Secrets and Lies

Ginny stumbled down the stairs. When she reached the bottom she made sure the coast was clear, before dashing out to the Portrait Hole. She pushed it open, and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she didn't want to ever talk to Harry or... Draco ever again, it was just that she didn't think she could handle it.

She made her way down to the Great Hall where she found her friend face down in a plate of bacon. Ginny sat down beside her, and took as much care as she could in making as much noise as possible whilst buttering a piece of toast.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Megan mumbled into the plate.

"This is what you get for drinking without me last night," Ginny replied, before pouring herself a glass of orange juice and slamming the jug back down on the table. Megan's head bolted up.

"Is it that obvious?" Megan asked. Ginny looked at her friend. The bags under her eyes were big enough for the weekly grocery shopping.

"No," Ginny lied. "I just have a knack for these things. So who were you drinking with?"

"Walker," Megan replied. "And Harry," she added. Ginny dropped the marmalade, and Megan winced.

"What?" she demanded.

"I don't know, he must have come in some time," Megan said. "I don't remember much about last night." Ginny then caught a familiar scent.

"Is that Harry's aftershave?"

"Could be. These are his robes," Megan replied. The marmalade crashed down onto the table again.

"What?" Ginny whispered, furious with both her friend and her boyfriend... kind of.

"When I woke up this morning I couldn't find my robes," Megan said. "I was stark naked in the middle of Walker's office, and Harry was unconscious so I took his robes."

"Why were you naked?"

"I don't remember, everything's a blur," Megan replied. "However I do remember Walker saying a lot about House Points." With timing so brilliant it was unreal, Ron sat down beside Ginny.

"Hey Ginny, did you see the House Points Jars out in the Entrance Hall?" Ron asked.

"Why?"

"Cause Gryffindor have picked up a lot of points... and Slytherin have zero."

Ginny's head whipped around to look at the staff table, where McGonagall was talking sternly to the teachers and Walker had lowered his head into his hands.

"I remember!" Megan hissed to Ginny. "Walker said something like he'd give me a hundred points for Gryffindor if I took my top off!"

Sadly Romilda Vane was sitting nearby.

###

Harry was not the most pure of all world saviours, and it would be a lie to suggest that he had never awoken one morning feeling a bit dizzy. But it would not be a lie if I told you that this was the first time Harry had ever woken up stark naked in a teacher's office with that feeling that a group of gorillas are forming a rock group in your head. They need a bit more practice. A guitar is not a club, and most vocalists don't bang their heads off the inside of your skull. But the music is there.

This was how poor Harry awoke, to find his Headmistress standing over his shouting. What she was shouting about was unclear, but Harry could probably guess.

Now he had been dragged into the Headmistress' office, after being robed of course, alongside Professor Walker and Ginny's friend, probably called Megan. Both looked almost as bad as he felt.

"Now Mister Potter, what do you remember of last night?" Professor McGonagall asked shrewdly. Harry struggled for a moment to bring random moments together.

"I remember walking down the Transfiguration corridor," he began. "I heard noises from inside Walker's office, and I knocked and went in." He paused. "That's about it really." McGonagall nodded.

"What about you Miss Ormsby?" McGonagall asked. Megan thought for a moment.

"There was drinking involved," she muttered.

"Oh really?" McGonagall asked in a sarcastic manner that really didn't suit her. "Do you remember anything else perhaps? Involving House Points for example?" Megan shook her head, so McGonagall turned to Walker. "And we found you this morning in the lake. How did that happen?"

"I reckon we did a bit of drinking," Walker told her. "Which is perfectly alright I might add. They are of age after all."

"Oh, well that makes it alright then!" McGonagall exclaimed. "How silly of me to see a problem with two students and a teacher getting drunk and awarding each other House Points!"

"House Points?" Harry asked.

"Yes Mister Potter. Gryffindor now has thirteen thousand, six hundred and eighty-seven house points. Slytherin has zero."

"But that's good," Harry pointed out. "It means Gryffindor will win the House Cup."

"Not if I take them all away!" she barked.

"Actually Minerva, you can't do that," Walker said, raising a finger. Judging by the look on McGonagall's face she didn't consider Walker to be on first name terms with her, but the young man pushed on regardless. "As cited in Hogwarts: A History no teacher has the right to deduct House Points without a perfectly valid reason. All it would take would be for one person who had actually read the book to tell the Gryffindor Tower this and they would riot, and very likely so would the parents. People take the House Cup very seriously." McGonagall glared at him.

"I'm sure that right above that it mentions that teachers are not allowed to give out House Points without a valid reason," McGonagall replied, grinding her teeth. "And what about all the points you took from Slytherin?" Walker's face fell.

"Well, you see... The thing about that is... Here's the thing..."

