Chapter 6: - Once Upon a Dream
Ginny climbed out of the shower and into a worn looking terrycloth robe. She was so tired her limbs ached. De-gnoming the garden, practice with the Quaffle and cleaning the house was more than they should’ve done in a day. Ron was right about cleaning until they collapsed. The thought of relaxing under the covers was highly appealing. But it felt good to be done. All they needed to do was maintain the neatness until their mum came home and they could enjoy the rest of the summer.
Ginny’s thoughts trailed off in her mind. How she could possibly enjoy the rest of the summer was beyond her. She tossed the towel from her shower along with her dusty robes into a heap on the floor.
She pulled on some drawstring pajama bottoms and a white tank top. How nice it felt to be in the soft, clean clothes. Sitting down at her vanity, she grabbed a comb and began to run it through the strands of her damp hair. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel his touch through her hair. She sighed, realizing that she just needed some sleep.
Setting her comb down, she crossed the room and slid under the covers. Ginny wasn’t sure, but it felt as though she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
She was floating, then spinning, then floating again. It felt as though she was flying along on her broom and then thrust into the Floo Network and then back onto her broom again. This had to be the strangest dream she’d ever been in. Suddenly everything began to slow down and she was standing face to face with Draco.
She smiled. He smiled back and picked her up in one full sweep. She swore she could feel the touch of his skin as though it was real, yet Ginny was full of apprehension. Something was different about all of this.
“Have you missed me?” His eyes softened. “I needed to see you.”
Ginny gave him a doubtful look. She had no idea what he was talking about.
He’d obviously gauged her expression for he began to explain. “This isn’t a normal dream, Ginny. I’m really here."
She raised an eyebrow and shook her head slightly. Draco smiled again and continued. “When I was growing up I stumbled onto this book in my father’s library; it had a piece of parchment in it that taught you how to perform something called ‘dream travel.’ By using something that belongs to the other person, you can mix up a potion to drink prior to falling asleep. Once you enter into a deep sleep, you can visit that person. Only in your dreams, mind you - we both have to be asleep.” He set her down level with the ground again, still grinning from ear to ear. “Nice pajamas.”
Ginny blushed. She was thoroughly confused. Should she take him seriously or cast this one off as a figment of her imagination? How could it be real?
“Draco…okay - I’m just a little uncertain about all of this. How is this any different from a normal dream?
He looked slightly impatient. “Because, this time I’m really here. I drank the potion, fell asleep and once I entered into my dream I’ve been waiting for you to enter yours. But instead of your imagination taking over I’ve been able to interrupt those thoughts.” He paused. “And um…I hate to tell you this, but I had to use your badge. It’s er…well it’s a little bit more damaged than you remember it.”
“More damaged than I remember it?” Ginny’s voice rose. “I don’t remember it damaged at all!”
“I know, I’m sorry. But I absolutely had to have something of yours and that was the only thing I could use. You’ll forgive me, won’t you? Ginny, I just had to talk to you and using my owl wasn’t an option. In the beginning I wanted to see you so badly, but now I have a problem and I need your help. I just…well, I honestly don’t know what to do.”
His voice had taken on a worried tone. For some reason Ginny had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Why did she suddenly feel as though their relationship was going to become more difficult?
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“What is it? What’s happened?” Ginny’s voice was urgent. Draco didn’t know where to begin.
“I overheard my mother talking to my aunt…Aunt Bellatrix. She was also with another man that I don’t know. Someone called Peter. The Dark Lord is moving forward with a plan to dismantle the Dementors of Azkaban. He’s having Peter set up a Portkey to help my father and the other Death Eaters escape. Let me finish.” Ginny had begun to interrupt with an evident look of protest. “Peter is going to keep them well hidden from the Order, but Bellatrix has given her word that I will step up and lead the other Slytherins…lead them to go after members of the Order at the end of the school term.”
Ginny’s face was devoid of all color. She looked as miserable as he felt. Moments passed before she spoke. “What are you planning to do?”
This wasn’t exactly what he’d been hoping for. He needed a solution, not a question.
“I don’t know. I was hoping you’d have some idea. I heard her just a few hours before I drank the potion so I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to think it over.”
Ginny sighed. Her voice was desperate. “Just tell her you won’t. That your priorities in life have changed. That you don’t want to kill people for that cause anymore!”
“Ginny, I can’t do that.” He didn’t mean to sound irritated, but he was at his wits end. “My father will be in hiding, it will be up to me to help destroy members of the Order so that he can come home. How do I just tell my family I suddenly can’t help my own flesh and blood because I’ve fallen for someone that they consider to be a disgrace to the wizarding world?” Draco bit his lip. He wished he hadn’t said that aloud. “Ginny, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just telling you exactly how it’s going to look to them.”
