Chapter Five- The Eye of the Storm
“Hermione, I think something’s wrong with Ginny.”
The bushy-haired brunette looked up from her book with a sigh. “Why this time, Ron?”
“Last night she wouldn’t pay any attention to me.”
Hermione snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘smart girl,’ but Ron appeared not to hear.
“I got her to look at me once, but she just drifted off again a second later. She acted like she’d been snogging someone.”
Hermione rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh that even Ron couldn’t ignore. “Honestly, Ron, the last time you thought that she’d been in the dungeons getting Potions notes. Need I remind you that she’s 16 now? She’s hardly a child anymore, so even if she had been snogging someone, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”
Harry, who’d been listening in from across the table, shook his head. “Naw, Ron’s right, Hermione- Ginny was acting really weird last night. She’s not here right now, either, and have you ever known Ginny to miss breakfast? Maybe you should talk to her.”
Ron nodded furiously. “Yeah, a girl to girl type thing.”
Hermione looked between the two boys with raised eyebrows. When they just kept watching her, she groaned and got up. “Oh, alright, but I don’t see what good it’ll do. Ron, stop nodding like that, you look like a bobble-head.”
Ginny sat sprawled in the arm chair in a daze, peering into the flames with no apparent concern for the pajamas she still wore. ‘I can’t believe I kissed him,’ she thought confusedly. ‘No wait, he kissed me! But then again, I kissed him right back. Why did I tell him I’d help him plan that stupid dance? God, I’m an idiot!’
A person plopped down in the nearest arm chair and Ginny started, whipping around to see who it was. Hermione sat there, watching the flames.
“I’m supposed to ask you why you were so out of it last night. Ron and Harry think you looked like you’d been snogging somebody.”
Ginny looked quickly away from her friend, a pink glow rushing to her cheeks. When she didn’t reply, Hermione leaned forward to see her face.
“Ginny? You weren’t snogging someone, were you?” When she still didn’t answer, Hermione sat back with a grin. “You were. Who was it? Do I know him? Is he cute?”
“You know him,” the red head said slowly, wondering how she was ever going to get out of this one. “He’s very good looking, but cute doesn’t really describe him.”
Hermione’s smile widened. “What house is he in? I’m betting. . .Ravenclaw?”
Ginny shook her head and spoke with obvious reluctance. “Let’s just say that. . .his Quidditch colors are green and white.”
Hermione’s smile faded abruptly. “You mean he’s a Slytherin?” At Ginny’s nod, Hermione’s jaw dropped. “Oh, Ginny, that’s not good at all. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me it’s Draco Malfoy, who has suddenly fallen madly in love with you!”
The other girl remained silent.
Hermione looked stunned. “Ginny, you can’t actually mean it’s Malfoy! Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? He’s a Slytherin, for Merlin’s sake! His father’s a Death Eater!”
“Do you think I don’t know that, Hermione?” Ginny snapped. “Do you think I don’t realize how bad this is? I didn’t mean for it to happen, okay? Get off it!”
Hermione sighed, and she softened. “I know, Gin. I’m sorry I went off on you like that. I’ve got to go back to breakfast, though; Ron and Harry will be frantic.”
Ginny’s eyes widened, her face becoming a mask of panic. “You’re not going to tell them, are you? Hermione, they’d kill me! They’d freak!”
“Relax, it’ll be our little secret.”
Ron and Harry both looked up expectantly as Hermione sat back down, picked up her book, and began to eat. After exchanging a look with Ron, Harry spoke.
“Did you find her?”
Hermione nodded.
“Did she tell you what she’d been doing?”
Hermione nodded again.
“Was she snogging someone?”
Hermione shrugged.
“Are you going to tell us who?”
Hermione shook her head.
“Why not?” This time it was Ron who spoke, a bewildered
look on his face.
Hermione looked up from her book. “I told her I wouldn’t, okay? Drop it.”
Draco Malfoy watched from his place at the Slytherin table as Hermione Granger came back into the Great Hall, a satisfied smile on her face. “Damn it,” he growled, throwing down his napkin and rising from the table. “She told.”
Draco stormed from the hall, feeling none to happy with a certain red-head.
Finally unable to ignore the growling coming from her stomach, Ginny had gotten up and dressed. She was heading toward the portrait hole when fire erupted in the fireplace and filled the room with green light. Draco Malfoy was stalking out of the flue, covered in ash and looking fit to kill.
