“Do I have to do this?” Jane asked for the 100th time. Ginny and Marie both rolled their eyes at each other over their table in the Great Hall.
“Look, Jane,” Ginny said, trying to appear patient. “There’s no time for doubt anymore. Today is it. Today is our Big Day. You have to go into that storage room while I distract Slughorn. You’re the only one that can do it. If Marie went in there she would probably knock something over, and the whole room, not to mention the plan, would come crashing down!”
“Hey!” Marie said indignantly, over a mouth full of pumpkin juice.
“You know it’s true!” Ginny turned back to Jane. “You are the only one who can do this. We need you, Jane… We need you!” She made her eyes as wide and innocent as she could.
Jane sighed. “I’ll do it. You know I’ll do it. But if I get caught, I’ll never talk to either of you again.”
Ginny and Marie both laughed. “We would never let that happen,” Marie said cheerfully, putting her arm around Jane.
Just then Ginny saw Malfoy enter the Great Hall. He seemed in exceptionally high spirits this morning. His blond hair was immaculately smoothed back over his brow, and his eyes looked bright and alive. Even his cheeks seemed to have some color, quite unusual for Malfoy.
What’s gotten into him? Ginny wondered. Malfoy looking happy cannot mean anything good for me.
He sauntered over to Slytherin table, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, and slid into a seat beside Pansy Parksinson. Ginny watched with narrowed eyes as he leaned to the side and whispered something into her ear, making her laugh. At the Slytherin table, Malfoy was always the center of attention. And as Ginny observed him across the Great Hall, she had to admit that it made sense. Malfoy did have a certain charisma.
An evil charisma, of course, Ginny decided in her head. It’s ridiculous the way they fawn over him like he’s the bloody Minister of Magic or something. And that Pansy…
Ginny winced as Malfoy put his arm around her, pulling her closer.
What does he see in her? Ginny asked herself for the hundredth time. She might be pretty, but she’s so…empty… and…
Suddenly, Malfoy turned his head to look up towards her. He caught Ginny’s eye and held it, his mouth turning up softly into a smirk of satisfaction.
Dammit!
Ginny turned back to her friends, furious at being caught spying. “Come on, guys.” She stood with a bang, accidentally knocking over a pitcher of water. She pretended she didn’t notice. “We’ve got a Stone to steal.”
“But I’m not done yet,” protested Marie, her mouth full of toast.
“Eat while you walk,” Ginny replied curtly. And with that, she swept out of the Great Hall doing her best to ignore Malfoy watching her intently. Just you wait, you Slytherin bastard. I have got something very special in store for you.
The three girls made their way down to Potions in silence. Ginny was angry with herself and embarrassed at the same time, and Jane was terrified of her upcoming mission. As they went deeper and deeper underground, the air became increasingly dank and chilly. Everything seemed suddenly scarier than it had when they were up in the Great Hall. Every shadow became dark and sinister.
They entered the Potions room to find it almost full; Professor Slughorn had just started to take attendance.
“Ah, Ginny!” he practically beamed when she entered. His cheerful expression looked extremely out of place in the dungeons usually used by Snape. “It doesn’t do to be late to my class, you know. I am very particular about attendance, though I suppose I can spare you this time.” He gave a high little laugh, and motioned to three seats in the front of the room. “I shall expect great things from you this year!”
With that, he turned back to his attendance sheet, and the three made their way gloomily to the tables in the front. There would be no chance to talk during class. The lesson was simple enough for Ginny, who had always been good at Potions. Jane was so nervous, and Marie naturally so clumsy, that by the end of the lesson both their cauldrons were full of a stinking, smoking mass of strangely-colored goop. Marie’s was emitting sparks as she stirred it, almost setting her hair on fire.
“No, that will not do at all,” Slughorn said as he walked by, waving his wand and clearing the cauldron at once. He turned and did the same for Jane and then several others as he walked around the room. “The Potions level of this class is dismal,” he said suddenly. “Now I know it is the first day, but you are all O.W.L. students. I will expect much higher of you in the future.” He waved them off and they began to pack their things.
Ginny looked sideways at Jane. “Are you ready?”
Jane gulped. “Yes. I can do it. What about Marie?”
Marie pulled a blue and yellow colored chocolate out of her pocket. “All ready. It won’t hurt, will it, Ginny?”
“Fred and George really know their stuff. Don’t worry about it,” she assured her.
For a brief second they stood looking from one to the other, making sure that they could all trust their friends to have their back. This was it.
