Prince of Unicorns

Prince of Unicorns
By Cinnamon
Chapter Six

Ginny was exhausted and she had the horrible feeling that she was about to burst into tears. She and Copper, followed by Hermione, Harry, and Ron had returned Sasha and Fang to Hagrid and then sneaked back into the castle. She had led Copper to the Slytherin dorms, after telling the others that she wished to ‘say goodnight’ to him, and then sneaked back to the Gryffindor dorms. Copper had told her that she had to meet him in the Hall at sunrise the next morning to discuss who certain people were, who he should associate with, and how to get to his classes.

Now, more tired than she’d ever been in her entire life, Ginny wished she could just fall asleep. She knew she wouldn’t be able to, however. Her eyes were burning with the need to cry and she just knew they wouldn’t let her sleep without crying a little first.

Her breathing was sharp and painful as she struggled to keep her cries soft so none of the others in the room would hear. Tears fell nearly silently down her face and she stared out the window at the snow, much the same as she had the two nights before when she had been longing for an adventure. She wished, more than anything, that she could go back in time and change it. She didn’t want adventure anymore. Now Draco was lying vulnerable in a bunch of temple ruins, nearly dead, and it was all her fault. A madman was threatening the entire Malfoy family and it was all because Ginny had thought it would be fun to follow a strange trail into the Forbidden Forest.

“Ginny?” Hermione whispered, sneaking through the darkness over to Ginny’s bed.

Ginny sat up, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. “You’re supposed to be asleep,” she replied quietly.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Hermione said, careful not to wake the others. “Can we go down to the common room?”

“I’m really tired.”

“Please, Gin?”

Ginny sighed. “Alright, Hermione.”

She crawled out of her bed and grabbed her robe, following Hermione out of the room and down the stairs. There were still glowing embers in the hearth and Hermione stirred them, blowing softly. She soon had the fire going again and curled up in the high backed armchair across from the one Ginny was sitting in.

Hermione was quiet for a moment and Ginny waited, hoping she’d ask the right questions, the ones that Ginny could answer without the tongue-binding spell taking effect.

“Why were you crying?” She asked Ginny finally.

“I’m worried about Draco,” Ginny said truthfully.

“Malfoy? Why?”

Ginny chose her next words carefully, hoping she could say it. “I didn’t kill him.” She had figured that the tongue binding wouldn’t stop her from saying things she hadn’t done.

Hermione looked worried. “Well, of course you didn’t. I saw him just a little while ago.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“What are you talking about? I saw Malfoy, so did you. You went to say goodnight to him.” Hermione’s voice showed her confusion.

Ginny was getting frustrated. “Hermione, did Malfoy seem like the regular Draco to you?”

“He seemed more polite than normal, that’s true. It was strange, he… He must really like you if he’s being like that.” She looked nauseous at the thought of Draco liking anybody.

“Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”

“Okay, Gin, you’re really confusing me, why don’t you just tell me what happened in the forest? Did Malfoy hurt you?”

“I can’t tell you, Hermione! That’s what I’m trying to say, I can’t tell you! You’ve got to ask the right questions!”

Hermione shook her head angrily, jumping out of the chair. “Ginny, if you don’t want to tell me, just say that and I’ll go.”

“I can’t tell you,” Ginny whispered miserably.

“Fine,” Hermione snapped. “Whenever you feel up to telling me, you know where to find me.” She left the common room angrily, returning to her bed, and Ginny stared into the fire for a long time after she left.

She started to cry, nearly choking on her tears. She finally cried herself to sleep a long while later, still curled up in the large armchair before the fire.

***

Harry Potter woke up the next morning and reached for his glasses. After he had slid them on, he rolled out of bed, glancing out the window to find that the snow had stopped falling in the middle of the night.

He dressed in his school robes, even though he knew it was hours before his first class. He always had a difficult time going back to sleep after he had woken up.