But Ginny’s face was twisted into a concerned frown, as thought she hadn’t even heard what he’d just said. The next words out of her mouth gave him reason to think not.
“How do you know about the Order?”
Draco blinked. Was she serious?
“I’ve known about the Order all my life. Father assumed when the Dark Lord returned and failed to kill Potter that he would run back to school and tell Dumbledore. He knew that once Dumbledore was aware of it all, the Order would be reformed. Ginny, it’s no secret, really. Everyone knows they’re out fighting against us…er the Death Eaters.”
It was hard for him to put himself in a neutral stance. He didn’t believe in the things that she believed in. He wasn’t about to open his arms to Muggles and Mudbloods. But he wanted this responsibility of his to just go away so that he could be alone in the world with just her….to a place where they could be unbothered by all of them.
Ginny spoke next. “All right. Let’s just get it out on the table. We know that your father will be escaping soon, along with the other Death Eaters. The Order will be trying to hunt them down. In the meantime you’re supposed to be planning some course of action with the other Slytherins during the school year so that you can go after people like my parents and kill them, destroying as many as possible so that your father can come home and continue on with whatever plan Voldemort has next.”
She’d summed it up pretty well. So well, in fact, that the nauseating feeling he’d had earlier at overhearing his aunt’s conversation crept upon him once more. He suddenly had an overwhelming desire to hold her. Acting on his thoughts, he pulled her into his chest and she held him tightly in return. He wished he had an answer, however now he was regretting having told her. Draco wanted that happiness to radiate from her once more so that he could overlook the situation they were in.
Ginny pulled away and looked into his eyes. A single tear streaked down her left cheek. He gently brushed it away with his thumb, fighting back his own stray tear.
“We’re going to be okay,” he said with confidence. “Just give me some time.”
Ginny nodded. She seemed to be mustering up the courage he knew her to have. “Can I see you again tomorrow night? We need time to think.”
Draco smiled serenely. “Of course. Same time, same place. I have enough of the potion for one more use, but I’m afraid to use your badge again, there might not be anything left after another trip into the cauldron.”
Ginny twisted her face up in thought for a second and then brightened. “Here you go.” She handed him several hairs from her head. “Use these. Hopefully you’ll have them when you wake up.” He took the hair.
Ginny continued… “Can I have some of yours?”
Draco looked at her rather concernedly.
“As much as I want to believe that this conversation is real I need to be sure. If I wake up with your hair in my hand there will be no doubts.”
He understood now. Pulling a rather large amount of hair from his own head he handed it to Ginny. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow, eh?” He laughed as lightly as he could, still disappointed in himself for ruining such a wonderful opportunity with her. He hoped that things would be normal between them once more.
She must have sensed his need for comfort for she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly. She stared into his eyes one last time. “We both knew that this was going to happen at some point. Hearing it just brings it to the surface and gives us a chance to face it. It’s here and it’s not going to go away. I’m with you, regardless of what happens. And if you even try and ditch me, I’ll put another bat bogey hex on you like I did in Umbridge’s office two years ago.”
Draco shuddered at the thought and lifted her up again. What a fiery, brave little witch he had. How could he possibly worry so much, knowing the feelings she had for him? He tilted his head forward so that their foreheads touched and he looked into her soft amber eyes. It was time to go. He’d see her again tomorrow.
Draco woke many hours later as the soft daybreak worked its way through the windows in his room. Once he came to his senses he held up a fist…one that held several strands of red hair. The nighttime adventure started to come back to him and he recollected his thoughts. Seeing Ginny had made all the difference in the world, but his heart still ached for what the future held. He didn’t feel as though he could face his mother.
He climbed out of bed. A dizziness hit him as soon as his feet touched the carpet from what he assumed was the aftermath of the potion. He laid Ginny’s hair in a drawer of the bedside table. It was time to start another day.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Ginny slowly pulled the pillow off the top of her head. The morning sun smiled in at her as she worked to adjust her eyes to its light. She raised her left hand, noticing a small chunk of blond hair within her grasp, and smiled. A few strands would’ve done just fine, Ginny thought to herself.
Climbing out of bed she sat back down at her vanity much as she’d done the night before and slid open a small drawer. Placing the hair next to his badge she took a moment to remember the events that unfolded hours earlier. Ginny was worried. Not for herself, but for Draco. For the first time she was afraid for him. If he continued on this path he would be expected to torture or kill the people she loved. Yet if he chose to defy his destiny he would be punished, or perhaps…much, much worse. Everything certainly looked bleak.