“Good luck,” Ginny said, and then with a wink she turned to find Professor Slughorn in the front of the room. All the other students had already left the dungeon. “Excuse me, Professor. I wanted to ask you a question about some of the Potions I’ve been reading about in the Sixth Year book.”
“You have been reading the Sixth Year’s Potions book?” Slughorn asked her, his voice full of approval.
“Yes, and I didn’t understand the concept of magical thermo chemistry as it applies to sleeping draughts…”
Behind her, Jane and Marie were preparing themselves. Marie chuckled a bit as Slughorn turned to the board and began to excitedly draw out magical compounds. “She is sooo good.”
“Let’s hope she’s good enough,” Jane muttered. “Hurry up! We don’t have much time until the next class gets here.”
“Ok, ok.” Marie popped the chocolate into her mouth. “Ready!”
Jane began to back away into the shadows as Marie suddenly fell to the floor in a dead faint.
“Marie!” came Ginny’s yell across the room. “Oh no, something’s happened to her!” She and Professor Slughorn rushed to her side just as Marie began to go into convulsions, her entire body shaking and sweating. “What do we do, Professor?” Ginny said, sounding as desperate as she could manage. Over the Professor’s shoulder she saw Jane move to the front of the room where the storage room was. She bent over the lock and tapped her wand to it. The door swung open and Jane entered it, closing it behind her. Yes! We’re in!
Professor Slughorn was looking slightly panicked as Marie continued to shake. “Oh dear, oh no. What can be the matter with her?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “I think we should take her to the hospital wing at once! Professor, she might be dying!”
“Yes, yes, very well!” Professor Slughorn was just beginning to lift her with his wand, when he stopped. “No! I have a better idea! I should have a potion somewhere that can restore her.”
Ginny was dismayed; she needed to get Professor Slughorn out of the dungeons. “I really think it would be better to let Madam Pomfrey deal with her; she really is much better qualified.”
“Are you suggesting that I, the Potions master, am not qualified to administer potions to my own students?” Professor Slughorn asked angrily, drawing himself up to his full height.
“No, not at all, it’s just that – “
But Professor Slughorn had already turned and walked towards the storage room. Ginny began to panic. Marie continued to shake under her. She had to do something to warn Jane.
“Professor, don’t go the storage room. I am sure-“
He had already opened the door. He paused for a second, surprised to find it unlocked, and then entered shaking his head. Jane was nowhere to be seen. “Now I know it was right here,” he shuffled around in a cabinet. “Aha! Here it is!” Ginny felt relieved as he came out, rushing over with a vial of green liquid. “Now sit her up and we’ll slip this down her throat.”
Ginny obeyed and lifted Marie’s head as the Professor administered the potion. Marie’s body began to still almost immediately, and her eyes snapped open.
“Ginny?” she looked up at her wonderingly.
“How do you feel?” Ginny asked.
“Oh, it was wonderful! I had the most wonderful dream, and…” Marie saw Professor Slughorn and suddenly remembered where she was and what they were doing. “Oh it was awful, and ow, my stomach hurts,” she pretended to groan.
Slughorn smiled gently. “You should be all right in a while. It was probably just stress, what with You-Know-Who and everything…” He helped Marie to her feet.
“Thank you, Professor.”
“It is most curious though,” Professor Slughorn said, walking back to the storage room door. “I could have sworn that I had left this door locked.” He closed it firmly and began to mutter incantations. The door began to glow with a blue light that quickly faded. “That should do the trick!” He turned back to the girls. “Now off with you two! I expect you’ll be feeling quite hungry after all this.”
Ginny and Marie watched helplessly as Slughorn seated himself at his desk in front of the storage room door. There was nothing to do but leave.
“What are we going to do?” Marie burst out as soon as they emerged out of the dungeons. “Jane is still in there!”
“I know, I know.” Ginny was almost as upset as Marie. Jane wasn’t as strong as they were. She was frightened and weak, always worrying and allowing the other two to lead her along. Ginny felt extremely guilty as she thought of her best friend trembling and alone in that horrible storage closet. “We’ll have to go at night. It’s no good going during the day. Slughorn will be there and there might be other classes.”
Marie looked sadly at the ceiling as they entered the Great Hall. “That is nearly ten hours from now! She doesn’t even have any food.”
Ginny felt awful as she looked at her friend. If only she hadn’t been blinded by Malfoy and that stupid Stone. “We have no other choice.”
