The Hospital Wing and the Astronomy Tower, the Sequel

"Blaise!" Draco called, running down the corridor after Blaise.

Blaise turned around. "What's up with you?" she said, noting the odd look on his face. Draco rarely ever looked scared or anxious or even surprised, but at this time, he looked all three, his face contorted with just about every negative human emotion imaginable.

"My father," said Draco. "He's at Hogwarts. He was the one who went to the hospital wing before."

"And why are you telling me?" Blaise asked.

"You've got to help me," said Draco.

"I'm meeting Verity and Harry in the library to get some help on my Transfiguration skills," said Blaise. "I really don't have time for this."

"This could mean the end of Potter," said Draco. "If my father gets to him, there's no telling what might happen."

"Draco, this is silly," said Blaise, sounding greatly disinterested. "You're jumping to conclusions."

"I think Ginny's forgiven me," said Draco.

Blaise's face lit up. "Really?"

"Oh yeah," said Draco. "In fact, she believes me that my father's here; unlike some people."

"I believe you dear, it's just that I've made plans," said Blaise. "I haven't the time."

Draco looked around the corridor frantically.

"I can't cancel," said Blaise. "I'm terrible at Transfiguration and I really need to pass it."

"Verity," said Draco. "She'll believe me."

"I believe you," said Blaise. "But I don't have time right now."

"Come on, Blaise," said Draco, hurrying off down the hallway, pulling Blaise along by the sleeve.

He stopped when he reached the library and opened the door, rushing inside. Madam Pince glared as he entered, still pulling Blaise along behind him.

Draco looked around the library wildly; there were a couple of Gryffindor fourth years at the back, measuring rolls of parchment; a group of Hufflepuff second years were standing between two book shelves, no doubt gossiping; a few Ravenclaws were scattered about, seated at tables, but there was no sign of Harry or Verity.

"Well, where are they?" he demanded.

"Draco, you're acting like it's the end of the world," said Blaise.

"It is!" Draco shouted. "Where the Hell are they?!"

Madam Pince got to her feet immediately and hurried over to Draco. She grabbed him by the ear. "NO YELLING IN THE LIBRARY!" she yelled. "OUT! NOW!" And she almost literally threw him out of the library, where he fell back into Harry Potter.

"Watch it, Potter," Draco spat.

Blaise had followed Draco out of the library, and she now stood beside Harry. "It was you who fell into him," she said. "Now calm down."

"What's happened?" asked Verity, who was standing behind Draco.

"Lucius Malfoy escaped Azkaban yesterday," said Blaise. "Draco seems to think he's here at Hogwarts."

"You believe me, don't you?" said Draco, whipping around and looking pleadingly at Verity.

"Of course I do," said Verity. "But why would he be at Hogwarts?"

"Potter," said Draco.

"I don't see why you care," said Harry.

"I don't," Draco snapped. "It's just not very nice having my father strut about the school disguised as me."

"Disguised as you?" said Verity. "All right, Draco. Start explaining."

Draco took a deep breath before very hurriedly speaking his opinion of why he thought his father was at Hogwarts.

***

"Madam Pomfrey," said Ginny, looking into the kindly face of the matron. "I'm not sick."

"No, no dear," said Madam Pomfrey. "But you still need your rest."

"No, really," said Ginny. "I'm not sick; at all. I don't need my rest; what I need is a good run around the school or something; anything but rest."

"No, you'll stay here," said Madam Pomfrey.

"Please," said Ginny. "I really have to go."

"No, you're staying right here, Weasley," said Madam Pomfrey.

"But I'm not sick," said Ginny. "And if you don't let me go right now, I'll escape while you aren't looking."

"You can't do that," said Madam Pomfrey, glaring at Ginny.

"I can, and I will," said Ginny. "Draco did it last week."

"What did Draco do?" Madam Pomfrey asked curiously.

"Escaped from the hospital wing," said Ginny. "Honestly, Madam Pomfrey, you've forgotten already?"

"I'm old," said Madam Pomfrey, "I'm losing my memory."

"I'm sure you are," said Ginny. "And quite certainly, you won't notice when I leave without asking."

"You will not be leaving," said Madam Pomfrey. "You are sick, and that is that."

"Fine," said Ginny. "I won't leave then." And she lay back in the bed.

"Good," said Madam Pomfrey, leaving off to her office.

"What an idiot," said Ginny, once the office door closed. She got up quickly and changed out of her pajamas into her school robes. She dashed out to the infirmary door and exited, only to find Draco waiting for her outside.

