The Dragon's Savior

Chapter 7

It was now around the middle of October, and the first Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was going to take place that day. Ginny had been practicing very hard so that she would be ready for the first game, along with the rest of the team. She'd found out that Draco had been named Quidditch captain for Slytherin, and was working his team really hard. He was determined now, more than ever, to beat the Gryffindors.
It was a beautiful day, perfect for Quidditch. The sun was shining, and there was a cloudless, blue sky. It was also rather warm for that time of year.
Ginny was very nervous, but fairly certain that Gryffindor would win once again. She quickly changed into her Quidditch robes, and looked at Harry when he began his pre-game pep talk, "Now, this is our first game, and we have almost a lot of new players, so all I can say is that we have to try our best. If we lose, oh well, at least we tried and had fun. That's another important thing. So, let's go outthere and play some Quidditch.
They all nodded in agreement, and then mounted their brooms. Seamus Finnigan, who had taken over for Lee Jordan, called each of their names, "I present the Gryffindor team, Captain Potter, Weasley, Thomas, Creevey, Weasley, Olsen, and Phillips."
He then announced the Slytherin team, and the game began. Ginny got the Quaffle, and passed it to Dean, who passed to Colin. The three of them passed back and forth. Dean faked out the Keeper, passed to Ginny, and she scored. Slytherin got the Quaffle. They also made a goal.
About forty-five minutes later, the score was 70-100 in Slytherin's favor. Ron was playing a little better than he had last year, but still wasn't that great of a player. He couldn't block very many, but Ginny wasn't worried. They were only thirty behind, and Harry could catch the snitch. Colin passed her the Quaffle, and she scored again.
Now we're only twenty behind, she amended.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Draco trailing Harry on his new Firebolt II that he had come to school with this year. Then she saw Harry dive for the snitch, and Draco followed after him. In a matter of seconds Draco was ahead of Harry, and was about to catch the snitch when it zoomed away. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, and turned her attention back to the Slytherin Chaser who had the Quaffle. She caught a glimpse of Harry, and saw that he also looked very relieved that Draco hadn't caught the snitch. The Slytherin Chaser passed the Quaffle to another Chaser, who shot it toward the goal hoops, and scored.
Fifteen minutes later, there still had been no more sightings of the snitch. The score was still pretty close, 100-140 with Slytherin in the lead. Colin intercepted a pass from a Slytherin Chaser, and passed the Quaffle to Ginny. She flew down the pitch as fast as she could, not noticing that one of the Slytherin Beaters had hit a Bludger, and it was heading straight for her. By the time she noticed it, it was too late. It hit her full force in her head, the impact knocking her off her broom. She felt herself falling, and braced herself for the hard ground. Right before she fell unconscious, she felt someone catch her, and then blackness.

