Nox Noctis

Nox Noctis is a tale portraying both Good and Evil, with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy exploring the two conflicting sides through their own eyes. Shall Good triumph over Evil? Shall Love emerge victorious over Hatred? Shall Friendship survive the ultimate test of Betrayal?

* * * * *

"It's over. I have just wasted my summer vacation de-gnoming the garden," a lone female voice sighed aloud, drawing a few curious glances from other passersby.

With two sickles jingling in the pocket of her robes, Ginny Weasley strolled down the busy center of Diagon Alley. It was bustling with activity, wizards and witches dressed in robes of every known color walked past her, each of them hurrying to buy different wizarding equipment for different occasions.

Ginny paused to look at a window adorned with moving mannequins modeling the latest fashion in witch wear. *It is beautiful,* marveled Ginny at the snow white dress robe with a magnificent emerald brooch pinned to the bodice. Weighing the Sickles she had in her pocket pitifully, Ginny tore her eyes away from the dress, knowing that she could never afford to buy clothes that expensive. Being a Weasley had its ups and downs. Although they might lead a very happy family life, Ginny would never really have the chance to shop freely in Diagon Alley, and she had a very good reason for not doing so.

Just as some Slytherins would put it, her parents didn't have two Sickles to rub together.

However insulting the Slytherins might be, Ginny wouldn't trade her family in for fame and money. No amount of Galleons would be able to buy the love lavished on her by her loved ones, Ginny believed.

As she made she way down the street, Ginny imagined that there was a dark cloud above her head, ready to drench her with raindrops if she stopped. The past few weeks had been rather strange for her after returning from her trip to Bulgaria. Or more precisely, after boarding the magical flying train back to England. Strange dreams dogged her sleep, and it always involved her and a mysterious boy in the throes of heated passion.

Ginny colored deeply. It was never this intense during her daylight fantasies with... with Harry. Lowering her eyes, Ginny felt her cheeks burning in the cool morning air. Those dreams occurred quite frequently, often happening once every two or three days, and it ended the same way every time. There were always two hooded men bursting through the door accompanied by streams of white light.

If there was one thing Ginny wanted to know most, it was the identity of the mysterious boy. No matter how hard she tried to peer through the darkness, she could not see anything, save for an occasional glimpse of his forearm or fingers, and his face was always hidden away from her view. There was once when she thought she saw silver-blond hair, but it flashed past her eyes so fast that she couldn't be sure. For all she knew, it could be black hair.... Ginny blushed again at the thought of Harry. The voice said that he was the one who she loved the most, and it was urging her to say it to him. It felt so right, so correct at that moment.

No-one could say accurately what would happen tomorrow. Not even the Great Seer Helga Hufflepuff had predicted the future accurately because any abrupt decision could change the course of fate.

For every action, there would always be a response.

A legend scripted in ancient books mentioned that there was a mystical artifact called the Mirror of Erised had once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. When someone looked upon their reflection, it would reveal their heart's greatest and deepest desires. Rumors said that it was still hidden away in a corner of Hogwarts. For a moment, Ginny wondered what she would see if she were to stand before the mirror.

Would she be lying happily in Harry's arms?

* * * * *

Walking briskly down the street, Ginny stopped every once in awhile to admire the beautiful clothes and hair ornaments on display. Accidentally dropping her hair band, Ginny bent to pick it up. Hearing a quick shuffle of feet behind her, she looked up only to find normal wizard folk bustling around with their errands. Straightening her frayed robes, Ginny stood up and started towards the potions supplies shop, intending to buy refill packs for her potions kits. The young girl didn't dare to risk Snape's wrath by being under stocked, especially when she was a Gryffindor.

Quickening her pace, Ginny dodged and squeezed through the tightly packed morning crowd. Maybe it was her basic fear instinct at work, but Ginny kept turning her head to look for a suspicious figure behind her. It felt as if a pair of sinister eyes was boring into her back, scrutinizing her every little movement and tiny gesture. Ducking past a horizontally challenged witch, Ginny hurried into the Potions shop, grateful that the enclosure of the store gave her a sense of security.

Walking along the long rows of magical herbs empty-handed, Ginny fought to keep her fear and anxiety in check. Shortly after, the melodious chime of the doorbell echoed through the entire store. Throwing a backward glance, she didn't see anyone suspicious, save for a mother holding her child's hand standing by the door. Unwittingly, Mad-Eye Moody's shouts of 'Constant Vigilance!' came floating into her mind. *Virginia Weasley, you are just scaring yourself,* she tried to convince herself as stopped by a shelf at the back of the shop and began picking out ingredients for her Potions kit.

So immersed was she in choosing those paper-wrapped packages that she didn't notice a figure dressed in black robes standing behind her. Sharp eyes traced her every movement and touch, but Ginny was still unaware of their owner's presence.

Suddenly, slender fingers stroked her shoulder lightly. Jumping in shock, Ginny let out a scream but a hand was clamped over her mouth in a blink. Muffled screams escaped from her throat as she stared at the cold gray eyes of the intruder.

"You better keep your mouth shut, Weasley," the young man hissed, his steel gray eyes narrowing as he removed his hand from her mouth. Numb with fright, Ginny could only nod as he pushed her against wooden racks, pinning her arms down with his other hand. She grimaced in pain when her back hit the shelves with a dull thump.

