The Perfect Plan

Chapter Six

The Perfect Plan

Mission: Very Possible

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Ginny sat at Hogsmeade Station waiting for the train. The sun was out full force but a crisp wind still blew around her making her nose go red. She rubbed it to get some heat back into it but to no avail, each time her hand went away it froze up again. Spring was well on the way and blossoms filled the trees lining the station with bright pinks and satin blues. It was so beautiful.

"So, she got you huh?" Ginny turned to see Malfoy sitting down next to her, she hadn't even notice him arrive, even though they were in the same carriage that brought them there.

"Pardon?" she said as he made himself comfortable.

"What did she use against you? My son used: 'Dad she means a lot to me please just let them stay.' What did yours use?"

Ginny chuckled a little. "Mother," she said softly.

"Beg your pardon?"

"She used: 'Mother, please.'"

"Hmm, I guessed that. They only ever call you by a different name when they want something don't they?"

"And they never forget to say please." They both laughed quietly.

"So I guess I have to make space for two more then," he said louder looking out onto the tracks.

"I'm sure you'll find somewhere Malfoy, that house is rather large."

He turned his head. "House, what do you mean?"

"Your house Malfoy, I'm sure that's where we'll be staying."

"Um, no it's not." She turned to him confused. "Well you can stay there, but we won't be there."

"I don't quite follow," she said shaking her head.

"It's Easter, we go to a cabin in the mountains at Easter. We always have, surely he would have told her that if they're that close."

"No," Ginny said with an understanding voice. "He would have told her, she just would not have told me. She knows I don't like those things."

"Cabins? They're perfectly harmless."

"I know they are Malfoy, but I just don't ever want to go in one of those things again. They don't serve too well with my memories if you know what I mean."

He was about to return when he understood completely. "Well then I'm sure you won't be too happy when I tell you it's the same one."

She turned angrily. "What?!" she almost yelled had it not been for the few others at the station.

***

"Well that didn't go so badly did it?" Cordelia said as Chayse walked her back to her portrait hole.

"No, it could have been worse. At least they didn't start hexing each other when they first met, whenever that was."

"I think they came together on the train, they would have had to. I still don't understand how they arrived in one piece because my mother is hell when she's angry."

"Don't get me started on my Father. Pumpernickel." The portrait door swung open and they went inside. Everyone else was still at lessons so there wasn't anyone in the common room. "This place is way too red for my liking. You people need to co-ordinate some colours in here, it's almost blinding. No wonder you're always bumping into things."

Cordelia laughed and sat down on one of the soft chairs. Chayse joined her by the fireplace. "Do you think your Dad is really okay with this?" she said. "I mean if it's too much of an inconvenience then we don't have to come, where are these mountains anyway?" She ran her fingers along her eyelashes again.

"You know, I'm surprised your eyelashes haven't fallen off the rate you're going at." She lowered her hands.

"I'm sorry but it's my dad's fault. My mum told me that he always used to do it when he was nervous and these past few weeks that's all I've been feeling so it's turned into a habit now. I guess in a way it's something I have of his and I'm glad that it shows when we have the same feelings. It's like he's here, you know?" She looked at him. "You probably think that's stupid."

"No I don't, I think you should be proud. We both have our own memorabilia, I have my mother's photographs and you have your father's strange quirks." They both laughed. "Anyway, to answer your question the cabin is in France. It's always cold and the water is freezing unless you heat it up manually or by magic - whatever. The nearest town is miles away and they're all muggle so you can't apparate anywhere. Plus there must be about tens of thousands of animals up there that can rip you apart-."

***

"- so I wouldn't even be able to go out at night for a walk if I wanted to. Why on earth would I want to go to a place like that? I might a well go to prison, I'd have much more fun," Ginny concluded.

"Then why did you agree to go?" Draco questioned. "If you hate it so much, give me one reason why you should swallow your pride and tolerate it." He sat back waiting for her answer.

Ginny simmered down a little. She knew what he was doing. It was probably what he had done to himself as they were traveling back down to the station. "My daughter," she said with a small smile.

"Correct. My son and your daughter have chosen to become friends so we have to tolerate it. We can be civil, Weasley, I know we can because we have done it before. As for the cabin thing, the animals, like I said before all those years ago when we were all there, cannot see the cabin and nor can anyone else so get over it. The fates are against us on this one and they're taking our children for the ride, so we have to grit our teeth and bare it for their sakes. Do we have a deal?" He held out his hand.

She stared at it for a while contemplating her options. In the end she shook it. "Fine, but if I get mauled by a bear and die you're the first one I'm coming after."

He smiled. "And I shall willingly fight you away with a banishing spell if you do." He put his hands back in his pockets.

