The Hospital Wing and the Astronomy Tower

"Good Heavens, child!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. "Calm your temper!"

"It's not my fault!" Ron shouted. "He started it!" He pointed at Draco, who was lying in a bed on the other side of the Hospital Wing.

"Do sit down!" cried Madam Pomfrey. "And you Mr Malfoy, don't provoke Mr Weasley to attack you again!"

"I didn't say anything," Draco lied. "He just has a large rod stuck up his--"

"What's going on?" asked Hermione, who had just entered the infirmary with Harry and Blaise on her tail.

"Hermione!" said Ron, startled. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to visit you silly," Hermione replied. "What are you doing out of bed? Didn't Madam Pomfrey tell you to get some rest?"

"Yes I did," said Madam Pomfrey. "But Mr Weasley seems a little hard of hearing today."

"You should know better Ron," said Harry, in a friednly, joking sort of way.

Ron started back to the bed he had left only seconds ago, but then he stopped. "What is she doing here?" he said, pointing at Blaise.

"I have every right to be here," said Blaise.

"She's right Ron," said Harry. "And that was really rude of you."

Ron got into his bed. "Well it's her fault I'm here," he said.

"Don't blame Blaise for your terrible temper," Harry said, his voice louder than he intended. "It's your own fault you're here, you really should know better." Harry's face was stern, causing Ron to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Harry, you're a traitor," said Ron. "Fraternizing with the enemy."

"Where have I heard that before?" said Hermione. "Let's not go through this again."

"It's his fault, he shouldn't even be talking to her," said Ron, turning dark red in the face. "If he doesn't know where his loyalties lie, don't go blaming me!"

"Oh, Ron," said Hermione. "Don't be like that."

"She'll try to kill him the moment he turns his back!" Ron shouted.

"Good Heavens, Weasley! Do calm yourself!" Madam Pomfrey had once again come out of her office.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Harry shouted. "You go about blaming everyone else for your problems."

"Ron, Harry," Hermione pleaded. "Can't we just get past this?"

"No," Harry and Ron said in unison.

"Why don't you work some of your 'magic' on them, Blaise?" Draco drawled. "Show them that they're 'meant to be.'"

"No," said Blaise. "It's fun to see them fighting."

"See!" said Ron. "She's pure evil, and nothing but!"

"Oh get over it, Ron!" came a voice from the door. Ginny entered the room.

"What is going on here?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "These two boys need rest!"

"I'm just visiting my dear brother," said Ginny sweetly. "Is that so wrong?"

"Very well," said Madam Pomfrey. "But only five minutes, then I want all of you out!"

"Certainly Madam Pomfrey," Harry, Blaise, and Hermione said in chorus.

Madam Pomfrey shot a glance at Draco and Ron, and after telling them to behave themselves, walked back into her office.

"Ron," said Ginny. "You're so stupid sometimes. You're always getting yourself hurt, and for what?"

"I'm only protecting you, Ginny," said Ron. "Is that a crime now?"

"No, but I don't need protecting," said Ginny. "And I hate to see you hurt."

"So do I," said Hermione. "And I hate to see my two bestfriends fighting, especially at a time like this."

"At a time like what, exactly?" Blaise asked curiously.

Hermione and Harry shared a nervous glance.

"Nothing," said Hermione. "We need to talk to Ron in private."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Draco.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "Neither am I."

"A time like what?" Blaise repeated.

"It's nothing," Hermione said hastily. She quickly drew the curtains around Ron's bed, hiding herself, Ron, and Harry from view.

Blaise turned to Ginny. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

Ginny looked at Draco, and he nodded slightly. "Yes," said Ginny. "I have a slight idea."

"So what's up?" said Blaise.

"See, there's this thing happening in about February," said Ginny. "I found it in a book, it's some dark arts thing, and considering it is Ron, Harry, and Hermione, they probably already know all about it."

"This thing that's happening in February," said Blaise. "Is it a sacrifice that depends on the alignment of Arcturus and the Earth?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "How did you know?" she asked in astonishment.

Blaise shrugged. "I've been planning for it since I was nine."

"Yeah, well guess who's being sacrificed," said Draco.