"Draco Malfoy!" Ginny cried out, her brown eyes showing panic. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. By the way, your hair looks like it's perpetually on fire. Perhaps this is why you always have that singed smell around you," Draco said airily and twirled a lock of her red hair around his index finger. "Didn't know you had smooth skin though," Draco whispered with a smirk and swiped two fingers across a blushing cheek. Ginny held her breath as he bent down to sniff her hair. Although desensitized by fear, Ginny could felt his lips brush gently against her earlobe as his robes rustled over the rough surface of the shelves, forcing a pleasurable shiver down to the roots of her hair. As he bent closer to her, a few wisps of silver-blonde hair touched her face. Ginny felt blood rushing to her head, overruling her rationale.

"Leave me alone, Malfoy. It's not like you don't have an ice-covered scalp," Ginny heard herself croaking out weakly, her senses spinning wildly out of control as Draco pressed closer to her. A faint fresh lemon scent pervaded her nostrils, sending sharp jolts of unfamiliar sensations up her veins.

Then it happened.

Recollections of the desire-fuelled dream flashed past her conscious mind fervently. The passionate kisses and the sensual touches filled her body like a bubbling cauldron filled full of explosives, waiting to be ignited any second. Her fingers closed around fistfuls of his black robes as she tried to force those unsightly memories out of her head. "Let me go..." she whimpered helplessly, her mind in a daze.

"Of course I will, after this. I shall have to sanitize my hands with bicorn serum since I have touched some dirty Muggle-lover blood," sneered Draco and pulled her away from the shelves, his hand moving downwards to maintain a strong grip on her wrist. He let out spiteful laugh as Ginny flushed angrily and struggled to pry his fingers off her hand. "Follow me," came Draco's command and Ginny staggered a few steps forward as a result of his sudden tug on her hand.

"Let me go, Malfoy!" protested Ginny, finally having come around to recollect her senses. With newfound strength, she yanked her hand away from his grasp; but before she knew it Malfoy caught the sleeve of her robe and dragged her back to him, causing her to stumble. Ginny let out a sharp scream as she felt herself hit the floor. A sharp searing pain shot up her arm, causing her to groan in agony.

Cradling her injured elbow, Ginny whimpered and bit her lower lip, as tears began welling in her eyes from the jolting pain. Draco was still gripping the sleeve of her robe, a mixture of amusement and loathing evident on his face.

* * * * *

The remaining two weeks of summer vacation plodded along in a hazy blur of heat and boring assignments. For the first time in summer vacation, Harry felt completely at ease. Taking in a deep whiff of the air around him, Harry smiled happily; being away from the Dursleys was always something to celebrate.

School would be reopening in a day's time and he had to get his school supplies from Diagon Alley before jumping onto the Hogwarts Express. Sirius disapproved of Harry going to Diagon Alley alone to meet up with Ron and Hermione, but he had relented after Harry assured him that Voldemort wouldn't dare act in the hub of the wizarding world, where Aurors patrolled frequently. Besides, Harry missed Ron a lot, especially since Dumbledore had advised him not to visit the Burrow. Usually, Mrs. Weasley would get his school supplies for him, but this year, Harry wanted to shop on his own, so did Ron. Harry was never comfortable with Mrs. Weasley buying things for him since everything he got was in better condition than Ron's.

He knew Ron was resentful of being poor.

Sometimes Harry was ashamed to have so much money to spend whereas his best friend always had to be contented with hand-me-downs from his five older brothers.

Still, Harry hoped that the Weasleys were better off this year. The last time he met Fred and George in Hogsmeade, they told him that Weasley Wizard Wheezes was coming along fine and they had already received their first batch of orders from a wealthy wizarding family who were going to hold a grand party. The twins hadn't decided where to open their shop at that time. Again, they had made some good business with their original inventions. Obviously, the Canary Creampuffs were a hit with customers, so were the Fire-Ice Candies the twins had concocted recently.

*"Harry, go on, do have some sweets," Fred offered innocently and handed him a piece of candy wrapped in colorful paper.*

Harry grinned at the memory of the twins trying to make him taste their new invention. When he gave in to their persuasion, it was his biggest mistake for an entire month. A Fire-Ice Candy was a queer sweet. As Harry popped one into his mouth, it felt pleasantly cool but it grew freezing cold in a matter of seconds until Harry was about to spit it out. Then, it grew warmer and warmer to the point that Harry thought his tongue was on fire.

Shocking, but the candies were a good laugh.

Lugging his trunk along, Harry walked down Diagon Alley as he looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of fiery red hair among the closely packed crowd. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had promised to meet him in front of the Potions store, but they hadn't been there yet the last time Harry checked. His arm was already aching from trying to maneuver the bulky trunk through the crowd, and Hedwig was screeching at other owls lined by the roadside. Part of Harry was frustrated at not being able to locate his friends, but the greater portion of him was enjoying the window-shopping. Magical items of every shape and size adorned the glass cases in the shop windows.

Diagon Alley had never failed to amaze him. Various sorts of exotic smells drifted past him in a swirling nebula of dizzying fragrance, clouding his mind. It reminded him of Divination when Trelawney insisted on using aromatherapy for easier concentration, and Harry could recognize cinnamon, sandalwood and lavender from the medley of scents.

No, Trelawney was wrong about noise clouding the Inner Eye. It was the heavily perfumed Divination classroom that would blind a Seer, Harry thought to himself.

"Harry! Harry!" a familiar voice called him and Harry turned around. A large smile lit up his face as he saw Hermione and Ron making their way towards him.

"Harry! Glad to see you!" shouted Ron over the din and slapped Harry on the back.

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry hollered back and swept Ron up in a friendly hug. "How are you doing?"

