Antithetical

Last chapter…

Yvette ducked into the empty classroom. She felt awful for lying to Hermione, but she had to leave. She scanned the dark classroom. Was he in here? She heard a noise behind her and turned in relief. "You scared me, you know I don't like the dark."

She started and began to scream at the horror before her, heedless of its desperate motioning for silence.



Chapter 3

* * * * *

 
Do you worry that you're not liked
how long till you break
you're happy cause you smile
but how much can you fake
an ordinary boy an ordinary name
but ordinary's just not good enough today

alone I'm thinking
why is superman dead
is it in my head
we'll just laugh instead
you worry about the weather and
whether or not you should hate

are you worried about your faith
kneel down and obey
you're happy you're in love
you need someone to hate
an ordinary girl an ordinary waist
but ordinary's just not good enough today

doesn't anybody ever know that the
world's a subway...
-Our Lady Peace, Superman’s Dead


"Yvette," the beast croaked. "Don't scream. It's me, Ron."

She stopped screaming and gawked. Indeed, it was Ron. She could barely make out his bright orange hair.

"What happened to you?" she shrieked.

"Shh," Ron whispered urgently. "I tried to create a potion to locate the cause of Ginny's fainting spell and it… sort of exploded in my face."

"What about Dean?" she inquired, suspiciously. "He asked me to meet him here."

"I um…he…I sent that letter, not Dean," Ron, mumbled, a guilty expression plastered to his face.

Yvette felt hurt. "You thought I wouldn't come if you just said, 'Yvette, I need your help'?"

"It's not that. It's just that well-you see…I…err," Ron spluttered.

"It's okay. I'll see what I can do," she said, peering at him. "Could you light some candles or something? I can barely see you."

Ron sighed. "Lumos," he muttered under his breath.

Yvette gasped as the wand shed rays of light upon Ginny's distorted brother. "You know I've only learned basic healing charms," she said, cautiously reaching out to touch his face. "You really should go visit Madame Pomfrey."

Ron squirmed slightly. "Well, I wasn't supposed to use those ingredients or even this classroom, really…"

* * * * *

It was a sleepless night for recurring thoughts plagued his all too active mind. Draco turned on to his side and opened his eyes to the pitch black stillness that blanketed the Slytherin dormitories. The curtains surrounding his bed blocked the view of his fellow roommates, but he could still hear their consistent snores. Draco scowled. Why did he feel guilty? It was only Weasley putting her foot in her mouth.

He tried to imagine marriage with her. At first, he saw a revised version of his own parents: Ginny aloof and distant and himself harsh and cruel. He dismissed the idea. Ginny aloof?

Another vision rose unbidden in his mind. He saw Weasley screaming angrily at him as millions of red-haired children ran chaotically through the house, knocking over thousand galleon chairs and fragmenting priceless works of art.

Draco exhaled wearily and sat up, throwing his legs over the sides of his bed. He needed to leave the claustrophobic dungeons before his scurrying thoughts imploded violently in his head. After pulling on a set of robes, he dragged himself through the dark and empty school to the north lawn. He stared up at the stars dangling from the midnight sky and inhaled chilly night air, saturating a sense of placid despair. "I shouldn't have left her this afternoon," he thought. "She could have fainted or worse, slipped in to a coma."

* * * * *

Yvette ran her hands across the titles of the musty books in the Potions classroom. There had to be an antidote to whatever potion Ron fed himself.

Ron stood awkwardly in the center of the room, unsure as to what to do with himself. The helpless expression he wore was hard to decipher on his wrinkled, bloated face. His numerous freckles had all grown into oversized moles and his eyes had sunk deep into his head. Only the flaming red Weasley hair remained unchanged.

"This should have something in it," Yvette said suddenly, her voice breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room. She pulled a heavy tome from the shelf titled "Antidotes to Aggravating and Annoying Potions."

"I hope so," Ron mumbled, looking down at what used to be his hands. Soon after he scribbled the note to Yvette, his fingers had begun to melt together, quickly metamorphosing into webbed frog-like feet.

"Ron, what exactly did you feed yourself?"

"I was in a hurry…and I'm not that good at potions," he trailed off. It was a miracle he could still blubber words out of his further expanding mouth. Was it his imagination or was he beginning to grow fur?

Yvette glanced at him, stunned by what she saw. The tall, freckled redhead was taking on the appearance of an ape-like amphibian. "Ron," she said shakily. "I don't think I can help you."