She laughed. "No banishing spell can waver my haunting skills my friend."

"Really, they've worked before." He smiled to the side of his mouth.

"What was that?" she asked smiling more than he was.

"Nothing."

"I thought so." She yawned into her hands.

"Tired?" he said noticing her at the corner of his eye.

"A little, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"What were you doing?"

"Worrying over my daughter and whether or not she had been killed by your son. I swore that when I came here I'd give a solid talking to her. As you can see it must not have worked because now I'm going on a holiday to France with her, her best friend and his father. I'm not quite sure who's the elder here, her or me. Strange, no?" She yawned again.

"No, not strange. I almost killed a school bird when it attacked me from my sleep last night," he laughed.

"The one delivering mine almost got smacked by a pillow."

"And it broke my damn window," they both said. They looked at each other and smiled turning away.

"Old habits never die, isn't that what they say?"

"I guess so." This time it was Draco who yawned widely into his palm. "Oh and what were you doing last night, or should I say whom?"

"Hey watch your mouth, Weasley. I don't get involved with anyone other than my wife. My son has made me incapable of it unless he approves first. I have sworn to him that I would abide by this one rule if no other. He says it's a favour to him and to me apparently."

"Really? That's noble of you considering who you are."

"And who exactly am I, Weasley?"

"If I have to tell you then you don't need to know." She yawned again and closed her eyes to the sky. The wind still nipped at her nose and she buried her head into her scarf a little more, it was always chilly in April up in the North and she was right to have brought some kind of warm clothing when she traveled.

They sat at the station in silence for about a half hour and more people from the village were coming into the station now. Draco turned to Ginny about to ask her why she thought they were all going into London but stopped when he realised she was asleep. He hadn't even noticed that her head had tilted in his direction and was resting on his shoulder. It must have been the coat he was wearing. He always knew that at this time of year it got cold despite summer being around the corner. Some people had started looking at them and he had wondered why. It had become annoying as much as he had tried to ignore it so had turned to ask his question and there she was, peacefully dreaming. It was then that he understood why they were looking at him. To the untrained eye, all who didn't know who they were would have thought they were - a couple. That explained the looks on their faces, the smiles and the 'awws' that he could read on their lips when they prodded their partners and pointed in his direction.

Then the train came, he turned again to Ginny and tried to wake her but she wouldn't. She was a heavy sleeper unlike himself but he knew she would have to wake up if they were ever to get a good seat.

***

"What do you think they're doing now?"

"Well if they're not killing each other then they're probably on their way home, my mum loves traveling on that train she said it was always -."

"The best part? Yeah my Father says that too. That's one of the reasons he didn't apparate or he would have been here sooner. Thank Merlin or they wouldn't have met."

They sat in silence staring into the fire. "So what now? Do we have a plan for when we get there or what?"

"It looks like we need another meeting at the lake."

"Okay I'm up for a walk, shall we send out owls to each house?"

"Sure, let's go before dinner because then we could meet straight after." They both ran outside and made their way to the owlery. There, they chose one bird to send to the Ravenclaw table. The notes always said the same thing.

Lake: After Dinner, Bring the rest.

They folded it and sent it off. It was well past six by now so it was liable to reach them on time. They both watched the owl fly away and round the castle wall toward the Great Hall where dinner would be.

"I have to get back to my dorm and change. I've been wearing these since yesterday." He demonstrated the state of his clothes.

"Mmm, me too. I'll see you later okay?" she said as she turned and walked through the door.

"Fine." He heard her footsteps die away as she ran down the stairs.

***

In the Great hall the students filed in for Dinner. Most of the teachers sat at the head table eating and surveying the students when an owl came in. It would have been just another mail for a student if Dumbledore hadn't noticed that it was a school bird. He looked to his right at Snape and McGonagall. They too had paused eating and were watching the bird as it flew and landed in front of a Fourth Year Ravenclaw.

It was a chain of events then.

The Ravenclaw boy turned away from the head table and passed the note from the bird's leg along to stop at a girl in the sixth year. She, in turn, put the note next to some Chicken sandwiches she had put on her plate and turned around to pass it to another house. The Hufflepuff it was passed to told the person next to him and placed the note into a book, which he rose with and walked to the Gryffindor table. He put the book down in front of Mara Weasley, Cordelia's cousin. She took the book and opened it, read the note and snuck it behind her to the Slytherin table. The note was then read and destroyed.

This turn of events had the three teachers staring in awe, the efficiency of one note to be passed throughout a school without even the slightest signal of alarm or trace that it existed. It was genius. They all looked at each other and back at the student body. Whatever it was that those two were planning, it was more serious than they thought.