"I didn't expect you to be here so soon," she said.

"What?" said Draco.

"You said you'd meet me here in five minutes," said Ginny. "It's been barely three."

Draco raised his eyebrows at her. Both eyebrows. The real Draco Malfoy raised only one eyebrow, which made him look far more attractive than a Draco with both eyebrows in the air.

Then again, Lucius didn't raise both eyebrows at the same time either, so it didn't seem right to think that this was Lucius.

"Who are you?" Ginny asked him, fear beginning to run through her.

"Er, Malfoy," he said. "And who are you?"

Ginny blinked. "Which Malfoy?"

"Erm... Drake," he replied.

"It's Draco," said Ginny.

"What?" he asked.

"So who are you, really?" Ginny questioned. "I know you aren't Draco Malfoy, and I doubt very much that you're Lucius, because he would at least know his own son's name. So who are you?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy," said the blonde haired boy.

"Just a second ago you said your name was Drake," said Ginny.

"You imagined it," he said, beginning to fidget.

"And since when does Draco fidget?" Ginny asked. "You're quite clearly not Draco, and I know you aren't. But who are you?"

"I've got to go," he said, turning in the other direction.

"Oh no you don't," said Ginny, grabbing him by the back of the robes. "Who are you?"

"I told you," he said.

"And you're lying," said Ginny.

He relaxed under her grip for a moment, before dashing off down the corriodor. Ginny chased after him, but unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.

Ginny was absolutely shocked to know that there were no Prefects or teachers patrolling the corridors, in fact, during her chase of the Draco imposter, she didn't pass a single person.

Finally, the imposter turned a corner, losing Ginny for good.

Ginny rounded the corner, but the Draco look alike was nowhere to be seen. She felt her cheeks flush bright red, due to the running and pure frustration. She kicked at a suit of armor, which proceeded to fall apart with a clatter.

"Hurt little Peevsey, you did," cried Peeves the Poltergeist, flying out from under the fallen armour. "You'll pay for this!"

"Get lost!" Ginny snapped.

"I can't, I know my way around," Peeves cackled.

Ginny stared at him, but then shook her head.

"You know who told me that one?" Peeves asked. "It was your Malfoy. Being rude, he was, telling me he knew his way around. At first I thought I was special, but he tells that to everyone, he does. Does he tell it to you?"

Ginny shrugged. "Who else does he tell it to?" she asked.

"Everyone!" cried Peeves, flying off into the air above Ginny's head. "At first I thought he noticed little Peeves, but then I heard him telling someone else that he knew his way around."

"Did you see someone run by here?" said Ginny, resorting to asking the poltergeist for help. "Just before me."

"Oh yes," said Peeves. "Little Peeves doesn't miss a thing, I don't."

"Where did he go?" asked Ginny.

"Where did who go?" said Peeves.

"Draco," Ginny replied. "The one who just ran by here before me."

"I don't know where he went," said Peeves, and he flew off around the corner which Ginny had just turned.

"Did I just have a proper conversation with Peeves?" Ginny wonder aloud.

"Do you talk to yourself often?" asked Seamus, who was walking towards Ginny.

Ginny jumped. "You?" she asked.

"Er, yeah," he said.

"Was it you who... the Draco imposter... it was you?"

Seamus looked at her for a moment, before sneering. "It was me all along," he said. "It was always me."

"Seamus?" said Ginny, voice barely reaching a whisper.

"Ginny?" said a voice behind Ginny.

Ginny turned around, wide-eyed. "Seamus?"

"Who's he?" the Seamus who had just walked up behind Ginny asked, pointing at the Seamus who had walked toward Ginny.

"He's you," said Ginny. "What's going on?"

"He's running away!" cried the Seamus who had walked up behind Ginny, running forward.

Ginny stood in the corridor for a moment, completely dumbstruck.

***

"All right," said Harry. "He's delusional."

"You should talk, Potter," said Draco. "At least I don't have dreams about Lord Voldemort."

"Who said anything about dreams?" Blaise demanded. "Dreams are a really important magic, but jumping to conclusions is..."

She was drowned out by Draco, who was imitating a sort of pleasure. "Ohhh, Voldie," he was saying.

"Draco, stop," said Verity. "That's horrible."

"It's Potter," said Draco. "Bet you never knew he felt that way, did you?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry, glaring at Draco.

"Or you'll knock me off my feet?" Draco mocked. "No Crabbe and Goyle to save me here?"

"Malfoy, I'm warning you," said Harry, clenching his fists.