The sun was just beginning to rise when he grabbed some homework and wandered down to the common room to work on it.

The room was dark and cold so the first thing he did, after setting his homework aside, was start a fire in the large hearth. After it was blazing, he turned around and saw Ginny sleeping in the armchair. Her face was still stained with her tears, and Harry, who had begun to feel as if Ginny was not only Ron’s little sister, but his too, wondered what she had been crying about. He had intended to ask her what was going on the instant she returned to the dormitories the night before, but she had come in looking so dejected and exhausted that Hermione had quickly whispered, “I’ll talk to her, let her go,” as Ginny trudged up the stairs into her room.

He knelt beside the chair and shook her shoulder gently. “Ginny? Ginny, you should go to bed, this can’t be comfortable.”

“Harry?” she asked as she woke, her eyes still clouded with tears.

He smiled. “Yeah, it’s me. You fell asleep in the common room; it’s nearly morning. You should go upstairs—”

“Nearly morning?” she cried, sitting up quickly, all sleep gone from her eyes. Her hair was still rumpled and there were little red lines on her cheek because of the way it had been pressed against her arm all night. “Is the sun up yet? I’ve got to go meet Malfoy!”

She started scrambling to get out of the chair and Harry grabbed her by the wrist, worriedly. “You’re meeting Malfoy? Why?”

“I… we arranged to meet. In the Hall, I’ve got things I need to tell him.” Ginny tried tugging her wrist out of Harry’s grip, but he tightened it. “Ouch. Harry, you’re hurting me.”

“Sorry. But I don’t understand. Why are you always running off with Draco?”

Ginny froze, looking at him carefully. “I’m not running off with Draco,” she said. “That’s the thing. You’ve got to figure it out, Harry, because I can’t tell you.” She jerked away finally and ran upstairs to get ready for class, leaving Harry kneeling by himself beside her armchair, more confused than before.

***

Ginny burst into the Hall, breathless after her long run through the halls. She knew she was late and didn’t want Copper to get angry. She was still worried he would kill her. He did possess magical powers she knew nothing about.

Breakfast wouldn’t start for another hour and the room was empty, except for Copper, who was walking aimlessly, inspecting the Hall. He was dressed in Draco’s robes, but even then it was easy to tell he wasn’t Draco. His face wasn’t as composed and calm. Copper didn’t mask what he was feeling as well as Draco did, and right now, he was feeling annoyed. He glanced over his shoulder as she entered. “You’re late,” he said mildly.

“I slept in,” she explained hurriedly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, I’d just appreciate it if it never happened again.”

Ginny nodded quickly. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Where does Slytherin sit?”

She pointed to Draco’s table. “There. That’s Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor, my house.”

“You’ll sit with me,” he said.

“I have to sit with my house.”

“You must sit with me, Virginia, to explain who everyone is and tell me their names. I can’t make people believe I’m Draco if I don’t know people’s names.”

“Draco doesn’t care what people’s names are!” she cried. “All you have to do is pretend you’re the master of the universe and no one will question it. You’re Malfoy, you’ve been bullying this entire school into submission for years, they’ll do whatever you say. Just look at some of the first years and they’ll start to cry.”

Copper looked insulted. “You think I am cruel enough to carry on the way he did? I am trying to end the Malfoy tyranny, not add to it.”

“I don’t think you’re cruel at all, Copper,” Ginny lied. “But I’m just saying, if you want to be Draco, it’s what you have to do.”

Copper was suddenly furious. Ginny had never seen him angry before, and it frightened her more than any other mood she had seen him in. His eyes went black and his lips drew back into a grimace that showed his teeth. “I did not let you live so you could tell me what to do!” he snarled.

“Yes,” Ginny, who had a bad temper herself, shouted back. “You did! You said you wanted me to help you become Draco and I can’t do that if you don’t listen. Draco doesn’t care what people’s names are and he would never sit beside a Weasley at breakfast!”

