Father's Minion

Chapter 5

Once they had made it to the main staircase Ginny was wondering what Draco might ask her next. They stopped and Draco stared at her for a while seeming to contemplate what to ask her. Finally he decided and questioned, "Why were you in the hospital wing and when did you get out?"

"That's two questions--wait, what? Hospital wing...when was I there?" Ginny asked extremely bewildered, she never remembered being in the hospital wing, all she remembered was...

She felt drawn to it, like a magnet to metal. She reached for it; then drew her back suddenly; she didn't like this, not one bit. She made to turn around, but her hand shot out of its own volition and took the mirror. She sat and stared at it, then pain, everywhere, filling, consuming, poking, prodding, mincing pain.

the mirror. She'd contacted Sirius with it, she'd felt the pain, the horrible pain. Where was the mirror?

"Hello? Weasley, I'm not getting any younger here." Draco said waving his hand in front of her face.

"I must've left it in the forest." Ginny muttered to herself.

"Beg pardon?" Draco asked. He gave Ginny a look that suggested that he thought she was going out of her mind.

"I umm...there's this mirror and it must've had some dark magic or something in it. I can't explain, I think it was dark magic of some sort. All I remember is grabbing it and feeling pain, copious amounts of pain." Ginny shuddered at the memory.

"Just because something causes you pain doesn't mean its dark magic," Draco fixed her with a stare, "Then?" Draco eyed her suspiciously waiting for her to continue.

"I blacked out." Ginny stated simply, she lowered her eyes to the ground refusing to reveal more than what she'd already shared. Draco sighed and started to venture up the stairs.

"Come now Weasley, let's keep walking. Your silence gives me more time to think about my questions." Ginny followed Draco up the stairs in silence gazing at the ground so she wouldn't feel the urge to stare at Draco. She'd found that every once in a while she was stealing a glance his way, but he seemed intent to keep his eyes on the intended path of travel.

Ginny was lost in thought when she realized that Draco had stopped and was waiting for her to realize that this was the check-point for the next question.

"Alright Weasley, what happened between the time you touched the mirror and the time I found you in the Forbidden Forest?" Draco eyed her critically, Ginny avoided the gaze and thought frantically.

Oh Merlin, what should I say?

Lie.

"I--"

"You're lying," Draco concluded not even letting her get the fib out of her mouth.

"I didn't even say anything yet!" Ginny protested, throwing up her hands in frustration.

How the bloody hell can he tell?

"Well, whatever was going to come out of your mouth was going to be a lie and I don't appreciate that," he smirked then said, "If we can't have trust then we can't have love darling." Ginny blanched and glared at him. She couldn't very well tell him that she found Sirius in a subconscious part of her mind and somehow used the mirror to get him out. She wasn't really sure how the incident happened herself how was she going to explain it? Best make something up then...

"You see--"

"Nope, see there you go again Weasley, trying to avoid the truth. You're really trying my patience now please, I'm going to give you one more try and then I'm leaving you here with my second cousin," Draco motioned toward where Sirius was. Ginny gulped and let out a sigh.

"Fine. I remembered the pain...and then everything went black. I called out to everyone I could think of, and I once thought that I could hear Ron calling for me, but...I don't know. Maybe I'm barmy. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what impulse took over me, but I called to Sirius and I saw..."

"Yes...?"

"I saw a light," Ginny looked into Draco's eyes, she felt like tears starting to make their way towards her eyes. She remembered seeing Sirius and being so happy that he was alive; happy that she could see him.

"Then what happened?" Draco prodded in a surprisingly soothing voice.

"I called louder and the light grew. The next thing I knew...I was falling and when I landed..."

"Uh-huh."

"Sirius was there, and I was so happy to have found him. I thought he was dead...we all did but..." Ginny sighed and tried not to cry, she was amazed that Sirius was alive. Sirius was alive and Ginny helped, surely that would be worth something in Harry's eyes.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking about Potter," Draco whined throwing Ginny a disgusted look. Ginny blushed furiously and looked at the floor.

"Am I that obvious?" Ginny mumbled hoping that Draco hadn't heard her, but he did do and looked at her interestedly. The look sent shivers playing against Ginny's skin.

