'Ginny,' spluttered Ron. 'I want you to tell me right now — promise me — you won't — you wouldn't — not with Malfoy!'
Ginny took a bite of toast and shrugged. 'Alas, that our love must be secret,' she said.
'Ginny, stop winding Ron up,' said Harry, although he was hiding a smile. 'Ron, quit being a twit. I'm sure Ginny didn't stay in the room with Malfoy any longer than she had to. Ginny, what do you mean there's Dark Magic all over him? Is he all right?'
Ginny frowned. 'It's just a feeling,' she said. 'Ever since we were in the Chamber of Secrets, I get this cold sort of feeling whenever I'm around Dark magic. I got it from Hermione in Diagon Alley just after she saw Viktor. And I get it from Malfoy, too.'
'Well, that's not too surprising,' said Ron. 'I mean, he's been around Dark magic his whole life. He's a walking Knockturn Alley.'
'Maybe,' said Harry, who was biting on one knuckle, something he did when he was thinking.
'D'you think he's dangerous?' asked Ron, sounding hopeful.
Somewhat unwillingly, Harry thought of the sword, the Talisman of Purest Evil. And of the surge of cold that had come from Draco's hand when they had performed the Veritas curse on Krum.
'I don't think so,' he said.
'Still,' said Ron, reaching for the plate of toast, 'there's a definite possibility that he's a vicious, cold-blooded — ' Ginny squeaked. Ron glanced up and saw Draco standing in the doorway, wearing Mrs.
Weasleys' fuzzy pink sweater and carrying a large green book. 'Oh.
Um…piece of toast?' said Ron lamely, offering the plate to Draco.
'I've been called a lot of things in my life,' said Draco, looking at the plate. 'But never a vicious, cold-blooded piece of toast.'
Ron had the grace to look embarrassed. 'Sorry, Malfoy,' he muttered. 'But Ginny-'
'Told you about last night,' said Draco, looking at Ginny with a certain coldness. Ginny looked right back. He had been right about pink, thought Ginny. It was not his color. It went badly with his light coloring and silvery hair, making him resemble nothing so much as an iced pink birthday cake. 'I had a nightmare,' he said. 'So what?'
'I have nightmares all the time,' said Harry. 'I don't usually wake up covered in blood.'
'Covered is kind of strong,' said Draco, sitting down at the table.
'More like…splattered.'
'Oh, right,' said Ron with heavy sarcasm, 'Never mind then, it isn't weird at all.'
'Exactly,' said Draco, ignoring Ron's look of immense irritation, and turned to Harry. 'Potter,' he said. 'I've had an idea.' He waved his hand at Ron, who looked as if he was about to say something. 'And no sarcastic comments, please.'
'Okay,' said Harry. 'What?'
'The Epicyclical Charm,' said Draco. 'My Epicyclical Charm. It's never been tested, but theoretically, wherever I am in the world, Hermione can find me by using it. I know she could find me wherever I was at Hogwarts, she used it a couple of times.'
'But that's only useful if she's trying to find you,' said Harry. 'Not the other way around.'
'If theres only one Epicyclical Charm, thats true,' said Draco. He raised the green book he was holding, the object he had Summoned to himself the night before. It was his fathers copy of Epicyclical Elaborations of Sorcery. 'But if we make another Charm, the two Charms can find each other.'
Harry, Ron and Ginny stared at him. 'Another Epicyclical Charm?'
said Harry faintly. 'But isn?t that really complicated and dangerous?'
'Not really,' said Draco. 'I?m a little too old for it to be very effective, but it should be effective enough for this. And I?ll be giving a part of myself willingly, so that will help.'
'Does that mean we get to knock out one of your teeth?' asked Ron, with interest.
'I was thinking of a lock of hair,' said Draco, 'and I?d like to see you try it, Weasley.'
'Ahem,' said Harry. 'Do we have what we need for the spell?'
'Not everything,' Draco hedged. 'Not yet. We need some mugwort, some wolfsbane, and an Orb of Thessala.'
'A what of what?' said Ginny.
'An Orb of Thessala,' said Draco. 'Its used in Transfiguration and Transformation spells. It has to do with soul transference. Its not hard to use, just hard to come by. I assume my dad must have had one, but I?ve no idea where he might have kept it.'
'So where are we going to get one?' said Harry. 'Is this the sort of thing you can just buy in Diagon Alley?'
'Actually, no,' said Draco. 'But its just the sort of thing our Transformations teacher would have in his office.'
'Lupin,' said Harry. 'He?d never let us borrow something like that.'
'True,' Draco agreed. 'Which is why we?re going to have to break in and take it. We have to go back to school anyway, and while we're there — '
Harry blinked. 'We have to go back to school?'
'Of course,' said Draco, as if this should be obvious. 'We have to get my sword.'