Ron looked flushed and Harry noticed that his best friend seemed to have grown taller over the holidays. Suddenly, Harry felt self-conscious of his height. Well, not that he was very short, but he had the classic build of a Quidditch Seeker, short and slender, but Ron was towering over him by at least half a head. "Great! I spent my time helping out at Fred and George's joke shop," answered Ron as the duo separated. Hermione gave Harry a peck on Harry's cheek and hugged him too.

"Hey Hermione! Enjoyed your visit to Bulgaria?" Harry asked as his watchful eyes twinkled at the blush that crept up the girl's cheeks. Hermione's relationship with Viktor Krum was not a secret anymore, no thanks to some on-scene reporting by another Rita Skeeter-wannabe in the Daily Prophet. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry caught a scowl on Ron's face.

"It was fine, if it wasn't for someone who kept owling me every hour of the day. Let's go find Ginny now," Hermione said breezily and walked straight ahead, ignoring the look on Ron's face. Harry shot Ron another glance and hurried ahead after seeing Ron clenching his jaw. He knew Hermione's words had struck the nail on its head, and it was a wonder that Ron hadn't blown up by now. Ron was always touchy when it came to Viktor Krum. No matter how one might say it, Ron and Hermione's relationship wasn't quite the same after the Yule Ball in their Fourth Year. Hermione started acting cordial towards Ron and Ron, well, was still Ron. If Ron had weaknesses, it had to be his quick temper and tendency to get jealous over minor things like Hermione meeting Viktor in Bulgaria, although Ron would never admit that. *At least Ron still has a chance, not like me and Cho,* thought Harry and sighed internally. *Hermione and Ron just do not realize how lucky they are.*

"I thought Ginny was still helping out in the joke shop," started Harry and turned his head to look at Ron, wanting to ease the tension that was building up steadily between Hermione and Ron. Being a hot-tempered Weasley, Ron was still sulking and walking behind him, his arms folded across his chest.

"Harry, the joke shop is in Diagon Alley," Hermione answered exasperatedly and clutched Harry's arm. Out of sympathy for Ron, Harry wasn't eager to cause Ron more mental trauma, so he tried to jerk his arm out of Hermione's hold but her fingers were secured tightly around his forearm.

"Where is the joke shop exactly?" asked Harry curiously, wondering why he hadn't seen the shop yet through after all his aimless loitering for the last fifteen minutes. He had given up trying to pry Hermione's hands off his arm, and Ron looked angry enough to blow fire from his nostrils.

"Yes, it is just ahead," replied Hermione simply and quickened her pace. Squeezing through the crowd, they finally came to a halt in front of a run-down shop house. Harry peered from his glasses at the signboard hanging on top of the shop. *Weasley Wizard Wheezes...* Harry read silently and studied the entrance of the joke shop. The glass case was stacked with all sorts of innocent-looking contraptions ranging from wands to rubber bath ducks to boxes of candy stacked neatly in a majestic spiral.

"Come on, Harry! Ginny's waiting for us!" Hermione pressed and led Harry through the revolving glass door. A string of harmonious chimes welcomed their entrance to the shop and there, Fred was sitting behind the counter and George was busy arranging new jokes on a shelf by the side.

"Ah, Harry!" shouted the twins together and rushed up to shake Harry's hand. "Care to buy some Ton-Tongue Toffees to suck on?"

"Er, no thanks," answered Harry quickly and squirmed at the mental picture of Dudley with his engorged tongue protruding from his mouth. That was a good laugh, though. Poor Dudley.

"Hi Harry," greeted a perky voice and Harry nearly jumped back in shock when Angelina Johnson popped up in front of him. "Come, Harry. Ron and Hermione have placed their trunks in the storeroom, and you should too, before you go around buying new school supplies. Besides, you and Ron will be bunking with Fred and George here tonight." Angelina then waved her wand and shouted 'Alohomora!', opening a carefully concealed door right at the back of the shop.

Harry nodded and pointed his wand at his trunk and Hedwig's cage, sending them flying through the opened door. Satisfied upon hearing the soft 'thud' and the louder 'squawk' of his luggage landing on the floor, Harry replaced his wand into his pocket.

"Like this place, Harry?" Fred asked and slapped Harry on the back. "This is the cheapest place in Diagon Alley we could find."

"Well, yes... Of course I do," Harry replied absentmindedly and continued admiring the rows of tricks and jokes lined up on the shelves and display closets.

"Hey George! Where's Ginny?" asked Ron suddenly, making Harry jump. Glancing around, Harry finally noticed that the youngest Weasley wasn't in the shop.

"Ginny? She went out to buy refill packs for her Potions kit since she didn't want to wait around doing nothing."

"She went alone?"

"Well, do you see anyone of us missing? Of course Ginny went by herself, Ron. She is a big girl now and she knows how to take care of herself," said George shrugging Ron's frantic question off with a laugh. "No wizard would want to kidnap her and ask for a ransom unless it was as payback for our Ton-Tongue Toffees."

"Ron, you are too uptight. Relax please," continued Fred, as he walked back to the counter and sat down with a flop.

"Well then, why don't we just go out a buy our school supplies? We might meet Ginny along the way," suggested Harry and gestured towards the rotating door. Ron shot him a thankful look as Angelina ushered them out and the trio hurried out of the shop with their money pouches jingling with Sickles and Knuts.

"Ginny should have waited for us," Ron grumbled and folded his arms. "It's dangerous for her to be walking around unaccompanied."

"Ron, Ginny is already sixteen and she knows her way around Diagon Alley," snapped Hermione irritably and strode ahead, her bushy hair puffed up around her shoulders.

"Hermione's right. Ron, let's go to the bookstore first since it's just ahead," interrupted Harry, eager to stop an argument that was brewing between both of his best friends.