"Actually my Weasley, you are that obvious, but only when it comes to Potter. Don't worry, there's still some mystery to you yet, once you get past the Potter obsession." Draco started moving up the stairs and Ginny rushed after him, falling in step beside him.

"I'm not obsessed in Harry."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No I'm--you know what? I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a git, that's why." Draco gave Ginny an amused look and Ginny could feel her anger steadily rise, she wasn't going to jeopardize losing his help over something so minor.

"I'm a git am I?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"I don't know, you just are."

"But how do you know?"

"Because I'm a git magnet," Ginny shouted, wincing because she was so careless and very well may have alerted professors and prefects...or worse...Filch. Sure enough Mrs. Norris appeared on the next landing. Ginny froze, she had never liked that cat, she'd always had discernment that there was something more to Mrs. Norris than met the eye. Ginny felt someone pulling on her; she also recognized that she seemed to be allowing herself to be pulled, but she kept her eyes trained on the cat and the cat set her with this same interested stare.

XxXxXxXx

Draco had dragged Ginny to the first corner along with Sirius. Draco had to keep checking to make sure that the man was there; he also kept congratulating himself on such a wonderful Concealment Charm. He pushed Ginny far into the shadows of the corridor and slunk as far in the shadows as he could. He felt Ginny move again then cough.

"Why are we hiding? I thought you had 'prefect immunity' or something," Ginny said. Her sarcasm wasn't lost on Draco; he smirked and bent close to her ear.

"I know. I just wanted to get you in some dark corner so I could have my way with you." Draco loved to make her uncomfortable, but she seemed extremely uncomfortable now. She was shivering violently and her breathing had become irregular.

"Malofy...get me out of this corner." Ginny whispered in his chest causing his body to stiffen.

"No."

"Draco, please." She'd never used his first name when addressing him before. Draco stared at her, she sounded...scared? This was definitely a different side of Ginny. He'd never known the fiery red-head to be scared before.

"Why?"

"I--I'm afraid of the dark." She squeaked. Draco thought about teasing her endlessly and keeping her in the dark, but she was shaking dangerously now. He moved her out into the light and made his way to the stair case, he could hear her hesitant steps behind him.

XxXxXxXx

"Come on Wealsey. I didn't mean for this endeavor to take all night."

"What time is it?"

"Probably two in the morning by now." Ginny nodded and kept along side him. She reached out and felt her hand brush Sirius' back. They continued up the stairs, not once bumping into Filch or Mrs. Norris. When they reached the portrait outside the Gryffindor common room Ginny turned to Draco.

"Cover your ears," she commanded. He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly surprised.

"Why?"

"I need you to get him in the common room, then I can get some further help, plus I'm freezing, you must be too, you can come sit by the fire and ask me your two final questions, since we skipped the last one--back there--in the dark--in the corner." Ginny finished. Draco stared at her still and didn't answer, didn't even move to cover his ears.

"Fine...I suppose I'll have to do it for you." Ginny approached Draco and snatched his wand from his hand; he stared at her blankly not clearly registering what was going on. She raised the wand, "Suono nosomo." Draco looked at Ginny in a funny way.

"What did you do?" He asked then gasped and grabbed his throat. Ginny found it highly amusing; she turned around and muttered the password to the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady glared at being awoken, but allowed Ginny to pass after throwing her a suspicious look as Draco walked in after her.

"What's going on? Did you take my voice? Why you little--"

"Suono ansora," Ginny said. Draco was still yelling and stopped once he could hear again. Ginny held out Draco's wand and he snatched it out of her hands examining the wood for any signs of Weasley germs. He looked up and glared at Ginny.

"What'd you do to me?"

"It was a simple cousin of the Silencing Charm, nothing to fear, you can hear now can't you?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point," Draco fumed glaring at Ginny. She found that she ironically thought it was cute.

"Come on, hurry, you've only got a little while to ask me a question before I go get Harry."

"I get two--"

"Right, two questions, whatever, can we go sit by the fire?" Draco nodded and followed her over. Ginny sat down in the squishy arm chair and Draco took a seat on the sofa across from her. He looked at her intently before he asked, "Are you still interested in Potter?"