"Well, you can't make it worse," he pointed out.

"You're getting worse on your own!"

"I know," he answered sadly.

Yvette sighed. "Let's get you to Madame Pomfrey."

"But…," he stammered. "People will see me!"

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. " You're going to have to come out some time!"

* * * * *

Draco stared at the icy cold lake. The moon's reflection in the water was serene and peaceful. He indulged himself in a moment of contentment, momentarily letting go of his frustrations with Ginny. Shaking his head, he tore his eyes from the scene before him. He shouldn't have stalked away. Not only did she hate him more than ever, but they hadn't even worked on their project. Draco looked over by the tree where they had talked.

"…It's just as useless to search for good in you…" Ginny's voice echoed in his ears. He turned his face skyward just in time to see snow begin to sprinkle down. He shivered and turned, giving the tree a final glimpse.

He squinted to see better. What was that clump by the oak? Was that red hair? He hurried over to the unconscious Ginny and turned her over. He peered into her face, his anxiety lessened by her slow-paced breathing. "This is becoming a habit, Weasley," he commented softly, as he started towards the infirmary.

* * * * *

The jangling of the bells by her bed awakened Madame Pomfrey. She grabbed her robe and dashed into the first level of the hospital wing. Draco stood at the door with Ginny in his arms, both dusted with fresh snow. Madame Pomfrey hastily attended to Ginny.

"Put her here, Draco," she ordered urgently, throwing open the door to a hospital room. She checked Ginny's vital signs, relieved to find them stable. "She'll be okay," she said finally.

He nodded and got up slowly to leave though he seemed reluctant to do so.

Madame Pomfrey smiled. "The Headmaster Dumbledore has informed me about the special circumstances," she said before starting up the stairs to her chambers. She had only climbed four steps when the bells rang again.

"Another patient at this hour. Who could it be this time?" she thought, as she moved towards the door. She opened it and backed away furiously, screaming at the monster standing in the threshold.



Draco heard Madame Pomfrey's yell and hastily pulled out his wand and headed back to the infirmary. He nearly choked at the sight of the creature in the doorway.

The beast seemed to be a cross between a bear and a salamander. It slowly turned and glared at him angrily. The animal had Yvette Delacour by the hand. Draco drew another breath and steadied his wand hand.

"It's Ron!" Yvette cried out in exasperation. "You have to help him."

Madame Pomfrey blinked and returned to her businesslike manner, leading Ron to a corner of the infirmary. Ron shot a vicious stare at Draco, who shuddered in return. He could easily shake off glares from Weasley, but from Beastman?

Yvette looked at him quizzically. "What are you doing here?"

"Just checking on a friend," he said curtly and entered the private hospital room inhabited by Ginny. Yvette sighed and went over to Ron and Madame Pomfrey.

Ron sat glumly on the corner bed in the infirmary. Yvette was ignoring him and seemed to be in her own world, while Madame Pomfrey was bustling about, throwing ingredients into a cauldron containing a bubbling putrid green concoction. He had an itch on his furry nose, and soon discovered webbed hands couldn't scratch adequately. He looked dejectedly into Madame Pomfrey's potion.

* * * * *

Lucius Malfoy stared down at the open book. He ran his wand over the words, watching the ancient letters slowly fading into a decipherable language. The head of the Malfoy household leaned forward in his seat, eagerly awaiting the completion of the translation spell. His eyes quickly traveled down the page, his lips curving into a sinister smile. The answer had been there all along.

* * * * *

Ginny's brow furrowed as she stirred in her sleep.

She had hurt him. All she wanted to do was apologize. She saw herself run after the disappearing figure. Abruptly, he turned and smiled. She stopped running, relieved. He had forgiven her. It was okay now. His smile warmed her, bathing her in contentment. Ginny smiled back. She saw herself running into his arms, into his warm embrace.

Suddenly, the cozy peace of mind faded and she was plunged into a sea of icy needles. She opened her mouth to scream. Instead, she was muffled by a sweet kiss. When his lips left hers, Ginny looked into his emerald eyes. Harry did love her after all. She let him sweep her off her feet, sliding her own hands around his neck. She gazed into his eyes as she rested in his arms. Harry's soft green eyes always revealed his thoughts; they were the windows into his soul. Moments ago, exhaustion had filled her, but his fervent kisses healed her. His warmth revived her. He bent to kiss her once more and she closed her eyes in anticipation. The kiss exploded and she almost broke it off in surprise. While the first kiss had healed her, this one ignited her soul. She felt complete, like she had met her other half. She opened her eyes and met icy gray.