"And I also have the reasons you gave out the House Points," McGonagall added calmly. Harry turned his head sideways to the cupboard where he and Ron had hidden earlier in the year. He could have sworn he just heard someone in there. McGonagall continued. "I have received a reliable report on something that Miss Ormsby said this morning. Apparently you offered her House Points in exchange for removing items of clothing. I sincerely hope that you did not offer her House Points in exchange for anything else." Walker suddenly turned so pale the resemblance to Snape was unnerving, and Megan herself had gone a deathly white.

Harry didn't really notice this as his eyes were firmly glued on the cupboard, which he was certain had just rattled. But he turned around to face McGonagall, who looked furious.

"I ought to toss the three of you out on your ears this second!" McGonagall shouted. "Hogwarts is not suited for the sort of people with such... loose morals. Can you imagine what the Daily Prophet would do if it caught wind of two students and a teacher getting drunk and doing Merlin only knows what!" Then it clicked in Harry's mind.

"Where do you get off?" Harry demanded. Suddenly McGonagall's face turned from furious to unholy wrath.

"Excuse me Mister Potter?" But she did not shout, she merely whispered. Walker and Megan were trying to edge away from her.

"Ron and I saw you and Zacharias Smith up here in your office!" he said triumphantly. "And there's someone in that cupboard. I'll bet it's Smith again!" But Harry's triumph turned to horror when someone else burst out of the cupboard.

"What's this Zacharias Smith rubbish?" Ernie Macmillan demanded. "You told me I was the only one." There was a long silence.

"Mister Potter I believe we have an understanding," McGonagall said calmly at last. "However I will have to deduct twenty points from Gryffindor for blackmailing a teacher. You three are dismissed."

Harry, Megan and Walker left without another word, and when they got to the bottom of the staircase they stopped.

"Well kids, it was fun," Walker said. "But I don't think we should do it again. I'd walk you to your tower, but I feel that may be a bad idea." He nodded, and wandered off in a seemingly random direction.

"What a weirdo," Megan muttered. "Ah well Harry, I believe this is yours," she said handing him a piece of parchment. "Draco had it." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "See you around."

She took off down the corridor, and Harry stared down at his prized Marauder's Map. He took out his wand and tapped the page.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said, deciding that perhaps he ought to pay Malfoy a visit. He was still in the Hospital Wing, and to Harry's delight he saw that Ron and Hermione were with him.

###

It had been the most boring hour of his life. At first it had looked so full of promise when Weasley had told him Potter, Walker and Megan were in McGonagall's office getting told off, but Granger had cut him off and began telling him about the preparations she was making for his trial, which would take place on the 21^st of December. Weasley had made a quip about sending him some Christmas presents in Azkaban. Whereas Draco had laughed, Granger gave Weasley a look that nearly killed him. Weasley didn't say anything after that.

Granger was just referring Draco to the case where his father had gone on trial and claimed the Dark Lord had tortured him and threatened to kill his family when Potter arrived.

And made a lunge for his throat.

Weasley was the fastest to react, and tried to drag Potter away but hands were already around Draco's throat. Now Draco wasn't the strongest physically, so he basically screamed like and eight-year-old girl. His father would have been proud.

Once Potter had calmed down Weasley released him, and Granger demanded an explanation.

"It was him," Potter said. "He stole the Marauder's Map. I told you that Matthew Baird was trouble." He glanced around. "So what's happening?"

"We're trying to get him off," Weasley explained. "I'm not sure why either."

"I thought that was what it was," Potter said too calmly for Draco's liking. "I considered coming up here and strangling the bastard sooner, but I thought better of it. I reckoned if Hermione knew about him and trusted him it must have been for a good reason." He stared at Draco. "And McGonagall, Slughorn and Megan all trusted you."

"They didn't exactly trust me. I'm not sure Slughorn even knew who he was making the potion for."

"It's all irrelevant," Potter said. "My only problem is Ginny." He stared at Draco, who knew he had a lot of explaining to do.

###

A few days later the Aurors came. Madam Pomfrey had declared Malfoy healed, and the Aurors had responded immediately by escorting him from the castle at breakfast time. The entire school watching him leave.

Ginny was one of the ones in the front row. As the Aurors lead Malfoy down the stairs with his arms hanging loosely at his sides, Ginny wondered if she really should stand here. Malfoy might see her.

Malfoy did see her, and he didn't take his eyes off her as he walked past. Ginny stared back defiantly, but it was a false defiance. When he finally got past her his head swung towards the door, and he marched on as if he had something to prove. Several Slytherins whistled at him, and one of them made a very rude gesture. Then Blaise Zabini stepped out of the crowd and extended his hand. Malfoy spat in it. One of the Aurors nudged Malfoy on, leaving an enraged Zabini standing there. One of the Hufflepuffs shouting something at him.

As Malfoy left the Entrance Hall he locked eyes with the group beside the door. Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing there. Ron and Hermione nodded, but Harry stared right through Malfoy. Then he left through the doors, which slammed shut behind him.

Draco Malfoy had left Hogwarts, and was now on his way to Azkaban prison. And suddenly the castle that had been her home for so long now felt so empty.