*~*~*~*

Almost a week later, Ginny woke up, and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Looking around, she realized she was in the Hospital Wing. Desperately, she tried to remember why she was there. At first she couldn't remember a thing, but then it slowly came back to her.
She remembered getting hit in the head with a Bludger, and then falling off her broom. Someone caught her, and then that was it. She couldn't remember anything after that.
Madame Pomfrey bustled out of the backroom of the Hospital Wing. When she noticed Ginny was awake, she quickly rushed over. "Good to see you're awake, Miss Weasley. Do you remember what happened?" Madame Pomfrey asked.
Ginny nodded, and told her what she remembered. Then she asked, "Who caught me? What happened after I blacked out?"
"You'll have to ask Mr. Potter. I wasn't there. Dumbledore brought you in on a stretcher," the medi-witch replied.
Just then, Harry, Ron, and Hermione wked into the Hospital Wing. When they saw she was awake, they ran over to her. They asked her how she was. She told them she was fine.
Then she asked curiously, "Who caught me?"
Then three of them looked at each other uneasily. Then Harry turned to her and said, "I did."
"Thanks Harry. I owe you," Ginny replied gratefully.
"You should really be thanking Malfoy," Harry said, looking a little guilty.
"Why would I thank him? What did he do?" Ginny asked, perplexed.
"He was the one who actually saw you fall. I didn't even notice until he started to dive. I looked for what he was diving for, and saw it was you. If he would have been close, he would have caught you, not me. He deserves all of the credit," Harry said with a pained expression in his eyes.
"You're kidding me, right? He probably only did it for the attention," Ginny said nastily.
"Maybe, maybe not," Harry replied uncertainly.
"Whatever. So, did we win the game?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.
"It was rescheduled for when you're well enough to play again," Ron replied. "We weren't sure when that would be. You looked pretty bad when you got to the Hospital Wing. We were really worried, not sure you were going to make it at first. It was kinda like the Chamber of Secrets all over again. Only without You Know You."
"Well, I'm awake now, and I feel fine. I wonder how long I'll have to stay here," Ginny commented.
"Probably a few days. Just to make sure your injuries are fully healed, and that you're not having any memory problems. We thought you might not remember anything," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"Did anyone collect my homework?" Ginny asked.
"Shannon did. It's on your night stand. Shannon usually comes with to see you, but she had to talk to Professor McGonagall for a few minutes. She should be here soon though," Hermione informed her.
Ginny nodded in reply. They talked for a little while. Then Shannon came in, and asked Ginny how she felt. She told Ginny how worried she had been about her, and how boring it was without her.
Ginny answered her questions, and chatted with her for awhile. Then Madame Pomfrey came over, and kicked her friends out.
"How long will I have to stay here?" Ginny asked the medi-witch.
"If everything goes well, within two to three days. I may have you not go to classes for a day or two after that to rest, but then you'll be fine," Madame Pomfrey replied, smiling at Ginny. Ginny was about to ask another question, when Madame Pomfrey cut her off, "You'll be able to play Quidditch again as soon as you go back to classes."
Ginny smiled, and then lay back on her bed, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

*~*~*~*

Ginny was woken up around seven o'clock for a late dinner. She ate it, and then Madame Pomfrey checked to make she was still okay. Having examined her, Madame Pomfrey announced that she could leave the day after tomorrow. Ginny was relieved to hear that she could be playing Quidditch again and start attending classes again. As much as sheated going to school, she didn't want to miss too much, in fear she would fall behind. Then she could fail her O.W.L.s and her parents would be furious with her.
Ginny pushed that thought from her head, and laid back down. She was till exhausted despite that she'd been out for a long time. Ginny fell sleep, and slept peacefully for awhile. Then sometime around twelve o'clock, she woke again. She thought she heard someone outside the Hospital Wing. She brushed it off as the wind or another patient. She was just drifting off to sleep again, when she thought she saw someone enter the room. She couldn't be totally sure, but she could have sworn it looked a lot like Lucius Malfoy. She knew it wasn't logical. Why would Lucius Malfoy be at Hogwarts in the middle of the week? Not the mention at night. I must be hallucinating, she thought, but she turned the lamp beside her bed on, none the less. She wasn't going to take any chances. After laying awake in bed fro awhile, Ginny's eyelids began to droop once again. After assuring herself it had only been an illusion, she fell asleep once again.

