Slytherin Forever! Book Two: Shadow

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Chapter Three: You Are My Only Comfort.

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Yes, I will stay here for a while,

For I need the break. A break from the

Pressures of life, and everything

That lies in the palms of life's hands

- Gently, Slipknot.

~*~

Vuori College For Witchcraft, Savonlinna, Finland.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea, Rakkaus," Gudrun said slowly. "It could go seriously wrong..."

"We have to take the risk," the blond boy replied. "Somebody's been stealing the Potions supplies and we both want to know who it is, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"Nothing to but," Rakkaus whispered. "Believe me when I say that this is going to work..."

He looked at Gudrun only to find her staring at him, apparently thinking about something. He nudged his guardian softly and asked her what was wrong, which seemed to wake her from a dream.

"I was just thinking about your parents," she said softly. "You look a lot like Shanna, and you look just like every other Malfoy with your fair hair, but your personality's definitely your father's."

"Did you know Sirius well?" Rakkaus asked softly. "I don't know much about him. Mum never really mentioned what he was like before he got into Azkaban."

"I knew your father quite well, yes," Gudrun smiled. "He was a good person, not the kind that you expect to be a Death Eater. Then again, I had not expected my best friend to be in Voldemort's service either..."

Her eyes got a slightly sad look and Rakkaus could tell that she was thinking about the man who had hurt her and protected her at the same time. He put an arm around her and pulled her towards him, saying:

"He's not worth it, Gudrun. Let him be, forget about him!"

"I can't."

"You don't know that if you don't even have the guts to try," Rakkaus replied. "Am I right?"

"Of course," Gudrun yawned. "Now I know why Shanna called you Rakkaus."

"Why then?"

"Rakkaus means love, doesn't it? You've got your heart in the right place, dear. Don't lose it."

***

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, Britain.

When the second-year Slytherins entered the Great Hall the next morning the first thing they saw was Draco over at their table, talking excitedly with the other third-years. When Harry Potter entered with his friends Draco did a pretty good impression of somebody fainting.

"It is not a laughing matter," Ginny whispered to him. "If that Dementor had stayed in our compartment for a longer period of time I would have done the same thing as Harry did."

"You did not have to go up to the Hospital Wing, now did you?" Blaise asked her. "I reckon that Potter has witnessed bad things and that the Dementors brought those memories up again. You don't have that much bad memories."

"The ones I have are bad enough," Ginny replied. "Or have you forgotten about last year, with the Chamber of Secrets and my diary?"

"Of course not," Blaise replied. "But Potter has fought You-Know-Who two times already and that guy is nightmare material, as you all know."

"He's fought You-Know-Who three times," Draco corrected. "Last year, when Gin was taken down into the Chamber, Potter went after her together with Weasley and they rescued her from You-Know-Who."

"I thought that you said that Potter fought Tom Riddle?" Pansy asked in confusion. "You-Know-Who was not even there!"

"He was," Ginny said softly. "Tom Marvolo Riddle is now known as You-Know-Who. He tried to take my life force in order to become alive once more."

Zeynep, who came running down the table with the timetables, drowned any further questions or comments out. He seated himself next to Natalya and Blaise and handed the papers out to everyone with a smile on his face. Ginny looked down at her own timetable and was relieved to see that today was a relatively quiet day with Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration.

"Oh no," Draco whispered. "I've got Arithmancy, Divination, and Care Of Magical Creatures today. Three new subjects!"

"Arithmancy's difficult," Zeynep murmured. "Divination is good because Professor Trelawney does not really have the Sight, but I would not know about Care Of Magical Creatures."

"I've got Ancient Runes tomorrow," Draco frowned. "And I've got Defense Against The Dark Arts in the afternoon."

"We've got that tomorrow morning," Ginny said happily. "In the afternoon we've got Charms."

The second-years headed off to their first lesson, Herbology, and they all were relieved to see that yesterday's rain had gone and a weak sun was shining on the castle grounds. Madame Sprout smiled at her class, which consisted of both Ravenclaws and Slytherins, and told them that they would be taking care of Talones. Talones were a particularly vicious type of herbs that could be used in potions to cure colds and blood poisoning, Ginny recalled, and you had to be really careful not to damage them in any way because they would try to strangle you then.

It was an exhausting lesson, with both Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw and Nelson Baddock from Slytherin damaging the leaves of the herbs in such way that both students were now carrying marks of the roots on their necks. Natalya was wiping her face clean with her left sleeve as they entered the castle to go to their Potions lesson in the dungeons, while Alisha was busy with plucking leaves out of her hair. They entered Snape's classroom gratefully and were surprised to see that the Gryffindors were already present.