Blaise stared at him, looking as wide-eyed as it was possible for her. "Ooh, do you know?"

Draco and Ginny both nodded, Draco looking proud.

"Who?" Blaise asked. "Is it someone I know?"

"Yep," said Draco. "It's me!"

"You?" said Blaise. "But you seem so happy."

"Yeah," said Ginny. "He wants to serve his lord." She spoke in a disapproving tone.

Blaise chuckled. "Draco, Draco," she said. "You're so very stupid. It isn't a good thing, in fact, you should be very scared."

"What're you talking about?" Draco demanded. "You're just jealous!"

"Oh no Draco," said Blaise, shaking her head. "No, no. I'm rather glad it's you and not me. I'll serve the lord in a way in which I can know I'm serving him, but you, you'll serve the lord not by choice, but under an influence, and you'll have no thoughts of your own."

"What?" said Draco. "But that's not how it is, all I have to do is give up my soul."

"Without a soul, there are many things you can't do," said Blaise. "You'll be sort of a dementor, but without any power of your own; you won't even be able to scare people."

"I don't understand," said Draco, looking at Blaise and Ginny in a confused manner.

"What did I tell you?" said Ginny.

"But you only said that because you have something against the dark lord," said Draco.

"But I was still right," said Ginny. "But you insisted that you wanted to serve your lord, you said it was in the plan, you wouldn't even listen to me!"

"I didn't know it'd be this way," said Draco.

"What way did you expect it to be?" Ginny asked.

Draco shrugged. "But I don't like the sound of it anymore, especially if Blaise thinks it's a bad thing."

"Oh, it is a bad thing," said Blaise. "But that's not important just yet. What's important is the two of you. So now that I've got you talking again, are you back together?"

"It isn't that simple," said Ginny. "There's too many obstacles, we decided it wouldn't work."

Blaise looked suddenly angry. "Okay, I see you two have trouble understanding," she said, each word literally dripping with rage. "You two belong together, and I have used and manipulated too many people for you to just throw it away. So if you destroy my plans, I will have to destroy you, do you understand?"

"But if you force us together, we won't be happy," Ginny protested.

"I don't care!" Blaise shrieked. "Just do what I say, and trust me, you will be happy."

"Fine by me," said Draco. "As long as you get me out of this sacrifice."

"That can be arranged," said Blaise. "But for now, promise me you won't mess up my plans."

"Okay," said Draco. "I'll be happy for as long as I can think for myself."

"Hold on," said Ginny. "What about me? Who said I want all this?"

"I do," said Blaise, a definate note of finallity in her voice.

Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office. "I want all of you out of here now," she said. "You've had long enough!"

Ginny and Blaise walked to the door together after bidding Draco goodbye; Hermione and Harry emerged from behind the curtain that was drawn around Ron's bed, and the four of them left the infirmary together.

***

Gregory Goyle looked into the face of his friend, his only left companion now that Draco was so caught up in himself. "Crabbe," he said. "Vincent, my dear."

Vincent Crabbe looked up, his face was as always looking clueless and lost.

"Do you remember when we were lost?" said Gregory. "Do you remember that strange creature we saw? The one that told us we will play a large part in the s-s-ac-rif-ice of er... what was it he said?"

"No," Vincent replied. "I can't remember what I had for breakfast."

"But do you remember his instructions?" Gregory said. "He wrote them down on this piece of Parchment." He pulled a piece of parchment out of his robes, and showed it to Vincent.

"Who said it was a he?" Vincent asked.

"Because he said he was, don't you remember? You thought it was a girl, and told him you didn't swing that way, taht you were on the crooked side, and then he said he was a he."

"My toes are smelly," said Vincent. "When was the last time I had a bath?"

"Never mind that," said Gregory. "Your toes are beautiful. But I can't read what he wrote. Maybe I should have paid attention to those reading lessons from Malfoy in first year."

"Didn't Malfoy die this morning?" Vincent asked.

"No," Gregory replied. "That was his great-grandfather."

"What's a great-grandfather?" Vincent asked. "And isn't Malfoy sad that he died?"

"Malfoy doesn't know," Gregory said. "We were supposed to tell him."

"Why don't you ask Malfoy to read the parchment?" Vincent suggested.

