Most Potente Potions of Fate

It was Friday night, Potions night!

Ginny Weasley sauntered down the many stairs towards the Dungeons, for Tutoring. This time more...conservatively dressed, in her usual black robes.

Actually... that wasn't entirely true, she chided herself...

Oh well. Anyway, it was only a knee-high split up the side of her skirt, nothing too revealing!

She reached the last set of stairs and swung around on the banister, landing herself in front of their allocated tutoring room.

As she entered the room, the warm glow of the room's candles bathed her in light. She stood there for a moment, her glittering pendant almost alive in the half-light.

He wasn't here yet. So much for the, 'big entrance' she had planned.

She walked further into the lab and ungracefully plonked herself down on the tabletop.

Well, it was nothing new, she thought. Before she had known him better, she would have expected him to be an organised sort of person.

Hell, he wasn't!

Yawning massively, Ginny picked up a nearby book, lying next to her on the desk. Flicking through the pages she suddenly got a big shock. She slammed it shut.

Of all the possible things, this was... why, it was Draco Malfoy's diary!

"Merlin," she whispered aloud. "I could have fun with this!"

Oh! Should she? Or shouldn't she? There was no sign of Draco yet, and so without further ado she opened the book and began to read.

October 1^st.

Transfiguration exam. Charms revision.

Not much happened today, the usual laughs at the 'dream' team...and pretty much all the Gryffindors. Talking of Gryffindors, 'little Weasley' looked different. Couldn't say how, just.... Different.

Oh right, thought Ginny. Little Weasley am I? We'll see. She turned back to the diary and continued to read.

Replied to father's letter. Nothing of importance.

She turned a few more pages.

9^th October. (Day before yesterday).

The page was completely blank, yet, when she looked closer something didn't seem quite right.

"Ah," she said aloud. There was a charm on the writing, it would not reveal itself to her. Curious.

She turned the page again. 10^th October, (yesterday).

'Interesting day,' he had written.

She couldn't help but smile; yesterday had indeed been a very interesting day. Her hand subconsciously went to the Pendant she had been given. Only yesterday for that matter, it seemed like it had been there forever.

Researched the library for duplicating charms.

Everything was sucessful.

Ginny stopped, she wasn't sure she wanted to read any more. Duplicating charms? Everything sucessful? What did he mean?

Before she could ponder on that any longer, Professor Snape came sweeping into the lab, with Draco behind him.

She quickly let his diary fall under the desk, and she stood up to greet them. "Professor Snape. Draco."

Draco? Thought Draco. What happened to Malfoy? It really is the Malfoy charm!

Professor Snape merely nodded. "Ms Weasley, I apologise for Mr Malfoy's lateness, he was detained with me."

He gave no further explanation, and she couldn't help but wonder. Detained, eh? She thought wryly.

"In the mean time" continued Snape. "I wish to see your progress."

He laid a book in front of her on the desk and opened it.

"Revealing Potions?" questioned Ginny worriedly.

Draco suddenly leapt up from the desk that he had been posing, ahem, leaning on and stood between Professor Snape and Ginny.

"Uh, Professor," he stuttered (considering Draco took pride in never stuttering, it didn't come out too well.) "Are you sure that's a good idea? We haven't really covered revealing Potions yet. And, besides it might reveal the pen...I mean, reveal something we don't want it to."

Snape and Ginny looked curiously at Draco. Perhaps he's unwell, thought Ginny. After all, he does look a little pale...her train of thought was interrupted, as Professor Snape spoke again.

"Mr Malfoy, I will test Ms Weasley on whatever I want. And I know very well you have covered revealing Potions, you said so yourself. Now, if you please Ms Weasley." He gestured towards the book.

Draco let his head sink into his hands. He was done for.

Ginny didn't move, she simply sat, staring at the book. Come on, she thought. This is your chance to show the greasy git just exactly what you can do. You can show him.

Snape sighed. "Do you have a problem, Ms Weasley?"

"Oh, no, it's, fine."

With more confidence than she felt, she strode to the ingredients cabinet and selected what she needed. She set everything up and started on the Potion.

Half an hour later, and Ginny stood back from the cauldron.

"It's ready," she announced.

Draco and Snape peered into the murky brown depths. "Are you sure?" asked Draco mildly. "It looks a bit, I don't know, intestine-coloured?"