"I'd like to see what kind of damage you can do, Scarhead," said Draco.

"Stop fighting," snapped Blaise. "We have to find Lucius."

"But jumping to conclusions is not logical," said Draco, imitating Blaise.

"Since when has either of you been logical?" Verity said to both Draco and Blaise. "And since when has magic had any logic?"

"Exactly," said Draco. "Now, Lucius Malfoy is running wild around the school, so let's go find him."

"Where are we supposed to look?" said Harry.

"Everywhere?" Draco suggested. "He has feet, Potter, he can move around just like we can. He could be anywhere, and we're wasting time here!"

Draco, Blaise, Harry, and Verity walked down the corridor in an intimidating, very planned out looking line, though none of them noticed until a few first year girls stared at them, terrified.

"What's so scary?" said Draco.

"You," Blaise replied.

"Who cares?" said Verity. "We've got a Lucius to find."

"I think Malfoy's just pulling our legs," said Harry. "And I don't know what the Hell for."

"I'm not," said Draco, and then suddenly he stopped walking. "Is that Ginny?" he said, pointing down the corridor.

"Yeah," said Harry, quickening his pace. "What's she doing there?"

Draco, Blaise, and Verity hurried after Harry toward Ginny, who had her back to them.

"Ginny!" said Harry when he reached her. Â

Ginny turned around. "There's two Seamus's," she muttered. "And there's two Draco's. I need to lie down."

"Two Seamus's?" said Verity. "How do you know for certain?"

"I saw them," Ginny murmured. "I saw both of them."

"Why are you down here?" said Draco. "I said I'd meet you back at the hospital wing."

"I followed the other Draco," said Ginny. "But he disappeared."

"And then another Seamus appeared?" said Verity.

Ginny blinked, as though trying to snap herself out of a trance. "And now what?" she said. "Is there going to be another Ron? Because I really don't need another brother."

"I'll say," said Draco.

"I think Lucius must have some back-up Polyjuice Potion or something," said Blaise. "And he must have drunk the Seamus one and reappeared..."

"Then the real Seamus came," Verity continued. "And then what happened?"

"Seamus chased the other Seamus down the corridor," said Ginny. "And I got confused."

"That's probable," said Verity, sounding like Hermione.

"So now my father is running around disguised as Finnigan?" said Draco. "I just can't see him doing that."

"It wasn't your father," said Ginny. "It couldn't be."

"How do you know?" said Draco.

"Because," said Ginny. "The way he looked."

"But I thought you said the other one looked like my father," said Draco. "Now you've got me confused."

"No, he looked more like your father than you do right now," said Ginny. "But not enough like your father to actually look like him if he didn't look like you."

"If he didn't look like me, he wouldn't be of any interest to us," said Draco. "What are you on about?"

"Okay," said Ginny, sighing. "I'll try to explain. If he hadn't used Polyjuice Potion to look like you, he wouldn't look like your father."

"Obviously," said Draco.

"But..." Ginny was completely lost for words.

"I don't think any of this sounds likely," said Harry. "This is almost a waste of time."

"No, no, listen," said Ginny. "Okay, so let's call the imposter Bob, seeing as we don't know his real name. Now, when Bob is disguised as Draco, he looks more like Lucius than the real Draco."

"That's starting to make more sense," said Verity.

"Wait a minute," said Draco. "Who's Bob?"

"Bob is the one who's dressed as you," said Blaise.

"So we already know?" said Draco.

"No," said Verity. "We know that it might not be Lucius, but we don't know who it is."

"Now I'm curious," said Draco.

"Okay, when Seamus came, was he wearing Slytherin robes?" Verity asked. "The same as the Draco imposter?"

"The first one was, I think," said Ginny, searching her short-term memory. "Yeah, because I suspected him to be the one pretending to be Draco. Come to think of it, he had an English accent..."

"But then who was the second Seamus?" asked Harry.

"That was the real Seamus," said Verity. "The first one was Bob."

"Who the Hell is Bob?" said Draco.

"Bob is the suspect," said Verity.

"Then who's the victim?" asked Draco. "You can't have a suspect without a victim."

"Ooh, we're solving a mystery now?" said Blaise. "This is just like Auror stuff."

"Yeah, Blaise," said Verity, beginning to look a little worried.

"So who's the victim?" said Draco.

Verity shrugged.

"I think it'd be Malfoy," said Harry. "He's the one who has an impersonator."

"We need Hermione," said Ginny. "She'll know the answer."

"Ginny, this isn't your Potions homework," said Blaise. "Granger won't know the answer."