"But Harry, Ginny's acting strange nowadays and lately I've heard her screaming her head off in her room," said Ron worriedly. "I can't help feeling that something is wrong with her."

"You're just being worrisome. Ginny had a fun time with Viktor and I in Bulgaria, and the Ginny I see everyday is perfectly fine," sighed Hermione and turned around to face Ron. "Well, everyone has nightmares every now and then," she added hastily after seeing anxiety written all over Ron's face.

"Alright," Ron resigned with a slow nod of his head. Harry clapped Ron on the back and then led them through the throng of wizards and witches down the busy street. Harry saw Ron frowning out of a corner of his eye, genuine worry outlining his features sharply. Harry didn't know Ginny very well. Most of the time, Ginny was blushing furiously whenever he tried to talk to her and often the next moment, she disappeared from his sight.

*Ginny's just shy around you,* Harry told himself and shook his head. He wasn't that thick as his friends might think. He was well aware that Ginny probably wanted to be a closer friend of his, but all efforts to strike a conversation with her failed miserably after Ginny started blushing and avoiding his gaze.

Before long, they were marching into an old shop lined with books on every shelf in the cramped space. Digging out her list of books, Hermione thumbed through it and selected a leather bound volume off a shelf. "Here, 'Poisonous Plants for Practical Potions'."

"Thanks, Hermione," mumbled Harry absent-mindedly as he leafed through the new book, the small print swimming in front of his eyes. Hermione passed Ron another copy before taking one for herself. As the trio strolled through the long rows of bookshelves and racks, Ron and Hermione argued animatedly about some new school rule Ron intended to break on his first day back at Hogwarts, and Hermione was telling him about the possibilities of being expelled from the wizarding school.

Harry's mind was not on their argument, nor it was on the new Potions textbook. For the past two weeks, he had been thinking about Lord Voldemort's return to the magic world, and he had not been able to get any peace of mind. As he gazed at Ron and Hermione, Harry debated internally whether to confide in his friends about his latest dream, but somehow it all sounded like lunacy.

*Let's go to the library to read up more about dreams,* Harry envisioned Hermione saying if he were to reveal the contents of his so-called encounter with Voldemort. As much as Harry hated to admit it, Hermione's method of solving problems was came in effective many times already, especially when she managed to catch Rita Skeeter as an animagus.

In short, no matter if it was a fake dream or a real dream, it was all part of his imagination. Sometimes, Harry really felt that he was going insane through all the mental torture he was forced to endure.

Yes, it was insane to imagine that Draco Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin. So what if Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin? The Chamber of Secrets had been opened and the Basilisk killed. The only object standing there was a harmless stone statue of Salazar Slytherin, nothing else. What could the Heir do to wreak more havoc? Sneak in another Basilisk?

Besides, Voldemort had a chilling high-pitched voice. Harry knew that through his firsthand experience at dueling with the evil wizard. The wizard who was prodding Malfoy around couldn't be Voldemort. He had to be someone else. Yes, someone else like Snape, Harry couldn't help thinking.

Finally, Harry was convinced that it was just a stupid idea. *Just a stupid dream, nothing more than that. Just a stupid dream,* Harry chanted repeatedly in his heart. Besides, Harry found it hard to believe Dumbledore's theory of his performing some kind of ancient spell subconsciously, no matter how deep his respect for the old wizard was.

How could he cast a spell without even learning the basic incantation?

Deciding to leave the issue alone for now, his attention snapped back into focus on Ron and Hermione's conversation and found them looking at a new title in another aisle of the bookstore.

"Harry! Ron! Look at this!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly and held up a tattered book.

"'The Secrets of the Hogwarts Four Founders'?" Harry read from the large golden letters imprinted on the old cover and shot Hermione a puzzled glance. "What's so interesting about the Four Founders?"

Taking the book from Hermione's hands, Ron flipped through the thick volume and paused to squint at the tiny text. "No offence, Hermione, but this book looks very boring."

Snatching it back from Ron, Hermione studied the index of the book and nodded. "Well, it doesn't hurt to read more, right? I'm buying this book."

"As long as it isn't some sleazy novel about popular Quidditch Seekers," muttered Ron under his breath and the trio picked up the rest of their schoolbooks before paying at the counter.

"It is just me or are magic books getting more and more expensive?" grumbled Ron as he jingled his considerably lighter money pouch. Not wanting to focus on the subject of money, Harry steered them towards a café a few doors away and ordered three sundaes to share with his friends.

"So, Harry, why didn't you come over to the Burrow? I wanted to come together with Fred and George to get you away from the Dursleys, but you said it wasn't their fault this time," Ron asked Harry, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that was starting to smother them. Hermione was sitting next to Harry, staring listlessly at her sundae as she swirled the chocolate fudge in the ice cream with a plastic spoon.

For a moment, Harry was quiet. Should he tell Ron and Hermione about his dreams? Should he disclose what Dumbledore had told him, or what Sirius had related to him about the recent news in the wizarding world? What about Malfoy becoming the new Heir of Slytherin with Voldemort rising to power once again? His internal conflict came back with a vengeance this time, and it was adamant to knock him over.

Slowly, Harry answered, "Well, Sirius and Dumbledore thought it was best if I stayed with the Dursleys for my safety..." He paused before continuing in a low voice. "Besides, Sirius said that Fudge has been absent from office for quite some time now, and Vol... Sorry, You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters have been active over the past two weeks," Harry corrected himself quickly upon remembering Ron's touchiness with the saying of Voldemort's name out loud.