Ginny climbed out of the shower and into a worn looking terrycloth robe. She was so tired her limbs ached. De-gnoming the garden, practice with the Quaffle and cleaning the house was more than they should’ve done in a day. Ron was right about cleaning until they collapsed. The thought of relaxing under the covers was highly appealing. But it felt good to be done. All they needed to do was maintain the neatness until their mum came home and they could enjoy the rest of the summer.
Ginny’s thoughts trailed off in her mind. How she could possibly enjoy the rest of the summer was beyond her. She tossed the towel from her shower along with her dusty robes into a heap on the floor.
She pulled on some drawstring pajama bottoms and a white tank top. How nice it felt to be in the soft, clean clothes. Sitting down at her vanity, she grabbed a comb and began to run it through the strands of her damp hair. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel his touch through her hair. She sighed, realizing that she just needed some sleep.
Setting her comb down, she crossed the room and slid under the covers. Ginny wasn’t sure, but it felt as though she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
She was floating, then spinning, then floating again. It felt as though she was flying along on her broom and then thrust into the Floo Network and then back onto her broom again. This had to be the strangest dream she’d ever been in. Suddenly everything began to slow down and she was standing face to face with Draco.
She smiled. He smiled back and picked her up in one full sweep. She swore she could feel the touch of his skin as though it was real, yet Ginny was full of apprehension. Something was different about all of this.
“Have you missed me?” His eyes softened. “I needed to see you.”
Ginny gave him a doubtful look. She had no idea what he was talking about.
He’d obviously gauged her expression for he began to explain. “This isn’t a normal dream, Ginny. I’m really here."
She raised an eyebrow and shook her head slightly. Draco smiled again and continued. “When I was growing up I stumbled onto this book in my father’s library; it had a piece of parchment in it that taught you how to perform something called ‘dream travel.’ By using something that belongs to the other person, you can mix up a potion to drink prior to falling asleep. Once you enter into a deep sleep, you can visit that person. Only in your dreams, mind you - we both have to be asleep.” He set her down level with the ground again, still grinning from ear to ear. “Nice pajamas.”
Ginny blushed. She was thoroughly confused. Should she take him seriously or cast this one off as a figment of her imagination? How could it be real?
“Draco…okay - I’m just a little uncertain about all of this. How is this any different from a normal dream?
He looked slightly impatient. “Because, this time I’m really here. I drank the potion, fell asleep and once I entered into my dream I’ve been waiting for you to enter yours. But instead of your imagination taking over I’ve been able to interrupt those thoughts.” He paused. “And um…I hate to tell you this, but I had to use your badge. It’s er…well it’s a little bit more damaged than you remember it.”
“More damaged than I remember it?” Ginny’s voice rose. “I don’t remember it damaged at all!”
“I know, I’m sorry. But I absolutely had to have something of yours and that was the only thing I could use. You’ll forgive me, won’t you? Ginny, I just had to talk to you and using my owl wasn’t an option. In the beginning I wanted to see you so badly, but now I have a problem and I need your help. I just…well, I honestly don’t know what to do.”
His voice had taken on a worried tone. For some reason Ginny had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Why did she suddenly feel as though their relationship was going to become more difficult?
“What is it? What’s happened?” Ginny’s voice was urgent. Draco didn’t know where to begin.
“I overheard my mother talking to my aunt…Aunt Bellatrix. She was also with another man that I don’t know. Someone called Peter. The Dark Lord is moving forward with a plan to dismantle the Dementors of Azkaban. He’s having Peter set up a Portkey to help my father and the other Death Eaters escape. Let me finish.” Ginny had begun to interrupt with an evident look of protest. “Peter is going to keep them well hidden from the Order, but Bellatrix has given her word that I will step up and lead the other Slytherins…lead them to go after members of the Order at the end of the school term.”
Ginny’s face was devoid of all color. She looked as miserable as he felt. Moments passed before she spoke. “What are you planning to do?”
This wasn’t exactly what he’d been hoping for. He needed a solution, not a question.
“I don’t know. I was hoping you’d have some idea. I heard her just a few hours before I drank the potion so I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to think it over.”
Ginny sighed. Her voice was desperate. “Just tell her you won’t. That your priorities in life have changed. That you don’t want to kill people for that cause anymore!”
“Ginny, I can’t do that.” He didn’t mean to sound irritated, but he was at his wits end. “My father will be in hiding, it will be up to me to help destroy members of the Order so that he can come home. How do I just tell my family I suddenly can’t help my own flesh and blood because I’ve fallen for someone that they consider to be a disgrace to the wizarding world?” Draco bit his lip. He wished he hadn’t said that aloud. “Ginny, you know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just telling you exactly how it’s going to look to them.”
