Be Careful
36: Whom You Tease
By Anne B. Walsh
"Ginny, I really don't think this is a good idea—"
"It's something we can do to help Harry!"
"I want to help Harry as much as you do, but I don't see how we can do this!" Neville flipped through the pages of the huge book he had open on the library table in front of them, the sound masking their voices from observers. "Unless you have that Map of Harry's—which I wish he'd left with us, if he knew he was going away like this—I have no idea how we're going to get inside Snape's office, much less sneak out with something the size of the sword of Gryffindor!"
"Neither do I. Yet." Ginny's face was mulish, and Neville had a terrible suspicion that any of her brothers could have told him it was hopeless to argue with her when she was like this. "But I told you yesterday, I'm going to do it anyway. Whether you come is up to you, but Dumbledore wanted Harry to have the sword, and Harry doesn't have the sword, and if that's the difference between life and death for him, or for Hermione or Ron, and we could have done something about it…"
Neville sighed. "All right. All right. I didn't say I wouldn't help, I just said I didn't know how we were going to do it. And keep your voice down." Madam Pince appeared at the end of the nearest row of books, and Neville gave her a sickly smile. She emitted a small hmph, turned to go, then seemed to change her mind, looking back over her shoulder.
"If you're waiting for the Lovegood girl," she said, "I suggest you try outside in the hallway. She seems to be quite the center of attention."
Neville and Ginny exchanged glances, stood at the same moment, and followed the librarian back through the bookshelves.
A circle of students, some laughing and jeering, others with thin lips and grim expressions, had formed outside the library door, which Seamus hastily shut as soon as Neville and Ginny were in the hall. "Parvati and I tried to stop him," he hissed to them. "But the other Slytherins wouldn't let us, and when we tried again, she waved us off! It's like she's enjoying it or something!"
Neville turned to look. Ginny was already watching, red spots beginning to appear in the center of each freckled cheek.
"Here, birdie, birdie," taunted Draco Malfoy, dangling a book over Luna's head. "Come on, birdie, fly for it! Fly for your pretty book!" Luna's bag sat at his heels, sagging and half-empty, and a lopsided pile of books and papers was slowly tipping over behind Luna. Still, Luna looked as cheerful as always, and seemed perfectly willing to jump and snatch at her book, even as Malfoy jerked it away repeatedly, laughing.
"How long has he been doing this to her?" Neville asked, putting out a restraining hand to hold Ginny's arm.
"Don't know. I just got here five minutes ago. Was going to try to get some research done for Transfiguration, but…" Seamus shrugged. "Hard to stop watching, y'know?"
Luna caught hold of her book at last, and Malfoy released it. "Good for you, Loopy Loony," he sing-songed. "How about we make this the last round? Winner takes all?" He scooped up her bag and wiggled it at her. "You have to come and get it. No more easy jumping in place. Come on, little birdie, I know you want it…"
"I can't watch this," Ginny hissed. "Let go of me."
Luna glanced to the side and shook her head sharply, then turned back to Malfoy and began to circle him. Malfoy countered, shaking the bag in front of him as though trying to lure her with it. "Can't get it from there," he crooned. "You have to come in for it sometime…"
Finally, Luna leapt forward and snagged one of her bag's straps. Malfoy jerked back on the bag, and Luna staggered towards him, only to have him catch her wrist and pull her in the rest of the way. "Hmm," he said, looking down at her. "Should I or shouldn't I?"
"I said let go!" Ginny put her hand around Neville's and squeezed at a certain spot. He let go with a gasp of pain, but Lavender Brown and Hannah Abbott grabbed Ginny instead, holding her arms pinioned.
"Do you really want to?" said Luna, looking up into Malfoy's face. Her voice held no trace of fear. "Like this?"
"A good question." Malfoy inspected Luna from several angles, holding her out at arm's length, turning her around, even tapping her lips with a finger. Obediently, she opened them, and he peered at her teeth. A furious, muffled snarl burst from Ginny, whose mouth was now being covered by the robed arm of Michael Corner.