She gasped as she woke from the dream. She sat up in bed to find herself face to face with Draco Malfoy, his silvery gray eyes reflecting her own brown ones.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Ginny was startled by the gentle quality of his voice. She nodded, trying to shake off the last instants of her dream. For a few seconds more, they stared into one anothers eyes. She wanted desperately to pry through the icy barrier of his eyes, into his soul for a peek at his innermost emotions. He gazed back, hiding his true thoughts and feelings.

It was Draco who broke off the gaze . "Go back to sleep, Weasley. You need the rest." He stood up to leave.

Ginny shook her head. "No, Malfoy. I need some answers. We need to talk."

Draco stopped in mid-stride and turned thoughtfully to her. Finally, he returned to the chair by her bed. "Talk then."

"My family has been acting strange lately. My own father was trying to convince me to be nice to you. My brothers…with the exception of Ron are doing the same. Even Professor Dumbledore seems to be forcing us together."

"Fine," he said curtly. "And what does that have to do with me?"

Ginny tried her best to glare at him, but her head was beginning to throb.

"Malfoy, my family is pushing me towards you for no apparent reason. As if that's not enough of a riddle for me to solve, now all of a sudden, you, Draco Malfoy, you've started to follow me around." She paused for him to reply. He didn't. "Malfoy, what's going on?" She peered into his face.

He sighed. "Why is it so strange for us to get along? Why is that so wrong?"

"I don't know!" Ginny said angrily. "Maybe, it's because you've teased me to tears about being poor, about having a crush on Harry Potter. Maybe it's because I'm a 'muggle-lover'. Maybe it's because you're a Malfoy and I'm a Weasley. We're like oil and water, fire and wood, bleach and black pants! We don't mix. It just doesn't work."

"How do you know?" Draco replied, his tone becoming dangerously cold. "You've never tried me, Weasley. You never even gave me a chance." He softened a bit. "Just let me have a few weeks. If you never want to see me again after winter holiday, then I promise, I'll never bother you again.

"A few weeks?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"A few weeks."

"How easy do you think I am, Malfoy?" she asked, skeptically.

"You've obviously never been under the old Malfoy charm," he replied smoothly.

Ginny broke into a smile. "The Malfoy charm? Oh yes, that's right. Well, I don't suppose you've been using it on me these past few months."

"No, of course not. If I did, you would be smiling lovingly at me."

Ginny glared coldly. Her arms were crossed as she looked at Draco condescendingly.

"Weasley, you're not very good at hiding your thoughts."

"Of course not. Unlike you, I'm not a blonde iceberg who refuses to melt."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to be an insult?"

"Oh…now you're insulting my insults. Is that it? I'm not mean enough for you?" Ginny shot back.

"Oh, no Weasley dear. You're perfect, like a ceramic angel crafted by the greatest of sculptors," Draco replied.. "You're like a perfectly shaped cloud on a beautiful summer day. You're like a lovely, unique orchid holding its own beauty against a boring bouquet of roses. You're like a reliable quill that never falls apart during an exam. You're like-"

"Okay, Malfoy. Stop," Ginny interrupted, laughing. "I didn't know I was so…desirable."

"You? Desirable? Did I say anything about you being desirable?"

Ginny shot him a frustrated glare, a smile still playing on her lips.

* * * * *

"Here, drink this dear," Madame Pomfrey filled a vial with the bubbling liquid from the cauldron. Ron stared at the repulsive potion, suddenly doubtful of Madame Pomfrey's credibility. He knew she had been the Hogwarts school nurse for years (possibly decades), yet her newest concoction seemed questionable.

"Drink it, Weasley," Draco snapped suddenly, his head poking out from behind Ginny's room. Yvette, Madame Pomfrey, and Ron turned their attention to him in surprise.

"What?" he asked, the annoyance apparent in his voice. "Drink it already."

Ron looked at the vial with greater suspicion.

"Malfoy's right. Do you want to stay a hairy frog forever?" Yvette pointed out.

Grumbling, Ron snatched the vial from Madame Pomfrey's hand. A nauseating aroma of spoiled milk and rotting leaves emitted from the opening. Squeezing his eyes shut, Ron swallowed the contents of the glass. Immediately, he doubled over clutching his stomach. He twisted and jerked violently as if there was a troll pounding on his stomach walls.