*~*~*~*

That same night, Draco lay awake in bed thinking about the eves of last Saturday. He had heard that the Weasley girl had finally regained consciousness after a week. He knew he shouldn't really care, but he was relieved. He had been all the way across the pitch when it had happened, otherwise he would have warned her about the Bludger. Draco also would have been the one to catch her if he would have been closer. He wasn't though, and Harry got all of the credit, once again, for saving Ginny.
All of the sudden, Draco had the feeling that someone was watching him. He sat bolt upright, and turned on the light. Standing in the doorway of the sixth year Slytherin boys' dormitories, was Lucius Malfoy. Before Lucius could say or do anything, Draco took out his wand and said, "Stupefy."
Lucius crumbled to the floor after the spell had hit him. Draco quickly cast a Levitating Charm, and snuck out of the dormitory. He quickly made his way through the corridors to the Headmaster's office. Not caring how late it was, he uttered the password, and the gargoyles sprang apart revealing the stairway.
Draco ascended them as fast as he could, and pounded on the Headmaster's door. He waited a few seconds, and then pounded on the door again. After a few minutes of pounding, a disgruntled looking Dumbledore came to the door. He saw Draco, and was about to demand he go back to his dormitory, until he saw what was behind Draco. It was an unconscious Lucius Malfoy levitating in the air.
Dumbledore's eyes widened behind his half-moon spectacles in surprise, and he said, "Come in and explain."
Draco told him about lying awake in bed and feeling someone's presence. Then he'd looked up, seen who it was, and stunned him.
Dumbldore listened with interest, and nodded. He looked at Draco and asked, "Did you tell your father that Christina was teaching here?"
Draco nodded, and looked at Dumbledore, nonplused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Lucius Malfoy came here tonight to try and harm Christina Malfoy. His exact motives I'm not sure. If he was just going to curse her, threaten her, or kill her, I don't know. Let's go make sure that she's alright. Lucius Malfoy isn't stupid, he may have gone to Christina first," Dumbledore said grimly.
Draco followed Dumbledore out of his office, to Christina's quarters. Draco crossed his fingers that she was alright.
On upon entering her bedroom, Draco was dismayed to find that she was not alright. She lay unconscious, on her bed, marks of the Cruciatus Curse all over her body. There was also a note. It said, "Stay away from Draco or you'll be sorry."
The one the note was referring to gasped. It was all his fault that Lucius was at Hogwarts, and that his sister was unconscious.
"Take her to the Hospital Wing, tell Madame Pomfrey what happened," Dumbledore commanded.
Draco nodded dumbly. He levitated his sister in front of him, and made his way to the Hospital Wing. By the time he had reached it, his vision was blurred from the tears forming in his eyes.
He rang the bell that alerted Madame Pomfrey to a new patient. The medi-witch stumbled out of her bedroom and looked at Draco. "What's wrong with you?" she snapped, clearly not happy to have been woken up in the middle of the night.
"Nothing, but she's unconscious," Draco said, pointing to Christina.
Madame Pomfrey told him where to put her down, and asked, "What happened?"
"My father came, and attacked her. From the looks of it, with the Cruciatus Curse," Draco replied.
"Alright, thank you. Dumbledore knows what happened, correct?" she asked. At Draco's nod she continued, "You are free to go."
Draco nodded again. He made his way back to his dormitory. When he arrived there, he lay down on his bed, closed the curtains, and burst into sobs muffled by his pillow

*~*~*~*

Ginny, who had been awoken by the bell, was amazed. So, she hadn't been seeing things, it really had been Lucius Malfoy she'd seen. She also had her reason why now, it was a to curse Professor Malfoy. Why he'd done that, Ginny had no idea, but had a feeling that it had something to do with Draco. She had seen the way his eyes were over bright, and were shiny from unshed tears. That was one of the things that surprised her the most. She'd never seen Draco cry, and figured she never would, but she was probably closer than most of the other students. Ginny knew that when he was in the privacy of his bed, with the curtains closed, he would start crying, and that was a sad thought.
Ginny also hadn't missed the hatred in his eyes when he'd mentioned his father. It had only darkened his eyes for a second, but she had still caught it. He evidently didn't like the thought of Lucius being anywhere near him or his sister. Ginny could relate to that, she didn't want Lucius anywhere near her either.
Ginny gave a big yawn, and closed her eyes. She could think about it more in the morning, but right now she wanted to sleep.