----------
Ginny and Marie spent the day in torture. How was Jane? Had she found the Stone? Had she been caught? There was nothing to do, but to restlessly sit through all their classes, pretending like nothing was wrong. When dinner time rolled around, neither could muster any appetite, remembering their friend who was going hungry. They both returned to the Gryffindor common room to wait until it was late enough to go out. The minutes seemed to tick by agonizingly slowly, until finally, the last person in the common room (Hermione) packed her books and said goodbye.
“Finally,” Ginny murmured, pacing up and down anxiously. “Are you ready?”
“Of course I’m ready,” Marie replied, uncharacteristically irritated. “Let’s get the hell down there.” She led the way out of the portrait hole.
They stole quietly along the corridors. Thanks to Fred and George, Ginny had an excellent knowledge of the secret corridors through the school and it was easy to hop into one when they thought they heard Filch or Mrs. Norris approaching. The castle was dark and deserted, the hallways eerie in the moonlight.
When they reached the entrance to the dungeons, Ginny turned to Marie.
“Do you want to stay here and stand watch?” she whispered.
“Fine, but hurry. I can’t stand any more of this suspense,” Marie replied. She disappeared behind a curtain as Ginny began to hurry down the stairs into the dungeon, her wand drawn out in front of her face, the tip casting light onto the walls around her. She reached the Potions room and hurried to the storage room without glancing around.
“How do I get this thing open now?” She tapped her wand to the knob. “Alohomora.” Nothing. The door didn’t open. She tried whatever other spells she could remember to open things, even one for untangling knots. Nothing was working. “Oh, noo.” Her breathing came faster and faster as she began to panic. “Jane,” she called through the door. “Jane, can you hear me? Please answer.” There was no reply. “Jane, can you hear me?”
Suddenly she heard a movement behind her. Ginny turned as fast as she could, her wand out ready to cast a spell, but he beat her to it.
“Expelliarmus!” came a voice, and her wand flew out of her hand and into the waiting fingers of Draco Malfoy.
“Malfoy!” Ginny snarled.
“Looking for something?” he asked, his voice lazy and unconcerned. He lounged back against the wall, smiling at her. “This, perhaps?”
Draco pointed his wand towards the side, and there Ginny saw a figure, struggling against the magical bonds he had tied her down with.
“Jane!” Ginny leaped forward, too angry to think clearly anymore, but Draco stopped her with a lazy flick of his wand. She flew back against the tables, crashing into Professor Slughorn’s neatly ordered desk.
“Forget you don’t have a wand anymore, Weasel?” Malfoy asked, his eyes flashing malevolently.
Ginny winced in pain, but her anger drover her forward again. “You’ve gone too far this time, Malfoy,” she yelled. “Let her go, she doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Oh no, she has everything to do with it,” Malfoy said. He suddenly drew an object out of his cloak and held it up in the wand light so that she could see it across the room. It was a large, flat stone the size of a textbook. “Your friend had something that I needed greatly, and since she wouldn’t give it to me when I asked politely, I was forced to use… other methods.”
Ginny looked at Jane with pride. So she had managed to stand up to Malfoy! “Is it the Morphelius Stone?” she asked her attention turning back to Malfoy.
“Full points, Weasley,” said Malfoy, stepping forward, the holding the Stone in front of him so that they could both see it. “Now what I want to know is, why do you want it?”
“Why do you want it?” Ginny asked, confused. She had wanted it as another way to annoy Malfoy, but could it be possible that he wanted it for the same reason?
Malfoy looked at her. “You know what this is, don’t you?”
Ginny nodded.
“Then you know what it’s purpose is, to force wizards to compete with one another in a fair and controlled way.”
“Then why do you want it?” Ginny sneered at him. “Everyone knows Draco Malfoy doesn’t fight fair.”
Malfoy’s eyes froze and he stepped closer until they were only an arm’s length apart. “Don’t you know what the prize is?”
“Prize?”
“Domination,” Malfoy whispered.
Ginny gave an involuntary shiver as she looked into that pale, malicious face.
“When two people enter into an agreement with the Stone, they become bound to each other by magic. Once the winner is decided, that person has complete magical domination over the other… until the winner decides to release them.” He looked up at her, and his voice filled with poisonous hatred. “I am going to take care of you once and for all.”