He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her. “You will do what I tell you to do, Virginia. You will sit beside me at breakfast and you will greet anyone who speaks to me by name.”

“That’s crazy,” Ginny spat back. “No one will believe you’re Draco.”

Copper backhanded her across the face and Ginny was stunned. No one had hit her before, they wouldn’t dare. Her brothers would kill anyone who hurt her. She licked her lower lip carefully and tasted her blood. “Don’t argue with me again,” he said softly.

“But Copper—” she began, her voice shaking.

He lifted his hand again and she flinched, squeezing her eyes shut.

A voice called out across the hall before he got the chance to hit her. “What do you think you’re doing?” It was Harry.

Copper stiffened and turned to face him with a smile. “Good morning,” he said pleasantly. Harry didn’t even look at him, he was approaching quickly, his eyes locked on Ginny’s face.

“Harry,” Ginny said, forcing a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Neville’s up,” Harry replied, his face white with rage. Still, his voice was calm. “I wanted to come here to do my homework before class. What happened to your face?”

“She fell,” Copper said quickly, with a charming smile. “Virginia’s a little clumsy.”

Harry didn’t give any indication that he had heard. “Ginny?” He prompted gently.

“I…fell,” she replied with difficulty. “You know how I am.”

Harry’s fury intensified when he finally turned to look at Copper. “If you touch her again, I swear I’ll—”

“Harry,” Ginny interrupted, touching his arm. “I fell. That’s all, I promise. Leave him alone, he didn’t do anything.”

Harry looked at her for a moment and nodded curtly. “It’s nearly time for breakfast,” he said, taking her arm. “C’mon.”

“Virginia won’t be eating with you this morning,” Copper said pleasantly, grabbing her other arm. “She’ll be dining with me.”

“Ginny will be dining with us like she always does,” Harry snapped back.

Copper turned to Ginny expectantly and she sighed. “Harry, I’m going to sit with Malfoy today,” she told him, trying not to look as miserable as she felt. She didn’t want to anger Copper again.

“Ginny—” Harry began.

“Just let it go, Harry. I’ll see you later, all right?” Ginny tried to smile at him but she could tell he still wasn’t convinced that everything was all right. There was nothing she could do about it, however. Copper walked away and Ginny followed.

The students began trickling in for breakfast a short while later, and nearly all of them glanced over at the Slytherin table and stopped walking in shock at the sight of Ginny sitting there beside Malfoy. She was aware of the strange glances she was getting and all the whispers but, for the most part, she tried to ignore them, staring at the table instead. She wasn’t very hungry, and around her, the Slytherins all ate with relish, ignoring her as well. She didn’t mind, although she did make sure she greeted every Slytherin who arrived at the table by name, so Copper would know. She didn’t know all their names, of course, but she figured Copper would have to be happy with those she did.

She knew the instant Ron and Hermione entered the Hall, though she was still staring at the table and didn’t bother to look up. She could feel Ron’s fury and Hermione’s shock, but she didn’t care. They didn’t understand.

***

Ron sat down heavily beside Harry, his face white with rage. “What,” he said through gritted teeth, “is my sister doing sitting with Malfoy?”

Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin table. “Is she alright? She looks sick or something.”

Harry closed the book he’d been reading and looked over at Ron. “He hit her,” he said bluntly. “Malfoy hit Ginny.”

“He wouldn’t. Even Malfoy doesn’t hit girls,” Hermione said quickly.

“But he did. I walked in when he was about to do it again, Ginny’s lip is cut. Can’t you see it?” Harry gestured impatiently over to Ginny.

Ron had gone even paler. “Her head’s down, I can’t see. Harry… He can’t hit her! She’s my sister! Why didn’t you kill him?”

“Because Ginny denied he’d done it. She was lying, I know she was.”

Hermione bit her lip. “Ginny wouldn’t let anyone hurt her, you know she won’t. Why is she letting him do this?”

“I’ll kill him,” Ron snarled, standing up quickly.