*~*~*~*

Draco woke up the next morning, and had to drag himself our of bed. If it had been up to him, he would have just stayed in bed all day, but knew he had to get to class. Looking around the dormitory, he was surprised at the lack of his fellow classmates. Draco looked at the clock, and thought he must be seeing things. He closed his eyes, and then opened them, but it still said the same thing. 1:34 p.m. Draco couldn't believe his eyes, he had definitely overslept. The teachers were going to kill him.
Draco scrambled around the room, looking for clothes to wear, when he noticed a note attached to his mirror.
It said:
Draco,
I'm sure you'll need your rest after last night. I've excused you from today's and tomorrow's classes.
-Dumbledore
Upon reading the note, Draco sighed in relief. He stopped his mad dash to get ready for class, and got dressed more leisurely. He planned to go visit Christina in the Hospital Wing and see if she was alright. He made his way out of the dormitory and Common Room, and into the dungeons. From there, he went through the dark corridors of Hogwarts, and reached the Infirmary.
Draco stepped in, and walked over to where his sister lay. She was awake, but barely. When she saw him, she smiled weakly. "So, this is what you've had to endure since you were little?" she asked.
Draco nodded imly. "He started using the Cruciatus Curse on me when I was seven," he said, his voice filled with pain. He could still remember that day, all those years ago.

*Flashback*
Draco, being the mischievous seven year old that he was, had snuck into his father's study, and taken a seemingly harmless looking object from it. He had been bored, and it had been something to do. Just getting into his father's study had been an adventure, but now he had found something fun to play with.
It was a shiny, leather like egg. It had tough skin, and Draco imagined that it was an abandoned dragon egg that he had to save from being eaten. He had spent the whole day playing with the egg. Draco had an active imagination and this kept him busy. The day had gone great, until his father came home.
Lucius had gone immediately to his study, but soon came out again, looking furious. He made his way to his son's room, and almost throttled Draco when he saw what was in his hands. The exact item Lucius had been looking for. It was a Basilisk egg.
"Where did you get that?" Lucius bellowed in rage. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "I don't want you going in my study again. Do you understand? There are valuable things in there. Things not meant for seven year old boys. Don't touch my things."
Draco just stood there, trembling.
"Now, I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't soon forget. Crucio!" Lucius yelled, his wand pointed at Draco.
He had fallen to his knees, and had screamed in pain. He had soon fallen unconscous, and had reached a blessed blackness where he couldn't feel the pain.
*End Flashback*