"Ms. Delacour!" Madame Pomfrey commanded. "Help me restrain him."

They pinned Ron's arms and legs down and bound them to the bedposts. He writhed and roared in pain as his body slowly transformed to its former self.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, Draco turned his attention back to Ginny.

"Who's out there?" she asked, startled.

"It's your brother," Draco replied.

"Ron? Ron's out there? Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine. Your cabbage-headed fellow Weasel must have swallowed a botched potion. It somehow turned him into an amphibian-like mammoth."

She looked at him, suspiciously. "I don't believe you."

"Fine, go out there and see for yourself."

Ginny got out of bed, surprised that the exhaustion had vanished. As she walked past Draco, the dizziness returned but she continued walking. She entered the main room of the infirmary and gaped at the convulsing monster on the infirmary bed.

Ginny gasped in disbelief as the hideous animal turned towards her. "Ron!" she cried. All heads turned to her. Ron was in a state of shock. She ran over to him and he looked up at her in confusion.

"Ginny, what are you doing here?" he muttered. Those were his last words before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Madame Pomfrey pushed Ginny aside to inspect Ron.

"He's fine," she said. "Just a little tired."

* * * * *

The sun shone through the windows of the hospital wing as morning approached. Ginny woke to the warm rays and stretched lazily in her chair by Ron's bed. She looked at her tranquilly sleeping brother, comfortably resting after his metamorphosis. Ginny thought back to the night before. After his dramatic slip out of consciousness Ron had had seizure-like trembles as his body continued to transmutation from its creature form. It wasn't until two in the morning that the transformation was complete.

Draco, Madame Pomfrey, Yvette, and herself had to constrain him all night. In the end, it was Draco's idea to knock Ron out with a powerful sleeping drought. All had been filled with fatigue. Afterwards, they had collapsed into chairs set by Ron's bed.

Ginny looked around at her sleeping companions. Beside her, in a chair against the wall, sat Draco, still sound asleep. Madame Pomfrey's glasses had slid down her nose and her neatly pinned curls had come undone. Her head was supported by one hand resting on the arm of her chair. Yvette looked stunning as always, her flawless face angelically framed with wavy blonde curls. Ginny sighed with envy. It was all part of the veela charm. Every strand of Yvette's soft hair fell in the right place, like the goddesses from Renaissance paintings in muggle museums. Her head rested gently on Madame Pomfrey's shoulder.

Draco slept with his arms crossed; his head titled back resting against the wall. "Malfoy always had to rebel, didn't he?" Ginny thought with a smile. Everyone else softened in their sleep. The lines on Madame Pomfrey's face smoothed gently, making her appear younger and Yvette glowed with innocent serenity.

Draco somehow managed to maintain his icy guise. She giggled to herself. Ginny could see in his sleeping face the reason that so many girls (not just Slytherins) fawned over him. When awake, Draco never failed to infuriate or confuse her. She had always known subconsciously that he was attractive, but never allowed herself to admit it. Ginny cocked her head to the side and surveyed Draco's sleeping figure. He was handsome in a classical way, with well-formed shoulders and a strong chin. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing well-muscled forearms and his blonde hair rivaled Yvette's platinum locks. Unlike Yvette however, Draco was far more…masculine. Ginny smiled to herself again.

"Weasley," Draco said abruptly, his eyes not yet open. "I know I'm good to look at but taking advantage of me while I sleep." He opened his eyes and stretched lazily. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Ginny admired his catlike grace and smiled to herself again. Draco looked around at the sleeping forms. "Not fair," she thought sullenly. "He looks like he woke hours ago."

"Everyone else seems unconcerned with breakfast," Draco said, getting to his feet. "We might as well go to the kitchen to get some. They don't need to be disturbed."

Ginny nodded and got shakily to her feet. She proceeded to the door, leaving Draco behind staring after her in faint surprise. She turned back at him and gave a dazzling smile. "Aren't you coming?"

* * * * *

Draco stared down Ginny's hourglass figure as he walked behind her. He smiled as she walked right pass the entrance. "Weasley, lost again?"

She whirled around and stared at the open doorway. "Nonsense, this is the first time today," she replied.

"Ladies first," he said mockingly, motioning for her to enter. Ginny glanced at him briefly before haughtily stalking past the statue into the kitchen. Draco chuckled and followed her in. The house elf closest to the door ogled at Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy!" he cried in shock. "I never thought I'd see you again." Draco looked down at the house elf.

