Matter of heart - 10

"Not my fault if he's an idiot," Harry muttered, glancing at the darkening sky. If Malfoy really had wandered into the forest, it would be dark soon. Harry didn't fancy wandering through the forest alone at night, never mind with Malfoy or whomever he might be meeting hidden there.

"He's not an idiot," Pansy said, seething. "He's got more brains in his pinky finger than you can ever hope to have."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Pansy, it's getting dark. If he really is out here, we're going to need some help. Let's go back inside and see if he's there before panicking."

"It might be too late by then," she said shrilly.

"I know where there's something back in the tower that will tell us if he's in the castle or not. It's better than searching blind," Harry said, turning around. He only hoped that she'd follow him. He really didn't want to leave her out here alone.

"Don't move, Potter," she said, snarling.

Something in the tone of her voice made him stop and glance back over his shoulder. She'd drawn her wand and had it pointed at his back. He knew she was rubbish at dueling and hadn't even managed to score high enough on her O.W.L.s to participate in Defense the previous year. Still, he didn't want to take any chances. Turning around slowly, he watched her closely as she moved forward.

"Don't try anything, Potter. I'm not afraid to use this," she said, waving her wand in the air dramatically.

Harry kept his eyes on the moving wand, struggling not to snicker at her overconfidence.

"Everyone thinks I can't hold my own in a duel," Pansy said, tossing her hair. "But I got you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you got me all right, Pansy," Harry said, slowly sliding his feet forward. "What are you planning?"

"You're going to come with me," she said, aiming her wand at him again.

Harry noticed it was shaking slightly in her gloved hands. He vaguely wondered why she was dressed so warmly. The night air really wasn't all that chilly. "Where are we going?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

Pansy's gaze moved to the trees, seeking a place to enter. In that moment of distraction, Harry drew his own wand in a flash.

"Expelliarmus," he shouted. Pansy's wand flew through the air in a graceful arc, landing perfectly in his outstretched hand.

Shocked, the last thing Harry saw was Pansy's smirking, triumphant face before he felt the familiar jerk behind his navel. His stomach dropped with dread as the Portkey sped him away.

**~~**~~**

Ginny suddenly slammed her book shut, shuddering. Glancing out the common room window at the darkening sky, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, feeling chilled. She'd been intent on her revising when a feeling of unease had overcome her. Something was wrong.

Shaking her head and chiding herself for her paranoia, she took a deep breath and attempted to calm her racing heart. Opening her book again, she took a deep breath and tried to re-read the paragraph on Human Transfiguration that had been giving her trouble all evening. Her nerves were frayed from all her revising – not to mention everything else going on – and she was certain she was overreacting.

In addition to the huge amount of makeup work she'd had to do after her lengthy illness, she was terrified for Harry and his coming fight. Grasping her necklace and rubbing the stone in her fingers, Ginny forced her eyes back to the book. After reading the same paragraph three times yet retaining none of it, she conceded it was useless. Nightmarish images of Harry's imminent battle preyed upon her mind.