Remembering this, Draco shuddered. That had been the day when he had stopped looking up to his father. That had been the day that he'd realized that his father wasn't all he had previously thought, he was. He was evil.
"Are you okay, Draco?" Christina's voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I think a more appropriate question would be are you okay?" Draco asked in concern.
"I'm fine. A little sore, but totally fine," Christina said, flashing him a weak smile. This only proved to him that she was not indeed fine.
A comfortable silence followed her remark. Then abruptly Draco broke it saying, "I'm sorry."
"Whatever for?" Christina asked in surprise.
"For almost getting you killed," Draco replied.
"Draco, I told you before. I don't care if Lucius kills me," Christina reminded him.
"I know but-" Draco began.
He was cut off by Madame Pomfrey, who said, "Alright, that's enough. Christina needs her rest. Now, out."
Draco followed the order grudgingly. He wished he could have stayed longer, but knew the medi-witch was right. Christina did need her rest.
When Draco arrived back at the Slytherin Common Room, the rest of the Slytherins were back from their classes. He quietly snuck into his dormitory, which was, thankfully, unoccupied. He sat on his bed, and turned on his laptop. He logged onto the internet, and was pleased to see that Fierysprite ws already on.
Hotdragon: Hey.
Fierysprite: Hey, I haven't talked to you in awhile.
Hotdragon: I've been busy.
Fierysprite: So have I. So, what's up?
Hotdragon: Nothing much, did you hear about Professor Malfoy?
Fierysprite: Yeah, I heard Lucius Malfoy did it.
Hotdragon: So did I. I think it's terrible.
Fierysprite: I totally agree.
Hotdragon: Did you see the last Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin?
Fierysprite: Yeah, the Weasley girl fell off her broom. I heard she's awake now.
Hotdragon: I did too. I wonder when she's getting out of the Hospital Wing.
Fierysprite: I heard tomorrow.
Hotdragon: That's good to know.
Fierysprite: Yeah. Do you think that Professor Malfoy teach right away?
Hotdragon: I don't know, hopefully.
Fierysprite: Do you think that she'll leave after this?
Hotdragon: I don't think so. Hogwarts is pretty safe.
Fierysprite: I guess you're right.
Hotdragon: Of course I am.
Fierysprite: You're so arrogant.
Hotdragon: I can be when I want to be.
Fierysprite: (rolls eyes)
Hotdragon: Don't roll your eyes at me. It's true.
Fierysprite: I know.
Hotdragon: You are so much fun to talk to.
Fierysprite: So are you. Sometimes I may have to be careful about how much detail I use, but there's something about you that makes me want to be myself when I'm talking to you.
Hotdragon: Same with you. I don't know why, but I always end up being myself with you.
Fierysprite: What if we told each other our initials?
Hotdragon: You mean as a clue to who we are?
Fierysprite: Yeah.
Draco thought about it for a second, and then decided to agree. She wouldn't know who he was anyway. His initials were L.D.M. His real first name was Lucius, but since he was a baby, he had been called Draco, his middle name.
Hotdragon: Alright.
Fierysprite: Mine are V.W.
Hotdragon: L.M.
Fierysprite: Interesting. I'll have to think about that one.
Hotdragon: Me too.
Fierysprite: I wish didn't have to, but I should probably be getting off. I have some homework I need to finish.
Hotdragon: Alright. Bye.
Fierysprite: Bye.
(Fierysprite has logged off.)
Draco did a few things online, and then logged off.
He decided he should probably find someone who could give him his assignments. He also decided that, even though Dumbledore had said he could take tomorrow off also, he would go to classes tomorrow. He wanted to be there to see if Christina was at the staff table the next day, and if she was at her classes. Draco hoped she would be back. It would be really weird if they had a different teacher. It wouldn't be right.
Draco was also afraid that Lucius would come back, and try to kill Christina again. He hoped against hope that he wouldn't, but it was not likely. Even though Draco had caught him, Lucius would try again. He wanted Christina dead, and Lucius Malfoy wasn't a man you'd classify as a quitter. You wouldn't even classify him as giving up easily either. He was a man who took a challenge when it presented itself, and accomplished every goal that he set for himself.. Draco sight. Thing about it would do no good. Then he went in search of Blaise for his homework assignments.