Harry grabbed his cloak and jerked him back to his seat. “Now isn’t the time, Ron. We’ve got to talk to Ginny when he’s not there and find out what’s going on. Did she tell you anything, Hermione?” Harry asked.

“I tried. She wouldn’t tell me anything. I should have tried harder, I should have—”

Harry shook his head. “It’s not your fault. This entire thing’s very strange. We’ll figure it out, Ron, and when we know what’s going on, then you can kick Malfoy’s ass.”

“You’ve never been one to back out of a fight with Malfoy,” Ron argued. “He’s probably just messing with Ginny to get to me, you know how he hates me.”

“Then why is she going along with it? There’s something not quite right here. Ron, she protected him from me.” Harry shook his head. “Something’s wrong with her and we’ve got to find out what it is.”

Hermione was watching Ginny closely. “Maybe she likes him,” she said quietly. Harry and Ron pretended they hadn’t heard her.

***

Ginny wrapped her scarf carefully around her neck and put on her mittens before going outside. Classes were over and she knew that Ron was probably waiting for her in the Gryffindor common room, and she didn’t want to see him. She knew she couldn’t answer his questions and he was probably angry with her, and she really didn’t want to deal with him.

She didn’t really want to deal with anybody. Not Ron, not Hermione, not Harry, and certainly not Copper. She was sick of people staring at her and whispering behind their hands, sick of all of Draco’s friends staring at her in shock, saying snide things about her and her family that Draco would have snickered at. Copper never snickered. He pretended not to hear it and treated everyone with stiff politeness. She supposed, if she hadn’t known he wasn’t really Draco, she would have been pleased thinking that Draco was making an effort to be decent to everyone. Almost everyone else seemed to think that he was Draco and he was just being nice. Everyone except Ron, Harry, and Hermione, of course, who had watched her suspiciously all day. She wished she could explain it to them.

Desperate to escape everyone, Ginny left the castle, stepping out into the bright, late afternoon sunshine. The snow of the previous day had stopped falling and now the whole world was covered under a blanket of white, broken only where students had trudged through, making little trails.

It was cold and her breath misted up before her face, but anything was better than listening to people’s whispered theories that ‘Draco’ must have fallen hard for Ginny if he was trying so hard to be a better man. It was so wrong that it made her feel sick.

The snow nearly came up to her knees and Ginny stared down at it miserably as she walked, almost aimlessly. She covered her cold ears with her hands, kicking up snow as she went.

When she was a short distance from the Forbidden Forest, she tripped over a stick buried in the snow and fell, sprawling face down in the snow. For a few moments, she just lay there, stunned, and then, her eyes flooding with frustrated tears, she flipped onto her back and stared up at the cold blue sky.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered, her shoulders slumping.

Princess.

Ginny sat up quickly, glancing over her shoulder as Adrieyl approached gracefully from the forest. The unicorn’s crystal blue eyes were sparkling with gentle warmth and she elegantly moved to lie in the snow next to Ginny, laying her head on Ginny’s lap.

Speaking out loud just because it made her feel less lonely, Ginny said, “Adrieyl! What are you doing here? It’s dangerous for you.”

You were lonely, the unicorn replied simply.

“You came to keep me company?” Ginny asked, her eyes brightening. The unicorns were the only part of this entire situation that she actually liked.

Yes. You’re crying.

“I am?” Ginny hadn’t even realized that the hot tears she’d been trying to hold back had started running down her face, and now she tried wiping them away. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I’m worried about Draco and I don’t like Copper and my brother is mad at me and so is Hermione, and I know Harry is frustrated because I can’t tell him what’s wrong, and he likes to think he can take care of me like I’m his own little sister as well as Ron’s, but he can’t and neither can Ron and they’re both getting so frustrated and I don’t know what to do!” Ginny took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes. She didn’t even know if unicorns could feel empathy and she hadn’t meant to blurt all of that out, especially in front of the alpha unicorn.