"Take your seats please," Snape said pleasantly. Ginny glanced at the hourglass on his desk and smiled as she realized that they were four minutes later than planned. "Leave your homework on the corners of your desks. I shall collect them soon."

Ginny seated herself in the back of the classroom, alone because she found that she could work better in that way. Snape turned to his class with papers in his hand and began:

"Today you will be creating the Enchantment Potion. Who can tell me what it does and what the most important ingredients are?"

Ginny raised her hand into the air, as did Jayden, but Snape called on a Gryffindor called Colin Creevey instead. Creevey looked frightened, Ginny saw with a grin, and his reply was barely heard. Snape, however, made it pretty clear that it was not the correct answer Creevey had given when he took five points off Gryffindor. He rounded on the Slytherin half of the class and motioned for Ginny to speak.

"The Enchantment Potion, also known as the Draught of the Senses, is used to alter or suppress somebody's senses ever so slightly so that he or she will, for instance, see something that is not really there," Ginny told the class. "The most important ingredient is either Cessice or Wolfsbane. Cessice is used to alter the senses while Wolfsbane is used to suppress a sense, perhaps of smell, so that you can work with stealth. The potion is under strict control of the Ministry of Magic seeing as in the time of You-Know-Who's reign these potions were used a lot by Death Eaters."

"Very good, Miss Weasley," Snape said. "Ten points to Slytherin."

He handed the papers he had been holding out to the class and collected their homework assignments (Mandrake juice can be used in five potions, describe the effects and amount of juice needed for each of the potions) on the way. Ginny looked down at her copy and grinned as she saw that the potion itself was not so complex. Alisha, on the other hand, was looking mortified as she scanned the page.

"It was quite an easy lesson," Ginny said to her friends afterwards. "Honestly, when Snape began to talk about the Enchantment Potion I was afraid that it would be difficult to make..."

"And so it was," Alisha grumbled. "I stirred into the wrong direction and I forgot to add the pus of a Dragonia on the way. My potion was pink at the end of the lesson."

"Mine was periwinkle blue," Marita scowled. "It should have been a very light green color."

"I'm not so happy either," Ginny said thoughtfully. "My potion had a shade of darker green over it that could cost me at least half a point with exams."

"At least yours was green," Jayden replied. "Mine was yellow."

They entered the Great Hall together, still debating about the colors of their potions, and seated themselves at the Slytherin table next to some first-years. Draco soon joined them with a sneer fixed on his face and when Trevor Baddock finally asked him what was wrong the blonde Slytherin scowled and said:

"I've got Care Of Magical Creatures after lunch. According to Kelly Quentin the biting book isn't the worst part of the lesson because she saw that the giant oaf has managed to sneak some Hippogriffs out of the Forbidden Forest!"

"What?" Alisha hissed. "But Hippogriffs can only be handled by competent wizards and not by students! They have got a three-cross classification from the Ministry!"

"Apparently Hagrid does not care about that," Blaise sighed. "If only I had listened to Zeynep when he told me that Ancient Runes were better..."

"Good luck with your lesson," Ginny whispered in Draco's ear after lunch. "You are going to need it..."

After Transfiguration the second-years hurried towards the front doors where they just caught Pansy Parkinson and the rest of the class looking as if somebody had died. There were angry mutters about Hagrid and Blaise looked just mutinous.

"Bad news, people!" she exclaimed as she spotted the second-years. "There were Hippogriffs alright, just like Kelly had told us, and one of them attacked Draco!"

"Is he okay?" Ginny asked. "Where is he?"

"He's in the Hospital Wing," Pansy sobbed. "His arm got slashed by one of those vicious creatures."

"It was his own fault," Ron said to nobody in particular. "He was not paying attention!"

"Be that as it may, he still got injured," snapped Ginny. "This place is really going to the dogs, isn't it? Last year Lockhart, this year Hagrid... What's next? You-Know-Who teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"You watch your mouth, Weasley," Seamus Finnigan growled. "It wasn't Hagrid's fault!"

"I'm not talking about who is to blame," Ginny said to him, upper lip curling ever so slightly. "I'm talking about the incompetence of new teachers in general. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to see how he's holding up."

"We're coming with you," Blaise and Pansy said simultaneously.

"Oh no, you're not coming!" Ginny exclaimed. "One visitor's enough."