Ginny was stunned. “How’d you do that?”
Draco held out a handful of green powder to her. “I’ve got connections at the floo office. Let’s go.”
The next thing she knew, Ginny was falling out of the fireplace in a room she’d never been in before. The floor was a soft white carpet, thick enough that she couldn’t feel the stone beneath it. On each wall was one of the four symbols of Hogwarts, with the coordinating house colors surrounding it. A magnificent four poster was positioned in one corner of the room, green and silver hangings glinting at her mockingly.
Situated in one wall was a closed door, presumably leading to a bathroom of some kind. A majestic arch took up most of the other wall, leading to the common room type place where Draco and Ginny were standing. A giant fire burned in that room, taller by far than either of them. A magnificent silver serpent glinted above the fireplace, emitting hissing noises right along with the fire. This was where the Head Boy stayed.
“What did you think you were doing?” Ginny jumped as Draco’s livid voice broke into her musings. “Do you have to tell the entire school EVERYTHING? Are you completely incapable of keeping things to yourself? You obviously didn’t stop to think about what would happen to us both if the wrong people found out!”
Ginny jerked away from Draco as if burned. “How was I supposed to know it would upset you so much? I told one stinking person, I fail to see how that will end the world!”
Draco paced the room, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Honestly, Weaselette, I know you aren’t stupid! Do you even realize what you could’ve done? Do you have any idea?”
Ginny’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Let’s get one thing straight here, Malfoy- I don’t have to answer to you for anything I do. This conversation is over.” She stalked back to the fireplace, grabbing a fistful of green powder from a jar on the way. “And don’t you ever yell at me again; I don’t deserve that.”
Ginny threw the powder into the fire, yelled her destination, and watched with relief as the Head Boy’s quarters- and Draco Malfoy- spun out of sight. She was so upset that, when her feet finally hit the ashes of the Gryffindor fireplace, she felt her knees buckle. Her upper body lurched out of the fireplace, and Ginny Weasley fell into a deep blackness.
‘Way to go, idiot! How are you going to explain that one to Pansy?’ Running a hand through his hair, Draco turned from the fire Ginny had disappeared into. After a moment, the flickering shadows from the flames descended and engulfed him in a wreath of darkness.
“Hermione, I think something’s wrong with Ginny.”
The bushy-haired brunette looked up from her book with a sigh. “Why this time, Ron?”
“Last night she wouldn’t pay any attention to me.”
Hermione snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘smart girl,’ but Ron appeared not to hear.
“I got her to look at me once, but she just drifted off again a second later. She acted like she’d been snogging someone.”
Hermione rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh that even Ron couldn’t ignore. “Honestly, Ron, the last time you thought that she’d been in the dungeons getting Potions notes. Need I remind you that she’s 16 now? She’s hardly a child anymore, so even if she had been snogging someone, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”
Harry, who’d been listening in from across the table, shook his head. “Naw, Ron’s right, Hermione- Ginny was acting really weird last night. She’s not here right now, either, and have you ever known Ginny to miss breakfast? Maybe you should talk to her.”
Ron nodded furiously. “Yeah, a girl to girl type thing.”
Hermione looked between the two boys with raised eyebrows. When they just kept watching her, she groaned and got up. “Oh, alright, but I don’t see what good it’ll do. Ron, stop nodding like that, you look like a bobble-head.”
Ginny sat sprawled in the arm chair in a daze, peering into the flames with no apparent concern for the pajamas she still wore. ‘I can’t believe I kissed him,’ she thought confusedly. ‘No wait, he kissed me! But then again, I kissed him right back. Why did I tell him I’d help him plan that stupid dance? God, I’m an idiot!’
A person plopped down in the nearest arm chair and Ginny started, whipping around to see who it was. Hermione sat there, watching the flames.
“I’m supposed to ask you why you were so out of it last night. Ron and Harry think you looked like you’d been snogging somebody.”
Ginny looked quickly away from her friend, a pink glow rushing to her cheeks. When she didn’t reply, Hermione leaned forward to see her face.
“Ginny? You weren’t snogging someone, were you?” When she still didn’t answer, Hermione sat back with a grin. “You were. Who was it? Do I know him? Is he cute?”
“You know him,” the red head said slowly, wondering how she was ever going to get out of this one. “He’s very good looking, but cute doesn’t really describe him.”
Hermione’s smile widened. “What house is he in? I’m betting. . .Ravenclaw?”
