Dark Heritage

Chapter 4Â -Unnatural Magics

"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."

Ginny blushed. It was amazing how Draco had the strange ability to make any perfectly normal sentence sound so suggestive.

They were up in the library working, just like they had been every day for the past week, on their transfiguration homework.

Only somehow they had abandoned studying, and had started talking about the magical talents that had gotten them stuck in SWT classes in the first place.

"Come on Ginny!" Draco said, trying to wheedle the information out of her.

Finally Ginny sighed and put down the book she had being reading (Transfiguration -Unlocking the Animal Within) and looked him straight in the eye.

"Okay, I'll show you. But you must promise to tell no one. Its not like it's a big secret or anything, but the less people who know, the better."

"Alright, alright." Draco said impatiently, "Show me what you got."

"Do you have any bruises or cuts?"

"Sure," he rolled up the sleeve of his robe and held out his left arm to her.

There was a great long gash on his forearm; he'd obviously gotten it sometime in the last two days, because it hadn't had a chance to heal properly. It was pretty deep, and Ginny wondered how it had happened and why he hadn't gone straight to Madam Pomfrey with it, but she didn't ask and he didn't offer any explanation.

"Ok, now hold still," she said grabbing his arm his arm firmly.

It took a moment as she concentrated hard, focusing solely on the cut and making it heal.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Draco's eyebrows raise in surprise as the cut healed rapidly and with out the use of a spell.

"That was. . .impressive," he said after she was finished and she gave him a quick smile. "When did you learn you could do that?"

"When I was seven. Fred fell off his broomstick, and cut himself pretty badly. He couldn't go to mum, because he wasn't supposed to be on the broom in the first place, so I just. . .healed him."

"I see."

"Anyway, enough about my powers. . .show me yours."

Draco bit his lip, and Ginny could tell he was about to say he didn't want to. "Come on! You promised!"

"Fine." He said shortly, and stood up quickly.

"Well? Are you coming?" he asked and without waiting for her to reply, walked over to one of the library's large windows.

Scraping her chair back, Ginny followed.

Standing in front of the window Draco raised his arms and Ginny watched in amazement as the sky, which had been clear blue just seconds before, filled with dark grey storm clouds.

She couldn't help but gasp when suddenly the clouds unleashed the heavy turrets of rain they had been carrying, drenching the ground in a matter of seconds.

But possibly the most amazing thing of all was the lightning.

In all her years of life, Ginny had never seen anything like that lightning. For one thing, it was green. As she watched, mouth agape, it struck a tree near by, shattering it into a million tiny fragments.

Then Draco slowly lowered it arms, and the storm disappeared.

"Wow."

She knew it sounded stupid, but 'wow' was the only thing Ginny could manage to say.

"You're lucky to have such a powerful talent."

Draco turned to her and gave a hollow laugh.

"Lucky?" he said bitterly, "Yes I was so lucky when I was five, and couldn't control it. I was lucky when my father beat me every time it rained, just in case it was my doing."

"Oh I-I'm sorry."

They stood in silence for a few minutes and then Draco turned and abruptly started to walk away.

"Draco wait!" she called after him, and grabbed his arm before he managed to get to far away. "You can't just keep turning away from me."

"What are you talking about?" He snapped at her.

"That day when you kissed me . ." her voice trailed off, she didn't know what to say. Or rather she did, but how could she just tell her brother's worst enemy that she had started thinking about him constantly? That he had been the only boy who had been successful in making her forget about Harry?

He grinned, watching as she stood and tried to push the words out. Deciding to put her out of her misery he lent over and kissed her.

They didn't talk for a while after that, too busy with other things. . .

--***--

"Why?! You betrayed me! My own sister! I can't believe this!"

Ron's face was red, and he paced up and down the halls restlessly. He ignored Hermione's attempts to calm him down, and eventually she gave up and sat down.

Ginny sat down next to her. If she had known that he was going to react this badly to the news that she and Draco had kissed she wouldn't have told him at all.

To say Ron was mad would be an understatement. He was seething.

Sighing Ginny put her head in her hands and waited for him to finish ranting. Maybe then she'd get a chance to explain everything to him.

Sometimes she really hated her brother.

--**--

They were so wrapped up in their own little melodrama neither Ginny, Hermione nor Ron noticed the ugly grey rat sneak out from underneath a nearby statue.

Peter had been there for hours, waiting for the perfect chance to escape back to his master.

His whiskers shook excitedly at the thought of telling the Dark Lord all he had learned -just wait until he told Voldemort that Draco Malfoy was fraternizing with the enemy!
Heart beating fiercely in his chest, Peter carefully made his way past them, knowing that at any moment the red-head could turn around and recognize him instantly.

As it was, Peter Pettigrew snuck out of Hogwarts easily and unnoticed. Not only had he found the strange sphere shaped object his master had craved so badly, but he had learned what Draco Malfoy, the boy all Death Eaters thought of as the saviour, was really doing at Hogwarts. Yes, he would return to Voldemort proudly indeed. . .