deepened the kiss beyond new heights. Draco stood stock still at first, but once Ginny’s urgency made contact with his brain everything in him returned her passion and embrace.
The kiss went on for what seemed like minutes. She released her legs from his waist and they fell to the soft, mossy ground below the tree. Draco’s warmth spread through Ginny’s body like molten fire. She could stay here forever.
He looked down into her face. She smiled at him. “You silly, silly boy. If you ever suggest such a thing about Harry and me again you will pay dearly. I’m all yours.”
Draco looked shocked. “Ginny, I never said--”
She interrupted him with her tone rising. “Draco Malfoy, you were subtly implying that you weren’t good enough for me and that I still fancied Harry. Whether saying the words or not, I know you too well by now. I won’t have you sulking away the rest of our lives by reminiscing about something that no longer exists. Whatever I have to do to show you that --”
Draco’s lips closed over Ginny’s, abruptly breaking off her last sentence. His love for her radiated through every limb in her body. She could make out his muffled apologies as his lips remained against her skin, trailing down her neck. She knew she’d made him understand and that somehow they were going to be all right…
The house appeared below and Ron was already on the lawn waiting for her. Ginny sighed. It would be five more weeks until they returned to school…before she returned to happiness.
She just had to see him.
The wing of the house where Lucius conducted his affairs ran parallel to Draco's. He crossed a long hall and looked down into the stone courtyard below the catwalk that connected the two. He saw his mother near the fountain, a large serpent with red ruby eyes spewing water into an enormous stone basin. She was addressing Blinka. Hoping to not be seen, he walked swiftly out of view and entered the corridor to his father’s row of rooms.
The library lay at the end of the hall. It was not unusual for Draco to be found in here. Learning the various dark arts spells to prepare for his future life was something he’d done since early childhood, yet he’d never used it for the purpose that had come to him moments before. He grasped the knob and quietly opened the door.
The room was dusty and quite chilly. It hadn’t been used since before his father was sent to Azkaban. A vast painting of Salazar Slytherin hung above the mantel, his gaze falling to the young man that had just entered the room. Draco found himself hoping that Slytherin couldn’t see his guilt. Giving a short nod to the portrait, he crossed over to the far wall that held the ladder, where he began to climb. Row after row of books passed him until he finally reached the top. This was the second floor of the library. Stepping off of the ladder he walked along each section. He knew them by heart.
“Ah,” he said aloud. “I knew you were in here.” He removed a tarnished silver plated book from the shelf and carefully turned each page to ensure that nothing would be disturbed. The parchment pages within held the handwriting most had never seen. Lord Voldemort had authored this text. Draco read each section of the book… “Occlumency, Legilimens, Advanced Apparition, Killing Curses…Dream Travel.”
He’d found it. Long before the Dark Lord had burned the serpent mark into his servants, he used dream travel to enter their dreams at night to communicate with them.
Draco sat down at a small desk he often used for studying when he was home. The potion was rather complex, but not impossible to create. He might need Blinka’s assistance in the matter. Opening a drawer, he removed a separate piece of parchment, ink and quill. He copied down every ingredient and instruction, reading over each line three times to make no mistakes. Pocketing the recipe, he placed the book back in its home and descended the ladder to the first floor of the library. He avoided Slytherin’s gaze as he left the room and once again entered the corridor back to the catwalk.
Peaking out into the courtyard below, he saw that it was now deserted. Draco decided to look this over somewhere out of the house. After retrieving his Nimbus 2001 from his room, he made his way to the foyer of the manor. His mother met him just as he was going out the front door.
“Draco darling, where are you off to?”
“Just going for a ride on my broom.” Draco tried very hard to be as casual as possible. “I need some fresh air. I can think above the trees.”
“Be careful not to venture too far from the manor. I don’t want you to be seen.” His mother had offered this same short lecture to him before every flight as long as he could remember.
“I’ll stay close. I haven’t been on my broom since the last Quidditch match. I need some practice.”
He closed the door behind him and stepped a few feet away from the entrance. Kicking off from the ground he soared into the air, the lawn of the manor becoming smaller by the second. Once he got as high as he dared go, he planed out and flew as fast as he could.
Why can’t I ever catch that snitch? It’s not as though I’m slow. That Potter! Draco cursed under his breath. He didn’t want to be plagued with thoughts of his nemesis right now. He let his mind wander. The air whipped through his hair and his mind was, once again, lost in a wave of past pleasure…
“What did you say?” Her red hair flew outward as she spun around to face him.
He repeated himself… “Come flying with me. No one will know and we can be completely alone.” He sounded so sure of himself. As if this was the idea of the century.