Ginny shook her head and spoke with obvious reluctance. “Let’s just say that. . .his Quidditch colors are green and white.”
Hermione’s smile faded abruptly. “You mean he’s a Slytherin?” At Ginny’s nod, Hermione’s jaw dropped. “Oh, Ginny, that’s not good at all. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me it’s Draco Malfoy, who has suddenly fallen madly in love with you!”
The other girl remained silent.
Hermione looked stunned. “Ginny, you can’t actually mean it’s Malfoy! Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? He’s a Slytherin, for Merlin’s sake! His father’s a Death Eater!”
“Do you think I don’t know that, Hermione?” Ginny snapped. “Do you think I don’t realize how bad this is? I didn’t mean for it to happen, okay? Get off it!”
Hermione sighed, and she softened. “I know, Gin. I’m sorry I went off on you like that. I’ve got to go back to breakfast, though; Ron and Harry will be frantic.”
Ginny’s eyes widened, her face becoming a mask of panic. “You’re not going to tell them, are you? Hermione, they’d kill me! They’d freak!”
“Relax, it’ll be our little secret.”
Ron and Harry both looked up expectantly as Hermione sat back down, picked up her book, and began to eat. After exchanging a look with Ron, Harry spoke.
“Did you find her?”
Hermione nodded.
“Did she tell you what she’d been doing?”
Hermione nodded again.
“Was she snogging someone?”
Hermione shrugged.
“Are you going to tell us who?”
Hermione shook her head.
“Why not?” This time it was Ron who spoke, a bewildered
look on his face.
Hermione looked up from her book. “I told her I wouldn’t, okay? Drop it.”
Draco Malfoy watched from his place at the Slytherin table as Hermione Granger came back into the Great Hall, a satisfied smile on her face. “Damn it,” he growled, throwing down his napkin and rising from the table. “She told.”
Draco stormed from the hall, feeling none to happy with a certain red-head.
Finally unable to ignore the growling coming from her stomach, Ginny had gotten up and dressed. She was heading toward the portrait hole when fire erupted in the fireplace and filled the room with green light. Draco Malfoy was stalking out of the flue, covered in ash and looking fit to kill.
Ginny was stunned. “How’d you do that?”
Draco held out a handful of green powder to her. “I’ve got connections at the floo office. Let’s go.”
The next thing she knew, Ginny was falling out of the fireplace in a room she’d never been in before. The floor was a soft white carpet, thick enough that she couldn’t feel the stone beneath it. On each wall was one of the four symbols of Hogwarts, with the coordinating house colors surrounding it. A magnificent four poster was positioned in one corner of the room, green and silver hangings glinting at her mockingly.
Situated in one wall was a closed door, presumably leading to a bathroom of some kind. A majestic arch took up most of the other wall, leading to the common room type place where Draco and Ginny were standing. A giant fire burned in that room, taller by far than either of them. A magnificent silver serpent glinted above the fireplace, emitting hissing noises right along with the fire. This was where the Head Boy stayed.
“What did you think you were doing?” Ginny jumped as Draco’s livid voice broke into her musings. “Do you have to tell the entire school EVERYTHING? Are you completely incapable of keeping things to yourself? You obviously didn’t stop to think about what would happen to us both if the wrong people found out!”
Ginny jerked away from Draco as if burned. “How was I supposed to know it would upset you so much? I told one stinking person, I fail to see how that will end the world!”
Draco paced the room, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Honestly, Weaselette, I know you aren’t stupid! Do you even realize what you could’ve done? Do you have any idea?”
Ginny’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Let’s get one thing straight here, Malfoy- I don’t have to answer to you for anything I do. This conversation is over.” She stalked back to the fireplace, grabbing a fistful of green powder from a jar on the way. “And don’t you ever yell at me again; I don’t deserve that.”
Ginny threw the powder into the fire, yelled her destination, and watched with relief as the Head Boy’s quarters- and Draco Malfoy- spun out of sight. She was so upset that, when her feet finally hit the ashes of the Gryffindor fireplace, she felt her knees buckle. Her upper body lurched out of the fireplace, and Ginny Weasley fell into a deep blackness.
‘Way to go, idiot! How are you going to explain that one to Pansy?’ Running a hand through his hair, Draco turned from the fire Ginny had disappeared into. After a moment, the flickering shadows from the flames descended and engulfed him in a wreath of darkness.
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