See the prologue for the disclaimer.
Afraid of the Dark
Written by LJP
Chapter 10
Draco shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He glanced down at the floor, almost embarrassed to ask Snape what he had come down here for.
"Mr. Malfoy?" His professor was growing impatient.
"I’m sorry sir." He finally said. "I just had a question. I was going to ask Lucius, but he would more than likely think me stupid, ignorant, and useless. I’d never get an answer from him. I just thought that maybe you could help." But he never stated the question, seemingly avoiding saying it aloud.
When Draco didn’t complete his thought, Snape sighed, frustrated. "Out with it boy." He boomed, causing Draco to step back, flinching.
He took a deep breath. "When the Dark Lord calls me, how am I to go to him? I don’t know how to apparate, and even if I did, no one can apparate from inside Hogwarts." His normally pale face flushed with embarrassment.
"He didn’t give you any gift before the ceremony? A token of his, for lack of a better word, affection? Something in appreciation of your loyalty to him?"
Draco shook his head, looking confused.
Snape put his quill down and regarded the young Slytherin. "When I initiated, I was given a small emerald vial — very rare — that I have used ever since as a portkey. It automatically sends me directly to the gathering place at the right time as long as I touch it." He paused for a second. "How did you get to the ceremony the other evening?"
"My father." Draco explained. "Come to think of it, he used his staff — the one with the serpents’ head on it — to get us there."
"And he didn’t seem fazed by the fact that you hadn’t anything to transport yourself there?"
He shook his head.
"Hmn." Snape snorted. "There must be some reason that the Dark Lord neglected to offer you a reward. All the Death Eaters receive one so they can easily get to the gathering place. However, if you find that you need to way to get there, do not hesitate to ask me; I am willing to have you accompany me."
"Thank you sir."
As Draco began to walk toward the door, Snape called out to him. "Oh, and Mr. Malfoy? Please meet with Miss Weasley this evening at seven in the library. If you have any difficulties aiding her, I am here to help."
Draco nodded and disappeared out the door.
Miss Weasley-
You will meet with your tutor this evening at seven in the library.
-Professor Snape
Ginny read over the instruction again. She held her breath as she stepped into the library five minutes until seven. She didn’t really need help with Potions. Snape knew that; she wondered if he saw through her lie. He probably did. Severus Snape seemed like a man that knew almost everything. He was sort of like Headmaster Dumbledore in the sense that you got an eerie feeling that he knew exactly what you were thinking or doing. Like, he knew who blew up the cauldron in class, or who put three dragonfly wings in their Potion instead of two, even when he was seated at his desk, immersed in his work.
Ginny shuddered.
She smiled at Madame Prince, who was busy sending books back to their rightful shelves from behind her desk, all the while reading some large, leather-bound volume intently. She smiled back at Ginny without taking more than a second as a break.
The library was a large place, and Ginny wasn’t sure where she’d find Draco, or even if he was already here. So, she took a seat at an empty table near the back. If he was already here, she would wait for him to find her. And if he was not, he shouldn’t have any trouble spotting her at this table. The table had a good view of the door, but was far enough out of the way that they wouldn’t be bothered. Sighing, she pulled her Potions book out of her bag, and set to work reading over their current chapter.
A few minutes later, the library door opened, and Draco Malfoy sauntered in, his gray eyes scanning the room for Ginny. He saw her sitting at a back table, red head bent over a book. She was chewing on the end of her pencil and tapping her foot underneath the table. Draco could see that her legs were crossed so that her gray skirt had risen, leaving him a clear view of milky white thigh.
He bit back a groan as he circled around the nearest bookshelf to approach her from behind. "You look like you’re quite absorbed in that book." Draco whispered, his breath hitting her just below there ear at the sensitive spot of skin there.
Ginny screamed and jumped, knocking the book off the table. She received a stern look from Madame Prince. In response, she shrugged an apology, hoping that would appease the strict old witch. "Don’t do that again Malfoy."
"Do what?" He asked innocently. "This?" He blew softly at her neck, causing her to shiver.
Ginny shrugged away and bent over to pick up her book. "Sneak up on me you prat. I’m easily spooked, and I don’t want to continually look over my shoulder to make sure you’re not sneaking up on me. I hate that feeling of paranoia. If you want to speak with me, at the very least make me aware of your presence in some other way besides scaring me to death. I’m likely to become the next Moaning Myrtle if you don’t."
"Are you saying you wouldn’t mind if I wanted to speak to you sometime?" Draco slid into the seat to her left. She gave him a look and turned to open her book again. He reached a hand out and set it on the book, stopping her.
"I’m going to have to, aren’t I? You are, after all, tutoring me in Potions."
"I looked at your file Ginny. You don’t need help in Potions."
She was silent for a moment. "No." She admitted shyly. "I don’t."
"Then why am I here?" Draco whispered, leaning closer to her.
"I...I don’t know." She stammered, her violet eyes widening. Ginny bit down on her lip. Draco thought it looked adorable and yearned to lean in further and kiss those full pink lips. "I need help in Defense Against the Dark Arts." She blurted out, averting her eyes from his.
Draco looked at her. "I don’t think you need to learn how to defend yourself from them." He chuckled.
"True." She pursed her lips together. "But I think that in order to become fully aware of their power, especially within me, I need to understand the basics. I’m just having a problem getting the hang of it. I couldn’t go to Professor Black. He would have suggested Hermione, or even worse, Harry. He would never have agreed to this."
"Why is it so important that I tutor you?"
She shrugged, not meeting his gaze. "It just seemed like the right thing to do."
Draco touched her chin and lifted her face to his. He stared at her, his eyes memorizing every feature from her violet eyes, to the dimple on her cheek, to her round, full lips and her petite little nose. His gaze trailed down her neck to the outline of her bra that was visible under her white blouse; the top two buttons were undone. Finally, he stopped when he was looking at her necklace. He reached out and pulled it into his hand.
"Where did you get this?"
She blushed. "It’s none of your business."
"I think it is."
***
"Nothing will come of nothing."- William Shakespeare
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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.