Ginny knew she should turn on her heels and get the hell out of there as fast as her legs could carry her, and yet she could not help the inexplicable thrill of fear and excitement that crept down her spine. They were so close she could feel her breath in her ear, see his eyes as they watched her own. She was intoxicated by the idea, a chance to have complete control over Draco Malfoy, her worst enemy.
Ginny looked over to Jane. “First let her go.”
“And then?” Malfoy questioned softly.
“I’ll do it.” She had decided. Jane let out a soft whimper from behind.
“Are you sure? There won’t be any turning back. There won’t be anyone to save you if you decide you want to back out.” His words were a challenge.
“Yes,” Ginny whispered.
He knew she was telling the truth. Malfoy pointed his wand over his head and murmured a spell, his gray eyes never leaving Ginny’s own. Jane’s bonds slipped off and disappeared. She gasped in surprise and tried to stand up, but only fell back to the floor, too weakened to move. Ginny ran back to her.
“Are you ok?” she asked, though clearly she wasn’t. Malfoy hadn’t been gentle with her bonds and there were bruises all over her hands and legs.
“Don’t do it, Ginny,” she cried, ignoring the pain. “This is crazy and you know it. He’s dangerous, he’s a madman. We have to get out of here. We have to go find a teacher. We have to…”
Ginny put her finger to her lips to calm her down. “Shhhh, it’ll be all right. I can handle Malfoy.” She helped her to her feet. “Can you stand?”
“I think so. I’m a little numb, but it’s not too bad.”
Ginny helped her to a seat. Jane tried to grab her hand when Ginny turned away, but she resolutely held her down. "Just trust me, Jane. It will be okay." She walked back to Malfoy, her face set. “Let’s do this then.”
Malfoy placed the Stone on a table between them. He put his hand on the Stone, and motioned for her to the same. Ginny gulped. Once she did this, she could never back out.
“First tell me something. Why do you hate me so much?”
Malfoy looked at her, surprised. “Because I do.”
"Well, the feeling is mutual."
Ginny thrust out her hand, slamming it down on the Stone. It reacted at once. There was a flash of blinding light, red and blue at the same time, filling the whole room. Ginny yelled as she felt herself pulled forward. The Stone was heating up, drawing her power away from her, and mixing it with Malfoy’s. It was starting to burn unbearably. Ginny struggled, trying to pull herself away, but she could not move. Tears began to spill out of her eyes, and she could see that Malfoy was in an equal amount of pain.
Just when she thought she could take no more, it all stopped. The Stone released them, and they staggered back, pale and drenched in sweat. Jane caught Ginny as she stumbled. They watched the Stone warily as it began to rise slowly off of the table, high into the air above their heads, the bright light fading to a soft glow. Slowly, it began to morph and change until it resembled a Stone face, until all of a sudden, a mouth appeared and let out a yawn.
Draco looked bewildered. The Stone began peering around, as if it couldn’t remember where exactly it was. Suddenly it saw them.
“Oh!” the Stone said. “Hello there!” It looked at them expectantly.
“Er, hello,” replied Ginny.
“That was not very enthusiastic,” the Stone admonished her.
Ginny was shocked. She had never thought a Stone would be teaching her manners.
“Anyways,” the Stone continued, his voice was wheezy and soft. “I am the Morphelius Stone. As I am sure you know, I resolve conflicts between witches and wizards. What are your names?”
Draco stepped forward. “I am Draco Malfoy.” He didn’t sound as cocky as usual.
“Ginny Weasley.”
“Well then,” the Stone continued, it’s brow wrinkled as though it were trying to remember a speech it had forgotten, “You have both entered into a sacred magical pact, one that can not be broken by any power on earth. From now one, I will assign you challenges befitting your situation. I shall also decide the winner. In the end, there will be one winner. The winner will be given complete control over the other. Is that clear?” The Stone didn’t wait for an answer. “You have been rendered unable to physically harm each other. No matter how many curses you hurl at each other, they will simply bounce off.”
Draco and Ginny eyed each other with distaste. That was a disappointment.
“Now, are you ready for your first challenge?” The Stone suddenly looked excited. “Now let me think… Aha! I have it!” He looked down at them and cleared his throat. “You are both going to love this one! You will each kidnap a teacher of your choice and bring them before me one week from now, same time, same place.” The Stone gave them a reassuring smile, and then with a pop and a whoosh it disappeared into thin air, leaving Draco, Ginny, and Jane dumbstruck.
They had to do what?
