Fire and Ice

False Accusations

Draco sauntered out and stood outside the door, watching the other students spill out of the dungeon messily. It took Draco a few moments for him to realise that he was waiting for Ginny.

A few minutes passed, and a frown contoured Draco's face.

Slowly, Draco silently crept back into the entry way of the dungeon, and listened outside the main door.

"...I don't know where you learned that spell but you..."

Draco pressed his ear against the door, suddenly desperate to hear the conversation.

"...have no idea what magic you are playing with... don't lie to me, Miss Weasley... have you any comprehension..." Snape's voice steadily grew to a loud angry hiss, while Ginny's seem to shrink by the second.

"...of course it was you!" Snape suddenly snapped. Draco, who was listening so silently, coughed in alarm, before pressing his fist into his mouth to counter any unwanted noises. Seemingly oblivious to Draco's presence, Snape ruthlessly continued.

"...do you not think I am fully aware of what happens in my classroom?! I saw Soshry taunting you, sparking you with his wand!" Draco seethed at the mention of that bastard, "I know fully well that you used DARK MAGIC IN MY CLASSROOOM!"

Draco closed his eyes in silent agony when he heard Ginny let out a quiet sob when Snape bellowed at her. Draco could only imagine how scared she must be. And it was all my fault. Suddenly, Draco was hit with a de ja vu when Ginny screamed at him for using the Dark spell of Invisibility, when they overheard Snape and Dumbledore arguing.

"Please, Sir, it wasn't me!" she whimpered. Draco didn't think he'd ever hear Ginny whimper, or be scared, for that matter, she was so strong and independent. But Draco had been on the end of Snape's rage, too, and knew that it wasn't a nice feeling.

"Lies, Miss Weasley..." he hissed. "Now get out. If you dare use dark magic again in this school, you'll be out. Out."

Draco had barely any time to race out and hide behind an arch outside the dungeon entrance before he heard Ginny stumbled out.

After a few minutes, Ginny passed the arch in a flood of tears. Draco caught her in his arms and she began sobbing freely.

"Shh," Draco murmured, rubbing her back. Within seconds, Ginny's cries subsided and the strong, fierce Ginny he knew so well was back.

"I would never use dark magic, ever!" she choked into his chest, still holding him tightly. The letter Draco sent her was long forgotten.

"Of course you wouldn't," Draco said, as an unspoken truce settled between them. She needed him, and... he needed her too.

"Wait... did you use a Dark spell to set his sleeve on fire?!" There was no question about whether he actually set Soshry's sleeve on fire or not, both of them knew the answer to that.

She pulled away slightly from Draco to look at him while he replied.

He glanced down at her dark brown eyes, and frowned again.

"No..." he began, "I... wait, I used a simple Fire spell, we learned it in Charms for fuck's sake, it can't have been a Dark spell!"

"The why did it take Snape so long to counter curse it?" Ginny mused, more to herself than to Draco. Draco answered anyway.

"I dunno. Snape didn't mix up the curse, he's too clever for that. And I think I heard him mutter the Water spell (which would've extinguished the fire immediately), so..." his voice faded into silence.

"What?" Ginny said, breaking his reverie.

Draco turned to her.

"Somebody did use a Dark spell on Soshry's sleeve. But it wasn't me."