Ginny sputtered for a moment wondering where this question had come from. She sat there and pondered her answer. Did she like Harry anymore, she thought she did.

"I don't know."

"Fair enough," Draco answered not pushing the matter farther. Then his mouth twisted into a smirk and Ginny felt an unsettling feeling drop in her stomach.

XxXxXxXx

"What's this I hear about you and some first year? John Azar is it?" he watched as Ginny flinched at the sound of the name. She fixed him with a genuine smile and asked,

"You heard about that?"

"I heard enough to peak my interest. I was told he looks like me, is that true?" Ginny nodded at him.

"Yes he does remind me of you quite a bit actually. Randy little bugger, keeps trying to get in my knickers." Ginny complained openly.

"Well, apparently there are some differences between us. I would never fall for a Weasley." Draco smirked at Ginny, but she simply smirked back.

"You're right Draco, you two are different. He has better taste."

"Oh, vain are we Ginny?"

"Like you aren't Draco?" they laughed companionably. Draco found that this was weird. Never in his life did he expect that he'd be sitting in the Gryffindor common room chatting with the youngest Weasley.

"I'm not vain." Draco protested he crossed his arms over his chest in a childish manner.

"Oh? Maybe that was the other Draco Malfoy I was thinking about. You know the blond-haired, gray-eyed, slimy, vain git." Ginny smiled at him.

"Oh yeah, I've heard of him, dreadful bloke. I hear he's great in bed though, the ladies are always telling me. You know...never gets complaints. If only I could be that good." Draco smirked at Ginny. Ginny smirked back a devilish look in her eyes.

"I must meet him sometime...see if the rumors are true."

"Weasley, has anyone ever told you that you're quite suggestive when your tired?" Draco asked lazily.

"How do you know I'm tired?" Ginny asked before heaving an enormous yawn.

"See, you're too easy to read." Ginny turned sideways and stretched herself on the chair, feeling her hospital robes rise to her knees slightly. She suddenly felt the urge to go up to her dorm and change. Why do I care? It's Draco Malfoy! He should be gone anyway. Why is he still here?

Because you haven't kicked him out yet.

Right. Well, I should get on that then.

Yes...

Yes...

Right...

Right...

...

Any time you're ready Ginny, feel free to tell him to leave. Don't forget about Sirius.

Of course, I'm only keeping him here so he'll forget about Sirius so he can't remember what I told him, so he won't run off and write to his father.

Whatever you tell yourself to help you sleep at night, love.

Ginny was starting to get agitated with the voices in her head, but then something else alerted her. She had a feeling that something was going to happen; she and Draco were going to get caught if she didn't do something soon. He was coming, John Azar, she could feel him. Lately she'd been having feelings, she could sense when someone was near it was like a tingle or a pinprick. Ginny found that it was different for different people and she had started to learn to discern which feeling meant what person. John Azar was definitely coming downstairs.

"You have to hide," Ginny snapped at Draco. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a questioning glance.

"Why?"

"Someone's coming," Ginny whispered urgently and grabbed his arm to pull him over to the window. Draco scoffed.

"Plan on hiding me in the curtains Weasley? Brilliant plan, sometimes you remind me of your brother."

"Shut up, he won't know the difference. He'll be too busy trying to jump my bones." Ginny snapped pushing Draco behind the curtains.

"Who?"

"John Azar."

"How do you know it's him? And, how do you know someone's coming? I didn't hear anything."

"I don't know, I can't explain it. I just...do. Now get back there." Ginny pushed Draco against the window and pulled the curtains around him, then ran and fell backward to the ground.

"What'd you do now Weasley?" Draco asked, he could see the scene through a crack in the curtains. Ginny moaned in response, something that sounded oddly like "Sirius" before she grabbed the concealed Sirius and moved him over to a corner. She then made her way back to the chair and sat.

Ginny waited...he was getting closer he'd be there soon.

XxXxXxXx

Ginny had been sitting for almost a minute; Draco was about to remove himself from the curtains and complain about the absurdity of it all when he saw movement. Someone walked into the room from the staircases leading up to the dorms. Draco was floored; the boy looked like a younger him. He even seemed to walk the same way. The boy strode over to the fire, not yet noticing the 'sleeping' Ginny.