“Look, Jane,” Ginny said, trying to appear patient. “There’s no time for doubt anymore. Today is it. Today is our Big Day. You have to go into that storage room while I distract Slughorn. You’re the only one that can do it. If Marie went in there she would probably knock something over, and the whole room, not to mention the plan, would come crashing down!”
“Hey!” Marie said indignantly, over a mouth full of pumpkin juice.
“You know it’s true!” Ginny turned back to Jane. “You are the only one who can do this. We need you, Jane… We need you!” She made her eyes as wide and innocent as she could.
Jane sighed. “I’ll do it. You know I’ll do it. But if I get caught, I’ll never talk to either of you again.”
Ginny and Marie both laughed. “We would never let that happen,” Marie said cheerfully, putting her arm around Jane.
Just then Ginny saw Malfoy enter the Great Hall. He seemed in exceptionally high spirits this morning. His blond hair was immaculately smoothed back over his brow, and his eyes looked bright and alive. Even his cheeks seemed to have some color, quite unusual for Malfoy.
What’s gotten into him? Ginny wondered. Malfoy looking happy cannot mean anything good for me.
He sauntered over to Slytherin table, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, and slid into a seat beside Pansy Parksinson. Ginny watched with narrowed eyes as he leaned to the side and whispered something into her ear, making her laugh. At the Slytherin table, Malfoy was always the center of attention. And as Ginny observed him across the Great Hall, she had to admit that it made sense. Malfoy did have a certain charisma.
An evil charisma, of course, Ginny decided in her head. It’s ridiculous the way they fawn over him like he’s the bloody Minister of Magic or something. And that Pansy…
Ginny winced as Malfoy put his arm around her, pulling her closer.
What does he see in her? Ginny asked herself for the hundredth time. She might be pretty, but she’s so…empty… and…
Suddenly, Malfoy turned his head to look up towards her. He caught Ginny’s eye and held it, his mouth turning up softly into a smirk of satisfaction.
Dammit!
Ginny turned back to her friends, furious at being caught spying. “Come on, guys.” She stood with a bang, accidentally knocking over a pitcher of water. She pretended she didn’t notice. “We’ve got a Stone to steal.”
“But I’m not done yet,” protested Marie, her mouth full of toast.
“Eat while you walk,” Ginny replied curtly. And with that, she swept out of the Great Hall doing her best to ignore Malfoy watching her intently. Just you wait, you Slytherin bastard. I have got something very special in store for you.
The three girls made their way down to Potions in silence. Ginny was angry with herself and embarrassed at the same time, and Jane was terrified of her upcoming mission. As they went deeper and deeper underground, the air became increasingly dank and chilly. Everything seemed suddenly scarier than it had when they were up in the Great Hall. Every shadow became dark and sinister.
They entered the Potions room to find it almost full; Professor Slughorn had just started to take attendance.
“Ah, Ginny!” he practically beamed when she entered. His cheerful expression looked extremely out of place in the dungeons usually used by Snape. “It doesn’t do to be late to my class, you know. I am very particular about attendance, though I suppose I can spare you this time.” He gave a high little laugh, and motioned to three seats in the front of the room. “I shall expect great things from you this year!”
With that, he turned back to his attendance sheet, and the three made their way gloomily to the tables in the front. There would be no chance to talk during class. The lesson was simple enough for Ginny, who had always been good at Potions. Jane was so nervous, and Marie naturally so clumsy, that by the end of the lesson both their cauldrons were full of a stinking, smoking mass of strangely-colored goop. Marie’s was emitting sparks as she stirred it, almost setting her hair on fire.
“No, that will not do at all,” Slughorn said as he walked by, waving his wand and clearing the cauldron at once. He turned and did the same for Jane and then several others as he walked around the room. “The Potions level of this class is dismal,” he said suddenly. “Now I know it is the first day, but you are all O.W.L. students. I will expect much higher of you in the future.” He waved them off and they began to pack their things.
Ginny looked sideways at Jane. “Are you ready?”
Jane gulped. “Yes. I can do it. What about Marie?”
Marie pulled a blue and yellow colored chocolate out of her pocket. “All ready. It won’t hurt, will it, Ginny?”
“Fred and George really know their stuff. Don’t worry about it,” she assured her.
For a brief second they stood looking from one to the other, making sure that they could all trust their friends to have their back. This was it.
“Good luck,” Ginny said, and then with a wink she turned to find Professor Slughorn in the front of the room. All the other students had already left the dungeon. “Excuse me, Professor. I wanted to ask you a question about some of the Potions I’ve been reading about in the Sixth Year book.”
