A/N: Hello all of my faithful readers! Sorry this move is causing me to delay my updates, but here’s the next one. As you all probably know by now, I’m not J.K. Rowling. Hope you’ll forgive me for twisting her characters to my own whim!
While Ron was busy making Hermione not jealous in a random, empty classroom, Harry, Ginny, and Padfoot strolled by the lake. Ginny was taking no chances this time, and had slipped the loop of Padfoot’s leash around her ankle. If he wanted to escape this time, he’d have to take her down first. Padfoot frolicked happily, yapping at the Giant Squid who was lounging at the edge of the lake in the dusky hues of the setting sun. He soon tired of this and began to seek new sport. In his usual exuberant manner, Padfoot began to run circles around Harry and Ginny, turning them into a living maypole. As the leash twisted and spiraled it’s way around them, Harry and Ginny lost their balance. They fell in a heap, Harry landing on his backside and Ginny landing on top of him, Padfoot lapping their faces in a satisfied manner.
“I hope you’re happy, you naughty boy,” Ginny admonished, gently pushing him away. Padfoot sank to his haunches, yawning big and giving Harry and Ginny a chance to recover. Ginny started to push herself up, but suddenly felt Harry pulling her back down.
”I liked you better down here,” Harry said, wrapping his arms around her.
”Harry...what if someone walks up on us?” Harry, not really caring WHO walked up on them, laced his fingers through Ginny’s hair and quieted her qualms with a kiss.
”Hey, Potter, what exactly are you doing to my baby sister?”
At the sound of the unexpected voice, Harry and Ginny quickly sat up, desperately trying to untangle themselves from the leash of the now slumbering Padfoot. After finally managing to extricate themselves, Harry looked up to see Charlie standing over them, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.
”Sorry, Charlie...I mean, Professor...we got tangled up in Padfoot’s leash and fell. I...I was trying to help Ginny up.”
”Looks more like she was helping you get up,” Charlie said with an amused look on his face.
Ginny shot up and stormed up to her brother, stopping her face within inches of his. “Last time I checked, I was old enough to handle myself, CHARLIE. I DON’T need a keeper, but I’m happy to have you as a professor. THAT’S IT! PLEASE take off your big brother hat.” Ginny stopped ranting long enough to take in her brother’s appearance. A sly smile crept over her face.
”So what have you been up to, big brother? You’re looking quite flustered and rumpled.”
An expression of amusement flickered across Charlie’s rugged features. “It was that bloody dragon! She kept calling me a ‘tasty-looking bloke’, and I wasn’t sure how to take it. Of course, she really is the most beautiful specimen I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen my fair share of Opaleyes. Morgan really is a bit saucy though. She kept smacking me on the bum with her tail and licking my ear. SO saucy!” Charlie said, with a far-off glint in his eyes.
”Did you figure out what’s wrong with her?” Harry asked, helping Ginny to her feet.
”Yeah, she’s got some dragon allergies. I’ll have to rub some ointment on her everyday for the next few weeks, and she’ll be right as rain.”
Ginny grinned a mischievous smile. “I wonder what Morgan looks like as a human. Think maybe she’s cute, Charlie?”
Charlie shot Ginny a warning glance. “Harry, get my inquisitive sister back up to the castle before it gets dark. That is, if you two are done helping each other up.” Charlie gave them a quick wink before striding off towards Hagrid’s cabin.
Ginny stomped her foot in aggravation. “I swear! Someday I’m going to line all of my brothers up in age order and Bat-Bogey hex each one of them in turn!”
Harry smiled, wishing he had some siblings of his very own like Ginny’s. “Let’s get you and Padfoot back up to the castle and pop in on Ron and Hermione.”
Harry and Ginny were welcomed into Ron and Hermione’s rooms to the sight of house-elves. Zeppie was there with Winky and Dobby. Hermione beckoned them over excitedly.
”Hurry up! You two have got to hear this! It’s yet another fine example of the oppression of the house-elves.”
Harry and Ginny sat on an armchair in front of the fire, noticing that Zeppie and Winky were holding hands while Dobby looked on with longing.
”Go ahead, Zeppie,” Hermione urged. “Tell them what you told us.”