She ran up the stairs again, nearly bumping into a flock of first-years on the way, and made her way to the Hospital Wing with angry strides. She was muttering ominously to herself as she slammed the door open and looked at the people present. There was Madame Pomfrey, looking startled with bandages in her arms, and Hagrid who looked quite upset about something. In one of the beds, however, was Draco.

"How are you doing?" Ginny asked him as she seated herself in one of the chair next to his bed. "The others told me what had happened and I figured that I should go and check on you."

"How do you think I'm doing?" Draco groaned. "A Hippogriff just attacked me, for crying out loud!"

"I know that," Ginny said softly. "I heard a lot of crap about you not paying attention, but I want to hear what really happened..."

"I was trying to ruin the lesson," Draco said after a moment. "I really did not pay enough attention and I think I insulted one of those Hippogriffs."

"Glad to hear that you're honest," Ginny said with a smile. "The others seemed convinced of Hagrid's guilt."

"I shoulda left the Hippogriffs fer later," Hagrid said to her. "Shoulda done Flubberworms or summat... 's all my fault..."

"Not all of it is your fault, Hagrid," Ginny said as she looked up at the giant man. "Draco is also to blame."

Draco smiled at her gratefully as Madame Pomfrey finished wrapping his arm in bandages. The nurse looked at Ginny sternly before she ushered Hagrid out of the Hospital Wing, leaving Ginny to sit there alone with Draco.

"Pansy made it sound like you had been seriously injured," Ginny whispered. "Blaise wasn't helping either, she said that the Hippogriff attacked you."

"This injury's not really serious," Draco whispered back as Madame Pomfrey left the room. "Although Blaise was quite right when she said that the Hippogriff attacked me."

"Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're okay," Ginny said to him. "I can stay for a while, though, because I already made half of my homework."

"And what about the other half?"

"I can leave it for now," Ginny murmured. "It is due in a couple of days."

"Alright then," Draco said softly. "You can stay."

***

Durmstrang School For Magic, somewhere in Bulgaria.

Shanna entered the staff room of the Dark Arts department looking positively frightening, Natasha realized with a start. Shanna's dark eyes looked at Natasha for a moment but they did not hold the spark of life in them like before. Her pepper-colored, waist length hair was tangled and messy and did not look like it had ever seen a comb.

Natasha sighed. She knew who was causing this ruined way of life. After Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban Shanna had distanced herself from everyone, including her own son. Rakkaus was now staying with his guardian, Gudrun Halonen, because his mother could not take care of him. Shanna had been offered a chance here at Durmstrang, a chance to rebuild her life somewhere away from the pain. And yet he had returned. No longer looking like the person everyone had known he had returned from the wizarding prison and had brought fear with him.

This fear was present within Shanna, Natasha mused. You could see it in the younger woman's actions and in her eyes. It was as if she had nothing left to live for; nothing that could make her enjoy life. Rakkaus might have been able to offer her that, but he was only fifteen years old and still needed a mother.

"You might think that I should get over him," Shanna had whispered a couple of weeks ago. "The truth is that I can't. I still love him, Tash, even after everything he has done. I love him."

***

Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, Britain.

Draco resumed his classes on Thursday, but he was still acting like he was the sole survivor of a great battle. Only Ginny knew the truth but she did not want to wake Pansy from a dream so she did not say anything about it.

Awkward feelings had risen in the pit of Ginny's stomach ever since that day in the Hospital Wing. Somehow she had fallen asleep on Draco's shoulder in the evening; and Madame Pomfrey had not woken her up because she thought that Ginny needed some sleep. Draco had put his arm around her shoulders before he fell asleep and when they woke up the next morning they had not talked much about it.

That was weird, wasn't it?

Ginny sighed as she regarded her family members over at the Gryffindor table. There was Ron, looking as if he had just been fed poison, and the twins huddled in a corner with Lee Jordan. Then, of course, there was Percy who had been strutting around the school as if he owned it. They would be mortified if Ginny told them about her feelings for Draco. She could just hear their reprimands: 'but Ginny, he is a Malfoy', 'but Ginny, he cannot feel love'. She was sick and tired of it.

She was not only a Weasley; she was also a Slytherin. If she wanted to do something then nobody would be able to stop her because she could make her own decisions. She was a Slytherin, cunning and ambitious, with a certain disregard for the rules. She could take care of herself. She did not want to be regarded as the youngest Weasley for all of her life. She wanted to be someone.

But if that someone would be a person everyone liked still remained to be seen...