"I don't think so," said Malfoy at length, as though he were dismissing a set of robes that had been brought out for his consideration. "Not today, at any rate." He released Luna, who straightened her hair, then bent to pick up her bag. Gray eyes rested appreciatively on the part of her thus displayed.
Neville got himself under control and pushed between a pair of Hufflepuffs to face Malfoy. "You've had your fun," he told the Slytherin. "Now leave her alone. Show's over," he added more loudly to the rest of the crowd. "We've all got homework. Let's not forget we're here to learn."
"That's right, Longbottom, you are," Malfoy said softly as the crowd began to break up and drift away. "Here to learn how life really works. Who's in charge, what you can and can't get away with. That sort of thing."
"Even you can't get away with that forever, Malfoy." Neville pointed to Luna, who was now putting her books back into her bag with the help of Su Li and Padma Patil. "She's nothing to do with you, or any of this. Let her be."
"Don't lie to me, Longbottom," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. "I know she's one of the ringleaders of whatever Potter left behind him here, with you and Weasel-girl there. And her dad's busy writing against the Dark Lord and for Harry Potter, which would make her a person of interest even if she'd never done a thing wrong. Which she has. I remember Umbridge's office even if you don't."
Behind Neville, a boy yelled in pain. He whirled to see Corner yanking his arm away from Ginny's mouth, shaking it furiously. "That's no reason for you to treat her like your property, Malferret!" Ginny shouted, though Lavender and Hannah were still thwarting her every effort to get at Malfoy. "She's as pureblood as you are, if you want to put it on those terms—and more importantly, she's a human being, not a slave you can buy and sell!"
"Sorry," Corner mouthed to Neville. "She bites."
"As pureblood as I am? Her?" Malfoy packed enough scorn for three books into the one-syllable word. "I gravely doubt it. But still… how many generations, Lovegood?"
Luna looked up from her bag. "I don't recall exactly," she said. "I'd have to ask Daddy. He has our family tree. But I think it's at least five or six."
"So much?" Malfoy looked impressed. "You might do at that. Need some training, of course, but you show promise. I'll have to write Father about it."
"Training?" Neville asked, though he was certain he wasn't going to like the answer. "For what?"
Malfoy chuckled. "Only the Dark Lord will live forever, Longbottom." He looked Luna up and down once more, then picked up his own bag from where it had been sitting a few paces behind him. "One of these days, I'm going to need a wife."
"Over my dead body," Ginny hissed.
"Really now, Weasley, how uncouth." Malfoy lifted an eyebrow at her. "If you want me that much for yourself, try to cultivate a gentler manner. I prefer waking up in the mornings alive."
Ginny turned redder than her hair. Several strangled bits of words emerged from her lips, then nothing.
"Though I suppose you'd ensure every day was an adventure." Malfoy slung his bag over his shoulder. "I'll simply have to think about it more. Until next time, all."
Neville watched the blond boy out of sight, then went to one knee beside Luna. "I'm sorry we weren't there to stop him," he said, giving her a brief hug. "You're not hurt?"
"I'm fine." Luna slid a last quill into her bag and smiled at him. "And it's perfectly all right that you didn't stop it. I didn't want it stopped."
"Why not?" Ginny demanded, dropping down next to them. The DA members left in the hall clustered around, protecting them from hostile eyes and ears. "He was being horrible to you! Stealing your things, making you jump and dance like that to get them back—and then the way he was holding you, and looking at you!"
"He was only playing," said Luna placidly. "And I don't mind playing, not with him. He doesn't mean anything bad by it."
"Yes, Luna, he does mean something bad by it," said Ginny with forced patience. "You heard him. He's looking for a wife. And you know what that means—or do you?"
