Fallen

Chapter One

Confusion and Butterbeers

It was a sunny summer morning at Malfoy Manor. The trees outside were slightly swaying in the wind and birds flittered about the grass, looking for food to satisfy their ever hungry stomachs.

Draco Malfoy looked outside his window, bored. Lucius had gone to an important "business trip" with his flirtatious young secretary, and Draco had no desire to know what they were doing. Draco's mother was "out with friends" and was going to return "very late if at all, you stupid boy." In the immense Malfoy Manor, it was just Draco and the House Elves (sounds like a band). And so it was, on this fine summer day, Draco looked outside his window when, suddenly, a piercing scream penetrated the lazy morning spirit and a body fell from the sky and landed on the perfect Malfoy lawn. And it stayed there. Without moving.

Deeply bewildered, to say the least, Draco ran outside quickly to the place where the body lay unmoving on the grass. He knelt beside the still figure and slowly turned it on its back.

It was Ginny Weasley.

Ginny's eyes slowly fluttered open and she saw the face of Draco Malfoy staring back at her.

"Bloody hell," she swore. And fainted.

Draco got up from the grass, looking calm, as if bodies fell from the sky everyday. (Rule #358 of the Malfoy Handbook of Rules: Never show emotion.)

"Lolly!" Draco hollered. "Elf!"

Instantly, a small female house elf appeared at his side and bowed deeply while eyeing the body of the young witch on the ground.

"Take this young lady into my room. Put her on the sofa and heal her." Draco ordered. The house elf didn't move, waiting for further instructions. "Now, before I'm old, you moronic house elf." Draco snapped. The elf twitched a bit and bowed again. She snapped her fingers and together, she and Ginny disappeared. Draco sighed and ran a hand though his blond hair. Slowly, by himself, he made his way back to his room, wondering what the hell just happened.

"What am I doing here?" Ginny asked coldly as soon as Draco entered the room. She was still lying on the sofa, weak from the fall. However, the cuts and bruises on her face were gone and she was looking considerably cleaner.

"I think I should be asking you the questions, Weasley. What are you doing here?" Draco demanded.

"That's what I'm asking you! I don't bloody know!" Ginny cried, frustrated.

"Right," Draco said, feeling a bit foolish, "well, I have no idea why you're here. You fell from the sky and landed on my lawn. Out of the goodness of my heart, I brought you here and didn't leave you out there to die. You should be thanking me, young weasel."

"As if you have a heart," Ginny muttered.

"I wouldn't be insulting me if I were you. You are in my house and at my mercy," he reminded her.

"I'm thirsty. Do you have whiskey?" Ginny asked suddenly, looking up at Draco, who stood at the doorway. Draco raised an eyebrow, "Butterbeer?" Ginny tried again.

Draco snapped his fingers and another house elf was at his side. "Butterbeer," he said simply. An instant later, the elf came back with a few bottles of butterbeer held regally on a silver platter.

"Where do you want it, Master Malfoy?" it asked in a high pitched noise. Draco gestured to Ginny and the elf went to her and handed her a butterbeer. "Leave the rest. You're dismissed for now."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. Not as elegantly as Draco had done, but an eyebrow nonetheless. "Do you always order everyone around like that?" Ginny asked. She took a sip of butterbeer and let it warm her. Instantly, she felt loads better.

"Yes." replied Draco shortly, "Tell me, what happened? How did you just fall from the sky and happen to land at my front door?" Draco asked, taking a butterbeer himself and sitting on the bed.

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. Finally, she answered softly, "I-I don't know...or remember, actually."

"You don't know," Draco repeated. "You don't know how you just dropped from the sky? How are you getting back to that shack you call home?"

"I don't know."

"This is bloody great," replied Draco, and gulped down the rest of his butterbeer.

***

"Ginny's gone!" Ron cried as he burst into the Weasley's small living room, followed closely by George and Fred Weasley.

"What?" Harry asked, standing up from the sofa. Hermione looked up from her book, looking quizzically at the group who had just burst in. They were both just lazily sitting on the sofa, enjoying the sunlight that was filtering in through the windows.

"I don't know what happened. We were just testing the invisibility hat on Ginny. One minute she was there, but the moment she put it on, she was gone!" Fred cried, clearly very distressed.

Hermione looked as if she was ready to laugh. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "Not to point out the obvious, but doesn't that mean your trick hat worked? You know invisibility hat and all?"

"No!" cried George. "You don't understand, she's gone!"

"Right," Hermione said skeptically, and went back to reading her book.

