Chapter 13- Plans
Ginny glided into the Great Hall the next morning, resplendent in a strapless, light green mini-dress. Her dark curls shimmered on her shoulders, and her sultry smile gleamed. Someone, Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that it was Sirius, catcalled from the Gryffindor table, and she threw a quick wink back over her shoulder.
Reaching the Slytherin table, Ginny sat down beside Draco, pretending as though nothing was wrong.
“Hi, Erik,” she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “Sleep okay?”
“What are you playing at, Ginny?”
“Playing, Erik? I don’t know what you mean.” Ginny’s green eyes widened, thick dark lashes making them seem seductive despite the innocent air.
Narcissa showed up just then, straightening her blouse, her hair mussed.
“What happened to you?”
Narcissa waved Ginny’s question away, taking a seat beside Bellatrix. “Oh, I just ran into Lucius in the hallway.”
A wicked smile lit Ginny’s face, while Draco looked torn between approval and slight repulsion. These were his parents, after all. Bellatrix had just opened her mouth to reply when Sirius showed up, seemingly quite reluctant to be seen on that side of the hall at all.
“Isendre.”
Ginny looked up, apparently disgusted by this blood traitor speaking to her. “What?”
“Our detentions are tonight, seven o’clock, in the Transfiguration classroom.”
“What de-” Ginny began, but stopped suddenly. She could’ve sworn Sirius had winked at her. “Seven o’clock then.”
Sirius nodded and turned on her heel, glad to be hurrying back to his table.
“What did you do to get detention with. . . him?” Bellatrix added disgusted emphasis to the last word.
Ginny put on the air of someone talking about something rather nasty they had stepped in. “Oh, I got into a little. . . disagreement with him last night, and the Mudblood Head Girl caught us. Since when does anyone but Slytherin prefects patrol the dungeons, anyway?”
Narcissa rolled her eyes. “Since Dumbledore thought we weren’t doing our job well enough.”
“Were you?”
“No.”
At seven o’clock exactly, Ginny walked into the brightly lit Transfiguration classroom to find Sirius waiting for her. The former watched silently as the latter locked the door and blacked the windows. He pointed to a chair in the middle of the room.
“Sit.”
Ginny sat. “What’s going on, Black?”
“I’m worried about you.”
Ginny waited for a moment, but he said nothing further. “Sooo. . . ?”
“So, let’s talk.”
Ginny relaxed. Talking, she could handle.
“Erik.”
Draco turned around to find both his mother and his aunt converging on him.
“Yes, ladies?”
“We’d like to speak with you. Have a seat.”
Draco sank compliantly into an armchair and the women sat on the sofa. He leaned forward expectantly.
“What can I do for you?”
Narcissa and Bellatrix glanced at each other, and the latter spoke.
“We want to talk about Isendre. She said you’d had a bad fight. First off, are you alright?”
Draco nodded, Slytherin-like amusement plain on his features. “Really, Bellatrix, it’s not a big deal.”
“I beg to differ,” his aunt said primly, fixing him with the same dark-eyed stare that had petrified him when he was a child. “She was exceedingly upset, and that’s the best I can say of it. If you ever want her to forgive you, you’ll need to do something extra special.”
Draco was dying to ask what it was, but he forced himself to remain a Slytherin. “And if I don’t want her to forgive me?”
“Oh, come on.” Narcissa rolled her eyes obviously. “Just look at her! What man wouldn’t want to be in her good graces?”
“Now, Christmas is coming up,” Bellatrix said, overriding whatever reply Draco might have had. “You should get her something very nice. What kinds of things does she like?”
Draco’s mind went to the tatty things the Weasleys had always had, imagining the things Ginny must have longed for. “She’s likes expensive things: gems, gold, pearls-”
Narcissa cut him off. “It has to be something extra special. What kinds of gems does she like?”
“Diamonds, I suppose.” Draco paused, Ginny’s eyes coming to mind. “Emeralds are her favorite, though.”
Bellatrix and Narcissa smiled at each other knowingly.