*~*~*~*

After Ginny had logged off of the internet, she began working on some more of the homework from the days she had missed. She'd been doing homework all day, and she still wasn't done. Granted, she hadn't woken up until about 12:30. Then she'd eaten lunch, and talked with Christina for a little while. Ginny had asked her why Lucius Malfoy had been after her, but Christina hadn't answered. All she'd said was that it had something to do with family problems, and that the rest of her family probably wouldn't want Ginny to know. Ginny guessed that when she said "the rest of her family," she meant Draco, and Ginny agreed with her.
They had talked a bit longer, and Ginny had enjoyed it. Somehow that topic had changed to Draco, and Ginny had found out some things that she hadn't known. Christina had let it slip that Lucius had been using the Cruciatus Curse on Draco since he was seven. Ginny had gasped in shock, and Christina had then adopted a look of regret. She hadn't realized how much she was giving away until it had actually happened. She'd begged Ginny not to tell anyone, especially Draco, that she knew that. Ginny had immediately agreed. She had been too shocked to tell anyone. She had suspected that he might threaten to do it, but not actually use it. And even since he was so young too.
At that moment, Ginny had had a great feeling of compassion for Draco. She knew that she couldn't say anything to him. He probably would hate her more for I t anyway, not to mention hating Christina. It had been a little like the night that she'd found out that Hotdragon had a bad life. She had almost cried right on the spot, but had held back the tears. She didn't think anyone deserved that kind of treatment, even her worst enemy. Besides, Ginny was beginning to realize that he wasn't as cold-hearted as he let on.
After Christina had let the information slip about Draco, they hadn't talked much longer. Ginny had gone back to her bed, and started working on her homework, and that's what she'd been doing since.
Now, she was getting bored with it. She snapped shut her book just as Draco walked into the room. He was carrying books which appeared to be his assignments from the day.
He appeared to be going to visit his sister, but she decided to stop him. Ginny said, "Malfoy, wait."
Draco's head snapped around, and looked at her as if noticing her for the first time. "What?"
"I wanted to thank you," she replied, somewhat nervously.
"For what?" Draco asked, nonplused.
"For saving my life," Ginny said, gaining confidence.
"I didn't save your life, Potter did," Draco informed her harshly.
" I know that Harry was the one who actually caught me, but you saved my life," Ginny replied genuinely.
"What do you mean by that?" Draco asked her, clearly confused.
"Harry wouldn't have seen me falling if you hadn't dove to catch me. He told me that himself, so thanks. Thanks a lot," Ginny said gratefully.
Draco gave her a small smile and said, "No problem. I may not like you, but I wouldn't want to see you die."
"I know, I would have done the same thing for you," she said truthfully, returning his smile. "You can go talk to Christina if you want now."
"Alright. That's why I came here in the first place, after all," he replied. "See ya around, Weasley."
"Right back at you, Malfoy," Ginny replied, and she watched him walk over to his sister with a smile on his face.

*~*~*~*

After talking to Christina, Draco made his way back to his dormitory. She had told him that she would, indeed, be teaching again tomorrow, and that she was not going to leave Hogwarts either. She said she was going to show Lucius Malfoy that she wasn't afraid of him.
Draco smiled to himself at her words. Lucius was going to have a harder time at harming her than he thought. She wasn't going to be persuaded to leave Draco alone very easily, and the thought comforted Draco. Maybe Lucius won't completely ruin my life yet, he thought optimistically.
With this in mine, Draco changed into a pair of pajama pants, and climbed into bed. He pulled the curtains around his bed. Within a few short minutes, he was soundly asleep.