"No," Ron explained, his voice edged with desperation, "Ginny's not invisible, she's gone. As in shot off into the sky and off the Weasley premises!"

"You mean, literally flying into the sky? She hasn't fallen back down?" Harry asked.

"Yes!" Ron said. Hermione now closed her book and stood up also.

"Have you done a location search?" Hermione asked promptly. Four blank faced looked back at her. Hermione rolled her eyes and flung her arms out in desperation, saying, "Oh, honestly! Ron, get me a map of England, please." Ron tore out of the room. For a minute, the small living room was silent. Finally, Ron returned, a map in his hands. "Put it here," Hermione said, indicating the coffee table. Ron obediently spread the map on the table. Hermione went and kneeled by the small table and the rest gathered around it. "Pervestigo," Hermione muttered. Her eyes were shut and her forehead scrunched up in concentration. She jabbed her wand at the old map. A golden light shot out of her wand and spread across the map. A moment later, the light was gone. Nothing happened. "Oh no," Hermione said, "Ginny's not in England! She's actually not in England!"

"Are you sure?" Fred asked. "Maybe you should-"

"Run the test again?" George finished for his twin.

Hermione shook her head, but said the spell again, none the less. Still, nothing happened. "Ginny's really not in England," Hermione paused, "Ron, do you happed to have a map of Europe?" she added as an afterthought, "Or the world, perhaps?"

"We have one of the world, but not Europe. I'll go get it." Ron said, and ran off once again.

Back inside the living room, Hermione said, "What did you do, Fred? What was the hat?"

"It was an invisibility hat! George, Ron, and I have all tried it and it works, I can't imagine what went wrong when Ginny put it on."

Hermione didn't have time to respond because Ron came running back in again, this time with a world map. He spread it on the table again. Hermione bent over the table and closed her eyes; her forehead was scrunched as she said, "Pervesitgo." Her wand tip shoot a beam of golden light and it, again, spread across the map. This time slower, however. When the light wore off, a green blinking was found somewhere in the center of Europe. Hermione sighed, "She's in Europe, Switzerland, by the looks of it." She positioned her wand at the blinking green light and said, "Dispando," Instantly, Europe magnified and then, only Switzerland was on the map. She squinted and leaned even closer to read the small label below the blinking light.

A gasp escaped her throat and she looked up, as if expecting an answer from the rest of the group. The color drained from her face and she whispered, "She's at Malfoy Manor."

***

Seventeen bottles of butter beer and six bathroom breaks later, Ginny was starting to feel a bit light headed.

"Blaise!" she answered, laughing. Her usual pale freckled was flushed and her eyes were glassy and wide.

"Parkinson," Draco drawled, an amused smirk on his face, "See how you can beat that one, young weasel."

Ginny was silent for a moment, thinking hard, twisting a strand of fiery red hair as she thought. Finally, she answered, "Fine, you win this round. I suppose Pansy is the sluttiest girl at school."

If a stranger had stumbled upon the scene, they most probably would have screamed in utter terror at the scene placed in front of him. Draco and Ginny were sitting side by side on the ground, backs supported by Malfoy's bed. Even if the stranger didn't know their family backgrounds, I suspect that they would have still wondered how these two completely opposite people could stand to sit next to one another because Ginny's red hair clashed horribly to Draco's icy blond hair. In fact, Ginny stood out among the room like a carrot in a sea of snow.

"Well, well, well," a sudden voice said, "'tis Alcott Weasley, no less. What businesses have ye in Malfoy Palace?"

Ginny was more than a little startled; she turned towards the voice and saw a pale slender ghost dressed in clothes that were probably ten centuries out of date.

"This is not Alcott Weasley, Grandfather Kent," Malfoy answered, also turning towards the ghost, "'tis only a new serving maid, and most definitely not a Weasley."

The ghost narrowed his beady eyes in unfriendly suspicion before finally he turned around and drifted through the wall.

"I'm a serving maid?" Ginny questioned, tilting her head slightly.

"That's some century old relative. He's quite mad." Malfoy assured her, "Had the most horrible grudge against Alcott Weasley, most likely your great-great-great grandmother or whatnot."

After a rather prolonged silence, Ginny turned towards Malfoy and said, "You know something, Malfoy?"

Draco tilted his head in question at Ginny, taking sips from his eighteenth butter beer. His vision was starting to blur slightly, and he had the most particular feeling of floating on air. He knew what had happened, of course. He had gotten drunk with his mates too many times now, not to know what these feelings meant. However, what he couldn't believe was that he was getting drunk in the company of no other than Ginny Weasley.