"What parchment?" asked Gregory.

"Huh?" said Vincent.

"I don't know," said Gregory, leaning forward and kissing his dear Vincent.

"Oh, please you two!" said Pansy. "Can't you go to the Astronomy Tower like normal people?"

***

"Malfoy," said Ron, feeling the boredom of not having his friends or family around for once.

Draco looked up from his homework. "What?" he said."Do you want to ask a stupid question? Throw some amateur insults my way?"

"You're a stupid git," said Ron. "Why can't you behave like a human being just this once?"

"Because I'm not a human being," said Draco. "I'm a much superior being."

"You're such a stuck up snob," said Ron.

"I can see right through you," said Draco. "Through that Harry Potter's sidekick label, through the little screen you hide behind. I know that you don't really care about Ginny, and you just never want to see anybody else happy. You aren't a kind-hearted, brave Gryffindor, you're pathetic."

"I AM NOT!" Ron shouted, causing Madam Pomfrey to enter the room, and beg for them to please behave and get along. Once they had agreed, she went back to her office, once again.

"Why Ginny?" said Ron, plainly not actually having anything to say. "I mean, you could have anyone in Slytherin, but instead, you chose Ginny, from Gryffindor, and she's a Weasley."

"Because I've shagged every girl in Slytherin and I'm looking for a change," said Draco, sarcasm strong in his voice.

Ron looked flabbergasted. "Don't you dare touch my sister," he said.

"What makes you think you have a right to know?" said Draco.

"I have every right to know, she's my sister," said Ron, raising his voice.

"You act like she's your responsibility," said Draco. "You don't own her; she can make her own decisions."

"But I have to look out for her, I always have done," said Ron. "But you wouldn't understand, because you don't care about anyone but yourself."

"There's a difference between acting like you own her, and looking out for her," said Draco.

"All right," said Ron. "But why can't you just answer the question?"

Draco sighed. "Nothing gets through to you, does it, Weasley?" he said.

"Why Ginny?" Ron repeated.

"Why Granger?" Draco shot back.

"Because," said Ron. "Hermione and I have known each other very well for a few years, and we really enjoy each other's company, and also something you wouldn't understand in a million years, but we care about each other."

"So you and Granger are comfortable with each other," said Draco. "And you're fine with routine, and so is she. With Ginny and I, it's very different; it's spontaneous if you will."

"Yeah," said Ron. "But still, you haven't answered my question. Why Ginny?"

"I don't know," said Draco. "And I don't mind not knowing, it's more fun that way."

"You Slytherins," said Ron, shaking his head. "You're all the same, you're so weird."

"Some will beg to differ," said Draco.

"But this thing with Ginny," said Ron. "If you ever hurt her, trust me, I will do more damage to you than possible."

"What, you mean worse than this?" said Draco, pointing to his boneless leg with his purple and blue striped arm.

"Yeah," said Ron. "I'll kill you with my bare hands, and that's a promise."

"Thanks," said Draco. "That'll help me sleep at night."

"Any time," said Ron. "And you know, if we could get past this Weasley, Malfoy barrier, maybe I wouldn't mind your being with my sister. But we're not the ones who can declare the end of the feud, so I suppose that won't be happening."

"We are the next generation of Malfoys and Weasleys," said Draco. "If we were to make peace now, then we could settle this thing for good, I mean, it would settle a feud something big, and next, we could take on the Slytherin, Gryffindor war. But I doubt we'll need any of that, eh Weasley? You're perfectly comfortable with a routine life."

"Okay Malfoy, so you've got a point," said Ron. "If you and Ginny went on with this little charade--"

He was cut off by Draco who said, "It's not a charade."

"Whatever," said Ron. "But if you settled the Weasley, Malfoy hate circle, it would change everything, make life easier for everyone, but that doesn't seem like a Malfoy thing to do, you're always complicating everything."

"But if we worked together, maybe you could change the Malfoy stereotype for me," said Draco. "And maybe I could give the Weasleys a good name, because muggle-lover is just such an insult."

"I'll think about it," said Ron, smiling to himself.

"Then it's settled," said Draco. "Ginny and I can do whatever we want, and there's nothing you, or any Weasley can do about it."