*~*~*~*

After all the excitemeof the past week, between Ginny getting hit in the head with a Bludger to Christina being attacked, Dumbledore's announcement only stirred it up more. He gave the announcement that there would be a Ball for the 5th through 7th years after Christmas break. It was to take place on the Friday night after classes resumed.
All of the older students were excited, all except two that is. Both Draco and Ginny were unenthusiastic about the whole thing, but for complete opposite reasons. Draco was dreading it because he knew he would get around a hundred offers from different girls. It's not that he was arrogant or anything, it was the truth. Ginny was dreading it because she knew that she would end up going alone. No one ever asked her to things like this. She was just Ginny Weasley, the girl who had a crush on Harry Potter. She was over that now, but not many guys knew that. It also didn't help that guys thought if they even looked at her like that, Ron would kill them.
Ginny sighed at the thought, and turned back to her breakfast. She could just see it now, all dressed up and all alone. She shook her head at the thought, and finished her meal. She packed up her books, and went to her first class. It was double Potions with the Slytherins.
When she arrived at the classroom, she was greeted with a surprising sight. Snape was already there, which in itself was unusual, and he was talking to Draco Malfoy. Both looked uncharacteristically distraught. They both turned to face her when she arrived.
"Ah, Miss Weasley. Just the person I wanted to see," Snape greeted her.
"What's going on, Professor?" Ginny asked curiously.
"I have cancelled class today for the purpose of trying to sort out the current situation. It seems that once again, Christina Malfoy has been attacked. This time a potion was slipped into her drink. We have to fine what potion was used, and how to counteract it. Will you help us?" Snape asked.
"Yeah, sure. What do you need me to do?" Ginny asked.
"I need you and Mr. Malfoy to go to the library, and research potions that cause extreme pain and then knocks out the victim," Snape commanded.
"Alright. Come on Malfoy," Ginny said, walking toward the door.
"Yes, Ma'am," Draco replied with a salute. Keeping things light was all he could do from bursting into tears. He couldn't believe that Lucius had attacked Christina again so soon, and without anyone knowing he was in the castle. He had been very sneaky about it. Lucius must have snuck into the kitchens, and put it in the pumpkin juice the was going to the Hospital Wing. After that, Christina had drunken it, and screamed as if being attacked with a very painful potion. After about ten or fifteen minutes of torture, she had fallen unconscious.
Ginny must have picked up on Draco's feelings because, much to Draco's surprise, when they were out of the classroom, she gave him a hug. Then she whispered to him, "She's going to be fine. Lucius won't finish his plan. I just know it."
Draco gave her a small smile, and said dejectedly, "I appreciate your effort to cheer me up, which I don't understand by the way, but I know it's not true. Pretty soon my sister's going to be dead, and it's all my fault."
"You can't mean that. How could I be you fault? It's not, and the only reason I tried to cheer you up was so that I wouldn't have to deal with a cranky Draco Malfoy all day," Ginny said.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Draco said, a bit more harshly than he'd intended.
Ginny seemed unaffected by his harsh words. She replied cheerfully, "I would if you explained it to me. Maybe I could help."
"You're helping enough already with researching the potions. Thanks for this," Draco said gratefully.
By this time, they had reached the library, and Ginny let the subject drop. She realized he really didn't want to talk about it. They both knew that they had a lot of work to do, which meant that they had a long day ahead of them, together, and Ginny didn't wan Draco to be mad at her for the whole time. Besides, she didn't really want to make him talk about a subject that hurt him.
Draco and Ginny got to work, only talking occasionally to point out something that might be useful or ask the other a question. Hours passed in this fashion, and they still hadn't found anything.
After about three hours of research, they took a break and headed to the Great Hall for lunch. When Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table, Ron was staring at her. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked, having a pretty good guess.
Her suspicions were confirmed when Ron replied, " You haven't been in your classes all day, Shannon told me, and you just walked in with Malfoy. What's going on, Gin?"
"Malfoy and I were doing some research for Snape. Professor Malfoy was attacked again, this time with a potion, and I'm helping Malfoy find out which one it is," Ginny informed her brother.
"Oh," Ron said, seeming to be at a loss for words.
"You shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly, you get yourself all worked up over nothing," Hermione reprimanded him. "I told you there was probably a logical explanation for it." Hermione gave a knowing nod of her head, and then turned to start a conversation with Harry.
"Whatever," Ron said. "If he makes a move on you, Gin, just tell me. I'll curse him into next week."
"Don't worry, Ron. I can take care of myself," Ginny replied, smiling reassuringly.
"I know, you're not a little girl anymore, but I still worry about you," Ron told her.
"Thanks Ron," Ginny said as she gave him a hug.
"Ah, how touching," drawled a voice from behind Ginny. "but if you don't mind, I'd like to take your sister."
"Shut it, Malfoy. She'll come when she wants to," Ron replied threateningly.
"It's okay, Ron. I was done anyway," Ginny said, playing the role of peace keeper. She stood up, and followed Draco to the library.
"We haven't gotten anywhere, have we?" Draco asked.
"Not really," Ginny said.
"How are we ever going to find out what potion it was?" Draco asked helplessly.
"We'll figure it out," Ginny said optimistically, and then they turned back to their research.