"I wish you could always be civil like this." Ginny paused for a second, and continued very quickly, "If you were civil all the time, I think all the girls would fall for you. You're quite good looking, after all." She was feeling quite lightheaded. Eighteen bottles of butterbeer apparently could make you drunk, no matter how low the alcohol content.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow and looked at Ginny. His eyes fell upon her lightly freckled face and bright, green eyes. Her fiery red hair tumbled on her back and was slightly curled at the ends. Ginny felt his eyes rake her face and she blushed, but refused to look down. Finally, Draco looked at her in the eyes and said, "A Weasley actually admitted to a Malfoy that he was good looking?" he paused and smirked for effect, "Well, you're not all that bad yourself, weasel." Then, he added, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You like me don't you?"

Ginny stared at him, dumbfounded. Then, without a bit of warning, Malfoy leaned towards Ginny and lightly brushed his lips against her cheek.

"What are you doing?" Ginny gasped, leaning back.

"Finding out if you like me," Draco answered simply and this time kissed her on the mouth. Whatever thoughts that was running through Ginny's head that second was promptly pushed away. With no thought in her head and alcohol coursing through her body, she flung her arm around Draco's neck and kissed him back with fierce urgency. Draco broke apart, and with a triumphant look in his eyes, said, "You do like me! Admit it, Ginny."

Ginny looked annoyed and slightly dangerous. "Shut up and kiss me," she answered.

No longer sitting up, they rolled on the thickly carpeted floor, kissing each other fiercely and hands flying where no hands have gone before.

***

A second later, the window exploded open and a certain boy with messy black hair and sharp green eyes fell through the room and landed bodily on the floor.

Ginny and Draco, both stunned, instantly sprang apart from the kiss. Ginny watched, dazed, as the figure on the floor groaned and picked itself up. "Harry?" Ginny asked unbelievingly.

Harry Potter jumped in surprise. His eyes opened wide and he rushed towards Ginny. "Ginny! Are you alright?" Then, his eyes narrowed as he spotted Draco sitting up on the floor. "What is he doing here? He hasn't hurt you has he?" Harry asked as he shook Ginny violently, as if to check if she's still intact.

"I think the better question is what you are doing in my house, Potter." Draco said icily, standing up.

"You! You have no reason to speak right now," Harry replied angrily, pointing his wand at Draco. Harry pulled Ginny protectively behind him and advanced upon Draco. "What have you done to her? Tell me right now or I swear I will turn you back into that slug thing back in fifth year!" he threatened.

"I haven't done anything to her, you bigheaded scar boy." Draco said coolly, glaring at Harry through narrow slits. "And you make the worst threats in the world," he added as an afterthought.

Harry glared daggers at Draco and pointed his wand menacingly at his chest. "If you have done anything to her, anything, I swear by god you will pay," he said in a low growl.

Ginny gently touched Harry's shoulder and said, "Really Harry, it's alright. I'm alright."

Harry didn't stop glaring at Draco as he answered, "Ginny, you don't know what he's done to you. What if he made you leak secrets out? What if he took advantage of you? What if he erased your memory afterwards? You just don't know, Ginny!"

"Really, Potter," Draco said, absently checking his perfectly manicured nails, "I wouldn't take advantage of young weasel here, I wouldn't even want to. I'm offended that you would have such a thought. I, a Malfoy, would not on the life of me touch a Weasley. And you, Potter, should leave now. This is my manor and I want you to leave."

But Harry didn't budge. Instead, he advanced upon Draco a few more centimeters and asked, "What have you done to her, Malfoy? Why is she at your manor? I know that you did something to her, and you should spit it out right now before you don't have anything to talk with."

Draco abruptly looked up from his nails. He drawled, "I said, leave. Malfoy manor has 10,732 traps for those who don't carry Malfoy blood. You seem to be standing on one right now. I think that you should go before you don't have anything to walk on. I am not joking Potter, all I have to do is say the words, and you won't be able to walk for the rest of your pathetic days."

Harry seemed to decide if this was a bluff or not for a second, but finally, he said, "I've faced worse than you, Malfoy. If you ever even glance at Ginny again I will personally take you apart piece by piece. I will find out what you did to her and when I do, you will pay its full due." With that, he backed away from Draco, walking backwards so that he would never have to turn his back towards Malfoy. "Ginny, jump out the window," he ordered. Ginny looked down from the window doubtfully, but when she looked down, her eyes grew wide and without hesitation, she jumped. When she was gone, Harry said, "This isn't over, Malfoy." Then, he turned and followed Ginny out the window.