"But she's good at this stuff," said Ginny.

"Yeah, she is," said Harry. "Maybe we should ask her."

"We're wasting time," said Draco. "We can't wait around for the Mudblood."

Harry clenched his fists and glared menacingly at Draco, but Blaise held him back.

"How are we supposed to find, er, 'Bob,' if he keeps changing his identity?" said Verity. "I don't think we're going to be able to do it."

"You're forgetting who we've got helping us," said Draco. "The wonderful Potter."

"There's no need for that," Blaise snapped. "Now, we all need to get along with each other before we do anything else."

"Where did the real Seamus go?" Verity asked.

Ginny pointed down the corridor. "Down there somewhere."

"Let's go down that way, then," said Verity.

The five of them began walking down the corridor, though there were no other people in sight.

"I bet there's a secret chamber," said Ginny. "Because everyone keeps disappearing."

"Maybe he disapparated," Draco suggested.

"You can't apparate or disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds," said Harry, reciting the line he had heard so many times from Hermione.

"Why not?" Draco asked.

"Because the grounds are charmed," said Harry. "You can't use Muggle appliances either."

"Why would I want to use Muggle appliances?" Draco asked. "What do I look like, a Weasley?"

"What's wrong with being a Weasley?" said Ginny, scowling.

"Nothing," said Draco. "I'd just rather be a Malfoy."

"So you can run around terrorizing Hogwarts dressed up as your son?" said Ginny. "That sounds real nice."

"I thought you said it wasn't my father," said Draco.

"Well it just might be," said Ginny.

"You know, this isn't leading anywhere," said Verity. "Pretty soon we'll be in the Charms corridor."

"We ought to split up," said Blaise. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"Yeah, but what if Bob pops out and attacks us all one by one?" said Draco. "What then?"

"We'll go in pairs," said Harry, "that way, he wouldn't attack two people."

"I think we're forgetting someone," said Verity. "There's five people here."

"If we had Hermione, there'd be six," said Ginny.

"But with Hermione comes Ron," said Verity. "Then there'd be seven."

"Why are you arguing over numbers?" said Draco. "We'll split into one group of two and one group of three."

"Fine," said Blaise. "Harry and I will go-"

But she was cut off by Verity. "Oh no you don't; you two together won't get a thing done. I'll go with you to the western end of the school, and Draco and Ginny can go off to the eastern end."

"I don't think Ron would appreciate us sending Ginny off with Malfoy," said Harry.

"Ron's not here, is he?" said Verity. "Come on, we'll go down to the library end." And she began walking back down the corridor, Harry and Blaise trailing after her.

"Right then," said Draco. "Where are we going?"

"The astronomy tower?" Ginny suggested.

"Sounds good to me," said Draco. "Considering that was the place Creevey and Pansy went missing and all."

***

Verity jogged eagerly up the stairs, Harry and Blaise trudging along unenthusiastically behind her.

"What are you so excited about?" Blaise asked.

Verity ignored this question.

"Maybe Granger would be better than Verity," said Blaise. "We'd probably have more fun."

"Nobody said this would be fun," said Harry. "We're trying to find someone by the name of 'Bob,' for crying out loud."

Verity looked back at Harry and Blaise. "Hurry up, you two," she said.

"No," Harry and Blaise both snapped at the same time.

Suddenly, Seamus came bursting out of a classroom, and behind him was Ron and Hermione, looking quite distressed, indeed.

"I'm so sorry," said Seamus. "I was looking for, er... well, me."

"That's really clever," said Hermione. "Looking for yourself. I don't think I've ever heard anything more ridiculous."

"Verity!" said Seamus, spotting Verity, Blaise, and Harry. "I swear, I was running after someone, and he did go into that room." He pointed at the door through which he had just come.

"You didn't see where he went?" Verity asked. "We're looking for the same one. Draco seems to think it's Lucius Malfoy."

"That is just plain old stupid," said Hermione. "Lucius Malfoy is in Azkaban."

"He escaped last night," said Harry.

"Honestly," said Ron, "what the blooming heck is going on?"

Blaise, Harry, and Verity exchanged weary looks.

"There's a Seamus double running around the school," said Seamus, "that's what's going on."

"Actually, it goes like this," said Blaise, "there's someone, we don't know who, so we've labeled him Bob. Now, Bob seems to be using Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as Hogwarts pupils. Earlier today, he was Draco, and at the moment, it seems he's Seamus. So right now, we're just as confused as you, and we really should get a move on finding this Bob."