“What about Quidditch?” He knew she was afraid of losing her spot on the team should they be discovered.
“What about it, we won’t get caught. And I promise we don’t have to be gone long.” The idea of even a few moments alone with her made the risk worth it.
He watched her struggle with a decision. “Alright,” she said. A smile lit up her face. “I’ll run and get my broom and meet you near the forest, right behind Hagrid’s hut.”
Draco nodded and watched her jog off toward the castle doors.
Minutes passed and Ginny appeared at their meeting place, broom in hand. They examined the lawn and saw no one. Now was their chance.
The sky was miles long, an endless highway of tranquility. Draco had always sought solace here. It was the second place he felt completely comforted - the first being within Ginny’s arms.
They flew fast at first. Then, slowing their speed and beginning a descent, they released their hands from their brooms. Holding their arms wide, they watched the sinking sun on the horizon. It was calling them into its dying rays. If only they could go there.
Draco heard Ginny calling his name and he looked over to her. He’d never seen her smiling this much before. She was enjoying every minute of it. But the thought of having to return to the school caused that familiar ache in his chest. Draco wondered why it couldn’t always be like this. Silent thoughts plagued his mind as he realized how very much he cared about her.
Ginny blew him a kiss. He watched her red hair flowing behind her like silk, her legs clutching the broom as she leaned into the wind and flew past him, daring him to catch up to her. He raced in behind her and they exchanged places several times before finally flying parallel above the rapidly changing landscape.
Draco looked downward. He knew they’d gone far enough. Ginny took note of his expression and gave a reluctant nod. In unison they turned their brooms and headed toward the school. She flew up next to him and reached out her hand. He grasped it and held tight. He would never let her go…
Draco snapped out of his memory and began a descent. He touched down at the bottom of a grassy hillside, a few feet from a quiet brook. Taking the parchment from his pocket, he settled himself under some trees near the brook.
It was time to inspect this potion to see how difficult it would be to find the ingredients. It meant surviving the next five weeks if he did.
He began to read aloud:
“Powdered root of asphodel. Hum…isn’t that dangerous?” Draco read on. “Eye of rabbit, boomslang skin, dandelion stems, boemime nectar. Well, those should all be fairly easy to get. “Essence of barmillow?” Draco questioned that one. He had no idea what essence of barmillow was. He would have to talk to Blinka about that one and he silently hoped he could get it, whatever it was. His eyes wandered further down the list, each ingredient giving him a little more hope until…. His face dropped with disappointment, “I need an item of Ginny’s.”
The only thing he had of hers was her prefects’ badge. He knew she wouldn’t like it if anything became of the badge. He thought about this a moment before reaching a decision. He was desperate for something of hers – and likely they’d just give her a new one. Draco had no choice. He knew if he could make the dream travel successful, she would forgive him for using her badge.
He returned the parchment to the pocket of his robes and began to scavenger around the countryside for the start of his ingredients. It was going to take him most of the day to come up with everything on the list.
He didn’t have a moment to lose.
Ginny and Ron finished their lunch and sipped the last few dregs of their butterbeer. The easy part was over and it was time to conquer the house.
Ginny caught Ron glance at an old broom near the gate. She read his mind. “We could go for a ride.” Her smile was hopeful.
“We don’t have time. Besides, Mum and Dad told us to stay close. Can you imagine what she’d do to us if they came home and we were out flying?”
Ginny scowled. Sometimes Ron could be such a sissy. But she had to applaud her brother’s efforts as they were the only siblings left at home. With their father away Ron was the man of the house and doing well at it. This was why his next comment threw her for a loop.
“Alright…fifteen minutes. Then we get back to the house and clean until we collapse.”
She wasn’t sure which of them retrieved their broom the fastest. Ron produced the old Quaffle from the broom shed and decided that a quick game of tossing it around would be ideal. The Quaffle had certainly seen better days. It was peeling. And the color was no longer a deep red, but a very dirty brown. Yet, it still served its purpose.
“We won’t fly too far from the house, goodness knows what would happen if we were seen.”
Ginny’s voice took on a comical note. “Listen to you mister steal-the-car-to-get-to-school. You’d think I was raised by Muggles!”
Ron’s ears turned slightly pink. “Sorry. Habit, I guess. Mum’s always on my arse about it.”
They soared above the garden and out toward the edge of the Weasley grounds. Just barely above the tree line they began to throw the Quaffle, zooming in and out of the highest branches. Ron, not needing to fear an audience, proved to be quite good competition.
Their game went on for several minutes and they paused, mid-air on their brooms, deeply out of breath. Ron laughed. “Gosh that did feel good, maybe we’ll have to play a real game once Harry gets here. We can get Fred and George to Apparate home for a bit.”