*~*~*~*

Draco and Ginny worked for a long time. Snape had come to check on their progress about an hour ago. He was disappointed at their results.
"That's it," Draco exclaimed excitedly. "This is it!"
"You found it?" Ginny asked enthusiastically.
"I'm pretty sure. It's called the Cruciatus Potion. I didn't know there was such a thing," Draco mused, mostly to himself. "It's Dark Magic, and it's illegal. No surprise there. It's clear, tasteless, and odorless. It has similar effects of the Cruciatus Curse, but soon knocks the drinker into a coma. If the drinker doesn't take the antidote within twenty-four hours of falling unconscious, the drinker will die."
"What?" Ginny practically screamed, earning a reprimanding look from the liarian. "Is the instructions for the antidote in there?"
"Yeah," he replied, and then his face darkened. "This is a really complicated potion, I don't know if we can make it in time."
"Well, we have to try," Ginny said.
"Alright, let's go show Snape," Draco commanded, and they exited the library.

*~*~*~*

When they arrived in Snape's office, and showed him the information they had found, Snape looked shocked. "I've heard of this potion, but didn't think it was possible to make," he explained. "One of the ingredients is unicorn blood,, which is almost impossible to get . You either have to actually kill a unicorn or get it from the Black Market. Either way, it's hard to come by. Another one of the ingredients, ground firecrab shells, are no longer sold anywhere. Lucius must really want her dead."
"Do you think we'll be able to make the antidote in time?" Draco asked, clearly nervous.
"I'm not sure, but I will tell you, I can't help you," Snape informed them.
"Why not?" Ginny asked, bewildered.
"Because it says that the brewers of the aidote must add a part of themselves from their youth. Since you two are both still young, a piece of your hair or something will do. You also must know that if you help brew this potion that the potion will take some of your energy and life source to help revive Christina. That is why it requires youth, if they used older people's life force, it could very well kill them. You must be absolutely willing or the antidote will not work," Snape replied grimly.
Draco and Ginny looked at each other as Draco said, "You don't have to do this if you don't want. You've done enough already, really you have."
"No, I want to help. I don't care if you think I've done enough already. I'm going to help," Ginny said stubbornly.
"If you're sure," Draco shrugged. "Let's get to work then."
"We have to hurry. We only have about two and a half hours left," Ginny said urgently.
Then they went to work. First, they collected all of their ingredients. There were quite a lot of them, and some of them they had to take from Snape's personal stash. He had given them permission to use anything that they needed.
After that, they consulted the book. Draco added the first three ingredients, and put them over low heat. Ginny stirred it for ten minutes before Draco added the next ingredient.

*~*~*~*

The next hour passed in this fashion. Adding ingredients, stirring the potion for awhile, and then adding more ingredients. At about 5:30, they had to add part of themselves. Both of them cut a piece of their hair off, and put it into the potion. Now, all they had to do was stir it for ten minutes, and let it boil for another ten. They didn't know exactly what time that Christina had taken the potion, but they estimated it to be around six o'clock. They had to finish the antidote as quickly as possible.
The twenty minutes that it took to finish it after they'd added their hair seemed to go by at a snail's pace for both Draco and Ginny. They both knew that if they weren't done in time, or did something wrong, Christina would die. Neither wanted this to happen.
When the antidote was finally finished, they took some of it and put it into a clear vile, measuring out the exact amount that they needed. The drinker needed exactly an ounce for each year of their life. After putting it in the vial, they both rushed to the Hospital Wing, hoping they weren't too late. Since Draco had longer strides than Ginny, she had to really rush to keep up with him. In her haste, she didn't notice a small crack in the floor. It was just wide enough for her foot to catch in it, and she fell forward. This in turn, knocked over Draco, whom she had collided with, and making him drop the vial with the potion in it.
Ginny braced herself for a huge explosion from Draco, but instead, he seemed to be in a daze. All he said was, "Nice going, Weasley." Then he rushed back to where the rest of the potion was. He, once again, measured out the right amount. Then they hurried towards the Hospital Wing, again. This time nothing went wrong.
Upon entering the Infirmary, they saw that both Dumbledore and Snape were standing around Christina's bed. When they saw Draco and Ginny enter, they beckoned them over. Draco and Ginny went and stood before the two professors.
Dumbledore looked at them sadly, and said, "Christina Malfoy is dead."