“You have been reading the Sixth Year’s Potions book?” Slughorn asked her, his voice full of approval.
“Yes, and I didn’t understand the concept of magical thermo chemistry as it applies to sleeping draughts…”
Behind her, Jane and Marie were preparing themselves. Marie chuckled a bit as Slughorn turned to the board and began to excitedly draw out magical compounds. “She is sooo good.”
“Let’s hope she’s good enough,” Jane muttered. “Hurry up! We don’t have much time until the next class gets here.”
“Ok, ok.” Marie popped the chocolate into her mouth. “Ready!”
Jane began to back away into the shadows as Marie suddenly fell to the floor in a dead faint.
“Marie!” came Ginny’s yell across the room. “Oh no, something’s happened to her!” She and Professor Slughorn rushed to her side just as Marie began to go into convulsions, her entire body shaking and sweating. “What do we do, Professor?” Ginny said, sounding as desperate as she could manage. Over the Professor’s shoulder she saw Jane move to the front of the room where the storage room was. She bent over the lock and tapped her wand to it. The door swung open and Jane entered it, closing it behind her. Yes! We’re in!
Professor Slughorn was looking slightly panicked as Marie continued to shake. “Oh dear, oh no. What can be the matter with her?”
Ginny rolled her eyes. “I think we should take her to the hospital wing at once! Professor, she might be dying!”
“Yes, yes, very well!” Professor Slughorn was just beginning to lift her with his wand, when he stopped. “No! I have a better idea! I should have a potion somewhere that can restore her.”
Ginny was dismayed; she needed to get Professor Slughorn out of the dungeons. “I really think it would be better to let Madam Pomfrey deal with her; she really is much better qualified.”
“Are you suggesting that I, the Potions master, am not qualified to administer potions to my own students?” Professor Slughorn asked angrily, drawing himself up to his full height.
“No, not at all, it’s just that – “
But Professor Slughorn had already turned and walked towards the storage room. Ginny began to panic. Marie continued to shake under her. She had to do something to warn Jane.
“Professor, don’t go the storage room. I am sure-“
He had already opened the door. He paused for a second, surprised to find it unlocked, and then entered shaking his head. Jane was nowhere to be seen. “Now I know it was right here,” he shuffled around in a cabinet. “Aha! Here it is!” Ginny felt relieved as he came out, rushing over with a vial of green liquid. “Now sit her up and we’ll slip this down her throat.”
Ginny obeyed and lifted Marie’s head as the Professor administered the potion. Marie’s body began to still almost immediately, and her eyes snapped open.
“Ginny?” she looked up at her wonderingly.
“How do you feel?” Ginny asked.
“Oh, it was wonderful! I had the most wonderful dream, and…” Marie saw Professor Slughorn and suddenly remembered where she was and what they were doing. “Oh it was awful, and ow, my stomach hurts,” she pretended to groan.
Slughorn smiled gently. “You should be all right in a while. It was probably just stress, what with You-Know-Who and everything…” He helped Marie to her feet.
“Thank you, Professor.”
“It is most curious though,” Professor Slughorn said, walking back to the storage room door. “I could have sworn that I had left this door locked.” He closed it firmly and began to mutter incantations. The door began to glow with a blue light that quickly faded. “That should do the trick!” He turned back to the girls. “Now off with you two! I expect you’ll be feeling quite hungry after all this.”
Ginny and Marie watched helplessly as Slughorn seated himself at his desk in front of the storage room door. There was nothing to do but leave.
“What are we going to do?” Marie burst out as soon as they emerged out of the dungeons. “Jane is still in there!”
“I know, I know.” Ginny was almost as upset as Marie. Jane wasn’t as strong as they were. She was frightened and weak, always worrying and allowing the other two to lead her along. Ginny felt extremely guilty as she thought of her best friend trembling and alone in that horrible storage closet. “We’ll have to go at night. It’s no good going during the day. Slughorn will be there and there might be other classes.”
Marie looked sadly at the ceiling as they entered the Great Hall. “That is nearly ten hours from now! She doesn’t even have any food.”
Ginny felt awful as she looked at her friend. If only she hadn’t been blinded by Malfoy and that stupid Stone. “We have no other choice.”