“Erik, how much expendable cash do you have?”
“Why, Mr. Cummings. This is quite a surprise. What can I do for you?”
Erik walked into the Headmaster’s office and plopped down, unbidden, on the sofa.
“Sir, I’d like to know what to do about money.”
“Money? What do you have need of?”
“Well, sir,” Draco shifted uncomfortably. “Christmas is coming up, and I-”
Dumbledore held up a hand. “Say no more. I suppose I can contact someone at Gringotts and have money withdrawn from the Malfoy account.”
“Can you do that? Won’t they be suspicious?”
“Oh, I think not. I do that for many of the students around this time of the year. How much will you be needing?”
Draco thought back on his earlier conversation with his aunt and mother. “A good amount, I’d say.”
“Alright then. I’ll probably have it at this time tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir.” Draco stood and headed for the door, but stopped at the head of the staircase. “Oh, and Ginny will probably need some as well. That could come from either the Weasley account or the Prewett account. Her mother was a Prewett.”
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise. Draco understood his unasked question.
“Pureblood knowledge.”
“Isendre!”
Ginny turned to see Sirius jogging up the deserted hallway toward her, eyes sharp for any onlookers.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to come spend Christmas with me.”
“I can’t.”
Sirius looked taken aback, and slightly disappointed. “Oh. . .okay then.”
“No! No, it’s not like that! It’s just that I already told Narcissa and Bellatrix I’d come stay with them.”
“Narcissa and Bellatrix Black?” Sirius looked stunned. “My extremely evil cousins? The queens of ‘get away from me you plebian scum’? That Narcissa and Bellatrix?”
Ginny had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at his mostly accurate descriptions. “Those would be the ones. They aren’t that bad once you get to know them. As long as they don’t know you’re a blood traitor, I mean.”
“Naturally. Are you going to get together with some other Slytherins for Christmas day?"
"I think we're spending the day with Lucius at Malfoy Manor. Rodolphus Lestrange will be there, and they've invited Erik."
Ginny glided into the Great Hall the next morning, resplendent in a strapless, light green mini-dress. Her dark curls shimmered on her shoulders, and her sultry smile gleamed. Someone, Ginny had a sneaking suspicion that it was Sirius, catcalled from the Gryffindor table, and she threw a quick wink back over her shoulder.
Reaching the Slytherin table, Ginny sat down beside Draco, pretending as though nothing was wrong.
“Hi, Erik,” she said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “Sleep okay?”
“What are you playing at, Ginny?”
“Playing, Erik? I don’t know what you mean.” Ginny’s green eyes widened, thick dark lashes making them seem seductive despite the innocent air.
Narcissa showed up just then, straightening her blouse, her hair mussed.
“What happened to you?”
Narcissa waved Ginny’s question away, taking a seat beside Bellatrix. “Oh, I just ran into Lucius in the hallway.”
A wicked smile lit Ginny’s face, while Draco looked torn between approval and slight repulsion. These were his parents, after all. Bellatrix had just opened her mouth to reply when Sirius showed up, seemingly quite reluctant to be seen on that side of the hall at all.
“Isendre.”
Ginny looked up, apparently disgusted by this blood traitor speaking to her. “What?”
“Our detentions are tonight, seven o’clock, in the Transfiguration classroom.”
“What de-” Ginny began, but stopped suddenly. She could’ve sworn Sirius had winked at her. “Seven o’clock then.”
Sirius nodded and turned on her heel, glad to be hurrying back to his table.
“What did you do to get detention with. . . him?” Bellatrix added disgusted emphasis to the last word.
Ginny put on the air of someone talking about something rather nasty they had stepped in. “Oh, I got into a little. . . disagreement with him last night, and the Mudblood Head Girl caught us. Since when does anyone but Slytherin prefects patrol the dungeons, anyway?”
Narcissa rolled her eyes. “Since Dumbledore thought we weren’t doing our job well enough.”
“Were you?”
“No.”