"Fudge has been absent?" Hermione joined in eagerly. "I haven't been reading the Daily Prophet during the summer vacation because they don't cover Muggle residence areas now."

"Yes, and there's a new acting minister named William Hedge," Harry confided, secretly pleased to see concern for him written all over Ron and Hermione's faces. They were his first friends, and real ones, at that. Dudley was too careful to let him make friends when he was staying at Privet Drive.

"Why is Fudge missing, then? It's not like him," chimed in Ron, his brows furrowing. "Maybe he's sick," Ron's conclusion came after five seconds of thinking.

"No, he isn't sick... No-one knows why Fudge isn't turning up for work, according to Sirius," Harry sighed and scooped a spoonful of vanilla ice cream up from his sundae.

"Harry, you saw Sirius?" interrupted Hermione, her eyes twinkling with newfound interest.

"Yes, he paid Uncle Vernon a visit to get my custody form signed," said Harry with a laugh.

"Speaking of Fudge, do you think he may be working for You-Know-Who? I mean, he was the one who brought the Dementor into Hogwarts that gave Barty Crouch Jr. the Kiss of Death," Ron suggested suddenly. "Besides, he and Barty Crouch did throw Sirius into Azkaban without a proper trial, right?"

"But then, why would he work for You-Know-Who? It's not like he wants more authority or power. He is the Minister of Magic," Hermione pointed out. "Perhaps Fudge is sick."

That confirmed Harry's suspicions. Fudge couldn't be the defector in the Ministry of Magic. Just like Hermione said, what did he have to gain from working for Voldemort? Fudge had everything to lose. Letting the subject drop, the trio ate their sundaes in silence since they had planned to find Ginny in the Potions store.

Just as any Muggle would have imagined in their fantasy stories, the store was stocked full of bottled bubbling liquids in all colors of the rainbow, queer items such as dried foxgloves and preserved batwings. Walking into the shop, Hermione, Ron and Harry started to buy ingredients for their potions kit without a word after picking up a wicker basket each from the counter.

*Just exactly the disgusting subject someone like Snape would love,* Harry thought aimlessly as he picked up a small jar of toad bowels from a shelf. Peering at Ron's wicker basket, Harry noticed that Ron had selected the smallest package of every required ingredient on his list. The same thing happened every year. Whenever Ron's potions supplies ran low, he had no choice but to ask from Snape, and it involved a lot of sneering and cold reprimands from the hateful Potions Master. Looking at his bundle of dried earwig wings and Ron's, Harry replaced it onto the shelf and picked up a bigger package of the same ingredient. *Better to lend Ron some of my Potions refills than to give Snape any excuse to pick on us,* Harry thought and threw the paper packet into his basket.

As they wandered through the confusing rows of both sweet-smelling powders and foul stenches, Harry kept an eye out for Ginny. Ron and Hermione seemed to be doing the same thing, but Ron was a little fidgety than usual.

"I wonder if Ginny is still here..." Hermione sighed as they reached the end of the first row, but barely after finishing her sentence, a shrill scream from the back of the shop sliced through the silence like a razor. Harry and Ron turned around in shock, their eyes searching for the source of the female voice.

"Ginny!" shouted Ron and rushed through the long rows of potions ingredients with Harry following close behind.

Suddenly, Ron stopped in his tracks, nearly causing Harry to run into him. Harry too, stopped dead when he saw what Ron saw.

"Harry! Don't you know I'm straight behind you?!" Hermione yelled as Harry felt the girl bracing her hands against his back to stop herself from falling down. "Dear Merlin... Ginny!" Hermione breathed out and Harry heard a soft thud as her wicker basket landed on the floor.

"Malfoy!" growled Ron menacingly, his face turning a deathly white color and his fists balling up tightly. His brilliant blue eyes were ablaze with fury when Ginny cried out helplessly. "Let her go."

"Oh, so it's one of the pathetic Weasleys to the rescue now," drawled Draco lazily and released the sleeve of Ginny's robes suddenly. Harry balled up his fists angrily as a snicker escaped Draco's lips when Ginny let out a small sob upon hitting the plank floor, her brown eyes flooding with tears. Not waiting for anyone to speak, Hermione quickly rushed forward to help Ginny. Harry couldn't help but sighed in relief when Hermione reached out with her wand to tap gently at Ginny's injured elbow and the younger girl stopped grimacing in pain immediately.

Turning to look at Ron, Harry saw bright blue eyes staring murderously into Draco's steel-gray ones. "Some man you are, Malfoy, for picking on a girl younger than you are," Ron shouted angrily, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists too tightly. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he bristled.

"Still better than being Potter's obedient dog," the Slytherin sneered coldly. "Oh dearest Harry, you have such a handsome scarred face! I think I'm so in love with you!" Draco whispered in a sickly sweet voice and flashed Ron a smug smile.

Ron snarled as Harry gripped Ron's arm tightly. Pulling out his wand and aiming it at Ron's face, Draco smiled dangerously. "You should better than to interrupt, Weasley." Under his breath, he muttered an incantation and a sprinkle of green sparks together with a burst of silver light shot out from his wand towards Ron.

Jumping aside to avoid the hex, Ron lunged at Draco suddenly and the duo fell backwards onto the floor. Draco hissed as the taller boy's fist made contact with his jaw, his wand rolling out of his grip. Drawing back, Draco held Ron with one hand and landed a heavy blow on Ron's eye with the other, sending the lanky boy howling in agony. Draco flashed a triumphant smile but grimaced in pain as blood started to trickle from a deep cut on his lower lip.

Ron staggered back, his hands over his bruised eye. "Sodding git!" shouted Ron and dashed forward to punch the other boy before being restrained by Harry.