----------
Ginny and Marie spent the day in torture. How was Jane? Had she found the Stone? Had she been caught? There was nothing to do, but to restlessly sit through all their classes, pretending like nothing was wrong. When dinner time rolled around, neither could muster any appetite, remembering their friend who was going hungry. They both returned to the Gryffindor common room to wait until it was late enough to go out. The minutes seemed to tick by agonizingly slowly, until finally, the last person in the common room (Hermione) packed her books and said goodbye.
“Finally,” Ginny murmured, pacing up and down anxiously. “Are you ready?”
“Of course I’m ready,” Marie replied, uncharacteristically irritated. “Let’s get the hell down there.” She led the way out of the portrait hole.
They stole quietly along the corridors. Thanks to Fred and George, Ginny had an excellent knowledge of the secret corridors through the school and it was easy to hop into one when they thought they heard Filch or Mrs. Norris approaching. The castle was dark and deserted, the hallways eerie in the moonlight.
When they reached the entrance to the dungeons, Ginny turned to Marie.
“Do you want to stay here and stand watch?” she whispered.
“Fine, but hurry. I can’t stand any more of this suspense,” Marie replied. She disappeared behind a curtain as Ginny began to hurry down the stairs into the dungeon, her wand drawn out in front of her face, the tip casting light onto the walls around her. She reached the Potions room and hurried to the storage room without glancing around.
“How do I get this thing open now?” She tapped her wand to the knob. “Alohomora.” Nothing. The door didn’t open. She tried whatever other spells she could remember to open things, even one for untangling knots. Nothing was working. “Oh, noo.” Her breathing came faster and faster as she began to panic. “Jane,” she called through the door. “Jane, can you hear me? Please answer.” There was no reply. “Jane, can you hear me?”
Suddenly she heard a movement behind her. Ginny turned as fast as she could, her wand out ready to cast a spell, but he beat her to it.
“Expelliarmus!” came a voice, and her wand flew out of her hand and into the waiting fingers of Draco Malfoy.
“Malfoy!” Ginny snarled.
“Looking for something?” he asked, his voice lazy and unconcerned. He lounged back against the wall, smiling at her. “This, perhaps?”
Draco pointed his wand towards the side, and there Ginny saw a figure, struggling against the magical bonds he had tied her down with.
“Jane!” Ginny leaped forward, too angry to think clearly anymore, but Draco stopped her with a lazy flick of his wand. She flew back against the tables, crashing into Professor Slughorn’s neatly ordered desk.
“Forget you don’t have a wand anymore, Weasel?” Malfoy asked, his eyes flashing malevolently.
Ginny winced in pain, but her anger drover her forward again. “You’ve gone too far this time, Malfoy,” she yelled. “Let her go, she doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Oh no, she has everything to do with it,” Malfoy said. He suddenly drew an object out of his cloak and held it up in the wand light so that she could see it across the room. It was a large, flat stone the size of a textbook. “Your friend had something that I needed greatly, and since she wouldn’t give it to me when I asked politely, I was forced to use… other methods.”
Ginny looked at Jane with pride. So she had managed to stand up to Malfoy! “Is it the Morphelius Stone?” she asked her attention turning back to Malfoy.
“Full points, Weasley,” said Malfoy, stepping forward, the holding the Stone in front of him so that they could both see it. “Now what I want to know is, why do you want it?”
“Why do you want it?” Ginny asked, confused. She had wanted it as another way to annoy Malfoy, but could it be possible that he wanted it for the same reason?
Malfoy looked at her. “You know what this is, don’t you?”
Ginny nodded.
“Then you know what it’s purpose is, to force wizards to compete with one another in a fair and controlled way.”
“Then why do you want it?” Ginny sneered at him. “Everyone knows Draco Malfoy doesn’t fight fair.”
Malfoy’s eyes froze and he stepped closer until they were only an arm’s length apart. “Don’t you know what the prize is?”
“Prize?”
“Domination,” Malfoy whispered.
Ginny gave an involuntary shiver as she looked into that pale, malicious face.
“When two people enter into an agreement with the Stone, they become bound to each other by magic. Once the winner is decided, that person has complete magical domination over the other… until the winner decides to release them.” He looked up at her, and his voice filled with poisonous hatred. “I am going to take care of you once and for all.”
Ginny knew she should turn on her heels and get the hell out of there as fast as her legs could carry her, and yet she could not help the inexplicable thrill of fear and excitement that crept down her spine. They were so close she could feel her breath in her ear, see his eyes as they watched her own. She was intoxicated by the idea, a chance to have complete control over Draco Malfoy, her worst enemy.
