The Green Man and the Goddess

I stood in a dark corner of the library, willing Ginny to just walk in the door and find me. I wanted to talk to her so much, since it had been months since the last time we talked and I missed her more than anyone in my entire life.

I stood in the shadows for hours, hoping that she would show up. Every time the door opened my face looked excited but when the person emerged and I saw it wasn't Ginny my face fell again. I didn't know how I thought she would find me in the remote section of the library but somehow I thought she would just know I was there and come and talk to me, reassure me.

Finally it became too late to wait and Madame Pince was going around the library, snuffing out the lights, and I became frightened that she might find me sulking in the corner, so I moved smoothly, shadow to shadow and left the library without her seeing me.

I was halfway down the hall to the dungeon when I heard the sound of footsteps on the hard stone of the corridor. I turned around quickly but saw no one, so I quickly slipped behind one of the great statues that lined the hall and waited. The footsteps approached and I tentatively looked out.

I saw a small girl, with long, curling red hair that reached halfway down her back. Her hips swayed as she walked and I knew it was Ginny. Quietly I slipped out behind her and whispered into her ear, "You're awfully close to the dungeons young Gryffindor."

Ginny turned around with a start and glared at me. "If you want to make up with me, you're not going to do it by teasing me," she told me angrily, a glare on her face.

I rolled my eyes loftily, silently laughing at the glare that crossed her face. "Miss Virginia, you know you do not wish to make enemies with the King of the Slytherins," I joked in a low voice, hoping to quell her anger.

"Tom Riddle?" she asked, her voice now softer, looking around in mock horror, "but I don't see him anywhere Mister Malfoy. You must be lying to me!"

I smiled slightly changing the subject, "Are you still angry with me Ginny?"

She paused for a moment, thinking the question over. I noticed how her face had seemed so mad but it quickly smoothed over, all anger disappearing. "No, you know I can't really stay mad for long Draco. Anyways, I know that you didn't want to marry Jade," she stated.

I nodded my reassure when a thought suddenly raced into my head. "That reminds me," I said, "how is the little bitch fitting into Gryffindor? She doesn't seem like the brave, honest, good-doer type."

Ginny glared at me a little, unhappy that I made fun of her house. "To tell you the truth, she doesn't fit in and I think that Hat must have made a mistake putting her there. She's not even trying to fit in."

I shook my head and said seriously, "The Hat doesn't make mistakes Ginny. Obviously she has Gryffindor quality."

Ginny didn't look very happy about that remark, "Harry has Slytherin qualities. It's obvious but he's in Gryffindor because somewhere along the line he got messed up. He isn't the same person."

I frowned, remembering Harry talking with Blaise Zabini and the Leofric brothers. They had seemed very chummy, to chummy for a pure Gryffindor to actually talk to those three in such an intimate manner. Harry had probably been sorted into the wrong house but I guess we would never know for sure for I doubted that Harry would ever put the Hat back on his precious head.

Ginny cleared her throat suddenly and starred pointedly at me. "I think he's going to join the Deatheaters," she said suddenly a shudder shivered through my body involuntarily and I had to work hard to repress shaking, encase Ginny noticed. Suddenly I no longer felt like talking with her. My arm burned slightly where the mark had been burned onto my arm and I wished to be anywhere but in front of the girl who I felt I had betrayed.

"Listen Ginny," I told her, wishing to get away from her before she discovered something was wrong, "I've been waiting to talk to you all day and I have homework to do, so I really don't have the time to discuss Potter with you, so I'm going to go and do my work."

Ginny nodded reluctantly as if she knew something was wrong. "Alright," she said and turned around and started walking down the hall. I stood there, waiting for her disappear around the corner. Just as she was about to disappear she turned around and shouted, "Goodnight!" and with that she disappeared.

I quickly started to move, realizing that it was after lights out and Filch might be around and he might have heard Ginny. I started to worry that he might be after Ginny and I was very determined to follow her for a minute but my sense got the better of me.

I rounded the corridors, reaching the entrance to the Slytherin Dungeons as quickly as possible and just as I was about to enter, I saw that Dumbledore loitered in the shadows, waiting.

"Mister Malfoy," he murmured slowly, "I've been waiting for you for a great deal of time. I fear that I must talk to you about urgent business."