“I do miss Quidditch,” said Ginny. “The one drawback of summer.”
They headed back toward the house. Ron zooming in and out of figure eights while Ginny took her time. She let the wind whip her hair and watched the scenery beneath her…
“So when did you start playing Quidditch?” She was addressing Draco during another one of their secret chats.
“When I was about six,” he said. “Father bought me a PeeWee Lightening Flyer for my birthday. I practiced flying for several months and then he took me out to the Quidditch Pitch, back of the manor. I knew right away I wanted to be a Seeker.”
Ginny smiled brightly at him. She couldn’t help but feel slightly sorry for Draco, though. He was a brilliant Seeker, but somehow he still always fell short of the bar where Harry was concerned. He had yet to catch a Snitch against Gryffindor.
“My brothers would seldom let me play. I’d have to sneak into the broom shed and take turns on their brooms when they weren’t around. Obviously not the best way to practice, but I guess it proved to be enough to get me on the team.”
He returned her smile. “Oy! I’ve seen you play. I think you’re an excellent Chaser. I’d have never believed that you didn’t grow up practicing every day.”
“I thought I’d like being a Seeker, but after that fair bit of play during my fourth year when Umbridge banned everyone I decided Harry was better meant for the position.” She cringed. She hadn’t meant to mention his name. It was just that…well their conversation seemed so casual and she really hadn’t thought about how it might affect him.
Still, his reaction could’ve been worse. Draco scowled, “Of course. Saint Potter and his amazing Quidditch talents!”
“Draco, you know I didn’t mean it in that way. I was just referring to myself as not being cut out for Seeker.”
A few minutes passed with him holding her hand. He took his other hand and brushed his fingers softly through her hair. It looked as though all had been forgotten, until…
“Ginny?” He stopped. She looked at him questioningly.
“Yes?” she asked carefully.
“What…what made you so interested in him? I know at some point you fancied him. You know that…that valentine and all.”
He didn’t even want to say Harry’s name. Draco had hated Harry before, but knowing that Ginny used to have feelings for him made it all the worse. Never mind the fact that she hadn’t been in love with Harry. Feelings were feelings in Draco’s eyes and she knew that it bothered him immensely.
“I was young. Still a little girl, even. I don’t see why you’re questioning me about it, now.”
“But what was it? There had to be some reason.”
“Well…” she paused. She didn’t really remember why she’d thought Harry such a catch before. As she’d said, she was young. It wasn’t as though she saw herself spending the rest of her life with him. After all, she was barely a teenager at the time, if that. “I suppose it was, just knowing how amazing he was to the Wizarding World. He was my brother’s friend. My mum’s considered him part of the family from day one. It just seemed to fit. But you know I don’t have those feelings toward him now. He’s just a friend.”
“I know.” He shook his head too quickly to be completely convinced.
They were sitting under a tree near the edge of the forest. Everyone was at dinner. She knew they should return to the Great Hall, but she wanted to get a few things straight first.
Draco stood and brushed his robes off a bit. He stepped a few feet away and reached up into the tree, retrieving a small flower. He pulled her up to him and placed it gently behind her ear.
This was her chance. It was now or never and he was going to understand just how much he meant to her. Ginny jumped and threw her legs around Draco’s waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she planted her lips hard against his. This was no innocent kiss anymore. The shy girlishness was gone. She ran her fingers through the back of his hair and deepened the kiss beyond new heights. Draco stood stock still at first, but once Ginny’s urgency made contact with his brain everything in him returned her passion and embrace.
The kiss went on for what seemed like minutes. She released her legs from his waist and they fell to the soft, mossy ground below the tree. Draco’s warmth spread through Ginny’s body like molten fire. She could stay here forever.
He looked down into her face. She smiled at him. “You silly, silly boy. If you ever suggest such a thing about Harry and me again you will pay dearly. I’m all yours.”
Draco looked shocked. “Ginny, I never said--”
She interrupted him with her tone rising. “Draco Malfoy, you were subtly implying that you weren’t good enough for me and that I still fancied Harry. Whether saying the words or not, I know you too well by now. I won’t have you sulking away the rest of our lives by reminiscing about something that no longer exists. Whatever I have to do to show you that --”
Draco’s lips closed over Ginny’s, abruptly breaking off her last sentence. His love for her radiated through every limb in her body. She could make out his muffled apologies as his lips remained against her skin, trailing down her neck. She knew she’d made him understand and that somehow they were going to be all right…
The house appeared below and Ron was already on the lawn waiting for her. Ginny sighed. It would be five more weeks until they returned to school…before she returned to happiness.
She just had to see him.
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