Chapter 18- The Results of Unfounded Accusations
It was only a matter of moments before Draco found himself on the ground, jaw aching and Sirius standing over him. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!” Sirius looked angrier than even James, who had seen the punch and was hurrying to get to the pair, had ever seen him. “She’s your bloody girlfriend; you should be the one defending her, not hurting her!”
Draco jumped to his feet, livid. “Since when is our relationship any of your business, blood traitor?! Last time I checked, you didn’t consort with Slytherins!”
“She’s my friend; that makes it my business, you Death Eater!”
Draco’s gray eyes flamed red, and he went for his wand, already bellowing curses that some aurors didn’t know.
“Expelliarmus!”
Draco’s wand flew out of his hand and out of sight; McGonagall, a newly hired professor at this point, pushed hers to his throat. “You are in very deep trouble, Mr. Cummings.”
“Professor, I-”
“No!” Professor McGonagall cut him with a jab of her wand. “I don’t care what you wanted to say; nothing gives you the right to curse another student!
“Black!” McGonagall turned her head in his direction but kept her wand at Draco’s throat. “In my office, now! Evans, you too.”
Lily, who had witnessed the whole thing and was looking nearly as angry as McGonagall, grabbed Sirius’s arm and pulled him out of the room.
“You, out!” McGonagall pulled her wand away from Draco’s neck and jabbed it toward the opposite door. “Just get out! Out!”
Sirius, Lily, and James- who had followed his best friend and his girlfriend out of the Great Hall- had been in McGonagall’s office only a few minutes when Ginny flew through the door, blonde curls stretched out behind her. When she caught sight of the Head Boy and Girl, she quickly schooled her expression, trying to restore her mask of ambivalence.
Sirius, who had sat up quickly when the door opened, just looked at her. After a moment of silence, he motioned to Lily and James. “Could you guys leave for a second?”
Lily glared. “No we can not-”
“We’ll be just outside.” James cut his girlfriend off and pulled her out of the room, already knowing he was going to be in the doghouse for this.
Ginny waited for the sound of the door closing before she moved toward Sirius. She was there in two steps, and he was out of his chair in less time, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her already shaking form into his.
They stood like that for a few minutes before Sirius noticed the moisture seeping through his shirt. “Hey, what’s the matter, Reb?”
“I just-” Ginny stopped, choking down the lump in her throat. “You have no idea what Erik’s capable of, and when I heard that he went off on you I thought… I thought…”
Sirius didn’t know this Erik Cummings very well, but he knew what it was like to grow up in an evil pureblood family, so he could kind of guess what could’ve happened. “Hey, I’m fine. See, no blood.”
The door opened behind them, and Ginny pulled back before McGonagall could enter the room; she offered her hand to Sirius. “Thank you.”
Sirius took her hand, looking inquiring. “For what?”
“Sticking up for me.”
Draco walked into the Slytherin common room 30 minutes later and found a mass of glossy black hair flying at him. Ginny stopped inches from his face and practically hissed, “We need to talk. Now.”
Really not feeling in the mood to handle an extremely emotional Ginny, Draco nevertheless followed her into the corridor and out onto the grounds. The moment they were in the open air, Ginny rounded on him.
“What do you think you were doing?! As if we weren’t treading a fine enough line already, you had to go and pull a stunt like that! What are we going to do if you get expelled, Draco? How are we ever going to get back to our own time if we get separated like that?!”
Draco looked angrier than she had ever seen him. “You know what, Ginny? I don’t need this from you right now! I lost my temper, okay? Get over it! It’s not like you never slip up, or do I need to remind you why you had to become a Slytherin in the first place?!”
“Well, honestly, Draco! What could he have said that was so bad that you had to start hurling curses at him that even some teachers don’t know?!”
“He called me a Death Eater, alright, Ginny?! A Death Eater!”
“And why does that upset you so much, Draco, hmm? Why?!”
“BECAUSE I’M NOT! I’m not, okay?!” Draco stopped, closing his eyes in an attempt to get a reign on himself. When they opened again, his usual rigid control was back in place. “I am so sick of constantly living with people who assume I’m evil because I’m a Malfoy. To tell you the truth, I was relieved when we ended up here, because people wouldn’t know who I was!” He gave a short, mirthless bark of a laugh. “I guess it doesn’t matter where I am… or who.”
The blood drained out of Ginny’s face and she started to speak, tentatively. “Draco, I-”
“Mr. Cummings.”
Draco and Ginny turned to find Professor McGonagall a few feet away, looking very grave. “You are to report to Professor Slughorn’s office immediately.”
Draco glanced at Ginny for just a moment before turning to walk back into the castle. “See you later… hopefully.”