Adrieyl lifted her head, nuzzling Ginny’s face. It’s all right, Ginny. The boy will wake up and he will help you. Don’t cry, everything will get better.

Ginny sniffled. “Shouldn’t you be running me through with your horn or something?” she asked. “Isn’t this treason towards your Prince?”

There was the soft, soothing sound of unicorn laughter. We are a matriarchal society, Ginny. You are our Princess, we are loyal to you.

“It’s cold,” Ginny whispered. “Do you think Draco is cold? Should I bring him a blanket? Copper went with Crabbe and Goyle into Slytherin common room, he’ll never know.” She didn’t bother to wonder why she was so worried about Draco’s welfare. Some questions were too complicated to be answered.

The boy is fine. We are watching over him. He will awaken soon. We keep him warm. The inner courtyard is as warm as it was when you were there.

Ginny shivered. “Good, because it’s cold out. I’d hate for him to be cold. I would have moved him inside, but I had to leave.”

You’re cold? With a reproachful look for not telling her sooner, Adrieyl’s horn glimmered once and suddenly the air around Ginny warmed.

Ginny smiled, running her hands through the unicorn’s silky mane. “Thank you.”

I can lead you back to the fortress if you wish to bring him a blanket. If it would make you stop crying. I do not like it when the Princess cries, Adrieyl admitted, nudging Ginny’s shoulder, her eyes sparkling in such a way that told Ginny that the unicorn, had she been human, would have been smiling, and as with everything about her, that smile would have been infinitely gentle.

“Would you? You’d lead me there?” Ginny breathed.

It is not far if you know where you are going.

“Will you wait for me? I must go back into the castle to get some things to bring him.”

Adrieyl rose to her feet, nodding once. When you are ready, walk into the forest. I will be waiting.

Ginny leapt to her feet and took off running for the castle, Adrieyl slipping into the forest silently to wait.

***

“Well, that’s very curious,” Hermione said, frowning thoughtfully as she turned away from the window. Ron and Harry were attempting to work on their Divination homework near the hearth.

“What?” Ron asked, grateful for any distraction from the constellation chart he was supposed to be drawing, after calculating the angles of each star based on the gravitational pull of that planet’s respective moons.

“Isn’t that Ginny? Sitting out there in the snow? It’s strange, I can barely see.” Hermione squinted, trying to see why the snow seemed brighter beside Ginny.

“What’s she doing out there, it’s nearly dinner time,” Ron said, joining her at the window. “Is that… Hermione, that looks like a unicorn.” They had studied unicorns in their fourth year in Hagrid’s class.

Hermione looked again. Her eyes widened and she pressed her face to the cold window. “I think it is!” she cried.

“What are you to gaping at?” Harry left his own homework and glanced out the window. “What on earth is your sister doing sitting in the snow with a unicorn?”

The three of them stood there in perplexed silence. “This is the weirdest thing,” Hermione said softly. “First she drags Malfoy back to the castle and refuses to say where she had been with him. Then we find them wandering in the forest together with Fang; and Sasha seemed to have been looking for them or something, and now Ginny is… is fraternizing with a unicorn on the school grounds? Unicorns avoid people, they’re terribly shy and hard to catch, how on earth did Ginny make that one come out of the forest?”

The unicorn suddenly disappeared back into the forest and Ginny took off, running through the snow back to the castle.

Hermione nodded, satisfied. “She’s obviously running back to tell us exactly what’s going on.”

“She hasn’t told us yet, why should she tell us now?” Harry asked dryly.

“I’ll threaten her, that’s why,” Ron announced. “I’ll tell her that if she doesn’t explain, I’ll owl mum and tell her what we’ve seen.”

Ginny’s face was flushed from cold when she finally burst into the common room. Her eyes were glittering and she was smiling. She barely had time to nod and grin at them before dashing up the stairs towards her room.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all glanced at each other. “That’s it,” Hermione said finally. “I’m going up there and I’m going to force her to come right back down here and—”

She didn’t have time to finish her threat. Ginny came dashing back through the common room, her arms loaded with various things she had grabbed in her mad run through her room.