I raised an eyebrow inquizitively and he started to walk down the hall. A few years ago and I would have sneered and climbed through the old painting that hung on the wall but I obediently followed the old man to his office.

When he reached the stone gargoyle, he leaned over and murmured quietly, "Gummy bears," and the stair appeared and I quickly followed him up to his office.

He motioned me to a seat and talked for the first time since we had left the dungeons.

"Roll up your sleeves Draco," he told me. I looked at him in horror that must have reflected in my eyes, I was so frightened. "Don't worry Mister Malfoy, I know that you did not receive the Dark Mark willingly. I have my sources and I know you put up a fight but your father isn't the kind of man you'd want to make enemies with, is he Draco?"

I shook my head. "I'm so frightened Professor," I told him, all my feelings bursting out. "I'm scared that Ginny will find out and never talk to me again because it's everything that she opposes and everything that I'm supposed to oppose."

"She'll understand Draco," he told me, "but like all things, it will take time. For now though, you need to learn to use your powers for good. The mark might compel you to do things that you would never normally do. A part of the purpose of the mark is actually for Voldemort to control you, although no one realizes it until it's too late. It's one of Voldemort's darkest secrets. Most think they're doing it on their own accord, very few figure out the truth."

I looked at Dumbledore in horror, "How am I supposed to protect Ginny if Voldemort has control over me?"

Dumbledore smiled that mysterious, little smile that I had seen so much and replied, "I believe you received a gift the last time you visited Knockturn Alley," I nodded, "a staff of an owl to be exact," again I nodded, "well, it can be used to block Voldemort's power. It will protect you from him and his darkmark... although it will not protect you from the worse curse he created, Avada Kadavra."

I looked at Dumbledore again in horror. "I did not realize he created that curse," I whispered.

"Along with your father's help," he told me. I shuddered, not repressing it like I had with Ginny.

"My family is a family of many horrible secrets," I muttered bitterly.

Dumbledore just nodded his head sadly. "Yes, I remember your father's sister though, she was so unlike any other Malfoy I ever meet. I had just started teaching in Hogwarts when she was in her Sixth Year. She had been sorted into Hufflepuff and everyone loved her... except your father and his parents. He had been sorted into Slytherin that year and your grandfather was so proud. Once he came to the school and Lucius ran to him with a smile across his face and your Grandfather picked him up and swung him around. Your Aunt, her name was Claire, ran to do the same but your Grandfather looked down at her cruelly and walked away. She died the summer after she graduated in a very mysterious way... it was also the summer that Voldemort first made his appearance. Actually, quite a few non-Slytherin members of old, pureblood families died that summer. It was a disturbing trend."

I shivered. I had never known my father had an older sister, that I had had an aunt. I had no relatives on my mother's side and I can remember my father telling me of how he and his older brother had fought to be the Head of the Malfoy house and Lucius had won, killing his older brother with a well placed curse. It was a tradition that my family had done for hundreds of years.

"That's terrible," I told Dumbledore, actually meaning it. I paused for a moment and before bringing up a topic I had wanted to bring up all night with me.

"What's wrong with Potter?" I asked.

Dumbledore frowned and looked thoughtful for a moment. "You must promise not to tell anyone this Mister Malfoy." I nodded in agreement, so he began, "When I removed his memories, I mistakenly removed a layer of him that we had had to insert when he was a baby. You see, when Voldemort attacked him as a child, not only did Harry absorb his power, but also parts of his personality. To mend this we tried to take that part of Voldemort out but we couldn't do it without killing him, so we put in a layer that would counter act Voldemort's personality, making him a good person. Unfortunately, that part got destroyed, as well as his memories and he is too old and to strong to have the process done again. He would block it."

My jaw dropped. So Harry was really evil, just like Voldemort? This was indeed a turn of events. I opened my mouth to say something to Dumbledore but nothing came out. I was shocked. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence I rose from my chair and bid Dumbledore goodnight.

I needed sleep to regroup my thoughts.

Author's Notes

First off, thanks to Corky for betaing!

And more thanks to my awesome reviewers... I'll put the credits in the last chapter, because I'm putting the ending all up now!!