Zeppie turned his goggle-eyes towards Harry and Ginny. “Zeppie is just telling Missy Hermy that Winky is being Zeppie’s wife. Zeppie and Winky is being married for many years.”
Hermione couldn’t contain herself any longer and cut in at this point. “When house-elves get married they can’t be together unless they’re both free. Zeppie and Winky have been working in separate households for years...even though they’re married! And poor Dobby!”
Harry, who’d always felt a fondness for Dobby asked, “What about Dobby?”
Dobby raised his eyes to meet Harry’s. “Dobby too has a wife, Harry Potter sir; a wife Dobby has not seen in many years.”
Hermione stood and pounded a fist into her open palm. “We’ve GOT to help Dobby get his wife free! I mean, it’s just wrong; being kept away from the one you love because of a lifestyle of servitude!”
”Dobby, what’s your wife’s name, and do you know what family she works for?” Ginny asked.
Dobby’s eyes went back and forth between Harry and the floor. “Dobby’s wife is Corkey. Corkey is a house-elf for the Blackthorpe family.”
Harry and Ginny looked at each other. “Cindra?” Harry asked.
”I don’t know anyone else with that last name,” Ginny answered.
Harry nodded his head. “Don’t worry, Dobby, we’ll help you if we can.”
The next few weeks were filled with preparations for the Unity Ball. Harry had spoke to Cindra only once, to confirm that they would meet in the main hall beforehand. He and Ginny had been discussing with Ron and Hermione the best ways to approach Cindra about Corkey. They decided that the Unity Ball was as good a place as any to speak to her about it.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry had all placed mail orders with Madam Malkin for new dress robes, as she already had all of their sizes. She always sent out a catalog for such things, where the models inside spun and twirled wearing her latest fashions. Ron and Harry’s were actually quite similar; black dragonhide with Harry’s trimmed in crimson and Ron’s trimmed in blue. Ginny and Hermione refused to show theirs until the night of the ball.
The Saturday of the ball finally arrived. It was a rather chilly morning, and Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny had all agreed to accompany Charlie out to check on Morgan. They all bundled up and trudged out into the crisp morning air, following Charlie in the direction of the forest. Morgan, who was curled up in her grove of elm trees, immediately perked up when she saw them coming.
”Ah...here comes Mr. Juicy Flanks now!”
”I’m still trying to decide whether or not she wants to eat me,” Charlie muttered in quiet tones so Morgan couldn’t hear him. Ron smirked at Harry as Morgan snaked out her tail and ruffled Charlie’s hair.
”Really, Morgan, I brought you company and this is how you act. Can’t you behave yourself?” Charlie asked.
”But it’s really so much more fun NOT to behave.”
Ron sniggered as Charlie began to rub ointment on Morgan’s side. “So, Charlie, you coming to the ball tonight? Tonks will be there. She’s coming for extra security.”
All of a sudden, Ron felt very warm on his backside and leapt forward as he realized that Morgan had blown flames right behind him.
”Whoops! Sorry, mate. Had to sneeze...dragon allergies you know.”
Ron looked over his shoulder at his smoking robes. “I think maybe I’m going to head back up to the castle. Suddenly, I’m feeling a bit warm.”
”I’ll come with you, Ron. I have some things to do to get ready for the ball,” Hermione offered. She grabbed Ron’s hand and the two left. After watching Charlie handle Morgan’s allergy treatments for a minute, Harry and Ginny began to feel like they were intruding upon something. They said their goodbyes and started to leave, when Morgan stopped them, feeling a bit like she was running them all off.
”Wait a minute, please?” she implored. With her teeth, Morgan pulled out two of her large scales and dropped them into Ginny’s hand. “One each for you and Hermione. Wear them in your hair for your ball.”
Ginny looked down at the pearly, shimmering scales in her hand. Each was oval in shape with a toothed edge that made them look like ornamental hair combs. Sunlight hit them from different angles, making them appear a rainbow spectrum of colors. “Thanks so much, Morgan! They’re beautiful. Of course we’ll wear them!” Ginny flashed Morgan a friendly smile before she and Harry left.