“See you later then,” she called to them as she prepared to run out of the room.

“Ginny!” Ron snapped. “Come back here.”

Ginny froze and turned slowly to face them again, looking wary. “Yes, Ron?”

“Where the hell are you going, is Malfoy going to be there, and where did that bloody unicorn come from?” he growled.

Ginny shifted nervously from one foot to the other. She tucked the pillow she was holding under one arm and the rolled up quilt under the other. “I don’t really have time to explain. Adrieyl is waiting.”

“Adrieyl?” Harry asked.

“The unicorn. Listen, I’ll explain as soon as I can, I promise, but I can’t keep the alpha unicorn waiting for me.” Ginny tried inching towards the door.

“You’ll explain now,” Ron said, his face red with anger. “Where are you going with a quilt and blanket and what’s going on? If this has anything to do with Malfoy—”

Ginny looked exasperated. “Ron, please, I haven’t got the time. Besides, I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to.”

“You could try,” Harry said, understanding Ron’s frustration. It was hard to be a protective older brother when the younger sister you were trying to protect was keeping secrets.

“I already tried to tell Hermione and she got angry at me,” Ginny said. “The only thing I can tell you is that I can’t tell you.” She looked pointedly at Hermione.

Hermione frowned. “You can’t?”

“Would if I could,” Ginny said, shrugging awkwardly under her heavy load. “Honestly. There could be a cure.” Again, she shot a look at Hermione. “In a book maybe.”

“A cure for what?” Ron was growing steadily more frustrated.

“Can you tell me the symptoms?” Hermione asked. “I mean, is it a spell?”

Ginny opened her mouth and made a strangling sound.

“Ginny!” Ron cried. “What’s wrong? Are you choking? What is it?”

Ginny shook her head impatiently. “You see? I can’t say.”

Hermione nodded grimly. “Is it dangerous? Whatever you can’t say?”

Ginny’s eyes were solemn and she nodded once. “I’ve got to go. Really. See if you can help, Hermione. If you can’t, it’ll be all right by tomorrow night anyway. I hope.” She grinned quickly. “Draco’ll be awake by then, but he doesn’t know he isn’t dead.”

“All right, I’m confused,” Harry said, glancing from Ginny to Hermione and back again.

“Who doesn’t know?” Hermione asked. Harry and Ron exchanged a look and rolled their eyes. They were used to Hermione’s secrecy by now. Whenever she thought she was figuring something out, she kept it a secret, working on it obsessively until she figured it out, and only then would she explain it to the mere mortals who hadn’t yet caught on.

Ginny bit her lip before saying carefully, “Malfoy doesn’t know. I can tell you what he doesn’t know. I didn’t kill Draco.”

Even Hermione looked confused. “Malfoy doesn’t know that Malfoy is going be awake because you didn’t kill him?”

Ginny sighed in exasperation. “I’ve got to go. Honest, I’ll be back later.”

She hurried out the portal and after she was gone, Harry turned to Hermione. “What was that about?”

“I’ve got to go to the library,” Hermione muttered absently, her mind already running though the potential books that could be of use. She left as quickly as Ginny had, and Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as bewildered as Harry felt.

“I think we missed something,” Ron said finally.

Harry shrugged. “I think, whatever it was, it was something to do with research, and in that case, we didn’t miss that much. Hermione will figure it out.”

“We could follow Ginny,” Ron suggested.

“Or,” Harry said, grinning sinisterly, “we could use this opportunity to beat some sense into Malfoy without Ginny defending him or Hermione fretting about being expelled.”

Ron’s face lit with a savage grin. “Brilliant,” he agreed. Together, they left Gryffindor Tower and went down to the Great Hall where the students were gathering for dinner.