"Back off, Malfoy!" Harry shouted, his hand already holding his wand. A few stray sparks of red and yellow burst out from the tip as he pointed it at Draco's neck. "One more word from you and I'll make sure you are no more than a smattering of ash," breathed out Harry through gritted teeth.

"You are no better than a wimp. Trying for a heroic act with the two of you against me alone? Save your breath, Potter," said Draco with a smirk and brushed specks of dust off his robes. Flipping his sleeves, he turned to walk away after picking up his fallen wand. As he strode past Ginny, he bent down to whisper mockingly in her ear. "Weasley, this won't be the last time we'll be seeing each other." Laughing softly, his lips brushed against Ginny's cheek and the girl felt a cold shiver forced its way down her spine.

"Hey!" Ron shouted and tried to dash forward again. Harry gripped Ron's arm harder, not wanting the wizard law enforcers to arrest his best friend for public brawling, although the thought of Draco being in a lockup was pleasant. Ron was struggling madly to loosen Harry's hold on his arm when Ginny gasped in shock at Draco's intimate contact. A loud slap immediately sounded and Harry noticed that Hermione had hit Draco Malfoy hard across his face.

"Mudblood," hissed Draco and glared at her, not budging an inch from his squatting position. "You won't have enough Galleons to pay because my face is insured." Reaching downwards towards Ginny's robes, Draco's slender fingers rested on her collarbone while his eyes caught a dull glint of a silver chain around her neck. Closing his fingers around it, Draco gave a sharp tug and stepped backwards quickly before Hermione or Ginny had the chance to react.

Hermione was aiming for a second slap when Draco caught her wrist firmly. "No-one hits a Malfoy without payback. Mudblood Granger, you will be first to go after the Dark Lord regains his full powers," laughed Draco harshly and pointed a finger at Harry. "You too, Potter."

With a soft 'pop', he disappeared before their eyes.

"Not really, Ron. Hermione has fixed my elbow with a charm," answered Ginny and grimaced when she tried to stand up. Her legs were still shaky from the close encounter with Draco Malfoy. Harry stepped forward to help Ginny steady her steps.

"Ginny, what did Malfoy take from you?" Hermione asked hurriedly and she checked Ginny for any scrapes or bruises.

"He took the chain and pendant Mum gave me for my last birthday," Ginny answered slowly, her eyes starting to fill up with tears. "Mum said that it was from her grandmother, and now Malfoy has it."

"What? That git!" Ron practically screamed and he stamped his foot on the plank floors angrily.

"Don't worry, Ginny. We'll get it back," Harry assured Ginny, who in turn nodded. Harry stared at the empty spot where Draco Malfoy had stood before he Disapparated.

"Harry, you should have just stupefied him!" raged Ron and shook his fist angrily. "Malfoy deserves ugly green warts all over his hateful face."

"I wish I had," muttered Harry and slipped his wand back into the inner folds of his robes.

"Well, it's a blessing in disguise that Harry didn't hex Malfoy just now. We can't risk Harry being sent another warning letter since he won't be celebrating his 17th birthday until tomorrow," said Hermione with a sigh. "Besides, we have another year with Malfoy at Hogwarts and we have ample time to get Ginny's chain back."

"You did heal Ginny's elbow by using magic," Ron pointed out and crossed his arms over his chest in firm protest.

"That's different. The charm I used was a low-grade one. A hex is enough to set off any wards placed along the entire Diagon Alley," Hermione explained patiently and started to walk Ginny towards the exit of the shop. "Besides, 'git' has been your favorite word lately, Ron."

"That Malfoy seems cocky, though," grumbled Ron. "And he broke the Age Rule for Apparation! I hope he ends up being splinched."

*It is going to be a challenging year with these tricks up Malfoy's sleeve,* Harry sighed mentally before urging Ron to calm down.

* * * * *

A cold rush of wind swept past him furiously as he felt himself materializing in the dark and dank grand hall of Malfoy Manor. The chatter and din of Diagon Alley died away and was replaced by an eerie silence.

Gritting his teeth in frustration and anger, he stalked towards the spiral staircase and ran up the steps. Kicking the large wooden doors open, Draco stormed into his room and threw down in his robes in frustration.

"Master Malfoy, did you know that you look a lot more handsome without that huge bruise on your face?" the accursed wall mirror sang out loud when Draco looked at his reflection. He winced at the mirror's words and turned away furiously, loosening his black tie as he kicked off his leather shoes.

"Damn Weasley. Damn Mudblood. Damn Potter," muttered Draco angrily.

"Did you bring Weasley back to the Manor?" a cold voice asked, nearly making Draco jump out of his skin. Swerving around in shock, Draco gritted his teeth as his steel-gray eyes met an identical pair belonging to a man seated at the far end of his room. He did not know Lucius Malfoy had wanted to see him so soon.

"No, I didn't," Draco answered quietly, struggling to keep his temper in check. Under normal circumstances, he could keep his cool easily, but the sight of the horrid bruise from that stupid Weasley combined with his deflated ego from failing miserably in the first task he was assigned to by Lord Voldemort was a potent mixture. Now his father was going to be greatly disappointed with him. Draco did not feel that he was ready for a long lecture about upholding the Malfoy family honor yet. Besides, Draco knew better than to test drive his newfound authority after he had failed a task in such a grand manner.

"Come, sit down here with me," Lucius invited Draco cordially and gestured at the lavish sofa facing him. Draco felt his heart lurch, but he took the seat opposite his father obediently, a habit that he had grown up with. Since young, Draco knew it was always costly to defy his father's orders. Mentally bracing himself, he relaxed on the sofa and gave his father a nonchalant look.

