The Story of Virginia Weasley

Chapter 4: Devil Incarnate, Or Misunderstood Man?

'How are you? Feeling any better?' Ginny asked, looking down at Harry, who was lying on a hospital bed.

Harry smiled weakly. 'I feel like my body's been torn to pieces. But other than that, I'm fine.'

Ginny returned his smile, but Harry could see the sadness behind her mask. Her bright blue eyes, which used to be as brilliant and fiery as her flaming red hair, were dim and dull. Her fair skin had turned from creamy to pallid. Her face, although she was only sixteen, looked aged and tired.

'What happened to you, Ginny?' asked Harry, his heart breaking at the sight of her misery. He had always thought of Ginny as his own sister. 'You can tell me.'

'Nothing's wrong, dear Harry. Don't worry about me, just focus on getting better, okay?' she said, patting his hand gently.

Harry sighed, knowing that if she were determined to hide something from him, he would never be able to find out what it was. Her stubbornness could almost rival Ron's.

'Madam Pomfrey is probably going to kick me out of here any minute now,' said Ginny, looking at her watch. 'I'll come again after school.'

She kissed his forehead gently, before she walked away from Harry's bed. Just as she was about to open the door of the infirmary, she heard a familiar voice. She walked towards the direction of the voice, which came from behind a curtain.

'Do I have to come back again?' asked the voice.

Ginny peeked through the gap between the wall and the curtain, and confirmed her suspicion that the voice belonged to Draco Malfoy. He was sitting on a chair opposite Madam Pomfrey, who was examining a dark blue-green bruise on his right shoulder.

'Of course! Once your Healing Balm finishes, you have to get more from me, if you want your bruises to disappear,' replied Madam Pomfrey, gesturing him to show her his left arm.

'But I don't want them to disappear,' said Draco.

Madam Pomfrey stared at him with an odd look on her face. 'Nonsense! Why would you want to keep your bruises for?'

'As a souvenir,' replied Draco, turning around a bit so the matron could have a better look at his left shoulder, and Ginny saw a light smile on his face. 'You know, so I can tell myself that I contributed a little to the war.'

'Come on now, boy. All the professors know what you did, giving us inside information that even Professor Snape knows nothing about,' said Madam Pomfrey.

Ginny froze. Draco Malfoy was a spy?

Draco's smile faded at this. 'Yes. Hmm,' he merely said, as if it was something unimportant.

'That was a very brave thing you did,' continued the elderly woman, oblivious to Draco's change of mood. 'And saving that Weasley girl was a good thing you've done too. Okay, remember to come in when your Balm's finished, you hear me?'

Draco stood up from the chair, taking a small, round container from Madam Pomfrey. Ginny quickly crouched down and hid herself behind a hospital bed. She was just in time, too, because a second later, the blonde Slytherin walked out from behind the curtain, and towards the door.

As Draco opened the door, he muttered softly, 'A brave thing, was it? But nobody will remember me like they remember Harry Potter.'

After he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, Ginny walked out from her hiding place. She stood there, shocked by what she had just learned. Draco Malfoy was a spy. He had been helping Dumbledore all along, and acted like he was the bad guy. Ginny had once thought that Draco Malfoy was a devil incarnate. But the truth was, he was a misunderstood man.