At seven o’clock exactly, Ginny walked into the brightly lit Transfiguration classroom to find Sirius waiting for her. The former watched silently as the latter locked the door and blacked the windows. He pointed to a chair in the middle of the room.
“Sit.”
Ginny sat. “What’s going on, Black?”
“I’m worried about you.”
Ginny waited for a moment, but he said nothing further. “Sooo. . . ?”
“So, let’s talk.”
Ginny relaxed. Talking, she could handle.
“Erik.”
Draco turned around to find both his mother and his aunt converging on him.
“Yes, ladies?”
“We’d like to speak with you. Have a seat.”
Draco sank compliantly into an armchair and the women sat on the sofa. He leaned forward expectantly.
“What can I do for you?”
Narcissa and Bellatrix glanced at each other, and the latter spoke.
“We want to talk about Isendre. She said you’d had a bad fight. First off, are you alright?”
Draco nodded, Slytherin-like amusement plain on his features. “Really, Bellatrix, it’s not a big deal.”
“I beg to differ,” his aunt said primly, fixing him with the same dark-eyed stare that had petrified him when he was a child. “She was exceedingly upset, and that’s the best I can say of it. If you ever want her to forgive you, you’ll need to do something extra special.”
Draco was dying to ask what it was, but he forced himself to remain a Slytherin. “And if I don’t want her to forgive me?”
“Oh, come on.” Narcissa rolled her eyes obviously. “Just look at her! What man wouldn’t want to be in her good graces?”
“Now, Christmas is coming up,” Bellatrix said, overriding whatever reply Draco might have had. “You should get her something very nice. What kinds of things does she like?”
Draco’s mind went to the tatty things the Weasleys had always had, imagining the things Ginny must have longed for. “She’s likes expensive things: gems, gold, pearls-”
Narcissa cut him off. “It has to be something extra special. What kinds of gems does she like?”
“Diamonds, I suppose.” Draco paused, Ginny’s eyes coming to mind. “Emeralds are her favorite, though.”
Bellatrix and Narcissa smiled at each other knowingly.
“Erik, how much expendable cash do you have?”
“Why, Mr. Cummings. This is quite a surprise. What can I do for you?”
Erik walked into the Headmaster’s office and plopped down, unbidden, on the sofa.
“Sir, I’d like to know what to do about money.”
“Money? What do you have need of?”
“Well, sir,” Draco shifted uncomfortably. “Christmas is coming up, and I-”
Dumbledore held up a hand. “Say no more. I suppose I can contact someone at Gringotts and have money withdrawn from the Malfoy account.”
“Can you do that? Won’t they be suspicious?”
“Oh, I think not. I do that for many of the students around this time of the year. How much will you be needing?”
Draco thought back on his earlier conversation with his aunt and mother. “A good amount, I’d say.”
“Alright then. I’ll probably have it at this time tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir.” Draco stood and headed for the door, but stopped at the head of the staircase. “Oh, and Ginny will probably need some as well. That could come from either the Weasley account or the Prewett account. Her mother was a Prewett.”
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise. Draco understood his unasked question.
“Pureblood knowledge.”
“Isendre!”
Ginny turned to see Sirius jogging up the deserted hallway toward her, eyes sharp for any onlookers.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to come spend Christmas with me.”
“I can’t.”
Sirius looked taken aback, and slightly disappointed. “Oh. . .okay then.”
“No! No, it’s not like that! It’s just that I already told Narcissa and Bellatrix I’d come stay with them.”
“Narcissa and Bellatrix Black?” Sirius looked stunned. “My extremely evil cousins? The queens of ‘get away from me you plebian scum’? That Narcissa and Bellatrix?”
Ginny had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at his mostly accurate descriptions. “Those would be the ones. They aren’t that bad once you get to know them. As long as they don’t know you’re a blood traitor, I mean.”
“Naturally. Are you going to get together with some other Slytherins for Christmas day?"
"I think we're spending the day with Lucius at Malfoy Manor. Rodolphus Lestrange will be there, and they've invited Erik."
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