"Explain what happened. I want a detailed account of this great success of yours," Lucius said firmly, face devoid of emotions.

"I did as what you ordered. I Apparated to Diagon Alley and managed to trail Virginia Weasley until we were at the Potions Shop. I cornered her and tried to take her out of the Diagon Alley when she screamed suddenly," began Draco smoothly, his voice unnaturally cool. "The next moment, Potter, Mudblood Granger and one of the Weasley pack turned up. Then, that stupid Weasley attacked me!" he finished. *I'm so proud of myself that I want to throw a huge party in celebration of this failed assignment,* Draco added sarcastically in secret.

"Oh? And you got an ugly cut on your lip from a brawl with a weak Weasley?" the older Malfoy interrupted coldly. Draco's upper lip twitched as he stared at the white marble floor listlessly. "You shouldn't have given the girl a chance to scream in the first place, and you are there to bring her back to the Manor, not to engage in some sweet talk with her," Lucius continued lazily. If Lucius had only one talent, it had to be his compelling way of making a wizard feel worthless and stupid.

"Sweet talk? What sweet talk?" Draco tried to ask innocently, but failing miserably as his voice wavered slightly. There was one single person Draco could never hide anything from, and that person was his father. Draco was not a transparent person, but Lucius Malfoy could see through him simply because he knew Draco inside out.

Lucius' eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. "Do not you think you can lie to me. If you hadn't tried to play around with that Weasley girl, she wouldn't have gotten away. You are the weakest Malfoy in the entire clan!"

Draco merely stayed quiet.

"What is your explanation for this botched up plan? From now onwards, Virginia Weasley and her brothers will watch out for you," Lucius continued, his tone growing louder and harsher.

"Father, I did not expect Potter and Weasley to come into the sh..." Draco started, but he couldn't finish the sentence. A resounding slap echoed in the ghastly silent room. Soft breeze lifted the curtains and blew a cold draft in, as Draco made no effort to ease the stinging pain in his cheek.

"Do not think that I don't know anything, Draco. I despise my son giving stupid excuses like this," Lucius hissed, his gray eyes blazing. "The Dark Lord wants Virginia Weasley and your task is to bring her to him, not to scare her or hit her, or else you will regret that you were ever born."

"Yes, Father," Draco answered monotonously, his eyes downcast. *And I was picked up by you from some rubbish dump in downtown London.* Draco added sarcastically in his heart and smirked, although one side of his face with still stinging with pain.

"From now onwards, I want you to get as close as possible to that Weasley girl, because it is going to be difficult to get her out of Hogwarts with that nosy Dumbledore poking his crooked nose into our affairs. You are to make her trust you, do you understand that?" Lucius spoke through gritted teeth and stood up. "You are to lure her out of Hogwarts."

"Be friends with Authur Weasley's daughter? Have I heard you wrong?" Draco drawled in mild surprise and let out a short laugh, his facial expression masking his internal shock. He should have seen that coming. What now? It was to kidnap a Weasley first. Now, he was to make her trust him, to take him in as a friend. Worst of all, he would be ostracized by his Slytherin housemates for befriending a Gryffindor. He would be an outcast, a traitor, a git, a weakling, a... Gryffindor?

He was Draco Malfoy, therefore Draco Malfoy would not go to stupid Weasleys for friendship. This had to be the most outrageous task his father had made him take up so far. What else? This Virginia Weasley he would be dealing with was someone who idolized that Potter git like he was some Greek god, and he was supposed to go to her, begging for trust. He would be the laughing stock of all Four Houses in Hogwarts!

"You would not need to do all this if you had performed properly today," Lucius said sharply, seeing through Draco's efforts to mask his surprise. "I'm sure you are very confident of yourself, as always. Do not disappoint me this time." Getting up suddenly, Lucius walked out of the room briskly and slammed the door behind him. A few Renaissance paintings shook with the sudden shockwave and threatened to fall from the wall in loud, angry voices.

Forcing himself to breath in evenly, Draco fought against the urge to hurl the crystal fox on the coffee table out of the window. He was not the type to display his emotions through physical violence, but the trauma of being punched in the face by Ron Weasley added with the shock of being ordered to befriend Virginia Weasley were threatening to overwhelm him, suffocate him. The worst thing was, he could not back out from this fantastic Voldemort-styled plan, or risked his body being torn limb to limb by some violent form of Dark magic.

It was like asking him to choose to jump into a bottomless ravine or kiss Potter passionately in front of the Slytherins. Better still, snog Potter senseless in front of the entire school.

Draco nearly threw up at the mental image of himself snogging Potter. It was not much better than snogging a wart-covered toad, in Draco's opinion.

Gradually, Draco began to calm down considerably and his thoughts started to organize themselves systematically. Slowly, a cold smile spread across his face as a plan formed in his head. Reaching into his breast pocket, he retrieved a heart-shaped pendant with a slender silver chain thread through it. A single dazzling round emerald was embedded in the middle as it glinted softly in the gentle sunlight.

It was Virginia Weasley's chain that he took from her in the Potions shop. Draco thought that it was amusing to irritate Ron Weasley, but it happened that he had other uses for the chain now.

*Since I'm getting my fifteen minutes of fame, why not take full advantage of it?*

Draco leaned back in the plush sofa languidly and gazed out at the clear blue skies, feeling a lot happier at the moment.

*Life is just so damn beautiful at times.*

* * * * *

The train whistle screeched shrilly as parents and students milled around Platform 9 3/4 in King's Cross Station. Coupled with the endless hooting of owls calling greetings to each other, the students were talking excitedly at the top of their voices about their summer vacation.