"Do I know you?" he asked slowly.

"It's Dobby sir," the house elf answered chirpily.

Ginny interceded quickly. "Do you think we could have some breakfast?"

Immediately the elves scrambled about the kitchen and appeared with steaming plates of food. They set it down by the fireplace and pulled up two chairs. Ginny blinked. Draco could tell she had never been down here before. He sat down elegantly and began to eat. Hesitantly, Ginny followed suit. They ate in silence. Draco glanced at her as she slowly savored each morsel. He laughed quietly to himself, snapping back to reality when he realized she had spoken.

"Well…what are we going to do about the project?" she queried.

"Oh, of course, the project."

* * * * *

"Oh no, the project," Hermione thought aloud, immediately scanning the table for Yvette. She noticed Ginny, Ron, Yvette, and Malfoy were all absent from the Great Hall. As Harry sat down beside her, she whispered, "Have you seen Ron lately?"

"No," Harry answered, thoughtfully. "Not since yesterday morning."

"Hey Harry, did you hear about the Cannons?" Dean shouted across the table.

"Do you think we should stop by the infirmary?" Hermione asked, tugging at Harry's sleeve to recover his attention.

" Sure, why not" Harry said unconcernedly as he continued to argue with Dean over the merits of the Cannon tactics.

Hermione rolled her eyes and forcefully dragged Harry out the door, towards the hospital wing.

* * * * *



Yvette woke, dazedly looking around, squinting her eyes against the blinding sunlight. She could hear Madame Pomfrey bustling about indistinctly in the background. She yawned luxuriously, then winced as her stomach grumbled noisily.

Yvette looked down at the peacefully sleeping Ron. His tousled, flame- colored hair and looked almost blonde in the suns rays. Even with his mouth open he managed to look absolutely adorable. He groaned and flung his arm over his eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "I don't wanna."

Yvette chuckled and sang out, "Time to wake up, sleepy head!" Ron slowly turned his head and regarded her with tired puppy dog eyes.

He blinked rapidly. "Yvette!" he said, looking around in confusion. "What happened?" He looked down at his hands, now back to normal.

"You trashed around for half the night and we had to stay to help Madame Pomfrey hold you down." Yvette replied calmly.

"We?!? Whose we?"

"Ginny, Mme Pomfrey, me and of course Draco Malfoy"

"Malfoy!!" Ron exclaimed.

"He was very helpful" Yvette continued.

Ron laid his had back against the pillow.

"Why were Ginny and Malfoy even here?"

"Ginny had another fainting spell and Malfoy brought her in."

"Isn't it suspicious that these spells always involve Malfoy?"

Yvette glared down at Ron. "If you're trying to imply something you might as well go on and say it out loud."

Ron looked at her in vague surprise. "Are you supporting him?"

"No, of course not, but I think you're making a serious accusation without any evidence," she snapped back.

"He's a Malfoy! His family's been involved in Dark Arts for years and they've attacked and killed muggle-tolerants numerous times. Malfoy, himself, has threatened Gryffindors on immeasurable occasions. What other evidence do you need?"

" It is a big leap from sharp comments to assault. Besides you are blaming his family's misdeeds on him!"

Ron looked down mutinously.

Yvette growled under her breath. "Never mind! Lets go have some breakfast."

* * * * *



Draco lounged in an armchair by the common room entrance, conversing with Sean Colbalt, the quidditch team captain. He sensed a Veela's presence behind him, but stubbornly refused to glance at the figure by the door. He knew it was Yvette and he wasn't about to speak to her here. It wasn't until he saw her walk down the stairs into the dorms did he finally break off his conversation with Sean and excuse himself.

He started down the stairs after the disappearing figure. She proceeded to enter his room. Draco followed her in and locked the door.

* * * * *

Yvette slipped in to the Slytherin common room and quickly spotted Draco sitting in a chair by the crackling fireplace. She stood by the door, unwilling to move, not wishing to be noticed by the Slytherins. She remained still a few moments longer waiting for Draco to acknowledge her. He either didn't see her or was ignoring her maliciously. Yvette opted for the latter.

Sighing in frustration, she crept along the walls to the top of the staircase leading down into the cold dungeons. She turned to Draco as she heard the door click shut behind her.

" You have some explaining to do, cousin"