"And how would you know?" snapped Ginny. "Ever seen your intestines? Intestine-coloured or not, this is a revealing Potion." And to emphasise her point, she folded her arms and glared at Malfoy.

Draco just nodded bemusedly. Yup, think I hit a nerve there.

Snape straightened up. "Quite, Ms Weasley, but the fact remains, revealing Potion or not...you have to test it."

Ginny went a pale shade of green, which, coincidentally clashed horribly with her hair. She then filled a cup of the substance and gingerly put it to her lips.

Draco began muttering to himself. And for reasons known only to him, he gulped, nervously.

Ginny looked at him oddly then she took a swig of the foul-looking Potion. She set the goblet down quickly.

"Well that's funny," she exclaimed. "It tastes really nice, sort of like, Ogden's fire whisky."

Snape raised an eyebrow. " And since when have you tasted such a drink Ms Weasley?"

Ginny smiled brightly at him. "Oh, um, well it's just that I imagine it would taste like that, Y'know, if I had ever had any...Yea!"

Despite himself, Draco couldn't help but chuckle. She really wasn't what you expected her to be.

Under Snape's fearsome glare, Ginny automatically reached for her pendant...and found it wasn't there. Her hand scrabbled around frantically and it drew Draco's attention to her. He realised what she was looking for, and the fact it wasn't there...

The revealing Potion had worked.

"What are you looking so frantically for Ms Weasley, have you lost something?"

Ginny did not meet Snape's eyes. "Oh, it's nothing really Professor, just a, a thing of mine."

"A thing of yours that you had one minute ago, but you do not now? I believe your Potion has failed to work, don't you agree?"

Ginny looked down. "I believe you may be right Professor." She glanced sideways at Draco and mouthed "sorry" at him. He looked away.

Snape sighed again. "Very well, Ms Weasley. I think more tutoring is required. It is obviously not entirely your fault," here he glared at Draco. "But I would ask you to try considerably harder next time. Is that possible?"

Ginny looked away from him and stared at the wall. That bloody bastard. He always thinks he is right, stupid, stupid man! She turned back to him. "Yes Professor."

Without a further word Professor Snape strode out of the Potions lab, leaving Draco and Ginny alone together. Ginny turned to him, and spoke in a rush of words.

"I am so, so sorry Draco. I really don't know what happened. I can't believe I lost it. Please, please forgive me?"

Draco turned to look at her. He had a very odd expression on his face, one of regret, almost. "You didn't lose it," he said blankly. "There was an enchantment on the pendant."

She looked puzzled. "Well, what do you mean. That has nothing to do with it, I just lost it if you remember."

He sighed. Weasleys really were slow. "No you didn't Ginny. The pendant wasn't real. The Potion did work. That's why you just lost the pendant, it was revealed."

"So," she said slowly, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. "That wasn't the real pendant you gave me...it was a fake?" he nodded. She then got decidedly angry.

"You gave me a fake pendant, a fucking FAKE pendant, WHY may I ask? What exactly was the point in it? Or did you just think it would be fun to trick me?"

He winced at each emphasised word. "You didn't think I was going to give you the real thing did you?" he said quietly. "A Weasley, the Malfoy pendant? I would have been slaughtered."

She looked at him in a way that made him want to hit himself for what he had done. He shook his head to get rid of the thought. Self-harm? He thought. I upset her, so I turn to self-harm? What is bloody wrong with me?

"No," she said, so calmly he could hardly believe she had been yelling at him seconds before.

"No," she said again. "I suppose I didn't." she smiled at him oddly. "After all, you're a," she said the name with contempt. "You're a Malfoy, and I am a Weasley. We don't mix. Now, if you will excuse me I have a million and one places I'd rather be than here. Goodbye Malfoy."

He tried to stop her, to say he was sorry. Merlin he nearly got on his knees and begged, but she didn't turn around. And before he knew it she had gone again. Left him on his own again, looking stupid. But this time, he felt nothing but regret.

* * *

Far, far away, on Malfoy Manor. That other pale bastard, Lucius Malfoy was deep in thought.

He had just received an owl from the detestable Professor Snape, informing him that his son's seventh year Tutoring efforts with Ms Weasley were failing miserably.

This was news to Lucius, as he had, had no idea this Tutoring had ever happened. Nor had Draco deigned to inform him of it. Something his son would very soon regret.