Ginny looked over to Jane. “First let her go.”
“And then?” Malfoy questioned softly.
“I’ll do it.” She had decided. Jane let out a soft whimper from behind.
“Are you sure? There won’t be any turning back. There won’t be anyone to save you if you decide you want to back out.” His words were a challenge.
“Yes,” Ginny whispered.
He knew she was telling the truth. Malfoy pointed his wand over his head and murmured a spell, his gray eyes never leaving Ginny’s own. Jane’s bonds slipped off and disappeared. She gasped in surprise and tried to stand up, but only fell back to the floor, too weakened to move. Ginny ran back to her.
“Are you ok?” she asked, though clearly she wasn’t. Malfoy hadn’t been gentle with her bonds and there were bruises all over her hands and legs.
“Don’t do it, Ginny,” she cried, ignoring the pain. “This is crazy and you know it. He’s dangerous, he’s a madman. We have to get out of here. We have to go find a teacher. We have to…”
Ginny put her finger to her lips to calm her down. “Shhhh, it’ll be all right. I can handle Malfoy.” She helped her to her feet. “Can you stand?”
“I think so. I’m a little numb, but it’s not too bad.”
Ginny helped her to a seat. Jane tried to grab her hand when Ginny turned away, but she resolutely held her down. "Just trust me, Jane. It will be okay." She walked back to Malfoy, her face set. “Let’s do this then.”
Malfoy placed the Stone on a table between them. He put his hand on the Stone, and motioned for her to the same. Ginny gulped. Once she did this, she could never back out.
“First tell me something. Why do you hate me so much?”
Malfoy looked at her, surprised. “Because I do.”
"Well, the feeling is mutual."
Ginny thrust out her hand, slamming it down on the Stone. It reacted at once. There was a flash of blinding light, red and blue at the same time, filling the whole room. Ginny yelled as she felt herself pulled forward. The Stone was heating up, drawing her power away from her, and mixing it with Malfoy’s. It was starting to burn unbearably. Ginny struggled, trying to pull herself away, but she could not move. Tears began to spill out of her eyes, and she could see that Malfoy was in an equal amount of pain.
Just when she thought she could take no more, it all stopped. The Stone released them, and they staggered back, pale and drenched in sweat. Jane caught Ginny as she stumbled. They watched the Stone warily as it began to rise slowly off of the table, high into the air above their heads, the bright light fading to a soft glow. Slowly, it began to morph and change until it resembled a Stone face, until all of a sudden, a mouth appeared and let out a yawn.
Draco looked bewildered. The Stone began peering around, as if it couldn’t remember where exactly it was. Suddenly it saw them.
“Oh!” the Stone said. “Hello there!” It looked at them expectantly.
“Er, hello,” replied Ginny.
“That was not very enthusiastic,” the Stone admonished her.
Ginny was shocked. She had never thought a Stone would be teaching her manners.
“Anyways,” the Stone continued, his voice was wheezy and soft. “I am the Morphelius Stone. As I am sure you know, I resolve conflicts between witches and wizards. What are your names?”
Draco stepped forward. “I am Draco Malfoy.” He didn’t sound as cocky as usual.
“Ginny Weasley.”
“Well then,” the Stone continued, it’s brow wrinkled as though it were trying to remember a speech it had forgotten, “You have both entered into a sacred magical pact, one that can not be broken by any power on earth. From now one, I will assign you challenges befitting your situation. I shall also decide the winner. In the end, there will be one winner. The winner will be given complete control over the other. Is that clear?” The Stone didn’t wait for an answer. “You have been rendered unable to physically harm each other. No matter how many curses you hurl at each other, they will simply bounce off.”
Draco and Ginny eyed each other with distaste. That was a disappointment.
“Now, are you ready for your first challenge?” The Stone suddenly looked excited. “Now let me think… Aha! I have it!” He looked down at them and cleared his throat. “You are both going to love this one! You will each kidnap a teacher of your choice and bring them before me one week from now, same time, same place.” The Stone gave them a reassuring smile, and then with a pop and a whoosh it disappeared into thin air, leaving Draco, Ginny, and Jane dumbstruck.
They had to do what?
Author notes: Thanks to everyone who has commented so far! Your comments were really encouraging to a first time writer like me. I hope no one hates me for my characterization of Malfoy, because my goal is to make him as idiotic as possible - in a lovable way of course!
To Be Continued.
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