It was only a matter of moments before Draco found himself on the ground, jaw aching and Sirius standing over him. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!” Sirius looked angrier than even James, who had seen the punch and was hurrying to get to the pair, had ever seen him. “She’s your bloody girlfriend; you should be the one defending her, not hurting her!”
Draco jumped to his feet, livid. “Since when is our relationship any of your business, blood traitor?! Last time I checked, you didn’t consort with Slytherins!”
“She’s my friend; that makes it my business, you Death Eater!”
Draco’s gray eyes flamed red, and he went for his wand, already bellowing curses that some aurors didn’t know.
“Expelliarmus!”
Draco’s wand flew out of his hand and out of sight; McGonagall, a newly hired professor at this point, pushed hers to his throat. “You are in very deep trouble, Mr. Cummings.”
“Professor, I-”
“No!” Professor McGonagall cut him with a jab of her wand. “I don’t care what you wanted to say; nothing gives you the right to curse another student!
“Black!” McGonagall turned her head in his direction but kept her wand at Draco’s throat. “In my office, now! Evans, you too.”
Lily, who had witnessed the whole thing and was looking nearly as angry as McGonagall, grabbed Sirius’s arm and pulled him out of the room.
“You, out!” McGonagall pulled her wand away from Draco’s neck and jabbed it toward the opposite door. “Just get out! Out!”
Sirius, Lily, and James- who had followed his best friend and his girlfriend out of the Great Hall- had been in McGonagall’s office only a few minutes when Ginny flew through the door, blonde curls stretched out behind her. When she caught sight of the Head Boy and Girl, she quickly schooled her expression, trying to restore her mask of ambivalence.
Sirius, who had sat up quickly when the door opened, just looked at her. After a moment of silence, he motioned to Lily and James. “Could you guys leave for a second?”
Lily glared. “No we can not-”
“We’ll be just outside.” James cut his girlfriend off and pulled her out of the room, already knowing he was going to be in the doghouse for this.
Ginny waited for the sound of the door closing before she moved toward Sirius. She was there in two steps, and he was out of his chair in less time, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her already shaking form into his.
They stood like that for a few minutes before Sirius noticed the moisture seeping through his shirt. “Hey, what’s the matter, Reb?”
“I just-” Ginny stopped, choking down the lump in her throat. “You have no idea what Erik’s capable of, and when I heard that he went off on you I thought… I thought…”
Sirius didn’t know this Erik Cummings very well, but he knew what it was like to grow up in an evil pureblood family, so he could kind of guess what could’ve happened. “Hey, I’m fine. See, no blood.”
The door opened behind them, and Ginny pulled back before McGonagall could enter the room; she offered her hand to Sirius. “Thank you.”
Sirius took her hand, looking inquiring. “For what?”
“Sticking up for me.”
Draco walked into the Slytherin common room 30 minutes later and found a mass of glossy black hair flying at him. Ginny stopped inches from his face and practically hissed, “We need to talk. Now.”
Really not feeling in the mood to handle an extremely emotional Ginny, Draco nevertheless followed her into the corridor and out onto the grounds. The moment they were in the open air, Ginny rounded on him.
“What do you think you were doing?! As if we weren’t treading a fine enough line already, you had to go and pull a stunt like that! What are we going to do if you get expelled, Draco? How are we ever going to get back to our own time if we get separated like that?!”
Draco looked angrier than she had ever seen him. “You know what, Ginny? I don’t need this from you right now! I lost my temper, okay? Get over it! It’s not like you never slip up, or do I need to remind you why you had to become a Slytherin in the first place?!”
“Well, honestly, Draco! What could he have said that was so bad that you had to start hurling curses at him that even some teachers don’t know?!”
“He called me a Death Eater, alright, Ginny?! A Death Eater!”
“And why does that upset you so much, Draco, hmm? Why?!”
“BECAUSE I’M NOT! I’m not, okay?!” Draco stopped, closing his eyes in an attempt to get a reign on himself. When they opened again, his usual rigid control was back in place. “I am so sick of constantly living with people who assume I’m evil because I’m a Malfoy. To tell you the truth, I was relieved when we ended up here, because people wouldn’t know who I was!” He gave a short, mirthless bark of a laugh. “I guess it doesn’t matter where I am… or who.”
The blood drained out of Ginny’s face and she started to speak, tentatively. “Draco, I-”
“Mr. Cummings.”
Draco and Ginny turned to find Professor McGonagall a few feet away, looking very grave. “You are to report to Professor Slughorn’s office immediately.”
Draco glanced at Ginny for just a moment before turning to walk back into the castle. “See you later… hopefully.”
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