Charlie smiled as he watched them go, slathering more ointment on Morgan’s tail. Morgan sighed loudly.
”That’s something I’ve missed over the last ten years.”
”What’s that?” Charlie asked, finishing up her allergy treatment and coming around front to face her.
Morgan arched her neck and stared at the ground. “Friendship. Companionship. Love. Without them, life can be a bit lonely. Okay, it can be a LOT lonely.”
Charlie patted the side of Morgan’s enormous head. “Don’t worry, Morgan. You’ve got me and Hagrid as friends. And don’t worry, keep up doing things like you just did for Ginny and Hermione, and you’ll have more.”
”As long as you’re my friend, Charlie, I’ll be happy. I wonder if you’ll still want to be my friend after you see what I look like.”
”What do you mean?”
”Well...right now I’m the most beautiful kind of dragon in the world. When I can change back again I’ll just be plain old, uninteresting Morgan. I can assure you, I’m no raving beauty.”
Charlie put a hand on either side of Morgan’s dragon head and forced her to look into his eyes. “Morgan, even when you’re a witch again I’m SURE you’ll be just as fun to be around. I’ll still be around...if you’re still around.”
Ginny and Hermione hid away in Hermione’s room for most of the afternoon before the ball. Ron and Harry were waiting for them in front of Ron and Hermione’s fireplace. They would walk together to the main hall where they would split up with their dates from other houses. Harry was feeling a bit nervous about having to spend an hour with a Slytherin, especially because of the plan; the plan to ask her about Corkey. A few minutes later, his stomach was doing flips, but for an entirely different reason. Ginny was descending the stairs and Harry was quite speechless.
Ginny’s hair hung in soft, wispy curls down her back. Her purple strands were coiled up on top of her head, held in place by Morgan’s shimmering scale. Ginny wore robin’s egg blue damask dress robes with a raised floral pattern done in gold stitching.
”Now don’t you forget, Potter, I dressed like this for you, not for Blaise Zabini. I’ll just pretend I’m wearing a potato sack for the first hour.”
Harry still couldn’t seem to form coherent speech, so he just settled for kissing her soundly and putting an arm around her shoulders as Ron asked, “Where’s Hermione?”
”Sorry! I’m coming!”
Hermione dashed out of her room and down the stairs. Hermione’s hair was twisted up in a complicated fashion, adorned with Morgan’s other scale. She wore robes of creamy pink Chinese silk with a silver tulle overlay. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Ron grabbed her elbow and leaned over to whisper to her.
”Do you reckon we could just skip the ball the spend the evening in here? We could put on suits and try out that big tub!” Ron said suggestively, once again converting to ‘naughty Ron’.
Hermione elbowed him playfully. “Maybe later, Ron. Right now we have our responsibility as Head Boy and Head Girl to attend to. Let’s go.”
”You DO realize I’ll have to hold you to that, don’t you?” Ron asked as the foursome exited Ron and Hermione’s rooms and headed for the main hall. Once there, Ron and Hermione left Harry and Ginny in search of Ernie and Hannah. Harry took Ginny’s hand and tried to bolster up his courage as they headed over to where Cindra and Blaise stood. He was feeling a bit apprehensive about talking to Cindra about Corkey, but knew he must keep his promise to Dobby.
”Well, good evening, Harry...Ginevra,” Cindra greeted them, nodding at each in turn. She and Blaise were both dressed in dark shades of green.
”Should we go in?” Harry asked, offering Cindra his arm as Blaise did the same to Ginny. Both of these particular Slytherins seemed to be all about being proper.
”I suppose,” Cindra replied, sounding rather bored. The four walked into the Great Hall and sank into chairs at the first table they came to.
The Great Hall was nothing short of splendid. Smaller circular tables skirted the edges, each covered with silken tablecloths with swirled patterns of green, scarlet, purple, and blue. Each table seated four and was covered with gold and silver confetti, star-shaped floating candles in blue glass basins, and gold and silver tasseled menus. Upon inspection, whatever dish someone asked for out of the menu would simply appear in front of them. Each table also held a crystal decanter of raspberry cordial and four matching cut-glass goblets. The ceiling was bewitched to portray the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, and was currently flashing shades of red, orange, and pink.