But Ginny’s face was twisted into a concerned frown, as thought she hadn’t even heard what he’d just said. The next words out of her mouth gave him reason to think not.
“How do you know about the Order?”
Draco blinked. Was she serious?
“I’ve known about the Order all my life. Father assumed when the Dark Lord returned and failed to kill Potter that he would run back to school and tell Dumbledore. He knew that once Dumbledore was aware of it all, the Order would be reformed. Ginny, it’s no secret, really. Everyone knows they’re out fighting against us…er the Death Eaters.”
It was hard for him to put himself in a neutral stance. He didn’t believe in the things that she believed in. He wasn’t about to open his arms to Muggles and Mudbloods. But he wanted this responsibility of his to just go away so that he could be alone in the world with just her….to a place where they could be unbothered by all of them.
Ginny spoke next. “All right. Let’s just get it out on the table. We know that your father will be escaping soon, along with the other Death Eaters. The Order will be trying to hunt them down. In the meantime you’re supposed to be planning some course of action with the other Slytherins during the school year so that you can go after people like my parents and kill them, destroying as many as possible so that your father can come home and continue on with whatever plan Voldemort has next.”
She’d summed it up pretty well. So well, in fact, that the nauseating feeling he’d had earlier at overhearing his aunt’s conversation crept upon him once more. He suddenly had an overwhelming desire to hold her. Acting on his thoughts, he pulled her into his chest and she held him tightly in return. He wished he had an answer, however now he was regretting having told her. Draco wanted that happiness to radiate from her once more so that he could overlook the situation they were in.
Ginny pulled away and looked into his eyes. A single tear streaked down her left cheek. He gently brushed it away with his thumb, fighting back his own stray tear.
“We’re going to be okay,” he said with confidence. “Just give me some time.”
Ginny nodded. She seemed to be mustering up the courage he knew her to have. “Can I see you again tomorrow night? We need time to think.”
Draco smiled serenely. “Of course. Same time, same place. I have enough of the potion for one more use, but I’m afraid to use your badge again, there might not be anything left after another trip into the cauldron.”
Ginny twisted her face up in thought for a second and then brightened. “Here you go.” She handed him several hairs from her head. “Use these. Hopefully you’ll have them when you wake up.” He took the hair.
Ginny continued… “Can I have some of yours?”
Draco looked at her rather concernedly.
“As much as I want to believe that this conversation is real I need to be sure. If I wake up with your hair in my hand there will be no doubts.”
He understood now. Pulling a rather large amount of hair from his own head he handed it to Ginny. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow, eh?” He laughed as lightly as he could, still disappointed in himself for ruining such a wonderful opportunity with her. He hoped that things would be normal between them once more.
She must have sensed his need for comfort for she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly. She stared into his eyes one last time. “We both knew that this was going to happen at some point. Hearing it just brings it to the surface and gives us a chance to face it. It’s here and it’s not going to go away. I’m with you, regardless of what happens. And if you even try and ditch me, I’ll put another bat bogey hex on you like I did in Umbridge’s office two years ago.”
Draco shuddered at the thought and lifted her up again. What a fiery, brave little witch he had. How could he possibly worry so much, knowing the feelings she had for him? He tilted his head forward so that their foreheads touched and he looked into her soft amber eyes. It was time to go. He’d see her again tomorrow.
Draco woke many hours later as the soft daybreak worked its way through the windows in his room. Once he came to his senses he held up a fist…one that held several strands of red hair. The nighttime adventure started to come back to him and he recollected his thoughts. Seeing Ginny had made all the difference in the world, but his heart still ached for what the future held. He didn’t feel as though he could face his mother.
He climbed out of bed. A dizziness hit him as soon as his feet touched the carpet from what he assumed was the aftermath of the potion. He laid Ginny’s hair in a drawer of the bedside table. It was time to start another day.
Ginny slowly pulled the pillow off the top of her head. The morning sun smiled in at her as she worked to adjust her eyes to its light. She raised her left hand, noticing a small chunk of blond hair within her grasp, and smiled. A few strands would’ve done just fine, Ginny thought to herself.
Climbing out of bed she sat back down at her vanity much as she’d done the night before and slid open a small drawer. Placing the hair next to his badge she took a moment to remember the events that unfolded hours earlier. Ginny was worried. Not for herself, but for Draco. For the first time she was afraid for him. If he continued on this path he would be expected to torture or kill the people she loved. Yet if he chose to defy his destiny he would be punished, or perhaps…much, much worse. Everything certainly looked bleak.
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