Captured By A Dragon

Chapter Six: Innocent Intrusions

A soft and quiet wind rattled Ginny's window, a few spare branches scratching the glass.

Ginny turned to the side, groaning. She opened her eyes furiously and looked at her alarm clock on her nightstand.

It was 7:30 A.M. Ginny smacked her lips and yawned, realizing that she could've had a lot more time to sleep if the stupid wind hadn't woken her up.

Well, Ginny thought to herself, there's no reason not to do something productive. She opened her four-poster bed curtains and looked around at all of the other 6^th year girls; every one of them was asleep, a few snoring now and then. Laughing quietly, Ginny got up from her bed and stretched her arms as far as they would go. She rubbed her stomach, feeling... empty.

That night had not gone well at all, and as far as Ginny knew, Draco was scared of something she didn't know about.

What was he hiding from her? Ginny knew he was hiding something, something important. She needed to know desperately. But whom could she get advice from? One of her brothers? Wait...

Fred. He was the sole genius of weird behavior. Ginny remembered asking him about advice when her other brothers had gotten angry with her, and he had always helped her no matter what.

Ginny went to her schoolbag and got out a piece of parchment, quill, and inkbottle. She rushed downstairs to the common room and sat all of her things down on one of the tables.

She picked up the quill, dipped it in the inkbottle, and started writing hastily onto the parchment. She wrote the letter so quickly that when she was finished, several inkblots were splattered all around.

Fred,

It's your dear sister Ginny. I'm in a bit of a fix, and if you can help, it would be much appreciated. It's a pretty long story, but Malfoy and I have to spend three detentions together this week! Please don't make me explain; I am in haste. Our first detention was last night, and things did not go well. Lately, whenever Malfoy sees me, there is a fear in his eyes I can't put in plain words. Now I know I didn't suddenly grow humongous muscles or another foot, and I know YOU know these kinds of things. Please help me; I do not know how to deal with him.

Love,

Ginny

Ginny read through it, finding that nothing was wrong. She smiled, sprinted upstairs, put on her shoes and cloak, and hurried back downstairs. She opened the portrait hole and walked out, not even stopping to hear the Fat Lady's 20-minute lecture about 'waking up sleeping people'.

&&&&&&&&&&

Granger,

No, that stupid bushy-haired nitwit would get angry.

Draco crumpled up the parchment and threw it into the trash bin.

Hermione,

This was way too strange. Draco had never called Granger... Hermione. However, Draco kept on with his letter.

Hermione,

I am in desperate need of your help. I had a dream the other day, and

"No, no, no!" Draco yelled in a whisper, ripping the parchment in half and throwing it in front of him. He sighed in aggravation.

Hermione,

I am in desperate need of your help. Ginny is in danger. Do not ask me how I know this. I have... sources. What I need you to do is protect her wherever she is. If she goes to the bathroom, say you're brewing up some secret potion and you need a place to hide it. If she goes to the library, pretend you want to study. You know... act like yourself. Just protect her as much as you can.

Draco Malfoy

Ah, good enough.

Draco put the letter into an envelope and put 'Hermione Granger' on it with his quill. He got up and walked out of the common room, noticing that the dungeons were more chilly than usual.

For what seemed to be at least half an hour, Draco walked and walked, his destiny the Owlery. He needed to get the letter to Hermione by the time she woke up, because he never knew when Ginny was going to be... whatever the woman told him.

At last, Draco made his way into the smelly Owlery, looking upon over a hundred sleeping owls, most of them eating their late dinner.

Draco searched for his own eagle owl, but he was not there. Draco knew because usually his owl would fly down on his shoulder, and at that moment, his shoulder held no weight.

He shrugged and went to an owl that was awake and not eating. Draco didn't care whose it was, he just needed to get his letter to the recipient (which was Hermione).

Draco put out his arm for the owl to perch on, but the owl did not budge. Its ocher eyes glared at him fiercely, almost daring him to come nearer.

After awhile, Draco got frustrated.

"Come here, you bloody bird!" he yelled furiously, and his arms reached quickly at it.

But before Draco even touched the owl, a hand grabbed his wrist, stopping his arm from stretching any further. "Don't even think about touching my owl, Draco Malfoy," said Ginny angrily, letting go of Draco's wrist forcefully. He looked at her, utterly surprised.

"What the hell are you doing here this early in the morning?" he asked, forgetting that he was there as well.

"Me? What about you?" said Ginny, slightly laughing.

Ginny saw Draco gulp.

"I don't think that's any of your business," he told her quietly, looking down at the hay-strewn floor.

Ginny stared at him. "Fine," she said. She held out her left arm and made a tutting noise. "Come, Belle," murmured Ginny in a rather soothing voice, and the owl flew up to Ginny's arm to sit on. Ginny turned to Draco, looking back and forth at Belle and him. "You must be gentle so they will be gentle," she told him, stroking the owl.

Draco cleared his throat.

He decided not to reply to Ginny, and he moved on to another owl.

&&&&&&&&&&

Draco knew Ginny was smarter than him.

She got him every time.

Why, though?

Ever since the dream, he had been weak towards him, not the same Draco.

The old Draco would've taken the owl from Ginny just so he could send Granger the letter.

But then again, the old Draco wouldn't have even be SENDING a letter to stupid Granger, so he would be in bed, and everything would be just fine.

The dream was the thing that made everything change.

If only he hadn't've fallen asleep in History of Magic!

Draco let the barn owl fly away into the morning sky, the letter already attached to its thin leg, the wind making it ripple in a harsh motion.

He turned to Ginny, who was staring off into the distance.

"Listen," he said in a low voice. Ginny looked at him. "We should get back to the c-castle."

She didn't move, though. She was still looking at Draco, but rather oddly, as though she were trying to make up her mind about something.

"So..." Draco trailed off, his eyebrows raised. "Let's go."

"Erm... should we go to breakfast? Dumbledore won't mind if we go early, will he?" she said, and she started walking out of the Owlery.

Draco just stood there, confusedly watching her walk away.

Sensing that Draco wasn't following her, Ginny turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Well are you coming or not?"

Draco laughed at the ground and then looked up at her. "You look so stupid when you put your hands on your hips," he told her. "Kind of like Pansy Parkinson."

Ginny giggled silently and shook her head, turning back around to leave the Owlery.

Little did either of them know that somebody was watching them... somebody who could spread gossip like wildfire.