Harry, Ginny, Cindra, and Blaise each scanned their menus, finally deciding on their choice of food. As they ate, conversation was very little. As Harry finished off his roast lamb, he finally decided to broach the subject of Corkey.
”So...er, Cindra. Have you got any house-elves?”
Cindra daintily daubed her face with a napkin before answering. “Oh yes, we’ve got quite a few of them. Mind you, they’re not all quite up to snuff with my expectations of how house-elves should be, but it’s not my place to get rid of them.”
Harry figured this was the perfect way to head towards Corkey. “So, which of your house-elves would you say is the worst worker of them all?” he asked.
”Well, we’ve got one named Criptor who’s getting pretty old and just can’t seem to get around well anymore. But he still does a reasonably good job. We have one who’s just terribly clumsy. I’ve tried to convince my parent’s to free her, but they say she’ll eventually shape up. I simply HATE having Corkey around.”
”You shouldn’t have to put up with substandard service,” Ginny piped in. “I know if I had house-elves, I wouldn’t put up with it, no matter what my parents had to say. If I was you, I’d find a way to get rid of it on my own.”
Cindra’s face had taken on a look of interest. “You know, Ginevra, you may just have something there! Why should I put up with my parents’ incompetent house-elves? I believe I’ll have to get rid of her myself!”
Ginny and Harry cast each other a conspiratorial glance. They’d put the idea of getting rid of Corkey in Cindra’s head. Now all they could do was wait and see what became of it.
”Where exactly are we going, Luna?” Draco asked, as Luna dragged him out of the Great Hall and into the gardens surrounding the castle.
”I wanted to dance, Draco, and they’re not playing any music inside yet.”
”Luna, there’s no music out here either.”
”Sure there is, Draco, just listen.”
Draco cocked his head and after a few minutes, sure enough, he heard music. It was coming from the younger students costume party by the lake. “So does this mean I have to dance now?” he asked her.
”Oh...you know you’re dying to get her into your arms! Go ahead, lover boy. Grab hold of her and twirl her around a bit.”
”Listen, could you please just stay out of this tonight! How will I ever enjoy the evening if you won’t leave me alone?” Draco asked his conscience.
”Alright, alright...I’m just saying, don’t pass up a golden opportunity that’s right in front of you!”
Before Draco had the chance to take Luna in his arms, she grabbed him and began to sway back and forth with him. Draco took this as an opportunity to again admire how she looked.
Luna was wearing a beautiful set of black and white satin robes with silver star catches at the front. The only thing at all odd about her appearance, was the fact that she had her hair coiled on top of her head and held in place by, a snake.
”Luna, where did you get that thing in your hair?” Draco asked, trying to do so without hurting her feelings. It wasn’t that it looked bad, only that it certainly was different from any other hair ornament any other girl was wearing. But, this WAS Luna he was talking about.
”Oh, do you like it? It’s a coral snake. I thought it was fitting, since my date’s a Slytherin. I got it by owl post the other day,” she said, stroking the red, white, and black banded snake. “It was a present from a reader. I get presents from Quibbler readers all the time, since daddy’s in charge of it. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s a fake.”
Draco let his mind drift to other things as they danced...like the way her hair smelled like the air after a fresh rain, or how his arms tingled with her in them. He gazed into her pale eyes, smiling a little at her as she began to talk again.
”You like me a little, don’t you, Draco? I mean as more than a friend. I can tell.”
Draco’s mouth fell open, and he couldn’t seem to find the right words to say.
”Don’t worry, Draco. I like you too. I like you a lot.” She beamed him her dreamiest smile and Draco smiled back, daring to lean in a little closer. It was then that he noticed her hair was coming unbound. Draco’s eyes grew wider, as the snake in Luna’s hair uncoiled, and sank venom dripping fangs into Luna’s neck. Immediately she slumped in his arms and turned panic stricken eyes to him.
”Did I ever tell you that Blue-Crested Willawomps mate for life? I...I suddenly don’t feel quite myself, Draco. I feel...so...strange...”
Luna passed out completely, as Draco began to call for help.
A/N: Sorry about that! I promise not to leave you hanging for too long!!