Luna giggled a little. "Yes, Ginny, I know where babies come from," she said. "But I don't really think Malfoy would make me marry him if I didn't want to. He was only saying that because he likes to watch you change color. This is all a great big game to him, and he scores points when it looks like he's doing what they expect him to do."
Neville frowned. "When it looks like? Luna, he is doing what they expect him to do. He's humiliating us, and building himself up with it."
Luna shook her head. "I don't think he is. Not the way he used to be."
"I know you want to believe the best of everyone, Luna," said Ginny, reaching out a hand to her friend. "But Malfoy is… well, he's Malfoy. He'll never change."
"Hear, hear," muttered Seamus, whose left eye was swollen shut from where Malfoy had shoved him into a door a day or two ago.
"If you say so," said Luna, getting to her feet. "Neville, weren't you going to show me and Ginny that one spell Harry taught you last year?"
Harry's name had the desired effect. The DA, grinning furtively at each other, melted away into the halls, and Neville, Ginny, and Luna entered the library together, returning to the table where Neville and Ginny had been sitting earlier.
"Ginny, I understand what you're saying," Luna said when Neville was once again rippling the pages of the huge book. "But I really do think Malfoy has changed, at least a little bit. Didn't you say yourself he stopped Zabini from hitting you?"
"That's just because he fancies me for himself!" Ginny gagged. "I'd rather bed a real dragon."
"And Neville, he was almost being nice to you," Luna persevered. "Not in a way that would make anyone notice, but he didn't hex you once, and some of what he said sounded like he was trying to warn you. To tell you the Carrows know that you and Ginny and I are the ones behind the DA, that they're watching us. And Daddy." She swallowed once. "I'll have to write to him tonight."
"And ask for your family tree, right?" said Neville, mustering a smile. "Luna, if you want to believe Malfoy's on our side, that's wonderful. But we're trying to figure out a way to get into Snape's office, and we could use your help."
"Oh, that's right." Luna reached into her bag and produced a folded-up piece of parchment. "I almost forgot. When I was putting my books back into my bag, this fell out of Truly Fantastic Beasts and Where Not to Find Them. And I know it wasn't there this morning, because I looked all through it to find my notes on Gyroblasts, and they were the only things between the pages."
Slowly, Ginny unfolded the piece of parchment.
"It's in my handwriting, but I know I didn't write it," Luna added. "And that book hadn't been out of my bag all day until just now. So you see, I really think Malfoy may be trying to help us."
Neville leaned in to look over Ginny's shoulder.
The password to the place you're trying to get into is "Hufflepuff," the note read. And don't worry. You're just as sane as I am.
"Giving us the password to Snape's office?" Neville shook his head. "He's mad."
"I think that's the point," Ginny said in a slightly strangled tone. "Luna, you're sure you didn't write this?"
"I don't remember writing it, or putting it in the book. And how would I know the password?"
"I don't know—but I can believe that you found it out, wrote it, put it in the book, and forgot about it much more easily than I can believe that Draco Malfoy is suddenly on our side!"
"He's not," said Luna. "He's on his own side, like he always is. But right now, he wants to help us, and I think we should take it. We need all the help we can get."
"Look, we won't lose anything by trying it out," Neville interjected before Ginny could reply to this. "We'll get Peeves to make a disturbance down in the kitchens tomorrow morning on break to be sure Snape's not in, then go and try it out. If it works…"
Then we may have an ally we didn't expect.
We could use something going right this year for a change. Which probably means it won't, but you never know. We could get lucky.
"We'll try it tomorrow," he repeated instead of finishing the sentence. "Meet me outside the Astronomy Tower."
Draco hummed cheerfully to himself as he made his way back to the Slytherin common room. A half-blood or Muggleborn student might have recognized the tune, but his pureblood Housemates were unlikely to.
And wouldn't admit it even if they did.
Still, he had to admit the main theme from the film they'd watched in Comparative Cultures the day before fit his mood at the moment perfectly.
Why yes, Princess Luna, I am a little short for a stormtrooper, how kind of you to notice…