Finally the boy noticed the red head 'sleeping' in the chair and made his way over to her. He knelt down so that they were eye to eye.

"Red? Hey red? You awake?" the boy asked. Draco was reminded of the fact that Red was his nickname for Reda. Ginny, for her credit, didn't respond to him and pretended that she was still asleep. The boy's eyes grew wide and he smiled down at her. He reached hesitantly and placed his fingers in her hair and moved the strands out of her face and behind her ear. He then conjured up a blanket.

This kid knows too much magic to be a first year, Draco thought.

Then the boy placed the blanket over Ginny and stroked her face with his fingers. Ginny didn't flinch, but her features seemed to soften under the younger boy's touch.

"You should still be in the hospital wing, you look deathly pale." John whispered into Ginny's ear. Draco watched as Ginny shivered involuntarily; this boy was good. The young boy moved closer to Ginny slightly, and then hesitated. He gained his boldness and placed his lips lightly on hers. Draco felt something like anger build inside of him, but he pushed the feelings aside, because it was obvious that Ginny wasn't kissing the boy back.

XxXxXxXx

Ginny felt soft lips on hers and she stiffened; this kid was different. John seemed to have noticed her stiffen because she felt space between her and him lengthen considerably.

"Ginny?" he whispered. Ginny tried hard not to respond. She'd thought that the kid was just a pervert, but he seemed to be capable of kindness. He seemed to genuinely like her, and it confused Ginny.

"Want to hear a story? I met this girl, her name is Reda. She's in Slytherin, she looks like you, you know. She's got red hair, and freckles, but her eyes aren't the same brown as yours...they're lighter. They don't sparkle when she laughs; in fact...I don't remember her laughing all that much. She wasn't very happy when I mentioned you; she seemed to be happy that you were in the Hospital Wing; annoying bint. I think she might be jealous, as she very well should be." He moved his hands through her hair sending shivers down Ginny's spine; she could feel her heart warming to the little bugger no matter how hard she tried to prevent it. He continued after staring at her for a long time, "I think that every girl in the school should be envious of you Ginevra Weasley...because...because you're luminous." John spoke to her. Ginny had never been told anything so nice in her life. Michael was never one to whisper sweet nothings in her ear; he was more of a 'snog in between classes' type guy. And Ginny and Dean had lasted only about a month into the summer.

Ginny felt John stroking her hair again.

"You think I'm just some randy child...and maybe I am. I care about you. I could never tell you when you're awake though, I have an image to obtain you know. I know you could never be mine, but I'd die happy if I knew that you might consider it. You affect me." John snorted at himself he also had the grace to blush.

"I must sound barmy. It's a good thing it's just you and I Ginny, and that you're asleep. If only you were a few years younger...or I a few years older. If--never mind." John sighed and placed another light kiss on Ginny's forehead.

"I'm going to go find someone to take you back to the hospital wing; I don't know how you made it back on your own." John's voice was laden with concern. Ginny felt him leave her side and she heard his steps disappearing up the stairs. Ginny sat up slowly and touched her lips; there was definitely something about John that wasn't normal of an eleven year-old boy.

"That was interesting. I guess the bloke does look like me, but he's too sentimental for my liking." Draco appeared from behind the curtains. He stood there awkwardly waiting for Ginny to respond.

"You should go, he went to go get someone and I have to find Harry." Ginny responded looking at her hands. She was thoroughly confused...she couldn't shake her feelings that something wasn't right about that boy.

"Don't think too much on it Weasley; the boy's just in love." Draco whispered. Ginny raised her eyes to look at Draco in disbelief, had she heard him correctly?

"Love? You think he loves me?"

"Didn't you hear him? He thinks you're 'luminous'." Draco looked serious, but Ginny wanted to believe that he was being insincere.

"Do you think I'm luminous?" she teased. Draco looked at her intently before he smiled slightly and made his way to the portrait hole. Ginny watched him as he opened it and looked back at her.

"I haven't decided yet," he whispered before he stepped out of the portrait hole. Ginny sat there for a few seconds trying to collect her thoughts. Then she stood up abruptly and took the staircase two steps at a time.

Must find Harry.