Traitoress

Getting Personal

Ginny woke up as some feeble rays of sunlight made their way through a crack in the curtains.

"Ow…" she moaned and clutched her head, sitting up. The room was empty. "Draco?"

There was no reply, so she climbed out of the bed, stumbling over to her little black bag, pulling out a white tank top and black cardigan, with a dusty silver miniskirt.

After dressing and applying her make-up, she made her way carefully along the corridors of the manor, wincing as every little sound got inside her head. She eventually arrived in the dining room, where toast and the full English breakfast was laid out and Theo, Damien, Zabini and Draco were sitting.

"Here’s the little sleeping beauty!" Damien grinned, and gestured to the seat between him and Draco. She sat down, wincing.

"I swear to God, I’m never drinking that much alcohol again," she moaned, head in hands.

The boys laughed. "We brewed up our cure to a hangover," Theo held out a glass of a frothy blue potion. "Don’t ask what’s in it."

She downed it, and almost immediately her headache began to clear. "Thanks…I would ask what the hell that was, but I don’t really want to know…"

- - - - -

"Any luck on finding the blueprints of Malfoy Manor?" Harry asked as he discussed tactics with Ron.

Hermione sighed. "No luck at all," she groaned. "Tonks won’t give away anything in case they suspect involvement with the Order, and the Ministry’s copies of the blueprints all mysteriously disappeared during You-Know-Who’s first rise to power."

"We’re just going to have to wing it, mate," Ron said.

Harry let his fist thump onto the table, making the other two jump. "Okay…our only chance is getting in and out as quickly as we can, and praying You-Know-Who’s not in the Manor when we try."

There was a moment of total quiet, then Hermione said hesitantly, "You don’t think this is exactly what You-Know-Who wants us to do? I mean, attempt to break into a stronghold of his followers."

"Trap or not, Hermione, we have to rescue Ginny, or die trying," Harry sighed.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Because if we fail, my mother will kill us anyway."

"So, tonight, we go, okay?" Harry asked, putting his hand in the middle of the table.

"Tonight," Ron thumped his hand on top of Harry’s.

Hermione put her hand on top of both of theirs. "Tonight at Malfoy Manor."

- - - - -

It had snowed overnight, and Ginny spent the day throwing snowballs at the other four, who seemed to make her their key target.

They came inside eventually, at about three o’clock, and everyone except Draco and Ginny left to eat and change their clothes, leaving the two of them in the kitchen with the house-elves.

"Dreeio!" she waved her wand and her clothes were warm and dry, and then repeated it for Draco.

"Thanks," he said, and handed her a hot chocolate a house-elf had just given him. She smiled gratefully.

She jumped up and sat on the island counter, sipping her drink. "What’s the date today?" she asked, frowning.

"February 14th," he answered.

"Oh," she said, and then said something under her breath that he didn’t quite hear.

"What was that?"