"C'mon, Harry! Let's get a compartment all to ourselves," Ron shouted enthusiastically over the din. It had been barely a day since Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had met Draco Malfoy in that Apothecary, but it seemed that they had forgotten about that unhappy incident. Or at least, momentarily.

Loading his trunk into the train, Harry hopped into an empty carriage and lent Ron a hand with his luggage. The train screeched loudly again and it began to chug slowly down the railway. Ron leaned out of the window to wave at Mrs. Weasley and the twins. Harry waved too, when Mrs. Weasley shouted that she would send him a food parcel soon.

Settling down comfortably, Harry pushed his trunk under his seat and watched Ron do the same. Before they had the chance to say anything, the compartment door slid open and a redhead peeped through the small opening.

"Ron? Harry?"

"Ginny, where have you been? I've been worried sick about you," cried out Ron and leaped up from his seat. Dragging the door open, Ron ushered Ginny and Hermione in. Standing up to help the girl, Harry, too, reached out a hand to pull their trunks in.

"Well, we've been scouting the entire train looking for you," Hermione answered and placed her hands on her hips. A few wisps of brown hair came loose from the tight bun behind her head as she moved to sit down on one of the long couches. Suddenly, Harry felt himself staring at Hermione's slim form beneath the long gray skirt and white linen shirt up to her sparkling brown eyes outlined with long dark lashes. Hermione looked different, he concluded, from the last time he truly saw her up close. Hermione was not only his best friend; she was also a girl, a beautiful one, at this rate, Harry realized.

His silent reverie was interrupted by a drawling voice. Harry snapped out of it with a shock. Draco Malfoy again! This time, he was leaning lazily on the doorframe with Pansy Parkinson firmly attached to his arm. "So, what has Weasley done to his face?" Draco asked casually and stifled a yawn. "You look much better this way, you know." Pansy shrieked with laughter when Ron's hand flew up to cover his black eye instinctively.

Harry could feel Ron shaking with rage beside him when Draco pushed the door a little wider and flashed an annoying grin at them. "Get lost, Malfoy. We don't have time for an irritating bouncing white ferret like you," Hermione commented icily and flipped open a thick leather bound book. Draco's smug smile did not waver although Harry could swear he saw a tinge of pink appearing on Draco's pale face.

"You'll be getting a lot of facial makeovers once we reach Hogwarts, I assure you, Weasley. And you too, Potter," Draco piped up merrily and laughed.

* * * * *

The sky grew darker as the train raced past tall mountains and deep gorges due north as gentle tendrils of sunlight bade farewell to the day. Ginny sat in her seat quietly as Hermione was too absorbed in her book to talk to. Harry and Ron were poring over a Chudley Canons Quidditch season guidebook, and she didn't quite feel like joining them. Ron's earlier outburst about Malfoy threatening him was long over, although she had had to tell him that Mother wouldn't be pleased if he ended up with another black eye.

Draco Malfoy's smile was still bothering her, confusing her. She could not understand what Draco was up to this time. They hardly even saw each other at Hogwarts, much less spoke. Besides, Draco was only interested in picking on Harry and making Ron feel worthless, and she never usually bore the brunt of Draco's twisted attentions. So then why did he follow her all the way to the Potions shop in Diagon Alley? Why did he catch her eye purposely this morning?

Why? Why? Why?

Something was not right; Ginny could feel it deep in her veins.

For all she knew, Malfoy could have a trick up his sleeve, and he might be taking advantage of her emotional insecurities. Then, he would use it to badly hurt Harry and Ron. Also, he might be making her his new bullying target, after what he did in the Potions shop. Again, Ginny couldn't help shivering in anticipation when her thoughts came across this possibility: What if... What if he was serious with her this time?

Ginny blanched. How could she be thinking of that? Malfoys and Weasleys did not mix. Wizarding families like the Weasleys were very tolerant towards Muggles and half-bloods, whereas old clans like the Malfoys prided themselves in being pure-bloods and they despised anyone with Muggle heritage. Besides, Lucius Malfoy had made it clear that he hated Muggle-lovers. Hence, Draco Malfoy wouldn't be any better.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a pair of hands shaking her arm violently. "Hermione?"

"Ginny, I think we better put on our robes... Hogwarts is only five minutes away," Hermione replied and reached out to her black school ones that were folded neatly on top of her trunk.

"Hermione, do you believe in dreams?" Ginny asked suddenly, but immediately regretted it when Hermione looked at her with a strange expression on her face.

"I... do not. Well, I know it is a branch of Divination, the subject which I hate most. To me, dreams are connected to your everyday problems, which you unconsciously bring into your dreams," Hermione answered slowly. "But according to many Divination gurus, dreams are visions from the past, present or future."

"...Future?" Ginny repeated after Hermione and blinked.

"Forget about it, Ginny. I'm hopeless at Divination and only Seers can have visions. Besides, I'm sure you can count how many true Seers are among us on your ten fingers," Hermione replied hastily and shrugged into the loose black garment. "You can include Trelawney there."

Ginny could only nod in response as the train slowed down to a halt. Hermione's answer was satisfying because she was a well-read witch and she exerted a high level of surety in her replies.

Shifting her gaze to the darkening landscape outside, the girl smiled at the breathtaking scene before her eyes. The ancient Hogwarts castle stood majestically outside with tiny lamps dotting the numerous windows. A heavy cloud of mist shrouded the beautiful building and a few ravens circled overhead gracefully.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts," Harry whispered softly beside her.